scholarly journals Neural basis of somatosensory target detection independent of uncertainty, relevance, and reports

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pia Schröder ◽  
Timo Torsten Schmidt ◽  
Felix Blankenburg
Keyword(s):  
Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Target Detection ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Perceptual Awareness ◽  
Stimulus Uncertainty ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Secondary Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Frontoparietal Network

Research on somatosensory awareness has yielded highly diverse findings with putative neural correlates ranging from activity within somatosensory cortex to activation of widely distributed frontoparietal networks. Divergent results from previous studies may reside in cognitive processes that often coincide with stimulus awareness in experimental settings. To scrutinise the specific relevance of regions implied in the target detection network, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (n = 27) on a novel somatosensory detection task that explicitly controls for stimulus uncertainty, behavioural relevance, overt reports, and motor responses. Using Bayesian Model Selection, we show that responses reflecting target detection are restricted to secondary somatosensory cortex, whereas activity in insular, cingulate, and motor regions is best explained in terms of stimulus uncertainty and overt reports. Our results emphasise the role of sensory-specific cortex for the emergence of perceptual awareness and dissect the contribution of the frontoparietal network to classical detection tasks.

scholarly journals A roadmap for the study of conscious audition and its neural basis

2017 ◽  
Vol 372 (1714) ◽  
pp. 20160103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew R. Dykstra ◽  
Peter A. Cariani ◽  
Alexander Gutschalk
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Perception ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Scene Analysis ◽  
Conscious Perception ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Auditory Scenes ◽  
Shed Light

How and which aspects of neural activity give rise to subjective perceptual experience—i.e. conscious perception—is a fundamental question of neuroscience. To date, the vast majority of work concerning this question has come from vision, raising the issue of generalizability of prominent resulting theories. However, recent work has begun to shed light on the neural processes subserving conscious perception in other modalities, particularly audition. Here, we outline a roadmap for the future study of conscious auditory perception and its neural basis, paying particular attention to how conscious perception emerges (and of which elements or groups of elements) in complex auditory scenes. We begin by discussing the functional role of the auditory system, particularly as it pertains to conscious perception. Next, we ask: what are the phenomena that need to be explained by a theory of conscious auditory perception? After surveying the available literature for candidate neural correlates, we end by considering the implications that such results have for a general theory of conscious perception as well as prominent outstanding questions and what approaches/techniques can best be used to address them. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Auditory and visual scene analysis’.

scholarly journals Executive functions, self-paced exercise and cycling performance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darias Holgado ◽  
Daniel Sanabria
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Cycling Performance ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Self ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

The main aim of the present thesis was to understand the role of executive (cognitive) functions in self-paced aerobic exercise (cycling). A self-paced exercise is a physical activity in which the effort has to be distributed in the best possible way to achieve the objective of the event (e.g., to cover a given distance as quickly as possible or to cover the largest possible distance in a given time). Self-paced exercise requires the monitoring and control of feedback from the muscles and cardiorespiratory systems to the brain. From an applied point of view, we could consider that the self-paced aerobic exercise is a goal-directed behaviour towards an objective that involves several cognitive processes, and in particular of executive functions (e.g., inhibitory control or working memory). Consequently, any change at cognitive level (and brain related to the cognitive processes under study) will affect physical performance. To understand this relationship, in an introductory chapter we summarized the role of executive functions on the self-paced exercise, and the empirical evidence of the neural basis. We also summarized the different manipulations that have been designed to investigate the role of the executive functions on self-paced exercise. In the following chapters, we describe the three studies we have conducted to investigate the role of executive functioning on the self-paced exercise. First, we investigated the ergogenic effect of tramadol on physical and cognitive performance. Next, we attempt to understand the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) (applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) on objective and subjective indices of exercise performance. Finally, we investigated the role of cognitive (executive) load during self-paced exercise.

scholarly journals Reading and Calculation Neural Systems and Their Weighted Adaptive Use for Programming Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Joao Castelhano ◽  
Isabel C. Duarte ◽  
Joao Duraes ◽  
Henrique Madeira ◽  
Miguel Castelo-Branco
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Hemispheric Lateralization ◽  
Error Monitoring ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Program Understanding ◽  
The Core ◽  
Midcingulate Cortex ◽  
Programming Skills

