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Rassam R, Chen Q, Gai Y. Competing Visual Cues Revealed by Electroencephalography: Sensitivity to Motion Speed and Direction. Brain Sci 2024; 14:160. [PMID: 38391734 PMCID: PMC10886893 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Motion speed and direction are two fundamental cues for the mammalian visual system. Neurons in various places of the neocortex show tuning properties in term of firing frequency to both speed and direction. The present study applied a 32-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) system to 13 human subjects while they were observing a single object moving with different speeds in various directions from the center of view to the periphery on a computer monitor. Depending on the experimental condition, the subjects were either required to fix their gaze at the center of the monitor while the object was moving or to track the movement with their gaze; eye-tracking glasses were used to ensure that they followed instructions. In each trial, motion speed and direction varied randomly and independently, forming two competing visual features. EEG signal classification was performed for each cue separately (e.g., 11 speed values or 11 directions), regardless of variations in the other cue. Under the eye-fixed condition, multiple subjects showed distinct preferences to motion direction over speed; however, two outliers showed superb sensitivity to speed. Under the eye-tracking condition, in which the EEG signals presumably contained ocular movement signals, all subjects showed predominantly better classification for motion direction. There was a trend that speed and direction were encoded by different electrode sites. Since EEG is a noninvasive and portable approach suitable for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), this study provides insights on fundamental knowledge of the visual system as well as BCI applications based on visual stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rassam Rassam
- Biomedical Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - Qi Chen
- Biomedical Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - Yan Gai
- Biomedical Engineering, School of Science and Engineering, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA
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Gaglianese A, Fracasso A, Fernandes FG, Harvey B, Dumoulin SO, Petridou N. Mechanisms of speed encoding in the human middle temporal cortex measured by 7T fMRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:2050-2061. [PMID: 36637226 PMCID: PMC9980888 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Perception of dynamic scenes in our environment results from the evaluation of visual features such as the fundamental spatial and temporal frequency components of a moving object. The ratio between these two components represents the object's speed of motion. The human middle temporal cortex hMT+ has a crucial biological role in the direct encoding of object speed. However, the link between hMT+ speed encoding and the spatiotemporal frequency components of a moving object is still under explored. Here, we recorded high resolution 7T blood oxygen level-dependent BOLD responses to different visual motion stimuli as a function of their fundamental spatial and temporal frequency components. We fitted each hMT+ BOLD response with a 2D Gaussian model allowing for two different speed encoding mechanisms: (1) distinct and independent selectivity for the spatial and temporal frequencies of the visual motion stimuli; (2) pure tuning for the speed of motion. We show that both mechanisms occur but in different neuronal groups within hMT+, with the largest subregion of the complex showing separable tuning for the spatial and temporal frequency of the visual stimuli. Both mechanisms were highly reproducible within participants, reconciling single cell recordings from MT in animals that have showed both encoding mechanisms. Our findings confirm that a more complex process is involved in the perception of speed than initially thought and suggest that hMT+ plays a primary role in the evaluation of the spatial features of the moving visual input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gaglianese
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Department of RadiologyUniversity Hospital Center and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain CenterUniversity Medical CenterUtrechtNetherlands
- Department of Radiology, Center for Image SciencesUniversity Medical CenterUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Alessio Fracasso
- Department of Radiology, Center for Image SciencesUniversity Medical CenterUtrechtNetherlands
- University of GlasgowSchool of Psychology and NeuroscienceGlasgowUK
- Spinoza Center for NeuroimagingAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Francisco G. Fernandes
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain CenterUniversity Medical CenterUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Ben Harvey
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz InstituteUtrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Serge O. Dumoulin
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz InstituteUtrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Natalia Petridou
- Department of Radiology, Center for Image SciencesUniversity Medical CenterUtrechtNetherlands
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Fracasso A, Gaglianese A, Vansteensel MJ, Aarnoutse EJ, Ramsey NF, Dumoulin SO, Petridou N. FMRI and intra-cranial electrocorticography recordings in the same human subjects reveals negative BOLD signal coupled with silenced neuronal activity. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:1371-1384. [PMID: 34363092 PMCID: PMC9046332 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02342-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Positive blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses (PBR), as measured by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), are the most utilized measurements to non-invasively map activity in the brain. Recent studies have consistently shown that BOLD responses are not exclusively positive. Negative BOLD responses (NBR) have been reported in response to specific sensory stimulations and tasks. However, the exact relationship between NBR and the underlying metabolic and neuronal demand is still under debate. In this study, we investigated the neurophysiological basis of negative BOLD using fMRI and intra-cranial electrophysiology (electrocorticography, ECoG) measurements from the same human participants. We show that, for those electrodes that responded to visual stimulation, PBR are correlated with high-frequency band (HFB) responses. Crucially, NBR were associated with an absence of HFB power responses and an unpredicted decrease in the alpha power responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Fracasso
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland.
