scholarly journals Regional and Temporal Differences in Brain Activity With Morally Good or Bad Judgments in Men: A Magnetoencephalography Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirotoshi Hiraishi ◽  
Takashi Ikeda ◽  
Daisuke N. Saito ◽  
Chiaki Hasegawa ◽  
Sachiko Kitagawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Moral Judgments ◽  
Temporal Region ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Functional Connections ◽  
Theta Waves

Many neuroimaging studies on morality focus on functional brain areas that relate to moral judgment specifically in morally negative situations. To date, there have been few studies on differences in brain activity under conditions of being morally good and bad along a continuum. To explore not only the brain regions involved but also their functional connections during moral judgments, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG), which is superior to other imaging modalities for analyzing time-dependent brain activities; only men were recruited because sex differences might be a confounding factor. While analyses showed that general patterns of brain activation and connectivity were similar between morally good judgments (MGJs) and morally bad judgments (MBJs), activation in brain areas that subserve emotion and “theory of mind” on the right hemisphere was larger in MGJ than MBJ conditions. In the left local temporal region, the connectivity between brain areas related to emotion and reward/punishment was stronger in MBJ than MGJ conditions. The time-frequency analysis showed distinct laterality (left hemisphere dominant) occurring during early moral information processing in MBJ conditions compared to MGJ conditions and phase-dependent differences in the appearance of theta waves between MBJ and MGJ conditions. During MBJs, connections within the hemispheric regions were more robust than those between hemispheric regions. These results suggested that the local temporal region on the left hemisphere is more important in the execution of MBJs during early moral valence processing than in that with MGJs. Shorter neuronal connections within the hemisphere may allow to make MBJs punctual.

Applying Frequency Bands to Explore the Identification of Two Dimensional Figures

2013 ◽  
Vol 311 ◽  
pp. 196-201
Author(s):  
Chia Ju Liu ◽  
Chin Fei Huang ◽  
Chia Yi Chou ◽  
Ming Chi Lu ◽  
Yung Yi Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Opposite Hemisphere ◽  
Frequency Bands ◽  
The Right ◽  
Hemisphere Specialization

The aim of this study was to apply frequency bands to explore how mental rotation strategies affect the identification of 2D figures. Eighteen adults were recruited for this study. In the ERP experiments, the participants were required to identify 2D figures with mental rotation. The results showed the differences between the high-achieving (HA) and low-achieving (LA) spatial ability participants in their use of mental rotation for identifying 2D figures. At 300-380 ms, the HA participants showed higher brain activity in the right hemisphere than in other brain areas, whereas the LA participants showed activity in the whole brain. At 520 to 620 ms, the areas of brain activity were in the opposite hemisphere for the HA and LA participants. The highest brain activity was shown in the left hemisphere of the HA participants and in the right hemisphere for the LA participants at 520 to 620 ms. The implication of this study is that right hemisphere specialization for mental rotation might appear in early cognitive processing, but in late cognitive processing, the left hemisphere specialization form of mental rotation might show an advantage.

Abstract WMP117: Regional Homogeneity Changes In Patients With Transient Ischemic Attack: A Resting-state Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Guo ◽  
Ning Chen ◽  
Muke Zhou ◽  
Pian Wang ◽  
Li He
Keyword(s):  
Transient Ischemic Attack ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Regional Homogeneity ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Ischemic Attack

Background: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) can increase the risk of some neurologic dysfunctions, of which the mechanism remains unclear. Resting-state functional MRI (rfMRI) is suggested to be a valuable tool to study the relation between spontaneous brain activity and behavioral performance. However, little is known about whether the local synchronization of spontaneous neural activity is altered in TIA patients. The purpose of this study is to detect differences in regional spontaneous activities throughout the whole brain between TIAs and normal controls. Methods: Twenty one TIA patients suffered an ischemic event in the right hemisphere and 21 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. All subjects were investigated using cognitive tests and rfMRI. The regional homogeneity (ReHo) was calculate and compared between two groups. Then a correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationship between ReHo values of brain regions showing abnormal resting-state properties and clinical variables in TIA group. Results: Compared with controls, TIA patients exhibited decreased ReHo in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), right inferior prefrontal gyrus, right ventral anterior cingulate cortex and right dorsal posterior cingular cortex. Moreover, the mean ReHo in right DLPFC and right inferior prefrontal gyrus were significantly correlated with MoCA in TIA patients. Conclusions: Neural activity in the resting state is changed in patients with TIA. The positive correlation between regional homogeneity of rfMRI and cognition suggests that ReHo may be a promising tool to better our understanding of the neurobiological consequences of TIA.

