scholarly journals Auditory Evoked Responses in Musicians during Passive Vowel Listening Are Modulated by Functional Connectivity between Bilateral Auditory-related Brain Regions

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 2750-2761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürg Kühnis ◽  
Stefan Elmer ◽  
Lutz Jäncke
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Phase Synchronization ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Auditory Evoked Responses ◽  
Musical Expertise ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Musical Sounds

Currently, there is striking evidence showing that professional musical training can substantially alter the response properties of auditory-related cortical fields. Such plastic changes have previously been shown not only to abet the processing of musical sounds, but likewise spectral and temporal aspects of speech. Therefore, here we used the EEG technique and measured a sample of musicians and nonmusicians while the participants were passively exposed to artificial vowels in the context of an oddball paradigm. Thereby, we evaluated whether increased intracerebral functional connectivity between bilateral auditory-related brain regions may promote sensory specialization in musicians, as reflected by altered cortical N1 and P2 responses. This assumption builds on the reasoning that sensory specialization is dependent, at least in part, on the amount of synchronization between the two auditory-related cortices. Results clearly revealed that auditory-evoked N1 responses were shaped by musical expertise. In addition, in line with our reasoning musicians showed an overall increased intracerebral functional connectivity (as indexed by lagged phase synchronization) in theta, alpha, and beta bands. Finally, within-group correlative analyses indicated a relationship between intracerebral beta band connectivity and cortical N1 responses, however only within the musicians' group. Taken together, we provide first electrophysiological evidence for a relationship between musical expertise, auditory-evoked brain responses, and intracerebral functional connectivity among auditory-related brain regions.

scholarly journals Development of human electrophysiological brain networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (6) ◽  
pp. 3122-3130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Briley ◽  
Elizabeth B. Liddle ◽  
Madeleine J. Groom ◽  
Helen J. F. Smith ◽  
Peter G. Morris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Cognitive Networks ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Mri Findings ◽  
Sensorimotor Systems ◽  
Beta Frequency

Functional activity in the human brain is intrinsically organized into independently active, connected brain regions. These networks include sensorimotor systems, as well as higher-order cognitive networks such as the default mode network (DMN), which dominates activity when the brain is at rest, and the frontoparietal (FPN) and salience (SN) networks, which are often engaged during demanding tasks. Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suggests that although sensory systems are mature by the end of childhood, the integrity of the FPN and SN develops throughout adolescence. There has been little work to corroborate these findings with electrophysiology. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings of 48 participants (aged 9–25 yr) at rest, we find that beta-band functional connectivity within the FPN, SN, and DMN continues to increase through adolescence, whereas connectivity in the visual system is mature by late childhood. In contrast to fMRI results, but replicating the MEG findings of Schäfer et al. (Schäfer CB, Morgan BR, Ye AX, Taylor MJ, Doesburg SM. Hum Brain Mapp 35: 5249–5261, 2014), we also see that connectivity between networks increases rather than decreases with age. This suggests that the development of coordinated beta-band oscillations within and between higher-order cognitive networks through adolescence might contribute to the developing abilities of adolescents to focus their attention and coordinate diverse aspects of mental activity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Using magnetoencephalography to assess beta frequency oscillations, we show that functional connectivity within higher-order cognitive networks increases from childhood, reaching adult values by age 20 yr. In contrast, connectivity within a primary sensory (visual) network reaches adult values by age 14 yr. In contrast to functional MRI findings, connectivity between cognitive networks matures at a rate similar to within-network connectivity, suggesting that coordination of beta oscillations both within and between networks is associated with maturation of cognitive skills.

