scholarly journals Stable and dynamic representations of value in the prefrontal cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Enel ◽  
Joni Wallis ◽  
Erin Rich
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Short Delay ◽  
Optimal Behavior ◽  
Optimal Decisions ◽  
Stimulus Value ◽  
Time Invariant ◽  
Specific Working

AbstractThe ability to associate positive and negative outcomes with predictive stimuli allows us to make optimal decisions. These stimulus-value associations are kept up to date by comparing an expected value with the experienced outcome. When a stimulus and its outcome are separated by a delay, the value associated with the stimulus must be held in mind for such comparisons to be possible, however little is known about the neural mechanisms that hold value representations online across delays. Temporarily remembering task-relevant information has been extensively studied in the context of item-specific working memory, and different hypotheses have suggested this ability requires either persistent or transient neuronal activity, with stable or dynamic representations respectively. To test these different hypotheses in the context of value representations, we recorded the spiking activity of neurons in the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex of two monkeys performing a task in which visual cues predicted a reward delivered after a short delay. We found that features of all hypotheses were simultaneously present in prefrontal activity and therefore no single hypothesis was exclusively supported. Instead, we report mixed dynamics that support robust, time invariant value representations while also encoding the information in a temporally specific manner. We suggest that this hybrid coding is important for optimal behavior and might be a critical mechanism supporting flexible cognitive abilities.

scholarly journals Stable and dynamic representations of value in the prefrontal cortex

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Enel ◽  
Joni D Wallis ◽  
Erin L Rich
Keyword(s):  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Optimal Decision ◽  
Specific Manner ◽  
Valuation Task ◽  
Stimulus Value ◽  
Optimal Decision Making ◽  
Time Invariant

Optimal decision-making requires that stimulus-value associations are kept up to date by constantly comparing the expected value of a stimulus with its experienced outcome. To do this, value information must be held in mind when a stimulus and outcome are separated in time. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms of working memory (WM) for value. Contradicting theories have suggested WM requires either persistent or transient neuronal activity, with stable or dynamic representations, respectively. To test these hypotheses, we recorded neuronal activity in the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex of two monkeys performing a valuation task. We found that features of all hypotheses were simultaneously present in prefrontal activity, and no single hypothesis was exclusively supported. Instead, mixed dynamics supported robust, time invariant value representations while also encoding the information in a temporally specific manner. We suggest that this hybrid coding is a critical mechanism supporting flexible cognitive abilities.

scholarly journals The processing of visual food cues during bitter aftertaste perception in females with high vs. low disgust propensity: an fMRI study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Schienle ◽  
Albert Wabnegger
Keyword(s):  
Personality Trait ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
Food Cues ◽  
Sweet Food ◽  
Visual Food Cues ◽  
Disgust Propensity

AbstractAn extremely bitter taste can signal food spoilage, and therefore typically elicits disgust. The present cross-modal functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment investigated whether the personality trait ‘disgust propensity’ (DP; temporally stable tendency to experience disgust across different situations) has an influence on the processing of visual food cues during bitter aftertaste perception. Thirty females with high DP and 30 females with low DP viewed images depicting sweet food (e.g., cakes, ice cream) and vegetables, once in combination with an extremely bitter aftertaste (concentrated wormwood tea), and once with a neutral taste (water). Females highly prone to disgust (compared to low disgust-prone females) showed increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and increased mPFC-insula connectivity when presented with the mismatch of a bitter aftertaste and visual cues of sweet food. The ACC is involved in conflict monitoring and is strongly interconnected with insular areas. This connection plays a critical role in awareness of changes in homeostatic states. Our findings indicate that the personality trait DP is associated with cross-modal integration processes of disgust-relevant information. Females high in DP were more alert to food-related sensory mismatch (pleasant visual features, aversive taste) than females low in DP.

scholarly journals Endogenous Control and Task Representation: An fMRI Study in Algebraic Problem-solving

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1300-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Stocco ◽  
John R. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Cognitive Architecture ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Brain Images ◽  
Algebraic Problem ◽  
Imaging Results ◽  
Cognitive Actions