Neural Mechanisms of Visual Attention: Object-Based Selection of a Region in Space

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 106-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Arrington ◽  
Thomas H. Carr ◽  
Andrew R. Mayer ◽  
Stephen M. Rao
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Unbounded Region ◽  
Object Based ◽  
Selection Of

Objects play an important role in guiding spatial attention through a cluttered visual environment. We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (ER-fMRI) to measure brain activity during cued discrimination tasks requiring subjects to orient attention either to a region bounded by an object (object-based spatial attention) or to an unbounded region of space (location-based spatial attention) in anticipation of an upcoming target. Comparison between the two tasks revealed greater activation when attention selected a region bounded by an object. This activation was strongly lateralized to the left hemisphere and formed a widely distributed network including (a) attentional structures in parietal and temporal cortex and thalamus, (b) ventral-stream object processing structures in occipital, inferior-temporal, and parahippocampal cortex, and (c) control structures in medial-and dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex. These results suggest that object-based spatial selection is achieved by imposing additional constraints over and above those processes already operating to achieve selection of an unbounded region. In addition, ER-fMRI methodology allowed a comparison of validly versus invalidly cued trials, thereby delineating brain structures involved in the reorientation of attention after its initial deployment proved incorrect. All areas of activation that differentiated between these two trial types resulted from greater activity during the invalid trials. This outcome suggests that all brain areas involved in attentional orienting and task performance in response to valid cues are also involved on invalid trials. During invalid trials, additional brain regions are recruited when a perceiver recovers from invalid cueing and reorients attention to a target appearing at an uncued location. Activated brain areas specific to attentional reorientation were strongly right-lateralized and included posterior temporal and inferior parietal regions previously implicated in visual attention processes, as well as prefrontal regions that likely subserve control processes, particularly related to inhibition of inappropriate responding.

scholarly journals Between Thought and Expression, a Magnetoencephalography Study of the “Tip-of-the-Tongue” Phenomenon

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 2210-2223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karmen Resnik ◽  
David Bradbury ◽  
Gareth R. Barnes ◽  
Alex P. Leff
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Temporal Region ◽  
Speech Output ◽  
Proper Nouns ◽  
Confrontation Naming ◽  
Beta Power ◽  
Oscillatory Brain Activity ◽  
Language Areas ◽  
Tip Of The Tongue

“Tip-of-the-tongue” (TOT) is the phenomenon associated with the inaccessibility of a known word from memory. It is universally experienced, increases in frequency with age, and is most common for proper nouns. It is a good model for the symptom of anomia experienced much more frequently by some aphasic patients following brain injury. Here, we induced the TOT state in older participants while they underwent brain scanning with magnetoencephalography to investigate the changes in oscillatory brain activity associated with failed retrieval of known words. Using confrontation naming of pictures of celebrities, we successfully induced the TOT state in 29% of trials and contrasted it with two other states: “Know” where the participants both correctly recognized the celebrity's face and retrieved their name and “Don't Know” when the participants did not recognize the celebrity. We wished to test Levelt's influential model of speech output by carrying out two analyses, one epoching the data to the point in time when the picture was displayed and the other looking back in time from when the participants first articulated their responses. Our main findings supported the components of Levelt's model, but not their serial activation over time as both semantic and motor areas were identified in both analyses. We also found enduring decreases in the alpha frequency band in the left ventral temporal region during the TOT state, suggesting ongoing semantic search. Finally, we identified reduced beta power in classical peri-sylvian language areas for the TOT condition, suggesting that brain regions that encode linguistic memories are also involved in their attempted retrieval.

