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Panagiotaropoulos TI. An integrative view of the role of prefrontal cortex in consciousness. Neuron 2024; 112:1626-1641. [PMID: 38754374 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The involvement of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in consciousness is an ongoing focus of intense investigation. An important question is whether representations of conscious contents and experiences in the PFC are confounded by post-perceptual processes related to cognitive functions. Here, I review recent findings suggesting that neuronal representations of consciously perceived contents-in the absence of post-perceptual processes-can indeed be observed in the PFC. Slower ongoing fluctuations in the electrophysiological state of the PFC seem to control the stability and updates of these prefrontal representations of conscious awareness. In addition to conscious perception, the PFC has been shown to play a critical role in controlling the levels of consciousness as observed during anesthesia, while prefrontal lesions can result in severe loss of perceptual awareness. Together, the convergence of these processes in the PFC suggests its integrative role in consciousness and highlights the complex nature of consciousness itself.
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Whyte CJ, Redinbaugh MJ, Shine JM, Saalmann YB. Thalamic contributions to the state and contents of consciousness. Neuron 2024; 112:1611-1625. [PMID: 38754373 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Consciousness can be conceptualized as varying along at least two dimensions: the global state of consciousness and the content of conscious experience. Here, we highlight the cellular and systems-level contributions of the thalamus to conscious state and then argue for thalamic contributions to conscious content, including the integrated, segregated, and continuous nature of our experience. We underscore vital, yet distinct roles for core- and matrix-type thalamic neurons. Through reciprocal interactions with deep-layer cortical neurons, matrix neurons support wakefulness and determine perceptual thresholds, whereas the cortical interactions of core neurons maintain content and enable perceptual constancy. We further propose that conscious integration, segregation, and continuity depend on the convergent nature of corticothalamic projections enabling dimensionality reduction, a thalamic reticular nucleus-mediated divisive normalization-like process, and sustained coherent activity in thalamocortical loops, respectively. Overall, we conclude that the thalamus plays a central topological role in brain structures controlling conscious experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Whyte
- Centre for Complex Systems, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - James M Shine
- Centre for Complex Systems, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yuri B Saalmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, USA
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Maffei A, Gambarota F, Liotti M, Dell'Acqua R, Tsuchiya N, Sessa P. Conscious perception of fear in faces: Insights from high-density EEG and perceptual awareness scale with threshold stimuli. Cortex 2024; 174:93-109. [PMID: 38493568 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Contrary to the extensive research on processing subliminal and/or unattended emotional facial expressions, only a minority of studies have investigated the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) of emotions conveyed by faces. In the present high-density electroencephalography (EEG) study, we first employed a staircase procedure to identify each participant's perceptual threshold of the emotion expressed by the face and then compared the EEG signals elicited in trials where the participants were aware with the activity elicited in trials where participants were unaware of the emotions expressed by these, otherwise identical, faces. Drawing on existing knowledge of the neural mechanisms of face processing and NCCs, we hypothesized that activity in frontal electrodes would be modulated in relation to participants' awareness of facial emotional content. More specifically, we hypothesized that the NCC of fear seen on someone else's face could be detected as a modulation of a later and more anterior (i.e., at frontal sites) event-related potential (ERP) than the face-sensitive N170. By adopting a data-driven approach and cluster-based statistics to the analysis of EEG signals, the results were clear-cut in showing that visual awareness of fear was associated with the modulation of a frontal ERP component in a 150-300 msec interval. These insights are dissected and contextualized in relation to prevailing theories of visual consciousness and their proposed NCC benchmarks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Maffei
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Filippo Gambarota
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Mario Liotti
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Roberto Dell'Acqua
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Naotsugu Tsuchiya
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health & School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Suita-shi, Osaka, Japan; Laboratory Head, Laboratory of Qualia Structure, ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Paola Sessa
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology (DPSS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
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Fermin ASR, Sasaoka T, Maekawa T, Ono K, Chan HL, Yamawaki S. Insula-cortico-subcortical networks predict interoceptive awareness and stress resilience. Asian J Psychiatr 2024; 95:103991. [PMID: 38484483 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.103991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interoception, the neural sensing of visceral signals, and interoceptive awareness (IA), the conscious perception of interoception, are crucial for life survival functions and mental health. Resilience, the capacity to overcome adversity, has been associated with reduced interoceptive disturbances. Here, we sought evidence for our Insula Modular Active Control (IMAC) model that suggest that the insula, a brain region specialized in the processing of interoceptive information, realizes IA and contributes to resilience and mental health via cortico-subcortical connections. METHODS 64 healthy participants (32 females; ages 18-34 years) answered questionnaires that assess IA and resilience. Mental health was evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory II that assesses depressive mood. Participants also underwent a 15 minute resting-state functional resonance imaging session. Pearson correlations and mediation analyses were used to investigate the relationship between IA and resilience and their contributions to depressive mood. We then performed insula seed-based functional connectivity analyzes to identify insula networks involved in IA, resilience and depressive mood. RESULTS We first demonstrated that resilience mediates the relationship between IA and depressive mood. Second, shared and distinct intra-insula, insula-cortical and insula-subcortical networks were associated with IA, resilience and also predicted the degree of experienced depressive mood. Third, while resilience was associated with stronger insula-precuneus, insula-cerebellum and insula-prefrontal networks, IA was linked with stronger intra-insula, insula-striatum and insula-motor networks. CONCLUSIONS Our findings help understand the roles of insula-cortico-subcortical networks in IA and resilience. These results also highlight the potential use of insula networks as biomarkers for depression prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan S R Fermin