The roles of prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices have been widely studied, yet little is known on how they interact to enable complex cognitive abilities. We investigated this issue in a complex yet well-defined symbolic paradigm: algebraic problem solving. In our experimental problems, the demands for retrieving arithmetic facts and maintaining intermediate problem representations were manipulated separately. An analysis of functional brain images acquired while participants were solving the problems confirmed that prefrontal regions were affected by the retrieval of arithmetic facts, but only scarcely by the need to manipulate intermediate forms of the equations, hinting at a specific role in memory retrieval. Hemodynamic activity in the dorsal cingulate, on the contrary, increased monotonically as more information processing steps had to be taken, independent of their nature. This pattern was essentially mimicked in the caudate nucleus, suggesting a related functional role in the control of cognitive actions. We also implemented a computational model within the Adaptive Control of Thought—Rational (ACT-R) cognitive architecture, which was able to reproduce both the behavioral data and the time course of the hemodynamic activity in a number of relevant regions of interest. Therefore, imaging results and computer simulation provide evidence that symbolic cognition can be explained by the functional interaction of medial structures supporting control and serial execution, and prefrontal cortices engaged in the on-line retrieval of specific relevant information.

scholarly journals Romantic Partners’ Working Memory Capacity Facilitates Relationship Problem Resolution through Recollection of Problem-Relevant Information

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Levi Baker ◽  
Michael J. Kane ◽  
Michelle Russell
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Short Delay ◽  
Problem Resolution ◽  
Relationship Problem

Intimates often discuss the causes of, and solutions to, their relationship problems with their partners, and this information can shape partners’ behavior and thus facilitate problem resolution. Partners’ ability to encode and later recall such discussions should lead to greater declines in the severity of those problems. This brief report presents the results from a broader longitudinal study in which newlywed couples completed tasks assessing their working memory capacity (WMC), engaged in problem-solving discussions, recalled those discussions after a short delay, and then reported the severity of the problems discussed over the course of a year. Greater WMC among partners was associated with greater declines in the severity of a relationship problem, mediated by partners’ recall of the discussion of that problem, suggesting that WMC facilitated the long-term memory encoding of the problem discussion. This study is among the first to suggest that individual differences in basic cognitive abilities may affect conversation processing and recall, and thereby close relationships.

Neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory: insights from brain stimulation studies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zakia Z Haque ◽  
Ranshikha Samandra ◽  
Farshad Alizadeh Mansouri
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Electrophysiological Recording ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Neural Substrate ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

The concept of working memory refers to a collection of cognitive abilities and processes involved in the short-term storage of task-relevant information to guide the ongoing and upcoming behaviour and therefore describes an important aspect of executive control of behaviour for achieving goals. Deficits in working memory and related cognitive abilities have been observed in patients with brain damage or neuropsychological disorders and therefore it is important to better understand neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory. Working memory relies on neural mechanisms that enable encoding, maintenance and manipulation of stored information as well as integrating them with ongoing and future goals. Recently, a surge in brain stimulation studies have led to development of various non-invasive techniques for localized stimulation of prefrontal and other cortical regions in humans. These brain stimulation techniques can potentially be tailored to influence neural activities in particular brain regions and modulate cognitive functions and behaviour. Combined use of brain stimulation with neuroimaging and electrophysiological recording have provided a great opportunity to monitor neural activity in various brain regions and non-invasively intervene and modulate cognitive functions in cognitive tasks. These studies have shed more light on the neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory in humans. Here, we review findings and insight from these brain stimulation studies about the contribution of brain regions, and particularly prefrontal cortex, to working memory.

