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Sharif M, Saman Y, Burling R, Rea O, Patel R, Barrett DJK, Rea P, Kheradmand A, Arshad Q. Altered visual conscious awareness in patients with vestibular dysfunctions; a cross-sectional observation study. J Neurol Sci 2023; 448:120617. [PMID: 36989587 PMCID: PMC10112837 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2023.120617] [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] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with vestibular dysfunctions often experience visual-induced symptoms. Here we asked whether such visual dependence can be related to alterations in visual conscious awareness in these patients. METHODS To measure visual conscious awareness, we used the effect of motion-induced blindness (MIB,) in which the perceptual awareness of the visual stimulus alternates despite its unchanged physical characteristics. In this phenomenon, a salient visual target spontaneously disappears and subsequently reappears from visual perception when presented against a moving visual background. The number of perceptual switches during the experience of the MIB stimulus was measured for 120 s in 15 healthy controls, 15 patients with vestibular migraine, 15 patients with benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) and 15 with migraine without vestibular symptoms. RESULTS Patients with vestibular dysfunctions (i.e., both vestibular migraine and BPPV) exhibited increased perceptual fluctuations during MIB compared to healthy controls and migraine patients without vertigo. In VM patients, those with more severe symptoms exhibited higher fluctuations of visual awareness (i.e., positive correlation), whereas, in BPPV patients, those with more severe symptoms had lower fluctuations of visual awareness (i.e., negative correlation). IMPLICATIONS Taken together, these findings show that fluctuations of visual awareness are linked to the severity of visual-induced symptoms in patients with vestibular dysfunctions, and distinct pathophysiological mechanisms may mediate visual vertigo in peripheral versus central vestibular dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mishaal Sharif
- inAmind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Yougan Saman
- inAmind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK; Balance Clinic, E.N.T Department, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK
| | - Rose Burling
- inAmind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Oliver Rea
- inAmind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Rakesh Patel
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
| | - Douglas J K Barrett
- inAmind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Peter Rea
- Balance Clinic, E.N.T Department, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK
| | - Amir Kheradmand
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Qadeer Arshad
- inAmind Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK; Neuro-Otology Unit, Division of Brain Sciences, Charing Cross Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK.
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2
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Maimon A, Netzer O, Heimler B, Amedi A. Testing geometry and 3D perception in children following vision restoring cataract-removal surgery. Front Neurosci 2023; 16:962817. [PMID: 36711132 PMCID: PMC9879291 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.962817] [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: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
As neuroscience and rehabilitative techniques advance, age-old questions concerning the visual experience of those who gain sight after blindness, once thought to be philosophical alone, take center stage and become the target for scientific inquiries. In this study, we employ a battery of visual perception tasks to study the unique experience of a small group of children who have undergone vision-restoring cataract removal surgery as part of the Himalayan Cataract Project. We tested their abilities to perceive in three dimensions (3D) using a binocular rivalry task and the Brock string task, perceive visual illusions, use cross-modal mappings between touch and vision, and spatially group based on geometric cues. Some of the children in this study gained a sense of sight for the first time in their lives, having been born with bilateral congenital cataracts, while others suffered late-onset blindness in one eye alone. This study simultaneously supports yet raises further questions concerning Hubel and Wiesel's critical periods theory and provides additional insight into Molyneux's problem, the ability to correlate vision with touch quickly. We suggest that our findings present a relatively unexplored intermediate stage of 3D vision development. Importantly, we spotlight some essential geometrical perception visual abilities that strengthen the idea that spontaneous geometry intuitions arise independently from visual experience (and education), thus replicating and extending previous studies. We incorporate a new model, not previously explored, of testing children with congenital cataract removal surgeries who perform the task via vision. In contrast, previous work has explored these abilities in the congenitally blind via touch. Taken together, our findings provide insight into the development of what is commonly known as the visual system in the visually deprived and highlight the need to further empirically explore an amodal, task-based interpretation of specializations in the development and structure of the brain. Moreover, we propose a novel objective method, based on a simple binocular rivalry task and the Brock string task, for determining congenital (early) vs. late blindness where medical history and records are partial or lacking (e.g., as is often the case in cataract removal cases).
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Maimon
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth & Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,*Correspondence: Amber Maimon,
| | - Ophir Netzer
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Benedetta Heimler
- Center of Advanced Technologies in Rehabilitation (CATR), Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Amir Amedi
- The Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel,The Ruth & Meir Rosenthal Brain Imaging Center, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
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3
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Watanabe T. Causal roles of prefrontal cortex during spontaneous perceptual switching are determined by brain state dynamics. eLife 2021; 10:69079. [PMID: 34713803 PMCID: PMC8631941 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to orchestrate cognitive dynamics. However, in tests of bistable visual perception, no direct evidence supporting such presumable causal roles of the PFC has been reported except for a recent work. Here, using a novel brain-state-dependent neural stimulation system, we identified causal effects on percept dynamics in three PFC activities—right frontal eye fields, dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC), and inferior frontal cortex (IFC). The causality is behaviourally detectable only when we track brain state dynamics and modulate the PFC activity in brain-state-/state-history-dependent manners. The behavioural effects are underpinned by transient neural changes in the brain state dynamics, and such neural effects are quantitatively explainable by structural transformations of the hypothetical energy landscapes. Moreover, these findings indicate distinct functions of the three PFC areas: in particular, the DLPFC enhances the integration of two PFC-active brain states, whereas IFC promotes the functional segregation between them. This work resolves the controversy over the PFC roles in spontaneous perceptual switching and underlines brain state dynamics in fine investigations of brain-behaviour causality. A cube that seems to shift its spatial arrangement as you keep looking; the elegant silhouette of a pirouetting dancer, which starts to spin in the opposite direction the more you stare at it; an illustration that shows two profiles – or is it a vase? These optical illusions are examples of bistable visual perception. Beyond their entertaining aspect, they provide a way for scientists to explore the dynamics of human consciousness, and the neural regions involved in this process. Some studies show that bistable visual perception is associated with the activation of the prefrontal cortex, a brain area involved in complex cognitive processes. However, it is unclear whether this region is required for the illusions to emerge. Some research has showed that even if sections of the prefrontal cortex are temporally deactivated, participants can still experience the illusions. Instead, Takamitsu Watanabe proposes that bistable visual perception is a process tied to dynamic brain states – that is, that distinct regions of the prefontal cortex are required for this fluctuating visual awareness, depending on the state of the whole brain. Such causal link cannot be observed if brain activity is not tracked closely. To investigate this, the brain states of 65 participants were recorded as individuals were experiencing the optical illusions; the activity of their various brain regions could therefore be mapped, and then areas of the prefrontal cortex could precisely be inhibited at the right time using transcranial magnetic stimulation. This revealed that, indeed, prefrontal cortex regions were necessary for bistable visual perception, but not in a simple way. Instead, which ones were required and when depended on activity dynamics taking place in the whole brain. Overall, these results indicate that monitoring brain states is necessary to better understand – and ultimately, control – the neural pathways underlying perception and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takamitsu Watanabe
- International Research Centre for Neurointelligence, The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, Tokyo, Japan.,RIKEN Centre for Brain Science, Saitama, Japan
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4
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Miller SM. Fluctuations of consciousness, mood, and science: The interhemispheric switch and sticky switch models two decades on. J Comp Neurol 2020; 528:3171-3197. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.24943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven M. Miller
- Perceptual and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre Central Clinical School, Monash University and Alfred Health Melbourne Victoria Australia
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5
