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Fidecicchi T, Giannini A, Chedraui P, Luisi S, Battipaglia C, Genazzani AR, Genazzani AD, Simoncini T. Neuroendocrine mechanisms of mood disorders during menopause transition: A narrative review and future perspectives. Maturitas 2024; 188:108087. [PMID: 39111089 DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2024.108087] [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: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
The menopause transition is an important period in a woman's life, during which she is at an increased risk of mood disorders. Estrogen and progesterone fluctuations during the menopausal transition and very low levels of estradiol after menopause have a profound effect on the central nervous system (CNS), causing an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Changes in neurotransmission and neuronal interactions that occur with estradiol withdrawal disrupt the normal neurological balance and may be associated with menopausal symptoms. Hot flushes, depressed mood and anxiety are all symptoms of menopause that are a consequence of the complex changes that occur in the CNS, involving many signaling pathways and neurotransmitters (i.e. γ-aminobutyric acid, serotonin, dopamine), neurosteroids (i.e. allopregnanolone), and neuropeptides (i.e. kisspeptin, neurokinin B). All these pathways are closely linked, and the complex interactions that exist are not yet fully understood. This review summarizes the neuroendocrine changes in the CNS during the menopausal transition, with particular emphasis on those that underlie mood changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Fidecicchi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy
| | - Andrea Giannini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy.
| | - Peter Chedraui
- Escuela de Posgrado en Salud, Universidad Espíritu Santo, Av. Samborondón 5, Samborondón 092301, Ecuador
| | - Stefano Luisi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy.
| | - Christian Battipaglia
- Gynecological Endocrinology Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Largo del Pozzo, 71, 41125 Modena, MO, Italy.
| | - Andrea R Genazzani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy
| | - Alessandro D Genazzani
- Gynecological Endocrinology Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Largo del Pozzo, 71, 41125 Modena, MO, Italy
| | - Tommaso Simoncini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, PI, Italy.
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2
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Hoshi H, Ishii A, Shigihara Y, Yoshikawa T. Binocularly suppressed stimuli induce brain activities related to aesthetic emotions. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1339479. [PMID: 38855441 PMCID: PMC11159128 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1339479] [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: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Aesthetic emotions are a class of emotions aroused by evaluating aesthetically appealing objects or events. While evolutionary aesthetics suggests the adaptive roles of these emotions, empirical assessments are lacking. Previous neuroscientific studies have demonstrated that visual stimuli carrying evolutionarily important information induce neural responses even when presented non-consciously. To examine the evolutionary importance of aesthetic emotions, we conducted a neuroscientific study using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure induced neural responses to non-consciously presented portrait paintings categorised as biological and non-biological and examined associations between the induced responses and aesthetic ratings. Methods MEG and pre-rating data were collected from 23 participants. The pre-rating included visual analogue scales for object saliency, facial saliency, liking, and beauty scores, in addition to 'biologi-ness,' which was used for subcategorising stimuli into biological and non-biological. The stimuli were presented non-consciously using a continuous flash suppression paradigm or consciously using binocular presentation without flashing masks, while dichotomic behavioural responses were obtained (beauty or non-beauty). Time-frequency decomposed MEG data were used for correlation analysis with pre-rating scores for each category. Results Behavioural data revealed that saliency scores of non-consciously presented stimuli influenced dichotomic responses (beauty or non-beauty). MEG data showed that non-consciously presented portrait paintings induced spatiotemporally distributed low-frequency brain activities associated with aesthetic ratings, which were distinct between the biological and non-biological categories and conscious and non-conscious conditions. Conclusion Aesthetic emotion holds evolutionary significance for humans. Neural pathways are sensitive to visual images that arouse aesthetic emotion in distinct ways for biological and non-biological categories, which are further influenced by consciousness. These differences likely reflect the diversity in mechanisms of aesthetic processing, such as processing fluency, active elaboration, and predictive processing. The aesthetic processing of non-conscious stimuli appears to be characterised by fluency-driven affective processing, while top-down regulatory processes are suppressed. This study provides the first empirical evidence supporting the evolutionary significance of aesthetic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideyuki Hoshi
- Department of Sports Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
- Precision Medicine Centre, Hokuto Hospital, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Akira Ishii
- Department of Sports Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Takahiro Yoshikawa
- Department of Sports Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
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3
