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Spinelli G, Lupker SJ. A spatial version of the Stroop task for examining proactive and reactive control independently from non-conflict processes. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:1259-1286. [PMID: 38691237 PMCID: PMC11093857 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02892-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Conflict-induced control refers to humans' ability to regulate attention in the processing of target information (e.g., the color of a word in the color-word Stroop task) based on experience with conflict created by distracting information (e.g., an incongruent color word), and to do so either in a proactive (preparatory) or a reactive (stimulus-driven) fashion. Interest in conflict-induced control has grown recently, as has the awareness that effects attributed to those processes might be affected by conflict-unrelated processes (e.g., the learning of stimulus-response associations). This awareness has resulted in the recommendation to move away from traditional interference paradigms with small stimulus/response sets and towards paradigms with larger sets (at least four targets, distractors, and responses), paradigms that allow better control of non-conflict processes. Using larger sets, however, is not always feasible. Doing so in the Stroop task, for example, would require either multiple arbitrary responses that are difficult for participants to learn (e.g., manual responses to colors) or non-arbitrary responses that can be difficult for researchers to collect (e.g., vocal responses in online experiments). Here, we present a spatial version of the Stroop task that solves many of those problems. In this task, participants respond to one of six directions indicated by an arrow, each requiring a specific, non-arbitrary manual response, while ignoring the location where the arrow is displayed. We illustrate the usefulness of this task by showing the results of two experiments in which evidence for proactive and reactive control was obtained while controlling for the impact of non-conflict processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Spinelli
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milano, MI, Italy.
| | - Stephen J Lupker
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5C2, Canada.
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2
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Chung RS, Cavaleri J, Sundaram S, Gilbert ZD, Del Campo-Vera RM, Leonor A, Tang AM, Chen KH, Sebastian R, Shao A, Kammen A, Tabarsi E, Gogia AS, Mason X, Heck C, Liu CY, Kellis SS, Lee B. Understanding the human conflict processing network: A review of the literature on direct neural recordings during performance of a modified stroop task. Neurosci Res 2024:S0168-0102(24)00051-8. [PMID: 38582242 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2024.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
The Stroop Task is a well-known neuropsychological task developed to investigate conflict processing in the human brain. Our group has utilized direct intracranial neural recordings in various brain regions during performance of a modified color-word Stroop Task to gain a mechanistic understanding of non-emotional human conflict processing. The purpose of this review article is to: 1) synthesize our own studies into a model of human conflict processing, 2) review the current literature on the Stroop Task and other conflict tasks to put our research in context, and 3) describe how these studies define a network in conflict processing. The figures presented are reprinted from our prior publications and key publications referenced in the manuscript. We summarize all studies to date that employ invasive intracranial recordings in humans during performance of conflict-inducing tasks. For our own studies, we analyzed local field potentials (LFPs) from patients with implanted stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) electrodes, and we observed intracortical oscillation patterns as well as intercortical temporal relationships in the hippocampus, amygdala, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during the cue-processing phase of a modified Stroop Task. Our findings suggest that non-emotional human conflict processing involves modulation across multiple frequency bands within and between brain structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S Chung
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
| | - Jonathon Cavaleri
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Shivani Sundaram
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Zachary D Gilbert
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Roberto Martin Del Campo-Vera
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Andrea Leonor
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Austin M Tang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Kuang-Hsuan Chen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Rinu Sebastian
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Arthur Shao
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Alexandra Kammen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Emiliano Tabarsi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Angad S Gogia
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Xenos Mason
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Christi Heck
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Charles Y Liu
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Spencer S Kellis
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Brian Lee
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States; USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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3
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Hershman R, Sapir A, Keha E, Wagner M, Weiss EM, Henik A. The contribution of difficulty of an irrelevant task to task conflict. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2024:17470218241228709. [PMID: 38247175 DOI: 10.1177/17470218241228709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
In the standard colour-word Stroop task, participants are presented with colour words and required to respond to their colour while ignoring their meaning. Two types of conflict might occur in such experiments: information conflict and task conflict. Information conflict reflects the processing of two contradicting pieces of information and is indicated by shorter reaction times (RTs) in congruent than in incongruent trials. Task conflict reflects the additional effort associated with performing two tasks, as opposed to one, and is indicated by shorter RTs in neutral trials than in congruent trials (termed reverse facilitation). While information conflict is commonly seen in Stroop and Stroop-like tasks, task conflict is rarely observed. In the present study, participants were presented with coloured segments that, by applying Gestalt principles, could be perceived as colour words. We found that incongruent trials were slower than congruent trials, suggesting that participants successfully perceived the colour words, which led to involuntary reading. In addition, reversed facilitation was found so that neutral trials (i.e., trials that only consist of one task) were faster than congruent trials (as well as incongruent trials; both consist of two tasks). The presence of both interference from the incongruent trials and reverse facilitation suggests that involuntary reading could also occur in scenarios requiring cognitive effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronen Hershman
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ayelet Sapir
- School of Psychology and Sport Science, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Eldad Keha
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Psychology, Achva Academic College, Beer-Tuvia, Israel
| | - Michael Wagner
- Department of Industrial Engineering & Management, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Elisabeth M Weiss
- Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Avishai Henik
- Department of Psychology and The Zelman Center for Brain Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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Hershman R, Dadon G, Kiesel A, Henik A. Resting Stroop task: Evidence of task conflict in trials with no required response. Psychon Bull Rev 2024; 31:353-360. [PMID: 37620635 PMCID: PMC10866746 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02354-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
In the typical Stroop task, participants are presented with color words written in different ink colors and are asked to respond to their color. It has been suggested that the Stroop task consists of two main conflicts: information conflict (color vs. word naming) and task conflict (respond to color vs. read the word). In the current study, we developed a novel task that includes both Response trials (i.e., trials in which a response is required) and Rest trials (i.e., trials in which no response is required or available) and investigated the existence of both information and task conflicts in Rest trials. We found evidence for task conflict in Response and also in Rest trials, while evidence for information conflict was only observed in Response trials. These results are in line with a model of task conflict that occurs independently of and prior to information conflict in the Stroop task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronen Hershman
- Department of Psychology and The Zelman Center for Brain Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
- Department of Psychology, Innsbruck University, Innrain 52f, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria.
| | - Gal Dadon
- Department of Psychology and The Zelman Center for Brain Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Andrea Kiesel
- Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Avishai Henik
- Department of Psychology and The Zelman Center for Brain Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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Jiang T, Wang M, Hao X, Xu J, Zhang Q, Wei X, Lu M. Intermittent theta burst stimulation for poststroke non-spatial attention deficit: a protocol of prospective, double-blinded, single-centre, randomised controlled trial in China. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e075131. [PMID: 37816555 PMCID: PMC10565327 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Attention deficit is the most common cognitive impairment after stroke, which can significantly hinder the recovery of both other cognitive domains and motor functions. Increasing evidence suggests that the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is related to non-spatial attention functions, which indicates that it may be a promising target of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treating poststroke non-spatial attention deficit. Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a modified pattern of rTMS that delivers shorter stimulation times and exhibits superior therapeutic efficacy. This study aims to provide evidence regarding the efficacy of intermittent TBS (iTBS) over the left DLPFC to improve poststroke non-spatial attention deficits and elucidate the potential neurophysiological mechanisms. METHODS AND ANALYSIS In this single-centre, prospective, randomised, sham-controlled clinical trial, patients with non-spatial attention deficits (n=38) received 10 sessions of real iTBS (n=19) or sham iTBS (n=19) over the left DLPFC and a 30-min conventional attention training. Neuropsychological evaluations, electrophysiological examination and neuroimaging scan will be conducted at baseline, postintervention (second week) and 2-week follow-up (fourth week). The primary outcomes are the change in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores and the Digital Span Test scores from baseline to the end of the intervention (second week). The secondary outcomes comprise changes in magnetic resonance spectroscopy neuroimaging from baseline to the end of the intervention (second week) as well as attention test batteries (including tests of selective attention, sustained attention, divided attention and shifting attention) and ERP P300 from baseline to endpoint (fourth week). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION This study has been approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee of Tongji Hospital (ID: TJ-IRB20230879). All participants will sign the informed consent. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ChiCTR2300068669.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Jiang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Mingzhu Wang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiaoxia Hao
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Jiang Xu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qiya Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiupan Wei
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Min Lu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Toader C, Tataru CP, Florian IA, Covache-Busuioc RA, Bratu BG, Glavan LA, Bordeianu A, Dumitrascu DI, Ciurea AV. Cognitive Crescendo: How Music Shapes the Brain's Structure and Function. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1390. [PMID: 37891759 PMCID: PMC10605363 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13101390] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Music is a complex phenomenon with multiple brain areas and neural connections being implicated. Centuries ago, music was discovered as an efficient modality for psychological status enrichment and even for the treatment of multiple pathologies. Modern research investigations give a new avenue for music perception and the understanding of the underlying neurological mechanisms, using neuroimaging, especially magnetic resonance imaging. Multiple brain areas were depicted in the last decades as being of high value for music processing, and further analyses in the neuropsychology field uncover the implications in emotional and cognitive activities. Music listening improves cognitive functions such as memory, attention span, and behavioral augmentation. In rehabilitation, music-based therapies have a high rate of success for the treatment of depression and anxiety and even in neurological disorders such as regaining the body integrity after a stroke episode. Our review focused on the neurological and psychological implications of music, as well as presenting the significant clinical relevance of therapies using music.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corneliu Toader
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (C.T.); (B.-G.B.); (L.A.G.); (A.B.); (D.-I.D.); (A.V.C.)
