scholarly journals Affiliative bonding between teachers and students through interpersonal synchronisation in brain activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lifen Zheng ◽  
Wenda Liu ◽  
Yuhang Long ◽  
Yu Zhai ◽  
Hui Zhao ◽  
...  

Abstract Human beings organise socially. Theories have posited that interpersonal neural synchronisation might underlie the creation of affiliative bonds. Previous studies tested this hypothesis mainly during a social interaction, making it difficult to determine whether the identified synchronisation is associated with affiliative bonding or with social interaction. This study addressed this issue by focusing on the teacher–student relationship in the resting state both before and after a teaching period. Brain activity was simultaneously measured in both individuals using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The results showed a significant increase in brain synchronisation at the right sensorimotor cortex between the teacher and student in the resting state after, but not before, the teaching period. Moreover, the synchronisation increased only after a turn-taking mode of teaching but not after a lecturing or video mode of teaching. A chain mediation analysis showed that brain synchronisation during teaching partially mediated the relationship between the brain synchronisation increase in the resting state and strength of the affiliative bond. Finally, both role assignment and social interaction were found to be required for affiliative bonding. Together, these results support the hypothesis that interpersonal synchronisation in brain activity underlies affiliative bonding and that social interaction mechanically mediates the bonding process.

Author(s):  
Zhisong Zhang ◽  
Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo ◽  
Syeda Fabeha Husain ◽  
Jessica Bose ◽  
Jongkwan Choi ◽  
...  

Background: There is little understanding on how brief relaxation practice and viewing greenery images would affect brain responses during cognitive tasks. In the present study, we examined the variation in brain activation of the prefrontal cortex during arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images, brief relaxation practice, and control task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Method: This randomized controlled study examined the activation patterns of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in three groups of research participants who were exposed to viewing greenery images (n = 10), brief relaxation practice (n = 10), and control task (n = 11). The activation pattern of the PFC was measured pre- and post-intervention using a portable fNIRS device and reported as mean total oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO μm). Primary outcome of the study is the difference in HbO μm between post- and pre-intervention readings during a cognitive task that required the research participants to perform arithmetic calculation. Results: In terms of intervention-related differences, there was significant difference in average HbO μm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after brief relaxation practice (p < 0.05). There were significant increases in average HbO μm in the right frontopolar cortex (p = 0.029), the left frontopolar cortex (p = 0.01), and the left orbitofrontal cortex (p = 0.033) during arithmetic tasks after brief relaxation practice. In contrast, there were no significant differences in average HbO μm when performing arithmetic tasks before and after viewing greenery images (p > 0.05) and the control task (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our preliminary findings show that brief relaxation practice but not viewing greenery images led to significant frontal lobe activation during arithmetic tasks. The present study demonstrated, for the first time, that there was an increase in activation in neuroanatomical areas including the combined effort of allocation of attentional resources, exploration, and memory performance after the brief relaxation practice. Our findings suggest the possibility that the right frontopolar cortex, the left frontopolar cortex, and the left orbitofrontal cortex may be specifically associated with the benefits of brief relaxation on the brain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan He ◽  
Yinying Hu ◽  
Yaxi Yang ◽  
Defeng Li ◽  
Yi Hu

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 1326-1335
Author(s):  
Zhihao Wang ◽  
Yiwen Wang ◽  
Xiaolin Zhou ◽  
Rongjun Yu

Abstract People commonly use bluffing as a strategy to manipulate other people’s beliefs about them for gain. Although bluffing is an important part of successful strategic thinking, the inter-brain mechanisms underlying bluffing remain unclear. Here, we employed a functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning technique to simultaneously record the brain activity in the right temporal-parietal junction in 32 pairs of participants when they played a bluffing game against each other or with computer opponents separately. We also manipulated the penalty for bluffing (high vs low). Under the condition of high relative to low penalty, results showed a higher bluffing rate and a higher calling rate in human-to-human as compared to human-to-computer pairing. At the neural level, high relative to low penalty condition increased the interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) in the right angular gyrus (rAG) during human-to-human as compared to human-to-computer interaction. Importantly, bluffing relative to non-bluffing, under the high penalty and human-to-human condition, resulted in an increase in response time and enhanced IBS in the rAG. Participants who bluffed more frequently also elicited stronger IBS. Our findings support the view that regions associated with mentalizing become synchronized during bluffing games, especially under the high penalty and human-to-human condition.


