1
|
Di X, Biswal BB. Principal component analysis reveals multiple consistent responses to naturalistic stimuli in children and adults. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:3332-3345. [PMID: 35586919 PMCID: PMC9248318 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional MRI (fMRI) study of naturalistic conditions, for example, movie watching, usually focuses on shared responses across subjects. However, individual differences have been attracting increasing attention in search of group differences or associations with behavioral outcomes. Individual differences are typically studied by directly modeling the pair‐wise intersubject correlation matrix or projecting the relations onto a single dimension. We contend that it is critical to examine whether there are one or more consistent responses underlying the whole sample, because multiple components, if exist, may undermine the intersubject relations using the previous methods. We propose to use principal component analysis (PCA) to examine the heterogeneity of brain responses across subjects and project the individual variability into higher dimensions. By analyzing an fMRI dataset of children and adults watching a cartoon movie, we showed evidence of two consistent responses in the supramarginal gyrus and other regions. While the first components in many regions represented a response pattern mostly in older children and adults, the second components mainly represented the younger children. The second components in the supramarginal network resembled a delayed version of the first PCs for 4 s (2 TR), indicating slower responses in the younger children than the older children and adults. The analyses highlight the importance of identifying multiple consistent responses in responses to naturalistic stimuli. This PCA‐based approach could be complementary to the commonly used intersubject correlation to analyze movie‐watching data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Di
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Bharat B Biswal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Movies and narratives as naturalistic stimuli in neuroimaging. Neuroimage 2020; 224:117445. [PMID: 33059053 PMCID: PMC7805386 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Using movies and narratives as naturalistic stimuli in human neuroimaging studies has yielded significant advances in understanding of cognitive and emotional functions. The relevant literature was reviewed, with emphasis on how the use of naturalistic stimuli has helped advance scientific understanding of human memory, attention, language, emotions, and social cognition in ways that would have been difficult otherwise. These advances include discovering a cortical hierarchy of temporal receptive windows, which supports processing of dynamic information that accumulates over several time scales, such as immediate reactions vs. slowly emerging patterns in social interactions. Naturalistic stimuli have also helped elucidate how the hippocampus supports segmentation and memorization of events in day-to-day life and have afforded insights into attentional brain mechanisms underlying our ability to adopt specific perspectives during natural viewing. Further, neuroimaging studies with naturalistic stimuli have revealed the role of the default-mode network in narrative-processing and in social cognition. Finally, by robustly eliciting genuine emotions, these stimuli have helped elucidate the brain basis of both basic and social emotions apparently manifested as highly overlapping yet distinguishable patterns of brain activity.
Collapse
|
3
|
Boasen J, Giroux F, Duchesneau MO, Sénécal S, Léger PM, Ménard JF. High-fidelity vibrokinetic stimulation induces sustained changes in intercortical coherence during a cinematic experience. J Neural Eng 2020; 17:046046. [PMID: 32756020 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/abaca2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE High-fidelity vibrokinetic (HFVK) technology is widely used to enhance the immersiveness of audiovisual (AV) entertainment experiences. However, despite evidence that HFVK technology does subjectively enhance AV immersion, the underlying mechanism has not been clarified. Neurophysiological studies could provide important evidence to illuminate this mechanism, thereby benefiting HFVK stimulus design, and facilitating expansion of HFVK technology. APPROACH We conducted a between-subjects (VK, N = 11; Control, N = 9) exploratory study to measure the effect of HFVK stimulation through an HFVK seat on electroencephalographic cortical activity during an AV cinematic experience. Subjective appreciation of the experience was assessed and incorporated into statistical models exploring the effects of HFVK stimulation across cortical brain areas. We separately analyzed alpha-band (8-12 Hz) and theta-band (5-7 Hz) activities as indices of engagement and sensory processing, respectively. We also performed theta-band (5-7 Hz) coherence analyses using cortical seed areas identified from the theta activity analysis. MAIN RESULTS The right fusiform gyrus, inferiotemporal gyrus, and supramarginal gyrus, known for emotion, AV-spatial, and vestibular processing, were identified as seeds from theta analyses. Coherence from these areas was uniformly enhanced in HFVK subjects in right motor areas, albeit predominantly in those who were appreciative. Meanwhile, compared to control subjects, HFVK subjects exhibited uniform interhemispheric decoherence with the left insula, which is important for self-processing. SIGNIFICANCE The results collectively point to sustained decoherence between sensory and self-processing as a possible mechanism for how HFVK increases immersion, and that coordination of emotional, spatial, and vestibular processing hubs with the motor system may be required for appreciation of the HFVK-enhanced experience. Overall, this study offers the first ever demonstration that HFVK stimulation has a real and sustained effect on brain activity during a cinematic experience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Boasen
- Tech3Lab, HEC Montréal, Montréal, Canada. Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Li H, Liu T, Woolley JD, Zhang P. Reality Status Judgments of Real and Fantastical Events in Children's Prefrontal Cortex: An fNIRS Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:444. [PMID: 31992977 PMCID: PMC6933013 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to examine neural mechanisms underlying the ability to differentiate reality from fantasy. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we measured prefrontal activations in children and adults while they performed a reality judgment task. Participants’ task was to judge the reality status of events in fantastical and realistic videos. Behavioral data revealed that, although there was no accuracy difference, children showed significantly longer reaction times in making the judgments than did adults. The fNIRS data consistently revealed higher prefrontal activations in children than in adults when watching the videos and judging the reality of the events. These results suggest that when making judgments of event reality, children may require more cognitive resources and also mainly rely on their own personal experiences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Li
- School of Education, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Tao Liu
- School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jacqueline D Woolley
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Peng Zhang
- Faculty of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Vanderwal T, Eilbott J, Castellanos FX. Movies in the magnet: Naturalistic paradigms in developmental functional neuroimaging. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 36:100600. [PMID: 30551970 PMCID: PMC6969259 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of movie-watching as an acquisition state for functional connectivity (FC) MRI has recently enabled multiple groups to obtain rich data sets in younger children with both substantial sample sizes and scan durations. Using naturalistic paradigms such as movies has also provided analytic flexibility for these developmental studies that extends beyond conventional resting state approaches. This review highlights the advantages and challenges of using movies for developmental neuroimaging and explores some of the methodological issues involved in designing pediatric studies with movies. Emerging themes from movie-watching studies are discussed, including an emphasis on intersubject correlations, developmental changes in network interactions under complex naturalistic conditions, and dynamic age-related changes in both sensory and higher-order network FC even in narrow age ranges. Converging evidence suggests an enhanced ability to identify brain-behavior correlations in children when using movie-watching data relative to both resting state and conventional tasks. Future directions and cautionary notes highlight the potential and the limitations of using movies to study FC in pediatric populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Vanderwal
- University of British Columbia, 2255 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2A1, Canada; Yale Child Study Center, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven CT, 06519, United States.
