scholarly journals Mindfulness meditators show altered distributions of early and late neural activity markers of attention in a response inhibition task

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
NW Bailey ◽  
G Freedman ◽  
K Raj ◽  
CM Sullivan ◽  
NC Rogasch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Eeg Recordings ◽  
The Right

AbstractAttention is a vital executive function, since other executive functions are largely dependent on it. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to enhance attention. However, the components of attention altered by meditation and the related neural activities are underexplored. In particular, the contributions of inhibitory processes and sustained attention are not well understood. Additionally, it is not clear whether improvements in attention are related to increases in the strength of typically activated brain areas, or the recruitment of additional or alternative brain areas. To address these points, 34 meditators were compared to 28 age and gender matched controls during electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of neural activity during a Go/Nogo response inhibition task. This task generates a P3 event related potential, which is related to response inhibition processes in Nogo trials, and attention processes across both trial types. Compared with controls, meditators were more accurate at responding to Go and Nogo trials. Meditators showed a more frontally distributed P3 to both Go and Nogo trials, suggesting more frontal involvement in sustained attention rather than activity specific to response inhibition. Unexpectedly, meditators also showed increased positivity over the right parietal cortex prior to visual information reaching the occipital cortex. Both results were positively related to increased accuracy across both groups. The results suggest that meditators have an increased capacity to modulate a range of neural processes in order to meet task requirements, including higher order processes, and sensory anticipation processes. This increased capacity may underlie the improved attentional function observed in mindfulness meditators.

scholarly journals Neurofunctional Symmetries and Asymmetries during Voluntary out-of- and within-Body Vivid Imagery Concurrent with Orienting Attention and Visuospatial Detection

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1549
Author(s):  
Amedeo D’Angiulli ◽  
Darren Kenney ◽  
Dao Anh Thu Pham ◽  
Etienne Lefebvre ◽  
Justin Bellavance ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Attentional Focus ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Dipole Source ◽  
Vernier Acuity ◽  
Body Imagery ◽  
Localization Analysis ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Right

We explored whether two visual mental imagery experiences may be differentiated by electroencephalographic (EEG) and performance interactions with concurrent orienting external attention (OEA) to stimulus location and subsequent visuospatial detection. We measured within-subject (N = 10) event-related potential (ERP) changes during out-of-body imagery (OBI)—vivid imagery of a vertical line outside of the head/body—and within-body imagery (WBI)—vivid imagery of the line within one’s own head. Furthermore, we measured ERP changes and line offset Vernier acuity (hyperacuity) performance concurrent with those imagery, compared to baseline detection without imagery. Relative to OEA baseline, OBI yielded larger N200 and P300, whereas WBI yielded larger P50, P100, N400, and P800. Additionally, hyperacuity dropped significantly when concurrent with both imagery types. Partial least squares analysis combined behavioural performance, ERPs, and/or event-related EEG band power (ERBP). For both imagery types, hyperacuity reduction correlated with opposite frontal and occipital ERP amplitude and polarity changes. Furthermore, ERP modulation and ERBP synchronizations for all EEG frequencies correlated inversely with hyperacuity. Dipole Source Localization Analysis revealed unique generators in the left middle temporal gyrus (WBI) and in the right frontal middle gyrus (OBI), whereas the common generators were in the left precuneus and middle occipital cortex (cuneus). Imagery experiences, we conclude, can be identified by symmetric and asymmetric combined neurophysiological-behavioural patterns in interactions with the width of attentional focus.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right Frontal Inferior Cortex Decreases Neural Activity Needed to Achieve Inhibition: A Double-Blind ERP Study in a Male Population

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 176-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Campanella ◽  
Elisa Schroder ◽  
Aurore Monnart ◽  
Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt ◽  
Romain Duprat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Face Detection ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Detection Task ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
T1 And T2 ◽  
The Right