The mechanism and neural substrate of musical emotions in the audio-visual modality

2021 ◽  
pp. 030573562110420
Author(s):  
Xin Zhou ◽  
Ying Wu ◽  
Yingcan Zheng ◽  
Zilun Xiao ◽  
Maoping Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Musical Training ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
Musical Expertise ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Bilateral Distribution

Previous studies on multisensory integration (MSI) of musical emotions have yielded inconsistent results. The distinct features of the music materials and different musical expertise levels of participants may account for that. This study aims to explore the neural mechanism for the audio-visual integration of musical emotions and infer the reasons for inconsistent results in previous studies by investigating the influence of the type of musical emotions and musical training experience on the mechanism. This fMRI study used a block-design experiment. Music excerpts were selected to express fear, happiness, and sadness, presented under audio only (AO) and audio-visual (AV) modality conditions. Participants were divided into two groups: one comprising musicians who had been musically trained for many years and the other non-musicians with no musical expertise. They assessed the type and intensity of musical emotion after listening to or watching excerpts. Brain regions related to MSI of emotional information and default mode network (DMN) are sensitive to sensory modality conditions and emotion-type changes. Participants in the non-musician group had more, and bilateral distribution of brain regions showed greater activation in the AV assessment stage. By contrast, the musician group had less and lateralized right-hemispheric distribution of brain regions.

scholarly journals Regional brain responses associated with using imagination to evoke and satiate thirst

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (24) ◽  
pp. 13750-13756
Author(s):  
Pascal Saker ◽  
Steve Carey ◽  
Marcus Grohmann ◽  
Michael J. Farrell ◽  
Philip J. Ryan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Blood Chemistry ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Midcingulate Cortex ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Fluid Deficit

In response to dehydration, humans experience thirst. This subjective state is fundamental to survival as it motivates drinking, which subsequently corrects the fluid deficit. To elicit thirst, previous studies have manipulated blood chemistry to produce a physiological thirst stimulus. In the present study, we investigated whether a physiological stimulus is indeed required for thirst to be experienced. Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to scan fully hydrated participants while they imagined a state of intense thirst and while they imagined drinking to satiate thirst. Subjective ratings of thirst were significantly higher for imagining thirst compared with imagining drinking or baseline, revealing a successful dissociation of thirst from underlying physiology. The imagine thirst condition activated brain regions similar to those reported in previous studies of physiologically evoked thirst, including the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC), anterior insula, precentral gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and operculum, indicating a similar neural network underlies both imagined thirst and physiologically evoked thirst. Analogous brain regions were also activated during imagined drinking, suggesting the neural representation of thirst contains a drinking-related component. Finally, the aMCC showed an increase in functional connectivity with the insula during imagined thirst relative to imagined drinking, implying functional connectivity between these two regions is needed before thirst can be experienced. As a result of these findings, this study provides important insight into how the neural representation of subjective thirst is generated and how it subsequently motivates drinking behavior.

scholarly journals Touching to Feel: Brain Activity During In-Store Consumer Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Balconi ◽  
Irene Venturella ◽  
Roberta Sebastiani ◽  
Laura Angioletti
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Power Spectral Analysis ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Consumer Experience ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Cortical Oscillations ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Power Spectral ◽  
High Level

To gain a deeper understanding of consumers' brain responses during a real-time in-store exploration could help retailers to get much closer to costumers' experience. To our knowledge, this is the first time the specific role of touch has been investigated by means of a neuroscientific approach during consumer in-store experience within the field of sensory marketing. This study explores the presence of distinct cortical brain oscillations in consumers' brain while navigating a store that provides a high level of sensory arousal and being allowed or not to touch products. A 16-channel wireless electroencephalogram (EEG) was applied to 23 healthy participants (mean age = 24.57 years, SD = 3.54), with interest in cosmetics but naive about the store explored. Subjects were assigned to two experimental conditions based on the chance of touching or not touching the products. Cortical oscillations were explored by means of power spectral analysis of the following frequency bands: delta, theta, alpha, and beta. Results highlighted the presence of delta, theta, and beta bands within the frontal brain regions during both sensory conditions. The absence of touch was experienced as a lack of perception that needs cognitive control, as reflected by Delta and Theta band left activation, whereas a right increase of Beta band for touch condition was associated with sustained awareness on the sensory experience. Overall, EEG cortical oscillations' functional meaning could help highlight the neurophysiological implicit responses to tactile conditions and the importance of touch integration in consumers' experience.