| | - Jeffrey Eilbott
- Yale Child Study Center, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven CT, 06519, United States
| | - F Xavier Castellanos
- The Child Study Center at New York University Langone Medical Center, 1 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, United States; Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Phenomenal, bodily and brain correlates of fictional reappraisal as an implicit emotion regulation strategy. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 19:877-897. [PMID: 30610654 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-00681-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The ability to modulate our emotional experience, depending on our current goal and context, is of critical importance for adaptive behavior. This ability encompasses various emotion regulation strategies, such as fictional reappraisal, at stake whenever one engages in fictional works (e.g., movies, books, video games, virtual environments). Neuroscientific studies investigating the distinction between the processing of real and fictional entities have reported the involvement of brain structures related to self-relevance and emotion regulation, suggesting a threefold interaction between the appraisal of reality, aspects of the Self, and emotions. The main aim of this study is to investigate the effect of implicit fictional reappraisal on different components of emotion, as well as on the modulatory role of autobiographical and conceptual self-relevance. While recording electrodermal, cardiac, and brain activity (EEG), we presented negative and neutral pictures to 33 participants, describing them as either real or fictional. After each stimulus, the participants reported their subjective emotional experience, self-relevance of the stimuli, as well as their agreement with their description. Using the Bayesian mixed-modeling framework, we showed that stimuli presented as fictional, compared with real, were subjectively appraised as less intense and less negative, and elicited lower skin conductance response, stronger heart-rate deceleration, and lower late positive potential amplitudes. Finally, these phenomenal and physiological changes did, to a moderate extent, rely on variations of specific aspects of self-relevance. Implications for the neuroscientific study of implicit emotion regulation are discussed.
Collapse
|
7
|
Resting state connectivity mediates the relationship between collectivism and social cognition. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 123:17-24. [PMID: 29208492 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2017] [Revised: 11/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Humans are intrinsically social beings and it is natural that self-processing is associated with social cognition. The degree to which the self is perceived as a part of social environment is modulated by cultural stereotypes, such as collectivism and individualism. Here, we tested the hypothesis that individuals who endorse collectivist values would spontaneously think more about their relationships with other people and this association would be mediated by connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the rest of the brain. Connectivity was evaluated based on resting state EEG data using the recently developed methods, which combine beamformer spatial filtering with seed based connectivity estimation. The formal mediation analysis revealed that collectivism is associated with an enhanced connectivity of MPFC with a set of cortical regions that are frequently co-activated in moral reasoning, empathy, and theory of mind tasks and with diminished connectivity with the precuneus\posterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in self-centered cognition. The relationship between collectivism and social cognition was mediated by MPFC connectivity with the left middle temporal gyrus implying that in participants with collectivistic attitude, thinking about relationships with other people may be associated with semantic memory retrieval and reasoning on moral issues and others' intentions.
Collapse
|
8
|
Hartung F, Withers P, Hagoort P, Willems RM. When Fiction Is Just as Real as Fact: No Differences in Reading Behavior between Stories Believed to be Based on True or Fictional Events. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1618. [PMID: 28983269 PMCID: PMC5613255 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Experiments have shown that compared to fictional texts, readers read factual texts faster and have better memory for described situations. Reading fictional texts on the other hand seems to improve memory for exact wordings and expressions. Most of these studies used a “newspaper” vs. “literature” comparison. In the present study, we investigated the effect of reader's expectation to whether information is true or fictional with a subtler manipulation by labeling short stories as either based on true or fictional events. In addition, we tested whether narrative perspective or individual preference in perspective taking affects reading true or fictional stories differently. In an online experiment, participants (final N = 1,742) read one story which was introduced as based on true events or as fictional (factor fictionality). The story could be narrated in either 1st or 3rd person perspective (factor perspective). We measured immersion in and appreciation of the story, perspective taking, as well as memory for events. We found no evidence that knowing a story is fictional or based on true events influences reading behavior or experiential aspects of reading. We suggest that it is not whether a story is true or fictional, but rather expectations toward certain reading situations (e.g., reading newspaper or literature) which affect behavior by activating appropriate reading goals. Results further confirm that narrative perspective partially influences perspective taking and experiential aspects of reading.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Hartung
- Neurobiology of Language, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, Netherlands.,Neurobiology of Language, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Peter Withers
- Neurobiology of Language, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Peter Hagoort
- Neurobiology of Language, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, Netherlands.,Neurobiology of Language, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Roel M Willems
