scholarly journals Binding at Birth: The Newborn Brain Detects Identity Relations and Sequential Position in Speech

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 564-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Gervain ◽  
Iris Berent ◽  
Janet F. Werker
Keyword(s):  
Information Need ◽  
Neural Architecture ◽  
Newborn Brain ◽  
Young Infants ◽  
Language Structure ◽  
Sequential Position ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Linguistic Units ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
The Brain

Breaking the linguistic code requires the extraction of at least two types of information from the speech signal: the relations between linguistic units and their sequential position. Furthermore, these different types of information need to be integrated into a coherent representation of language structure. The brain networks responsible for these abilities are well known in adults, but not in young infants. Our results show that the neural architecture underlying these abilities is operational at birth. In three optical imaging studies, we found that the newborn brain detects identity relations, as evidenced by enhanced activation in the bilateral superior temporal and left inferior frontal regions. More importantly, the newborn brain can also determine whether such identity relations hold for the initial or final positions of speech sequences, as indicated by increased activity in the inferior frontal regions, possibly Broca's area. This implies that the neural foundations of language acquisition are in place from birth.

A bigger brain for a more complex environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 803-816
Author(s):  
Umberto di Porzio
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Genetic Changes ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Birth Canal ◽  
Newborn Brain ◽  
Neuronal Interactions ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe environment increased complexity required more neural functions to develop in the hominin brains, and the hominins adapted to the complexity by developing a bigger brain with a greater interconnection between its parts. Thus, complex environments drove the growth of the brain. In about two million years during hominin evolution, the brain increased three folds in size, one of the largest and most complex amongst mammals, relative to body size. The size increase has led to anatomical reorganization and complex neuronal interactions in a relatively small skull. At birth, the human brain is only about 20% of its adult size. That facilitates the passage through the birth canal. Therefore, the human brain, especially cortex, develops postnatally in a rich stimulating environment with continuous brain wiring and rewiring and insertion of billions of new neurons. One of the consequence is that in the newborn brain, neuroplasticity is always turned “on” and it remains active throughout life, which gave humans the ability to adapt to complex and often hostile environments, integrate external experiences, solve problems, elaborate abstract ideas and innovative technologies, store a lot of information. Besides, hominins acquired unique abilities as music, language, and intense social cooperation. Overwhelming ecological, social, and cultural challenges have made the human brain so unique. From these events, as well as the molecular genetic changes that took place in those million years, under the pressure of natural selection, derive the distinctive cognitive abilities that have led us to complex social organizations and made our species successful.

Coding of Temporally Varying Signals in Networks of Spiking Neurons with Global Delayed Feedback

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 2139-2175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Masuda ◽  
Brent Doiron ◽  
André Longtin ◽  
Kazuyuki Aihara
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Stimulus Frequency ◽  
Spiking Neurons ◽  
Feedforward Networks ◽  
Dynamical Characteristics ◽  
Neural Activities ◽  
Inherent Frequency ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
The Brain

Oscillatory and synchronized neural activities are commonly found in the brain, and evidence suggests that many of them are caused by global feedback. Their mechanisms and roles in information processing have been discussed often using purely feedforward networks or recurrent networks with constant inputs. On the other hand, real recurrent neural networks are abundant and continually receive information-rich inputs from the outside environment or other parts of the brain. We examine how feedforward networks of spiking neurons with delayed global feedback process information about temporally changing inputs. We show that the network behavior is more synchronous as well as more correlated with and phase-locked to the stimulus when the stimulus frequency is resonant with the inherent frequency of the neuron or that of the network oscillation generated by the feedback architecture. The two eigenmodes have distinct dynamical characteristics, which are supported by numerical simulations and by analytical arguments based on frequency response and bifurcation theory. This distinction is similar to the class I versus class II classification of single neurons according to the bifurcation from quiescence to periodic firing, and the two modes depend differently on system parameters. These two mechanisms may be associated with different types of information processing.

