scholarly journals Cognitive entrainment to isochronous rhythms is independent of both sensory modality and top-down attention

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-84
Author(s):  
Diana Cutanda ◽  
Daniel Sanabria ◽  
Ángel Correa
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Back Task

AbstractThe anisochrony of a stimulus sequence was manipulated parametrically to investigate whether rhythmic entrainment is stronger in the auditory modality than in the visual modality (Experiment 1), and whether it relies on top-down attention (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, participants had to respond as quickly as possible to a target presented after a sequence of either visual or auditory stimuli. The anisochrony of this sequence was manipulated parametrically, rather than in an all or none fashion; that is, it could range from smaller to larger deviations of the isochrony (0, 10, 20, 50, 100, 150 and 200 ms). We compared rhythmic entrainment patterns for auditory and visual modalities. Results showed a peak of entrainment for both isochrony and deviations of isochrony up to 50 ms (i.e., participants were equally fast both after the isochronous sequences and after 10, 20 and 50 ms deviations), suggesting that anisochronous sequences can also produce entrainment. Beyond this entrainment window, the reaction times became progressively slower. Surprisingly, no differences were found between the entrainment patterns for auditory and visual rhythms. In Experiment 2, we used a dual-task methodology by adding a working memory n-back task to the procedure of Experiment 1. Results did not show interference of the secondary task in either auditory or visual modalities, with participants showing the same entrainment pattern as in Experiment 1. These results suggest that rhythmic entrainment constitutes a cognitive process that occurs by default (automatically), regardless of the modality in which the stimuli are presented, and independent of top-down attention, to generate behavioural benefits.

scholarly journals Neurophysiological Verbal Working Memory Patterns in Children: Searching for a Benchmark of Modality Differences in Audio/Video Stimuli Processing

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Bianca Maria Serena Inguscio ◽  
Giulia Cartocci ◽  
Nicolina Sciaraffa ◽  
Claudia Nasta ◽  
Andrea Giorgi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Theta Band ◽  
Task Level ◽  
Back Task

Exploration of specific brain areas involved in verbal working memory (VWM) is a powerful but not widely used tool for the study of different sensory modalities, especially in children. In this study, for the first time, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate neurophysiological similarities and differences in response to the same verbal stimuli, expressed in the auditory and visual modality during the n-back task with varying memory load in children. Since VWM plays an important role in learning ability, we wanted to investigate whether children elaborated the verbal input from auditory and visual stimuli through the same neural patterns and if performance varies depending on the sensory modality. Performance in terms of reaction times was better in visual than auditory modality ( p  = 0.008) and worse as memory load increased regardless of the modality ( p  < 0.001). EEG activation was proportionally influenced by task level and was evidenced in theta band over the prefrontal cortex ( p  = 0.021), along the midline ( p  = 0.003), and on the left hemisphere ( p  = 0.003). Differences in the effects of the two modalities were seen only in gamma band in the parietal cortices ( p  = 0.009). The values of a brainwave-based engagement index, innovatively used here to test children in a dual-modality VWM paradigm, varied depending on n-back task level ( p  = 0.001) and negatively correlated ( p  = 0.002) with performance, suggesting its computational effectiveness in detecting changes in mental state during memory tasks involving children. Overall, our findings suggest that auditory and visual VWM involved the same brain cortical areas (frontal, parietal, occipital, and midline) and that the significant differences in cortical activation in theta band were more related to memory load than sensory modality, suggesting that VWM function in the child’s brain involves a cross-modal processing pattern.

A Reexamination of Some Nonverbal Perceptual Abilities of Language-Impaired and Normal Children as a Function of Age and Sensory Modality

1981 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Tallal ◽  
Rachel Stark ◽  
Clayton Kallman ◽  
David Mellits
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Language Impaired ◽  
Perceptual Performance ◽  
In Series ◽  
Perceptual Abilities

A battery of nonverbal perceptual and memory tests were given to 35 language-impaired (LI) and 38 control subjects. Three modalities of tests were given: auditory, visual, and cross-modal (auditory and visual). The purpose was to reexamine some nonverbal perceptual and memory abilities of LI children as a function of age and modality of stimulation. Results failed to replicate previous findings of a temporal processing deficit that is specific to the auditory modality in LI children. The LI group made significantly more errors than did controls regardless of modality of stimulation when 2-item sequences were presented rapidly, or when more than two stimuli were presented in series. However, further analyses resolved this apparent conflict between the present and earlier studies by demonstrating that age is an important variable underlying modality specificity of perceptual performance in LI children. Whereas younger LI children were equally impaired when responding to stimuli presented rapidly to the auditory and visual modality, older LI subjects made nearly twice as many errors responding to rapidly presented auditory rather than visual stimuli. This developmental difference did not occur for the control group.