- Department of Vascular Neurosurgery, National Institute of Neurology and Neurovascular Diseases, 077160 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Calin Petru Tataru
- Department of Opthamology, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania
- Central Military Emergency Hospital “Dr. Carol Davila”, 010825 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Ioan-Alexandru Florian
- Department of Neurosciences, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Razvan-Adrian Covache-Busuioc
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (C.T.); (B.-G.B.); (L.A.G.); (A.B.); (D.-I.D.); (A.V.C.)
| | - Bogdan-Gabriel Bratu
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (C.T.); (B.-G.B.); (L.A.G.); (A.B.); (D.-I.D.); (A.V.C.)
| | - Luca Andrei Glavan
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (C.T.); (B.-G.B.); (L.A.G.); (A.B.); (D.-I.D.); (A.V.C.)
| | - Andrei Bordeianu
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (C.T.); (B.-G.B.); (L.A.G.); (A.B.); (D.-I.D.); (A.V.C.)
| | - David-Ioan Dumitrascu
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (C.T.); (B.-G.B.); (L.A.G.); (A.B.); (D.-I.D.); (A.V.C.)
| | - Alexandru Vlad Ciurea
- Department of Neurosurgery, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (C.T.); (B.-G.B.); (L.A.G.); (A.B.); (D.-I.D.); (A.V.C.)
- Neurosurgery Department, Sanador Clinical Hospital, 010991 Bucharest, Romania
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Perrey S. Probing the Promises of Noninvasive Transcranial Electrical Stimulation for Boosting Mental Performance in Sports. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020282. [PMID: 36831825 PMCID: PMC9954379 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020282] [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: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
While the importance of physical abilities is noncontested to perform in elite sport, more focus has recently been turned toward cognitive processes involved in sport performance. Practicing any sport requires a high demand of cognitive functioning including, but not limited to, decision-making, processing speed, working memory, perceptual processing, motor functioning, and attention. Noninvasive transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) has recently attracted considerable scientific interest due to its ability to modulate brain functioning. Neuromodulation apparently improves cognitive functions engaged in sports performance. This opinion manuscript aimed to reveal that tES is likely an adjunct ergogenic resource for improving cognitive processes, counteracting mental fatigue, and managing anxiety in elite athletes. Nevertheless, the first evidence is insufficient to guarantee its real effectiveness and benefits. All tES techniques could be add-ons to make performance-related cognitive functions more efficient and obtain better results. Modulating inhibitory control through tES over the frontal cortex might largely contribute to the improvement of mental performance. Nevertheless, studies in elite athletes are required to assess the long-term effects of tES application as an ergogenic aid in conjunction with other training methods (e.g., neurofeedback, mental imagery) where cognitive abilities are trainable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephane Perrey
- EuroMov Digital Health in Motion, Univ Montpellier, IMT Mines Ales, 34090 Montpellier, France
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8
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The Stroop effect involves an excitatory-inhibitory fronto-cerebellar loop. Nat Commun 2023; 14:27. [PMID: 36631460 PMCID: PMC9834394 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35397-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The Stroop effect is a classical, well-known behavioral phenomenon in humans that refers to robust interference between language and color information. It remains unclear, however, when the interference occurs and how it is resolved in the brain. Here we show that the Stroop effect occurs during perception of color-word stimuli and involves a cross-hemispheric, excitatory-inhibitory loop functionally connecting the lateral prefrontal cortex and cerebellum. Participants performed a Stroop task and a non-verbal control task (which we term the Swimmy task), and made a response vocally or manually. The Stroop effect involved the lateral prefrontal cortex in the left hemisphere and the cerebellum in the right hemisphere, independently of the response type; such lateralization was absent during the Swimmy task, however. Moreover, the prefrontal cortex amplified cerebellar activity, whereas the cerebellum suppressed prefrontal activity. This fronto-cerebellar loop may implement language and cognitive systems that enable goal-directed behavior during perceptual conflicts.
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Parris BA, Hasshim N, Ferrand L, Augustinova M. Do Task Sets Compete in the Stroop Task and Other Selective Attention Paradigms? J Cogn 2023; 6:23. [PMID: 37152834 PMCID: PMC10162324 DOI: 10.5334/joc.272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Task sets have been argued to play an important role in cognition, giving rise to the notions of needing to switch between active task sets and to control competing task sets in selective attention tasks. For example, it has been argued that Stroop interference results from two categories of conflict: informational and task (set) conflict. Informational conflict arises from processing the word and is resolved by a late selection mechanism; task conflict arises when two task sets (i.e., word reading and colour identification) compete for activation and can be construed as involving an early selection mechanism. However, recent work has argued that task set control might not be needed to explain all of the switching cost in task switching studies. Here we consider whether task conflict plays a role in selective attention tasks. In particular, we consider whether S-R associations, which lead to informational conflict, are enough on their own to explain findings attributed to task set conflict. We review and critically evaluate both the findings that provided the original impetus for proposing task conflict in selective attention tasks and more recent findings reporting negative facilitation (longer RTs to congruent than to neutral stimuli) - a unique marker of task conflict. We then provide a tentative alternative account of negative facilitation based on poor control over informational conflict and apply it to a number of paradigms including the Colour-Object interference and Affordances tasks. It is argued that invoking competition between task sets in selective attention tasks might not be necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nabil Hasshim
- School of Applied Social Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
| | - Ludovic Ferrand
- UniversitéClermont Auvergne, CNRS, LAPSCO, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Jarrar R, Monahan C, Shattuck J, Teale P, Kronberg E, Kluger BM, Buard I. Spatiotemporal dynamics of selective attention and visual conflict monitoring using a Stroop task. Cogn Neurosci 2023; 14:127-136. [PMID: 37707299 PMCID: PMC10591874 DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2023.2259554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
Selective attention and conflict monitoring are daily human phenomena, yet the spatial and temporal neurological underpinnings of these processes are not fully understood. Current literature suggests these executive functions occur via diverse and highly interconnected neural networks, including top-down, bottom-up, and conflict-control loops. To investigate the spatiotemporal activity of these processes, we collected neuromagnetic data using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in 28 healthy adults (age 19-36), while they performed a computerized Stroop task based on color naming. We focused on low-frequency oscillations in the context of top-down control and hypothesized that conflict monitoring-related activity would first be observed in the left anterior cingulate cortex, followed by the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and subsequently in the parietal and temporal lobes. Significant activity between 600-1000 ms post-stimulus onset was found for incongruent vs. congruent/neutral contrasts. Interestingly, spatiotemporal analysis did not provide evidence for a top-down pattern of activation, instead revealing a simultaneous pattern of activation in the frontal and temporal lobes. Most notable is the involvement of the left posterior inferior temporal cortex (pITC) and the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ), which have not conventionally been considered active players in attentional control. These results may be largely driven by alpha and beta oscillations from our sample population. Our findings challenge early theoretical models of top-down processing in the context of cognitive control from an attention perspective and also suggest a need to investigate attentional centers in the temporal lobe. Furthermore, the study highlights the valuable temporal data provided by MEG, which has been missing from previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rawan Jarrar
- School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Colleen Monahan
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Johanna Shattuck
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Peter Teale
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Eugene Kronberg
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Benzi M Kluger
- Departments of Neurology and Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Isabelle Buard
- Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA
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Hypertension Status Moderated the Relationship between the Hippocampal Subregion of the Left GC-ML-DG and Cognitive Performance in Subjective Cognitive Decline. DISEASE MARKERS 2022; 2022:7938001. [PMID: 36284989 PMCID: PMC9588336 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7938001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background. To investigate the relationship between hypertension status, hippocampus/hippocampal subregion structural alteration, and cognitive performance in subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Methods. All participants were divided into two groups according to blood pressure status: SCD without hypertension and SCD with hypertension. The cognitive assessments and T1-MPRAGE brain MRI were performed to measure the cognitive function and the volume of the hippocampus and hippocampal subregions. Association and mediating/moderating effects were analyzed between the volume of hippocampus/hippocampal subregions and cognitive scores. Results. Compared to the SCD without hypertension, we found (1) increased reaction time (RT) of the Go/No go test, compatible test, and divided attention visual task and (2) decreased volume of the left whole hippocampal/left subiculum/left CA1/left presubiculum/left parasubiculum/left molecular layer HP/left GC-ML-DG/left HATA in SCD with hypertension. There was a significant negative association between the volume of the left GC-ML-DG and Go/No go test RT in SCD without hypertension. A significant moderating effect of hypertension status on the relationship between the volume of the left GC-ML-DG and Go/No go test RT was found. Conclusion. The results suggested that hypertension status affects inhibitory control function and visual divided attention which may be related to the reduction of hippocampus/hippocampal subregion volume in SCD. Limitations. The study has several limitations. First, this study does not include a healthy control group. In further studies, healthy controls may need to assess the interaction between hypertension status and disease status on cognitive function. Second, we defined the hypertension status using with or without hypertension disease. More detailed parameters of hypertension status need to be further studied. Third, our study was a small number of participants/single-center and cross-sectional study, which may hinder its generalization. A large-sample/multicenter, longitudinal study is helpful to comprehensively understand the relationship between hypertension status and cognitive function in SCD patients.
