scholarly journals Impression formation in the human infant brain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Marie Krol ◽  
Tobias Grossmann
Keyword(s):  
Impression Formation ◽  
Person Perception ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Preference Test ◽  
Human Infant ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Infant Brain ◽  
Neutral Expression

Forming an impression of another person is an essential aspect of human social cognition linked to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function in adults. The current study examined the neurodevelopmental origins of impression formation by testing the hypothesis that infants rely on processes localized in mPFC when forming impressions about individuals who appear friendly or threatening. Infants’ brain responses were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) while watching four different face identities displaying either smiles or frowns directed toward or away from them (N = 77). This was followed by a looking preference test for these face identities (now displaying a neutral expression) using eyetracking. Our results show that infants’ mPFC responses distinguish between smiling and frowning faces when directed at them and that these responses predicted their subsequent person preferences. This suggests that the mPFC is involved in impression formation in human infants, attesting to the early ontogenetic emergence of brain systems supporting person perception and adaptive behavior.

scholarly journals Impression Formation in the Human Infant Brain

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen M Krol ◽  
Tobias Grossmann
Keyword(s):  
Impression Formation ◽  
Person Perception ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Preference Test ◽  
Human Infant ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Infant Brain ◽  
Neutral Expression

Abstract Forming an impression of another person is an essential aspect of human social cognition linked to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) function in adults. The current study examined the neurodevelopmental origins of impression formation by testing the hypothesis that infants rely on processes localized in mPFC when forming impressions about individuals who appear friendly or threatening. Infants’ brain responses were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy while watching 4 different face identities displaying either smiles or frowns directed toward or away from them (N = 77). This was followed by a looking preference test for these face identities (now displaying a neutral expression) using eyetracking. Our results show that infants’ mPFC responses distinguish between smiling and frowning faces when directed at them and that these responses predicted their subsequent person preferences. This suggests that the mPFC is involved in impression formation in human infants, attesting to the early ontogenetic emergence of brain systems supporting person perception and adaptive behavior.

scholarly journals Infant brain responses to social sounds: A longitudinal functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 100638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. McDonald ◽  
Katherine L. Perdue ◽  
Jeffrey Eilbott ◽  
Jaspreet Loyal ◽  
Frederick Shic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Spectroscopy Study ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Infant Brain

scholarly journals Genetic variation in the oxytocin system and its link to social motivation in human infants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Marie Krol ◽  
Nauder Namaky ◽  
Mikhail Monakhov ◽  
Poh San Lai ◽  
Richard Ebstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Social Motivation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Brain Asymmetry ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Frontal Asymmetry ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
The Individual

Introduction. Variability in the motivation to approach or withdraw from others displayed in infancy is thought to have long-term effects on human social development. Frontal brain asymmetry has been linked to motivational processes in infants and adults, with greater left frontal asymmetry reflecting motivation to approach and greater right frontal asymmetry reflecting motivation to withdraw. We examined the hypothesis that variability in infants’ social motivation is linked to genetic variation in the endogenous oxytocin system. Specifically, we measured infants’ frontal brain asymmetry and later looking preferences to smiling and frowning individuals and assayed a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the CD38 gene (rs3796863) linked to autism spectrum disorder and reduced peripheral oxytocin levels. Methods. 77 11-month-old infants’ (36 female) brain responses were measured via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) while viewing four individuals display either smiles or frowns directed toward or away from them. This was followed by a person preference test using eyetracking. Results. Frontal brain asymmetry patterns evoked by direct-gaze faces significantly differed as a function of CD38 genotype. Specifically, while non-risk A-allele carriers displayed greater left lateralization to smiling faces (approach) and greater right lateralization to frowning faces (withdrawal), infants with the CC (ASD risk) genotype displayed withdrawal from smiling faces. During eyetracking, A-allele carriers showed a heightened preference for the individual who smiled, while CC infants preferred the individual who frowned.Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate that, from early in human ontogeny, genetic variation in the oxytocin system is linked to variability in brain and behavioral markers of social motivation.

scholarly journals Reliability and response assessment of brain responses in fNIRS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaowei Jiang ◽  
Chen Yanan ◽  
Chenghao Zhou ◽  
Na Ao
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Delivery ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Physiological Mechanism ◽  
Relative Sensitivity ◽  
Response Assessment ◽  
Indicator System ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
Noninvasive Neuroimaging

Background: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a new noninvasive neuroimaging technology that detects both oxyhemoglobin hemodynamics (HbO) and deoxy-hemoglobin hemodynamics (HbR), but there is no assessment approach that emphasizes the merits of fNIRS. New method: Based on fNIRS, we established an indicator system named the Area-Under-Curve-based Indicator System (AUCIS) to estimate the effect reliability of brain responses. Evaluating the positive and negative responses for HbO and HbR can better explain, to some extent, the comprehensive physiological mechanism of oxygen delivery to and extraction in the brain. Moreover, we also established a reliability coefficient, named AUC’ α, to assess the robustness of within-subject condition effects. Results and Comparison: To validate the AUCIS, we used a simulation-based HRF signal and an open database and compared the performance with other general indicators. The AUCIS showed a greater relative sensitivity and robustness, which can be explained in terms of oxygen delivery and extraction based on the negative and positive responses of HbO and HbR.

scholarly journals Monolingual and bilingual infants rely on the same brain networks: Evidence from resting-state functional connectivity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Borja Blanco ◽  
Monika Molnar ◽  
Manuel Carreiras ◽  
Liam H. Collins-Jones ◽  
Ernesto Vidal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Functional Brain Imaging ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Behavioural Research ◽  
Infant Brain

