scholarly journals Functional Neuroimaging Reveals Neural Processes Underlying Food Technology Attitudes and Risk Perception

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-19
Author(s):  
E. S. Beyer ◽  
M. LaCour ◽  
M. F. Miller ◽  
T. H. Davis ◽  
J. L. Finck
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Food Technology ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Technology Attitudes

scholarly journals Functional Neuroimaging Reveals Neural Processes Underlying Food Technology Attitudes and Risk Perception

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. S. Beyer ◽  
M. LaCour ◽  
M. F. Miller ◽  
T. H. Davis ◽  
J. L. Finck
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Food Technology ◽  
Process Information ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk ◽  
Positive Attitudes

ObjectivesAdvances in food technology provide numerous benefits including improvements in sustainability, quality, and food security. However, consumers often perceive such technologies as risky, even when extensively vetted for safety. Neuroimaging has the potential to reveal how the consumer brain processes information about technologies and how this processing relates to their attitudes and risk perception. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine how brain activation during processing of infographics about food technologies related to subsequent ratings of risk and attitudes. Based on neuroeconomic research, we hypothesized that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) would track positive attitudes for the technologies due to its role in computing subjective value and positive affect. In contrast, we predicted that the lateral PFC would track perceptions of risk associated with the technologies due to its role in processing conflict and uncertainty.Materials and MethodsParticipants (n = 53; 31 Female; Age 18- 43) completed a neuroimaging study at Texas Tech Neuroimaging Institute. Participants were scanned while viewing 6 different food technology infographics in 30s blocks: hormone implants, antibiotics, vaccines, GMOs, animal welfare technology, and sustainability technologies. Between viewing blocks, participants answered attitudes and risk perception questions for each technology. The scans were analyzed using a mixed effect implemented in FSL’s FEAT software and corrected for multiple comparisons (p < 0.05) using cluster-based thresholding with a primary threshold of z = 3.1 (p < 0.001).ResultsParticipants had lower attitudes and higher risk perception for antibiotics and hormones relative to GMOs and vaccines (risk perception: t(52) = 5.07, p < 0.001; attitudes: t(52) = 8.35, p < 0.001) and animal welfare and sustainability technologies (risk perception: t(52) = 6.60, p < 0.001; attitudes: t(52) = 7.65, p < 0.001). Consistent with our predictions, a cluster in lateral PFC (1496 voxels, p < 0.001) was positively associated with between-infographic differences in risk perception (and negatively associated with attitudes) such that it was most highly activated for the hormones and antibiotics and less so for the lower perceived risk technologies. Additionally, we observed a cluster in vmPFC (648 voxels, p < 0.001) that was positively associated with attitudes and thus was most highly activated for the lower perceived risk and higher attitude technologies. Several additional areas were associated with risk and attitudes including lateral parietal cortex, precuneus, occipital, and middle temporal gyrus (p < 0.05).ConclusionOur results present a critical step forward in understanding how consumers process information about food technologies. We found areas of the vmPFC tracked positive attitudes and lateral PFC tracked perceptions of risk and lower attitudes. These findings are important because they suggest that PFC regions may contribute to how consumers process information about food technologies, which can affect how they retain and use information to update their beliefs. Future research should examine whether fMRI may be useful prospectively for predicting consumer responses to information campaigns about food technologies.

The Search for the Phonological Store: From Loop to Convolution

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 762-778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley R. Buchsbaum ◽  
Mark D'Esposito
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Psychology ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Functional Brain Imaging ◽  
Phonological Loop ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Phonological Store ◽  
Modern Era ◽  
The Brain

The phonological loop system of Baddeley and colleagues' Working Memory model is a major accomplishment of the modern era of cognitive psychology. It was one of the first information processing models to make an explicit attempt to accommodate both traditional behavioral data and the results of neuropsychological case studies in an integrated theoretical framework. In the early and middle 1990s, the purview of the phonological loop was expanded to include the emerging field of functional brain imaging. The modular and componential structure of the phonological loop seemed to disclose a structure that might well be transcribed, intact, onto the convolutions of the brain. It was the phonological store component, however, with its simple and modular quality, that most appealed to the neuroimaging field as the psychological “box” that might most plausibly be located in the brain. Functional neuroimaging studies initially designated regions in the parietal cortex as constituting the “neural correlate” of the phonological store, whereas later studies pointed to regions in the posterior temporal cortex. In this review, however, we argue the phonological store as a theoretical construct does not precisely correspond to a single, functionally discrete, brain region. Rather, converging evidence from neurology, cognitive psychology, and functional neuroimaging argue for a reconceptualization of phonological short-term memory as emerging from the integrated action of the neural processes that underlie the perception and production of speech.