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da Silva WQA, Cabral DAR, Bigliassi M, Bortolotti H, Hussey E, Ward N, Fontes EB. The mediating role of inhibitory control in the relationship between prefrontal cortex hemodynamics and exercise performance in adults with overweight or obesity. Physiol Behav 2022; 257:113966. [PMID: 36150475 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113966] [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: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Physical inactivity has been suggested to impair physical performance, cognitive functions and facilitate weight gain. One hypothesis is that long periods of physical inactivity could impair oxygen delivery to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), impairing one's cognitive ability to inhibit unhealthy automated behaviors and, therefore, reduce exercise tolerance. The present study sought to further understand the relationship among PFC hemodynamics, inhibitory control, and exercise tolerance in individuals with low physical fitness levels who are overweight or obese. Thirty-four participants were asked to perform a series of inhibitory control tests (i.e., Stroop task) in one testing session and complete an incremental cycling exercise test with hemodynamic fluctuations of the PFC measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy in another session. Our results indicate that exercise performance varied with PFC oxygenation. We also found that inhibitory control played a key role mediating the relationship between PFC oxygenation and exercise performance, suggesting that the cognitive ability to inhibit automated responses has an impact on exercise behavior in adults with overweight and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcelo Bigliassi
- Department of Teaching and Learning, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Henrique Bortolotti
- Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN Brazil
| | - Erika Hussey
- Defense Innovation Unit, Mountain View, CA, United States of America
| | - Nathan Ward
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States of America
| | - Eduardo Bodnariuc Fontes
- Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN Brazil; Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States of America.
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13
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What is word? The boundary conditions of task conflict in the Stroop task. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2022; 87:1208-1218. [PMID: 36109353 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01738-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The Stroop task is characterized by two types of conflicts-information conflict (between the incongruent word and ink color) and task conflict (between the relevant color-naming task and the competing, irrelevant, stimulus-driven, word reading task). It is not yet clear what stimuli trigger the task of reading, and thus task conflict, and to what extent. In the current study, we applied a novel low-control (high neutral proportion) between-subject design to test the effect of different neutral conditions (symbols, same-letter strings, illegal-letter strings, pseudo-words, and real-words) on task conflict, in both manual and vocal response-types. Results indicated that in the manual task, a reverse facilitation effect, a signature of task conflict, appeared in all non-word conditions in a similar magnitude, but did not appear in the real-words condition. In the vocal task, reverse facilitation was found only in the symbols condition, regular facilitation was exhibited in all other neutral conditions, and larger facilitation appeared in the real-words condition. Our results indicate that the reading process and the activation of task conflict, depend on response-types (manual vs. vocal). In both response-types we found support for a word superiority effect, such that words trigger task conflict to a greater extent, however, we only observed an orthographic effect in the vocal response-type where stimuli consisting of letters triggered the reading task. We concluded that in the manual response-type, conflict arises only in the lexical route, whilst in the vocal response-type, conflict arises in the lexical and orthographic routes.
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14
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Weidacker K, Kärgel C, Massau C, Krueger THC, Walter M, Ponseti J, Walter H, Schiffer B. Interference inhibition in offending and non-offending pedophiles: A preliminary event-related fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108301. [PMID: 35697089 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108301] [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: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to inhibit behavior is thought to be an import skill for avoiding criminal conduct, especially when combined with personal predispositions or criminogenic needs such as a pedophilic preference disorder. While previous research emphasized the relationship between impulsivity and child sexual offending, not pedophilia per se, studies on the underlying neurobiological mechanisms in subdomains of impulsivity remained scarce. Here, we focused on interference inhibition and examined event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of three groups of men performing a color-word Stroop task: (1) pedophiles with a history of CSO (P+CSO, n = 11), (2) pedophiles without a history of CSO (P-CSO, n = 8) and (3) non-pedophilic, non-offending healthy controls (HC, n = 10). On the behavioral level, P+CSO revealed increased Stroop interference as compared to P-CSO and HC. Moreover, increased Stroop interference in P+CSO was accompanied by enhanced conflict-related activity in left superior parietal cortex and precentral gyrus as compared to P-CSO. Albeit behavioral analyses of error and post-error processing revealed no significant between-group differences, P-CSO showed increased post-error-related activity in left posterior cingulate, precuneus and middle temporal gyrus as compared to P+CSO. Our preliminary data highlight inhibition deficits in offending as compared to non-offending pedophiles or healthy men and suggest that functional alterations in attention reallocation and impulse suppression/control may moderate the risk for committing CSO in men suffering from pedophilia.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Weidacker
- School of Psychology, University of Swansea, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom; Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3; 44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Kärgel
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3; 44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Massau
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3; 44791 Bochum, Germany
| | - T H C Krueger
- Department of Clinical Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - M Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Jena, Germany
| | - J Ponseti
- Institute of Sexual and Forensic Medicine, University Hospital Kiel, Germany
| | - H Walter
- Division of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - B Schiffer
- Division of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Preventive Medicine, LWL-University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstr. 1-3; 44791 Bochum, Germany.
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15
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Sprint Interval Exercise Improves Cognitive Performance Unrelated to Postprandial Glucose Fluctuations at Different Levels of Normobaric Hypoxia. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11113159. [PMID: 35683546 PMCID: PMC9181000 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11113159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: The aim of our study was to examine cognition response to sprint interval exercise (SIE) against different levels of hypoxia. Research design and methods: 26 recreational active males performed SIE (20 × 6 s of all-out cycling bouts, 15 s of passive recovery) under normoxia (FIO2: 0.209), moderate hypoxia (FIO2: 0.154), and severe hypoxia (FIO2: 0.112) in a single-blinded crossover design. Cognitive function and blood glucose were assessed before and after 0, 10, 30, and 60 min of the SIE. Heart rate (HR), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE, the Borg 6−20-point scale) during each SIE trial were recorded before and immediately after every five cycling bouts, and after 0, 10, 30, and 60 min of the SIE. Results: All the three SIE trials had a significantly faster overall reaction time in the Stroop test at 10 min after exercise as compared to that of the baseline value (p = 0.003, ƞ2 = 0.606), and returned to normal after 60 min. The congruent RT at 10 min after SIE was significantly shorter than that of the baseline (p < 0.05, ƞ2 = 0.633), while the incongruent RT at both 10 min and 30 min were significantly shorter than that measured at baseline (p < 0.05, ƞ2 = 0.633). No significant differences in terms of accuracy were found across the three trials at any time points (p = 0.446, ƞ2 = 0.415). Blood glucose was significantly reduced at 10 min and was sustained for at least 60 min after SIE when compared to pre-exercise in all trials (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Acute SIE improved cognitive function regardless of oxygen conditions, and the sustained improvement following SIE could last for at least 10−30 min and was unaffected by the altered blood glucose level.
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16
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Ziaka L, Protopapas A. Conflict monitoring or multi-tasking? Tracking within-task performance in single-item and multi-item Stroop tasks. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2022; 226:103583. [PMID: 35381473 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive control is applied in situations that require overriding a habitual and automatic response. The conflict monitoring hypothesis and the Expected Value of Control (EVC) theory as its extension posit a control system responsible for detecting conflicting occasions and adapting to them dynamically within a task. Here we evaluate this prediction in two versions of one of the most popular tasks in cognitive control, namely the Stroop task. We hypothesized that nearby-items interference combines with task interference in the multi-item version effectively turning it into a multi-task that may challenge cognitive control. Adopting an alternative methodology tracking within-task performance, we compared the classical multi-item version of the Stroop task and its single-item counterpart in adults and children. The results revealed a within-task performance decline only in the multi-item version of the task, in both incongruent and neutral conditions, modulated by the presumed maturity of the control system. These findings suggest capacity constraints in control implementation and allocation under conditions requiring parallel execution of multiple cognitive tasks. Task complexity and demands seem to modulate effects on performance. We discuss implications for cognitive control as well as substantial concerns regarding the calculation and use of indices of interference based on the commonly used multi-item version of the Stroop task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laoura Ziaka
- Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, P.O. box 1140 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway; Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Athens, Ano Ilissia University Campus, GR-157 71 Zografos, Greece.