AbstractThis study examines whether bilingual exposure has a profound effect on the functional organization of the developing human brain during infancy. Recent behavioural research attests that monolingual vs. bilingual experience affects cognitive and linguistic processes already during the first months of life. However, to what extent the intrinsic organization of the infant human brain adapts to monolingual vs. bilingual environments is unclear. We measured spontaneous hemodynamic brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in a large cohort (N=99) of 4-month-old monolingual and bilingual infants. We implemented well-established analysis approaches of functional brain imaging that enabled us to reveal the functional organization of the infant brain in large-scale cortical networks, and to perform group-level comparisons (i.e., monolingual vs. bilingual groups) in a reliable manner. Our results revealed no differences between the intrinsic functional organization of the developing monolingual and bilingual infant brain at 4 months of age.

Young consumers’ brain responses to pop music on Youtube

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1132-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoung Cheon Cha ◽  
Minah Suh ◽  
Gusang Kwon ◽  
Seungeun Yang ◽  
Eun Ju Lee
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
New Media ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Sensory Level ◽  
Pop Music ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Total Blood ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Brain Responses

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the auditory-sensory characteristics of the digital pop music that is particularly successful on the YouTube website by measuring young listeners’ brain responses to highly successful pop music noninvasively. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) experiment with 56 young adults (23 females; mean age 24 years) with normal vision and hearing and no record of neurological disease. The authors calculated total blood flow (TBF) and hemodynamic randomness and examined their relationships with online popularity. Findings The authors found that TBF to the right medial prefrontal cortex increased more when the young adults heard music that presented acoustic stimulation well above previously defined optimal sensory level. The hemodynamic randomness decreased significantly when the participants listened to music that provided near- or above-OSL stimulation. Research limitations/implications Online popularity, recorded as the number of daily hits, was significantly positively related with the TBF and negatively related with hemodynamic randomness. Practical implications These findings suggest that a new media marketing strategy may be required that can provide a sufficient level of sensory stimulation to Millennials in order to increase their engagements in various use cases including entertainment, advertising and retail environments. Social implications Digital technology has so drastically reduced the costs of sharing and disseminating information, including music, that consumers can now easily use digital platforms to access a wide selection of music at minimal cost. The structure of the current music market reflects the decentralized nature of the online distribution network such that artists from all over the world now have equal access to billions of members of the global music audience. Originality/value This study confirms the importance of understanding target customer’s sensory experiences would grow in determining the success of digital contents and marketing.

scholarly journals Exploring the Brain Responses to Driving Fatigue Through Simultaneous EEG and fNIRS Measurements

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (01) ◽  
pp. 1950018
Author(s):  
Chin-Teng Lin ◽  
Jung-Tai King ◽  
Chun-Hsiang Chuang ◽  
Weiping Ding ◽  
Wei-Yu Chuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Driving Performance ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Driving Task ◽  
Driving Fatigue ◽  
Eeg Recordings ◽  
Fatigue Driving ◽  
The Brain

Fatigue is one problem with driving as it can lead to difficulties with sustaining attention, behavioral lapses, and a tendency to ignore vital information or operations. In this research, we explore multimodal physiological phenomena in response to driving fatigue through simultaneous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings with the aim of investigating the relationships between hemodynamic and electrical features and driving performance. Sixteen subjects participated in an event-related lane-deviation driving task while measuring their brain dynamics through fNIRS and EEGs. Three performance groups, classified as Optimal, Suboptimal, and Poor, were defined for comparison. From our analysis, we find that tonic variations occur before a deviation, and phasic variations occur afterward. The tonic results show an increased concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) and power changes in the EEG theta, alpha, and beta bands. Both dynamics are significantly correlated with deteriorated driving performance. The phasic EEG results demonstrate event-related desynchronization associated with the onset of steering vehicle in all power bands. The concentration of phasic HbO2 decreased as performance worsened. Further, the negative correlations between tonic EEG delta and alpha power and HbO2 oscillations suggest that activations in HbO2 are related to mental fatigue. In summary, combined hemodynamic and electrodynamic activities can provide complete knowledge of the brain’s responses as evidence of state changes during fatigue driving.

scholarly journals Eye contact modulates facial mimicry in 4-month-old infants: an EMG and fNIRS study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina de Klerk ◽  
Antonia Hamilton ◽  
Victoria Southgate
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Mouth Opening ◽  
Eye Contact ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Social Signals ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Facial Mimicry ◽  
Direct Gaze

Mimicry, the tendency to spontaneously and unconsciously copy others’ behaviour, plays an important role in social interactions. It facilitates rapport between strangers, and is flexibly modulated by social signals, such as eye contact. However, little is known about the development of this phenomenon in infancy, and it is unknown whether mimicry is modulated by social signals from early in life. Here we addressed this question by presenting 4-month-old infants with videos of models performing facial actions (e.g. mouth opening, eyebrow raising) and hand actions (e.g. hand opening and closing, finger actions) accompanied by direct or averted gaze, while we measured their facial and hand muscle responses using electromyography to obtain an index of mimicry (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2 the infants observed the same stimuli while we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to investigate the brain regions involved in modulating mimicry by eye contact. We found that 4-month-olds only showed evidence of mimicry when they observed facial actions accompanied by direct gaze. Experiment 2 suggests that this selective facial mimicry may have been associated with activation over posterior superior temporal sulcus. These findings provide the first demonstration of modulation of mimicry by social signals in young human infants, and suggest that mimicry plays an important role in social interactions from early in life.

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