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Cho E, Yoon SA, Park HJ. Neural processing of prototypicality and simplicity of product design in forming design preferences. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297148. [PMID: 38241423 PMCID: PMC10798453 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297148] [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: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The current study investigates the neural correlates when processing prototypicality and simplicity-affecting the preference of product design. Despite its significance, not much is known about how our brain processes these visual qualities of design when forming design preferences. We posit that, although fluency is the perceptual judgment accounting for the positive effects of both prototypicality and simplicity on design preference, the neural substrates for the fluency judgment associated with prototypicality would differ from those associated with simplicity. To investigate these issues, we conducted an fMRI study of preference decisions for actual product designs with different levels of prototypicality and simplicity. The results show a significant functional gradient between the preference processing of simplicity and prototypicality-i.e., involvement of the early ventral stream of visual information processing for simplicity evaluation but recruitment of the late ventral stream and parietal-frontal brain regions for prototypicality evaluation. The interaction between the simplicity and prototypicality evaluations was found in the extrastriate cortex in the right hemisphere. The segregated brain involvements suggest that the fluency judgment for prototypicality and simplicity contribute to preference choice in different levels of cognitive hierarchy in the perceptual mechanism of the design preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Cho
- School of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Shin-Ae Yoon
- Department of Media and Communication, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Cognitive Science, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hae-Jeong Park
- Department of Cognitive Science, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medical Science, Brain Korea 21 Project, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Institute of Human Complexity and Systems Science, Center for Systems and Translational Brain Sciences, InYonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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4
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Patel B, Koysombat K, Mills EG, Tsoutsouki J, Comninos AN, Abbara A, Dhillo WS. The Emerging Therapeutic Potential of Kisspeptin and Neurokinin B. Endocr Rev 2024; 45:30-68. [PMID: 37467734 PMCID: PMC10765167 DOI: 10.1210/endrev/bnad023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Kisspeptin (KP) and neurokinin B (NKB) are neuropeptides that govern the reproductive endocrine axis through regulating hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuronal activity and pulsatile GnRH secretion. Their critical role in reproductive health was first identified after inactivating variants in genes encoding for KP or NKB signaling were shown to result in congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and a failure of pubertal development. Over the past 2 decades since their discovery, a wealth of evidence from both basic and translational research has laid the foundation for potential therapeutic applications. Beyond KP's function in the hypothalamus, it is also expressed in the placenta, liver, pancreas, adipose tissue, bone, and limbic regions, giving rise to several avenues of research for use in the diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy, metabolic, liver, bone, and behavioral disorders. The role played by NKB in stimulating the hypothalamic thermoregulatory center to mediate menopausal hot flashes has led to the development of medications that antagonize its action as a novel nonsteroidal therapeutic agent for this indication. Furthermore, the ability of NKB antagonism to partially suppress (but not abolish) the reproductive endocrine axis has supported its potential use for the treatment of various reproductive disorders including polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, and endometriosis. This review will provide a comprehensive up-to-date overview of the preclinical and clinical data that have paved the way for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of KP and NKB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijal Patel
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Kanyada Koysombat
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Edouard G Mills
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Jovanna Tsoutsouki
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Alexander N Comninos
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Section of Investigative Medicine, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
- Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 72 Du Cane Rd, London, W12 0HS, UK
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5
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Benaissa B, Kobayashi M. The consumers' response to product design: a narrative review. ERGONOMICS 2023; 66:791-820. [PMID: 36154914 DOI: 10.1080/00140139.2022.2127919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews the research ideas around consumer response to product design. From the product side, we discuss the most significant design features preferred by average consumers, such as aesthetics and utility. And from the consumer side, we investigate the human factors influencing consumer perceptions. We present the main approaches used to measure the consumer response to product design and summarize the multiple biases that occur during the evaluation. Finally, we present in detail the most commonly used methods to analyze consumer response data and their roles in the design evaluation context. Practitioner Summary: To answer the question: What causes differences in design response? We summarise the research findings related to product design features and human factors. We highlight the biases that can emerge from the measurement approach. And discuss the most common analysis methods used for product design response information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brahim Benaissa
- Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Design Engineering Lab, Toyota Technological Institute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Masakazu Kobayashi
- Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Design Engineering Lab, Toyota Technological Institute, Aichi, Japan
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Marschallek BE, Löw A, Jacobsen T. You can touch this! Brain correlates of aesthetic processing of active fingertip exploration of material surfaces. Neuropsychologia 2023; 182:108520. [PMID: 36813106 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
The haptic exploration and aesthetic processing of all kinds of materials' surfaces are part of everyday life. In the present study, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to investigate the brain correlates of active fingertip exploration of material surfaces and subsequent aesthetic judgments of their pleasantness (feels good or bad?). In absence of other sensory modalities, individuals (n = 21) performed lateral movements on a total of 48 textile and wood surfaces varying in terms of their roughness. Behavioral results confirmed the influence of the stimuli's roughness on aesthetic judgments, with smoother textures being rated as feeling better than rough textures. At the neural level, fNIRS activation results revealed an overall increased engagement of the contralateral sensorimotor areas as well as left prefrontal areas. Moreover, the perceived pleasantness modulated specific activations of left prefrontal areas with increasing pleasantness showing greater activations of these regions. Interestingly, this positive relationship between the individual aesthetic judgments and brain activity was most pronounced for smooth woods. These results demonstrate that positively valenced touch by actively exploring material surfaces is linked to left prefrontal activity and extend previous findings of affective touch underlying passive movements on hairy skin. We suggest that fNIRS can be a valuable tool to provide new insights in the field of experimental aesthetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara E Marschallek
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Postbox 700822, 22008, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Andreas Löw
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Postbox 700822, 22008, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Thomas Jacobsen
- Experimental Psychology Unit, Helmut Schmidt University/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, Postbox 700822, 22008, Hamburg, Germany.
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7
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Neural mechanisms underlying the hierarchical construction of perceived aesthetic value. Nat Commun 2023; 14:127. [PMID: 36693833 PMCID: PMC9873760 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35654-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known about how the brain computes the perceived aesthetic value of complex stimuli such as visual art. Here, we used computational methods in combination with functional neuroimaging to provide evidence that the aesthetic value of a visual stimulus is computed in a hierarchical manner via a weighted integration over both low and high level stimulus features contained in early and late visual cortex, extending into parietal and lateral prefrontal cortices. Feature representations in parietal and lateral prefrontal cortex may in turn be utilized to produce an overall aesthetic value in the medial prefrontal cortex. Such brain-wide computations are not only consistent with a feature-based mechanism for value construction, but also resemble computations performed by a deep convolutional neural network. Our findings thus shed light on the existence of a general neurocomputational mechanism for rapidly and flexibly producing value judgements across an array of complex novel stimuli and situations.
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8
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De Martino B, Cortese A. Goals, usefulness and abstraction in value-based choice. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:65-80. [PMID: 36446707 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, while on the run, purportedly burned two million dollars in banknotes to keep his daughter warm. A stark reminder that, in life, circumstances and goals can quickly change, forcing us to reassess and modify our values on-the-fly. Studies in decision-making and neuroeconomics have often implicitly equated value to reward, emphasising the hedonic and automatic aspect of the value computation, while overlooking its functional (concept-like) nature. Here we outline the computational and biological principles that enable the brain to compute the usefulness of an option or action by creating abstractions that flexibly adapt to changing goals. We present different algorithmic architectures, comparing ideas from artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive neuroscience with psychological theories and, when possible, drawing parallels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetto De Martino
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3AZ, UK; Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, ATR Institute International, 619-0288 Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Aurelio Cortese
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3AZ, UK; Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, ATR Institute International, 619-0288 Kyoto, Japan.
