scholarly journals Noradrenergic responsiveness preserves selective attention across the adult life span

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin J. Dahl ◽  
Mara Mather ◽  
Myriam C. Sander ◽  
Markus Werkle-Bergner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Noradrenergic System ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Dichotic Listening Task ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
Eeg Alpha ◽  
Listening Task

ABSTRACTSelectively attending to relevant information while blocking out distractors is crucial for goal-directed behavior, yet with advancing age, deficits emerge in attentional selectivity. Decrements in attention have been associated with altered noradrenergic activity in animals. However, research linking noradrenergic functioning to attention in aging humans is scarce, likely reflecting long-standing methodological challenges in non-invasive assessments. We studied whether age-related differences in the noradrenergic system predict differences in attention. We measured pupil dilation, a non-invasive marker of phasic norepinephrine (NE) release, while concurrently recording the electroencephalogram (EEG), of younger (N=39♂; 25.2±3.2 years) and older adults (N=38♂; 70.6±2.7 years). NE release was triggered on a trial-by-trial basis using fear-conditioned (CS+) stimuli. During conditioning, pupil and EEG markers related to heightened NE activity were identified. Afterwards, in a dichotic listening task, participants were cued to direct attention to either the left or right ear while highly similar syllable pairs were presented simultaneously to both ears.During the dichotic listening task, presentation of fear-conditioned stimuli reinstated the acquired fear response, as reflected in pupil and EEG alpha–beta-band responses. Critically, pupil dilation to CS+ was correlated with stronger EEG alpha–beta desynchronization, suggesting a common dependence on NE release. On a behavioral level, NE release facilitated attention. In particular, structural equation modeling revealed that the responsiveness of the NE system is associated with attention on a latent construct level, measured by several indicator tasks. Overall, our results suggest that the responsiveness of the NE system supports attention across the life span.Significance statementIn old age the ability to selectively process relevant aspects of the environment fades. Animal research suggests that the neuromodulator norepinephrine helps to maintain selective attention. We tested younger and older adults across a variety of attention tasks. In addition, we used arousing stimuli to experimentally activate participants’ noradrenergic system while recording pupillometry and electroencephalography (EEG) to infer its functional capacity. Older adults showed compromised attention and reduced noradrenergic responsiveness as indicated by interrelated pupil and EEG markers. Crucially, in both age groups a more responsive noradrenergic system was strongly associated to attention. Our findings link animal and human studies on the neural underpinning of attention in aging and underscore the importance of the noradrenergic system in late life cognition.

Creativity and Attention: Insights From the Dichotic Listening Task

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oshin A. Vartanian ◽  
Colin Martindale ◽  
Jessica Matthews ◽  
Jonna M. Kwiatkowski
Keyword(s):  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Dichotic Listening Task ◽  
Listening Task

Previously reward-associated sounds interfere with goal-directed auditory processing

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182199003
Author(s):  
Andy J Kim ◽  
David S Lee ◽  
Brian A Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Visual Processing ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Auditory Information ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Subsequent Test ◽  
Dichotic Listening Task ◽  
Listening Task ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
Visual Domain

Previously reward-associated stimuli have consistently been shown to involuntarily capture attention in the visual domain. Although previously reward-associated but currently task-irrelevant sounds have also been shown to interfere with visual processing, it remains unclear whether such stimuli can interfere with the processing of task-relevant auditory information. To address this question, we modified a dichotic listening task to measure interference from task-irrelevant but previously reward-associated sounds. In a training phase, participants were simultaneously presented with a spoken letter and number in different auditory streams and learned to associate the correct identification of each of three letters with high, low, and no monetary reward, respectively. In a subsequent test phase, participants were again presented with the same auditory stimuli but were instead instructed to report the number while ignoring spoken letters. In both the training and test phases, response time measures demonstrated that attention was biased in favour of the auditory stimulus associated with high value. Our findings demonstrate that attention can be biased towards learned reward cues in the auditory domain, interfering with goal-directed auditory processing.

