scholarly journals Attentional Preparation for a Lateralized Visual Distractor: Behavioral and fMRI Evidence

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 522-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian C. Ruff ◽  
Jon Driver
Keyword(s):  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Psychophysical Experiment ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Control Structures ◽  
Visual Distractor ◽  
Superior Parietal Cortex ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

Attending to the location of an expected visual target can lead to anticipatory activations in spatiotopic occipital cortex, emerging before target onset. But less is known about how the brain may prepare for a distractor at a known location remote from the target. In a psychophysical experiment, we found that trial-to-trial advance knowledge about the presence of a distractor in the target-opposite hemifield significantly reduced its behavioral cost. In a subsequent functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment with similar task and stimuli, we found anticipatory activations in the occipital cortex contralateral to the expected distractor, but no additional target modulation, when participants were given advance information about a distractor's subsequent presence and location. Several attention-related control structures (frontal eye fields and superior parietal cortex) were active during attentional preparation for all trials, whereas the left superior prefrontal and right angular gyri were additionally activated when a distractor was anticipated. The right temporoparietal junction showed stronger functional coupling with occipital regions during preparation for trials with an isolated target than for trials with a distractor expected. These results show that anticipation of a visual distractor at a known location, remote from the target, can lead to (1) a reduction in the behavioral cost of that distractor, (2) preparatory modulation of the occipital cortex contralateral to the location of the expected distractor, and (3) anticipatory activation of distinct parietal and frontal brain structures. These findings indicate that specific components of preparatory visual attention may be devoted to minimizing the impact of distractors, not just to enhancements of target processing.

Emotional Reactivity to Visual Content as Revealed by ERP Component Clustering

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 135-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslaw Wyczesany ◽  
Szczepan J. Grzybowski ◽  
Jan Kaiser
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Reactivity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Occipital Lobe ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. In the study, the neural basis of emotional reactivity was investigated. Reactivity was operationalized as the impact of emotional pictures on the self-reported ongoing affective state. It was used to divide the subjects into high- and low-responders groups. Independent sources of brain activity were identified, localized with the DIPFIT method, and clustered across subjects to analyse the visual evoked potentials to affective pictures. Four of the identified clusters revealed effects of reactivity. The earliest two started about 120 ms from the stimulus onset and were located in the occipital lobe and the right temporoparietal junction. Another two with a latency of 200 ms were found in the orbitofrontal and the right dorsolateral cortices. Additionally, differences in pre-stimulus alpha level over the visual cortex were observed between the groups. The attentional modulation of perceptual processes is proposed as an early source of emotional reactivity, which forms an automatic mechanism of affective control. The role of top-down processes in affective appraisal and, finally, the experience of ongoing emotional states is also discussed.

scholarly journals Functional preference for object sounds but not for voices in the occipito-temporal cortex of early blind individuals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Dormal ◽  
Maxime Pelland ◽  
Mohamed Rezk ◽  
Esther Yakobov ◽  
Franco Lepore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Primary Auditory Cortex ◽  
Familiar Object ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Level Control ◽  
Crossmodal Plasticity ◽  
Categorical Responses ◽  
The Right ◽  
Blind Individuals

AbstractSounds activate occipital regions in early blind individuals. How different sound categories map onto specific regions of the occipital cortex remains however debated. We used fMRI to characterize brain responses of early blind and sighted individuals to familiar object sounds, human voices and their respective low-level control sounds. Sighted participants were additionally tested when viewing pictures of faces, objects and phase-scrambled control pictures. In both early blind and sighted, a double dissociation was evidenced in bilateral auditory cortices between responses to voices and object sounds: voices elicited categorical responses in bilateral superior temporal sulci while object sounds elicited categorical responses along the lateral fissure bilaterally, including the primary auditory cortex and planum temporale. Outside of the auditory regions, object sounds additionally elicited categorical responses in left lateral and ventral occipito-temporal regions in both groups. These regions also showed response preference for images of objects in the sighted, thus suggesting a functional specialization in these regions that is independent of sensory input and visual experience. Between-group comparisons revealed that only in the blind group, categorical responses to object sounds extended more posteriorly into the occipital cortex. Functional connectivity analyses evidenced a selective increase in the functional coupling between these reorganized regions and regions of the ventral occipito-temporal cortex in the early blind. In contrast, vocal sounds did not elicit preferential responses in the occipital cortex in either group. Nevertheless, enhanced voice-selective connectivity between the left temporal voice area and the right fusiform gyrus were found in the blind. Altogether, these findings suggest that separate auditory categories are not equipotent in driving selective auditory recruitment of occipito-temporal regions in the absence of developmental vision, highlighting domain-region constraints on the expression of crossmodal plasticity.

