THE EFFECTS OF SPATIAL ATTENTION AND EMOTIONS ON GLOBAL AND LOCAL PROCESSES

Present study is designed to investigate modulations in global-local processes by emotions and spatial cues. Aim was to investigate the effect of emotions on global-local bias and to examine if symbolic cues modulate these processes by simultaneously presenting the cue and emotional picture. Using the Navon (1977) figures, participants were presented with (in)congruent displays formed by the (in)congruency between the global and local features. Before presenting the displays, emotional (Experiment 1A: positive, Experiment 1B: negative) or neutral picture was presented simultaneously with global, local or neutral symbolic arrow cues, used as spatial cues to bias attention in global and local levels respectively. Participants were then asked to choose one stimulus out of three options. Chosen stimulus is expected to indicate the bias of participants. Reaction time and global-local preference measurements were analyzed. Reaction time was not modulated by any of the factors. The global/local bias measurements revealed a shift from local to global bias in the presence of negative emotion. The findings reveal information on global and local processes by adapting new methodological approach. Keywords Global and local processes, positive and negative emotions, global cue, local cue, global-local preference

Trial-by-trial modulation of express visuomotor responses induced by symbolic or barely detectable cues

Human cerebral cortex can produce visuomotor responses that are modulated by contextual and task-specific constraints. However, the distributed cortical network for visuomotor transformations limits the minimal response time of that pathway. Notably, humans can generate express visuomotor responses in arm muscles that are inflexibly tuned to the target location and occur 80-120ms from stimulus presentation (stimulus-locked responses, SLRs). This suggests a subcortical pathway for visuomotor transformations that might involve the superior colliculus and its downstream reticulo-spinal projections. Here we investigated whether cognitive expectations can modulate the SLR. In one experiment, we recorded surface EMG from shoulder muscles as participants reached toward a visual target whose location was unpredictable in control conditions, and partially predictable in cue conditions by interpreting a symbolic cue (75% validity). Valid symbolic cues led to earlier and larger SLRs than control conditions; invalid symbolic cues produced later and smaller SLRs than control conditions. This is consistent with a cortical top-down modulation of the putative subcortical SLR-network. In a second experiment, we presented high-contrast targets in isolation (control) or ~24ms after low-contrast stimuli, which could appear at the same (valid cue) or opposite (invalid cue) location as the target, and with equal probability (50% cue validity). We observed earlier SLRs than control with the valid low-contrast cues, whereas the invalid cues led to the opposite results. These findings may reflect bottom-up attentional mechanisms, potentially evolving subcortically via the superior colliculus. Overall, our results support both top-down and bottom-up modulations of the putative subcortical SLR network in humans.

Mixed selectivity in the cerebellar Purkinje-cell response during visuomotor association learning

Although the cerebellum has been traditionally considered to be exclusively involved in motor control, recent anatomical and clinical studies show that it also has a role in reward processing. However, the way in which the movement related and the reward related neural activity interact at the level of the cerebellar cortex and contribute towards learning is still unclear. Here, we studied the simple spike activity of Purkinje cells in the mid-lateral cerebellum when monkeys learned to associate a right or left hand movement with one of two visual symbolic cues. These cells had distinctly different discharge patterns between an overtrained symbol-hand association and a novel symbol hand association, responding in association with the movement of both hands, although the kinematics of the movement did not change between the two conditions. The activity change was not related to the pattern of the visual symbols, the movement kinematics, the monkeys' reaction times or the novelty of the visual symbols. The simple spike activity changed with throughout the learning process, but the concurrent complex spikes did not instruct that change. Although these neurons also have reward related activity, the reward-related and movement related signals were independent. We suggest that this mixed selectivity may facilitate the flexible learning of difficult reinforcement learning problems.

Separable neuronal contributions to covertly attended locations and movement goals in macaque frontal cortex

We investigated the spatial representation of covert attention and movement planning in monkeys performing a task that used symbolic cues to decouple the locus of covert attention from the motor target. In the three frontal areas studied, most spatially tuned neurons reflected either where attention was allocated or the planned saccade. Neurons modulated by both covert attention and the motor plan were in the minority. Such dual-purpose neurons were especially rare in premotor and prefrontal cortex but were more common just rostral to the arcuate sulcus. The existence of neurons that indicate where the monkey was attending but not its movement goal runs counter to the idea that the control of spatial attention is entirely reliant on the neuronal circuits underlying motor planning. Rather, the presence of separate neuronal populations for each cognitive process suggests that endogenous attention is under flexible control and can be dissociated from motor intention.

