scholarly journals Phasic alerting effects on visual processing speed are associated with intrinsic functional connectivity in the cingulo-opercular network

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 320a
Author(s):  
Marleen Haupt ◽  
Adriana L. Ruiz Rizzo ◽  
Christian Sorg ◽  
Kathrin Finke
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Intrinsic Functional Connectivity ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
Phasic Alerting

scholarly journals Visual processing speed is linked to functional connectivity between right frontoparietal and visual networks

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svenja Küchenhoff ◽  
Christian Sorg ◽  
Sebastian Schneider ◽  
Oliver Kohl ◽  
Hermann J. Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Speed Parameter ◽  
Visual Processing Speed

AbstractVisual information processing requires an efficient visual attention system. The neural theory of visual attention (TVA) proposes that visual processing speed depends on the coordinated activity between frontoparietal and occipital brain areas. Previous research has shown that the coordinated activity between (i.e., functional connectivity, ‘inter-FC’) cingulo-opercular (COn) and right-frontoparietal (RFPn) networks is linked to visual processing speed. However, evidence for how inter-FC of COn and RFPn with visual networks links to visual processing speed is still missing. Forty-eight healthy human adult participants (27 females) underwent resting-state (rs-)fMRI and performed a whole-report psychophysical task. To obtain inter-FC, we analyzed the entire frequency range available in our rs-fMRI data (i.e., 0.01-0.4 Hz) to avoid discarding neural information. Following previous approaches, we analyzed the data across frequency bins (Hz): Slow-5 (0.01-0.027), Slow-4 (0.027-0.073), Slow-3 (0.073-0.198), and Slow-2 (0.198-0.4). We used the mathematical TVA framework to estimate an individual, latent-level visual processing speed parameter. We found that visual processing speed was negatively associated with inter-FC between RFPn and visual networks in Slow-5 and Slow-2, with no corresponding significant association for inter-FC between COn and visual networks. These results provide first empirical evidence that links inter-FC between RFPn and visual networks with the visual processing speed parameter. These findings suggest a direct connectivity between occipital and right frontoparietal, but not frontoinsular, regions, to support visual processing speed.Significance statementAn efficient visual processing is at the core of visual cognition. Here, we provide evidence for a brain correlate of how fast individuals process visual stimuli. We used mathematical modeling of performance in a visual report task to estimate visual processing speed. A frequency-based analysis of resting-state fMRI signals revealed that functional connectivity between the right frontoparietal network and primary and dorsal occipital networks is linked to visual processing speed. This link was present in the slowest, typical frequency of the fMRI signal but also in the higher frequencies that are routinely discarded. These findings imply that the coordinated spontaneous activity between right frontoparietal and occipital regions supports the individual potential of the visual system for efficient processing.

Phasic alerting increases visual processing speed in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Haupt ◽  
Steffen Jödecke ◽  
Annie Srowig ◽  
Natan Napiórkowski ◽  
Christoph Preul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Temporary Increase ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
Phasic Alerting

External warning cues temporarily increase the brain's sensitivity for upcoming events. Such increased levels of phasic alertness help individuals to flexibly adapt their reactions to the fast-changing requirements of highly complex visual environments. Previous studies reported that both healthy younger and older adults profit from phasic alerting cues. Arguably, such an intact phasic alerting mechanism could be even more relevant in pathologically aging individuals who are characterized by pronounced reductions of general processing capacity. The present study employed a theory of visual attention based whole report paradigm with auditory cues in order to investigate phasic alerting effects in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) on a purely perceptual level. In addition, aMCI patients were compared to a previously reported sample of healthy older adults. The analysis in aMCI patients indicated that their visual processing speed was significantly higher in the cue compared to the no-cue condition. Across groups, auditory alerting cues significantly increased visual processing speed. Further, visual processing speed was reduced in aMCI patients compared to healthy older adults, replicating prior findings. Taken together, the results suggest that the processing system of aMCI patients exhibits general declines but can still flexibly integrate auditory warning signals. Phasic alerting cues facilitate a temporary increase in processing speed, enabling an efficient handling of upcoming sensory information.

scholarly journals Decreased cingulo-opercular network functional connectivity mediates the impact of aging on visual processing speed