| | - Athanassios Protopapas
- Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, P.O. box 1140 Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway
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17
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Fernandes M, Mari L, Chiaravalloti A, Paoli B, Nuccetelli M, Izzi F, Giambrone MP, Camedda R, Bernardini S, Schillaci O, Mercuri NB, Placidi F, Liguori C. 18F-FDG PET, cognitive functioning, and CSF biomarkers in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea before and after continuous positive airway pressure treatment. J Neurol 2022; 269:5356-5367. [PMID: 35608659 PMCID: PMC9468130 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-022-11182-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Dysregulation of cerebral glucose consumption, alterations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, and cognitive impairment have been reported in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). On these bases, OSA has been considered a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study aimed to measure cognitive performance, CSF biomarkers, and cerebral glucose consumption in OSA patients and to evaluate the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on these biomarkers over a 12-month period. Methods Thirty-four OSA patients and 34 controls underwent 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET), cognitive evaluation, and CSF analysis. A subgroup of 12 OSA patients treated with beneficial CPAP and performing the 12-month follow-up was included in the longitudinal analysis, and cognitive evaluation and 18F-FDG PET were repeated. Results Significantly reduced glucose consumption was observed in the bilateral praecuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, and frontal areas in OSA patients than controls. At baseline, OSA patients also showed lower β-amyloid42 and higher phosphorylated-tau CSF levels than controls. Increased total tau and phosphorylated tau levels correlated with a reduction in brain glucose consumption in a cluster of different brain areas. In the longitudinal analysis, OSA patients showed an improvement in cognition and a global increase in cerebral 18F-FDG uptake. Conclusions Cognitive impairment, reduced cerebral glucose consumption, and alterations in CSF biomarkers were observed in OSA patients, which may reinforce the hypothesis of AD neurodegenerative processes triggered by OSA. Notably, cognition and brain glucose consumption improved after beneficial CPAP treatment. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of CPAP treatment on these AD biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Fernandes
- Department of Systems Medicine, Sleep Medicine Centre, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Luisa Mari
- Neurology Unit, University Hospital of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Agostino Chiaravalloti
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Barbara Paoli
- Department of Systems Medicine, Sleep Medicine Centre, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Marzia Nuccetelli
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Izzi
- Neurology Unit, University Hospital of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Camedda
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Sergio Bernardini
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Orazio Schillaci
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Nicola Biagio Mercuri
- Neurology Unit, University Hospital of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.,IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Placidi
- Department of Systems Medicine, Sleep Medicine Centre, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.,Neurology Unit, University Hospital of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Liguori
- Department of Systems Medicine, Sleep Medicine Centre, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy. .,Neurology Unit, University Hospital of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
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18
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Di Marco S, Sulpizio V, Bellagamba M, Fattori P, Galati G, Galletti C, Lappe M, Maltempo T, Pitzalis S. Multisensory integration in cortical regions responding to locomotion-related visual and somatomotor signals. Neuroimage 2021; 244:118581. [PMID: 34543763 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During real-world locomotion, in order to be able to move along a path or avoid an obstacle, continuous changes in self-motion direction (i.e. heading) are needed. Control of heading changes during locomotion requires the integration of multiple signals (i.e., visual, somatomotor, vestibular). Recent fMRI studies have shown that both somatomotor areas (human PEc [hPEc], human PE [hPE], primary somatosensory cortex [S-I]) and egomotion visual regions (cingulate sulcus visual area [CSv], posterior cingulate area [pCi], posterior insular cortex [PIC]) respond to either leg movements and egomotion-compatible visual stimulations, suggesting a role in the analysis of both visual attributes of egomotion and somatomotor signals with the aim of guiding locomotion. However, whether these regions are able to integrate egomotion-related visual signals with somatomotor inputs coming from leg movements during heading changes remains an open question. Here we used a combined approach of individual functional localizers and task-evoked activity by fMRI. In thirty subjects we first localized three egomotion areas (CSv, pCi, PIC) and three somatomotor regions (S-I, hPE, hPEc). Then, we tested their responses in a multisensory integration experiment combining visual and somatomotor signals relevant to locomotion in congruent or incongruent trials. We used an fMR-adaptation paradigm to explore the sensitivity to the repeated presentation of these bimodal stimuli in the six regions of interest. Results revealed that hPE, S-I and CSv showed an adaptation effect regardless of congruency, while PIC, pCi and hPEc showed sensitivity to congruency. PIC exhibited a preference for congruent trials compared to incongruent trials. Areas pCi and hPEc exhibited an adaptation effect only for congruent and incongruent trials, respectively. PIC, pCi and hPEc sensitivity to the congruency relationship between visual (locomotion-compatible) cues and (leg-related) somatomotor inputs suggests that these regions are involved in multisensory integration processes, likely in order to guide/adjust leg movements during heading changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Di Marco
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy.
| | - Valentina Sulpizio
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Bellagamba
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy; Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ''Foro Italico'', Rome, Italy
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Gaspare Galati
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Markus Lappe
- Institute for Psychology, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany
| | - Teresa Maltempo
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy; Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ''Foro Italico'', Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Pitzalis
- Department of Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging, Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy; Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome ''Foro Italico'', Rome, Italy
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19
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Can the Stroop effect serve as the gold standard of conflict monitoring and control? A conceptual critique. Mem Cognit 2021; 50:883-897. [PMID: 34766252 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-021-01251-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The Stroop effect has been a key to the assay of selective attention since the time of the epoch-making study by J.R. Stroop almost a century ago. However, recent work based on computational modeling and recording of brain activations ignored the primary meaning of the Stroop effect as a measure of selectivity-with the Stroop test losing its raison d'être. Espousing the new framework, numerous studies in the past 20 years conceived performance in the Stroop task in terms of conflict-induced adjustments governed by central control on a trial-to-trial basis. In the face of this tsunami, we try to convince the reader that the Stroop effect cannot serve as a testing ground for conflict-monitoring and control, because these constructs are fundamentally unsuited to serve as a candidate theory of Stroop processes. A range of problems are discussed that singly and collectively pose grave doubts regarding the validity of a control and conflict monitoring account in the Stroop domain. We show how the key notion of conflict is misconstrued in conflict-monitoring models. Due to space limitations and for sake of wider accessibility, our treatment here cannot be technical.
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20
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Brunetti R, Indraccolo A, Del Gatto C, Farina B, Imperatori C, Fontana E, Penso J, Ardito RB, Adenzato M. eStroop: Implementation, Standardization, and Systematic Comparison of a New Voice-Key Version of the Traditional Stroop Task. Front Psychol 2021; 12:663786. [PMID: 34135821 PMCID: PMC8200406 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.663786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Stroop effect is a well-documented phenomenon, demonstrating both interference and facilitation effects. Many versions of the Stroop task were created, according to the purposes of its applications, varying in numerous aspects. While many versions are developed to investigate the mechanisms of the effect itself, the Stroop effect is also considered a general measure of attention, inhibitory control, and executive functions. In this paper, we implement "eStroop": a new digital version based on verbal responses, measuring the main processes involved in the traditional effect. eStroop features four categories of stimuli in four different colors: (1) geometrical shapes, (2) neutral words, (3) congruent words, and (4) incongruent words. The results of the administration to 307 University students confirm the Stroop effect and offer baseline data for future research and clinical testing. Direct comparisons with other recent versions of the task are discussed, offering insights into differences and similarities between different task variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Brunetti
- Department of Human Sciences, Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Allegra Indraccolo
- Department of Human Sciences, Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Del Gatto
- Department of Human Sciences, Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Benedetto Farina
- Department of Human Sciences, Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Imperatori
- Department of Human Sciences, Cognitive and Clinical Psychology Laboratory, Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Fontana
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Jacopo Penso
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Rita B. Ardito
- Department of Neuroscience “Rita Levi Montalcini,” University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Mauro Adenzato
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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21
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Kalantari S, Rounds JD, Kan J, Tripathi V, Cruz-Garza JG. Comparing physiological responses during cognitive tests in virtual environments vs. in identical real-world environments. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10227. [PMID: 33986337 PMCID: PMC8119471 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89297-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Immersive virtual environments (VEs) are increasingly used to evaluate human responses to design variables. VEs provide a tremendous capacity to isolate and readily adjust specific features of an architectural or product design. They also allow researchers to safely and effectively measure performance factors and physiological responses. However, the success of this form of design-testing depends on the generalizability of response measurements between VEs and real-world contexts. At the current time, there is very limited research evaluating the consistency of human response data across identical real and virtual environments. Rendering tools were used to precisely replicate a real-world classroom in virtual space. Participants were recruited and asked to complete a series of cognitive tests in the real classroom and in the virtual classroom. Physiological data were collected during these tests, including electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiography (ECG), electrooculography (EOG), galvanic skin response (GSR), and head acceleration. Participants’ accuracy on the cognitive tests did not significantly differ between the real classroom and the identical VE. However, the participants answered the tests more rapidly in the VE. No significant differences were found in eye blink rate and heart rate between the real and VR settings. Head acceleration and GSR variance were lower in the VE setting. Overall, EEG frequency band-power was not significantly altered between the real-world classroom and the VE. Analysis of EEG event-related potentials likewise indicated strong similarity between the real-world classroom and the VE, with a single exception related to executive functioning in a color-mismatch task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saleh Kalantari
- Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA.
| | - James D Rounds
- Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - Julia Kan
- Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - Vidushi Tripathi
- Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
| | - Jesus G Cruz-Garza
- Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, College of Human Ecology, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA.
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22
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Brockett AT, Roesch MR. Reactive and Proactive Adaptation of Cognitive and Motor Neural Signals during Performance of a Stop-Change Task. Brain Sci 2021; 11:617. [PMID: 34064876 PMCID: PMC8151620 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to inhibit or suppress unwanted or inappropriate actions, is an essential component of executive function and cognitive health. The immense selective pressure placed on maintaining inhibitory control processes is exemplified by the relatively small number of instances in which these systems completely fail in the average person's daily life. Although mistakes and errors do inevitably occur, inhibitory control systems not only ensure that this number is low, but have also adapted behavioral strategies to minimize future failures. The ability of our brains to adapt our behavior and appropriately engage proper motor responses is traditionally depicted as the primary domain of frontal brain areas, despite evidence to the fact that numerous other brain areas contribute. Using the stop-signal task as a common ground for comparison, we review a large body of literature investigating inhibitory control processes across frontal, temporal, and midbrain structures, focusing on our recent work in rodents, in an effort to understand how the brain biases action selection and adapts to the experience of conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam T. Brockett
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA;
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Matthew R. Roesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA;
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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23
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Anterior cingulate cortex and adaptive control of brain and behavior. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 158:283-309. [PMID: 33785148 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Research examining the functional underpinnings of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its relationship to cognitive control have been described as "perennially controversial" and a "Rorschach Test" for modern neuroscience. Although there is near universal agreement that ACC is important for the adaptation of behavior, debate, despite decades of work, stems from the exact manner in which ACC goes about doing this. This chapter provides a brief overview of the various past and present theoretical arguments and research surrounding ACC function, and highlights an emerging literature of single unit ACC recordings from several species that support these theories. We will finish the chapter by focusing on our work examining the firing of single neurons in rat dorsal medial striatum (DMS) and ACC, and examining DMS's dependency on ACC to accurately signal adaptive behavioral output. Ultimately, we will conclude that ACC carries a myriad of signals (error detection, reinforcement/feedback, value, response conflict, etc.) necessary for the modulation of attention and task-relevant/irrelevant signals so that difficult decisions can be made and action plans adapted when necessary.