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
| | - Takafumi Sasaoka
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Toru Maekawa
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Kentaro Ono
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Hui-Ling Chan
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Shigeto Yamawaki
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
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Das A, Menon V. Electrophysiological dynamics of a triple network model of cognitive control: A multi-experiment replication. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.28.582593. [PMID: 38463954 PMCID: PMC10925291 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.28.582593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Dynamic interactions between large-scale brain networks are thought to underpin human cognitive processes, but their underlying electrophysiological dynamics remain unknown. The triple network model, which highlights the salience, default mode, and frontoparietal networks, provides a fundamental framework for understanding these interactions. To unravel the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying these network dynamics, we utilized intracranial EEG recordings from 177 participants across four distinct memory experiments. Our findings revealed a consistent pattern of directed information flow from the anterior insula, a key node of the salience network, to both the default mode and frontoparietal networks. Notably, this pattern of information transmission was observed regardless of the nature of the tasks, whether they involved externally driven stimuli during encoding or internally governed processes during free recall. Moreover, the directed information flow from the anterior insula to the other networks was present irrespective of the activation or suppression states of individual network nodes. Furthermore, we observed a specific suppression of high-gamma power in the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus node of the default mode network during memory encoding, but not recall, suggesting a task-specific functional down-regulation of this region. Crucially, these results were reliably replicated across all four experiments, underscoring the robustness and generalizability of our findings. Our study significantly advances the understanding of how coordinated neural network interactions underpin cognitive operations and highlights the critical role of the anterior insula in orchestrating the dynamics of large-scale brain networks. These findings have important implications for elucidating the neural basis of cognitive control and its potential disruptions in various neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anup Das
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Neurology & Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
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Kronemer SI, Gobo VE, Teves JB, Burk DC, Shahsavarani S, Walsh CR, Gonzalez-Castillo J, Bandettini PA. Cross-species real time detection of trends in pupil size fluctuation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.12.579393. [PMID: 38410482 PMCID: PMC10896349 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.12.579393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Pupillometry is a popular method because pupil size is an easily measured and sensitive marker of neural activity and associated with behavior, cognition, emotion, and perception. Currently, there is no method for monitoring the phases of pupillary fluctuation in real time. We introduce rtPupilPhase - a software that automatically detects trends in pupil size in real time, enabling novel implementations of real time pupillometry towards achieving numerous research and translational goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharif I Kronemer
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA)
| | - Victoria E Gobo
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA)
| | - Joshua B Teves
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA)
| | - Diana C Burk
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Somayeh Shahsavarani
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA)
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia, University, New York (NY), NY, USA
| | - Catherine R Walsh
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA)
| | - Javier Gonzalez-Castillo
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA)
| | - Peter A Bandettini
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland (MD), United States of America (USA)
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Core Facility, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Young MJ, Fecchio M, Bodien YG, Edlow BL. Covert cortical processing: a diagnosis in search of a definition. Neurosci Conscious 2024; 2024:niad026. [PMID: 38327828 PMCID: PMC10849751 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niad026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Historically, clinical evaluation of unresponsive patients following brain injury has relied principally on serial behavioral examination to search for emerging signs of consciousness and track recovery. Advances in neuroimaging and electrophysiologic techniques now enable clinicians to peer into residual brain functions even in the absence of overt behavioral signs. These advances have expanded clinicians' ability to sub-stratify behaviorally unresponsive and seemingly unaware patients following brain injury by querying and classifying covert brain activity made evident through active or passive neuroimaging or electrophysiologic techniques, including functional MRI, electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation-EEG, and positron emission tomography. Clinical research has thus reciprocally influenced clinical practice, giving rise to new diagnostic categories including cognitive-motor dissociation (i.e. 'covert consciousness') and covert cortical processing (CCP). While covert consciousness has received extensive attention and study, CCP is relatively less understood. We describe that CCP is an emerging and clinically relevant state of consciousness marked by the presence of intact association cortex responses to environmental stimuli in the absence of behavioral evidence of stimulus processing. CCP is not a monotonic state but rather encapsulates a spectrum of possible association cortex responses from rudimentary to complex and to a range of possible stimuli. In constructing a roadmap for this evolving field, we emphasize that efforts to inform clinicians, philosophers, and researchers of this condition are crucial. Along with strategies to sensitize diagnostic criteria and disorders of consciousness nosology to these vital discoveries, democratizing access to the resources necessary for clinical identification of CCP is an emerging clinical and ethical imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Young
