scholarly journals Multi-structure Cortical States Deduced From Intracellular Representations of Fixed Tactile Input Patterns

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Norrlid ◽  
Jonas M. D. Enander ◽  
Hannes Mogensen ◽  
Henrik Jörntell
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Sensory Inputs ◽  
Neocortical Neurons ◽  
Tactile Input ◽  
Internal States ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Synaptic Responses

The brain has a never-ending internal activity, whose spatiotemporal evolution interacts with external inputs to constrain their impact on brain activity and thereby how we perceive them. We used reproducible touch-related spatiotemporal sensory inputs and recorded intracellularly from rat (Sprague-Dawley, male) neocortical neurons to characterize this interaction. The synaptic responses, or the summed input of the networks connected to the neuron, varied greatly to repeated presentations of the same tactile input pattern delivered to the tip of digit 2. Surprisingly, however, these responses tended to sort into a set of specific time-evolving response types, unique for each neuron. Further, using a set of eight such tactile input patterns, we found each neuron to exhibit a set of specific response types for each input provided. Response types were not determined by the global cortical state, but instead likely depended on the time-varying state of the specific subnetworks connected to each neuron. The fact that some types of responses recurred indicates that the cortical network had a non-continuous landscape of solutions for these tactile inputs. Therefore, our data suggest that sensory inputs combine with the internal dynamics of the brain networks, thereby causing them to fall into one of the multiple possible perceptual attractor states. The neuron-specific instantiations of response types we observed suggest that the subnetworks connected to each neuron represent different components of those attractor states. Our results indicate that the impact of cortical internal states on external inputs is substantially more richly resolvable than previously shown.

scholarly journals Multi-Structure Cortical States Deduced from Intracellular Representations of Fixed Tactile Input Patterns

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Norrlid ◽  
Jonas M.D. Enander ◽  
Hannes Mogensen ◽  
Henrik Jörntell
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Input ◽  
Internal State ◽  
Specific Response ◽  
List Type ◽  
Neocortical Neurons ◽  
Tactile Input ◽  
Internal States ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Stimulation Pattern

AbstractThe brain has a never-ending internal activity, whose spatiotemporal evolution interacts with external inputs to define how we perceive them. We used reproducible touch-related spatiotemporal inputs and recorded intracellularly from rat neocortical neurons to characterise this interaction. The synaptic responses, or the summed input of the networks connected to the neuron, varied greatly to repeated presentations of the same tactile input pattern delivered to the tip of digit 2. Surprisingly, however, these responses sorted into a set of specific response types, unique for each neuron. Further, using a set of eight such tactile input patterns, we found each neuron to exhibit a set of specific response types for each input provided. Response types were not determined by global cortical state, but instead likely depended on the time-varying state of the specific subnetworks connected to each neuron. The fact that some types of responses were recurrent, i.e. more likely than others, indicates that the cortical network had a non-continuous landscape of solutions for these tactile inputs. Therefore, our data suggests that sensory inputs combine with the internal dynamics of the brain networks, thereby causing them to fall into one of multiple possible perceptual attractor states. The neuron-specific instantiations of response types we observed suggest that the subnetworks connected to each neuron represent different components of those attractor states. Our results indicate that the impact of cortical internal states on external inputs is substantially more richly resolvable than previously shown.Key points summaryIt is known that the internal state of the neocortical network profoundly impacts cortical neuronal responses to sensory input.Little is known of how the internal neocortical activity combines with a given sensory input to generate the response.We used eight reproducible patterns of skin sensor activation and made intracellular recordings in neocortical neurons to explore the response variations in the specific subnetworks connected to each recorded neuron.We found that each neuron exhibited multiple, specific recurring response types to the exact same skin stimulation pattern and that each given stimulation pattern evoked a unique set of response types.The findings indicate a multi-structure internal state that combines with peripheral information to define cortical responses; we suggest this mechanism is a prerequisite for the formation of perception (and illusions) and indicates that the cortical networks work according to attractor dynamics.

scholarly journals Experimental Model for Studying the Prefrontal EEG Biomarkers in Correlation with Food Intake Behavior: Neurofeedback Platform