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Littman R, Kalanthroff E. Control over task conflict in the stroop and affordances tasks: an individual differences study. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 85:2420-2427. [PMID: 32894341 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01411-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Task conflict is a type of conflict that emerges when a stimulus triggers two or more competing tasks. In the Stroop task, task conflict occurs between the relevant color-naming task and irrelevant word reading task and can be observed mainly on congruent trials, which only involve task conflict and are devoid of additional conflict types. We hypothesized that task conflict also manifests in the affordances task between the relevant task (e.g., classifying manipulatable objects), and the automatic task afforded by the object (e.g., grasping the object), and is mostly evident on congruent trials. Using an individual differences design we assessed the relationship between control mechanisms operating on Stroop congruent and affordances congruent trials under conditions of high and low cognitive control requirements. We hypothesized that task control is employed in both tasks. One-hundred and twenty-three participants performed an affordances task and two blocks of a Stroop task, each requiring a different level of task control (high vs. low). In a hierarchical regression model, we found a significant and specific correlation between affordances congruent and Stroop congruent conditions only in the high-control block, designed to greatly engage participants' task control, thus linking the task control mechanism in both tasks. These results indicate that task control underlies diverse modalities of response (visuomotor and linguistic), independently of other conflict types. We suggest that the affordances task may serve as a supplementary tool for the assessment of task control in the lab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Littman
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, Mt. Scopus, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Eyal Kalanthroff
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, Mt. Scopus, 91905, Jerusalem, Israel
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M J, M Z, J K, S A K, H S, N G. Brain Functional Mechanisms in Attentional Processing Following Modified Conflict Stroop Task. J Biomed Phys Eng 2020; 10:493-506. [PMID: 32802797 PMCID: PMC7416090 DOI: 10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.2003-1084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive control of brain regions can be determined by the tasks involving the cognitive control such as the color word Stroop task. Stroop task define the reduction in function in incongruent condition, which requires more attention and control of competitive responses. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity of brain using the Modified Conflict Stroop Task in Military Personnel. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this applied experimental study, to specify the activity of different regions of brain in response to conflict Persian color-word Stroop task, 20 healthy persons participated in this study. To evaluate selective attention, the traditional color-word Stroop Task Model was modified, and the Stroop test was designed in high- and low-threat zones. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate the brain activation during the Stroop task performance. The color-word Stroop task consists of incongruent, congruent, and neutral conditions, and the subjects were requested to carefully choose the correct answer. RESULTS The mean response time was longer in incongruent condition (867.6±193.5ms) compared to congruent and neutral conditions. Analysis of neuroimaging data revealed that the brain conflict-related regions are activated by the Stroop interference. In incongruent trial, the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) showed the most active and stronger BOLD responses. In congruent trials, the activation in the brain was less and had difference compared with incongruent trials. CONCLUSION Our result offers that the frontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex are sensitive to different trials of Persian Stroop task. Using modified Stroop task, we determined the brain responses to the selective attention test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jalalvandi M
- MSc, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, AJA University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - ZahediNiya M
- MD, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, AJA University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kargar J
- MD, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, AJA University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Karimi S A
- PhD, Neurophysiology Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
- PhD, Department of Neuroscience, School of Science and Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Sharini H
- PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran
- PhD, Health Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Goodarzi N
- PhD, Department of clinical phycology, School of Medicine, AJA University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
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Peskin N, Koren D, Gabay S. Subcortical neural tracks play an important role in executive function in schizophrenia: An experimental study among patients with schizophrenia and healthy comparisons. SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH-COGNITION 2020; 22:100185. [PMID: 32714847 PMCID: PMC7378687 DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2020.100185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The literature has long emphasized the involvement of cortical and subcortical networks in executive function impairments among patients with schizophrenia. However, previous studies have not examined the relative involvement of monocular (mostly subcortical) versus binocular (mostly cortical) neural tracks in patients' EF deficits. Patients with schizophrenia and healthy comparisons were administered a dichotic version of the Stroop task, in which eye-of-origin manipulation was employed to isolate the involvement of monocular (mostly subcortical; thalamic regions) versus binocular (mostly cortical; extrastriate cortex) visual pathways. The eye-of-origin manipulation, in which a color patch (e.g., a green patch) was presented to one eye, and a word (e.g., “RED”) to the other eye, enabled a split of the conflicting information between the two monocular channels. This results in the presentation of conflicting information to the higher cortical regions, but not to the lower subcortical structures. In the Stroop color task, when the monocular neural channels were not exposed to the conflicting information, the differences in task performance between the patients and the HCs significantly increased, and only the patients exhibited larger task conflict. When monocular neural channels were not exposed to the conflicting information, a robust dysfunction of the patients' group was observed. This abnormality might result from impairments in cortical regions or reduced computational power available for solving the conflict. However, additional studies that take into account the resolution of monocular and binocular neural channels are needed to enrich our understanding of the interplay between cortical and subcortical mechanisms in patients' EF deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Peskin
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel.,The Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Dan Koren
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel.,Psychiatry Division, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
| | - Shai Gabay
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel.,The Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
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Pichon S, Garibotto V, Wissmeyer M, Seimbille Y, Antico L, Ratib O, Vuilleumier P, Haller S, Picard F. Higher availability of α4β2 nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) in dorsal ACC is linked to more efficient interference control. Neuroimage 2020; 214:116729. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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Hershman R, Levin Y, Tzelgov J, Henik A. Neutral stimuli and pupillometric task conflict. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 85:1084-1092. [PMID: 32170401 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01311-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
It has been suggested that the interference in the Stroop task arises due to both information conflict (color vs. word meaning) and task conflict (respond to the color vs. read the word). Interestingly, the task conflict (faster responses in the congruent condition compared to the neutral condition) is influenced by the readability of the stimulus. However, behavioral results indicate the influence of the contribution of readability to the task conflict appears only when vocal responses are required. We conducted a Stroop experiment with four readability levels of neutrals. Participants were required to respond manually, and both their response times and pupil dilation were measured. Our results showed the slowest responses for incongruent trials and the fastest responses for congruent trials. However, no differences in responses were found between the readability levels of the neutrals. In contrast, pupil dilation showed the largest dilation in the incongruent trials and smallest dilation in the neutral trials. In addition, the differences between congruent and neutral trials were influenced by the readability of the stimulus. Specifically, unreadable neutral stimuli showed meaningful differences early on, which also remained for longer time compared with readable neutral stimuli. These results are important and can help in specifying new requirements regarding the theory and modeling of the Stroop task; in particular, studies that want to control the neutrality of their neutral trials should take the readability into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronen Hershman
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva, Israel. .,Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
| | - Yulia Levin
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Joseph Tzelgov
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva, Israel.,Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.,Achva Academic College, Arugot, Israel
| | - Avishai Henik
- Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.,Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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Abstract
Previous research has focused on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a key brain region in the mitigation of the competition that arises from two simultaneously active signals. However, to date, no study has demonstrated that ACC is necessary for this form of behavioral flexibility, nor have any studies shown that ACC acts by modulating downstream brain regions such as the dorsal medial striatum (DMS) that encode action plans necessary for task completion. Here, we performed unilateral excitotoxic lesions of ACC while recording downstream from the ipsilateral hemisphere of DMS in rats, performing a variant of the STOP-signal task. We show that on STOP trials lesioned rats perform worse, in part due to the failure of timely directional action plans to emerge in the DMS, as well as the overrepresentation of the to-be-inhibited behavior. Collectively, our findings suggest that ACC is necessary for the mitigation of competing inputs and validates many of the existing theoretical predictions for the role of ACC in cognitive control.
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30
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Conway CM, Eghbalzad L, Deocampo JA, Smith GNL, Na S, King TZ. Distinct neural networks for detecting violations of adjacent versus nonadjacent sequential dependencies: An fMRI study. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 169:107175. [PMID: 32018026 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to learn and process sequential dependencies is essential for language acquisition and other cognitive domains. Recent studies suggest that the learning of adjacent (e.g., "A-B") versus nonadjacent (e.g., "A-X-B") dependencies have different cognitive demands, but the neural correlates accompanying such processing are currently underspecified. We developed a sequential learning task in which sequences of printed nonsense syllables containing both adjacent and nonadjacent dependencies were presented. After incidentally learning these grammatical sequences, twenty-one healthy adults (age M = 22.1, 12 females) made familiarity judgments about novel grammatical sequences and ungrammatical sequences containing violations of the adjacent or nonadjacent structure while in a 3T MRI scanner. Violations of adjacent dependencies were associated with increased BOLD activation in both posterior (lateral occipital and angular gyrus) as well as frontal regions (e.g., medial frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus). Initial results indicated no regions showing significant BOLD activations for the violations of nonadjacent dependencies. However, when using a less stringent cluster threshold, exploratory analyses revealed that violations of nonadjacent dependencies were associated with increased activation in subcallosal cortex, paracingulate cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Finally, when directly comparing the adjacent condition to the nonadjacent condition, we found significantly greater levels of activation for the right superior lateral occipital cortex (BA 19) for the adjacent relative to nonadjacent condition. In sum, the detection of violations of adjacent and nonadjacent dependencies appear to involve distinct neural networks, with perceptual brain regions mediating the processing of adjacent but not nonadjacent dependencies. These results are consistent with recent proposals that statistical-sequential learning is not a unified construct but depends on the interaction of multiple neurocognitive mechanisms acting together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Conway
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Center for Childhood Deafness, Language, and Learning, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE, USA(1).