- Neurobiology of Language, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, Netherlands.,Neurobiology of Language, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands.,Faculty of Arts, Centre for Language Studies, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Leitner JB, Ayduk O, Mendoza-Denton R, Magerman A, Amey R, Kross E, Forbes CE. Self-distancing improves interpersonal perceptions and behavior by decreasing medial prefrontal cortex activity during the provision of criticism. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2017; 12:534-543. [PMID: 27998998 PMCID: PMC5390725 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research suggests that people show increased self-referential processing when they provide criticism to others, and that this self-referential processing can have negative effects on interpersonal perceptions and behavior. The current research hypothesized that adopting a self-distanced perspective (i.e. thinking about a situation from a non-first person point of view), as compared with a typical self-immersed perspective (i.e. thinking about a situation from a first-person point of view), would reduce self-referential processing during the provision of criticism, and in turn improve interpersonal perceptions and behavior. We tested this hypothesis in an interracial context since research suggests that self-referential processing plays a role in damaging interracial relations. White participants prepared for mentorship from a self-immersed or self-distanced perspective. They then conveyed negative and positive evaluations to a Black mentee while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded. Source analysis revealed that priming a self-distanced (vs self-immersed) perspective predicted decreased activity in regions linked to self-referential processing (medial prefrontal cortex; MPFC) when providing negative evaluations. This decreased MPFC activity during negative evaluations, in turn, predicted verbal feedback that was perceived to be more positive, warm and helpful. Results suggest that self-distancing can improve interpersonal perceptions and behavior by decreasing self-referential processing during the provision of criticism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jordan B. Leitner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ozlem Ayduk
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Adam Magerman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Rachel Amey
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Ethan Kross
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Chad E. Forbes
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Kesner L, Horáček J. Empathy-Related Responses to Depicted People in Art Works. Front Psychol 2017; 8:228. [PMID: 28286487 PMCID: PMC5323429 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Existing theories of empathic response to visual art works postulate the primacy of automatic embodied reaction to images based on mirror neuron mechanisms. Arguing for a more inclusive concept of empathy-related response and integrating four distinct bodies of literature, we discuss contextual, and personal factors which modulate empathic response to depicted people. We then present an integrative model of empathy-related responses to depicted people in art works. The model assumes that a response to empathy-eliciting figural artworks engages the dynamic interaction of two mutually interlinked sets of processes: socio-affective/cognitive processing, related to the person perception, and esthetic processing, primarily concerned with esthetic appreciation and judgment and attention to non-social aspects of the image. The model predicts that the specific pattern of interaction between empathy-related and esthetic processing is co-determined by several sets of factors: (i) the viewer's individual characteristics, (ii) the context variables (which include various modes of priming by narratives and other images), (iii) multidimensional features of the image, and (iv) aspects of a viewer's response. Finally we propose that the model is implemented by the interaction of functionally connected brain networks involved in socio-cognitive and esthetic processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ladislav Kesner
- Applied Neurosciences and Brain Imaging, National Institute of Mental HealthKlecany, Czechia; Department of Art History, Masaryk University BrnoBrno, Czechia
| | - Jiří Horáček
- Applied Neurosciences and Brain Imaging, National Institute of Mental Health Klecany, Czechia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sperduti M, Arcangeli M, Makowski D, Wantzen P, Zalla T, Lemaire S, Dokic J, Pelletier J, Piolino P. The paradox of fiction: Emotional response toward fiction and the modulatory role of self-relevance. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2016; 165:53-9. [PMID: 26922617 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Revised: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
For over forty years, philosophers have struggled with the "paradox of fiction", which is the issue of how we can get emotionally involved with fictional characters and events. The few neuroscientific studies investigating the distinction between the processing of real and fictional entities have evidenced that midline cortical structures and lateral fronto-parietal regions are more engaged for real and fictional entities, respectively. Interestingly, the former network is engaged in autobiographical memory retrieval and self-reference, processes that are known to boost emotional reactivity, while the latter underpins emotion regulation. Thus, a possible modulation of the emotional response according to the nature (real or fictional) of the stimulus is conceivable. To test this hypothesis, we presented short emotional (negative and positive) and neutral video as fictional or real. For negative material, we found that subjective emotional experience, but not physiological arousal measured by electrodermal activity, was reduced in the fictional condition. Moreover, the amount of personal memories linked to the scenes counteracted this effect boosting the subjective emotional response. On the contrary, personal memories elicited by the scenes, but not fiction, modulate the emotional response for positive material. These results suggest that when a stimulus triggers a personal memory, the emotional response is less prone to be modulated by contextual factors, and suggest that personal engagement could be responsible for emotional reaction toward fiction. We discuss these results in the emotion regulation framework and underline their implications in informing theoretical accounts of emotion in the neuroscientific domain and the philosophical debate on the paradox of emotional response to fiction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Sperduti
- Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institute of Psychology, Memory and Cognition Laboratory, Boulogne Billancourt, France; INSERM UMR S894, Center for Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Paris, France.