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Matteo Fecchio
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Yelena G Bodien
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 1st Ave, Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Brian L Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Charlestown, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
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Fang Z, Dang Y, Ling Z, Han Y, Zhao H, Xu X, Zhang M. The involvement of the human prefrontal cortex in the emergence of visual awareness. eLife 2024; 12:RP89076. [PMID: 38265851 PMCID: PMC10945701 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89076] [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] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Exploring the neural mechanisms of awareness is a fundamental task of cognitive neuroscience. There is an ongoing dispute regarding the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the emergence of awareness, which is partially raised by the confound between report- and awareness-related activity. To address this problem, we designed a visual awareness task that can minimize report-related motor confounding. Our results show that saccadic latency is significantly shorter in the aware trials than in the unaware trials. Local field potential (LFP) data from six patients consistently show early (200-300ms) awareness-related activity in the PFC, including event-related potential and high-gamma activity. Moreover, the awareness state can be reliably decoded by the neural activity in the PFC since the early stage, and the neural pattern is dynamically changed rather than being stable during the representation of awareness. Furthermore, the enhancement of dynamic functional connectivity, through the phase modulation at low frequency, between the PFC and other brain regions in the early stage of the awareness trials may explain the mechanism of conscious access. These results indicate that the PFC is critically involved in the emergence of awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zepeng Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Division of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Yuanyuan Dang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Zhipei Ling
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Yongzheng Han
- Department of Anesthesiology, Peking University Third HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Hulin Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Mingsha Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Division of Psychology, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
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Wiens S, Andersson A, Gravenfors J. Neural electrophysiological correlates of detection and identification awareness. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1303-1321. [PMID: 37656374 PMCID: PMC10545648 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01120-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Humans have conscious experiences of the events in their environment. Previous research from electroencephalography (EEG) has shown visual awareness negativity (VAN) at about 200 ms to be a neural correlate of consciousness (NCC). However, when considering VAN as an NCC, it is important to explore which particular experiences are associated with VAN. Recent research proposes that VAN is an NCC of lower-level experiences (detection) rather than higher-level experiences (identification). However, previous results are mixed and have several limitations. In the present study, the stimulus was a ring with a Gabor patch tilting either left or right. On each trial, subjects rated their awareness on a three-level perceptual awareness scale that captured both detection (something vs. nothing) and identification (identification vs. something). Separate staircases were used to adjust stimulus opacity to the detection threshold and the identification threshold. Bayesian linear mixed models provided extreme evidence (BF10 = 131) that VAN was stronger at the detection threshold than at the identification threshold. Mean VAN decreased from [Formula: see text]2.12 microV [[Formula: see text]2.86, [Formula: see text]1.42] at detection to [Formula: see text]0.46 microV [[Formula: see text]0.79, [Formula: see text]0.11] at identification. These results strongly support the claim that VAN is an NCC of lower-level experiences of seeing something rather than of higher-level experiences of specific properties of the stimuli. Thus, results are consistent with recurrent processing theory in that phenomenal visual consciousness is reflected by VAN. Further, results emphasize that it is important to consider the level of experience when searching for NCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Wiens
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Annika Andersson
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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Kosnoff J, Yu K, Liu C, He B. Transcranial Focused Ultrasound to V5 Enhances Human Visual Motion Brain-Computer Interface by Modulating Feature-Based Attention. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.04.556252. [PMID: 37732253 PMCID: PMC10508752 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.04.556252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Paralysis affects roughly 1 in 50 Americans. While there is no cure for the condition, brain-computer interfaces (BCI) can allow users to control a device with their mind, bypassing the paralyzed region. Non-invasive BCIs still have high error rates, which is hypothesized to be reduced with concurrent targeted neuromodulation. This study examines whether transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) modulation can improve BCI outcomes, and what the underlying mechanism of action might be through high-density electroencephalography (EEG)-based source imaging (ESI) analyses. V5-targeted tFUS significantly reduced the error for the BCI speller task. ESI analyses showed significantly increased theta activity in the tFUS condition at both V5 and downstream the dorsal visual processing pathway. Correlation analysis indicates that the dorsal processing pathway connection was preserved during tFUS stimulation, whereas extraneous connections were severed. These results suggest that V5-targeted tFUS' mechanism of action is to raise the brain's feature-based attention to visual motion.