Inhibitory control refers to the ability to inhibit an action once it has been initiated. Impaired inhibitory control plays a key role in triggering relapse in some pathological states, such as addictions. Therefore, a major challenge of current research is to establish new methods to strengthen inhibitory control in these “high-risk” populations. In this attempt, the right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC), a neural correlate crucial for inhibitory control, was modulated using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Healthy participants (n = 31) were presented with a “Go/No-go” task, a well-known paradigm to measure inhibitory control. During this task, an event-related potential (ERP) recording (T1; 32 channels) was performed. One subgroup (n = 15) was randomly assigned to a condition with tDCS (anodal electrode was placed on the rIFC and the cathodal on the neck); and the other group (n = 16) to a condition with sham (placebo) tDCS. After one 20- minute neuromodulation session, all participants were confronted again with the same ERP Go/No-go task (T2). To ensure that potential tDCS effects were specific to inhibition, ERPs to a face-detection task were also recorded at T1 and T2 in both subgroups. The rate of commission errors on the Go/No-go task was similar between T1 and T2 in both neuromodulation groups. However, the amplitude of the P3d component, indexing the inhibition function per se, was reduced at T2 as compared with T1. This effect was specific for participants in the tDCS (and not sham) condition for correctly inhibited trials. No difference in the P3 component was observable between both subgroups at T1 and T2 for the face detection task. Overall, the present data indicate that boosting the rIFC specifically enhances inhibitory skills by decreasing the neural activity needed to correctly inhibit a response.

scholarly journals Spatial and feature-selective attention have distinct effects on population-level tuning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Goddard ◽  
Thomas A. Carlson ◽  
Alexandra Woolgar
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Tuning Curve ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
The Right

AbstractAttention is a fundamental brain process by which we selectively prioritize relevant information in our environment. Cognitively, we can employ different methods for selecting visual information for further processing, but the extent to which these are implemented by similar or different neural processes remains unclear. Spatial and feature-selective attention both change the stimulus related information signaled by single-cells and neural populations, but relatively few studies have directly compared the effects of these distinct types of attention. We scanned participants (n=20) using MEG, while they covertly attended to an object on the left or the right of fixation (spatial attention manipulation) and reported the object’s shape or color (feature-selective attention manipulation). We used multivariate pattern classification to measure population stimulus-coding in occipital and frontal areas, for attended and non-attended stimulus features, at attended and non-attended locations. In occipital cortex, we show that both spatial and feature-selective attention enhanced object representations, and the effects of these two attention types interacted multiplicatively. We also found that spatial and feature-selective attention induced qualitatively different patterns of enhancement in occipital cortex for the encoding of stimulus color. Specifically, feature-based attention primarily enhanced small color differences, while spatial attention produced greater enhancement for larger differences. We demonstrate that principles of response-gain and tuning curve sharpening that have been applied to describe the effects of attention at the level of a single neuron can account for these differences. An information flow analysis suggested that these attentional effects may be driven by feedback from frontal areas.

scholarly journals Localization of Brain Networks Engaged by the Sustained Attention to Response Task Provides Quantitative Markers of Executive Impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 4834-4846
Author(s):  
Roisin McMackin ◽  
Stefan Dukic ◽  
Emmet Costello ◽  
Marta Pinto-Grau ◽  
Antonio Fasano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Response Task ◽  
The Right ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract Objective: To identify cortical regions engaged during the sustained attention to response task (SART) and characterize changes in their activity associated with the neurodegenerative condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: High-density electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from 33 controls and 23 ALS patients during a SART paradigm. Differences in associated event-related potential peaks were measured for Go and NoGo trials. Sources active during these peaks were localized, and ALS-associated differences were quantified. Results: Go and NoGo N2 and P3 peak sources were localized to the left primary motor cortex, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and lateral posterior parietal cortex (PPC). NoGo trials evoked greater bilateral medial PPC activity during N2 and lesser left insular, PPC and DLPFC activity during P3. Widespread cortical hyperactivity was identified in ALS during P3. Changes in the inferior parietal lobule and insular activity provided very good discrimination (AUROC > 0.75) between patients and controls. Activation of the right precuneus during P3 related to greater executive function in ALS, indicative of a compensatory role. Interpretation: The SART engages numerous frontal and parietal cortical structures. SART–EEG measures correlate with specific cognitive impairments that can be localized to specific structures, aiding in differential diagnosis.

Altered Functions of Visual Brain Areas: Review of Recent Evidence from Blind Human Subjects

Perception ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 26 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 219-219
Author(s):  
T Kujala ◽  
K Alho
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Late Onset ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Somatosensory Processing ◽  
Brain Areas