Software programming is a modern activity that poses strong challenges to the human brain. The neural mechanisms that support this novel cognitive faculty are still unknown. On the other hand, reading and calculation abilities represent slightly less recent human activities, in which neural correlates are relatively well understood. We hypothesize that calculus and reading brain networks provide joint underpinnings with distinctly weighted contributions which concern programming tasks, in particular concerning error identification. Based on a meta-analysis of the core regions involved in both reading and math and recent experimental evidence on the neural basis of programming tasks, we provide a theoretical account that integrates the role of these networks in program understanding. In this connectivity-based framework, error-monitoring processing regions in the frontal cortex influence the insula, which is a pivotal hub within the salience network, leading into efficient causal modulation of parietal networks involved in reading and mathematical operations. The core role of the anterior insula and anterior midcingulate cortex is illuminated by their relation to performance in error processing and novelty. The larger similarity that we observed between the networks underlying calculus and programming skills does not exclude a more limited but clear overlap with the reading network, albeit with differences in hemispheric lateralization when compared with prose reading. Future work should further elucidate whether other features of computer program understanding also use distinct weights of phylogenetically “older systems” for this recent human activity, based on the adjusting influence of fronto-insular networks. By unraveling the neural correlates of program understanding and bug detection, this work provides a framework to understand error monitoring in this novel complex faculty.

scholarly journals From an invariant sensory code to a perceptual categorical code in second somatosensory cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Román Rossi-Pool ◽  
Antonio Zainos ◽  
Manuel Alvarez ◽  
Ranulfo Romo
Keyword(s):  
Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Hierarchical Processing ◽  
Sensory Inputs ◽  
Secondary Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Intrinsic Fluctuations ◽  
Sensory Responses ◽  
Sensory Code

A crucial role of cortical networks is the conversion of sensory inputs into perception. In the cortical somatosensory network, neurons of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) show invariant sensory responses, while frontal lobe neuron responses correlate with the animal’s perceptual behavior. But, where in the cortical somatosensory network are the sensory inputs transformed into perceptual behavior? Here, we report that in the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2), neurons with invariant sensory responses coexist with neurons whose responses correlate with the animal’s perceptual behavior. These distinct neural responses exhibit analogous timescales of intrinsic fluctuations, suggesting that they belong to the same hierarchical processing stage. Furthermore, during a non-demanding control task, the sensory responses remained unaltered while perceptual responses vanished. Conclusively, the S2 population responses exhibit intermediate dynamics between S1 and frontal lobe neurons. These results suggest that the conversion of touch into perception crucially depends on S2.

scholarly journals Neural Correlates of Passive Position Finger Sense After Stroke

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 740-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan L. Ingemanson ◽  
Justin R. Rowe ◽  
Vicky Chan ◽  
Jeff Riley ◽  
Eric T. Wolbrecht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Somatosensory System ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Neural Function ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Behavioral Measures ◽  
Neural Injury ◽  
Secondary Somatosensory Cortex

Background. Proprioception of fingers is essential for motor control. Reduced proprioception is common after stroke and is associated with longer hospitalization and reduced quality of life. Neural correlates of proprioception deficits after stroke remain incompletely understood, partly because of weaknesses of clinical proprioception assessments. Objective. To examine the neural basis of finger proprioception deficits after stroke. We hypothesized that a model incorporating both neural injury and neural function of the somatosensory system is necessary for delineating proprioception deficits poststroke. Methods. Finger proprioception was measured using a robot in 27 individuals with chronic unilateral stroke; measures of neural injury (damage to gray and white matter, including corticospinal and thalamocortical sensory tracts), neural function (activation of and connectivity of cortical sensorimotor areas), and clinical status (demographics and behavioral measures) were also assessed. Results. Impairment in finger proprioception was present contralesionally in 67% and bilaterally in 56%. Robotic measures of proprioception deficits were more sensitive than standard scales and were specific to proprioception. Multivariable modeling found that contralesional proprioception deficits were best explained ( r2= 0.63; P = .0006) by a combination of neural function (connectivity between ipsilesional secondary somatosensory cortex and ipsilesional primary motor cortex) and neural injury (total sensory system injury). Conclusions. Impairment of finger proprioception occurs frequently after stroke and is best measured using a quantitative device such as a robot. A model containing a measure of neural function plus a measure of neural injury best explained proprioception performance. These measurements might be useful in the development of novel neurorehabilitation therapies.

scholarly journals Perceptual awareness and its neural basis: bridging experimental and theoretical paradigms