scholarly journals Stop signals delay synchrony more for finger tapping than vocalization: a dual modality study of rhythmic synchronization in the stop signal task

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leidy J. Castro-Meneses ◽  
Paul F. Sowman
Keyword(s):  
Response Times ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Proactive Inhibition ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Finger Tapping ◽  
Stop Signal Task ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
The Brain

Background A robust feature of sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) performance in finger tapping to an auditory pacing signal is the negative asynchrony of the tap with respect to the pacing signal. The Paillard–Fraisse hypothesis suggests that negative asynchrony is a result of inter-modal integration, in which the brain compares sensory information across two modalities (auditory and tactile). The current study compared the asynchronies of vocalizations and finger tapping in time to an auditory pacing signal. Our first hypothesis was that vocalizations have less negative asynchrony compared to finger tapping due to the requirement for sensory integration within only a single (auditory) modality (intra-modal integration). However, due to the different measurements for vocalizations and finger responses, interpreting the comparison between these two response modalities is problematic. To address this problem, we included stop signals in the synchronization task. The rationale for this manipulation was that stop signals would perturb synchronization more in the inter-modal compared to the intra-modal task. We hypothesized that the inclusion of stop signals induce proactive inhibition, which reduces negative asynchrony. We further hypothesized that any reduction in negative asynchrony occurs to a lesser degree for vocalization than for finger tapping. Method A total of 30 participants took part in this study. We compared SMS in a single sensory modality (vocalizations (or auditory) to auditory pacing signal) to a dual sensory modality (fingers (or tactile) to auditory pacing signal). The task was combined with a stop signal task in which stop signals were relevant in some blocks and irrelevant in others. Response-to-pacing signal asynchronies and stop signal reaction times were compared across modalities and across the two types of stop signal blocks. Results In the blocks where stopping was irrelevant, we found that vocalization (−61.47 ms) was more synchronous with the auditory pacing signal compared to finger tapping (−128.29 ms). In the blocks where stopping was relevant, stop signals induced proactive inhibition, shifting the response times later. However, proactive inhibition (26.11 ms) was less evident for vocalizations compared to finger tapping (58.06 ms). Discussion These results support the interpretation that relatively large negative asynchrony in finger tapping is a consequence of inter-modal integration, whereas smaller asynchrony is associated with intra-modal integration. This study also supports the interpretation that intra-modal integration is more sensitive to synchronization discrepancies compared to inter-modal integration.

Can You See What I Hear?

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-193
Author(s):  
Anna Conci ◽  
Merim Bilalić ◽  
Robert Gaschler
Keyword(s):  
Video Sequence ◽  
Inattentional Blindness ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Drastic Reduction ◽  
Counting Task ◽  
Spoken Text ◽  
Sensory Modalities

Abstract. Previous research on inattentional blindness (IB) has focused almost entirely on the visual modality. This study extends the paradigm by pairing visual with auditory stimuli. New visual and auditory stimuli were created to investigate the phenomenon of inattention in visual, auditory, and paired modality. The goal of the study was to assess to what extent the pairing of visual and auditory modality fosters the detection of change. Participants watched a video sequence and counted predetermined words in a spoken text. IB and inattentional deafness occurred in about 40% of participants when attention was engaged by this difficult (auditory) counting task. Most importantly, participants detected the changes considerably more often (88%) when the change occurred in both modalities rather than just one. One possible reason for the drastic reduction of IB or deafness in a multimodal context is that discrepancy between expected and encountered course of events proportionally increases across sensory modalities.

scholarly journals Attention Networks in ADHD Adults after Working Memory Training with a Dual n-Back Task

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 715
Author(s):  
Masashi Dotare ◽  
Michel Bader ◽  
Sarah K. Mesrobian ◽  
Yoshiyuki Asai ◽  
Alessandro E. P. Villa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Control ◽  
Adult Adhd ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Working Memory Training ◽  
Memory Training ◽  
Baseline Training ◽  
Adaptive Training ◽  
Conflict Effect ◽  
Back Task

