scholarly journals Linguistic synaesthesia, perceptual synaesthesia, and the interaction between multiple sensory modalities

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Ronga ◽  
Carla Bazzanella ◽  
Ferdinando Rossi ◽  
Giandomenico Iannetti
Keyword(s):  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Linguistic Data ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Reciprocal Influences ◽  
Theoretical Issues ◽  
Critical Aspects

Recent studies on cortical processing of sensory information highlight the importance of multisensory integration, and define precise rules governing reciprocal influences between inputs of different sensory modalities. We propose that psychophysical interactions between different types of sensory stimuli and linguistic synaesthesia share common origins and mechanisms. To test this hypothesis, we compare neurophysiological findings with corpus-based analyses relating to linguistic synaesthesia. Namely, we present Williams’ hypothesis and its recent developments about the hierarchy of synaesthetic pairings, and examine critical aspects of this theory concerning universality, directionality, sensory categories, and usage of corpora. These theoretical issues are verified against linguistic data derived from corpus-based analyses of Italian synaesthetic pairings related to auditory and tactile modalities. Our findings reveal a strong parallel between linguistic synaesthesia and neurophysiological interactions between different sensory stimuli, suggesting that linguistic synaesthesia is affected by tendencies similar to the rules underlying the perceptual association of distinct sensory modalities.

scholarly journals Multisensory Integration as per Technological Advances: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Cornelio ◽  
Carlos Velasco ◽  
Marianna Obrist
Keyword(s):  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Taste Perception ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
And Control ◽  
Virtual Events

Multisensory integration research has allowed us to better understand how humans integrate sensory information to produce a unitary experience of the external world. However, this field is often challenged by the limited ability to deliver and control sensory stimuli, especially when going beyond audio–visual events and outside laboratory settings. In this review, we examine the scope and challenges of new technology in the study of multisensory integration in a world that is increasingly characterized as a fusion of physical and digital/virtual events. We discuss multisensory integration research through the lens of novel multisensory technologies and, thus, bring research in human–computer interaction, experimental psychology, and neuroscience closer together. Today, for instance, displays have become volumetric so that visual content is no longer limited to 2D screens, new haptic devices enable tactile stimulation without physical contact, olfactory interfaces provide users with smells precisely synchronized with events in virtual environments, and novel gustatory interfaces enable taste perception through levitating stimuli. These technological advances offer new ways to control and deliver sensory stimulation for multisensory integration research beyond traditional laboratory settings and open up new experimentations in naturally occurring events in everyday life experiences. Our review then summarizes these multisensory technologies and discusses initial insights to introduce a bridge between the disciplines in order to advance the study of multisensory integration.

scholarly journals Perceptual rivalry with vibrotactile stimuli

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Darki ◽  
James Rankin
Keyword(s):  
Tactile Stimulus ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Limited Extent ◽  
Dynamic Changes ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Input Strength ◽  
Perceptual Rivalry

In perceptual rivalry, ambiguous sensory information leads to dynamic changes in the perceptual interpretation of fixed stimuli. This phenomenon occurs when participants receive sensory stimuli that support two or more distinct interpretations; this results in spontaneous alternations between possible perceptual interpretations. Perceptual rivalry has been widely studied across different sensory modalities including vision, audition and, to a limited extent, in the tactile domain. Common features of perceptual rivalry across various ambiguous visual and auditory paradigms characterise the randomness of switching times and their dependence on input strength manipulations (Levelt’s propositions). It is still unclear whether general characteristics of perceptual rivalry are preserved with tactile stimuli. This study aims to introduce a simple tactile stimulus capable of generating perceptual rivalry and explores whether general features of perceptual rivalry from other modalities extend to the tactile domain.

scholarly journals Schizotypal Personality Traits and Multisensory Integration: An Investigation Using the McGurk Effect

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Marie Muller ◽  
Tyler C. Dalal ◽  
Ryan A Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Mcgurk Effect ◽  
Personality Questionnaire ◽  
Schizotypal Personality ◽  
Reading Abilities ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Lip Reading ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire

Multisensory integration, the process by which sensory information from different sensory modalities are bound together, is hypothesized to contribute to perceptual symptomatology in schizophrenia, in whom multisensory integration differences have been consistently found. Evidence is emerging that these differences extend across the schizophrenia spectrum, including individuals in the general population with higher levels of schizotypal traits. In the current study, we used the McGurk task as a measure of multisensory integration. We measured schizotypal traits using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), hypothesizing that higher levels of schizotypal traits, specifically Unusual Perceptual Experiences and Odd Speech subscales, would be associated with decreased multisensory integration of speech. Surprisingly, Unusual Perceptual Experiences were not associated with multisensory integration. However, Odd Speech was associated with multisensory integration, and this association extended more broadly across the Disorganized factor of the SPQ, including Odd or Eccentric Behaviour. Individuals with higher levels of Odd or Eccentric Behaviour scores also demonstrated poorer lip-reading abilities, which partially explained performance in the McGurk task. This suggests that aberrant perceptual processes affecting individuals across the schizophrenia spectrum may relate to disorganized symptomatology.