| | - Anna Gaglianese
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Department of Radiology, University Hospital Center, University of Lausanne, Rue Centrale 7, 1003, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Radiology, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mariska J Vansteensel
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Erik J Aarnoutse
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Nick F Ramsey
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Serge O Dumoulin
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Spinoza Center for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Natalia Petridou
- Department of Radiology, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Gaglianese A, Branco MP, Groen IIA, Benson NC, Vansteensel MJ, Murray MM, Petridou N, Ramsey NF. Electrocorticography Evidence of Tactile Responses in Visual Cortices. Brain Topogr 2020; 33:559-570. [PMID: 32661933 PMCID: PMC7429547 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-020-00783-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
There is ongoing debate regarding the extent to which human cortices are specialized for processing a given sensory input versus a given type of information, independently of the sensory source. Many neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies have reported that primary and extrastriate visual cortices respond to tactile and auditory stimulation, in addition to visual inputs, suggesting these cortices are intrinsically multisensory. In particular for tactile responses, few studies have proven neuronal processes in visual cortex in humans. Here, we assessed tactile responses in both low-level and extrastriate visual cortices using electrocorticography recordings in a human participant. Specifically, we observed significant spectral power increases in the high frequency band (30-100 Hz) in response to tactile stimuli, reportedly associated with spiking neuronal activity, in both low-level visual cortex (i.e. V2) and in the anterior part of the lateral occipital-temporal cortex. These sites were both involved in processing tactile information and responsive to visual stimulation. More generally, the present results add to a mounting literature in support of task-sensitive and sensory-independent mechanisms underlying functions like spatial, motion, and self-processing in the brain and extending from higher-level as well as to low-level cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gaglianese
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Department of Radiology, University Hospital Center, University of Lausanne, Rue Centrale 7, Lausanne, 1003, Switzerland.
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Department of Radiology, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Mariana P Branco
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Iris I A Groen
- Department of Psychology, New York University, Washington Place 6, New York, 10003, NY, USA
| | - Noah C Benson
- Department of Psychology, New York University, Washington Place 6, New York, 10003, NY, USA
- eScience Institute, University of Washington, 15th Ave NE, Seattle, 98195, WA, USA
| | - Mariska J Vansteensel
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Micah M Murray
- The Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology (The LINE), Department of Radiology, University Hospital Center, University of Lausanne, Rue Centrale 7, Lausanne, 1003, Switzerland
- Sensory, Perceptual and Cognitive Neuroscience Section, Center for Biomedical Imaging (CIBM), Station 6, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
- Ophthalmology Service, Fondation Asile des aveugles and University of Lausanne, Avenue de France 15, Lausanne, 1004, Switzerland
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 21st Avenue South 1215, Nashville, 37232, TN, USA
| | - Natalia Petridou
- Department of Radiology, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Nick F Ramsey
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Berezutskaya J, Freudenburg ZV, Ambrogioni L, Güçlü U, van Gerven MAJ, Ramsey NF. Cortical network responses map onto data-driven features that capture visual semantics of movie fragments. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12077. [PMID: 32694561 PMCID: PMC7374611 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68853-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on how the human brain extracts meaning from sensory input relies in principle on methodological reductionism. In the present study, we adopt a more holistic approach by modeling the cortical responses to semantic information that was extracted from the visual stream of a feature film, employing artificial neural network models. Advances in both computer vision and natural language processing were utilized to extract the semantic representations from the film by combining perceptual and linguistic information. We tested whether these representations were useful in studying the human brain data. To this end, we collected electrocorticography responses to a short movie from 37 subjects and fitted their cortical patterns across multiple regions using the semantic components extracted from film frames. We found that individual semantic components reflected fundamental semantic distinctions in the visual input, such as presence or absence of people, human movement, landscape scenes, human faces, etc. Moreover, each semantic component mapped onto a distinct functional cortical network involving high-level cognitive regions in occipitotemporal, frontal and parietal cortices. The present work demonstrates the potential of the data-driven methods from information processing fields to explain patterns of cortical responses, and contributes to the overall discussion about the encoding of high-level perceptual information in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Berezutskaya
- Brain Center, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Zachary V Freudenburg
- Brain Center, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Luca Ambrogioni
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Umut Güçlü
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel A J van Gerven
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Montessorilaan 3, 6525 HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nick F Ramsey
- Brain Center, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Gaglianese A, Vansteensel MJ, Harvey BM, Dumoulin SO, Petridou N, Ramsey NF. Correspondence between fMRI and electrophysiology during visual motion processing in human MT. Neuroimage 2017; 155:480-489. [PMID: 28389384 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in brain neuronal activity are reflected by hemodynamic responses mapped through Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a primary tool to measure brain functioning non-invasively. However, the exact relationship between hemodynamics and neuronal function is still a matter of debate. Here, we combine 3T BOLD fMRI and High Frequency Band (HFB) electrocorticography (ECoG) signals to investigate the relationship between neuronal activity and hemodynamic responses in the human Middle Temporal complex (hMT+), a higher order brain area involved in visual motion processing. We modulated the ECoG HFB and fMRI BOLD responses with a visual stimulus moving at different temporal frequencies, and compared measured BOLD responses to estimated BOLD responses that were predicted from the temporal profile of the HFB power change. We show that BOLD responses under an electrode over hMT+ can be well predicted not only be the strength of the neuronal response but also by the temporal profile of the HFB responses recorded by this electrode. Our results point to a linear relationship between BOLD and neuronal activity in hMT+, extending previous findings on primary cortex to higher order cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gaglianese
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mariska J Vansteensel
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ben M Harvey
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584 CS, The Netherlands
| | - Serge O Dumoulin
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 3584 CS, The Netherlands; Spinoza Center for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Natalia Petridou
- Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Nick F Ramsey
- Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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