Patients affected by Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are characterized by impaired executive functioning and/or attention deficits. Our study aim is to determine whether the outcomes measured by the Attention Network Task (ANT), i.e., the reaction times (RTs) to specific target and cue conditions and alerting, orienting, and conflict (or executive control) effects are affected by cognitive training with a Dual n-back task. We considered three groups of young adult participants: ADHD patients without medication (ADHD), ADHD with medication (MADHD), and age/education-matched controls. Working memory training consisted of a daily practice of 20 blocks of Dual n-back task (approximately 30 min per day) for 20 days within one month. Participants of each group were randomly assigned into two subgroups, the first one with an adaptive mode of difficulty (adaptive training), while the second was blocked at the level 1 during the whole training phase (1-back task, baseline training). Alerting and orienting effects were not modified by working memory training. The dimensional analysis showed that after baseline training, the lesser the severity of the hyperactive-impulsive symptoms, the larger the improvement of reaction times on trials with high executive control/conflict demand (i.e., what is called Conflict Effect), irrespective of the participants’ group. In the categorical analysis, we observed the improvement in such Conflict Effect after the adaptive training in adult ADHD patients irrespective of their medication, but not in controls. The ex-Gaussian analysis of RT and RT variability showed that the improvement in the Conflict Effect correlated with a decrease in the proportion of extreme slow responses. The Dual n-back task in the adaptive mode offers as a promising candidate for a cognitive remediation of adult ADHD patients without pharmaceutical medication.

Temporal rate adaptation transfers cross-modally at a subconscious level

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Charlotte L. Yang ◽  
Noelle R. B. Stiles ◽  
Carmel A. Levitan ◽  
Shinsuke Shimojo
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Rate Adaptation ◽  
Average Frequency ◽  
Adaptation Effect ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Specific Rate ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Adaptation Stimulus ◽  
Continuous Flash Suppression ◽  
Temporal Rate

In an earlier study, we demonstrated that the temporal rate adaptation effect can be transferred from audition to vision and vice versa. However, it was unclear whether this effect was due to a top-down cognitive process, or rather to an earlier calibration process which is stimulus-driven and automatic. We therefore examined the effect of interocular masking of the adapting stimuli on the temporal rate adaptation and its cross-modal transfer from vision to audition (VA). Participants were trained, using feedback, to classify repetitive auditory stimuli presented at a range of frequencies (3.25–4.75 Hz) as fast or slow (as compared to the average frequency of 4 Hz). Afterwards, subjects were repeatedly exposed to visual stimuli at a specific rate (3 or 5 Hz). This adaptation stimulus was masked by continuous flash suppression (CFS). During CFS, a stimulus presented to one eye can be suppressed from awareness by a stream of constantly changing images in the other eye. To test whether adaptation resulted from this less visible exposure, participants then performed the same task as in the training, but without feedback. Test and adaptation tasks were presented in 20 alternating blocks. A comparison of the pre- and post-adaptation responses showed cross-modal changes in subjects’ perception of temporal rate. Adaptation to the masked 5 Hz (3 Hz) stimuli led to subsequent stimuli seeming slower (faster) than they had before adaptation. Since the adaptation stimuli were mostly masked by CFS, the results suggest that temporal rate adaptation and its cross-modal transfer occur mostly at a subconscious level.

Age-equivalent Top–Down Modulation during Cross-modal Selective Attention

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 2827-2839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J. S. Guerreiro ◽  
Joaquin A. Anguera ◽  
Jyoti Mishra ◽  
Pascal W. M. Van Gerven ◽  
Adam Gazzaley
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Irrelevant Information ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Auditory Information ◽  
Auditory Distraction ◽  
Top Down

Selective attention involves top–down modulation of sensory cortical areas, such that responses to relevant information are enhanced whereas responses to irrelevant information are suppressed. Suppression of irrelevant information, unlike enhancement of relevant information, has been shown to be deficient in aging. Although these attentional mechanisms have been well characterized within the visual modality, little is known about these mechanisms when attention is selectively allocated across sensory modalities. The present EEG study addressed this issue by testing younger and older participants in three different tasks: Participants attended to the visual modality and ignored the auditory modality, attended to the auditory modality and ignored the visual modality, or passively perceived information presented through either modality. We found overall modulation of visual and auditory processing during cross-modal selective attention in both age groups. Top–down modulation of visual processing was observed as a trend toward enhancement of visual information in the setting of auditory distraction, but no significant suppression of visual distraction when auditory information was relevant. Top–down modulation of auditory processing, on the other hand, was observed as suppression of auditory distraction when visual stimuli were relevant, but no significant enhancement of auditory information in the setting of visual distraction. In addition, greater visual enhancement was associated with better recognition of relevant visual information, and greater auditory distractor suppression was associated with a better ability to ignore auditory distraction. There were no age differences in these effects, suggesting that when relevant and irrelevant information are presented through different sensory modalities, selective attention remains intact in older age.

scholarly journals Glioma of The Temporal Lobe That Impair Working Memory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shengyuan Ni ◽  
Peng Chen ◽  
Yang Yang ◽  
Dejun Bao ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Span Tasks ◽  
Memory Network ◽  
Back Task