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Liu J, Bayle DJ, Spagna A, Sitt JD, Bourgeois A, Lehongre K, Fernandez-Vidal S, Adam C, Lambrecq V, Navarro V, Seidel Malkinson T, Bartolomeo P. Fronto-parietal networks shape human conscious report through attention gain and reorienting. Commun Biol 2023; 6:730. [PMID: 37454150 PMCID: PMC10349830 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05108-2] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
How do attention and consciousness interact in the human brain? Rival theories of consciousness disagree on the role of fronto-parietal attentional networks in conscious perception. We recorded neural activity from 727 intracerebral contacts in 13 epileptic patients, while they detected near-threshold targets preceded by attentional cues. Clustering revealed three neural patterns: first, attention-enhanced conscious report accompanied sustained right-hemisphere fronto-temporal activity in networks connected by the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) II-III, and late accumulation of activity (>300 ms post-target) in bilateral dorso-prefrontal and right-hemisphere orbitofrontal cortex (SLF I-III). Second, attentional reorienting affected conscious report through early, sustained activity in a right-hemisphere network (SLF III). Third, conscious report accompanied left-hemisphere dorsolateral-prefrontal activity. Task modeling with recurrent neural networks revealed multiple clusters matching the identified brain clusters, elucidating the causal relationship between clusters in conscious perception of near-threshold targets. Thus, distinct, hemisphere-asymmetric fronto-parietal networks support attentional gain and reorienting in shaping human conscious experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianghao Liu
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France.
- Dassault Systèmes, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France.
| | | | - Alfredo Spagna
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University in the City of New York, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jacobo D Sitt
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Alexia Bourgeois
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neurorehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Katia Lehongre
- CENIR - Centre de Neuro-Imagerie de Recherche, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Sara Fernandez-Vidal
- CENIR - Centre de Neuro-Imagerie de Recherche, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Claude Adam
- Epilepsy Unit, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Virginie Lambrecq
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France
- Epilepsy Unit, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, 75013, Paris, France
- Clinical Neurophysiology Department, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Navarro
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France
- Epilepsy Unit, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, 75013, Paris, France
- Clinical Neurophysiology Department, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Tal Seidel Malkinson
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France.
- CNRS, CRAN, Université de Lorraine, F-54000, Nancy, France.
| | - Paolo Bartolomeo
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013, Paris, France.
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He BJ. Towards a pluralistic neurobiological understanding of consciousness. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:420-432. [PMID: 36842851 PMCID: PMC10101889 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.02.001] [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: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
Theories of consciousness are often based on the assumption that a single, unified neurobiological account will explain different types of conscious awareness. However, recent findings show that, even within a single modality such as conscious visual perception, the anatomical location, timing, and information flow of neural activity related to conscious awareness vary depending on both external and internal factors. This suggests that the search for generic neural correlates of consciousness may not be fruitful. I argue that consciousness science requires a more pluralistic approach and propose a new framework: joint determinant theory (JDT). This theory may be capable of accommodating different brain circuit mechanisms for conscious contents as varied as percepts, wills, memories, emotions, and thoughts, as well as their integrated experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biyu J He
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Physiology, Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016.
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