| | - Margherita Arcangeli
- Institut Jean Nicod (CNRS-EHESS-ENS), UMR 8129 Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Makowski
- Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institute of Psychology, Memory and Cognition Laboratory, Boulogne Billancourt, France; INSERM UMR S894, Center for Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Paris, France
| | - Prany Wantzen
- Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institute of Psychology, Memory and Cognition Laboratory, Boulogne Billancourt, France; INSERM UMR S894, Center for Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Paris, France
| | - Tiziana Zalla
- Institut Jean Nicod (CNRS-EHESS-ENS), UMR 8129 Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | | | - Jérôme Dokic
- Institut Jean Nicod (CNRS-EHESS-ENS), UMR 8129 Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Jérôme Pelletier
- Institut Jean Nicod (CNRS-EHESS-ENS), UMR 8129 Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France; Ecole des Haute Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), Paris, France
| | - Pascale Piolino
- Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institute of Psychology, Memory and Cognition Laboratory, Boulogne Billancourt, France; INSERM UMR S894, Center for Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Paris, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), France
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
|
13
|
Evidence of stimulus correlated empathy modes – Group ICA of fMRI data. Brain Cogn 2015; 94:32-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2014.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2013] [Revised: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 12/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
|
14
|
Abstract
Advances in marker-less motion capture technology now allow the accurate replication of facial motion and deformation in computer-generated imagery (CGI). A forced-choice discrimination paradigm using such CGI facial animations showed that human observers can categorize identity solely from facial motion cues. Animations were generated from motion captures acquired during natural speech, thus eliciting both rigid (head rotations and translations) and nonrigid (expressional changes) motion. To limit interferences from individual differences in facial form, all animations shared the same appearance. Observers were required to discriminate between different videos of facial motion and between the facial motions of different people. Performance was compared to the control condition of orientation-inverted facial motion. The results show that observers are able to make accurate discriminations of identity in the absence of all cues except facial motion. A clear inversion effect in both tasks provided consistency with previous studies, supporting the configural view of human face perception. The accuracy of this motion capture technology thus allowed stimuli to be generated that closely resembled real moving faces. Future studies may wish to implement such methodology when studying human face perception.
Collapse
|
15
|
Abstract
As a research tool, virtual environments (VEs) hold immense promise for brain scientists. Yet to fully realize this potential in non-human systems, theoretical and conceptual perspectives must be developed. When selectively coupled to nervous systems, virtual environments can help us better understand the functional architecture of animals’ brains during naturalistic behaviors. While this will no doubt allow us to further our understanding of the neural basis of behavior, there is also an opportunity to uncover the diversity inherent in brain activity and behavior. This is due to two properties of virtual environments: the ability to create sensory illusions, and the ability to dilate space and/or time. These and other potential manipulations will be characterized as the effects of virtuality. In addition, the systems-level outcomes of virtual environment enhanced perception will be discussed in the context of the uncanny valley and other expected relationships between emotional valence, cognition, and training. These effects and their usefulness for brain science will be understood in the context of three types of neurobehavioral phenomena: sensorimotor integration, spatial navigation, and interactivity. For each of these behaviors, a combination of illusory and space/time dilation examples will be reviewed. Once these examples are presented, the implications for improving upon virtual models for more directly inducing the mental phenomena of illusion and space/time dilation will be considered. To conclude, future directions for integrating the use of VEs into a strategy of broader biological inquiry will be presented.
Collapse
|
16
|
Quantifying human sensitivity to spatio-temporal information in dynamic faces. Vision Res 2014; 100:78-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2014.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2013] [Revised: 03/04/2014] [Accepted: 04/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
17
|
Han S, Ma Y. Cultural differences in human brain activity: a quantitative meta-analysis. Neuroimage 2014; 99:293-300. [PMID: 24882220 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.05.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2014] [Revised: 05/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychologists have been trying to understand differences in cognition and behavior between East Asian and Western cultures within a single cognitive framework such as holistic versus analytic or interdependent versus independent processes. However, it remains unclear whether cultural differences in multiple psychological processes correspond to the same or different neural networks. We conducted a quantitative meta-analysis of 35 functional MRI studies to examine cultural differences in brain activity engaged in social and non-social processes. We showed that social cognitive processes are characterized by stronger activity in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, lateral frontal cortex and temporoparietal junction in East Asians but stronger activity in the anterior cingulate, ventral medial prefrontal cortex and bilateral insula in Westerners. Social affective processes are associated with stronger activity in the right dorsal lateral frontal cortex in East Asians but greater activity in the left insula and right temporal pole in Westerners. Non-social processes induce stronger activity in the left inferior parietal cortex, left middle occipital and left superior parietal cortex in East Asians but greater activations in the right lingual gyrus, right inferior parietal cortex and precuneus in Westerners. The results suggest that cultural differences in social and non-social processes are mediated by distinct neural networks. Moreover, East Asian cultures are associated with increased neural activity in the brain regions related to inference of others' mind and emotion regulation whereas Western cultures are associated with enhanced neural activity in the brain areas related to self-relevance encoding and emotional responses during social cognitive/affective processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shihui Han
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Yina Ma
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Novembre G, Zanon M, Silani G. Empathy for social exclusion involves the sensory-discriminative component of pain: a within-subject fMRI study. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2014; 10:153-64. [PMID: 24563529 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has shown that experiencing events that represent a significant threat to social bonds activates a network of brain areas associated with the sensory-discriminative aspects of pain. In the present study, we investigated whether the same brain areas are involved when witnessing social exclusion threats experienced by others. Using a within-subject design, we show that an ecologically valid experience of social exclusion recruits areas coding the somatosensory components of physical pain (posterior insular cortex and secondary somatosensory cortex). Furthermore, we show that this pattern of activation not only holds for directly experienced social pain, but also during empathy for social pain. Finally, we report that subgenual cingulate cortex is the only brain area conjointly active during empathy for physical and social pain. This supports recent theories that affective processing and homeostatic regulation are at the core of empathic responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Novembre
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Neuroscience Sector, Trieste, Italy
| | - Marco Zanon
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Neuroscience Sector, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giorgia Silani
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Neuroscience Sector, Trieste, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
|
20
|
Wang C, Oyserman D, Liu Q, Li H, Han S. Accessible cultural mind-set modulates default mode activity: evidence for the culturally situated brain. Soc Neurosci 2013; 8:203-16. [PMID: 23485156 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2013.775966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Self-construal priming modulates human behavior and associated neural activity. However, the neural activity associated with the self-construal priming procedure itself remains unknown. It is also unclear whether and how self-construal priming affects neural activity prior to engaging in a particular task. To address this gap, we scanned Chinese adults, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, during self-construal priming and a following resting state. We found that, relative to a calculation task, both interdependent and independent self-construal priming activated the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). The contrast of interdependent vs. independent self-construal priming also revealed increased activity in the dorsal MPFC and left middle frontal cortex. The regional homogeneity analysis of the resting-state activity revealed increased local synchronization of spontaneous activity in the dorsal MPFC but decreased local synchronization of spontaneous activity in the PCC when contrasting interdependent vs. independent self-construal priming. The functional connectivity analysis of the resting-state activity, however, did not show significant difference in synchronization of activities in remote brain regions between different priming conditions. Our findings suggest that accessible collectivistic/individualistic mind-set induced by self-construal priming is associated with modulations of both task-related and resting-state activity in the default mode network.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chenbo Wang