Indexing the British Medical Journal

1994 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-18
Author(s):  
Richard Jones
Keyword(s):  
Medical Journal ◽  
British Medical Journal ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Information Need ◽  
General Medical Journal ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Annual Index ◽  
Index Index ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Number Of Authors

As a general medical journal, The BMJ contains a wide range of subject matter, and many types of information need to be incorporated in its semi-annual index. Index Medicus vocabulary can be used for clinical articles, but non-clinical matter presents problems of ‘soft’ language. A weekly publication, the BMJ runs to about 1600 pages a volume, so succinct indexing is important, as is keeping to schedule. The number of authors and the vagueness of journal users present particular problems that can be ameliorated by the design of the index. Medline is a useful adjunct for subject access. Both the journal and the index have changed during a decade in which social and political aspects of medicine have assumed greater importance.

scholarly journals Simultaneous CMOS-Based Imaging of Calcium Signaling of the Central Amygdala and the Dorsal Raphe Nucleus During Nociception in Freely Moving Mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romeo Rebusi ◽  
Joshua Phillipe Olorocisimo ◽  
Jeric Briones ◽  
Yasumi Ohta ◽  
Makito Haruta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Calcium Signaling ◽  
Dorsal Raphe Nucleus ◽  
Dorsal Raphe ◽  
Raphe Nucleus ◽  
Central Amygdala ◽  
Critical Areas ◽  
Freely Moving ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Dorsal Raphé

Fluorescence imaging devices have been indispensable in elucidating the workings of the brain in living animals, including unrestrained, active ones. Various devices are available, each with their own strengths and weaknesses in terms of many factors. We have developed CMOS-based needle-type imaging devices that are small and lightweight enough to be doubly implanted in freely moving mice. The design also allowed angled implantations to avoid critical areas. We demonstrated the utility of the devices by using them on GCaMP6 mice in a formalin test experiment. Simultaneous implantations to the capsular-lateral central amygdala (CeLC) and dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) were proven to be safe and did not hinder the execution of the study. Analysis of the collected calcium signaling data, supported by behavior data, showed increased activity in both regions as a result of pain stimulation. Thus, we have successfully demonstrated the various advantages of the device in its application in the pain experiment.

scholarly journals How the Brain might use Division

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 126-137
Author(s):  
Kieran Greer
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Binary System ◽  
Problem Size ◽  
Symbol Manipulation ◽  
Mathematical Functions ◽  
Binary Operations ◽  
Neural Architecture ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
The Brain

One of the most fundamental questions in Biology or Artificial Intelligence is how the human brainperforms mathematical functions. How does a neural architecture that may organise itself mostly throughstatistics, know what to do? One possibility is to extract the problem to something more abstract. This becomesclear when thinking about how the brain handles large numbers, for example to the power of something, whensimply summing to an answer is not feasible. In this paper, the author suggests that the maths question can beanswered more easily if the problem is changed into one of symbol manipulation and not just number counting.If symbols can be compared and manipulated, maybe without understanding completely what they are, then themathematical operations become relative and some of them might even be rote learned. The proposed systemmay also be suggested as an alternative to the traditional computer binary system. Any of the actual maths stillbreaks down into binary operations, while a more symbolic level above that can manipulate the numbers andreduce the problem size, thus making the binary operations simpler. An interesting result of looking at this is thepossibility of a new fractal equation resulting from division, that can be used as a measure of good fit and wouldhelp the brain decide how to solve something through self-replacement and a comparison with this good fit.

Predictability-dependent encoding of statistical regularities in the early visual cortex

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Kóbor ◽  
Karolina Janacsek ◽  
Petra Hermann ◽  
Zsofia Zavecz ◽  
Vera Varga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
The Other ◽  
Block Type ◽  
Statistical Knowledge ◽  
Early Visual Cortex ◽  
Statistical Regularities ◽  
Visual Cortical ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Subsequent Task

Previous research recognized that humans could extract statistical regularities of the environment to automatically predict upcoming events. However, it has remained unexplored how the brain encodes the distribution of statistical regularities if it continuously changes. To investigate this question, we devised an fMRI paradigm where participants (N = 32) completed a visual four-choice reaction time (RT) task consisting of statistical regularities. Two types of blocks involving the same perceptual elements alternated with one another throughout the task: While the distribution of statistical regularities was predictable in one block type, it was unpredictable in the other. Participants were unaware of the presence of statistical regularities and of their changing distribution across the subsequent task blocks. Based on the RT results, although statistical regularities were processed similarly in both the predictable and unpredictable blocks, participants acquired less statistical knowledge in the unpredictable as compared with the predictable blocks. Whole-brain random-effects analyses showed increased activity in the early visual cortex and decreased activity in the precuneus for the predictable as compared with the unpredictable blocks. Therefore, the actual predictability of statistical regularities is likely to be represented already at the early stages of visual cortical processing. However, decreased precuneus activity suggests that these representations are imperfectly updated to track the multiple shifts in predictability throughout the task. The results also highlight that the processing of statistical regularities in a changing environment could be habitual.