Abstract Background: Working memory refers to the temporary storage and manipulation of information. Although working memory is generally considered to rely primarily on a fronto-parietal network, there is recent evidence that the temporal lobe has an important role in specific aspects of working memory. Methods: In this study, we assessed 30 patients with temporal tumor and 30 healthy controls using a method that combined memory tests with working memory tasks ( Digital span task, Spatial capacity N-back task and Emotional N-back task ). Results: The results revealed that there are no significant difference between the groups with regard to the neuropsychological functionings. For working memory tasks, statistically significant differences were not found on the 1-back tasks and forward versions of simple span tasks between the temporal patients group (TP) and the healthy controls group (HC). Analysis of correct responses of the experimental tasks suggested that the TP group was significantly different from the HC group in the 2-back tasks and backward versions of simple span tasks. For reaction times, spatial capacity 2-back task and emotional 2-back task showed the TP group were significantly different from the HC group. Conclusion: These findings revealed that working memory capacity was impaired in patients with a temporal tumour and that the temporal lobe may be a certain neuroanatomical structure in the working memory network.

scholarly journals Sensory Processing in Adult ADHD – A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Schulze ◽  
Silke Lux ◽  
Alexandra Philipsen
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Adult Adhd ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Processing Deficits

Abstract BackgroundThe way we perceive our environment is driven by our sensory nervous system and our attentional resources. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. While cognitive and behavior dysfunctions have broadly been investigated, sensory processing has received less scientific attention. It has been shown, that children with ADHD show processing and modulatory deficits in multiple sensory domains, but very few studies examine to what extent these deficits persist in adult life. We conducted a systematic review of studies investigating sensory processing in adult ADHD.Main BodyUsing the keywords ‘ADHD’ and ‘sensory processing’, Web of Science and MEDLINE database were systematically searched for all articles published up to March 2020. 53 studies were included. Mostly, visual and auditory processing are studied, few investigated multisensory audiovisual and somatosensory processing. In summary, adult ADHD is marked by increased sensory gaining and deficient sensory inhibition. These disturbed gaining and inhibitory mechanisms were most prominent in the auditory modality but also visual modality impairment in terms of stimuli modulation were evident. Electrophysiological studies show alterations across all event-related potential (ERP) components associated with distractibility at early components (bottom-up) and inhibition and stimulus discrimination at later components (top-down). Brain imaging studies on sensory processing in ADHD are scarce, few pointing to higher resting state functional connectivity in visual areas and visual crossmodal activation for auditory stimuli. ConclusionSensory processing deficits extent from childhood to adult ADHD. These deficits are mainly driven by higher distractibility by irrelevant stimuli and modulatory impairment for relevant stimuli. In future studies, the relation of impaired bottom-up and top-down attentional mechanisms should be investigated and how they contribute to sensory processing deficits and clinical symptomatology in adult ADHD. This could help to gather more information about the underling processing deficits, so that specific adjusted training can be provided, that helps to overcome deficits in daily life functioning in e.g., not producing appropriate adaptive responses in social settings.Trial registrationN/A

scholarly journals No evidence of the effect of cognitive load on self-paced cycling performance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darias Holgado ◽  
Mikel Zabala ◽  
Daniel Sanabria
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Power Output ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Load Condition ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Working Memory Load ◽  
Back Task

Objectives: to test the hypothesis that cognitive load (low vs. high load) during a 20 min self-paced cycling exercise affects physical performance.Design: A pre-registered (https://osf.io/qept5/), randomized, within-subject design experiment.Methods: 28 trained and experienced male cyclists completed a 20 min self-paced cycling time-trial exercise in two separate sessions, corresponding to two working memory load conditions: 1-back or 2-back. We measured power output, heart rate, RPE and mental fatigue.Results: Bayes analyses revealed extreme evidence for the 2-back task being more demanding than the 1-back task, both in terms of accuracy (BF10 = 4490) and reaction time (BF =1316). The data only showed anecdotal evidence for the alternative hypothesis for the power output (BF10= 1.52), moderate evidence for the null hypothesis for the heart rate (BF10 = 0.172), anecdotal evidence for RPE (BF10 = 0.72) and anecdotal evidence for mental fatigue (BF10 = 0.588).Conclusions: Our data seem to challenge the idea that self-paced exercise is regulated by top-down processing, given that we did not show clear evidence of exercise impairment (at the physical, physiological and subjective levels) in the high cognitive load condition task with respect to the low working memory load condition. The involvement of top-down processing in self-pacing the physical effort, however, cannot be totally discarded. Factors like the duration of the physical and cognitive tasks, the potential influence of dual-tasking, and the participants’ level of expertise, should be taken into account in future attempts to investigate the role of top-down processing in self-pace exercise

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