| | - Leyla Eghbalzad
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joanne A Deocampo
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Sabrina Na
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tricia Z King
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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31
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Caldani S, Isel F, Septier M, Acquaviva E, Delorme R, Bucci MP. Impairment in Attention Focus During the Posner Cognitive Task in Children With ADHD: An Eye Tracker Study. Front Pediatr 2020; 8:484. [PMID: 32984203 PMCID: PMC7492658 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2020.00484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention is a major cognitive function that allows the individuals to focus selectively on a discrete stimulus while ignoring others. Visual information could be driven endogenously, when the goals or desires are voluntary, or exogenously, in response to salient visual events in the environment. Since subjects with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show heightened distractibility during activities that require significant attentional engagement, we hypothesized that they may be more severely impaired in their ability to perform endogenous tasks than controls. To elicit endogenous and exogenous shifts of attention, we thus used a modified version of Posner's cueing task. We compared oculomotor performance measured by an eye tracker in a group of 31 children with ADHD (mean age = 9.1 ± 1.3 years) and age-, sex-, and IQ-matched typically developing children. Endogenous and exogenous conditions were explored in three distinct visual sub-conditions (valid, invalid, and neutral). We found that children with ADHD showed longer latency during endogenous conditions compared to TD children in invalid sub-conditions. They also performed more errors than controls, during the endogenous task in neutral sub-conditions and during exogenous task in neutral and invalid sub-conditions. Our study suggests that children with ADHD may allocate their attention resource toward the detection of exogenous targets with a deficit in their ability to perform endogenous task. We suggest also that they have a difficulty in the engagement of the inhibitory control system particularly during voluntary saccade performance. This could result from impaired interactions between the ventral and dorsal attention networks as well as in the frontal eye field, although neuroimaging studies are necessary to validate this hypothesis in the ADHD population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Caldani
- UMR 7114 MoDyCo, CNRS-Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France.,EFEE-Centre d'exploration fonctionnelle de l'équilibre chez l'enfant, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Frederic Isel
- UMR 7114 MoDyCo, CNRS-Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France
| | - Mathilde Septier
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Eric Acquaviva
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Richard Delorme
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France.,Paris University, Paris, France.,Human and Genetic Functions, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Maria Pia Bucci
- UMR 7114 MoDyCo, CNRS-Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre, France.,EFEE-Centre d'exploration fonctionnelle de l'équilibre chez l'enfant, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
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32
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Bartoli E, Conner CR, Kadipasaoglu CM, Yellapantula S, Rollo MJ, Carter CS, Tandon N. Temporal Dynamics of Human Frontal and Cingulate Neural Activity During Conflict and Cognitive Control. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:3842-3856. [PMID: 29028974 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive control refers to the ability to produce flexible, goal-oriented behavior in the face of changing task demands and conflicting response tendencies. A classic cognitive control experiment is the Stroop-color naming task, which requires participants to name the color in which a word is written while inhibiting the tendency to read the word. By comparing stimuli with conflicting word-color associations to congruent ones, control processes over response tendencies can be isolated. We assessed the spatial specificity and temporal dynamics in the theta and gamma bands for regions engaged in detecting and resolving conflict in a cohort of 13 patients using a combination of high-resolution surface and depth recordings. We show that cognitive control manifests as a sustained increase in gamma band power, which correlates with response time. Conflict elicits a sustained gamma power increase but a transient theta power increase, specifically localized to the left cingulate sulcus and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Additionally, activity in DLPFC is affected by trial-by-trial modulation of cognitive control (the Gratton effect). Altogether, the sustained local neural activity in dorsolateral and medial regions is what determines the timing of the correct response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Bartoli
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christopher R Conner
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA
| | - Cihan M Kadipasaoglu
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sudha Yellapantula
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Matthew J Rollo
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA
| | - Cameron S Carter
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Nitin Tandon
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA
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Hara S, Hori M, Murata S, Ueda R, Tanaka Y, Inaji M, Maehara T, Aoki S, Nariai T. Microstructural Damage in Normal-Appearing Brain Parenchyma and Neurocognitive Dysfunction in Adult Moyamoya Disease. Stroke 2019; 49:2504-2507. [PMID: 30355113 DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.118.022367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background and Purpose -Microstructural damage in the brain induced by chronic ischemia is suggested to play a pivotal role in the neurocognitive dysfunction of adults with Moyamoya disease (MMD). We investigated specific changes in the brain microstructure and their correlations with neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with MMD using a multishell diffusion magnetic resonance imaging technique called neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging. Methods- We evaluated 26 patients with MMD (16-63 years old, 20 females) and 20 age- and sex-matched normal volunteers using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging and neuropsychological batteries. Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging calculates 2 parameters: the intracellular volume fraction (Vic), which reflects the axon density in the white matter and dendrite density in the cortex, and the orientation dispersion index (OD), which reflects the network complexity. The microstructural damage and its correlation with neurocognitive performance were evaluated by performing a whole-brain analysis using SPM12 and correlation analysis with regional values. Results- Patients with MMD had significantly lower Vic in the white matter and a lower OD mainly in the cortex than those of the controls ( P<0.001, family-wise error corrected). Of all neuropsychological scores, Processing Speed Index (PS) exhibited the strongest correlation with Vic in the white matter ( P<0.001, family-wise error corrected). The Vic and OD values for regions with group differences, including both temporoparietal and frontal areas, correlated with neurocognitive performance (absolute r=0.37-0.64; P<0.01). Conclusions- Chronic ischemia in MMD may decrease the axon density in the white matter and dendrite density in the cortex (Vic) and simplify network complexity (OD), leading to neurocognitive dysfunction. Processing Speed Index may be the most sensitive index used to evaluate the ischemic burden, and the posterior part of the brain may play an important role in neurocognitive function. Clinical Trial Registration- URL: http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/ . Unique identifier: UMIN000023082.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoko Hara
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan (S.H., Y.T, M.I., T.M., and T.N.).,Department of Radiology, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan (S.H., M.H., S.M., R.U., and S.A.)
| | - Masaaki Hori
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan (S.H., M.H., S.M., R.U., and S.A.)
| | - Syo Murata
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan (S.H., M.H., S.M., R.U., and S.A.)
| | - Ryo Ueda
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan (S.H., M.H., S.M., R.U., and S.A.).,Department of Radiological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan (R.U.)
| | - Yoji Tanaka
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan (S.H., Y.T, M.I., T.M., and T.N.)
| | - Motoki Inaji
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan (S.H., Y.T, M.I., T.M., and T.N.)
| | - Taketoshi Maehara
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan (S.H., Y.T, M.I., T.M., and T.N.)
| | - Shigeki Aoki
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan (S.H., M.H., S.M., R.U., and S.A.)
| | - Tadashi Nariai
- From the Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan (S.H., Y.T, M.I., T.M., and T.N.)
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Ménétré E, Laganaro M. Attentional Reorientation and Inhibition Adjustment in a Verbal Stroop Task: A Lifespan Approach to Interference and Sequential Congruency Effect. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2028. [PMID: 31551876 PMCID: PMC6743350 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Several parameters influence the interference effect elicited in a Stroop task, especially contextual information. Contextual effects in the Stroop paradigms are known as the Gratton or Sequential congruency effect (SCE). This research aims at isolating two processes contributing to the SCE in a Stroop paradigm, namely attentional reorientation from the color to the word and vice-versa, as well as inhibition (engagement/disengagement from one trial to the next one). To this end, in Study 1 subprocesses of the SCE were isolated. Specifically, attentional reorientation and inhibition were segregated by submitting young adults to a discrete verbal Stroop task including neutral trials. In Study 2, the same procedure was applied to 124 participants aged from 10 to 80 years old to analyze how interference, SCE, and the aforementioned decomposition of attention and inhibition change across the lifespan. In both studies, the Gratton effect was only partially replicated, while both attentional reorientation and inhibition effects were observed, supporting the idea that these two processes contribute to SCE on top of conflict monitoring and of other processes highlighted in different theories (contingency learning, feature integration, and repetition expectancy). Finally, the classical age-related evolution was replicated in Study 2 on raw interference scores, but no age effect was observed when processing speed was taken into account, nor on the isolated attentional reorientation and inhibition processes, which is in line with the hypothesis of stability of the inhibition processes over age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Ménétré
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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35
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Abstract
The Stroop task gives rise to two major conflicts: the task conflict (respond to the color vs. read the word) and the information conflict that can result from the stimulus-response compatibility (SRC; difference between two responses) or from the stimulus-stimulus compatibility (SSC; difference between the two contradictive pieces of information). We conducted a two-to-one Stroop experiment (i.e., two colors are mapped to one response key) and measured reaction time and pupil dilation. The results showed clear evidence for informational conflict composed of both the SRC and SSC. In addition, pupil indications for task conflict appeared earlier than indications for both the SSC and the SRC, in line with the theory regarding task conflict.