Mapping Minimax in the Brain

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Palacios-Huerta
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Mixed Strategies ◽  
Interactive Decision Making ◽  
Minimax Strategies ◽  
Experimental Subjects ◽  
Competitive Games ◽  
Zero Sum ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
The Brain

This chapter is concerned with mixed strategies. Using fMRI techniques, it peers inside the brain when experimental subjects play the penalty kick game. As we have noted already, minimax is considered a cornerstone of interactive decision-making analysis. More importantly, the minimax strategies have not been mapped in the brain previously by studying simultaneously the two testable implications of equilibrium. The results show increased activity in various bilateral prefrontal regions during the decision period. Two inferior prefrontal nodes appear to jointly contribute to the ability to optimally play the study's asymmetric zero-sum penalty kick game by ensuring the appropriate equating of payoffs across strategies and the generating of random choices within the game, respectively. This evidence contributes to the neurophysiological literature studying competitive games.

scholarly journals Change Is Good for the Brain: Activity Diversity and Cognitive Functioning Across Adulthood

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soomi Lee ◽  
Susan T Charles ◽  
David M Almeida
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Work Time ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Increased Activity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Cognitive Data

Abstract Objectives Participating in a variety of daily activities (i.e., activity diversity) requires people to adjust to a variety of situations and engage in a greater diversity of behaviors. These experiences may, in turn, enhance cognitive functioning. This study examined associations between activity diversity and cognitive functioning across adulthood. Method Activity diversity was defined as the breadth and evenness of participation in seven common daily activity domains (e.g., paid work, time with children, leisure, physical activities, volunteering). Participants from the National Survey of Daily Experiences (NSDE: N = 732, Mage = 56) provided activity data during eight consecutive days at Wave 1 (W1) and Wave 2 (W2) 10 years apart. They also provided cognitive data at W2. Results Greater activity diversity at W2 was associated with higher overall cognitive functioning and higher executive functioning at W2. Individuals who increased activity diversity from W1 to W2 also exhibited higher scores in overall cognitive functioning and executive functioning at W2. Overall cognitive functioning, executive functioning, and episodic memory were better in those who had higher activity diversity at both waves, or increased activity diversity from W1 to W2, compared to those who had lower activity diversity or decreased activity diversity over time. Discussion Activity diversity is important for cognitive health in adulthood. Future work can study the directionality between activity diversity and cognitive functioning and underlying social and neurological mechanisms for these associations.

scholarly journals Language structure in the brain: A fixation-related fMRI study of syntactic surprisal in reading

NeuroImage ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 132 ◽  
pp. 293-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Henderson ◽  
Wonil Choi ◽  
Matthew W. Lowder ◽  
Fernanda Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Language Structure ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Targeted Knockdown of Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling within Neural Progenitors Protects the Brain and Improves Motor Function following Postnatal Hypoxia-Ischemia

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Dettman ◽  
Derin Birch ◽  
Augusta Fernando ◽  
John A. Kessler ◽  
Maria L.V. Dizon
Keyword(s):  
Motor Function ◽  
Neural Progenitor Cells ◽  
Bmp Signaling ◽  
Protein Signaling ◽  
Artery Ligation ◽  
Newborn Brain ◽  
Carotid Artery Ligation ◽  
Conditional Deletion ◽  
Morphogenetic Protein ◽  
The Brain

Hypoxic-ischemic injury (HI) to the neonatal human brain results in myelin loss that, in some children, can manifest as cerebral palsy. Previously, we had found that neuronal overexpression of the bone morphogenic protein (BMP) inhibitor noggin during development increased oligodendroglia and improved motor function in an experimental model of HI utilizing unilateral common carotid artery ligation followed by hypoxia. As BMPs are known to negatively regulate oligodendroglial fate specification of neural stem cells and alter differentiation of committed oligodendroglia, BMP signaling is likely an important mechanism leading to myelin loss. Here, we showed that BMP signaling is upregulated within oligodendroglia of the neonatal brain. We tested the hypothesis that inhibition of BMP signaling specifically within neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is sufficient to protect oligodendroglia. We conditionally deleted the BMP receptor 2 subtype (BMPR2) in NG2-expressing cells after HI. We found that BMPR2 deletion globally protects the brain as assessed by MRI and protects motor function as assessed by digital gait analysis, and that conditional deletion of BMPR2 maintains oligodendrocyte marker expression by immunofluorescence and Western blot and prevents loss of oligodendroglia. Finally, BMPR2 deletion after HI results in an increase in noncompacted myelin. Thus, our data indicate that inhibition of BMP signaling specifically in NPCs may be a tractable strategy to protect the newborn brain from HI.

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