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Tarita-Nistor L, Samet S, Trope GE, González EG. Intra- and inter-hemispheric processing during binocular rivalry in mild glaucoma. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229168. [PMID: 32097443 PMCID: PMC7041812 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is considered a progressive optic neuropathy because of the damage and death of the retinal ganglion cells. It is also a neurodegenerative disease because it affects neural structures in the visual system and beyond, including the corpus callosum–the largest white matter structure involved in inter-hemispheric transfer of information. In this study we probed the dysfunction of the inter-hemispheric processing in patients with mild glaucoma using the phenomenon of binocular rivalry. Patients with mild glaucoma and no measurable visual field defects and age-matched controls underwent a thorough visual assessment. Then they participated in a series of psychophysical tests designed to examine the binocular rivalry derived from intra- and inter-hemispheric processing. Static horizontal and vertical sinewave gratings were presented dichoptically using a double-mirror stereoscope in 3 locations: centrally, to probe inter-hemispheric processing, and peripherally to the left or to the right, to probe intra-hemispheric processing. Although the two groups were matched in functional measures, rivalry rate of the glaucoma group was significantly lower than that of the control group for the central location, but not for the peripheral location. These results were driven mainly by the patients with normal tension glaucoma whose average rivalry rate for the central location (from which information reaches the two hemispheres) was almost half (46% lower) that of the controls. These results indicate a dysfunction in inter-hemispheric transfer in mild glaucoma that can be detected behaviourally before any changes in standard functional measures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saba Samet
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Graham E. Trope
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Esther G. González
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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6
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Tarita-Nistor L, Samet S, Trope GE, González EG. Dominance wave propagation during binocular rivalry in mild glaucoma. Vision Res 2019; 165:64-71. [PMID: 31678616 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2019.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Glaucoma is both a progressive optic neuropathy and a neurodegenerative disease affecting structures in the primary visual pathway. Other vision-associated areas may also be affected, including the corpus callosum which is involved in inter-hemispheric transfer. This study evaluated dominance wave propagation during binocular rivalry to probe the efficacy of the inter-hemispheric transfer in 20 patients with mild open angle glaucoma and 25 age-matched controls. The two groups were matched for functional measures such as stereo-acuity, binocular visual acuity, and visual field mean deviation. Monocular functional and structural measures were equivalent for the left and right eye of each participant. Using Wilson et al.'s travelling wave paradigm [Nature, 412 (2001) 907-910], intra- and inter-hemispheric failure rates of traveling wave transmission and the travelling wave propagation times were recorded for the two groups. For the control group, the wave propagation failure rate was significantly greater for the inter- than for the intra-hemispheric condition, but for the glaucoma group, the failure rates were equally high for the two conditions. The wave propagation time was significantly longer for the inter- than for the intra-hemispheric condition for the control group, while the opposite was true for the glaucoma group. These results reveal changes in the wave dynamics of rivalry dominance in patients with mild glaucoma who otherwise have normal performance on standard functional measures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saba Samet
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Graham E Trope
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Esther G González
- Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, Canada; Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of Toronto, Canada
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7
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Bock EA, Fesi JD, Baillet S, Mendola JD. Tagged MEG measures binocular rivalry in a cortical network that predicts alternation rate. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218529. [PMID: 31295259 PMCID: PMC6622468 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Binocular rivalry (BR) is a dynamic visual illusion that provides insight into the cortical mechanisms of visual awareness, stimulus selection, and object identification. When dissimilar binocular images cannot be fused, perception switches every few seconds between the left and right eye images. The speed at which individuals switch between alternatives is a stable, partially heritable trait. In order to isolate the monocular and binocular processes that determine the speed of rivalry, we presented stimuli tagged with a different flicker frequency in each eye and applied stimulus-phase locked MEG source imaging. We hypothesized that the strength of the evoked fundamental or intermodulation frequencies would vary when comparing Fast and Slow Switchers. Ten subjects reported perceptual alternations, with mean dominance durations between 1.2–4.0 sec. During BR, event-related monocular input in V1, and broadly in higher-tier ventral temporal cortex, waxed and waned with the periods of left or right eye dominance/suppression. In addition, we show that Slow Switchers produce greater evoked intermodulation frequency responses in a cortical network composed of V1, lateral occipital, posterior STS, retrosplenial & superior parietal cortices. Importantly, these dominance durations were not predictable from the brain responses to either of the fundamental tagging frequencies in isolation, nor from any responses to a pattern rivalry control condition, or a non-rivalrous control. The novel cortical network isolated, which overlaps with the default-mode network, may contain neurons that compute the level of endogenous monocular difference, and monitor accumulation of this conflict over extended periods of time. These findings are the first to relate the speed of rivalry across observers to the ‘efficient coding’ theory of computing binocular differences that may apply to binocular vision generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Bock
- Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jeremy D. Fesi
- Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sylvain Baillet
- Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Janine D. Mendola
- Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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8
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Brascamp JW, Becker MW, Hambrick DZ. Revisiting individual differences in the time course of binocular rivalry. J Vis 2018; 18:3. [PMID: 29971348 DOI: 10.1167/18.7.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simultaneously showing an observer two incompatible displays, one to each eye, causes binocular rivalry, during which the observer regularly switches between perceiving one eye's display and perceiving the other. Observers differ in the rate of this perceptual cycle, and these individual differences have been reported to correlate with differences in the perceptual switch rate for other bistable perception phenomena. Identifying which psychological or neural factors explain this variability can help clarify the mechanisms underlying binocular rivalry and of bistable perception generally. Motivated by the prominent theory that perceptual switches during binocular rivalry are brought about by neural adaptation, we investigated whether perceptual switch rates are correlated with the strength of neural adaptation, indexed by visual aftereffects. We found no compelling evidence for such correlations. Moreover, we did not corroborate previous findings that switch rates are correlated between binocular rivalry and other forms of bistable perception. This latter nonreplication prompted us to perform a meta-analysis of existing research into correlations among forms of bistable perception, which revealed that evidence for such correlations is much weaker than is generally believed. By showing no common factor linking individual differences in binocular rivalry and in our other paradigms, these results fit well with other work that has shown such common factors to be rare among visual phenomena generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan W Brascamp
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Mark W Becker
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - David Z Hambrick
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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9
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Skerswetat J, Formankiewicz MA, Waugh SJ. Levelt's laws do not predict perception when luminance- and contrast-modulated stimuli compete during binocular rivalry. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14432. [PMID: 30258060 PMCID: PMC6158271 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32703-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Incompatible patterns viewed by each of the two eyes can provoke binocular rivalry, a competition of perception. Levelt's first law predicts that a highly visible stimulus will predominate over a less visible stimulus during binocular rivalry. In a behavioural study, we made a counterintuitive observation: high visibility patterns do not always predominate over low visibility patterns. Our results show that none of Levelt's binocular rivalry laws hold when luminance-modulated (LM) patterns compete with contrast-modulated (CM) patterns. We discuss visual saliency, asymmetric feedback, and a combination of both as potential mechanisms to explain the CM versus LM findings. Competing orthogonal LM stimuli do follow Levelt's laws, whereas only the first two laws hold for competing CM stimuli. The current results provide strong psychophysical evidence for the existence of separate processing stages for LM and CM stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Skerswetat
- Anglia Vision Research, Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, CB1 1PT, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Monika A Formankiewicz
- Anglia Vision Research, Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, CB1 1PT, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sarah J Waugh
- Anglia Vision Research, Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, CB1 1PT, Cambridge, UK
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10