The Link between Estradiol and Neuroplasticity in Transgender Women after Gender-Affirming Surgery: A Bimodal Hypothesis

2019 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 489-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maiko A. Schneider ◽  
Poli M. Spritzer ◽  
Jee Su Suh ◽  
Luciano Minuzzi ◽  
Benicio N. Frey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Transgender Women ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Time Points ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

For transgender individuals, gender-affirming surgery (GAS) and cross-sex hormone therapy (CSHT) are part of the gender transition process. Scientific evidence supporting the maintenance of CSHT after GAS-related gonadectomy is accumulating. However, few data are available on the impact of CSHT on the brain structure following hypogonadism. Thus, we aimed to investigate links between estradiol and brain cortical thickness (CTh) and cognition in 18 post-gonadectomy transgender women using a longitudinal design. For this purpose, the participants underwent a voluntary period of CSHT washout of at least 30 days, followed by estradiol re-institution for 60 days. High-resolution T1-weighted brain images, hormonal measures, working and verbal memory were collected at 2 time points: on the last day of the washout (t1) and on the last day of the 2-month CSHT period (t2). Between these 2 time points, CTh increased within the left precentral gyrus and right precuneus but decreased within the right lateral occipital cortex. However, these findings did not survive corrections of multiple comparisons. Nevertheless, there was a significant negative correlation between changes in estradiol levels and changes in CTh. This effect was evident in the left superior frontal gyrus, the left middle temporal gyrus, the right precuneus, the right superior temporal gyrus, and the right pars opercularis. Although there was an improvement in verbal memory following hypogonadism correction, we did not observe a significant relationship between changes in memory scores and CTh. Altogether, these findings suggest that there is a link between estradiol and CTh.

scholarly journals Functional Preference for Object Sounds and Voices in the Brain of Early Blind and Sighted Individuals

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Dormal ◽  
Maxime Pelland ◽  
Mohamed Rezk ◽  
Esther Yakobov ◽  
Franco Lepore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Auditory Cortex ◽  
Familiar Object ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Level Control ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Categorical Responses ◽  
Auditory Cortices ◽  
The Right ◽  
Blind Individuals

Sounds activate occipital regions in early blind individuals. However, how different sound categories map onto specific regions of the occipital cortex remains a matter of debate. We used fMRI to characterize brain responses of early blind and sighted individuals to familiar object sounds, human voices, and their respective low-level control sounds. In addition, sighted participants were tested while viewing pictures of faces, objects, and phase-scrambled control pictures. In both early blind and sighted, a double dissociation was evidenced in bilateral auditory cortices between responses to voices and object sounds: Voices elicited categorical responses in bilateral superior temporal sulci, whereas object sounds elicited categorical responses along the lateral fissure bilaterally, including the primary auditory cortex and planum temporale. Outside the auditory regions, object sounds also elicited categorical responses in the left lateral and in the ventral occipitotemporal regions in both groups. These regions also showed response preference for images of objects in the sighted group, thus suggesting a functional specialization that is independent of sensory input and visual experience. Between-group comparisons revealed that, only in the blind group, categorical responses to object sounds extended more posteriorly into the occipital cortex. Functional connectivity analyses evidenced a selective increase in the functional coupling between these reorganized regions and regions of the ventral occipitotemporal cortex in the blind group. In contrast, vocal sounds did not elicit preferential responses in the occipital cortex in either group. Nevertheless, enhanced voice-selective connectivity between the left temporal voice area and the right fusiform gyrus were found in the blind group. Altogether, these findings suggest that, in the absence of developmental vision, separate auditory categories are not equipotent in driving selective auditory recruitment of occipitotemporal regions and highlight the presence of domain-selective constraints on the expression of cross-modal plasticity.

scholarly journals A brain network supporting social influences in human decision-making

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Jan P. Gläscher
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prediction Error ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Integrated Network ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
Right Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
The Right

AbstractHumans learn from their own trial-and-error experience and from observing others. However, it remains unanswered how brain circuits compute expected values when direct learning and social learning coexist in an uncertain environment. Using a multi-player reward learning paradigm with 185 participants (39 being scanned) in real-time, we observed that individuals succumbed to the group when confronted with dissenting information, but increased their confidence when observing confirming information. Leveraging computational modeling and fMRI we tracked direct valuation through experience and vicarious valuation through observation, and their dissociable, but interacting neural representations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, respectively. Their functional coupling with the right temporoparietal junction representing instantaneous social information instantiated a hitherto uncharacterized social prediction error, rather than a reward prediction error, in the putamen. These findings suggest that an integrated network involving the brain’s reward hub and social hub supports social influence in human decision-making.

scholarly journals A brain network supporting social influences in human decision-making

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (34) ◽  
pp. eabb4159
Author(s):  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Jan Gläscher
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prediction Error ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Uncertain Environments ◽  
Integrated Network ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
The Right

Humans learn from their own trial-and-error experience and observing others. However, it remains unknown how brain circuits compute expected values when direct learning and social learning coexist in uncertain environments. Using a multiplayer reward learning paradigm with 185 participants (39 being scanned) in real time, we observed that individuals succumbed to the group when confronted with dissenting information but observing confirming information increased their confidence. Leveraging computational modeling and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we tracked direct valuation through experience and vicarious valuation through observation and their dissociable, but interacting neural representations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex, respectively. Their functional coupling with the right temporoparietal junction representing instantaneous social information instantiated a hitherto uncharacterized social prediction error, rather than a reward prediction error, in the putamen. These findings suggest that an integrated network involving the brain’s reward hub and social hub supports social influence in human decision-making.