scholarly journals Perceptual rivalry with vibrotactile stimuli

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzaneh Darki ◽  
James Rankin
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Limited Extent ◽  
Dynamic Changes ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Common Features ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Stochastic Characteristics ◽  
Input Strength ◽  
Perceptual Rivalry

AbstractIn perceptual rivalry, ambiguous sensory information leads to dynamic changes in the perceptual interpretation of fixed stimuli. This phenomenon occurs when participants receive sensory stimuli that support two or more distinct interpretations; this results in spontaneous alternations between possible perceptual interpretations. Perceptual rivalry has been widely studied across different sensory modalities including vision, audition, and to a limited extent, in the tactile domain. Common features of perceptual rivalry across various ambiguous visual and auditory paradigms characterize the randomness of switching times and their dependence on input strength manipulations (Levelt’s propositions). It is still unclear whether the general characteristics of perceptual rivalry are preserved with tactile stimuli. This study aims to introduce a simple tactile stimulus capable of generating perceptual rivalry and explores whether general features of perceptual rivalry from other modalities extend to the tactile domain. Our results confirm that Levelt’s proposition II extends to tactile bistability, and that the stochastic characteristics of irregular perceptual alternations agree with non-tactile modalities. An analysis of correlations between subsequent perceptual phases reveals a significant positive correlation at lag 1 (as found in visual bistability), and a negative correlation for lag 2 (in contrast with visual bistability).

scholarly journals Cardiac Organoids to Model and Heal Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 563
Author(s):  
Magali Seguret ◽  
Eva Vermersch ◽  
Charlène Jouve ◽  
Jean-Sébastien Hulot
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Engineering ◽  
Drug Testing ◽  
Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Cardiac Tissue Engineering ◽  
Cardiac Cells ◽  
Cardiac Functions ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Human Cardiac Tissue ◽  
Key Aspects

Cardiac tissue engineering aims at creating contractile structures that can optimally reproduce the features of human cardiac tissue. These constructs are becoming valuable tools to model some of the cardiac functions, to set preclinical platforms for drug testing, or to alternatively be used as therapies for cardiac repair approaches. Most of the recent developments in cardiac tissue engineering have been made possible by important advances regarding the efficient generation of cardiac cells from pluripotent stem cells and the use of novel biomaterials and microfabrication methods. Different combinations of cells, biomaterials, scaffolds, and geometries are however possible, which results in different types of structures with gradual complexities and abilities to mimic the native cardiac tissue. Here, we intend to cover key aspects of tissue engineering applied to cardiology and the consequent development of cardiac organoids. This review presents various facets of the construction of human cardiac 3D constructs, from the choice of the components to their patterning, the final geometry of generated tissues, and the subsequent readouts and applications to model and treat cardiac diseases.

scholarly journals Sensory over-responsivity is related to GABAergic inhibition in thalamocortical circuits

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily T. Wood ◽  
Kaitlin K. Cummings ◽  
Jiwon Jung ◽  
Genevieve Patterson ◽  
Nana Okada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Brain Responses

AbstractSensory over-responsivity (SOR), extreme sensitivity to or avoidance of sensory stimuli (e.g., scratchy fabrics, loud sounds), is a highly prevalent and impairing feature of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), anxiety, and ADHD. Previous studies have found overactive brain responses and reduced modulation of thalamocortical connectivity in response to mildly aversive sensory stimulation in ASD. These findings suggest altered thalamic sensory gating which could be associated with an excitatory/inhibitory neurochemical imbalance, but such thalamic neurochemistry has never been examined in relation to SOR. Here we utilized magnetic resonance spectroscopy and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the relationship between thalamic and somatosensory cortex inhibitory (gamma-aminobutyric acid, GABA) and excitatory (glutamate) neurochemicals with the intrinsic functional connectivity of those regions in 35 ASD and 35 typically developing pediatric subjects. Although there were no diagnostic group differences in neurochemical concentrations in either region, within the ASD group, SOR severity correlated negatively with thalamic GABA (r = −0.48, p < 0.05) and positively with somatosensory glutamate (r = 0.68, p < 0.01). Further, in the ASD group, thalamic GABA concentration predicted altered connectivity with regions previously implicated in SOR. These variations in GABA and associated network connectivity in the ASD group highlight the potential role of GABA as a mechanism underlying individual differences in SOR, a major source of phenotypic heterogeneity in ASD. In ASD, abnormalities of the thalamic neurochemical balance could interfere with the thalamic role in integrating, relaying, and inhibiting attention to sensory information. These results have implications for future research and GABA-modulating pharmacologic interventions.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Special Issue “Radiative Transfer in the Earth Atmosphere”

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 479
Author(s):  
Irina Sokolik
Keyword(s):  
Radiative Transfer ◽  
Earth Atmosphere ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Radiative Impact ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Recent Developments

This Special Issue aims at addressing the recent developments towards improving our understanding of the diverse radiative impact of different types of aerosols and clouds [...]

scholarly journals Lights and Shadows in Immuno-Oncology Drug Development

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 691
Author(s):  
Milana Bergamino Sirvén ◽  
Sonia Pernas ◽  
Maggie C. U. Cheang
Keyword(s):  
Drug Development ◽  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Late Phase ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Successful Outcome ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Cancer Types ◽  
Clinical Trial Designs ◽  
Oncology Drug Development ◽  
Critical Aspects