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Genomic Analyses of Visual Cognition: Perceptual Rivalry and Top-Down Control. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9668-9678. [PMID: 30242048 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1970-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual cognition in humans has traditionally been studied with cognitive behavioral methods and brain imaging, but much less with genetic methods. Perceptual rivalry, an important phenomenon in visual cognition, is the spontaneous perceptual alternation that occurs between two distinct interpretations of a physically constant visual stimulus (e.g., binocular rivalry stimuli) or a perceptually ambiguous stimulus (e.g., the Necker cube). The switching rate varies dramatically across individuals and can be voluntarily modulated by observers. Here, we adopted a genomic approach to systematically investigate the genetics underlying binocular rivalry, Necker cube rivalry and voluntary modulation of Necker cube rivalry in young Chinese adults (Homo sapiens, 81% female, 20 ± 1 years old) at multiple levels, including common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability estimation, SNP-based genome-wide association study (GWAS), gene-based analysis, and pathway analysis. We performed a pilot GWAS in 2441 individuals and replicated it in an independent cohort of 943 individuals. Common SNP-based heritability was estimated to be 25% for spontaneous perceptual rivalry. SNPs rs184765639 and rs75595941 were associated with voluntary modulation, and imaging data suggested genotypic difference of rs184765639 in the surface area of the left caudal-middle frontal cortex. Additionally, converging evidence from multilevel analyses associated genes such as PRMT1 with perceptual switching rate, and MIR1178 with voluntary modulation strength. In summary, this study discovered specific genetic contributions to perceptual rivalry and its voluntary modulation in human beings. These findings may promote our understanding of psychiatric disorders, as perceptual rivalry is a potential psychiatric biomarker.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Perceptual rivalry is an important visual phenomenon in which our perception of a physically constant visual input spontaneously switches between two different states. There are individual variations in perceptual switching rate and voluntary modulation strength. Our genomic analyses reveal several loci associated with these two kinds of variation. Because perceptual rivalry is thought to be relevant to and potentially an endophenotype for psychiatric disorders, these results may help understand not only visual cognition, but also psychiatric disorders.
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11
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Cao T, Wang L, Sun Z, Engel SA, He S. The Independent and Shared Mechanisms of Intrinsic Brain Dynamics: Insights From Bistable Perception. Front Psychol 2018; 9:589. [PMID: 29740374 PMCID: PMC5928422 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In bistable perception, constant input leads to alternating perception. The dynamics of the changing perception reflects the intrinsic dynamic properties of the “unconscious inferential” process in the brain. Under the same condition, individuals differ in how fast they experience the perceptual alternation. In this study, testing many forms of bistable perception in a large number of observers, we investigated the key question of whether there is a general and common mechanism or multiple and independent mechanisms that control the dynamics of the inferential brain. Bistable phenomena tested include binocular rivalry, vase-face, Necker cube, moving plaid, motion induced blindness, biological motion, spinning dancer, rotating cylinder, Lissajous-figure, rolling wheel, and translating diamond. Switching dynamics for each bistable percept was measured in 100 observers. Results show that the switching rates of subsets of bistable percept are highly correlated. The clustering of dynamic properties of some bistable phenomena but not an overall general control of switching dynamics implies that the brain’s inferential processes are both shared and independent – faster in constructing 3D structure from motion does not mean faster in integrating components into an objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teng Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhouyuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Stephen A Engel
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Sheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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12
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Brascamp J, Sterzer P, Blake R, Knapen T. Multistable Perception and the Role of the Frontoparietal Cortex in Perceptual Inference. Annu Rev Psychol 2017; 69:77-103. [PMID: 28854000 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010417-085944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A given pattern of optical stimulation can arise from countless possible real-world sources, creating a dilemma for vision: What in the world actually gives rise to the current pattern? This dilemma was pointed out centuries ago by the astronomer and mathematician Ibn Al-Haytham and was forcefully restated 150 years ago when von Helmholtz characterized perception as unconscious inference. To buttress his contention, von Helmholtz cited multistable perception: recurring changes in perception despite unchanging sensory input. Recent neuroscientific studies have exploited multistable perception to identify brain areas uniquely activated in association with these perceptual changes, but the specific roles of those activations remain controversial. This article provides an overview of theoretical models of multistable perception, a review of recent neuroimaging and brain stimulation studies focused on mechanisms associated with these perceptual changes, and a synthesis of available evidence within the context of current notions about Bayesian inference that find their historical roots in von Helmholtz's work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Brascamp
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolph Blake
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240; .,Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37240
| | - Tomas Knapen
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081BT Amsterdam, Netherlands
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13
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Arshad Q. Dynamic interhemispheric competition and vestibulo-cortical control in humans; A theoretical proposition. Neuroscience 2017; 353:26-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Revised: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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14
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Funk AP, Pettigrew JD. Does Interhemispheric Competition Mediate Motion-Induced Blindness? A Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study. Perception 2016; 32:1325-38. [PMID: 14959794 DOI: 10.1068/p5088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Motion-induced blindness (MIB) is a phenomenon, perhaps related to perceptual rivalry, where stationary targets disappear and reappear in a cyclic mode when viewed against a background (mask) of coherent, apparent 3-D motion. Since MIB has recently been shown to share similar temporal properties with binocular rivalry, we probed the appearance–disappearance cycle of MIB using unilateral, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)—a manipulation that has previously been shown to influence binocular rivalry. Effects were seen for both hemispheres when the timing of TMS was determined prospectively on the basis of a given subject's appearance–disappearance cycle, so that it occurred on average around 300 ms before the time of perceptual switch. Magnetic stimulation of either hemisphere shortened the time to switch from appearance to disappearance and vice versa. However, TMS of left posterior parietal cortex more selectively shortened the disappearance time of the targets if delivered in phase with the disappearance cycle, but lengthened it if TMS was delivered in the appearance phase after the perceptual switch. Opposite effects were seen in the right hemisphere, although less marked than the left-hemisphere effects. As well as sharing temporal characteristics with binocular rivalry, MIB therefore seems to share a similar underlying mechanism of interhemispheric modulation. Interhemispheric switching may thus provide a common temporal framework for uniting the diverse, multilevel phenomena of perceptual rivalry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes P Funk
- Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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15
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Miller SM. Vestibular neuromodulation: stimulating the neural crossroads of psychiatric illness. Bipolar Disord 2016; 18:539-543. [PMID: 27628748 DOI: 10.1111/bdi.12427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven M Miller
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University Central Clinical School and The Alfred Hospital and School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.
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16
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Sheppard BM, Pettigrew JD. Plaid Motion Rivalry: Correlates with Binocular Rivalry and Positive Mood State. Perception 2016; 35:157-69. [PMID: 16583762 DOI: 10.1068/p5395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Recently Hupé and Rubin (2003, Vision Research43 531–548) re-introduced the plaid as a form of perceptual rivalry by using two sets of drifting gratings behind a circular aperture to produce quasi-regular perceptual alternations between a coherent moving plaid of diamond-shaped intersections and the two sets of component ‘sliding’ gratings. We call this phenomenon plaid motion rivalry (PMR), and have compared its temporal dynamics with those of binocular rivalry in a sample of subjects covering a wide range of perceptual alternation rates. In support of the proposal that all rivalries may be mediated by a common switching mechanism, we found a high correlation between alternation rates induced by PMR and binocular rivalry. In keeping with a link discovered between the phase of rivalry and mood, we also found a link between PMR and an individual's mood state that is consistent with suggestions that each opposing phase of rivalry is associated with one or the other hemisphere, with the ‘diamonds’ phase of PMR linked with the ‘positive’ left hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonita M Sheppard
- Vision Touch and Hearing Research Center, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia.