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 50-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana L. Ruiz-Rizzo ◽  
Christian Sorg ◽  
Natan Napiórkowski ◽  
Julia Neitzel ◽  
Aurore Menegaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Alertness Training Increases Visual Processing Speed in Healthy Older Adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762096552
Author(s):  
Melanie D. Penning ◽  
Adriana L. Ruiz-Rizzo ◽  
Petra Redel ◽  
Hermann J. Müller ◽  
Tiina Salminen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
Individual Training

In this study, we investigated whether alertness training in healthy older adults increases visual processing speed (VPS) and whether functional connectivity in the cingulo-opercular network predicts training gain. Using the theory of visual attention, we derived quantitative estimates of VPS before and after training. In Study 1, 75 healthy older adults participated in alertness training, active-control training, or no training ( n = 25 each). A significant Group × Session interaction indicated an increase in VPS in the alertness-training group but not in the control group, despite VPS not differing significantly between groups before training. In Study 2, 29 healthy older adults underwent resting-state functional MRI and then participated in alertness training. Pretraining functional connectivity in the cingulo-opercular network correlated with the individual training-induced change in VPS. In conclusion, results indicate that alertness training improves visual processing in older adults and that functional connectivity in the cingulo-opercular network provides a neural marker for predicting individual training gain.

scholarly journals Visual processing speed is linked to functional connectivity between right frontoparietal and visual networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svenja Küchenhoff ◽  
Christian Sorg ◽  
Sebastian Schneider ◽  
Oliver Kohl ◽  
Hermann J. Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Processing Speed

scholarly journals Right-lateralized fronto-parietal network and phasic alertness in healthy aging

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Haupt ◽  
Adriana L. Ruiz-Rizzo ◽  
Christian Sorg ◽  
Kathrin Finke
Keyword(s):  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Phasic Alertness ◽  
Dual Regression ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
The Right ◽  
Phasic Alerting

AbstractPhasic alerting cues temporarily increase the brain’s arousal state. In younger and older participants, visual processing speed in a whole report task, estimated based on the theory of visual attention (TVA), is increased in cue compared to no-cue conditions. The present study assessed whether older participants’ ability to profit from warning cues is related to iFC in the cingulo-opercular and/or right fronto-parietal network. We obtained resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data from 31 older participants. By combining an independent component analysis and dual regression, we investigated iFC in both networks. A voxel-wise multiple regression in older participants revealed that higher phasic alerting effects on visual processing speed were significantly associated with lower right fronto-parietal network iFC. We then compared healthy older participants to a previously reported sample of healthy younger participants to assess whether behaviour-iFC relationships are age group specific. The comparison revealed that the association between phasic alerting and cingulo-opercular network iFC is significantly lower in older than in younger adults. Additionally, it yielded a stronger association between phasic alerting and right fronto-parietal network iFC in older versus younger participants. The results support a particular role of the right fronto-parietal network in maintaining phasic alerting capabilities in aging.

Visual attention in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder before and after stimulant treatment

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (15) ◽  
pp. 2617-2625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Marie Low ◽  
Signe Vangkilde ◽  
Julijana le Sommer ◽  
Birgitte Fagerlund ◽  
Birte Glenthøj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Stimulant Medication ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
Adhd Symptomatology

AbstractBackgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which frequently persists into adulthood. The primary goal of the current study was to (a) investigate attentional functions of stimulant medication-naïve adults with ADHD, and (b) investigate the effects of 6 weeks of methylphenidate treatment on these functions.MethodsThe study was a prospective, non-randomized, non-blinded, 6-week follow-up design with 42 stimulant medication-naïve adult patients with ADHD, and 42 age and parental education-matched healthy controls. Assessments included measures of visual attention, based on Bundesen's Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), which yields five precise measures of aspects of visual attention; general psychopathology; ADHD symptoms; dyslexia screening; and estimates of IQ.ResultsAt baseline, significant differences were found between patients and controls on three attentional parameters: visual short-term memory capacity, threshold of conscious perception, and to a lesser extent visual processing speed. Secondary analyses revealed no significant correlations between TVA parameter estimates and severity of ADHD symptomatology. At follow-up, significant improvements were found specifically for visual processing speed; this improvement had a large effect size, and remained when controlling for re-test effects, IQ, and dyslexia screen performance. There were no significant correlations between changes in visual processing speed and changes in ADHD symptomatology.ConclusionsADHD in adults may be associated with deficits in three distinct aspects of visual attention. Improvements after 6 weeks of medication are seen specifically in visual processing speed, which could represent an improvement in alertness. Clinical symptoms and visual attentional deficits may represent separate aspects of ADHD in adults.

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