scholarly journals The posterior cerebellum and inconsistent trait implications when learning the sequence of actions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Pu ◽  
Qianying Ma ◽  
Elien Heleven ◽  
Naem Patemoshela Haihambo ◽  
Frank Van Overwalle
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Personality Trait ◽  
Confidence Level ◽  
Temporal Order ◽  
The Other ◽  
High Level ◽  
First Time ◽  
Temporal Sequences

Abstract It has been proposed that the cerebellum contributes to social cognition. Based on the view that cerebellar internal models create predictions on motions and actions, we hypothesize that the posterior cerebellum supports identifying temporal sequences of persons’ actions as well as detecting inconsistent actions that violate the implied trait. Participants were required to memorize the temporal order of a set of sentences that implied a personality trait. Importantly, the sentence sets were designed in such a way that the first half of each set involved actions that were consistent with the same trait, while the other half was either consistent or inconsistent with that trait. As expected, we found robust posterior cerebellar activation when memorizing the order of the actions, irrespective of trait consistency, but more crucially also for actions implying an inconsistent trait in comparison to consistent trait actions. We also found that the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cerebellum were associated with confidence level in retrieving the sequences. This study supports the hypothesis that the posterior cerebellum identifies and predicts the low-level temporal order of actions and demonstrates for the first time that this area is also involved in the high-level prediction of trait implications of those actions.

scholarly journals White Matter and Social Cognition

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yin Wang ◽  
Athanasia Metoki ◽  
Kylie H. Alm ◽  
Ingrid R. Olson
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Social Neuroscience ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Face Area

AbstractThere is a growing consensus that social cognition and behavior emerge from interactions across distributed regions of the “social brain”. Social neuroscience has traditionally focused its attention on functional response properties of these gray matter networks and neglected the vital role of white matter (WM) connections in establishing such networks and their functions. In this article, we conduct a comprehensive review of prior research on structural connectivity in social neuroscience and highlight the importance of this literature in clarifying brain mechanisms of social cognition. We pay particular attention to the research on three key social processes: face processing, embodied cognition, and theory of mind, and their respective underlying neural networks. To fully identify and characterize the anatomical architecture of these networks, we further implement probabilistic tractography on a large sample of diffusion-weighted imaging data. The combination of an in-depth literature review and the empirical investigation gives us an unprecedented, well-defined landscape of WM pathways underlying major social brain networks. Finally, we discuss current problems in the field, outline suggestions for best practice in diffusion imaging data collection and analysis, and offer new directions for future research.AbbreviationsACCanterior cingulate cortexADaxial diffusivityAFarcuate fasciculusAIanterior insulaALSamyotrophic lateral sclerosisAMGamygdalaASDautism spectrum disordersATLanterior temporal lobeATRanterior thalamic radiationCCcorpus callosumCINGcingulum bundleCSTcortico-spinal tractDESdirect electrical stimulationdMPFCdorsal medial prefrontal cortexdMRIdiffusion-weighted MRIDPdevelopmental prosopagnosiaDTIdiffusion tensor imagingFAfractional anisotropyFFAfusiform face areaIFGinferior frontal gyrusIFOFinferior fronto-occipital fasciculusILFinferior longitudinal fasciculusIPLinferior parietal lobeMCImild cognitive impairmentMDmean diffusivityMPFCmedial prefrontal cortexMSmultiple sclerosisOFAoccipital face areaOFCorbitofrontal cortex face patchPCCposterior cingulate cortexPDParkinson’s diseasePPprogressive prosopagnosiaPreCprecuneusRDradial diffusivityROIregion-of-interestsMRIstructural MRISTSsuperior temporal sulcusTBSStract-based spatial statisticsToMTheory of MindTPJtemporo-parietal junctionUFuncinate fasciculusVBMvoxel based morphometryvMPFCventral medial prefrontal cortexWMwhite matter

scholarly journals Preliminary Evidence of the Role of Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Self-Enhancement: A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 535
Author(s):  
Birgitta Taylor-Lillquist ◽  
Vivek Kanpa ◽  
Maya Crawford ◽  
Mehdi El Filali ◽  
Julia Oakes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Social Pressure ◽  
The Other ◽  
Real Word ◽  
Medial Pfc

Humans employ a number of strategies to improve their position in their given social hierarchy. Overclaiming involves presenting oneself as having more knowledge than one actually possesses, and it is typically invoked to increase one’s social standing. If increased expectations to possess knowledge is a perceived social pressure, such expectations should increase bouts of overclaiming. As the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is sensitive to social pressure and disruption of the MPFC leads to decreases in overclaiming, we predicted that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) applied to the MPFC would reduce overclaiming and the effects would be enhanced in the presence of social pressure. Twelve participants were given a test in which half of the words were real and half were fake, and they were asked how well they knew each word. They were not told that any of the words were fake. Half of the participants were exposed to social pressure while the other half were not. Following TMS delivered to the MPFC, overclaiming rates decreased, specifically under conditions of high social pressure. Medial PFC TMS did not influence real word responses and real words did not interact with the MPFC and social pressure. These preliminary findings support the significant role the MPFC plays in social cognition and the importance of the MPFC in mediating socially meaningful situations. We suggest the role of the MPFC as being highly influenced by the premium placed on social manipulation in human evolution.