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17
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Kanai R, Moradi F, Shimojo S, Verstraten FAJ. Perceptual Alternation Induced by Visual Transients. Perception 2016; 34:803-22. [PMID: 16124267 DOI: 10.1068/p5245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
When our visual system is confronted with ambiguous stimuli, the perceptual interpretation spontaneously alternates between the competing incompatible interpretations. The timing of such perceptual alternations is highly stochastic and the underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. We show that perceptual alternations can be triggered by a transient stimulus presented nearby. The induction was tested for four types of bistable stimuli: structure-from-motion, binocular rivalry, Necker cube, and ambiguous apparent motion. While underlying mechanisms may vary among them, a transient flash induced time-locked perceptual alternations in all cases. The effect showed a dependence on the adaptation to the dominant percept prior to the presentation of a flash. These perceptual alternations show many similarities to perceptual disappearances induced by transient stimuli (Kanai and Kamitani, 2003 Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience15 664–672; Moradi and Shimojo, 2004 Vision Research44 449–460). Mechanisms linking these two transient-induced phenomena are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Kanai
- Psychonomics Division, Helmholtz Research Institute, Universiteit Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 2, NL-3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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18
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Habes I, Rushton S, Johnston SJ, Sokunbi MO, Barawi K, Brosnan M, Daly T, Ihssen N, Linden DEJ. fMRI neurofeedback of higher visual areas and perceptual biases. Neuropsychologia 2016; 85:208-15. [PMID: 27020139 PMCID: PMC4863521 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Revised: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The self-regulation of brain activation via neurofeedback training offers a method to study the relationship between brain areas and perception in a more direct manner than the conventional mapping of brain responses to different types of stimuli. The current proof-of-concept study aimed to demonstrate that healthy volunteers can self-regulate activity in the parahippocampal place area (PPA) over the fusiform face area (FFA). Both areas are involved in higher order visual processing and are activated during the imagery of scenes and faces respectively. Participants (N=9) were required to upregulate PPA relative to FFA activity, and all succeeded at the task, with imagery of scenes being the most commonly reported mental strategy. A control group (N=8) underwent the same imagery and testing procedure, albeit without neurofeedback, in a mock MR scanner to account for any non-specific training effects. The upregulation of PPA activity occurred concurrently with activation of prefrontal and parietal areas, which have been associated with ideation and mental image generation. We tested whether successful upregulation of the PPA relative to FFA had consequences on perception by assessing bistable perception of faces and houses in a binocular rivalry task (before and after the scanning sessions) and categorisation of faces and scenes presented in transparent composite images (during scanning, interleaved with the self-regulation blocks). Contrary to our expectations, upregulation of the PPA did not alter the duration of face or house perception in the rivalry task and response speed and accuracy in the categorisation task. This conclusion was supported by the results of another control experiment (N=10 healthy participants) that involved intensive exposure to category-specific stimuli and did not show any behavioural or perceptual changes. We conclude that differential self-regulation of higher visual areas can be achieved, but that perceptual biases under conditions of stimulus rivalry are relatively robust against such internal modulation of localised brain activity. This study sets the basis for future investigations of perceptual and behavioural consequences of localised self-regulation of neural activity. Healthy participants trained differential self-regulation of higher visual areas. They were instructed to up-regulate the PPA whilst keeping FFA activity down. Up-regulation of the PPA was accompanied by frontal and parietal activation. No shift in perceptual biases in scene/face perceptual rivalry tasks was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Habes
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - S Rushton
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - S J Johnston
- School of Human and Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - M O Sokunbi
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK; Cognitive Neuroscience Sector, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - K Barawi
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - M Brosnan
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK; Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - T Daly
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4XN, UK
| | - N Ihssen
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - D E J Linden
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK; Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4XN, UK.
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19
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Arshad Q, Nigmatullina Y, Nigmatullin R, Asavarut P, Goga U, Khan S, Sander K, Siddiqui S, Roberts RE, Cohen Kadosh R, Bronstein AM, Malhotra PA. Bidirectional Modulation of Numerical Magnitude. Cereb Cortex 2016; 26:2311-2324. [PMID: 26879093 PMCID: PMC4830300 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhv344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerical cognition is critical for modern life; however, the precise neural mechanisms underpinning numerical magnitude allocation in humans remain obscure. Based upon previous reports demonstrating the close behavioral and neuro-anatomical relationship between number allocation and spatial attention, we hypothesized that these systems would be subject to similar control mechanisms, namely dynamic interhemispheric competition. We employed a physiological paradigm, combining visual and vestibular stimulation, to induce interhemispheric conflict and subsequent unihemispheric inhibition, as confirmed by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). This allowed us to demonstrate the first systematic bidirectional modulation of numerical magnitude toward either higher or lower numbers, independently of either eye movements or spatial attention mediated biases. We incorporated both our findings and those from the most widely accepted theoretical framework for numerical cognition to present a novel unifying computational model that describes how numerical magnitude allocation is subject to dynamic interhemispheric competition. That is, numerical allocation is continually updated in a contextual manner based upon relative magnitude, with the right hemisphere responsible for smaller magnitudes and the left hemisphere for larger magnitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qadeer Arshad
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W6 8RF, UK
| | | | - Ramil Nigmatullin
- Institut für Quantenphysik and Centre for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology (IQST), Albert Einstein Allell, Universität Ulm, Ulm D-89069, Germany
| | - Paladd Asavarut
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W6 8RF, UK
| | - Usman Goga
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W6 8RF, UK
| | - Sarah Khan
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W6 8RF, UK
| | - Kaija Sander
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W6 8RF, UK
| | - Shuaib Siddiqui
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W6 8RF, UK
| | - R E Roberts
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W6 8RF, UK
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford 0X1 3UD, UK
| | | | - Paresh A Malhotra
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London W6 8RF, UK
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20
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Abstract
Low-level perception results from neural-based computations, which build a multimodal skeleton of unconscious or self-generated inferences on our environment. This review identifies bottleneck issues concerning the role of early primary sensory cortical areas, mostly in rodent and higher mammals (cats and non-human primates), where perception substrates can be searched at multiple scales of neural integration. We discuss the limitation of purely bottom-up approaches for providing realistic models of early sensory processing and the need for identification of fast adaptive processes, operating within the time of a percept. Future progresses will depend on the careful use of comparative neuroscience (guiding the choices of experimental models and species adapted to the questions under study), on the definition of agreed-upon benchmarks for sensory stimulation, on the simultaneous acquisition of neural data at multiple spatio-temporal scales, and on the in vivo identification of key generic integration and plasticity algorithms validated experimentally and in simulations.