Distinct phasic and sustained brain responses and connectivity of amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis during threat anticipation in panic disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (15) ◽  
pp. 2675-2688 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Brinkmann ◽  
C. Buff ◽  
K. Feldker ◽  
S. V. Tupak ◽  
M. P. I. Becker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Panic Disorder ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Panic Attacks ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Stria Terminalis ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Bed Nucleus ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

BackgroundPanic disorder (PD) patients are constantly concerned about future panic attacks and exhibit general hypersensitivity to unpredictable threat. We aimed to reveal phasic and sustained brain responses and functional connectivity of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) during threat anticipation in PD.MethodsUsing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated 17 PD patients and 19 healthy controls (HC) during anticipation of temporally unpredictable aversive and neutral sounds. We used a phasic and sustained analysis model to disentangle temporally dissociable brain activations.ResultsPD patients compared with HC showed phasic amygdala and sustained BNST responses during anticipation of aversive v. neutral stimuli. Furthermore, increased phasic activation was observed in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Insula and PFC also showed sustained activation. Functional connectivity analyses revealed partly distinct phasic and sustained networks.ConclusionsWe demonstrate a role for the BNST during unpredictable threat anticipation in PD and provide first evidence for dissociation between phasic amygdala and sustained BNST activation and their functional connectivity. In line with a hypersensitivity to uncertainty in PD, our results suggest time-dependent involvement of brain regions related to fear and anxiety.

scholarly journals Modulation of Functional Connectivity in Response to Mirror Visual Feedback in Stroke Survivors: An MEG Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1284
Author(s):  
Ruei-Yi Tai ◽  
Jun-Ding Zhu ◽  
Chih-Chi Chen ◽  
Yu-Wei Hsieh ◽  
Chia-Hsiung Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Visual Feedback ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Frequency Bands ◽  
Mirror Visual Feedback

Background. Several brain regions are activated in response to mirror visual feedback (MVF). However, less is known about how these brain areas and their connectivity are modulated in stroke patients. This study aimed to explore the effects of MVF on brain functional connectivity in stroke patients. Materials and Methods. We enrolled 15 stroke patients who executed Bilateral-No mirror, Bilateral-Mirror, and Unilateral-Mirror conditions. The coherence values among five brain regions of interest in four different frequency bands were calculated from magnetoencephalographic signals. We examined the differences in functional connectivity of each two brain areas between the Bilateral-No mirror and Bilateral-Mirror conditions and between the Bilateral-Mirror and Unilateral-Mirror conditions. Results. The functional connectivity analyses revealed significantly stronger connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and primary motor cortex in the beta band (adjusted p = 0.04) and possibly stronger connectivity between the precuneus and primary visual cortex in the theta band (adjusted p = 0.08) in the Bilateral-Mirror condition than those in the Bilateral-No mirror condition. However, the comparisons between the Bilateral-Mirror and Unilateral-Mirror conditions revealed no significant differences in cortical coherence in all frequency bands. Conclusions. Providing MVF to stroke patients may modulate the lesioned primary motor cortex through visuospatial and attentional cortical networks.

scholarly journals Functional Connectivity Pattern Analysis Underlying Neural Oscillation Synchronization during Deception

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Liu ◽  
Hongkui Shen ◽  
Shumei Ji
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Pattern Analysis ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Connectivity Pattern ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Neural Oscillation ◽  
Delta Band ◽  
Event Related Coherence

To characterize system cognitive processes during deception, event-related coherence was computed to investigate the functional connectivity among brain regions underlying neural oscillation synchronization. In this study, 15 participants were randomly assigned to honesty or deception groups and were instructed to tell the truth or lie when facing certain stimuli. Meanwhile, event-related potential signals were recorded using a 64-channel electroencephalography cap. Event-related coherence was computed separately in four frequency bands (delta (1-3.5 Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), alpha (8-13 Hz), and beta (14-30 HZ)) for the long-range intrahemispheric electrode pairs (F3P3, F4P4, F3T7, F4T8, F3O1, and F4O2). The results indicated that deceptive responses elicited greater connectivities in the frontoparietal and frontotemporal networks than in the frontooccipital network. Furthermore, the deception group displayed lower values of coherence in the frontoparietal electrode pairs in the alpha and beta bands than the honesty group. In particular, increased coherence in the delta and theta bands on specific left frontoparietal electrode pairs was observed. Additionally, the deception group exhibited higher values of coherence in the delta band and lower values of coherence in the beta band on the frontotemporal electrode pairs than did the honesty group. These data indicated that the active cognitive processes during deception include changes in ensemble activities between the frontal and parietal/temporal regions.