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9
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Tcheslavski GV, Vasefi M. An "Instantaneous" Response of a Human Visual System to Hue: An EEG-Based Study. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:8484. [PMID: 36366181 PMCID: PMC9657469 DOI: 10.3390/s22218484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
(1) The article presents a new technique to interpret biomedical data (EEG) to assess cortical responses to continuous color/hue variations. We propose an alternative approach to analyze EEG activity evoked by visual stimulation. This approach may augment the traditional VEP analysis. (2) Considering ensembles of EEG epochs as multidimensional spatial vectors evolving over time (rather than collections of time-domain signals) and evaluating the similarity between such vectors across different EEG epochs may result in a more accurate detection of colors that evoke greater responses of the visual system. To demonstrate its suitability, the developed analysis technique was applied to the EEG data that we previously collected from 19 participants with normal color vision, while exposing them to stimuli of continuously varying hue. (3) Orange/yellow and dark blue/violet colors generally aroused better-pronounced cortical responses. The selection of EEG channels allowed for assessing the activity that predominantly originates from specific cortical regions. With such channel selection, the strongest response to the hue was observed from Parieto-Temporal region of the right hemisphere. The statistical test-Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance-indicates that the distance evaluated for spatial EEG vectors at different post-stimulus latencies generally originate from different statistical distributions with a probability exceeding 99.9% (α = 0.001).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gleb V. Tcheslavski
- Drayer Department of Electrical Engineering, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77710, USA
| | - Maryam Vasefi
- Department of Biology, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77710, USA
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10
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Karim AKMR, Proulx MJ, de Sousa AA, Likova LT. Do we enjoy what we sense and perceive? A dissociation between aesthetic appreciation and basic perception of environmental objects or events. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:904-951. [PMID: 35589909 PMCID: PMC10159614 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01004-0] [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: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
This integrative review rearticulates the notion of human aesthetics by critically appraising the conventional definitions, offerring a new, more comprehensive definition, and identifying the fundamental components associated with it. It intends to advance holistic understanding of the notion by differentiating aesthetic perception from basic perceptual recognition, and by characterizing these concepts from the perspective of information processing in both visual and nonvisual modalities. To this end, we analyze the dissociative nature of information processing in the brain, introducing a novel local-global integrative model that differentiates aesthetic processing from basic perceptual processing. This model builds on the current state of the art in visual aesthetics as well as newer propositions about nonvisual aesthetics. This model comprises two analytic channels: aesthetics-only channel and perception-to-aesthetics channel. The aesthetics-only channel primarily involves restricted local processing for quality or richness (e.g., attractiveness, beauty/prettiness, elegance, sublimeness, catchiness, hedonic value) analysis, whereas the perception-to-aesthetics channel involves global/extended local processing for basic feature analysis, followed by restricted local processing for quality or richness analysis. We contend that aesthetic processing operates independently of basic perceptual processing, but not independently of cognitive processing. We further conjecture that there might be a common faculty, labeled as aesthetic cognition faculty, in the human brain for all sensory aesthetics albeit other parts of the brain can also be activated because of basic sensory processing prior to aesthetic processing, particularly during the operation of the second channel. This generalized model can account not only for simple and pure aesthetic experiences but for partial and complex aesthetic experiences as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K M Rezaul Karim
- Department of Psychology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh.
- Envision Research Institute, 610 N. Main St., Wichita, KS, USA.
- The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, 2318 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | | | | | - Lora T Likova
- The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, 2318 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA, USA
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11
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Wu C, Zhao K, Zhu H, Huang C, Liang F, Ouyang Y, Zhang W, He X. Beautiful environment, beautiful heart–The role of environmental aesthetic on moral education. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2022.2128106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chenjing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Kaili Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Hongyan Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Chuangbing Huang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Fuqun Liang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Yiting Ouyang
- School of Psychology, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Wei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Xianyou He
