scholarly journals Simple Multiplication in the Brain: A MEG Study Comparing Fast and Slow Responses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arcara G. ◽  
Pezzetta R. ◽  
Benavides-Varela S. ◽  
Rizzi G. ◽  
Formica S. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Single Digit ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Angular Gyrus ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Despite decades of studies, it is still an open question on how and where simple multiplication is solved by the brain. This fragmented picture is mostly related to the different tasks employed. Although in neuropsychological studies patients are asked to perform and report simple oral calculations, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies often use verification tasks, in which the result is shown, and the participant must verify the correctness. This MEG study aims to unify the sources of evidence, investigating how brain activation unfolds in time using a single-digit multiplication production task. We compared the participants’ brain activity – focusing on the parietal lobes - based on response efficiency, dividing their responses in fast and slow. Results showed a higher activation for fast, as compared to slow, responses in the left angular gyrus starting after the first operand, and in the right supramarginal gyrus only after the second operand. A whole-brain analysis showed that fast responses had higher activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We show a timing difference of both hemispheres during simple multiplications. Results suggest that while the left parietal lobe may allow an initial retrieval of several possible solutions, the right one may be engaged later, helping to identify the solution based on magnitude checking.

scholarly journals Magnetoencephalography reveals differences in brain activations for fast and slow responses to simple multiplications

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Arcara ◽  
Rachele Pezzetta ◽  
S. Benavides-Varela ◽  
G. Rizzi ◽  
S. Formica ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Single Digit ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Angular Gyrus ◽  
Open Question

AbstractDespite decades of studies, it is still an open question on how and where simple multiplications are solved by the brain. This fragmented picture is mostly related to the different tasks employed. While in neuropsychological studies patients are asked to perform and report simple oral calculations, neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies often use verification tasks, in which the result is shown, and the participant must verify the correctness. This MEG study aims to unify the sources of evidence, investigating how brain activation unfolds in time using a single-digit multiplication production task. We compared the participants' brain activity—focusing on the parietal lobes—based on response efficiency, dividing their responses in fast and slow. Results showed higher activation for fast, as compared to slow, responses in the left angular gyrus starting after the first operand, and in the right supramarginal gyrus only after the second operand. A whole-brain analysis showed that fast responses had higher activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We show a timing difference of both hemispheres during simple multiplications. Results suggest that while the left parietal lobe may allow an initial retrieval of several possible solutions, the right one may be engaged later, helping to identify the solution based on magnitude checking.

scholarly journals Interpersonal brain synchronization under bluffing in strategic games

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 1326-1335
Author(s):  
Zhihao Wang ◽  
Yiwen Wang ◽  
Xiaolin Zhou ◽  
Rongjun Yu
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Strategic Thinking ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Strategic Games ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
High Penalty ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

Abstract People commonly use bluffing as a strategy to manipulate other people’s beliefs about them for gain. Although bluffing is an important part of successful strategic thinking, the inter-brain mechanisms underlying bluffing remain unclear. Here, we employed a functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning technique to simultaneously record the brain activity in the right temporal-parietal junction in 32 pairs of participants when they played a bluffing game against each other or with computer opponents separately. We also manipulated the penalty for bluffing (high vs low). Under the condition of high relative to low penalty, results showed a higher bluffing rate and a higher calling rate in human-to-human as compared to human-to-computer pairing. At the neural level, high relative to low penalty condition increased the interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) in the right angular gyrus (rAG) during human-to-human as compared to human-to-computer interaction. Importantly, bluffing relative to non-bluffing, under the high penalty and human-to-human condition, resulted in an increase in response time and enhanced IBS in the rAG. Participants who bluffed more frequently also elicited stronger IBS. Our findings support the view that regions associated with mentalizing become synchronized during bluffing games, especially under the high penalty and human-to-human condition.

scholarly journals Granular Cell Tumor in the Brain of a Dog

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Marisa Maglaty ◽  
Kevin Woolard
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Granular Cell ◽  
Clinical History ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Sleep State ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
Cluster Seizures ◽  
Enzyme Elevation ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

Diagnostic Exercise from The Latin Comparative Pathology Group. Clinical History: 10 year-old, female spayed, Golden Retriever/Poodle mix. This patient had a mass removed laparoscopically from the right adrenal gland (cortical adenoma) and was started on a low dose of prednisone post-operatively. Eight days post-op, she began having cluster seizures and was started on levetiracetam therapy. The following day, the dog was moderately obtunded and stumbling. On neurological examination, mild generalized ataxia was noted along with decreased menace OS, and delayed proprioception in the left pelvic and left thoracic limbs. CBC and chemistry values were unremarkable except for a mild hepatic enzyme elevation. EEG showed seizure-like activity and abnormal brain waves resembling sleep state while awake. MRI revealed an eccentric right-sided mass extending over the frontal and parietal lobes with subtentorial herniation. Due to poor prognosis, euthanasia was elected. Necropsy and Microscopic Findings: Tenuously adhered to the right parietal lobe of the brain and the dura mater is a soft, round, white, plaque-like mass measuring 3.5 x 3.0 x 0.3 cm. The mass is friable and poorly-demarcated from surrounding brain parenchyma. A portion of the mass adheres to the supradjacent surface of the calvarium.