Distinct Regions of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Are Associated with Self-referential Processing and Perspective Taking

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 935-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud D'Argembeau ◽  
Perrine Ruby ◽  
Fabienne Collette ◽  
Christian Degueldre ◽  
Evelyne Balteau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
Referential Processing ◽  
Third Person Perspective

The medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) appears to play a prominent role in two fundamental aspects of social cognition, that is, self-referential processing and perspective taking. However, it is currently unclear whether the same or different regions of the MPFC mediate these two interdependent processes. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study sought to clarify the issue by manipulating both dimensions in a factorial design. Participants judged the extent to which trait adjectives described their own personality (e.g., “Are you sociable?”) or the personality of a close friend (e.g., “Is Caroline sociable?”) and were also asked to put themselves in the place of their friend (i.e., to take a third-person perspective) and estimate how this person would judge the adjectives, with the target of the judgments again being either the self (e.g., “According to Caroline, are you sociable?”) or the other person (e.g., “According to Caroline, is she sociable?”). We found that self-referential processing (i.e., judgments targeting the self vs. the other person) yielded activation in the ventral and dorsal anterior MPFC, whereas perspective taking (i.e., adopting the other person's perspective, rather than one's own, when making judgments) resulted in activation in the posterior dorsal MPFC; the interaction between the two dimensions yielded activation in the left dorsal MPFC. These findings show that self-referential processing and perspective taking recruit distinct regions of the MPFC and suggest that the left dorsal MPFC may be involved in decoupling one's own from other people's perspectives on the self.

Composition of the Otosclerotic Stapes: Electron Microprobe Analyses

1993 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 353-358
Author(s):  
Gary D. Rosenberg ◽  
Laverne B. Tubergen
Keyword(s):  
Alkaline Phosphatase ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Confidence Level ◽  
Electron Probe ◽  
Energy Dispersive Spectrometer ◽  
Discriminant Analyses ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Level Of Significance ◽  
High Level ◽  
First Time

For the first time, otosclerotic stapes have been distinguished from unafflicted controls at a high level of significance by using a spectrum of elements measured by energy-dispersive spectrometer-electron probe microanalyses (EDS/EPMA). Discriminant analyses of the maximum concentration of 13 elements measured at several sites within each of 32 stapes differentiated otosclerotic from unafflicted individuals well above the 95% confidence level. Eight of the 9 control (unafflicted) and 21 of the 23 afflicted stapes were correctly classified. In descending order of contribution to the discriminant function, the elements are Zn > Cr > K > Ca > Si > Mn > Na > Al > Mg > P > Fe > S > Ti. Zinc and chromium account for much of the difference, but discriminant analyses excluding them still distinguish the two groups at the 95% confidence level. These results are consistent with previous reports of high levels of alkaline phosphatase, a zinc-containing enzyme, in afflicted stapes. But the broad spectrum of elements capable of distinguishing otosclerotic stapes warrants study of additional zinc-containing and other metal-containing or metal-activated moieties.

scholarly journals Karyotype traits in Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal (Asteraceae), an invasive plant in Romania

2012 ◽  
Vol 61 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 179-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Truta ◽  
Gabriela Vochita ◽  
Adrian Oprea ◽  
Culita Sirbu
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Number ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Chromosome Length ◽  
The Other ◽  
Diploid Chromosome Number ◽  
Diploid Complement ◽  
High Level ◽  
High Degree ◽  
First Time

Abstract The description of the karyotype features and idiogram in Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal (Asteraceae), an invasive plant in Romania, are reported here for the first time. The diploid chromosome number is 2n=2x=12, in agreement with the data published for the other species of the genus. The karyomorphological data show that the complements of the studied genotypes have small chromosomes (mean chromosome length is X̅±SE=2.56±0.10 μm, and mean length of haploid complements is X̅±SE=15.33±0.69 μm, with a range of variability comprised between 12.87-17.51 μm). The karyotypes are made up of six pairs of metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes, with an identical formula of the diploid complement: KF=2n=12=8m+ 2sm + 2sm-SAT. Satellites are located on the short arms of the chromosomes of pair III. The karyotypes show a relatively high level of intra-specific uniformity as well as similar symmetry patterns (R=1.29-1.53; TF%=38.78-41.57%; AsI%=54.54-57.61%; A1 = 0.24- 0.32; A2=0.08-0.16), belonging to 1A and 2A classes of symmetry. The small size of the chromosomes, the presence of only two chromosome morphometric types, and the preponderance of metacentrics confer a relatively high degree of symmetry to the karyotypes studied.

scholarly journals Neuroadaptive technology enables implicit cursor control based on medial prefrontal cortex activity

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (52) ◽  
pp. 14898-14903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten O. Zander ◽  
Laurens R. Krol ◽  
Niels P. Birbaumer ◽  
Klaus Gramann
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
User Model ◽  
Time Analysis ◽  
Human Machine Interaction ◽  
Real Time Analysis ◽  
High Level

The effectiveness of today’s human–machine interaction is limited by a communication bottleneck as operators are required to translate high-level concepts into a machine-mandated sequence of instructions. In contrast, we demonstrate effective, goal-oriented control of a computer system without any form of explicit communication from the human operator. Instead, the system generated the necessary input itself, based on real-time analysis of brain activity. Specific brain responses were evoked by violating the operators’ expectations to varying degrees. The evoked brain activity demonstrated detectable differences reflecting congruency with or deviations from the operators’ expectations. Real-time analysis of this activity was used to build a user model of those expectations, thus representing the optimal (expected) state as perceived by the operator. Based on this model, which was continuously updated, the computer automatically adapted itself to the expectations of its operator. Further analyses showed this evoked activity to originate from the medial prefrontal cortex and to exhibit a linear correspondence to the degree of expectation violation. These findings extend our understanding of human predictive coding and provide evidence that the information used to generate the user model is task-specific and reflects goal congruency. This paper demonstrates a form of interaction without any explicit input by the operator, enabling computer systems to become neuroadaptive, that is, to automatically adapt to specific aspects of their operator’s mindset. Neuroadaptive technology significantly widens the communication bottleneck and has the potential to fundamentally change the way we interact with technology.

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