Trial-by-trial modulation of express visuomotor responses induced by symbolic or barely detectable cues

ABSTRACTHuman cerebral cortex can produce visuomotor responses that are modulated by contextual and task-specific constraints. However, the distributed cortical network for visuomotor transformations limits the minimal response time of that pathway. Notably, humans can generate express visuomotor responses that are inflexibly tuned to the target location and occur 80-120ms from stimulus presentation (stimulus-locked responses, SLRs). This suggests a subcortical pathway for visuomotor transformations involving the superior colliculus and its downstream reticulo-spinal projections. Here we investigated whether cognitive expectations can modulate the SLR. In one experiment, we recorded surface EMG from shoulder muscles as participants reached toward a visual target whose location was unpredictable in control conditions, and partially predictable in cue conditions by extrapolating a symbolic cue (75% validity). Valid symbolic cues led to faster and larger SLRs than control conditions; invalid symbolic cues produced slower and smaller SLRs than control conditions. This is consistent with a cortical top-down modulation of the putative subcortical SLR-network. In a second experiment, we presented high-contrast targets in isolation (control) or ~24ms after low-contrast stimuli, which could appear at the same (valid cue) or opposite (invalid cue) location as the target, and with equal probability (50% cue validity). We observed faster SLRs than control with the valid low-contrast cues, whereas the invalid cues led to the opposite results. These findings may reflect exogenous priming mechanisms of the SLR network, potentially evolving subcortically via the superior colliculus. Overall, our results support both top-down and bottom-up modulations of the putative subcortical SLR network in humans.NEW & NOTEWORTHYExpress visuomotor responses in humans appear to reflect subcortical sensorimotor transformation of visual inputs, potentially conveyed via the tecto-reticulo-spinal pathway. Here we show that the express responses are influenced both by symbolic and barely detectable spatial cues about stimulus location. The symbolic cue-induced effects suggest cortical top-down modulation of the putative subcortical visuomotor network. The effects of barely detectable cues may reflect exogenous priming mechanisms of the tecto-reticulo-spinal pathway.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of song “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift

The aim of this study was to reveal on how the intended meaning of any figurative expressions delivered through the lyrics and also symbolic signs and gestures which delivered on a popular video clip of Taylor Swift “Look What You Made Me Do” in order to figure out its implication toward language learning as one of the most-watched music videos on YouTube. The data of this study were the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s song “Look What You Made Me Do” and the official video clip on YouTube uploaded by VIVO on August 27th, 2017. Both the lyrics and the symbolic cues shown on the video clip were analyzed through Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis by categorizing any kinds of figurative expressions delivered to reveal the intended meaning of the song and interpret its symbolic expressions through semiotic study as research method. Thus the context is intervening the writing of the song. The results showed that there are many repetitions found to emphasize the message delivered which can be considered as something that viewed as highly really matter for the author or the singer of the song then based on the symbolic or semiotic analysis, most of the clues delivered are trying to express the singers’ transformation regarding to her new reputation as a more powerful and tough person from her past image as an innocent sweet girl. The clues are delivered through the symbols in the forms of animals such as snakes and raven which belief as the symbols of transformation.

PAHLAWAN DAN PENJAHAT DALAM VISI RETORIS KEMENANGAN UMAT ISLAM PADA REUNI AKBAR PERSATUAN ALUMNI 212 TAHUN 2019

<em>The purpose of this study is to explain who were the Hero and Villains contributed to rhetorical vision’s legitimation and the shared meaning embraced in the Grand Reunion of Alumni Brotherhood (PA) 212 in 2019. Rhetorical vision is determined by the dominant character and symbolic cues embraced as shared meanings in a group. This study used qualitative approach, while the data was collected using virtual ethnography method and analyzed using Borman’s Fantasy Theme’s Analysis. From the results of the study it was found that the dominant character mentioned in the reunion as a hero was Habib Rizieq Shihab, while the characters named as criminals were those who were considered to have defamed Islam, such as Abu Janda, Ade Armando, Sukmawati Soekarno Putri and Viktor Laiskodat. The rhetorical vision carried out is Moslem’s victory. The grand reunion was held as an effort to urge the government to be more assertive and responsive to contemporary issues faced by Muslims in Indonesia.</em>

Assessing Attention Orienting in Mice: A Novel Touchscreen Adaptation of the Posner-Style Cueing Task

Atypical attention orienting has been found to be impaired in many neuropsychological disorders, but the underlying neural mechanism remains unclear. Attention can be oriented exogenously (i.e., driven by salient stimuli) or endogenously (i.e., driven by one’s goals or intentions). Genetic mouse models are useful tools to investigate the neurobiology of cognition, but a well-established assessment of attention orienting in mice is missing. This study aimed to adapt the Posner task, a widely used attention orienting task in humans, for use in mice using touchscreen technology and to test the effects of two attention-modulating drugs, methylphenidate (MPH) and atomoxetine (ATX), on the performance of mice during this task. In accordance with human performance, mice responded more quickly and more accurately to validly cued targets compared to invalidly cued targets, thus supporting mice as a valid animal model to study the neural mechanisms of attention orienting. This is the first evidence that mice can be trained to voluntarily maintain their nose-poke on a touchscreen and to complete attention orienting tasks using exogenous peripheral cues and endogenous symbolic cues. The results also showed no significant effects of MPH and ATX on attention orienting, although MPH improved overall response times in mice during the exogenous orienting task. In summary, the current study provides a critical translational task for assessing attention orienting in mice and to investigate the effects of attention-modulating drugs on attention orienting.