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Knyazev GG. Extraversion and anterior vs. posterior DMN activity during self-referential thoughts. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 6:348. [PMID: 23419982 PMCID: PMC3572915 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Accepted: 12/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies show that fronto-posterior electroencephalogram (EEG) spectral power distribution is associated with personality. Specifically, extraversion is associated with an increase of spectral power in posterior cortical regions that overlap with the posterior default mode network (DMN) hub and a decrease of spectral power in anterior regions that overlap with the anterior DMN hub. Although there is evidence that dopaminergic neurotransmission may be involved, psychological processes that underlie these associations remain unclear. I hypothesize that these processes may have something to do with spontaneous self-referential thoughts. Specifically, I hypothesize that in extraverts self-referential thoughts may be associated with an increase of spectral power in the posterior DMN hub, whereas in introverts they may be associated with an increase of spectral power in the anterior DMN hub. After spontaneous EEG registration, participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire describing their thoughts during the registration. An item describing self-referential positive expectations (SRPE) was used to measure individual differences in the intensity of these processes. Source localization and independent component analyses were applied to EEG data to reveal oscillatory activity associated with the anterior and the posterior DMN hubs. Hierarchical regression analysis showed a significant interaction between extraversion scores and anterior vs. posterior DMN alpha activity in predicting individual differences in SRPE scores. In extraverts, high SRPE scores were associated with an increase of alpha power in the posterior DMN hub, whereas in introverts they were associated with an increase of alpha power in the anterior DMN hub. Results are discussed in terms of differential involvement of the two DMN hubs in self-related reward processes in extraverts and introverts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gennady G Knyazev
- Institute of Physiology, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Novosibirsk, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Knyazev GG, Savostyanov AN, Volf NV, Liou M, Bocharov AV. EEG correlates of spontaneous self-referential thoughts: A cross-cultural study. Int J Psychophysiol 2012; 86:173-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2012] [Revised: 08/29/2012] [Accepted: 09/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
23
|
Altmann U, Bohrn IC, Lubrich O, Menninghaus W, Jacobs AM. Fact vs fiction--how paratextual information shapes our reading processes. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2012; 9:22-9. [PMID: 22956671 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Our life is full of stories: some of them depict real-life events and were reported, e.g. in the daily news or in autobiographies, whereas other stories, as often presented to us in movies and novels, are fictional. However, we have only little insights in the neurocognitive processes underlying the reading of factual as compared to fictional contents. We investigated the neurocognitive effects of reading short narratives, labeled to be either factual or fictional. Reading in a factual mode engaged an activation pattern suggesting an action-based reconstruction of the events depicted in a story. This process seems to be past-oriented and leads to shorter reaction times at the behavioral level. In contrast, the brain activation patterns corresponding to reading fiction seem to reflect a constructive simulation of what might have happened. This is in line with studies on imagination of possible past or future events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Altmann
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Exploring the neural correlates of goal-directed action and intention understanding. Neuroimage 2011; 54:1634-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.08.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Revised: 08/24/2010] [Accepted: 08/31/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
|
25
|
|
26
|
Gobbini MI, Gentili C, Ricciardi E, Bellucci C, Salvini P, Laschi C, Guazzelli M, Pietrini P. Distinct neural systems involved in agency and animacy detection. J Cogn Neurosci 2010; 23:1911-20. [PMID: 20849234 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2010.21574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
We designed an fMRI experiment comparing perception of human faces and robotic faces producing emotional expressions. The purpose of our experiment was to investigate engagement of different parts of the social brain by viewing these animate and inanimate agents. Both human and robotic face expressions evoked activity in face-responsive regions in the fusiform gyrus and STS and in the putative human mirror neuron system. These results suggest that these areas mediate perception of agency, independently of whether the agents are living or not. By contrast, the human faces evoked stronger activity than did robotic faces in the medial pFC and the anterior temporal cortex--areas associated with the representation of others' mental states (theory of mind), whereas robotic faces evoked stronger activity in areas associated with perception of objects and mechanical movements. Our data demonstrate that the representation of the distinction between animate and inanimate agents involves areas that participate in attribution of mental stance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ida Gobbini
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna, Viale C. Berti-Pichat, 5, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Ge J, Gu X, Ji M, Han S. Neurocognitive processes of the religious leader in Christians. Hum Brain Mapp 2010; 30:4012-24. [PMID: 19507157 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.20825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Our recent work suggests that trait judgment of the self in Christians, relative to nonreligious subjects, is characterized by weakened neural coding of stimulus self-relatedness in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) but enhanced evaluative processes of self-referential stimuli in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC). The current study tested the hypothesis that Christian belief and practice produce a trait summary about the religious leader (Jesus) in the believers and thus episodic memory retrieval is involved to the minimum degree when making trait judgment of Jesus. Experiment 1 showed that to recall a specific incident to exemplify Jesus' trait facilitated behavioral performances associated with the following trait judgment of Jesus in nonreligious subjects but not in Christians. Experiment 2 showed that, for nonreligious subjects, trait judgments of both government and religious leaders resulted in enhanced functional connectivity between MPFC and posterior parietal cortex (PPC)/precuneus compared with self judgment. For Christian subjects, however, the functional connectivity between MPFC and PPC/precuneus differentiated between trait judgments of the government leader and the self but not between trait judgments of Jesus and the self. Our findings suggest that Christian belief and practice modulate the neurocognitive processes of the religious leader so that trait judgment of Jesus engages increased employment of semantic trait summary but decreased memory retrieval of behavioral episodes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianqiao Ge
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Stanley J, Miall RC. Using predictive motor control processes in a cognitive task: behavioral and neuroanatomical perspectives. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2009; 629:337-54. [PMID: 19227508 DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-77064-2_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
This chapter reviews evidence regarding the predictive relationship between execution of actions and their effect on performance of cognitive tasks based on processing visual feedback. The concept of forward modeling of action refers to a process whereby simulated or executed actions evoke a predictive model of the future state and position of the effector. For visually guided tasks, this forward model might include the visual outcome of the action. We describe a series of behavioural experiments that suggest that forward model output generated during action performance can assist in the processing of related visual stimuli. Additional results from a neuroimaging experiment on this "motor-visual priming" indicate that the superior parietal lobule is a likely key structure for processing the relationship between performed movements and visual feedback of those movements, and that this predictive system can be accessed for cognitive tasks.