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21
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Ferrè ER, Haggard P, Bottini G, Iannetti GD. Caloric vestibular stimulation modulates nociceptive evoked potentials. Exp Brain Res 2015; 233:3393-401. [PMID: 26282602 PMCID: PMC4868137 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4412-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Vestibular stimulation has been reported to alleviate central pain. Clinical and physiological studies confirm pervasive interactions between vestibular signals and somatosensory circuits, including nociception. However, the neural mechanisms underlying vestibular-induced analgesia remain unclear, and previous clinical studies cannot rule out explanations based on alternative, non-specific effects such as distraction or placebo. To investigate how vestibular inputs influence nociception, we combined caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) with psychophysical and electrocortical responses elicited by nociceptive-specific laser stimulation in humans (laser-evoked potentials, LEPs). Cold water CVS applied to the left ear resulted in significantly lower subjective pain intensity for experimental laser pain to the left hand immediately after CVS, relative both to before CVS and to 1 h after CVS. This transient reduction in pain perception was associated with reduced amplitude of all LEP components, including the early N1 wave reflecting the first arrival of nociceptive input to primary somatosensory cortex. We conclude that cold left ear CVS elicits a modulation of both nociceptive processing and pain perception. The analgesic effect induced by CVS could be mediated either by subcortical gating of the ascending nociceptive input, or by direct modulation of the primary somatosensory cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrick Haggard
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gabriella Bottini
- Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Cognitive Neuropsychology Laboratory, Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Gian Domenico Iannetti
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
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22
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Miller SM. Closing in on the constitution of consciousness. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1293. [PMID: 25452738 PMCID: PMC4233945 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 10/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The science of consciousness is a nascent and thriving field of research that is founded on identifying the minimally sufficient neural correlates of consciousness. However, I have argued that it is the neural constitution of consciousness that science seeks to understand and that there are no evident strategies for distinguishing the correlates and constitution of (phenomenal) consciousness. Here I review this correlation/constitution distinction problem and challenge the existing foundations of consciousness science. I present the main analyses from a longer paper in press on this issue, focusing on recording, inhibition, stimulation, and combined inhibition/stimulation strategies, including proposal of the Jenga analogy to illustrate why identifying the minimally sufficient neural correlates of consciousness should not be considered the ultimate target of consciousness science. Thereafter I suggest that while combined inhibition and stimulation strategies might identify some constitutive neural activities—indeed minimally sufficient constitutive neural activities—such strategies fail to identify the whole neural constitution of consciousness and thus the correlation/constitution distinction problem is not fully solved. Various clarifications, potential objections and related scientific and philosophical issues are also discussed and I conclude by proposing new foundational claims for consciousness science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M Miller
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University Central Clinical School and The Alfred Hospital , Melbourne, VIC, Australia ; School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University , Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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23
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de Graaf TA, Sack AT. Using brain stimulation to disentangle neural correlates of conscious vision. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1019. [PMID: 25295015 PMCID: PMC4171988 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Research into the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) has blossomed, due to the advent of new and increasingly sophisticated brain research tools. Neuroimaging has uncovered a variety of brain processes that relate to conscious perception, obtained in a range of experimental paradigms. But methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging or electroencephalography do not always afford inference on the functional role these brain processes play in conscious vision. Such empirical NCCs could reflect neural prerequisites, neural consequences, or neural substrates of a conscious experience. Here, we take a closer look at the use of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques in this context. We discuss and review how NIBS methodology can enlighten our understanding of brain mechanisms underlying conscious vision by disentangling the empirical NCCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A de Graaf
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands ; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre Maastricht, Netherlands
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24
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Mast FW, Preuss N, Hartmann M, Grabherr L. Spatial cognition, body representation and affective processes: the role of vestibular information beyond ocular reflexes and control of posture. Front Integr Neurosci 2014; 8:44. [PMID: 24904327 PMCID: PMC4035009 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing number of studies in humans demonstrate the involvement of vestibular information in tasks that are seemingly remote from well-known functions such as space constancy or postural control. In this review article we point out three emerging streams of research highlighting the importance of vestibular input: (1) Spatial Cognition: Modulation of vestibular signals can induce specific changes in spatial cognitive tasks like mental imagery and the processing of numbers. This has been shown in studies manipulating body orientation (changing the input from the otoliths), body rotation (changing the input from the semicircular canals), in clinical findings with vestibular patients, and in studies carried out in microgravity. There is also an effect in the reverse direction; top-down processes can affect perception of vestibular stimuli. (2) Body Representation: Numerous studies demonstrate that vestibular stimulation changes the representation of body parts, and sensitivity to tactile input or pain. Thus, the vestibular system plays an integral role in multisensory coordination of body representation. (3) Affective Processes and Disorders: Studies in psychiatric patients and patients with a vestibular disorder report a high comorbidity of vestibular dysfunctions and psychiatric symptoms. Recent studies investigated the beneficial effect of vestibular stimulation on psychiatric disorders, and how vestibular input can change mood and affect. These three emerging streams of research in vestibular science are-at least in part-associated with different neuronal core mechanisms. Spatial transformations draw on parietal areas, body representation is associated with somatosensory areas, and affective processes involve insular and cingulate cortices, all of which receive vestibular input. Even though a wide range of different vestibular cortical projection areas has been ascertained, their functionality still is scarcely understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fred W Mast
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nora Preuss
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Hartmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Luzia Grabherr
- Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia Adelaide, SA, Australia
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25
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Piazza EA, Silver MA. Persistent hemispheric differences in the perceptual selection of spatial frequencies. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 26:2021-7. [PMID: 24666124 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has shown that the right hemisphere processes low spatial frequencies more efficiently than the left hemisphere, which preferentially processes high spatial frequencies. These studies have typically measured RTs to single, briefly flashed gratings and/or have directed observers to attend to a particular spatial frequency immediately before making a judgment about a subsequently presented stimulus. Thus, it is unclear whether the hemispheres differ in perceptual selection from multiple spatial frequencies that are simultaneously present in the environment, without bias from selective attention. Moreover, the time course of hemispheric asymmetry in spatial frequency processing is unknown. We addressed both of these questions with binocular rivalry, a measure of perceptual selection from competing alternatives over time. Participants viewed a pair of rivalrous orthogonal gratings with different spatial frequencies, presented either to the left or right of central fixation, and continuously reported which grating they perceived. At the beginning of a trial, the low spatial frequency grating was perceptually selected more often when presented in the left hemifield (right hemisphere) than in the right hemifield (left hemisphere), whereas the high spatial frequency grating showed the opposite pattern of results. This hemispheric asymmetry in perceptual selection persisted for the entire 30-sec stimulus presentation, continuing long after stimulus onset. These results indicate stable differences in the resolution of ambiguity across spatial locations and demonstrate the importance of considering sustained differences in perceptual selection across space when characterizing conscious representations of complex scenes.