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36
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Littman R, Keha E, Kalanthroff E. Task Conflict and Task Control: A Mini-Review. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1598. [PMID: 31379659 PMCID: PMC6650768 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Stimulus-driven behaviors are triggered by the specific stimuli with which they are associated. For example, words elicit automatic reading behavior. When stimulus-driven behaviors are incongruent with one’s current goals, task conflict can emerge, requiring the activation of a task control mechanism. The Stroop task induces task conflict by asking participants to focus on color naming and ignore the automatic, stimulus-driven, irrelevant word reading task. Thus, task conflict manifests in Stroop incongruent as well as in congruent trials. Previous studies demonstrated that when task control fails, reaction times in congruent trials slow down, leading to a reversed facilitation effect. In the present mini-review, we review the literature on the manifestation of task conflict and the recruitment of task control in the Stroop task and present the physiological and behavioral signatures of task control and task conflict. We then suggest that the notion of task conflict is strongly related to the concept of stimulus-driven behaviors and present examples for the manifestation of stimulus-driven task conflict in the Stroop task and additional tasks, including object-interference and affordances tasks. The reviewed literature supports the illustration of task conflict as a specific type of conflict, which is different from other conflict types and may manifest in different tasks and under diverse modalities of response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Littman
- The Clinical Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Eldad Keha
- The Clinical Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Psychology, Achva Academic College, Arugot, Israel
| | - Eyal Kalanthroff
- The Clinical Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Abstract
Episodic memory deficits are consistently documented as a core aspect of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia patients, present from the onset of the illness and strongly associated with functional disability. Over the past decade, research using approaches from experimental cognitive neuroscience revealed disproportionate episodic memory impairments in schizophrenia (Sz) under high cognitive demand relational encoding conditions and relatively unimpaired performance under item-specific encoding conditions. These specific deficits in component processes of episodic memory reflect impaired activation and connectivity within specific elements of frontal-medial temporal lobe circuits, with a central role for the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), relatively intact function of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and variable results in the hippocampus. We propose that memory deficits can be understood within the broader context of cognitive deficits in Sz, where impaired DLPFC-related cognitive control has a broad impact across multiple cognitive domains. The therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- JY Guo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Imaging Research Center, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States,Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - JD Ragland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Imaging Research Center, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - CS Carter
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Imaging Research Center, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States,Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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Ziaei M, Togha M, Rahimian E, Persson J. The Causal Role of Right Frontopolar Cortex in Moral Judgment, Negative Emotion Induction, and Executive Control. Basic Clin Neurosci 2019; 10:37-48. [PMID: 31031892 PMCID: PMC6484187 DOI: 10.32598/bcn.9.10.225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Revised: 08/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Converging evidence suggests that both emotional and cognitive processes are critically involved in moral judgment, and may be mediated by discrete parts of the prefrontal cortex. The current study aimed at investigating the mediatory effect of right Frontopolar Cortex (rFPC) on the way that emotions affect moral judgments. Methods: Six adult patients affected by rFPC and 10 healthy controls were included in the study. Participants made judgements on moral dilemmas after being shown either neutral or emotional pictures. The role of rFPC in executive control and emotional experience was also examined. Results: The study results showed that inducing an emotional state increased the number of utilitarian responses both in the patients and controls. However, no significant differences were observed between the patients and controls in response time or the number of utilitarian responses. Also, no significant differences were observed in personal and impersonal dilemmas before and after the emotion induction in intergroup comparisons. Results of the executive control tasks showed reduced performance in patients affected by rFPC compared with the controls. Conclusion: The results of the current study suggested that rFPC might not have a direct role in mediating emotional processes during moral judgments, but possibly this region is important in a network supporting executive control functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Ziaei
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.,School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Mansoureh Togha
- Department of Headache, Iranian Center of Neurological Research, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Jonas Persson
- Aging Research Center (ARC), Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Don't believe everything you hear: Routine validation of audiovisual information in children and adults. Mem Cognit 2019; 46:849-863. [PMID: 29623534 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-018-0807-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has shown that the validation of incoming information during language comprehension is a fast, efficient, and routine process (epistemic monitoring). Previous research on this topic has focused on epistemic monitoring during reading. The present study extended this research by investigating epistemic monitoring of audiovisual information. In a Stroop-like paradigm, participants (Experiment 1: adults; Experiment 2: 10-year-old children) responded to the probe words correct and false by keypress after the presentation of auditory assertions that could be either true or false with respect to concurrently presented pictures. Results provide evidence for routine validation of audiovisual information. Moreover, the results show a stronger and more stable interference effect for children compared with adults.
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40
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Effects of age, sex, and puberty on neural efficiency of cognitive and motor control in adolescents. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 14:1089-1107. [PMID: 30903550 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00075-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Critical changes in adolescence involve brain cognitive maturation of inhibitory control processes that are essential for a myriad of adult functions. Cognitive control advances into adulthood as there is more flexible integration of component processes, including inhibitory control of conflicting information, overwriting inappropriate response tendencies, and amplifying relevant responses for accurate execution. Using a modified Stroop task with fMRI, we investigated the effects of age, sex, and puberty on brain functional correlates of cognitive and motor control in 87 boys and 91 girls across the adolescent age range. Results revealed dissociable brain systems for cognitive and motor control processes, whereby adolescents flexibly adapted neural responses to control demands. Specifically, when response repetitions facilitated planning-based action selection, frontoparietal-insular regions associated with cognitive control operations were less activated, whereas cortical-pallidal-cerebellar motor regions associated with motor skill acquisition, were more activated. Attenuated middle cingulate cortex activation occurred with older adolescent age for both motor control and cognitive control with automaticity from repetition learning. Sexual dimorphism for control operations occurred in extrastriate cortices involved in visuo-attentional selection: While boys enhanced extrastriate selection processes for motor control, girls activated these regions more for cognitive control. These sex differences were attenuated with more advanced pubertal stage. Together, our findings show that brain cognitive and motor control processes are segregated, demand-specific, more efficient in older adolescents, and differ between sexes relative to pubertal development. Our findings advance our understanding of how distributed brain activity and the neurodevelopment of automaticity enhances cognitive and motor control ability in adolescence.
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41
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Ruggeri P, Meziane HB, Koenig T, Brandner C. A fine-grained time course investigation of brain dynamics during conflict monitoring. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3667. [PMID: 30842528 PMCID: PMC6403345 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40277-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The conflict monitoring model predicting higher anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) neuronal activity on incongruent trials has been recently challenged by a model predicting longer neuronal activity in incongruent trials characterized by longer RTs. To clarify this issue, brain dynamics were explored through event-related-potential (ERP) recordings during a Stroop task. We assessed differences between experimental conditions by combining complementary methods sensitive to the temporality of events including microstate, TANOVA and source localization analysis. The analysis demonstrated the same electrical dynamics only differed in duration towards the end of information processing in the incongruent condition. Specifically, the activation strength of the ACC region did not differ significantly between congruent and incongruent conditions but lasted longer in the incongruent condition. Taken together, our results support the model predicting longer neuronal activity in incongruent trials characterized by longer RTs. They highlight that brain dynamics can dramatically change through periods of interest and that caution is required when interpreting fMRI results. To conclude, these results indicate how time-sensitive measures can contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying information processing, and thus offer new venues to explore conflict monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Ruggeri
- Brain Electrophysiology Attention Movement Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Hadj Boumediene Meziane
- Brain Electrophysiology Attention Movement Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Koenig
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Brandner
- Brain Electrophysiology Attention Movement Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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42
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Adeli E, Zahr NM, Pfefferbaum A, Sullivan EV, Pohl KM. Novel Machine Learning Identifies Brain Patterns Distinguishing Diagnostic Membership of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Alcoholism, and Their Comorbidity of Individuals. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 4:589-599. [PMID: 30982583 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The incidence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is twice that of the rest of the population. This study documents complex radiologically identified, neuroanatomical effects of AUD+HIV comorbidity by identifying structural brain systems that predicted diagnosis on an individual basis. Applying novel machine learning analysis to 549 participants (199 control subjects, 222 with AUD, 68 with HIV, 60 with AUD+HIV), 298 magnetic resonance imaging brain measurements were automatically reduced to small subsets per group. Significance of each diagnostic pattern was inferred from its accuracy in predicting diagnosis and performance on six cognitive measures. While all three diagnostic patterns predicted the learning and memory score, the AUD+HIV pattern was the largest and had the highest predication accuracy (78.1%). Providing a roadmap for analyzing large, multimodal datasets, the machine learning analysis revealed imaging phenotypes that predicted diagnostic membership of magnetic resonance imaging scans of individuals with AUD, HIV, and their comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Adeli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Natalie M Zahr
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Center for Biomedical Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Adolf Pfefferbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Center for Biomedical Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Edith V Sullivan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Kilian M Pohl
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California; Center for Biomedical Sciences, SRI International, Menlo Park, California.
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43
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Patsalos OC, Thoma V. Water supplementation after dehydration improves judgment and decision-making performance. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2019; 84:1223-1234. [PMID: 30666412 PMCID: PMC7271046 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-018-1136-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has shown that dehydration and water supplementation affect mood and cognitive performance in both adults and children on a variety of tasks that assess memory, attention, executive function, and speeded responses. Given the varied effects of water on cognition, this study explored potential effects of water supplementation, hydration status, and thirst on thinking and decision-making tasks. 29 adult participants undertook a battery of cognitive tests on two separate occasions after having fasted from the previous night. On one occasion, they were offered 500 ml of water to drink prior to testing. Measures of urine osmolality confirmed the group-level effectiveness of the dehydration manipulation. Water supplementation was found to improve performance on tasks measuring cognitive reflection in judgement and decision-making. This increase in performance was associated with differences in tasks implicated in inhibition processes. Drinking water after a 12-h dehydration period increased performance in judgement and decision-making tasks, and this was not explained by differences in subjective thirst or attentiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia C Patsalos
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College London, London, SE5 8AZ, UK.