We investigated the functional role of human visual brain areas deprived of visual information. To this end, we recorded brain activity elicited by auditory and somatosensory stimuli in blind human subjects. Activity was recorded in the ‘Attend’ condition, in which subjects detected occasional deviant stimuli presented among repetitive standard stimuli and in the ‘Ignore’ condition, in which subjects did not attend to the stimuli. The results indicate that in the early-blinded subjects, event-related potential (ERP) topography elicited by deviant auditory and somatosensory target stimuli is posterior to that in the sighted (Kujala et al, 1995 Experimental Brain Research104 519 – 526). This suggests involvement of posterior brain areas in auditory and somatosensory processing in the blind humans. For the auditory modality, activated areas were located with magnetoencephalography (MEG), which indicates involvement of extrastriate occipital areas in detection of auditory targets (Kujala et al, 1995 Experimental Brain Research103 143 – 146). Visual-cortex plasticity was further studied in subjects who had lost their vision after childhood in order to clarify whether these cross-modal changes are specific to visual deprivation of early onset. In that study, auditory ERP topographies of late-blinded, early-blinded, and sighted subjects were compared. Comparison of posterior topography of ERPs elicited by deviant target stimuli in both early-blinded and late-blinded subjects with that in the sighted subjects suggests visual-cortex involvement in auditory processing even in late-onset blindness (Kujala et al, 1977 Psychophysiology34 213 – 216). Preliminary MEG recordings in one late-blinded subject provided further support for posterior generators (parietal-occipital) in auditory processing.

The Key Locus of Common Response Inhibition Network for No-go and Stop Signals

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1434-1442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongming Zheng ◽  
Tatsuro Oka ◽  
Hirokazu Bokura ◽  
Shuhei Yamaguchi
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Error Detection ◽  
Response Competition ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Stop Signal ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
The Right

Response inhibition is one of the highest evolved executive functions of human beings. Previous studies revealed a wide variety of brain regions related to response inhibition, although some of them may not be directly related to inhibition but to task-specific effects or noninhibitory cognitive functions such as attention, response competition, or error detection. Here, we conducted event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in which all subjects performed both stop-signal and go/no-go tasks in order to explore key neural correlates within the response inhibition network irrelevant to task designs and other cognitive processes. The successful inhibition in the stop-signal and go/no-go tasks, respectively, activated a set of predominantly right-lateralized hemispheric cortices. The common inhibitory regions across the two tasks included the right middle prefrontal cortex in addition to the right middle occipital cortex. Correlation analysis was carried out within these areas between intensity of activation and behavioral performance in the two tasks. Only the region located in the middle prefrontal cortex showed significant correlations in both tasks. We believe this region is the key locus for execution of response inhibition in the distributed inhibitory neural network.

scholarly journals Neural activity during response inhibition associated with improvement of dysphoric symptoms of PTSD after trauma-focused psychotherapy—an EEG-fMRI study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Bryant ◽  
Thomas Williamson ◽  
May Erlinger ◽  
Kim L. Felmingham ◽  
Gin Malhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Predictive Biomarker ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Magnetic Imaging ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural ◽  
Frontline Treatment ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
The Right

AbstractAlthough trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) is the frontline treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), up to one half of patients do not respond optimally to this treatment. Inhibitory functions are important for successful management of PTSD, yet there is a dearth of knowledge regarding the extent to which neural mechanisms unpinning response inhibition are associated with TF-CBT response. Treatment-seeking PTSD patients (n = 40) were assessed during a response inhibition task (the Go/No-Go task) while undergoing functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) and event-related potentials (ERP) in separate sessions. PTSD symptom severity was assessed with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, before undergoing nine sessions of TF-CBT. They were then reassessed post-treatment to estimate reduction in fear and dysphoric symptoms of PTSD. Although neural responses during the inhibitory task did not predict overall symptom change, reduced activation in the left precuneus and the right superior parietal cortex predicted greater improvement in dysphoric symptoms. ERP responses during response inhibition indicated that lower P3 peak latency predicted greater reduction of dysphoric symptoms. There were no significant predictors of changes of fear symptoms. These findings indicate that neural activity associated with response inhibition can act as a predictive biomarker of TF-CBT response for PTSD symptoms. This pattern of findings underscores the importance of delineating the role of biomarkers to predict remission of subtypes of PTSD.

QEEG Biomarkers for ECT Treatment Response in Schizophrenia

2021 ◽  
pp. 155005942110582
Author(s):  
Jiayue Cheng ◽  
Yanyan Ren ◽  
Qiumeng Gu ◽  
Yongguang He ◽  
Zhen Wang
Keyword(s):  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Quantitative Electroencephalography ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Eeg Data ◽  
Eeg Recordings ◽  
The Right ◽  
Response Group