The Impact of Internal Work Environment on the Retention of Healthcare Providers at Turaif General Hospital

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1183-1199
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alrouili ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
General Hospital ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Entire Study ◽  
Internal Work ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Study Population ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

This study attempted to identify the impact of internal work environment on the retention of healthcare providers at Turaif General Hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In particular, the study aimed to identify the dimensions of work circumstances, compensation, and relationship with colleagues, professional growth, and the level of healthcare providers’ retention. In order to achieve the study goals, the researcher used the descriptive analytical approach. The researcher used the questionnaire as the study tool. The study population comprised all the healthcare providers at Turaif General Hospital. Questionnaires were distributed to the entire study sample that consisted of 220 individuals. The number of questionnaires valid for study was 183 questionnaires. The research findings were as follows: the participants’ estimate of the work circumstances dimension was high (3.64), the participants’ estimate of the compensation dimension was moderate (3.32), the participants’ estimate of the relationship with colleagues dimension was high (3.62), the participants’ estimate of the professional growth dimension was weak (2.39), and the participants’ estimate of healthcare providers’ retention level was intermediate (2.75). Accordingly, the researcher’s major recommendations are: the need to create the right atmosphere for personnel in hospitals, the interest of the hospital to provide the appropriate conditions for the staff in terms of the physical and moral aspects for building the work adjustment in the staff, and conducting training courses and educational lectures for personnel in hospitals on how to cope with the work pressures.

The Right to Housing: Challenges Associated with the ‘Waiting List System’ Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality V Various Occupiers, Eden Park Extension 5 2014 3 SA 23 (SCA)

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-121
Author(s):  
Shamier Ebrahim
Keyword(s):  
Supreme Court ◽  
Waiting Lists ◽  
The State ◽  
Waiting List ◽  
Allocation Process ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Court Of Appeal

The right to adequate housing is a constitutional imperative which is contained in section 26 of the Constitution. The state is tasked with the progressive realisation of this right. The allocation of housing has been plagued with challenges which impact negatively on the allocation process. This note analyses Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality v Various Occupiers, Eden Park Extension 51 which dealt with a situation where one of the main reasons provided by the Supreme Court of Appeal for refusing the eviction order was because the appellants subjected the unlawful occupiers to defective waiting lists and failed to engage with the community regarding the compilation of the lists and the criteria used to identify beneficiaries. This case brings to the fore the importance of a coherent (reasonable) waiting list in eviction proceedings. This note further analyses the impact of the waiting list system in eviction proceedings and makes recommendations regarding what would constitute a coherent (reasonable) waiting list for the purpose of section 26(2) of the Constitution.

Global tolerance and its impact on peace

2019 ◽  
pp. 247-284
Author(s):  
م.د.فاتن محمد رزاق
Keyword(s):  
Islamic Law ◽  
Mutual Recognition ◽  
International Community ◽  
World Peace ◽  
Clash Of Civilizations ◽  
Democracy And Education ◽  
Moral Necessity ◽  
International Identity ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

The concept of tolerance is gaining its importance in the midst of an international society suffering from violence, wars and internal and international crises. It is practiced by extremist and extremist forces and movements acting in the name of religion to exclude the different Muslim and non-Muslim people according to the unethical practices and methodologies of Islamic law and reality. , Cultural, civilization .. that distinguish our world today. The society today is suffering from the ideas of the intellectual and aesthetic views of the different ideologically, ethnically, culturally and religiously in the world of the South. This is what the end-of-history thesis of Fukuyama and the clash of civilizations represented to Huntington. Therefore, it is necessary to confront these extremist and extremist ideas and behaviors. Peace, security and freedom in the international community of justice and equality, needs to be addressed intellectual, cultural, moral and political before they are legal, these treatments are based on dialogue and cooperation and trust and respect and mutual recognition and tolerance so we find the importance of tolerance to The international community is concerned about the need for mechanisms that confront terrorism and violence with an ideology based on respect for the right of diversity, diversity and pluralism. Accordingly, tolerance is a political, cultural and moral necessity based on international legal foundations represented by the United Nations. Through its conferences, declarations and international resolutions issued by it and its specialized agencies, culminating in the Universal Declaration of Tolerance and the International Day of International Peace, and the political foundations represented by democracy and global citizenship that respects all identities and seeks to respect the rights of other identities under the umbrella of international identity Nsanhuahdh respects everyone, a society with a humanitarian goal of a global civil and Ahdlaaaraf borders and the identity of certain Qomahdolh, cultural and educational foundations through plans and programs with educational encourage a spirit of tolerance and world peace. The study was divided into three topics: the first dealt with the concept of tolerance and world peace, and the second topic dealt with the impact of international law and citizenship. In the promotion of world peace "as one of the elements of global tolerance. The last topic included" the role of democracy and education education "in the promotion of world peace and concluded the study by conclusion.

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