The rapidly evolving landscape of immuno-oncology (IO) is redefining the treatment of a number of cancer types. IO treatments are becoming increasingly complex, with different types of drugs emerging beyond checkpoint inhibitors. However, many of the new drugs either do not progress from phase I-II clinical trials or even fail in late-phase trials. We have identified at least five areas in the development of promising IO treatments that should be redefined for more efficient designs and accelerated approvals. Here we review those critical aspects of IO drug development that could be optimized for more successful outcome rates in all cancer types. It is important to focus our efforts on the mechanisms of action, types of response and adverse events of these novel agents. The use of appropriate clinical trial designs with robust biomarkers of response and surrogate endpoints will undoubtedly facilitate the development and subsequent approval of these drugs. Further research is also needed to establish biomarker-driven strategies to select which patients may benefit from immunotherapy and identify potential mechanisms of resistance.

Lexical-Grammatical Status and Lexicographic Presentation of Two-Component Stable Prepositional Combinations

2021 ◽  
pp. 32-51
Author(s):  
Elena V. Generalova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Summary Table ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
Dictionary Entry ◽  
Figurative Meaning ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Unresolved Question ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Syntactic Properties ◽  
Theoretical Issues

The aim of the article is to review the ways of dictionary presentation of stable prepositional combinations and the factors essential for their lexical-grammatical status and the type of optimal lexicographic description. The object of the study is twocomponent prepositional combinations with stable meanings and the “preposition+noun” structure. The material of the article is data of different dictionaries of Russian presenting stable prepositional combinations. In the course of the study, the following questions were answered: why the definition and interpretation of the lexical-grammatical nature of stable prepositional combinations are so difficult and ambiguous; what lexicographic interpretation these units have in dictionaries of different types; what the advantages and disadvantages of different ways of dictionary interpretation of such language material are. The following methods were used: introspective (observation, generalization, classification), systematic lexicographic description according to dictionary parameters, dictionary definition analysis. The summary table of the lexicographic presentation of stable combinations allows seeing both the unresolved question of dictionary interpretation of such units and the patterns of their interpretation depending on the type of a dictionary. As a result of the analysis the following conclusions were drawn. 1) In modern Russian there is a rather large (about 2,000 units) class of language units (prepositional combinations), the lexical-grammatical status of which is not defined, and there is no term for their definition; this class is historically formed and continues to replenish. 2) The type of dictionary presentation of stable prepositional combinations is determined by the dictionary concept, grammatical and syntactic properties, presence of figurative meaning and possibility of component variation of such combinations. 3) The unresolved theoretical issues have as a result the lexicographic discrepancy in the presentation of these language units. Extreme lexicographic solutions are a separate dictionary entry for each combination and the presentation of such units only as stable combinations in the entry of a noun (presented in academic explanatory dictionaries). 4) Taking into account only the factor of presence/absence of a gap seems to formalize the dictionary presentation of adverbs with both conjoined and split spelling, really existing in Russian, and the position of recognition of these units with independent words and their isolate presentation is not impeccable for dictionary users. 5) In the author’s opinion, the presentation of stable prepositional combinations exclusively as independent vocabules is inferior to the traditional lexicographic approach because the isolated presentation of this material breaks the semantic connections of these complex lexical units; the most complex issue is the differentiation of adverbs with split spelling and stable combinations.

FosGFP expression does not capture a sensory learning-related engram in superficial layers of mouse barrel cortex

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (52) ◽  
pp. e2112212118
Author(s):  
Jiseok Lee ◽  
Joanna Urban-Ciecko ◽  
Eunsol Park ◽  
Mo Zhu ◽  
Stephanie E. Myal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Barrel Cortex ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Early Gene ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Association Learning ◽  
Neural Ensembles ◽  
Dependent Learning

Immediate-early gene (IEG) expression has been used to identify small neural ensembles linked to a particular experience, based on the principle that a selective subset of activated neurons will encode specific memories or behavioral responses. The majority of these studies have focused on “engrams” in higher-order brain areas where more abstract or convergent sensory information is represented, such as the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, or amygdala. In primary sensory cortex, IEG expression can label neurons that are responsive to specific sensory stimuli, but experience-dependent shaping of neural ensembles marked by IEG expression has not been demonstrated. Here, we use a fosGFP transgenic mouse to longitudinally monitor in vivo expression of the activity-dependent gene c-fos in superficial layers (L2/3) of primary somatosensory cortex (S1) during a whisker-dependent learning task. We find that sensory association training does not detectably alter fosGFP expression in L2/3 neurons. Although training broadly enhances thalamocortical synaptic strength in pyramidal neurons, we find that synapses onto fosGFP+ neurons are not selectively increased by training; rather, synaptic strengthening is concentrated in fosGFP− neurons. Taken together, these data indicate that expression of the IEG reporter fosGFP does not facilitate identification of a learning-specific engram in L2/3 in barrel cortex during whisker-dependent sensory association learning.

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