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26
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Gallagher RM, Arnold DH. Interpreting the Temporal Dynamics of Perceptual Rivalries. Perception 2014; 43:1239-48. [DOI: 10.1068/p7648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Diverse forms of perceptual rivalry are claimed to tap a common causal mechanism. One of the bases for this claim is that the reported dynamics of binocular rivalry and motion-induced blindness are similar on an individual basis (Carter & Pettigrew, 2003 Perception, 32, 295–305). We examined this relationship and found no evidence for a strong correlation. We therefore question the proposition that the dynamics of diverse forms of rivalry are driven by a common mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regan M Gallagher
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Derek H Arnold
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
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27
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Dichoptic Viewing Methods for Binocular Rivalry Research: Prospects for Large-Scale Clinical and Genetic Studies. Twin Res Hum Genet 2013; 16:1033-78. [DOI: 10.1017/thg.2013.76] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Binocular rivalry (BR) is an intriguing phenomenon that occurs when two different images are presented, one to each eye, resulting in alternation orrivalrybetween the percepts. The phenomenon has been studied for nearly 200 years, with renewed and intensive investigation over recent decades. Therateof perceptual switching has long been known to vary widely between individuals but to be relatively stable within individuals. A recent twin study demonstrated that individual variation in BR rate is under substantial genetic control, a finding that also represented the first report, using a large study, of genetic contribution for any post-retinal visual processing phenomenon. The twin study had been prompted by earlier work showing BR rate was slow in the heritable psychiatric condition, bipolar disorder (BD). Together, these studies suggested that slow BR may represent an endophenotype for BD, and heralded the advent of modern clinical and genetic studies of rivalry. This new focus has coincided with rapid advances in 3D display technology, but despite such progress, specific development of technology for rivalry research has been lacking. This review therefore compares different display methods for BR research across several factors, including viewing parameters, image quality, equipment cost, compatibility with other investigative methods, subject group, and sample size, with a focus on requirements specific to large-scale clinical and genetic studies. It is intended to be a resource for investigators new to BR research, such as clinicians and geneticists, and to stimulate the development of 3D display technology for advancing interdisciplinary studies of rivalry.
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28
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Caloric vestibular stimulation modulates affective control and mood. Brain Stimul 2013; 7:133-40. [PMID: 24139868 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2013.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Revised: 09/05/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical evidence suggests a link between vestibular dysfunctions and mood disorders. No study has yet investigated mood and affective control during vestibular stimulation in healthy participants. OBJECTIVE We predicted a modulating effect of caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) on affective control measured in an affective Go/NoGo task (AGN). METHODS Thirty-two participants performed an AGN task while they were exposed to cold left or right ear CVS (20 °C) and sham stimulation (37 °C). In each block, either positive or negative pictures (taken from the International Affective Picture System) were defined as targets. Participants had to respond to targets (Go), and withhold responses to distractors (NoGo). RESULTS The sensitivity index d' (hits - false alarms) was used to measure affective control. Affective control improved during right ear CVS when viewing positive stimuli (P = .005), but decreased during left ear CVS when compared to sham stimulation (P = .009). CVS had a similar effect on positive mood ratings (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). Positive mood ratings decreased during left ear CVS when compared to sham stimulation, but there was no effect after right ear CVS. DISCUSSION The results suggest that CVS, depending on side of stimulation, has a modulating effect on mood and affective control. The results complement previous findings in manic patients and provide new evidence for the clinical potential of CVS.
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Arshad Q, Nigmatullina Y, Bhrugubanda V, Asavarut P, Obrocki P, Bronstein AM, Roberts RE. Separate attentional components modulate early visual cortex excitability. Cortex 2013; 49:2938-40. [PMID: 24090998 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2013.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2013] [Revised: 07/25/2013] [Accepted: 08/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Qadeer Arshad
- Academic Department of Neuro-otology, Division of Brain Sciences, Charing Cross Hospital Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
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30
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Abstract
Multisensory visuo-vestibular cortical areas are important for spatial orientation and facilitate the control of the brainstem-mediated vestibular ocular reflex (VOR). Despite reports of visual input and cognitive tasks modulating the VOR through cortical control, it is unknown whether higher-order visual stimuli such as bistable perception and attention tasks involving visual imagery have an effect on the VOR. This is a possibility since such stimuli recruit cortical areas overlapping with those engaged during vestibular activation. Here we used a novel paradigm in which human subjects view bistable perceptual stimuli or perform complex attention tasks during concurrent vestibular stimulation. Bistable perceptual phenomena and attention tasks asymmetrically modulated the VOR but only if they involved a visuospatial component (e.g., binocular motion rivalry but not color rivalry). Strikingly, the lateralization effect was dependent upon the subjects' handedness, making this report the first behavioral demonstration that vestibular cortical processing is strongly lateralized to the non-dominant hemisphere. Furthermore, we show that perceptual transitions can modulate the dynamics of the vestibular system contingent upon the presence of a spatial component in the perceptual transition stimuli. Both perceptual transitions and attentional tasks are thought to invoke a redirection of spatial attention. We infer that such redirection of spatial attention engages multisensory vestibular cortical areas that modulate low-level vestibular function which, in turn, may contribute to spatial orientation.
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31
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Vierck E, Porter RJ, Luty SE, Moor S, Crowe MT, Carter JD, Inder ML, Joyce PR. Further evidence for slow binocular rivalry rate as a trait marker for bipolar disorder. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2013; 47:371-9. [PMID: 23341474 DOI: 10.1177/0004867412474105] [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: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Binocular rivalry refers to a situation where contradictory information is presented simultaneously to the same location of each eye. This leads to the alternation of images every few seconds. The rate of alternation between images has been shown to be slower in euthymic participants with bipolar disorder than in healthy controls. The alternation rate is not uniformly slowed in bipolar disorder patients and may be influenced by clinical variables. The present study examined whether bipolar disorder patients have slower alternation rates, examined the influence of depression and explored the role of clinical variables and cognitive functions on alternation rate. METHOD Ninety-six patients with bipolar disorder and 24 control participants took part in the study. Current mood status and binocular rivalry performance were analysed with nonparametric tests. A slow and a normal alternation group were created by median split. We subsequently explored the distribution of several clinical variables across these groups. Further, we investigated associations between alternation rate and various cognitive functions, such as visual processing, memory, attention and general motor speed. RESULTS The median alternation rate was significantly slower for participants with bipolar disorder type I (0.39 Hz) and for participants with bipolar spectrum disorder (0.43 Hz) than for control participants (0.47 Hz). Depression had no effect on alternation rate. There were no differences between participants with bipolar disorder type I and type II and in regard to medication regime and predominance of one rivalry image. There were also no differences in regard to the clinical variables and no significant associations between alternation rate and the cognitive functions explored. CONCLUSION We replicated a slowing in alternation rate in some bipolar disorder participants. The alternation rate was not affected by depressed mood or any of the other factors explored, which supports views of binocular rivalry rates as a trait marker in bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Vierck
- Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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32
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Ferrè ER, Bottini G, Iannetti GD, Haggard P. The balance of feelings: Vestibular modulation of bodily sensations. Cortex 2013; 49:748-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2011] [Revised: 12/14/2011] [Accepted: 01/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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33
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Ferrè ER, Vagnoni E, Haggard P. Galvanic vestibular stimulation influences randomness of number generation. Exp Brain Res 2012; 224:233-41. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3302-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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34