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Isam Al-Hiyali ◽  
Asnor Juraiza Ishak ◽  
Hafiz Harun ◽  
Siti Anom Ahmad ◽  
Wan Aliaa Sulaiman
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Significant Decrement ◽  
Positive Treatment ◽  
Eeg Neurofeedback ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Background: This study aims to investigate the effects of visual neurofeedback stimulation on the brain activity in overweight cases. The neuroscience studies indicated the personal decision about eating under the impact of environmental factors such as (visually, smelling, tasting) is related to neural activity of the prefrontal lobe of the brain. Therefore, there were many attempts to modify the food intake behavior in overweight cases through the stimulation of the prefrontal cortex. However, the empirical viewing of EEG-neurofeedback experiments has not explicated the details about the effect of the EEG-NF, the specificity of positive treatment effects remains in a challenging scope.Methods: This study is a cue-exposure EEG-NF experiment to verify the hypothesis of effecting the EEG-NF on the electrical activity of PFC and modifying the general symptoms of food intake behavior in overweight cases. Twenty-four individuals were recruited as participants for this study. These participants were assigned randomly into two groups; the EX-Group (N=12) enrolled in 8 sessions of the EEG-NF experiment, and the C-Group (N=12) was listed in no EEG-NF sessions. The participants provided researchers with a self-report questionnaire relating to their observation of general symptoms of food intake behavior, and EEG signals recordings into the pre and posts stimulation phase. The power spectral density (PSD) method was applied for EEG parameters extraction.Results: The results of a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) explained that a significant variation in variables between the two groups after the EEG-NF experiment. The analysis of the quantitative variables indicated that the effect of EEG-NF experiment was a significant decrement in EEG power bands which significantly influenced changing the median of self-report questionnaire responses that is related to general symptoms of food intake behavior.Conclusions: This study provides preliminary support for the therapeutic potential of EEG-NF experiment that targets the prefrontal cortex, to influence neural processes underlying food intake behavior in overweight cases.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF ADVERTISEMENT ON CONSUMER’S PERCEPTION

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 187-191
Author(s):  
Martin Hudák ◽  
Radovan MadleĹˆĂˇk ◽  
Veronika Brezániová
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Computer Interface ◽  
Consumer Perception ◽  
Computer Interface ◽  
Market Situation ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Tracking Technology ◽  
Wireless Eeg

Marketing can be described as a tool for companies to influence the consumer’s perception to the desired direction. The current market situation is characterized by dynamism, growing consumer power, and intense competition. The consumer perception and behavior are changing and therefore need to be constantly monitored and measured. The aim of this article is to scan and measure consumer’s perception while watching a video advertisement. During this experiment, an eye-tracking technology was used, which allows capturing a consumer’s gaze. The central part of the research is to measure the brain activity of a consumer based on the EEG (Electroencephalography). EMOTIV Epoc+ is a 14-channel wireless EEG, designed for contextualized research and advanced brain computer interface applications. An advertising campaign from four different mobile operators was used for this purpose. In the conclusion of this article, consumer’s perception of different advertising campaigns are compared and evaluated.

scholarly journals Neuroscience Research on Human Visual Path Integration: Empirical Overview and Strategic Considerations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimmy Y. Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Path Integration ◽  
Hippocampal Formation ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Integration Strategies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

Over the past two decades, many neuroimaging studies have attempted uncover the brain regions and networks involved in path integration and identify the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. Although these studies made inroads into the neural basis of path integration, they have yet to offer a full disclosure of the functional specialization of the brain regions supporting path integration. In this paper, I reviewed notable neuroscientific studies on visual path integration in humans, identified the commonalities and discrepancies in their findings, and incorporated fresh insights from recent path integration studies. Specifically, this paper presented neuroscientific studies performed with virtual renditions of the triangle/path completion task and addressed whether or not the hippocampus is necessary for human path integration. Based on studies that showed evidence supporting and negating the involvement of the hippocampal formation in path integration, this paper introduces the proposal that the use of different path integration strategies may determine the extent to which the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex are engaged during path integration. To this end, recent studies that investigated the impact of different path integration strategies on behavioral performance and functional brain activity were discussed. Methodological concerns were raised with feasible recommendations for improving the experimental design of future strategy-related path integration studies, which can cover cognitive neuroscience research on age-related differences in the role of the hippocampal formation in path integration and Bayesian modelling of the interaction between landmark and self-motion cues. The practical value of investigating different path integration strategies was also discussed briefly from a biomedical perspective.

scholarly journals Effect of amisulpride, olanzapine, quetiapine, and aripiprazole single administration on c-Fos expression in vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic neurons of the rat hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84
Author(s):  
Alexander Kiss ◽  
Jana Osacka
Keyword(s):  
Supraoptic Nucleus ◽  
Atypical Antipsychotics ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Lower Effect ◽  
Fos Expression ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Oxytocinergic Neurons ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hypothalamic Supraoptic Nucleus