Neural Underpinnings of Numerical and Spatial Cognition: An fMRI Meta-Analysis of Brain Regions Associated with Symbolic Number, Arithmetic, and Mental Rotation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Hawes ◽  
H Moriah Sokolowski ◽  
Chuka Bosah Ononye ◽  
Daniel Ansari
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Number Representation ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Right ◽  
Symbolic Number

Where and under what conditions do spatial and numerical skills converge and diverge in the brain? To address this question, we conducted a meta-analysis of brain regions associated with basic symbolic number processing, arithmetic, and mental rotation. We used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to construct quantitative meta-analytic maps synthesizing results from 86 neuroimaging papers (~ 30 studies/cognitive process). All three cognitive processes were found to activate bilateral parietal regions in and around the intraparietal sulcus (IPS); a finding consistent with shared processing accounts. Numerical and arithmetic processing were associated with overlap in the left angular gyrus, whereas mental rotation and arithmetic both showed activity in the middle frontal gyri. These patterns suggest regions of cortex potentially more specialized for symbolic number representation and domain-general mental manipulation, respectively. Additionally, arithmetic was associated with unique activity throughout the fronto-parietal network and mental rotation was associated with unique activity in the right superior parietal lobe. Overall, these results provide new insights into the intersection of numerical and spatial thought in the human brain.

Neurospect Findings in Patients Exposed to Neurotoxic Chemicals

1994 ◽  
Vol 10 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 561-571
Author(s):  
Gunnar Heuser ◽  
Ismael Mena ◽  
Francisca Alamos
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Psychiatric Symptomatology ◽  
Elderly Individuals ◽  
Parietal Lobes ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

Exposures to neurotoxic chemicals such as pesticides, glues, solvents, etc. are known to induce neurologic and psychiatric symptomatology. We report on 41 patients 16 young patients (6 males, 10 females, age 34 8 yrs.) and 25 elderly patients (9 males, 16 females, age 55 7 yrs). Fifteen of them were exposed to pesticides, and 29 to solvents. They were studied with quantitative and qualitative analysis of regional cerebral bood flow (rCBF), performed with 30 mCi of Xe-133 by inhalation, followed by 30 mCi of Tc-HMPAO given intravenously. Imaging was performed with a brain dedicated system, distribution of rCBF was assessed with automatic ROI definition, and HMPAO was normalized to maximal pixel activity in the brain. Results of Xe rCBF are expressed as mean and S.D. in ml/min/100g, and HMPAO as mean and S.D. uptake per ROI, and compared with age-matched controls 10 young and 20 elderly individuals. Neurotoxics HMPAO Uptake Young Elderly R. Orbital frontal R. Dorsal frontal .70 .66 p < 0.05 R. Temporal .64 p < 0.001 R. Parietal .66 .66 We conclude that patients exposed to chemicals present with diminished CBF, worse in the right hemisphere, with random presentation of areas of hypoperfusion, more prevalent in the dorsal frontal and parietal lobes. These findings are significantly different from observations in patients with chronic fatigue and depression, suggesting primary cortical effect, possibly due to a vasculitis process.

scholarly journals Adaptive brain activity changes during tongue movement with palatal coverage from fMRI data

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuka Inamochi ◽  
Kenji Fueki ◽  
Nobuo Usui ◽  
Masato Taira ◽  
Noriyuki Wakabayashi
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Information ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Motor Impairment ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Tongue Movement ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Oral Environment ◽  
Motor Dexterity ◽  
The Brain

AbstractSuccessful adaptation to wearing dentures with palatal coverage may be associated with cortical activity changes related to tongue motor control. The purpose was to investigate the brain activity changes during tongue movement in response to a new oral environment. Twenty-eight fully dentate subjects (mean age: 28.6-years-old) who had no experience with removable dentures wore experimental palatal plates for 7 days. We measured tongue motor dexterity, difficulty with tongue movement, and brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging during tongue movement at pre-insertion (Day 0), as well as immediately (Day 1), 3 days (Day 3), and 7 days (Day 7) post-insertion. Difficulty with tongue movement was significantly higher on Day 1 than on Days 0, 3, and 7. In the subtraction analysis of brain activity across each day, activations in the angular gyrus and right precuneus on Day 1 were significantly higher than on Day 7. Tongue motor impairment induced activation of the angular gyrus, which was associated with monitoring of the tongue’s spatial information, as well as the activation of the precuneus, which was associated with constructing the tongue motor imagery. As the tongue regained the smoothness in its motor functions, the activation of the angular gyrus and precuneus decreased.

scholarly journals Different Modulatory Effects of Cognitive Training and Aerobic Exercise on Resting State Functional Connectivity of Entorhinal Cortex in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
NanNan Gu ◽  
Hechun Li ◽  
Xinyi Cao ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
Lijuan Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Index Score ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Angular Gyrus