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van Elk M, Blanke O. Balancing bistable perception during self-motion. Exp Brain Res 2012; 222:219-28. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3209-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2012] [Accepted: 07/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Kleinschmidt A, Sterzer P, Rees G. Variability of perceptual multistability: from brain state to individual trait. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2012; 367:988-1000. [PMID: 22371620 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2011.0367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Few phenomena are as suitable as perceptual multistability to demonstrate that the brain constructively interprets sensory input. Several studies have outlined the neural circuitry involved in generating perceptual inference but only more recently has the individual variability of this inferential process been appreciated. Studies of the interaction of evoked and ongoing neural activity show that inference itself is not merely a stimulus-triggered process but is related to the context of the current brain state into which the processing of external stimulation is embedded. As brain states fluctuate, so does perception of a given sensory input. In multistability, perceptual fluctuation rates are consistent for a given individual but vary considerably between individuals. There has been some evidence for a genetic basis for these individual differences and recent morphometric studies of parietal lobe regions have identified neuroanatomical substrates for individual variability in spontaneous switching behaviour. Moreover, disrupting the function of these latter regions by transcranial magnetic stimulation yields systematic interference effects on switching behaviour, further arguing for a causal role of these regions in perceptual inference. Together, these studies have advanced our understanding of the biological mechanisms by which the brain constructs the contents of consciousness from sensory input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Kleinschmidt
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 992, Cognitive Neuroimaging, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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36
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Ferrè ER, Bottini G, Haggard P. Vestibular inputs modulate somatosensory cortical processing. Brain Struct Funct 2012; 217:859-64. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-012-0404-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2011] [Accepted: 03/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Miller SM, Ngo TT, van Swinderen B. Attentional switching in humans and flies: rivalry in large and miniature brains. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 5:188. [PMID: 22279432 PMCID: PMC3260559 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2011.00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Accepted: 12/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Human perception, and consequently behavior, is driven by attention dynamics. In the special case of rivalry, where attention alternates between competing percepts, such dynamics can be measured and their determinants investigated. A recent study in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, now shows that the origins of attentional rivalry may be quite ancient. Furthermore, individual variation exists in the rate of attentional rivalry in both humans and flies, and in humans this is under substantial genetic influence. In the pathophysiological realm, slowing of rivalry rate is associated with the heritable psychiatric condition, bipolar disorder. Fly rivalry may therefore prove a powerful model to examine genetic and molecular influences on rivalry rate, and may even shed light on human cognitive and behavioral dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Mark Miller
- Perceptual and Clinical Neuroscience Group, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash UniversityMelbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Trung Thanh Ngo
- Perceptual and Clinical Neuroscience Group, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash UniversityMelbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bruno van Swinderen
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandBrisbane, QLD, Australia
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Abstract
Functional imaging studies show that vestibular and somatosensory projections overlap in the human brain. However, it remains unclear whether and how vestibular inputs affect somatosensory function. To address this issue, we studied the effects of left caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) on detection of near-threshold somatosensory stimuli delivered to the left and right hands of healthy volunteers. To investigate whether these effects were somatosensory specific, or supramodal, we also tested CVS modulation of visual contrast detection. Signal detection analyses showed increased somatosensory perceptual sensitivity immediately after CVS, both ipsilaterally and contralaterally. No statistically reliable effects on visual contrast sensitivity were found. These findings suggest that vestibular stimulation has a specific facilitatory effect on somatosensory detection, distinct from non-specific arousal and spatial attentional effects of CVS. Thus, the overlap in brain activations for vestibular and somatosensory inputs is not simply an anatomical curiosity, but may reflect a functional cross-modal perceptual interaction.
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Kondo HM, Kitagawa N, Kitamura MS, Koizumi A, Nomura M, Kashino M. Separability and commonality of auditory and visual bistable perception. Cereb Cortex 2011; 22:1915-22. [PMID: 21965442 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhr266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
It is unclear what neural processes induce individual differences in perceptual organization in different modalities. To examine this issue, the present study used different forms of bistable perception: auditory streaming, verbal transformations, visual plaids, and reversible figures. We performed factor analyses on the number of perceptual switches in the tasks. A 3-factor model provided a better fit to the data than the other possible models. These factors, namely the "auditory," "shape," and "motion" factors, were separable but correlated with each other. We compared the number of perceptual switches among genotype groups to identify the effects of neurotransmitter functions on the factors. We focused on polymorphisms of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val(158)Met and serotonin 2A receptor (HTR2A) -1438G/A genes, which are involved in the modulation of dopamine and serotonin, respectively. The number of perceptual switches in auditory streaming and verbal transformations differed among COMT genotype groups, whereas that in reversible figures differed among HTR2A genotype groups. The results indicate that the auditory and shape factors reflect the functions of the dopamine and serotonin systems, respectively. Our findings suggest that the formation and selection of percepts involve neural processes in cortical and subcortical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirohito M Kondo
- NTT Communication Science Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0198, Japan
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40
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Paffen CLE, Alais D. Attentional modulation of binocular rivalry. Front Hum Neurosci 2011; 5:105. [PMID: 22046156 PMCID: PMC3202227 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2011.00105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2011] [Accepted: 09/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ever since Wheatstone initiated the scientific study of binocular rivalry, it has been debated whether the phenomenon is under attentional control. In recent years, the issue of attentional modulation of binocular rivalry has seen a revival. Here we review the classical studies as well as recent advances in the study of attentional modulation of binocular rivalry. We show that (1) voluntary control over binocular rivalry is possible, yet limited, (2) both endogenous and exogenous attention influence perceptual dominance during rivalry, (3) diverting attention from rival displays does not arrest perceptual alternations, and that (4) rival targets by themselves can also attract attention. From a theoretical perspective, we suggest that attention affects binocular rivalry by modulating the effective contrast of the images in competition. This contrast enhancing effect of top-down attention is counteracted by a response attenuating effect of neural adaptation at early levels of visual processing, which weakens the response to the dominant image. Moreover, we conclude that although frontal and parietal brain areas involved in both binocular rivalry and visual attention overlap, an adapting reciprocal inhibition arrangement at early visual cortex is sufficient to trigger switches in perceptual dominance independently of a higher-level "selection" mechanisms. Both of these processes are reciprocal and therefore self-balancing, with the consequence that complete attentional control over binocular rivalry can never be realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris L. E. Paffen
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrecht, Netherlands
| | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, SydneyNSW, Australia
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41
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Intrinsic activity in the fly brain gates visual information during behavioral choices. PLoS One 2010; 5:e14455. [PMID: 21209935 PMCID: PMC3012687 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0014455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2010] [Accepted: 12/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The small insect brain is often described as an input/output system that executes reflex-like behaviors. It can also initiate neural activity and behaviors intrinsically, seen as spontaneous behaviors, different arousal states and sleep. However, less is known about how intrinsic activity in neural circuits affects sensory information processing in the insect brain and variability in behavior. Here, by simultaneously monitoring Drosophila's behavioral choices and brain activity in a flight simulator system, we identify intrinsic activity that is associated with the act of selecting between visual stimuli. We recorded neural output (multiunit action potentials and local field potentials) in the left and right optic lobes of a tethered flying Drosophila, while its attempts to follow visual motion (yaw torque) were measured by a torque meter. We show that when facing competing motion stimuli on its left and right, Drosophila typically generate large torque responses that flip from side to side. The delayed onset (0.1–1 s) and spontaneous switch-like dynamics of these responses, and the fact that the flies sometimes oppose the stimuli by flying straight, make this behavior different from the classic steering reflexes. Drosophila, thus, seem to choose one stimulus at a time and attempt to rotate toward its direction. With this behavior, the neural output of the optic lobes alternates; being augmented on the side chosen for body rotation and suppressed on the opposite side, even though the visual input to the fly eyes stays the same. Thus, the flow of information from the fly eyes is gated intrinsically. Such modulation can be noise-induced or intentional; with one possibility being that the fly brain highlights chosen information while ignoring the irrelevant, similar to what we know to occur in higher animals.