AbstractObjective. The goal of this study was to reveal the impact of four types of atypical antipsychotics including amisulpride (AMI), olanzapine (OLA), quetiapine (QUE), and aripiprazole (ARI), with different receptor-affinity profile and dissociation constant, on the activity of hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON) vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic neurons.Methods. Male Sprague Dawley rats received a single injection of vehicle (VEH) (0.1 ml/100g), AMI (20 mg/kg), OLA (5 mg/kg), QUE (15 mg/kg/) or ARI (10 mg/kg). Ninety min after treatment, the animals were fixed by transcardial perfusion, the brains removed, and cryocut into serial coronal sections of 35 µm thickness. The sections were processed for c-Fos staining using an avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex and visualized by nickel intensified diaminobenzidine to reach black end product. Afterwards, the sections were exposed to vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXY) antibodies and the reaction product visualized by biotin-labeled fluorescent Alexa Fluor 568 dye. The data were evaluated from c-Fos and AVP or OXY merged sections.Results. The present study shows that all four antipsychotics applied induced c-Fos expression in the SON. With respect to the stimulation efficacy of the individual antipsychotics, estimated based on the quantity of c-Fos-labeled AVP and OXY neurons, could be a preferential action assigned to QUE over moderate effect of ARI and lower effect to OLA and reduced effect of AMI (VEH < AMI < OLA < ARI < QUE).Conclusion. The present data for the first time provide an insight into the quantitative pattern of brain activity within the clusters of SON AVP and OXY cells in response to different atypical antipsychotics single treatment.

scholarly journals Mirror neuron: a beautiful unnecessary concept

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 172-174
Author(s):  
Jahan N Schad
Keyword(s):  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Intentional Stance ◽  
Neural Structure ◽  
Tactile Input ◽  
The Brain

Mirror neurons theory, which had been put forward in the eighties based on the results of cognitive research experiments on the macaque monkeys, has prima facie been further validated by the extensive cognitive neurosciences investigations of primates and humans, over the past three decades. The concept was initially prompted by the fact that the brain activity patterns of the subjects were nearly similar, whether the activity was performed or observed by them. And presently, learning of various natures and empathy, and perhaps some aspects of survival, are ascribed to the operations of this class of neurons. Obviously the added complexity on the already complex field of neurosciences cannot be underestimated; and of course there are opponents of the theory, and some profound questions have been raised. Present work, though also in opposition, is based on completely different ground: the fact that the ingenious and grand efforts of the proponents of the theory can be explicated in the realm of the established neural structure of the brain and its computational operations. This possibility is based on the recent discovery of the tactile nature of the vision sensation. Ironically all the results, which form the basis of the mirror neuron concept, also serve to provide the conceptual proof of the new vision theory, which preempts any need for the introduction of the new class of neurons. The vision theory, partially validated through the efforts of the development of the tactile vision substitution systems (TVSS) and ironically also by some to the point mirror neuron experimental works, are sufficient to explain the processes behind empathy, learning and perhaps other mental phenomena; and as such, the need for presumption of additional class of neurons is dispelled. The mental phenomena, which rendered the claim of the mirror neurons, are simply the consequence of subjects beings variably touched by the state of the living environment, through the coherent tactile operation of all senses (four already known as having tactile nature); eyes having the most prominent role: It is the brain’s response (the computations outputs) as motor cortex activity,-- subsequent to the discernment of the streaming massive tactile input data, to appropriately coordinate the observer’s perceived (tactile) engagement, conditioned by the her mental intentional stance sourced in the brain’s protocols (acquired neural patterns)--which is misinterpreted as the evidence for the conceptualization of the mirror neuron.

scholarly journals BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism modulates brain activity following rTMS-induced memory impairment