Acquisition and Retention of Motor Skills as a Function of Age and Aerobic Fitness

2001 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L Etnier ◽  
Diana H. Romero ◽  
Tinna Traustadóttir
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Aerobic Fitness ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Relative Increase ◽  
Relative Decrease ◽  
The Relationship

Evidence suggests that cognitive ability declines with advancing age but that aerobic fitness can serve to minimize or even negate these declines. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between age, fitness, and retention. Twenty younger (M=24.2 years) and 18 older adults (M=66.6 years) practiced on the mirror star trace until they achieved a criterion. VO2max was measured. The number of trials required to reach criterion was predicted by VO2max, p < .001. and age, p < .02. Retention distance was also predicted by VO2max, p < .001, and age, p < .001. Analysis of relative alpha change at P3 and F4 indicated that a relative increase in left-hemisphere alpha and a relative decrease in right-hemisphere alpha were associated with retention errors. Thus, older and less aerobically fit adults required more trials to reach criterion and performed less well at retention, and changes in brain activity were associated with retention errors.

scholarly journals Optical Mapping of Brain Activity Underlying Directionality and Its Modulation by Expertise in Mandarin/English Interpreting

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan He ◽  
Yinying Hu ◽  
Yaxi Yang ◽  
Defeng Li ◽  
Yi Hu
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Broca’S Area ◽  
Broca's Area ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
The Right

Recent neuroimaging research has suggested that unequal cognitive efforts exist between interpreting from language 1 (L1) to language 2 (L2) compared with interpreting from L2 to L1. However, the neural substrates that underlie this directionality effect are not yet well understood. Whether directionality is modulated by interpreting expertise also remains unknown. In this study, we recruited two groups of Mandarin (L1)/English (L2) bilingual speakers with varying levels of interpreting expertise and asked them to perform interpreting and reading tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to collect cortical brain data for participants during each task, using 68 channels that covered the prefrontal cortex and the bilateral perisylvian regions. The interpreting-related neuroimaging data was normalized by using both L1 and L2 reading tasks, to control the function of reading and vocalization respectively. Our findings revealed the directionality effect in both groups, with forward interpreting (from L1 to L2) produced more pronounced brain activity, when normalized for reading. We also found that directionality was modulated by interpreting expertise in both normalizations. For the group with relatively high expertise, the activated brain regions included the right Broca’s area and the left premotor and supplementary motor cortex; whereas for the group with relatively low expertise, the activated brain areas covered the superior temporal gyrus, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), the Broca’s area, and visual area 3 in the right hemisphere. These findings indicated that interpreting expertise modulated brain activation, possibly because of more developed cognitive skills associated with executive functions in experienced interpreters.

scholarly journals Investigation of changes in the activity and function of dry eye-associated brain regions using the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations(ALFF)method

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tie Sun ◽  
Hui-Ye Shu ◽  
Jie-Li Wu ◽  
Ting Su ◽  
Yu-Ji Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Eye ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Middle Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Frequency Fluctuations

Objective: The local characteristics of spontaneous brain activity in patients with dry eye (DE) and its relationship with clinical characteristics were evaluated using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) method. Methods: A total of 27 patients with DE (10 males and 17 females) and 28 healthy controls (HCs) (10 males and 18 females) were recruited, matched according to sex, age, weight, and height, classified into the DE and HC groups, and examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Spontaneous brain activity changes were recorded using ALFF technology. Data were recorded and plotted on the receiver operating characteristic curve, reflecting changes in activity in different brain areas. Finally, Pearson correlation analysis was used to calculate the potential relationship between spontaneous brain activity abnormalities in multiple brain regions and clinical features in patients with DE. GraphPad Prism 8 (GraphPad Software, Inc.) was used to analyze the linear correlation between the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and ALFF value. Results: Compared with HCs, the ALFF values of patients with DE were decreased in the right middle frontal gyrus/right inferior orbitofrontal cortex, left triangle inferior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and right superior frontal gyrus. In contrast, the ALFF value of patients with DE was increased in the left calcarine. Conclusion: There are significant fluctuations in the ALFF value of specific brain regions in patients with DE versus HCs. This corroborates previous evidence showing that the symptoms of ocular surface damage in patients with DE are related to dysfunction in specific brain areas.