The Paleolithic Stone Age Effect? Gender Differences Performing Specific Computer-Generated Spatial Tasks

2008 ◽  
pp. 3578-3601
Author(s):  
Geoffrey S. Hubona ◽  
Gregory W. Shirah
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Motion Cues ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Object Shapes ◽  
2D And 3D ◽  
Male Subjects

Most computer applications feature visual user interfaces that assume that all users have equivalent propensities to perceive, interpret, and understand the multidimensional spatial properties and relationships of the objects presented. However, the hunter-gatherer theory (Silverman & Eals, 1992) suggests that there are modern-day differences between the genders in spatial and cognitive abilities that stem from differentiated prehistoric sex roles. If true, there may be discrepancies in how males and females differentially utilize particular spatial visual cues and interface features. We report three experiments in which participants engage in visual spatial tasks using 2D and 3D virtual worlds: (1) matching object shapes; (2) positioning objects; and (3) resizing objects. Female subjects under-perform male subjects in the matching and positioning experiments, but they outperform male subjects in the resizing experiment. Moreover, male subjects make more use of motion cues. Implications for the design of gender-effective user interfaces and virtual environments are considered.

Addressing Challenges in Web Accessibility for the Blind and Visually Impaired

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Guercio ◽  
Kathleen A. Stirbens ◽  
Joseph Williams ◽  
Charles Haiber
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Preliminary Test ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Blind Persons ◽  
The Waves

Searching for relevant information on the web is an important aspect of distance learning. This activity is a challenge for visually impaired distance learners. While sighted people have the ability to filter information in a fast and non sequential way, blind persons rely on tools that process the information in a sequential way. Learning is slowed by screen readers which do not interact well with web pages. This paper introduces WAVES, a tool for the fast retrieval of information in a web page for blind and visually impaired people. The paper describes the WAVES prototype, a system that performs a page restructuring of webpages. The system analyzes webpages, identifies elements of interests from a webpage, evaluates their importance by using semantic information and visual cues, sorts them by importance and uses them to restructure the webpage so that data from the original webpage are presented to the reader in a concise format. A preliminary evaluation test of the prototype system has been performed with a sample set of users. The results of the preliminary test show an increase in speed and accuracy when the WAVES system has been used.

scholarly journals Corticoinsular circuits encode subjective value expectation and violation for effortful goal-directed behavior

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (22) ◽  
pp. E5233-E5242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda R. Arulpragasam ◽  
Jessica A. Cooper ◽  
Makiah R. Nuutinen ◽  
Michael T. Treadway
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Error Signal ◽  
Value Prediction ◽  
Subjective Value ◽  
Effort Discounting ◽  
Trial History ◽  
Goal Directed Behavior

We are presented with choices each day about how to invest our effort to achieve our goals. Critically, these decisions must frequently be made under conditions of incomplete information, where either the effort required or possible reward to be gained is uncertain. Such choices therefore require the development of potential value estimates to guide effortful goal-directed behavior. To date, however, the neural mechanisms for this expectation process are unknown. Here, we used computational fMRI during an effort-based decision-making task where trial-wise information about effort costs and reward magnitudes was presented separately over time, thereby allowing us to model distinct effort/reward computations as choice-relevant information unfolded. We found that ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) encoded expected subjective value. Further, activity in dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) and anterior insula (aI) reflected both effort discounting as well as a subjective value prediction error signal derived from trial history. While prior studies have identified these regions as being involved in effort-based decision making, these data demonstrate their specific role in the formation and maintenance of subjective value estimates as relevant information becomes available.

Improving the Quality of Evidence Elicited from Children Using CUED Recall

1994 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-52
Author(s):  
Karen Telfer ◽  
J. Baxter ◽  
G. Hutcheson ◽  
D. Warden
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Home Office ◽  
Quality Of Evidence ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
The Law ◽  
Initial Interviews

Recent amendments to the law allow video recordings of initial interviews with children to be used as evidence in court. In order that children may benefit fully from this change it is crucial that these interviews are of as high a quality as possible and are conducted in a way that is acceptable to the courts. Recently published recommendations for interviewing advocate the use of general, open-ended questions wherever possible (Home Office, 1992) as this technique tends to result in accurate statements. However, recent research has shown that young children questioned in this way are unlikely to report all the relevant information they have. The present recommendations as they stand may in fact discriminate against the very children they are designed to help. This paper demonstrates that the present recommendations are not optimal for interviewing five to six-year-old children and suggests that the use of non-suggestive visual cues may be a way of increasing the overall quality of children's reports.

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