scholarly journals The Brain Differentially Prepares Inner and Overt Speech Production: Electrophysiological and Vascular Evidence

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Franziska Stephan ◽  
Henrik Saalbach ◽  
Sonja Rossi

Speech production not only relies on spoken (overt speech) but also on silent output (inner speech). Little is known about whether inner and overt speech are processed differently and which neural mechanisms are involved. By simultaneously applying electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we tried to disentangle executive control from motor and linguistic processes. A preparation phase was introduced additionally to the examination of overt and inner speech directly during naming (i.e., speech execution). Participants completed a picture-naming paradigm in which the pure preparation phase of a subsequent speech production and the actual speech execution phase could be differentiated. fNIRS results revealed a larger activation for overt rather than inner speech at bilateral prefrontal to parietal regions during the preparation and at bilateral temporal regions during the execution phase. EEG results showed a larger negativity for inner compared to overt speech between 200 and 500 ms during the preparation phase and between 300 and 500 ms during the execution phase. Findings of the preparation phase indicated that differences between inner and overt speech are not exclusively driven by specific linguistic and motor processes but also impacted by inhibitory mechanisms. Results of the execution phase suggest that inhibitory processes operate during phonological code retrieval and encoding.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 939
Author(s):  
Franziska Stephan ◽  
Henrik Saalbach ◽  
Sonja Rossi

Studies in adults showed differential neural processing between overt and inner speech. So far, it is unclear whether inner and overt speech are processed differentially in children. The present study examines the pre-activation of the speech network in order to disentangle domain-general executive control from linguistic control of inner and overt speech production in 6- to 7-year-olds by simultaneously applying electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Children underwent a picture-naming task in which the pure preparation of a subsequent speech production and the actual execution of speech can be differentiated. The preparation phase does not represent speech per se but it resembles the setting up of the language production network. Only the fNIRS revealed a larger activation for overt, compared to inner, speech over bilateral prefrontal to parietal regions during the preparation phase. Findings suggest that the children’s brain can prepare the subsequent speech production. The preparation for overt and inner speech requires different domain-general executive control. In contrast to adults, the children’s brain did not show differences between inner and overt speech when a concrete linguistic content occurs and a concrete execution is required. This might indicate that domain-specific executive control processes are still under development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Crum

Neuroimaging and neuropsychological methods have contributed much toward an understanding of the information processing systems of the human brain in the last few decades, but to what extent do cognitive neuroscientific findings represent and generalize to the inter- and intra-brain dynamics engaged in adapting to naturalistic situations? If it is not marked, and experimental designs lack ecological validity, then this stands to potentially impact the practical applications of a paradigm. In no other domain is this more important to acknowledge than in human clinical neuroimaging research, wherein reduced ecological validity could mean a loss in clinical utility. One way to improve the generalizability and representativeness of findings is to adopt a more “real-world” approach to the development and selection of experimental designs and neuroimaging techniques to investigate the clinically-relevant phenomena of interest. For example, some relatively recent developments to neuroimaging techniques such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) make it possible to create experimental designs using naturalistic tasks that would otherwise not be possible within the confines of a conventional laboratory. Mental health, cognitive interventions, and the present challenges to investigating the brain during treatment are discussed, as well as how the ecological use of fNIRS might be helpful in bridging the explanatory gaps to understanding the cultivation of mental health.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faezeh Moradi ◽  
Shima T. Moein ◽  
Issa Zakeri ◽  
Kambiz Pourrezaei

AbstractAn objective approach for odor detection is to analyze the brain activity using imaging techniques during the odor stimulation. In this study, Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is used to record hemodynamic response from the frontal region of the brain by using a 4-channel fNIRS system. The fNIRs data is collected during the odor detection task in which the subjects were asked to press a button when they detect the given odor. Functional Data Analysis (FDA) was applied on fNIRs data to convert discrete measured samples of data to continuous smooth curves. The FDA method enables us to use the bases coefficients of fNIRS smoothed curves for features that represent the shape of the raw fNIRS signal. With the learning algorithm that we proposed, these features were used to train the support vector machine classifier. We evaluated the odor detection problem, in two binary classification cases: odorant vs. non-odorant and odorant vs. fingertapping. The model achieved a classification accuracy of 94.12% and 97.06% over the stimulus condition in the two cases, respectively. Moreover to find the actual predictors we used the extracted defined features (slope, standard deviation, and delta) to train our classifier. We achieved an average accuracy of 91.18 % on classifying odorant vs. non-odorant and an accuracy of 94.12% for odorant vs. fingertapping on the stimulus condition. The results determined that fNIRs signals of odorant and non-odorant are distinguishable without being affected by the motor activity during the experiment.These findings suggest that fNIRs measurement on the forehead could be potentially used for objective and comparably inexpensive assessment of odor detection in cases that the subjective report is unreliable.


Biosensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 389
Author(s):  
Kogulan Paulmurugan ◽  
Vimalan Vijayaragavan ◽  
Sayantan Ghosh ◽  
Parasuraman Padmanabhan ◽  
Balázs Gulyás

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a wearable optical spectroscopy system originally developed for continuous and non-invasive monitoring of brain function by measuring blood oxygen concentration. Recent advancements in brain–computer interfacing allow us to control the neuron function of the brain by combining it with fNIRS to regulate cognitive function. In this review manuscript, we provide information regarding current advancement in fNIRS and how it provides advantages in developing brain–computer interfacing to enable neuron function. We also briefly discuss about how we can use this technology for further applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoran Ren ◽  
Liangyan Zou ◽  
Laishuan Wang ◽  
Chunmei Lu ◽  
Yafei Yuan ◽  
...  

Music contains substantial contents that humans can perceive and thus has the capability to evoke positive emotions. Even though neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) can provide preterm infants a developmental environment, they still cannot fully simulate the environment in the womb. The reduced maternal care would increase stress levels in premature infants. Fortunately, music intervention has been proved that it can improve the NICU environment, such as stabilize the heart rate and the respiratory rate, reduce the incidence of apnea, and improve feeding. However, the effects of music therapy on the brain development of preterm infants need to be further investigated. In this paper, we evaluated the influence of short-term music therapy on the brain functions of preterm infants measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We began by investigating how premature babies perceive structural information of music by calculating the correlations between music features and fNIRS signals. Then, the influences of short-term music therapy on brain functions were evaluated by comparing the resting-state functional connectivity before and after the short-term music therapy. The results show that distinct brain regions are responsible for processing corresponding musical features, indicating that preterm infants have the capability to process the complex musical content. However, the results of network analysis show that short-term music intervention is insufficient to cause the changes in cerebral functional connectivity. Therefore, long-term music therapy may be required to achieve the deserved effects on brain functional connectivity.


Author(s):  
Saugat Bhattacharyya ◽  
Anwesha Khasnobish ◽  
Poulami Ghosh ◽  
Ankita Mazumder ◽  
D. N. Tibarewala

Evolution has endowed human race with the most adroit brain, and to harness its potential to the fullest the concept of brain computer interface (BCI) has emerged. One of the most crucial components of BCI is the technique of brain imaging. The first approach in the field of brain imaging was to measure the electrical and magnetic activity of the brain, the techniques being known as Electroencephalography and Magnetoencephalography. Striving for furtherance, researchers came up with another alternative known as Magnetic Resonance Imaging. But it being confined to only structural imaging, the functional aspects of brain were mapped using functional magnetic resonance imaging. A similar but comparatively newer neuroimaging modality is Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation neuro-physiological technique is based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. Based on nuclear medicine the brain imaging technologies that are widely explored in the world of BCI are Positron Emission Tomography and Single Positron Emission Tomography.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon B. Rinaldo ◽  
Dale F. Duhan ◽  
Brent Trela ◽  
Tim Dodd ◽  
Natalia Velikova

Purpose – Wine tasting is an integral method for engaging consumers. Producers go to great lengths to educate consumers on evaluating quality based on taste and aroma. Understanding the sensory and perceptual processes of wine tasting may offer insight into how consumers at different levels of wine expertise use their senses to evaluate wine. Design/methodology/approach – This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to examine processing in the frontal lobe of the brain during wine tasting and aroma evaluation. Sixty subjects evaluated the tastes and aromas of wine samples with various levels of sweetness, whereas 16 defined areas of their frontal lobes were measured with functional near infrared measurement. Findings – The subjects’ orbitofrontal cortices were activated during both olfaction (smelling) and tasting. Further, larger areas of the frontal lobes showed significant activation during the olfaction task than during the tasting task. The level of the subjects’ wine knowledge did not predict differences in neural processing when participants evaluated aroma of wine; however, subjects with higher wine knowledge did show significantly higher activation in specific frontal lobe regions when tasting. Differences in levels of product involvement among the subjects were not significant for the tasting task, but were significant for the olfaction task. Originality/value – Developing a better understanding of the biological processes involved in tasting may lead to understanding the differences in consumer preferences for wine. This, in turn, may assist tasting room managers to adjust their tasting procedure to be tailored to consumer-specific needs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Reindl ◽  
Sam Wass ◽  
Victoria Leong ◽  
Wolfgang Scharke ◽  
Sandra Wistuba ◽  
...  

AbstractHyperscanning studies have begun to unravel the brain mechanisms underlying social interaction, indicating a functional role for interpersonal neural synchronization (INS), yet the mechanisms that drive INS are poorly understood. While interpersonal synchrony is considered a multimodal phenomenon, it is not clear how different biological and behavioral synchrony markers are related to each other. The current study, thus, addresses whether INS is functionally-distinct from synchrony in other systems – specifically the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and motor behavior. To test this, we used a novel methodological approach, based on concurrent functional near-infrared spectroscopy-electrocardiography, recorded while N = 34 mother-child and stranger-child dyads (child mean age 14 years) engaged in cooperative and competitive tasks. Results showed a marked differentiation between neural, ANS and behavioral synchrony. Importantly, only in the neural domain was higher synchrony for mother-child compared to stranger-child dyads observed. Further, ANS and neural synchrony were positively related during competition but not during cooperation. These results suggest that synchrony in different behavioral and biological systems may reflect distinct processes. Mother-child INS may arise due to neural processes related to social affiliation, which go beyond shared arousal and similarities in behavior.


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