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42
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How the vestibular system modulates tactile perception in normal subjects: a behavioural and physiological study. Exp Brain Res 2010; 208:29-38. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-010-2450-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2010] [Accepted: 10/05/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Carmel D, Walsh V, Lavie N, Rees G. Right parietal TMS shortens dominance durations in binocular rivalry. Curr Biol 2010; 20:R799-800. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Genetic contribution to individual variation in binocular rivalry rate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:2664-8. [PMID: 20133779 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0912149107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Binocular rivalry occurs when conflicting images are presented in corresponding locations of the two eyes. Perception alternates between the images at a rate that is relatively stable within individuals but that varies widely between individuals. The determinants of this variation are unknown. In addition, slow binocular rivalry has been demonstrated in bipolar disorder, a psychiatric condition with high heritability. The present study therefore examined whether there is a genetic contribution to individual variation in binocular rivalry rate. We employed the twin method and studied both monozygotic (MZ) twins (n = 128 pairs) who are genetically identical, and dizygotic (DZ) twins (n = 220 pairs) who share roughly half their genes. MZ and DZ twin correlations for binocular rivalry rate were 0.51 and 0.19, respectively. The best-fitting genetic model showed 52% of the variance in binocular rivalry rate was accounted for by additive genetic factors. In contrast, nonshared environmental influences accounted for 18% of the variance, with the remainder attributed to measurement error. This study therefore demonstrates a substantial genetic contribution to individual variation in binocular rivalry rate. The results support the vigorous pursuit of genetic and molecular studies of binocular rivalry and further characterization of slow binocular rivalry as an endophenotype for bipolar disorder.
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Nagamine M, Yoshino A, Miyazaki M, Takahashi Y, Nomura S. Difference in binocular rivalry rate between patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorders. Bipolar Disord 2009; 11:539-46. [PMID: 19624393 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2009.00719.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE When dissimilar figures are presented to each eye individually, perception alternates spontaneously between each monocular view. This phenomenon, known as binocular rivalry, has been used as a powerful tool to investigate conscious visual awareness. Of clinical relevance, Pettigrew and Miller (Proc Biol Sci 1998; 265: 2141-2148) found slow perceptual alternation rates in patients with bipolar I disorder (BD-I). For a better understanding of differences between BD-I and bipolar II disorder (BD-II), we examined whether perceptual alternation rates of binocular rivalry differ between the two subtypes of bipolar disorder. METHODS The subjects comprised 25 healthy controls, 11 patients with BD-I, and 17 patients with BD-II. They underwent binocular rivalry examination. One-way analysis of variance was conducted to determine differences in the phase duration of binocular rivalry between the control, BD-I, and BD-II groups. RESULTS Significant differences were observed in the mean phase duration of binocular rivalry between the groups. Although the medication administered did not differ significantly between the BD-I and BD-II patients, the phase duration was significantly longer among the BD-I patients than the BD-II patients and controls, whereas no significant difference was observed in the phase duration between the BD-II patients and controls. CONCLUSION The present results reveal a significant difference in the mean phase duration of binocular rivalry between subjects with BD-I and those with BD-II, suggesting the presence of some neurobiological difference between these two subtypes of bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanori Nagamine
- Department of Psychiatry, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8513, Japan
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46
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Wang CZH, Herbst JA, Keller GB, Hahnloser RHR. Rapid interhemispheric switching during vocal production in a songbird. PLoS Biol 2009; 6:e250. [PMID: 18922044 PMCID: PMC2567002 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2008] [Accepted: 09/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To generate complex bilateral motor patterns such as those underlying birdsong, neural activity must be highly coordinated across the two cerebral hemispheres. However, it remains largely elusive how this coordination is achieved given that interhemispheric communication between song-control areas in the avian cerebrum is restricted to projections received from bilaterally connecting areas in the mid- and hindbrain. By electrically stimulating cerebral premotor areas in zebra finches, we find that behavioral effectiveness of stimulation rapidly switches between hemispheres. In time intervals in which stimulation in one hemisphere tends to distort songs, stimulation in the other hemisphere is mostly ineffective, revealing an idiosyncratic form of motor dominance that bounces back and forth between hemispheres like a virtual ping-pong ball. The intervals of lateralized effectiveness are broadly distributed and are unrelated to simple spectral and temporal song features. Such interhemispheric switching could be an important dynamical aspect of neural coordination that may have evolved from simpler pattern generator circuits. As for all vertebrates, the songbird cerebrum has two halves (or hemispheres), each of which controls mainly the muscles in one half of the body. Many motor behaviors such as singing rely on high coordination of activity in both hemispheres, yet little is known about the neural mechanisms of this coordination. By using electrical stimuli to briefly perturb the activity of neurons in the motor pathway during song production, we study their involvement in generating the different elements of a song in zebra finches. We find mostly disjoint time intervals in which stimulation of either the right or left hemisphere is effective in distorting a song. This interhemispheric switching of stimulation effectiveness is evidence of a novel form of ping-pong–like motor coordination. Because left–right alternation is the basis of many motor patterns such as swimming and walking, we speculate that interhemispheric switching in songbirds has its evolutionary roots in older circuit principles invented for locomotion. Motor dominance across cerebral hemispheres bounces back and forth like a virtual ping-pong ball during song production in zebra finches.
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47
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Christman SD, Sontam V, Jasper JD. Individual Differences in Ambiguous-Figure Perception: Degree of Handedness and Interhemispheric Interaction. Perception 2009; 38:1183-98. [DOI: 10.1068/p6131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Research has shown that persons with strong right-hand preference (ie who report using their dominant hand for all manual activities) display a decreased tendency to update bodily and conceptual representations, possibly arising from decreased interaction between the left and right cerebral hemispheres. Current experiments extend these findings to the domain of perceptual representations. In experiments 1 and 2, strong right-handedness was associated with a decreased ability to update perceptual representations in response to gradually changing perceptual input. In experiment 3, strong right-handedness was associated with lower spontaneous reversal rates during the extended viewing of ambiguous figures, and experiment 4 ruled out an explanation in terms of response bias.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John D Jasper
- Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
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48
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Abstract
Individual brain hemispheres are often specialized for specific aspects of a behavior. How both sides of the brain coordinate their output to produce a perfectly seamless behavior is not known. Songbirds appear to achieve this by rapidly switching back and forth between hemispheres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc F Schmidt
- Department of Biology, Institute for Neurological Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
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49
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Fagard J, Monzalvo-Lopez K, Mamassian P. Relationship between eye preference and binocular rivalry, and between eye-hand preference and reading ability in children. Dev Psychobiol 2008; 50:789-98. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.20328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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50
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Fagard J, Sacco S, Yvenou C, Domellöf E, Kieffer V, Tordjman S, Moutard ML, Mamassian P. The role of the corpus callosum in the perception of reversible figures in children. Vision Res 2008; 48:2451-5. [PMID: 18775448 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2008.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2008] [Revised: 08/07/2008] [Accepted: 08/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
To test the role of interhemispheric competition through the corpus callosum in the perceptual alternation of reversible figures, we compared children with callosal pathology and typically developing children on a bistable stimulus task. The children with corpus callosum pathology reported significantly less changes of percepts per minute than the age-matched typically developing children. In addition, older typically developing children reported significantly more changes of percepts than the younger ones. These results support the hypothesis that the rate of reversal between two interpretations of a bistable stimulus may be partly mediated by the corpus callosum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Fagard
- Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception (CNRS UMR 8158), Université Paris Descartes, Centre Biomédical des Saints Pères, 45 rue des Sts Pères, 75006 Paris, France.
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