Biosensors ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
SuJin Bak ◽  
Jaeyoung Shin ◽  
Jichai Jeong

A stress group should be subdivided into eustress (low-stress) and distress (high-stress) groups to better evaluate personal cognitive abilities and mental/physical health. However, it is challenging because of the inconsistent pattern in brain activation. We aimed to ascertain the necessity of subdividing the stress groups. The stress group was screened by salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and then, the brain’s hemodynamic reactions were measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) based on the near-infrared biosensor. We compared the two stress subgroups categorized by sAA using a newly designed emotional stimulus-response paradigm with an international affective picture system (IAPS) to enhance hemodynamic signals induced by the target effect. We calculated the laterality index for stress (LIS) from the measured signals to identify the dominantly activated cortex in both the subgroups. Both the stress groups exhibited brain activity in the right frontal cortex. Specifically, the eustress group exhibited the largest brain activity, whereas the distress group exhibited recessive brain activity, regardless of positive or negative stimuli. LIS values were larger in the order of the eustress, control, and distress groups; this indicates that the stress group can be divided into eustress and distress groups. We built a foundation for subdividing stress groups into eustress and distress groups using fNIRS.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumie Ono ◽  
Goh Kobayashi ◽  
Rika Hayama ◽  
Ryuhei Ikuta ◽  
Minoru Onozouka ◽  
...  

We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure prefrontal brain activity accompanying the physical sensation of oral discomfort that arose when healthy young-adult volunteers performed a grinding motion with mild occlusal elevation (96 μm). We simultaneously evaluated various forms of occlusal discomfort using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and hemodynamic responses to identify the specific prefrontal activity that occurs with increased occlusal discomfort. The Oxy-Hb responses of selected channels in the bilateral frontopolar and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices increased in participants who reported increased severity of occlusal discomfort, while they decreased in those who reported no change or decreased occlusal discomfort during grinding. Moreover, the cumulative values of Oxy-Hb response in some of these channels were statistically significant predictive factors for the VAS scores. A generalized linear model analysis of Oxy-Hb signals in a group of participants who reported increased discomfort further indicated significant cerebral activation in the right frontopolar and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices that overlapped with the results of correlation analyses. Our results suggest that the increased hemodynamic responses in the prefrontal area reflect the top-down control of attention and/or self-regulation against the uncomfortable somatosensory input, which could be a possible marker to detect the subjective sense of occlusal discomfort.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Hiwaki

Conventional techniques for noninvasive measurement of brain function such as electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) have critical limitations of spatial or temporal resolution. Here, we developed a novel technique which enables the precise measurement of dynamic brain signals and localized identification of active brain regions. In this technique, termed as magnetically biased field (MBF), human brain signal is measured as the fluctuation of a transcranial static magnetic field emitted by a coil placed on the scalp. The validity of MBF was confirmed by the measurement of somatosensory evoked signals. Fast somatosensory evoked signals were successfully observed. Localized maximum positive and negative deflections appeared at the region which represents the right primary somatosensory area contralateral to the stimulated hand. The ability of MBF to detect dynamic brain activity precisely can have numerous applications such as diagnosing brain diseases and brain-machine interfaces.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Hiwaki