Responses of Stuttering and Non-Stuttering Children to a Dichotic Listening Task

1974 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Gruber ◽  
R. L. Powell
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Cerebral Dominance ◽  
Dichotic Listening Task ◽  
Listening Task

Performance on a dichotic listening task of 28 normally speaking and 28 stuttering elementary and high school children showed no significant inter-ear differences. These results do not support the idea that stuttering results from lack of cerebral dominance for speech.

scholarly journals M187. A MULTIMODAL, NEUROIMAGING STUDY OF TDCS MECHANISMS RELATED TO AUDITORY VERBAL HALLUCINATIONS IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S207-S207
Author(s):  
Marquardt Lynn ◽  
Isabella Kusztrits ◽  
Alexander R Craven ◽  
Kenneth Hugdahl ◽  
Karsten Specht ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Mr Spectroscopy ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Auditory Verbal Hallucinations ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Dichotic Listening Task ◽  
Listening Task

Abstract Background Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a brain stimulation method which is growing in popularity in both research and clinical settings, especially as a treatment of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in patients with schizophrenia. However, the underlying neural mechanisms of this tDCS treatment are poorly understood. Current AVH models propose that AVH arise from hyperactivation in the left temporo parietal (LTPC), causing AVH, and from hypoactivation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC), leading to diminished control over AVH. We aimed to “mimic” this hyper-/hypoactivation pattern in healthy individuals with tDCS by placing the excitatory anode above the LTPC and the inhibitory cathode over the LDLPFC and then to study the effects of tDCS on these brain areas. Previous studies examined either brain activation, neurochemistry, or behavior, with other electrode montages, but few looked at those aspects together. The present study therefore examined tDCS effects with fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), MR spectroscopy, behavioral tasks and simulation of the electric field in a multimodal approach. We hypothesized that tDCS would (a) lead to similar behavioral deficits in healthy individuals as in schizophrenia patients and (b) induce changes in the stimulated areas on neurotransmitter and functional activation level. Methods Thirty-two healthy participants (18 males, mean age=26 yrs) were tested twice, ca. one week apart, with either real or sham (control) 2mA tDCS for 20 min while in a GE 750, 3T MRI scanner. The order of real/sham stimulation was counterbalanced in a double-blind design. During fMRI, participants completed a dichotic listening task in a block design, in order to measure behavior and brain activation changes. Before and after fMRI/tDCS, MR spectroscopy was carried out in two voxels placed under the electrodes. The data was analyzed with repeated measures ANOVAs. After data-collection, the structural T1 sequence was used to simulate the electric field of tDCS stimulation. Results Glx (Glutamate and glutamine combined) showed a trend (F(1,31)=3.35, p=.077, η2p=.098) to increase after tDCS stimulation compared to before, however this was not electrode specific. Neither fMRI, nor the dichotic listening task (all F≤1.64, p≥.203, η2p≤.052) showed any stimulation specific differences between real and sham stimulation. The tDCS simulation revealed large individual differences in the electric field induced. Discussion In the present study, tDCS seemed to have little effect on the measured brain parameters and little validation for the AVH model was found. The mechanisms of tDCS and how it affects the underlying brain tissue are poorly understood and seem to be affected by different stimulation parameters like stimulation duration, current strength and electrode montage. To use tDCS most effectively in schizophrenia research and treatment of auditory hallucinations, it should be validated with a multitude of methods, similar to the approach described here.

Dichotic Perception and Memory Following Electroconvulsive Treatment for Depression

1990 ◽  
Vol 157 (3) ◽  
pp. 366-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl M. Williams ◽  
William G. Iacono ◽  
Ronald A. Remick ◽  
Patrick Greenwood
Keyword(s):  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
Electroconvulsive Treatment ◽  
Depressed Patients ◽  
Dichotic Listening Task ◽  
Additional Group ◽  
History Of ◽  
Listening Ability ◽  
Listening Task ◽  
Normal Controls

Verbal and visuospatial memory and dichotic listening performance were examined in 15 acutely depressed patients with no history of ECT, 17 depressed patients currently in remission, 15 remitted depressed patients who had received ECT six months or more in the past, and 20 normal controls. The neuropsychological functioning of an additional group of 10 acutely depressed patients was also studied before and two weeks after ECT. The results revealed some evidence of logical and autobiographical memory impairment two weeks following ECT, but no evidence that ECT impaired dichotic listening ability. Rather, a normalisation of hemispheric laterality was apparent on the dichotic listening task following ECT and the concomitant relief from depression. There was also no evidence of cognitive dysfunction on any task in individuals who were tested six months or more following their last ECT treatment.

Identification of Emotion in a Dichotic Listening Task: Event-Related Brain Potential and Behavioral Findings

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hulya Erhan ◽  
Joan C. Borod ◽  
Craig E. Tenke ◽  
Gerard E. Bruder
Keyword(s):  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Brain Potential ◽  
Dichotic Listening Task ◽  
Listening Task
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