The entorhinal cortex (EC) plays an essential role in age-related cognitive decline. However, the effect of functional connectivity (FC) changes between EC and other cerebral cortices on cognitive function remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the modulation of two interventions (cognitive training and aerobic exercise) on EC-FC in community-dwelling older adults. In total, 94 healthy older adults aged between 65 and 75 years were assigned to either the cognitive training or aerobic exercise group to receive 24 sessions over 12 weeks, or to a control group. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed at both baseline and 12-month follow-up. Compared to the cognitive training group, the aerobic exercise group showed greater EC-FC in the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, right supramarginal gyrus, left angular gyrus, and right postcentral gyrus. Compared to the control group, the cognitive training group had a decreased EC-FC in the right hippocampus, right middle temporal gyrus, left angular gyrus, and right postcentral gyrus and an increased EC-FC in the bilateral pallidum, while the aerobic exercise group showed increased EC-FC between the right medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC), bilateral pallidum, and right precuneus. Baseline EC-FC in the mPFC was positively correlated with the visuospatial/constructional index score of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. In the cognitive training group, EC-FC value changes in the right hippocampus were negatively correlated with changes in the RBANS delayed memory index score, while in the aerobic exercise group, EC-FC value changes in the left angular gyrus were positively correlated with changes in the RBANS attention index score. These findings support the hypothesis that both cognitive training and aerobic exercise can modulate EC-FC in aging populations but through different neural pathways.

scholarly journals Human Emotion Detection using Eeg Sensor

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 409-413
Keyword(s):  
Data Visualization ◽  
Concentration Level ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Emotion Detection ◽  
Attention Span ◽  
Brain Waves ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Waves ◽  
The Brain

This is a data visualization art piece using 10 seconds of mind waves recordings of the human, captured with EEG sensor.10 seconds of Alpha, Beta, Gamma & Theta brain waves while meditating are recorded, the different wave channels are categorized to state when the right brain representing artistic brain activity, isolating the ranges for each channel when the brain channels were more meditating and imaginative. Based on the waves of the brain obtained, we will be able to deduce few attributes such as attention span and mood. The moods we will be trying to assess and display here the level of happiness, sadness, anger along with attention span and meditation level (Concentration level).

scholarly journals Reducing future fears by suppressing the brain mechanisms underlying episodic simulation

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (52) ◽  
pp. E8492-E8501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland G. Benoit ◽  
Daniel J. Davies ◽  
Michael C. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Simulation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Future Events ◽  
The Right ◽  
Development Of Anxiety ◽  
The Brain

Imagining future events conveys adaptive benefits, yet recurrent simulations of feared situations may help to maintain anxiety. In two studies, we tested the hypothesis that people can attenuate future fears by suppressing anticipatory simulations of dreaded events. Participants repeatedly imagined upsetting episodes that they feared might happen to them and suppressed imaginings of other such events. Suppressing imagination engaged the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which modulated activation in the hippocampus and in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Consistent with the role of the vmPFC in providing access to details that are typical for an event, stronger inhibition of this region was associated with greater forgetting of such details. Suppression further hindered participants’ ability to later freely envision suppressed episodes. Critically, it also reduced feelings of apprehensiveness about the feared scenario, and individuals who were particularly successful at down-regulating fears were also less trait-anxious. Attenuating apprehensiveness by suppressing simulations of feared events may thus be an effective coping strategy, suggesting that a deficiency in this mechanism could contribute to the development of anxiety.

Consciousness Emanates from the Neuronal Network of Coordination, A Fact Endorsed by Preserved Consciousness in Focal Ischemic Infarctions

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
Dr. Sohail Adnan ◽  
Dr. Mubasher Shah ◽  
Dr. Syed Fahim Shah ◽  
Dr. Fahad Naim ◽  
Dr. Akhtar Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Network ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Difficult Problem ◽  
Altered Consciousness ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Consciousness Disorder ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

Background: Consciousness has remained a difficult problem for the scientists to explore its relationship to the brain activity. This is the first paper that presents the significance of focal areas of the cerebral cortex for consciousness. Objectives: To determine if consciousness is produced by the activity of the whole brain or one of its focal areas. Methods: We have performed a prospective cross-sectional study in eighty patients of acute ischemic stroke. The neurovascular territory of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was sectioned into four similar areas. The association of any of these focal areas to consciousness was observed after their dysfunction with ischemic strokes. Results: Of the eighty patients, 57.5 % were males and 42.5 % were females. Mean age was 63 years ± 7 SD. The righthanded patients were 90 % (72) of the whole sample. Focal areas of the right MCA were generally less prone to consciousness disorder. Average statistics of the focal infarctions of the right MCA showed no tendency for consciousness disorder on the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) [Mean GCS of all focal areas; 14.5, SD; 0.71, 95 % CI; 14.27 to 14.72, P= 0.0000004]. Altered consciousness with focal infarctions of the territory of left MCA was also less likely [Mean GCS of all focal areas; 14.2, SD; 1.01, 95 % CI; 13.88 to 14.51, P= 0.0004]. Conclusion: Consciousness is not determined by the activity of a focal area of the cerebral cortex. Perhaps, we get our consciousness from the activity of “Neuronal Network of Coordination”.

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