Collapse
|
29
|
Understanding the self: a cultural neuroscience approach. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2009; 178:203-12. [DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(09)17814-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
30
|
Han S, Gao X, Humphreys GW, Ge J. Neural processing of threat cues in social environments. Hum Brain Mapp 2008; 29:945-57. [PMID: 17636562 PMCID: PMC6870876 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.20439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research showed that the processing of overt threat cues formed by evolutionary experience such as snake or angry face induced automatic increased responses of the emotion-related system consisting of the amygdala, the anterior cingulate, and the orbitofrontal cortex. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate brain circuits involved in perception of threat cues that lack obvious emotion contents but are potentially dangerous in a particular social situation. Subjects were scanned while watching images showing a person in either a safe or a potentially dangerous situation and being asked to detect threat signals or to evaluate the degree of threat. We found that, in contrast with gender identification, threat detection and evaluation were underpinned by a neural network, shared by both male and female subjects, consisting of the medial and lateral frontal cortex, superior parietal lobes, posterior middle temporal cortex, and cerebellum. In addition, detection of threat cues was associated with stronger posterior parietal activation for males than females. Our findings suggest that neural processing of evolutionary unprepared threat cues in social environments does not necessarily involve the emotion-related neural system and is influence by evolutionary pressure on sex differences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shihui Han
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Longo MR, Bertenthal BI. Attention modulates the specificity of automatic imitation to human actors. Exp Brain Res 2008; 192:739-44. [PMID: 19034438 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-008-1649-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2008] [Accepted: 11/05/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The perception of actions performed by others activates one's own motor system. Recent studies disagree as to whether this effect is specific to actions performed by other humans, an issue complicated by differences in perceptual salience between human and non-human stimuli. We addressed this issue by examining the automatic imitation of actions stimulated by viewing a virtual, computer-generated, hand. This stimulus was held constant across conditions, but participants' attention to the virtualness of the hand was manipulated by informing some participants during instructions that they would see a "computer-generated model of a hand," while making no mention of this to others. In spite of this attentional manipulation, participants in both conditions were generally aware of the virtualness of the hand. Nevertheless, automatic imitation of the virtual hand was significantly reduced--but not eliminated--when participants were told they would see a virtual hand. These results demonstrate that attention modulates the "human bias" of automatic imitation to non-human actors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Longo
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR, UK.
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Culture-sensitive neural substrates of human cognition: a transcultural neuroimaging approach. Nat Rev Neurosci 2008; 9:646-54. [PMID: 18641669 DOI: 10.1038/nrn2456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 250] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Our brains and minds are shaped by our experiences, which mainly occur in the context of the culture in which we develop and live. Although psychologists have provided abundant evidence for diversity of human cognition and behaviour across cultures, the question of whether the neural correlates of human cognition are also culture-dependent is often not considered by neuroscientists. However, recent transcultural neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that one's cultural background can influence the neural activity that underlies both high- and low-level cognitive functions. The findings provide a novel approach by which to distinguish culture-sensitive from culture-invariant neural mechanisms of human cognition.