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
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12
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Sarasso P, Francesetti G, Roubal J, Gecele M, Ronga I, Neppi-Modona M, Sacco K. Beauty and Uncertainty as Transformative Factors: A Free Energy Principle Account of Aesthetic Diagnosis and Intervention in Gestalt Psychotherapy. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:906188. [PMID: 35911596 PMCID: PMC9325967 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.906188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Drawing from field theory, Gestalt therapy conceives psychological suffering and psychotherapy as two intentional field phenomena, where unprocessed and chaotic experiences seek the opportunity to emerge and be assimilated through the contact between the patient and the therapist (i.e., the intentionality of contacting). This therapeutic approach is based on the therapist’s aesthetic experience of his/her embodied presence in the flow of the healing process because (1) the perception of beauty can provide the therapist with feedback on the assimilation of unprocessed experiences; (2) the therapist’s attentional focus on intrinsic aesthetic diagnostic criteria can facilitate the modification of rigid psychopathological fields by supporting the openness to novel experiences. The aim of the present manuscript is to review recent evidence from psychophysiology, neuroaesthetic research, and neurocomputational models of cognition, such as the free energy principle (FEP), which support the notion of the therapeutic potential of aesthetic sensibility in Gestalt psychotherapy. Drawing from neuroimaging data, psychophysiology and recent neurocognitive accounts of aesthetic perception, we propose a novel interpretation of the sense of beauty as a self-generated reward motivating us to assimilate an ever-greater spectrum of sensory and affective states in our predictive representation of ourselves and the world and supporting the intentionality of contact. Expecting beauty, in the psychotherapeutic encounter, can help therapists tolerate uncertainty avoiding impulsive behaviours and to stay tuned to the process of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Sarasso
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- *Correspondence: Pietro Sarasso,
| | - Gianni Francesetti
- International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology, Turin Center for Gestalt Therapy, Turin, Italy
| | - Jan Roubal
- Psychotherapy Training Gestalt Studia, Training in Psychotherapy Integration, Center for Psychotherapy Research in Brno, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Michela Gecele
- International Institute for Gestalt Therapy and Psychopathology, Turin Center for Gestalt Therapy, Turin, Italy
| | - Irene Ronga
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marco Neppi-Modona
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Katiuscia Sacco
- BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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13
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Kaiser D. Characterizing Dynamic Neural Representations of Scene Attractiveness. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 34:1988-1997. [PMID: 35802607 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Aesthetic experiences during natural vision are varied: They can arise from viewing scenic landscapes, interesting architecture, or attractive people. Recent research in the field of neuroaesthetics has taught us a lot about where in the brain such aesthetic experiences are represented. Much less is known about when such experiences arise during the cortical processing cascade. Particularly, the dynamic neural representation of perceived attractiveness for rich natural scenes is not well understood. Here, I present data from an EEG experiment, in which participants provided attractiveness judgments for a set of diverse natural scenes. Using multivariate pattern analysis, I demonstrate that scene attractiveness is mirrored in early brain signals that arise within 200 msec of vision, suggesting that the aesthetic appeal of scenes is first resolved during perceptual processing. In more detailed analyses, I show that even such early neural correlates of scene attractiveness are partly related to interindividual variation in aesthetic preferences and that they generalize across scene contents. Together, these results characterize the time-resolved neural dynamics that give rise to aesthetic experiences in complex natural environments.
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14
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Celona L, Schettini R. Blind quality assessment of authentically distorted images. JOURNAL OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA. A, OPTICS, IMAGE SCIENCE, AND VISION 2022; 39:B1-B10. [PMID: 36215522 DOI: 10.1364/josaa.448144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Blind image quality assessment (BIQA) of authentically distorted images is a challenging problem due to the lack of a reference image and the coexistence of blends of distortions with unknown characteristics. In this article, we present a convolutional neural network based BIQA model. It encodes the input image into multi-level features to estimate the perceptual quality score. The proposed model is designed to predict the image quality score but is trained for jointly treating the image quality assessment as a classification, regression, and pairwise ranking problem. Experimental results on three different datasets of authentically distorted images show that the proposed method achieves comparable results with state-of-the-art methods in intra-dataset experiments and is more effective in cross-dataset experiments.