Left-hemisphere control of oral and brachial movements and their relation to communication

1982 ◽  
Vol 298 (1089) ◽  
pp. 135-149 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Temporal Region ◽  
Oral Motor ◽  
Manual Tasks ◽  
Temporal Lobe Lesions

The left cerebral hemisphere of the brain in man is known to be involved in both vocal and manual communication, as evidenced by speech and manual sign language disorders after left-hemisphere pathology. The left hemisphere also has important motor control functions in certain kinds of non-communicative oral and manual movements. Several tasks requiring oral and manual-branchial movements were presented for reproduction to patients with unilateral restricted lesions of the left or right hemisphere. Patients with left-hemisphere lesions were impaired relative to patients with equivalent right-hemisphere damage, thus confirming and extending earlier reports on the effects of more widespread left-hemisphere damage. Within the left hemisphere, frontal and parietal lesions had the most severe effect, with lesions in the central, occipital or temporal areas producing no or minimal impairment. The left frontal area was paramount in the control of oral movements, and the parietal lobe in control of hand movements, but both regions were required for the more demanding oral and manual tasks. Oral and manual control systems appeared more separable in the frontal than in the parietal region, suggesting that the latter may play a general programming role that is then enacted through the left frontal region. Speech-disordered (aphasic) patients were inferior to non-aphasic patients on oral and manual tasks. There was a close association between aphasia and the presence of oral or manual defects in left frontal and parietal lobe lesions, but not in temporal-lobe lesions. In addition, a speech task requiring reproduction of a single syllable closely paralleled the reproduction of a non-verbal oral movement, in that both depended critically on the left anterior region; aphasic patients with parietal or temporal lesions were relatively unaffected on either task. However, on reproduction of multisyllabic familiar phrases, there was no association with oral motor deficits. Aphasic patients with anterior and parietal lesions could reproduce these phrases relatively well, but patients with temporal-lobe lesions (and lesser impairment on motor tasks), had great difficulty. It is suggested that oral and manual apraxia, as well as aphasia, may be a manifestation of a basic motor selection problem in lesions of frontal and parietal lobes, but that the temporal region has some important acoustic-motor function in speech. When this temporal system is intact, it can, at least with overlearned material, bypass defective frontal or parietal oral motor systems.

scholarly journals EEG and fMRI Correlates of Insight: A Pilot Study

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 330
Author(s):  
Gennady G. Knyazev ◽  
Vadim L. Ushakov ◽  
Vyacheslav A. Orlov ◽  
Denis G. Malakhov ◽  
Sergey I. Kartashov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Fmri Data ◽  
Eeg Data ◽  
Analytical Step ◽  
Remote Association ◽  
The Right ◽  
Increased Activity

Insight is described as the sudden solution of a problem and is contrasted with an analytical, step-by-step approach. Traditionally, insight is thought to be associated with activity of the right hemisphere, whereas analytical solutions are thought to be associated with activity of the left hemisphere. However, empirical evidence as to the localization of insight-related brain activity is mixed and inconclusive. Some studies seem to confirm the traditional view, whereas others do not. Moreover, results of EEG and fMRI studies frequently contradict each other. In this study, EEG and fMRI data were recorded while subjects performed the remote association test and for each solved problem were asked to report whether the solution was reached analytically or insightfully. The data were analyzed in a 16-second fragment preceding the subject’s response. Source localization techniques were used in the analysis of EEG data. Based on EEG data, insightful as compared to analytical problem solving was accompanied by high-frequency synchronization in semantic cortical areas of the left hemisphere 10–12 s before the subject’s response. Based on fMRI data, however, insightful solutions were accompanied by increased activity in frontal and temporal regions of the right hemisphere. The results are interpreted in terms of different cognitive processes involved in insightful problem solving, which could be differently reflected in EEG and fMRI data.

scholarly journals Beat Detection Recruits the Visual Cortex in Early Blind Subjects

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Araneda ◽  
Sandra Silva Moura ◽  
Laurence Dricot ◽  
Anne G. De Volder
Keyword(s):  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Rhythm Perception ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Beat Detection ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Early Blindness

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, here we monitored the brain activity in 12 early blind subjects and 12 blindfolded control subjects, matched for age, gender and musical experience, during a beat detection task. Subjects were required to discriminate regular (“beat”) from irregular (“no beat”) rhythmic sequences composed of sounds or vibrotactile stimulations. In both sensory modalities, the brain activity differences between the two groups involved heteromodal brain regions including parietal and frontal cortical areas and occipital brain areas, that were recruited in the early blind group only. Accordingly, early blindness induced brain plasticity changes in the cerebral pathways involved in rhythm perception, with a participation of the visually deprived occipital brain areas whatever the sensory modality for input. We conclude that the visually deprived cortex switches its input modality from vision to audition and vibrotactile sense to perform this temporal processing task, supporting the concept of a metamodal, multisensory organization of this cortex.

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