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1641) ◽  
pp. 20130203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonino Raffone ◽  
Narayanan Srinivasan ◽  
Cees van Leeuwen
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Perceptual Awareness ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Scientific Challenge ◽  
Theoretical Paradigms

Understanding consciousness is a major scientific challenge of our times, and perceptual awareness is an integral part of that challenge. This Theme Issue aims to provide a timely focus on crucial insights from leading scientists on perceptual awareness and its neural basis. The issue refers to key research questions and findings in perceptual awareness research and aims to be a catalyst for further research, by bringing together the state-of-the-art. It shows how bridges are being built between empirical and theoretical research and proposes new directions for the study of multisensory awareness and the role of the states of the body therein. In this introduction, we highlight crucial problems that have characterized the development of the study of perceptual awareness. We then provide an overview of major experimental and theoretical paradigms related to perceptual awareness and its neural basis. Finally, we present an overview of the Theme Issue, with reference to the contributed articles and their relationships.

scholarly journals The neural correlates of grandmaternal caregiving

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1963) ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Rilling ◽  
Amber Gonzalez ◽  
Minwoo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Emotional Empathy ◽  
Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Secondary Somatosensory Cortex

In many societies, grandmothers are important caregivers, and grandmaternal investment is often associated with improved grandchild well-being. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first study to examine grandmaternal brain function. We recruited 50 grandmothers with at least one biological grandchild between 3 and 12 years old. Brain function was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging as grandmothers viewed pictures of their grandchild, an unknown child, the same-sex parent of the grandchild, and an unknown adult. Grandmothers also completed questionnaires to measure their degree of involvement with and attachment to their grandchild. After controlling for age and familiarity of stimuli, viewing grandchild pictures activated areas involved with emotional empathy (insula and secondary somatosensory cortex) and movement (motor cortex and supplementary motor area). Grandmothers who more strongly activated areas involved with cognitive empathy (temporo-parietal junction and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex) when viewing pictures of the grandchild desired greater involvement in caring for the grandchild. Finally, compared with results from an earlier study of fathers, grandmothers more strongly activated regions involved with emotional empathy (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula and secondary somatosensory cortex), and motivation (nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum and caudate nucleus). All in all, our findings suggest that emotional empathy may be a key component of grandmaternal responses to their grandchildren.

Elusive Qualities in Poetry, Receptivity, and Neural Correlates

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reuven Tsur
Keyword(s):  
Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Secondary Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Practical Criticism ◽  
Passive Attitude ◽  
Linguistic Means ◽  
Neuropsychological Findings

Arnheim’s terms “actively organizing mind” and “passively receiving mind” can usefully be applied in practical criticism to suggest the significance of poetic structures as described by more concrete terms. But it is not quite clear what exactly they refer to. This chapter explores how the latter term can be illuminating in close readings of poems by Verlaine. Neuropsychological findings proposed in the last section fill those terms with more solid meaning. When you experience sensory stimuli, certain areas in the secondary somatosensory cortex light up. When you perceive yourself as the voluntary agent causing the sensations, this activity is suppressed. This may account for the observation that the actively organizing mind is less sensitive to elusive sensations in poetry than a passive attitude. This chapter explores the linguistic means—syntactic, semantic, and phonetic—by which Verlaine’s texts manipulate the fictional speaker and/or the flesh-and-blood reader into a passive stance.

Neural Basis of Monolingual and Bilingual Reading

2019 ◽  
pp. 602-625
Author(s):  
Pedro M. Paz-Alonso ◽  
Myriam Oliver ◽  
Ileana Quiñones ◽  
Manuel Carreiras
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Human Ability ◽  
Bilingual Reading ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
The Impact

Over the last two decades, neuroimaging research has provided extensive knowledge about the neural basis of reading. However, there are still important debates about the functional role of reading-related regions and networks, and unanswered questions that will need to be addressed to further understand how reading is accomplished by the neural systems of monolingual and bilingual individuals. This chapter offers a critical review of (1) the functional specialization of left perisylvian reading regions and their participation in orthographic, phonological, and semantic reading systems; (2) the division of labor between ventral and dorsal reading networks and the factors that modulate them; and (3) the neural correlates supporting bilingual reading and the impact of age of acquisition, language proficiency, language exposure, and language orthography in the modulation of bilingual reading regions and networks. The chapter summarizes relevant current and future directions in the study of the neural mechanisms supporting this phylogenetically relatively new human ability.

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