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a clinically effective treatment for schizophrenia (SZD). However, studies have shown that only about 50 to 80% of patients show response to ECT. To identify the most suitable patients for ECT, developing biomarkers predicting ECT response remains an important goal. This study aimed to explore the quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) biomarkers to predict ECT efficacy. Methods: Thirty patients who met DSM-5 criteria for SZD and had been assigned to ECT were recruited. 32-lead Resting-EEG recordings were collected one hour before the initial ECT treatment. Positive and negative symptoms scale (PANSS) was assessed at baseline and after the eighth ECT session. EEG data were analyzed using mutual information. Results: In the brain network density threshold range of 0.05 to 0.2, the assortativity of the right temporal, right parietal, and right occipital cortex in the response group was significantly higher than that in the non-response group ( p  <  .05) in the beta band. In the theta band, the left frontal, parietal, right occipital cortex, and central area assortativity were higher in the response group than in the non-response group ( p  <  .05). Conclusions: QEEG might be a useful approach to identify the candidate biomarker for ECT in clinical practice.

scholarly journals Alpha fluctuations regulate the accrual of visual information to awareness

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireia Torralba ◽  
Alice Drew ◽  
Alba Sabaté San José ◽  
Luis Morís Fernández ◽  
Salvador Soto-Faraco
Keyword(s):  
Binocular Rivalry ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Visual Awareness ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Visual Inputs ◽  
Perceptual Alternation ◽  
Eeg Recordings ◽  
The Individual

AbstractEndogenous brain processes play a paramount role in shaping up perceptual phenomenology, as illustrated by the alternations experienced by humans (and other animals) when watching perceptually ambiguous, static images. Here, we hypothesised that endogenous alpha fluctuations in the visual cortex pace the accumulation of sensory information leading to perceptual outcomes. We addressed this hypothesis using binocular rivalry combined with visual entrainment and electroencephalography in humans (42 female, 40 male). The results revealed a correlation between the individual frequency of alpha oscillations in the occipital cortex and perceptual alternation rates experienced during binocular rivalry. In subsequent experiments we show that regulating endogenous brain activity via entrainment produced corresponding changes in perceptual alternation rate, which were observed only in the alpha range but not at lower entrainment frequencies. Overall, rhythmic alpha stimulation resulted in faster perceptual alternation rates, compared to arrhythmic or no stimulation. These findings support the notion that visual information is accumulated via alpha cycles to promote the emergence of conscious perceptual representations. We suggest that models of binocular rivalry incorporating posterior alpha as a pacemaker can provide an important advance in the comprehension of the dynamics of visual awareness.Significance statementMainstream theories in cognitive neuroscience agree that endogenous brain processes play a paramount role in shaping our perceptual experience of sensory inputs. In vision, endogenous fluctuations in the alpha rhythm have been pointed out to regulate visual inputs to perception. In support of this hypothesis, here we used EEG recordings and visual entrainment to demonstrate that inter-individual differences in the speed of endogenous alpha fluctuations in the brain are causally related to the accrual of visual information to awareness. These findings provide, for the first time, evidence for alpha-gated regulation of the dynamics of alternations in conscious visual perception.

scholarly journals Early neural activity changes associated with visual conscious perception

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aya Khalaf ◽  
Sharif Kronemer ◽  
Kate Christison-Lagay ◽  
Hunki Kwon ◽  
Jiajia Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Activity ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Conscious Perception ◽  
Continuous Performance Task ◽  
Perceptual Decision Making ◽  
Gamma Power ◽  
In Series ◽  
The Right

The neural mechanisms of visual conscious perception have been investigated for decades. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics associated with the earliest neural responses following consciously perceived stimuli are still poorly understood. Using a dataset of intracranial EEG recordings, the current study aims to investigate the neural activity changes associated with the earliest stages of visual conscious perception. Subjects (N=10, 1,693 grey matter electrode contacts) completed a continuous performance task in which individual letters were presented in series and subjects were asked to press a button when they saw a target letter. Broadband gamma power (40-115Hz) dynamics were analyzed in comparison to baseline prior to stimulus and contrasted for target trials with button presses and non-target trials without button presses. Regardless of event type, we observed early gamma power changes within 30-150 ms from stimulus onset in a network including increases in bilateral occipital, fusiform, frontal (including frontal eye fields), and medial temporal cortex, increases in left lateral parietal-temporal cortex, and decreases in the right anterior medial occipital cortex. No significant differences were observed between target and non-target stimuli until >150 ms post-stimulus, when we saw greater gamma power increases in left motor and premotor areas, suggesting a possible role of these later signals in perceptual decision making and/or motor responses with the right hand. The early gamma power findings suggest a broadly distributed cortical visual detection network that is engaged at early times tens of milliseconds after signal transduction from the retina.

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