PRAXIS AND LANGUAGE ORGANIZATION IN LEFT-HANDERS

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-28
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Króliczak ◽  
Brian J. Piper ◽  
Weronika Potok ◽  
Mikołaj Buchwald ◽  
Paweł Kleka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bimanual Coordination ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Spatial Processing ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Right

The performance of learned manual gestures (praxis) and the production of speech are thought to depend on related neural processes. If this relationship is not invoked by an unknown, third variable then shifts in their laterality, including dissociations of these two functions, would be unlikely unless the sharing of some neural resources with other functions is advantageous. This could be the case in lefthanders, in whom actions requiring manual precision are controlled by their right hemispheres, and whose representations could attract the control of skilled gesture. Functional neuroimaging (fMRI) was used to study praxis and language functions. Their lateralization indices were measured in 56 consecutively tested lefthanders (28 females), with the mean age of 23.3±4.9 years (range 18.4 – 47 years), and an Edinburgh Handedness Inventory quotient between –100 and –55.6 (with the mean of –83.8±14.2). We show that atypical, bilateral organization or right-lateralization of praxis is more common than atypical organization/lateralization of language, observed, respectively, in 23 (41%) vs. 15 (26.8%) of cases. Specifically, we found: (a) seven cases (12.5%) of clear, and an additional three cases (5.4%) of less pronounced dissociations of atypically represented praxis from typically represented language; (b) 13 cases (23.2%) with atypically organized praxis also associated with atypically organized language, and (c) only two cases (3.6%) of rather strongly atypical lateralization of language, yet with quite typical lateralization of praxis. These outcomes are consistent with an idea that, in some lefthanders, the guidance of skilled manual actions can profit from tighter links with the right hemisphere, whose motor specialization is linked in this particular population to manual precision, but in general to attentional resources, visuo-spatial processing and even bimanual coordination. Because of the presumed links of praxis with productive language, such transfers are often, and unsurprisingly accompanied by the reorganization of the latter. Yet, the very rare cases of reversed language functions, without any pronounced shifts in representations of praxis, indicate that such a pattern of segregation – or inverse dissociation – of these two functions could be maladaptive.

scholarly journals Neural bases of Frustration-Aggression Theory: A multi-domain meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jules R Dugre ◽  
Stephane Potvin
Keyword(s):  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Aggressive Behaviors ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Meta Analyses

Early evidence suggests that unexpected non-reward may increase the risk for aggressive behaviors. Despite the growing interest in understanding brain functions that may be implicated in aggressive behaviors, the neural processes underlying such frustrative events remain largely unknown. Furthermore, meta-analytic results have produced discrepant results, potentially due to substantial differences in the definition of anger/aggression constructs. Therefore, coordinate-based meta-analyses on unexpected non-reward and retaliatory behaviors in healthy subjects were conducted. Conjunction analyses were further examined to discover overlapping brain activations across these meta-analytical maps. Frustrative non-reward deactivated the orbitofrontal cortex, ventral striatum and posterior cingulate cortex, whereas increased activations were observed in midcingulo-insular regions, as well as dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, thalamus and periaqueductal gray, when using liberal threshold. Retaliation activated of midcingulo-insular regions, the dorsal caudate and the primary somatosensory cortex. Conjunction analyses revealed that both strongly activated midcingulo-insular regions. Our results underscore the role of anterior midcingulate/pre-supplementary motor area and fronto-insular cortex in both frustration and retaliatory behaviors. A neurobiological framework for understanding frustration-based impulsive aggression is provided.

scholarly journals Perceived Norms Influence Perceptions of Risk and Attitudes for Food Technologies

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. LaCour ◽  
E. Beyer ◽  
J. L. Finck ◽  
M. Miller ◽  
T. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Multiple Regression ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Food Technology ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Perceived Norms ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk

ObjectivesUnderstanding the factors that influence consumer attitudes and risk perception is critical for effective marketing of new food technologies. Many variables impact attitudes and risk perception. However, food technology research has largely focused on demographic variables, and often only single technologies (e.g., GMOs). Our goal was to determine how psychological variables differentially influence attitudes and risk perception for a range of food technologies: antibiotics, hormones, vaccines, GMOs, sustainability, and animal welfare technologies. We examined how attitudes and risk perception for these technologies related to four social psychological variables from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB): perceived norms, past behavior, familiarity, and perceived control. In addition, we measured general Food Technology Neophobia (FTN), Trust in Science (TIS), chemical reasoning (CR).Materials and MethodsParticipants (n = 394) provided demographics followed by TPB, attitude, and risk perception surveys for each of the six technologies. Then they completed FTN, TIS, and a CR survey measuring dose–response beliefs (DR), beliefs in unknown risks (UR), the role of risk in society (RS), and naturalness/knowledge of chemicals (NKC). Multiple regression analyses were used to test for associations among the survey measures.ResultsThe multiple regression models were all significant (p < 0.05). Variance accounted for (R2) ranged from 0.49 to0.69 (See Table 1 for summary). Perceived norms were the strongest predictor of attitudes and risk with higher values being associated with stronger attitudes (standardized betas ranging from 0.51 to 0.71) and lower risk perception (–0.54 to –0.40). There were a number of technology-specific associations, including familiarity increasing perceptions of risk for hormones, and NKC being primarily associated with animal welfare and sustainability technologies.ConclusionThe present findings show a critical role for perceived norms– a person’s perception that people they like also approve of or use a technology– across all technologies. This suggests that social factors like norms play a major role in consumer acceptance of food technologies. Other predictors varied in strength across technologies suggesting marketing may benefit from strategies tailored to specific technologies.Table 1Standardized betas (> 0.10 in bold) from selected coefficients of regression models predicting risk perceptions and attitudes (rows) for each technology (columns)

scholarly journals Neural Correlates of Attitudes and Risk Perception for Food Technology Topics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Davis ◽  
Mark LaCour ◽  
Erin Beyer ◽  
Jessica L. Finck ◽  
Markus F. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Consumer Acceptability ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Food Technology ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk ◽  
Subjective Value ◽  
The Brain

AbstractFood technologies provide numerous benefits to society and are extensively vetted for safety. However, many technological innovations still face high levels of skepticism from consumers. To promote development and use of food technologies, it is critical to understand the psychological and neurobiological processes associated with consumer acceptability concerns. The current study uses a neuroscience-based approach to understand consumer attitudes and perceptions of risk associated with food technologies and investigate how such attitudes impact consumer’s processing of information related to food technologies. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure brain activation while participants processed infographics related to food technology topics. For technology topics perceived as riskier (antibiotics and hormones), activation was higher in areas of the lateral prefrontal cortex that are associated with decisional uncertainty. In contrast, technology topics that were viewed more favorably (sustainability and animal welfare) tended to activate the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a region that processes positive affect and subjective value. Moreover, for information about hormones, the lateral PFC activation was associated with individual differences in resistance to change in risk perception. These results reveal how attitudes and risk perception relate to how the brain processes information about food technologies and how people respond to information about such technologies.

scholarly journals Neural correlates of attitudes and risk perception for food technology topics

2020 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 103836
Author(s):  
Tyler Davis ◽  
Mark LaCour ◽  
Erin Beyer ◽  
Jessica L. Finck ◽  
Markus F. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Food Technology

Ultrastructural study on the development of rat amygdaloid body

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 432-433
Author(s):  
A. Manolova ◽  
S. Manolov
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Cells ◽  
Amygdaloid Complex ◽  
Amygdaloid Body ◽  
Thin Ring ◽  
Morphological Criteria ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Abundant Cytoplasm ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Few Data ◽  
Oval Shape

Relatively few data on the development of the amygdaloid complex are available only at the light microscopic level (1-3). The existence of just general morphological criteria requires the performance of other investigations in particular ultrastructural in order to obtain new and more detailed information about the changes in the amygdaloid complex during development.The prenatal and postnatal development of rat amygdaloid complex beginning from the 12th embrionic day (ED) till the 33rd postnatal day (PD) has been studied. During the early stages of neurogenesis (12ED), the nerve cells were observed to be closely packed, small-sized, with oval shape. A thin ring of cytoplasm surrounded their large nuclei, their nucleoli being very active with various size and form (Fig.1). Some cells possessed more abundant cytoplasm. The perikarya were extremely rich in free ribosomes. Single sacs of the rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were observed among them. The mitochondria were with light matrix and possessed few cristae. Neural processes were viewed to sprout from some nerve cells (Fig.2). Later the nuclei were still comparatively large and with various shape.

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