| | - Volker Thoma
- University of East London, Stratford Campus, Water Lane, London, E15 4LZ, UK
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44
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Banich MT, Smolker HR, Snyder HR, Lewis-Peacock JA, Godinez DA, Wager TD, Hankin BL. Turning down the heat: Neural mechanisms of cognitive control for inhibiting task-irrelevant emotional information during adolescence. Neuropsychologia 2019; 125:93-108. [PMID: 30615898 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
One major question in the cognitive neuroscience of cognitive control is whether prefrontal regions contribute to control by upregulating the processing of task-relevant material or by downregulating the processing of task-irrelevant material. Here we take a unique approach to addressing this question by using multi-voxel pattern analysis, which allowed us to determine the degree to which each of the task-relevant and task-irrelevant dimensions of a stimulus are being processed in posterior cortex on a trial-by-trial basis. In our study, adolescent participants performed an emotion word - emotional face Stroop task requiring them to determine the emotional valence (positive, negative) of a task-relevant word in the context of a task-irrelevant emotional face. Using mediation models, we determined whether activation of a major cognitive control region, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), influences reaction time on a trial-by-trial basis directly or if it does so indirectly by modulating processing of the task-relevant and/or task-irrelevant information in posterior brain regions. To examine the specificity of the effects observed for the DLPFC, similar analyses were performed for the amygdala, a brain region involved in processing of the salient task-irrelevant emotional information. For both congruent and incongruent trials, increased DLPFC activity on a given trial was associated with reduced perceptual processing of the task-irrelevant face, consistent with the idea that top-down cognitive control can modulate processing of task-irrelevant information. No effect of DLPFC activity was observed on processing of the task-relevant word. However, increased processing of the task-relevant word was associated with longer RT on congruent trials but not incongruent trials, which may reflect a need for greater processing of the task-relevant word to overcome any influence of the pre-potent task-irrelevant face. In a more exploratory aspect of our investigation, multi-level moderated mediation models were used to examine the influence of individual differences on the observed brain-behavior relationships. For congruent trials, the influence of task-irrelevant face processing on RT was decreased in individuals with higher self-reported Executive Control and increased in those with higher levels of self-reported Negative Affect. These results suggest that cognitive control regions in prefrontal cortex during adolescence can suppress the processing of task-irrelevant information in sensory cortex to influence performance (RT). The processing of task-relevant information may also influence performance, but such processing did not reveal evidence of being modulated by cognitive control regions. Moreover, these effects are sensitive to individual differences in the self-reported ability to exert cognitive and affective control. As such, we provide insights into the more precise mechanisms by which cognitive control influences task performance on a trial-by-trial basis during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie T Banich
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, United States.
| | - Harry R Smolker
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
| | - Hannah R Snyder
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02453, United States
| | - Jarrod A Lewis-Peacock
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States
| | - Detre A Godinez
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208, United States
| | - Tor D Wager
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, United States; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
| | - Benajmin L Hankin
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, United States
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45
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Basso JC, McHale A, Ende V, Oberlin DJ, Suzuki WA. Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators. Behav Brain Res 2019; 356:208-220. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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46
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Kowal M, Toth AJ, Exton C, Campbell MJ. Different cognitive abilities displayed by action video gamers and non-gamers. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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47
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Shichel I, Tzelgov J. Modulation of conflicts in the Stroop effect. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2018; 189:93-102. [PMID: 29078981 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the unique contribution of task conflict, semantic conflict and response conflict to the Stroop effect and to test how these conflicts are modulated by manipulating the proportion of neutral trials, known to affect the magnitude of the Stroop effect. In the first experiment, we employed the two-to-one paradigm (De Houwer, 2003) while adding neutral illegible stimuli, and in the second experiment, we employed two colors and four word colors. In both experiments, we created four congruency conditions (neutral, congruent and two kind of incongruent conditions-those that include response conflict and those that do not), which allowed decomposing the Stroop effect into three orthogonal conflicts. In both experiments, we also manipulated the proportion of neutral trials. Task conflict was defined by the contrast between illegible neutrals and color words, semantic conflict by the contrast between congruent and incongruent stimuli, and response conflict by contrasting the two kinds of incongruent stimuli. Our results showed that all conflicts contributed to the Stroop effect. Task conflict and semantic conflict were modulated by the proportion of neutrals but response conflict was not. These findings imply that task conflict and semantic conflict are part of the control loop of the Stroop effect, as conceptualized by Botvinick et al.'s (2001) conflict monitoring model. There is no clear evidence of the response conflict being part of the loop. To complete the picture, we also analyzed the conflicts in the Stroop task using the traditional dependent contrasts approach and found the basic pattern of results was similar. Thus, the main advantage of the orthogonal comparisons approach is the possibility to estimate the unique contribution of the conflicts contributing to the Stroop effect and their modulation of the Stroop phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Shichel
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel.
| | - Joseph Tzelgov
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Arugot 79800, Israel; Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel; Department of Psychology, Achva Academic College, Arugot 79800, Israel
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48
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Last BS, Lawson GM, Breiner K, Steinberg L, Farah MJ. Childhood socioeconomic status and executive function in childhood and beyond. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202964. [PMID: 30142188 PMCID: PMC6108482 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES) predicts health, wellbeing, and cognitive ability, including executive function (EF). A body of recent work has shown that childhood SES is positively related to EF, but it is not known whether this disparity grows, diminishes or holds steady over development, from childhood through adulthood. We examined the association between childhood SES and EF in a sample ranging from 9–25 years of age, with six canonical EF tasks. Analyzing all of the tasks together and in functionally defined groups, we found positive relations between SES and EF, and the relations did not vary by age. Analyzing the tasks separately, SES was positively associated with performance in some but not all EF measures, depending on the covariates used, again without varying by age. These results add to a growing body of evidence that childhood SES is associated with EF abilities, and contribute novel evidence concerning the persistence of this association into early adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana S. Last
- Department of Psychology, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Gwen M. Lawson
- Department of Psychology, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Kaitlyn Breiner
- Department of Psychology, The University of California—Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Laurence Steinberg
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Martha J. Farah
- Department of Psychology, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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49
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Iancheva D, Trenova AG, Terziyski K, Kandilarova S, Mantarova S. Translational validity of PASAT and the effect of fatigue and mood in patients with relapsing remitting MS: A functional MRI study. J Eval Clin Pract 2018; 24:832-838. [PMID: 29611255 DOI: 10.1111/jep.12913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) is used for assessment of information processing speed, attention, and working memory, which are the most frequently affected cognitive domains in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and may be significantly affected by fatigue. However, the effect of fatigue and mood on the PASAT performance in MS patients translationally validated by fMRI has not been studied yet. The aim of this study is to investigate the translational validity of the PASAT, using fMRI during a paced visual serial addition test (PVSAT) paradigm in patients with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) and to assess the impact of fatigue and mood on test performance. METHODS Fourteen patients with RRMS in remission and 14 healthy controls, matched by sex, age, and educational status, were enrolled in the study. The subjects underwent a standard neurological examination, neuropsychological evaluation with the PASAT 3', fMRI scanning with a PVSAT paradigm, and Beck Depression Inventory. All patients were assessed by the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale. RESULTS Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test score was lower in patients (41.4 ± 15.5 vs 51.6 ± 7.5, P = .035). A moderate negative correlation (P = -0.563, P = 0.036) was found between PASAT and MIFS scores. The fMRI scanning showed significant activations in several clusters that differed between patients and controls. The patient group presented wider cluster activation; Brodmann area (BA) 6-bilaterally; left BA7, 8, and 9; and right BA40, while controls presented with activations in left BA6 and BA44. Significant negative correlations between PASAT score and cortical activations in left BA23, right BA32, and left BA7 were observed in patients only. CONCLUSION Our results show that poorer performance on the PASAT is associated with higher activation in areas connected with working memory, attention, and emotional processes during the fMRI assessment with PVSAT paradigm, which provides evidence for the translational validity of the PASAT in patients with RRMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dessislava Iancheva
- Department of Neurology, Medical University Plovdiv, bul. Vasil Aprilov 15a, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Anastasiya G Trenova
- Department of Neurology, Medical University Plovdiv, bul. Vasil Aprilov 15a, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Kiril Terziyski
- Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University Plovdiv, bul. Vasil Aprilov 15a, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Sevdalina Kandilarova
- Research Center for Translational Neuroscience, Medical University Plovdiv, bul. Vasil Aprilov 15a, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.,Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Medical University Plovdiv, bul. Vasil Aprilov 15a, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Stefka Mantarova
- Department of Neurology, Medical University Plovdiv, bul. Vasil Aprilov 15a, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.,Military Medical Academy-MHAT Plovdiv, Sofia, Bulgaria
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50
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Talanow T, Ettinger U. Effects of task repetition but no transfer of inhibitory control training in healthy adults. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2018; 187:37-53. [PMID: 29772392 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2018.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Executive functions (EFs) comprise the updating, shifting and inhibition dimensions. According to the Unity and Diversity Model, the inhibition dimension is fully accounted for by a general EFs factor. This suggests that training of inhibition should transfer, in part, to updating and shifting. Therefore, we tested the effectiveness of a three-week inhibition training (high-conflict Stroop task) and explored near transfer effects to an untrained inhibition task (antisaccade task) and far transfer effects to untrained tasks demanding task-set shifting (number-letter-task), working memory updating (n-back task) and planning abilities (Stockings of Cambridge task). We employed a randomized pretest/treatment/posttest study design in n = 102 healthy young adults, assigned to an intensive Stroop training (n = 38), an active control condition (n = 34) or no training intervention (n = 30). In the Stroop training group, Stroop performance improved with practice, while performance in the active control group remained unchanged. The Stroop training group showed improvements in overall Stroop task performance from pretest to posttest, but we observed neither near nor far transfer effects. Additionally, specifically stronger gains on incongruent Stroop trials compared to congruent trials were observed in the Stroop training group when color bar trials were excluded from the pretest-posttest-analysis. Generally, there were substantial improvements from pretest to posttest independent of training condition in all transfer tasks. In sum, our data do not support the existence of transfer effects from inhibition training in healthy young adults.
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