Collapse
|
33
|
Ge J, Han S. Distinct neurocognitive strategies for comprehensions of human and artificial intelligence. PLoS One 2008; 3:e2797. [PMID: 18665211 PMCID: PMC2453324 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2008] [Accepted: 06/30/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Although humans have inevitably interacted with both human and artificial intelligence in real life situations, it is unknown whether the human brain engages homologous neurocognitive strategies to cope with both forms of intelligence. To investigate this, we scanned subjects, using functional MRI, while they inferred the reasoning processes conducted by human agents or by computers. We found that the inference of reasoning processes conducted by human agents but not by computers induced increased activity in the precuneus but decreased activity in the ventral medial prefrontal cortex and enhanced functional connectivity between the two brain areas. The findings provide evidence for distinct neurocognitive strategies of taking others' perspective and inhibiting the process referenced to the self that are specific to the comprehension of human intelligence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianqiao Ge
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Shihui Han
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Functional Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Han S, Mao L, Gu X, Zhu Y, Ge J, Ma Y. Neural consequences of religious belief on self-referential processing. Soc Neurosci 2008; 3:1-15. [DOI: 10.1080/17470910701469681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
35
|
Fan Y, Han S. Temporal dynamic of neural mechanisms involved in empathy for pain: An event-related brain potential study. Neuropsychologia 2008; 46:160-73. [PMID: 17825852 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 266] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2007] [Revised: 07/28/2007] [Accepted: 07/30/2007] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging studies have identified a neural circuit that is involved in empathy for pain. However, the temporal dynamics of neural activities underlying empathic processes remains poorly understood. This was investigated in the current study by recording event-related brain potentials (ERPs) from healthy adults who were presented with pictures or cartoons of hands that were in painful or neutral situations. Subjects performed a pain judgment task that required attention to pain cues in the stimuli or a counting task that withdrew their attention from these cues. The ERP results showed early differentiation between painful and neutral stimuli over the frontal lobe at 140 ms after sensory stimulation. A long-latency empathic response was observed after 380 ms over the central-parietal regions and was more salient over the left than right hemispheres. The early and late empathic responses were, respectively, modulated by contextual reality of stimuli and by top-down attention to the pain cues. Moreover, the mean ERP amplitudes at 140-180 ms were correlated with subjective reports of the degree of perceived pain of others and of self-unpleasantness. The ERP results support a model of empathy for pain consisting of early emotional sharing and late cognitive evaluation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Fan
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
|
37
|
Stanley J, Gowen E, Miall RC. Effects of agency on movement interference during observation of a moving dot stimulus. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 2007; 33:915-26. [PMID: 17683237 PMCID: PMC3073012 DOI: 10.1037/0096-1523.33.4.915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Human movement performance is subject to interference if the performer simultaneously observes an incongruent action. It has been proposed that this phenomenon is due to motor contagion during simultaneous movement performance–observation, with coactivation of shared action performance and action observation circuitry in the premotor cortex. The present experiments compared the interference effect during observation of a moving person with observation of moving dot stimuli: The dot display followed either a biologically plausible or implausible velocity profile. Interference effects due to dot observation were present for both biological and nonbiological velocity profiles when the participants were informed that they were observing prerecorded human movement and were absent when the dot motion was described as computer generated. These results suggest that the observer's belief regarding the origin of the dot motion (human–computer generated) modulates the processing of the dot movement stimuli on their later integration within the motor system, such that the belief regarding their biological origin is a more important determinant of interference effects than the stimulus kinematics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James Stanley
- Behavioural Brain Science Centre, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Gowen
- Behavioural Brain Science Centre, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - R. Chris Miall
- Behavioural Brain Science Centre, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Abstract
If we could build an android as a very humanlike robot, how would we humans distinguish a real human from an android? The answer to this question is not so easy. In human-android interaction, we cannot see the internal mechanism of the android, and thus we may simply believe that it is a human. This means that a human can be defined from two perspectives: one by organic mechanism and the other by appearance. Further, the current rapid progress in artificial organs makes this distinction confusing. The approach discussed in this article is to create artificial humans with humanlike appearances. The developed artificial humans, an android and a geminoid, can be used to improve understanding of humans through psychological and cognitive tests conducted using the artificial humans. We call this new approach to understanding humans android science.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Ishiguro
- ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories, Department of Adaptive Machine Systems, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Mar RA, Kelley WM, Heatherton TF, Macrae CN. Detecting agency from the biological motion of veridical vs animated agents. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2007; 2:199-205. [PMID: 18985141 PMCID: PMC2569809 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsm011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2006] [Accepted: 03/28/2007] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect agency is fundamental for understanding the social world. Underlying this capacity are neural circuits that respond to patterns of intentional biological motion in the superior temporal sulcus and temporoparietal junction. Here we show that the brain's blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response to such motion is modulated by the representation of the actor. Dynamic social interactions were portrayed by either live-action agents or computer-animated agents, enacting the exact same patterns of biological motion. Using an event-related design, we found that the BOLD response associated with the perception and interpretation of agency was greater when identical physical movements were performed by real rather than animated agents. This finding has important implications for previous work on biological motion that has relied upon computer-animated stimuli and demonstrates that the neural substrates of social perception are finely tuned toward real-world agents. In addition, the response in lateral temporal areas was observed in the absence of instructions to make mental inferences, thus demonstrating the spontaneous implementation of the intentional stance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Raymond A Mar
- York University, Department of Psychology, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Spiers HJ, Maguire EA. Decoding human brain activity during real-world experiences. Trends Cogn Sci 2007; 11:356-65. [PMID: 17618161 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2007.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2007] [Revised: 05/25/2007] [Accepted: 06/19/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The human brain evolved to function and survive in a highly stimulating, complex and fast-changing world. Attempting to ascertain the neural substrates of operating in naturalistic contexts represents a huge challenge. Recently, however, researchers have begun to use several innovative analysis methods to interrogate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected during dynamic naturalistic tasks. Central to these new developments is the inventive approach taken to segregating neural activity linked to specific events within the overall continuous stream of complex stimulation. In this review, we discuss the recent literature, detailing the key studies and their methods. These analytical techniques can be applied in a wide range of cognitive domains and, thus, offer exciting new opportunities for gaining insights into the brain bases of thoughts and behaviours in the real-world setting where they normally occur.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo J Spiers