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15
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van Leeuwen JEP, Boomgaard J, Bzdok D, Crutch SJ, Warren JD. More Than Meets the Eye: Art Engages the Social Brain. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:738865. [PMID: 35281491 PMCID: PMC8914233 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.738865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we present the viewpoint that art essentially engages the social brain, by demonstrating how art processing maps onto the social brain connectome-the most comprehensive diagram of the neural dynamics that regulate human social cognition to date. We start with a brief history of the rise of neuroaesthetics as the scientific study of art perception and appreciation, in relation to developments in contemporary art practice and theory during the same period. Building further on a growing awareness of the importance of social context in art production and appreciation, we then set out how art engages the social brain and outline candidate components of the "artistic brain connectome." We explain how our functional model for art as a social brain phenomenon may operate when engaging with artworks. We call for closer collaborations between the burgeoning field of neuroaesthetics and arts professionals, cultural institutions and diverse audiences in order to fully delineate and contextualize this model. Complementary to the unquestionable value of art for art's sake, we argue that its neural grounding in the social brain raises important practical implications for mental health, and the care of people living with dementia and other neurological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke E. P. van Leeuwen
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- The Thinking Eye, ACAVA Limehouse Arts Foundation, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jeroen Boomgaard
- Research Group Art and Public Space, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, ON, Canada
| | - Sebastian J. Crutch
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jason D. Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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16
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Takahashi K, Yotsumoto Y. Testing the Reproducibility of the Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: Failure to Modulate Beauty Perception by Brain Stimulation. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:767344. [PMID: 35250512 PMCID: PMC8894197 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.767344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been recognized as a promising tool for investigating the causal relationship between specific brain areas of interest and behavior. However, the reproducibility of previous tDCS studies is often questioned because of failures in replication. This study focused on the effects of tDCS on one cognitive domain: beauty perception. To date, the modulation of beauty perception by tDCS has been shown in two studies: Cattaneo et al. (2014) and Nakamura and Kawabata (2015). Here, we aimed at replicating their studies and investigating the effects of tDCS on beauty perception using the following parameters: (1) cathodal stimulation over the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) (Nakamura and Kawabata, 2015); (2) anodal stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) (Cattaneo et al., 2014). We also performed a more focal stimulation targeting the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) to determine the optimal stimulation site for modulating beauty perception (3). Participants rated the subjectively-perceived beauty of the images before and after the tDCS administration. We divided images into four clusters according to the obtained scores in our preliminary study and examined changes in beauty ratings in each image cluster separately to exclude factors, such as stimuli attributions that may reduce tDCS effects. The results showed no strong effects of tDCS with the same parameters as in previous studies on beauty rating scores in any image cluster. Likewise, anodal stimulation over the OFC did not result in a change in rating scores. In contrast to previous studies, the current study did not corroborate the effects of tDCS on beauty perception. Our findings provide evidence regarding the recent reproducibility issue of tDCS effects and suggest the possible inflation of its effects on cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuri Takahashi
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Neuropsychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- *Correspondence: Kuri Takahashi,
| | - Yuko Yotsumoto
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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17
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Mills EG, Yang L, Abbara A, Dhillo WS, Comninos AN. Current Perspectives on Kisspeptins Role in Behaviour. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:928143. [PMID: 35757400 PMCID: PMC9225141 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.928143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide kisspeptin is now well-established as the master regulator of the mammalian reproductive axis. Beyond the hypothalamus, kisspeptin and its cognate receptor are also extensively distributed in extra-hypothalamic brain regions. An expanding pool of animal and human data demonstrates that kisspeptin sits within an extensive neuroanatomical and functional framework through which it can integrate a range of internal and external cues with appropriate neuroendocrine and behavioural responses. In keeping with this, recent studies reveal wide-reaching effects of kisspeptin on key behaviours such as olfactory-mediated partner preference, sexual motivation, copulatory behaviour, bonding, mood, and emotions. In this review, we provide a comprehensive update on the current animal and human literature highlighting the far-reaching behaviour and mood-altering roles of kisspeptin. A comprehensive understanding of this important area in kisspeptin biology is key to the escalating development of kisspeptin-based therapies for common reproductive and related psychological and psychosexual disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edouard G. Mills
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa Yang
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Waljit S. Dhillo
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service (NHS) Trust, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Waljit S. Dhillo, ; Alexander N. Comninos,
| | - Alexander N. Comninos
- Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service (NHS) Trust, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Waljit S. Dhillo, ; Alexander N. Comninos,
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18