Engaging regularly with fiction influences connectivity in cortical areas for language and mentalizing

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roel M. Willems ◽  
Franziska Hartung
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Social Abilities ◽  
Behavioral Evidence ◽  
Amount Of Reading

Behavioral evidence suggests that engaging with fiction is positively correlated with social abilities. The rationale behind this link is that engaging with fictional narratives offers a ‘training modus’ for mentalizing and empathizing. We investigated the influence of the amount of reading that participants report doing in their daily lives, on connections between brain areas while they listened to literary narratives. Participants (N=57) listened to two literary narratives while brain activation was measured with fMRI. We computed time-course correlations between brain regions, and compared the correlation values from listening to narratives to listening to reversed speech. The between-region correlations were then related to the amount of fiction that participants read in their daily lives. Our results show that amount of fiction reading is related to functional connectivity in areas known to be involved in language and mentalizing. This suggests that reading fiction influences social cognition as well as language skills.

scholarly journals The effect of congenital blindness on resting-state functional connectivity revisited

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J. S. Guerreiro ◽  
Madita Linke ◽  
Sunitha Lingareddy ◽  
Ramesh Kekunnaya ◽  
Brigitte Röder
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
State Condition ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Congenital Blindness ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Eyes Open

AbstractLower resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between ‘visual’ and non-‘visual’ neural circuits has been reported as a hallmark of congenital blindness. In sighted individuals, RSFC between visual and non-visual brain regions has been shown to increase during rest with eyes closed relative to rest with eyes open. To determine the role of visual experience on the modulation of RSFC by resting state condition—as well as to evaluate the effect of resting state condition on group differences in RSFC—, we compared RSFC between visual and somatosensory/auditory regions in congenitally blind individuals (n = 9) and sighted participants (n = 9) during eyes open and eyes closed conditions. In the sighted group, we replicated the increase of RSFC between visual and non-visual areas during rest with eyes closed relative to rest with eyes open. This was not the case in the congenitally blind group, resulting in a lower RSFC between ‘visual’ and non-‘visual’ circuits relative to sighted controls only in the eyes closed condition. These results indicate that visual experience is necessary for the modulation of RSFC by resting state condition and highlight the importance of considering whether sighted controls should be tested with eyes open or closed in studies of functional brain reorganization as a consequence of blindness.

scholarly journals Modifications in the Topological Structure of EEG Functional Connectivity Networks during Listening Tonal and Atonal Concert Music in Musicians and Non-Musicians

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Almudena González ◽  
Manuel Santapau ◽  
Antoni Gamundí ◽  
Ernesto Pereda ◽  
Julián J. González
Keyword(s):  
Topological Structure ◽  
Phase Synchronization ◽  
Random Network ◽  
Small World ◽  
Surrogate Data ◽  
Musical Structure ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Tonal Music ◽  
Frequency Bands ◽  
Concert Music

The present work aims to demonstrate the hypothesis that atonal music modifies the topological structure of electroencephalographic (EEG) connectivity networks in relation to tonal music. To this, EEG monopolar records were taken in musicians and non-musicians while listening to tonal, atonal, and pink noise sound excerpts. EEG functional connectivities (FC) among channels assessed by a phase synchronization index previously thresholded using surrogate data test were computed. Sound effects, on the topological structure of graph-based networks assembled with the EEG-FCs at different frequency-bands, were analyzed throughout graph metric and network-based statistic (NBS). Local and global efficiency normalized (vs. random-network) measurements (NLE|NGE) assessing network information exchanges were able to discriminate both music styles irrespective of groups and frequency-bands. During tonal audition, NLE and NGE values in the beta-band network get close to that of a small-world network, while during atonal and even more during noise its structure moved away from small-world. These effects were attributed to the different timbre characteristics (sounds spectral centroid and entropy) and different musical structure. Results from networks topographic maps for strength and NLE of the nodes, and for FC subnets obtained from the NBS, allowed discriminating the musical styles and verifying the different strength, NLE, and FC of musicians compared to non-musicians.

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