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kilian Abellaneda-Pérez ◽  
Pablo Martin-Trias ◽  
Catherine Cassé-Perrot ◽  
Lídia Vaqué-Alcázar ◽  
Laura Lanteaume ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Gene Polymorphism ◽  
Visual Memory ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Memory Phase ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism is a relevant factor explaining inter-individual differences to TMS responses in studies of the motor system. However, whether this variant also contributes to TMS-induced memory effects, as well as their underlying brain mechanisms, remains unexplored. In this investigation, we applied rTMS during encoding of a visual memory task either over the left frontal cortex (LFC; experimental condition) or the cranial vertex (control condition). Subsequently, individuals underwent a recognition memory phase during a functional MRI acquisition. We included 43 young volunteers and classified them as 19 Met allele carriers and 24 as Val/Val individuals. The results revealed that rTMS delivered over LFC compared to vertex stimulation resulted in reduced memory performance only amongst Val/Val allele carriers. This genetic group also exhibited greater fMRI brain activity during memory recognition, mainly over frontal regions, which was positively associated with cognitive performance. We concluded that BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism, known to exert a significant effect on neuroplasticity, modulates the impact of rTMS both at the cognitive as well as at the associated brain networks expression levels. This data provides new insights on the brain mechanisms explaining cognitive inter-individual differences to TMS, and may inform future, more individually-tailored rTMS interventions.

Brain Stimulation and Identity

2021 ◽  
pp. 211-220
Author(s):  
Jonathan Pugh
Keyword(s):  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Medical Interventions ◽  
Precise Tool ◽  
Effect Of Treatment ◽  
Invasive Neurostimulation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

This chapter reflects on the impact of brain stimulation on identity. Following substantial advances in our understanding of the brain, surgeons and neuroscientists have been able to develop powerful new medical interventions that aim to treat disease by modifying electrical activity in the brain. At present, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is the most precise tool that we have at our disposal in this regard; it can target a cubic millimeter of brain tissue. In terms of precision, it stands in stark contrast to drugs that influence brain activity by affecting neurotransmitters across the brain. However, despite its precision, in some rare cases, DBS can have unintended side-effects, including behavioural and emotional changes. The possibility of controlling motivational and emotional states has intrigued scientists since the earliest days of invasive neurostimulation. This prospect raises profound ethical questions, regardless of whether such changes are intentional or an unintended side-effect of treatment. To what extent does it make sense to say that a medical intervention like DBS can change the recipient into “a different person”? The chapter then turns to concepts in moral philosophy, considering the nature of identity and the self.

scholarly journals Language and Math: What If We Have Two Separate Naming Systems?

Languages ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Alejandro Martínez
Keyword(s):  
Switch Cost ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Exact Arithmetic ◽  
Source Estimation ◽  
Numerical Representations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

The role of language in numerical processing has traditionally been restricted to counting and exact arithmetic. Nevertheless, the impact that each of a bilinguals’ languages may have in core numerical representations has not been questioned until recently. What if the language in which math has been first acquired (LLmath) had a bigger impact in our math processing? Based on previous studies on language switching we hypothesize that balanced bilinguals would behave like unbalanced bilinguals when switching between the two codes for math. In order to address this question, we measured the brain activity with magneto encephalography (MEG) and source estimation analyses of 12 balanced Basque-Spanish speakers performing a task in which participants were unconscious of the switches between the two codes. The results show an asymmetric switch cost between the two codes for math, and that the brain areas responsible for these switches are similar to those thought to belong to a general task switching mechanism. This implies that the dominances for math and language could run separately from the general language dominance.

scholarly journals Absence of covert face valuation in Autism

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabien Vinckier ◽  
Mathias Pessiglione ◽  
Baudouin Forgeot d’Arc
Keyword(s):  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Stereotyped Behavior ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Size Estimation ◽  
Clinical Criteria ◽  
Social Reciprocity ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

AbstractAutism is a neurodevelopmental condition defined on clinical criteria related to diminished social reciprocity and stereotyped behavior. An influential view explains autism as a social motivation disorder characterized by less attention paid to the social environment and less pleasure experienced with social rewards. However, experimental attempts to validate this theory, by testing the impact of social reward on behavioral choice and brain activity, has yielded mixed results, possibly due to variations in how explicit instructions were about task goals. Here, we specified the putative motivation deficit as an absence of spontaneous valuation in the social domain, unexplained by inattention and correctible by explicit instruction. Since such deficit cannot be assessed with behavioral measures, we used functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to readout covert subjective values, assigned to social and nonsocial stimuli (faces and objects), either explicitly asked to participants (during a likeability judgment task) or not (during age or size estimation tasks). Value-related neural activity observed for objects, or for faces under explicit instructions, was very similar in autistic and control participants, with an activation peak in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), known as a key node of the brain valuation system. The only difference observed in autistic participants was an absence of the spontaneous valuation normally triggered by faces, even when they were attended for age estimation. Our findings, therefore, suggest that in autism, social stimuli might fail to trigger the automatic activation of the brain valuation system.

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