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Gu X, Han S. Attention and reality constraints on the neural processes of empathy for pain. Neuroimage 2007; 36:256-67. [PMID: 17400480 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 236] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2006] [Revised: 01/15/2007] [Accepted: 02/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent brain imaging studies have shown that the neural substrates underlying the ability to infer and share the feeling of pain of other individuals overlap with the pain matrix that mediates the process of one's own pain. While there has been evidence that the neural activity mediating pain experience is influenced by top-down attention, it remains unclear whether the neural substrates of empathy for pain are modulated by top-down controlled mechanisms. The current work investigated whether the neural correlates of empathic processes of pain are altered by task demand and prior knowledge of stimulus reality. Subjects were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while watching pictures or cartoons of hands that were in painful or neutral situations. Subjects were asked either to evaluate pain intensity supposedly felt by the model or to count the number of hands in the stimulus displays. Relative to counting neutral stimuli, rating pain intensity of painful pictures and cartoons induced increased activation in ACC/paracingulate and the right middle frontal gyrus. Rating pain intensity also activated the inferior frontal cortex bilaterally and the right insula/putamen for pictures but activated the left parietal cortex, the postcentral gyrus, and the occipito-temporal cortex for cartoons. However, the neural activities related to pain rating were eliminated when subjects counted the number of hands in the painful stimuli. In addition, the ACC activity associated with empathy for pain was stronger for the pictures than for the cartoons. Our findings indicate that the involvement of the neural substrates underlying pain-related empathy is constrained by top-down attention and contextual reality of stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaosi Gu
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China
| | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Han S, Jiang Y, Mao L. Right hemisphere dominance in perceiving coherence of visual events. Neurosci Lett 2006; 398:18-21. [PMID: 16423461 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2005.12.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2005] [Revised: 10/23/2005] [Accepted: 12/19/2005] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The visual world consists of static pictures as well as of coherent visual events. The present study investigated neural substrates underlying the perception of coherence of visual events that evolves over time. We measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while adults watched briefly presented static images that were extracted from movie clips depicting coherent visual events. The images were presented either in the coherent order as they were displayed in the movie clips or in a random order. Relative to the random order presentation condition, static images presented in the coherent order generated stronger activation in the right middle temporal cortex, the right posterior superior temporal cortex, and the right inferior postcentral gyrus. The results provide neuroimaging evidence for the dominance of the right hemisphere in perceiving coherent visual events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shihui Han
- Department of Psychology, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing 100871, PR China.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Schilbach L, Wohlschlaeger AM, Kraemer NC, Newen A, Shah NJ, Fink GR, Vogeley K. Being with virtual others: Neural correlates of social interaction. Neuropsychologia 2006; 44:718-30. [PMID: 16171833 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2005.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 271] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2005] [Revised: 07/12/2005] [Accepted: 07/28/2005] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
To characterize the neural correlates of being personally involved in social interaction as opposed to being a passive observer of social interaction between others we performed an fMRI study in which participants were gazed at by virtual characters (ME) or observed them looking at someone else (OTHER). In dynamic animations virtual characters then showed socially relevant facial expressions as they would appear in greeting and approach situations (SOC) or arbitrary facial movements (ARB). Differential neural activity associated with ME>OTHER was located in anterior medial prefrontal cortex in contrast to the precuneus for OTHER>ME. Perception of socially relevant facial expressions (SOC>ARB) led to differentially increased neural activity in ventral medial prefrontal cortex. Perception of arbitrary facial movements (ARB>SOC) differentially activated the middle temporal gyrus. The results, thus, show that activation of medial prefrontal cortex underlies both the perception of social communication indicated by facial expressions and the feeling of personal involvement indicated by eye gaze. Our data also demonstrate that distinct regions of medial prefrontal cortex contribute differentially to social cognition: whereas the ventral medial prefrontal cortex is recruited during the analysis of social content as accessible in interactionally relevant mimic gestures, differential activation of a more dorsal part of medial prefrontal cortex subserves the detection of self-relevance and may thus establish an intersubjective context in which communicative signals are evaluated.
Collapse
|
44
|
Miall RC, Stanley J, Todhunter S, Levick C, Lindo S, Miall JD. Performing hand actions assists the visual discrimination of similar hand postures. Neuropsychologia 2006; 44:966-76. [PMID: 16249009 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2005.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Recent theoretical work has suggested that internal predictive signals are used for motor control and coordination. The predictive signal - proposed to be the output of a forward model - would be a sensory representation of action. Hence, these sensory representations could potentially influence other sensory processes. We report here how performance of hand actions assisted the visual discrimination of target hand postures presented at random times within an on-going series of hand images. Reaction times to discriminate the targets were significantly shorter when the displayed images were both sequential and congruent with the action being performed. Hence, the planning or execution of action appears to allow better prediction of a displayed series of congruent images. In further control experiments, we show that the motor-visual priming effect is unlikely to be due to differential attentional demands and it is specific to a first person perspective display; it is short lasting, being lost if a 500 ms delay is introduced between successive stimulus presentations. The data are interpreted as evidence supporting the hypothesis that forward models in the motor system provide action-specific sensory predictions that are available to cognitive processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R C Miall
- Behavioural Brain Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Jackson PL, Brunet E, Meltzoff AN, Decety J. Empathy examined through the neural mechanisms involved in imagining how I feel versus how you feel pain. Neuropsychologia 2005; 44:752-61. [PMID: 16140345 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2005.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 471] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2005] [Accepted: 07/22/2005] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Perspective-taking is a stepping stone to human empathy. When empathizing with another individual, one can imagine how the other perceives the situation and feels as a result. To what extent does imagining the other differs from imagining oneself in similar painful situations? In this functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment, participants were shown pictures of people with their hands or feet in painful or non-painful situations and instructed to imagine and rate the level of pain perceived from different perspectives. Both the Self's and the Other's perspectives were associated with activation in the neural network involved in pain processing, including the parietal operculum, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; BA32) and anterior insula. However, the Self-perspective yielded higher pain ratings and involved the pain matrix more extensively in the secondary somatosensory cortex, the ACC (BA 24a'/24b'), and the insula proper. Adopting the perspective of the Other was associated with specific increase in the posterior cingulate/precuneus and the right temporo-parietal junction. These results show the similarities between Self- and Other-pain representation, but most interestingly they also highlight some distinctiveness between these two representations, which is a crucial aspect of human empathy. It may be what allows us to distinguish empathic responses to others versus our own personal distress. These findings are consistent with the view that empathy does not involve a complete Self-Other merging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip L Jackson
- Social Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Box 357988, Seattle, WA 98155-7988, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|