Conventional techniques for noninvasive measurement of brain function such as electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) have critical limitations of spatial or temporal resolution. Here, we developed a novel technique which enables the precise measurement of dynamic brain signals and localized identification of active brain regions. In this technique, termed as magnetically biased field (MBF), human brain signal is measured as the fluctuation of a transcranial static magnetic field emitted by a coil placed on the scalp. The validity of MBF was confirmed by the measurement of somatosensory evoked signals. Fast somatosensory evoked signals were successfully observed. Localized maximum positive and negative deflections appeared at the region which represents the right primary somatosensory area contralateral to the stimulated hand. The ability of MBF to detect dynamic brain activity precisely can have numerous applications such as diagnosing brain diseases and brain-machine interfaces.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Hiwaki

Conventional techniques for noninvasive measurement of brain function such as electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) have critical limitations of spatial or temporal resolution. Here, we developed a novel technique which enables the precise measurement of dynamic brain signals and localized identification of active brain regions. In this technique, termed as magnetically biased field (MBF), human brain signal is measured as the fluctuation of a transcranial static magnetic field emitted by a coil placed on the scalp. The validity of MBF was confirmed by the measurement of somatosensory evoked signals. Fast somatosensory evoked signals were successfully observed. Localized maximum positive and negative deflections appeared at the region which represents the right primary somatosensory area contralateral to the stimulated hand. The ability of MBF to detect dynamic brain activity precisely can have numerous applications such as diagnosing brain diseases and brain-machine interfaces.


Author(s):  
Emad Alyan ◽  
Naufal M. Saad ◽  
Nidal Kamel

Objective The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the workstation type on the severity of mental stress by means of measuring prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Background Workstation type is known to influence worker’s health and performance. Despite the practical implications of ergonomic workstations, limited information is available regarding their impact on brain activity and executive functions. Method Ten healthy participants performed a Montreal imaging stress task (MIST) in ergonomic and nonergonomic workstations to investigate their effects on the severity of the induced mental stress. Results Cortical hemodynamic changes in the PFC were observed during the MIST in both the ergonomic and nonergonomic workstations. However, the ergonomic workstation exhibited improved MIST performance, which was positively correlated with the cortical activation on the right ventrolateral and the left dorsolateral PFC, as well as a marked decrease in salivary alpha‐amylase activity compared with that of the nonergonomic workstation. Further analysis using the NASA Task Load Index revealed a higher weighted workload score in the nonergonomic workstation than that in the ergonomic workstation. Conclusion The findings suggest that ergonomic workstations could significantly improve cognitive functioning and human capabilities at work compared to a nonergonomic workstation. Application Such a study could provide critical information on workstation design and development of mental stress that can be overlooked during traditional workstation design and mental stress assessments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candida Barreto ◽  
Guilherme de Albuquerque Bruneri ◽  
Guilherme Brockington ◽  
Hasan Ayaz ◽  
Joao Ricardo Sato

Hyperscanning studies using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) have been performed to understand the neural mechanisms underlying human-human interactions. In this study, we propose a novel methodological approach that is developed for fNIRS multi-brain analysis. Our method uses support vector regression (SVR) to predict one brain activity time series using another as the predictor. We applied the proposed methodology to explore the teacher-student interaction, which plays a critical role in the formal learning process. In an illustrative application, we collected fNIRS data of the teacher and preschoolers’ dyads performing an interaction task. The teacher explained to the child how to add two numbers in the context of a game. The Prefrontal cortex and temporal-parietal junction of both teacher and student were recorded. A multivariate regression model was built for each channel in each dyad, with the student’s signal as the response variable and the teacher’s ones as the predictors. We compared the predictions of SVR with the conventional ordinary least square (OLS) predictor. The results predicted by the SVR model were statistically significantly correlated with the actual test data at least one channel-pair for all dyads. Overall, 29/90 channel-pairs across the five dyads (18 channels 5 dyads = 90 channel-pairs) presented significant signal predictions withthe SVR approach. The conventional OLS resulted in only 4 out of 90 valid predictions. These results demonstrated that the SVR could be used to perform channel-wise predictions across individuals, and the teachers’ cortical activity can be used to predict the student brain hemodynamic response.


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