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Castellotti S, Scipioni L, Mastandrea S, Del Viva MM. Pupil responses to implied motion in figurative and abstract paintings. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258490. [PMID: 34634092 PMCID: PMC8504727 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Motion can be perceived in static images, such as photos and figurative paintings, representing realistic subjects in motion, with or without directional information (e.g., motion blur or speed lines). Motion impression can be achieved even in non-realistic static images such as motion illusions and abstract paintings. It has been shown that visual motion processing affects the diameter of the pupil, responding differently to real, illusory, and implied motion in photographs (IM). It has been suggested that these different effects might be due to top-down modulations from different cortical areas underlying their processing. It is worthwhile to investigate pupillary response to figurative paintings, since they require an even higher level of interpretation than photos representing the same kind of subjects, given the complexity of cognitive processes involved in the aesthetic experience. Also, pupil responses to abstract paintings allows to study the effect of IM perception in representations devoid of real-life motion cues. We measured pupil responses to IM in figurative and abstract artworks depicting static and dynamic scenes, as rated by a large group of individuals not participating in the following experiment. Since the pupillary response is modulated by the subjective image interpretation, a motion rating test has been used to correct individual pupil data according to whether participants actually perceived the presence of motion in the paintings. Pupil responses to movies showing figurative and abstract subjects, and to motion illusions were also measured, to compare real and illusory motion with painted IM. Movies, both figurative and abstract, elicit the largest pupillary dilation of all static stimuli, whereas motion illusions cause the smallest pupil size, as previously shown. Interestingly, pupil responses to IM depend on the paintings' style. Figurative paintings depicting moving subjects cause more dilation than those representing static figures, and pupil size increases with the strength of IM, as already found with realistic photos. The opposite effect is obtained with abstract artworks. Abstract paintings depicting motion produce less dilation than those depicting stillness. In any case, these results reflect the individual subjective perception of dynamism, as the very same paintings can induce opposite responses in observer which interpreted it as static or dynamic. Overall, our data show that pupil size depends on high-level interpretation of motion in paintings, even when they do not represent real-world scenes. Our findings further suggest that the pupil is modulated by multiple top-down cortical mechanisms, involving the processing of motion, attention, memory, imagination, and other cognitive functions necessary for enjoying a complete aesthetic experience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa Scipioni
- Department of Neurofarba, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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19
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Neuroaesthetics: a narrative review of neuroimaging techniques. JOURNAL OF BIO-X RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1097/jbr.0000000000000095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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20
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Song J, Kwak Y, Kim CY. Familiarity and Novelty in Aesthetic Preference: The Effects of the Properties of the Artwork and the Beholder. Front Psychol 2021; 12:694927. [PMID: 34367021 PMCID: PMC8345014 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.694927] [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: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Familiarity and novelty are fundamental yet competing factors influencing aesthetic preference. However, whether people prefer familiar paintings or novel paintings has not been clear. Using both behavioral and eye-tracking measures, the present study aimed to investigate whether the effect of familiarity-novelty on aesthetic preference is independent or dependent on artwork properties (painting content, visual complexity) and viewer characteristics (experience in art). Participants were presented with two images of paintings, one of which was repeatedly presented but was always paired with a new painting in a randomized lateral arrangement. They were asked to indicate which of the two images they preferred with the degree of their preference. Behavioral results demonstrated an interactive influence of painting content and complexity on familiarity-novelty preference, especially alongside the distinction between representational and abstract paintings. Also, the familiarity-novelty preference was modulated by the degree of art experience, for abstract paintings in particular. Gaze results showed the differential effects of painting content, complexity, and art experience echoing the behavioral results. Taken together, the convergent results derived from behavioral and eye-tracking measures imply that novelty is an important feature of aesthetic appreciation, but its influence is modulated by properties of both the artwork and the beholder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiwon Song
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yuna Kwak
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Chai-Youn Kim
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
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21
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Iigaya K, Yi S, Wahle IA, Tanwisuth K, O'Doherty JP. Aesthetic preference for art can be predicted from a mixture of low- and high-level visual features. Nat Hum Behav 2021; 5:743-755. [PMID: 34017097 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-021-01124-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
It is an open question whether preferences for visual art can be lawfully predicted from the basic constituent elements of a visual image. Here, we developed and tested a computational framework to investigate how aesthetic values are formed. We show that it is possible to explain human preferences for a visual art piece based on a mixture of low- and high-level features of the image. Subjective value ratings could be predicted not only within but also across individuals, using a regression model with a common set of interpretable features. We also show that the features predicting aesthetic preference can emerge hierarchically within a deep convolutional neural network trained only for object recognition. Our findings suggest that human preferences for art can be explained at least in part as a systematic integration over the underlying visual features of an image.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyohito Iigaya
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Sanghyun Yi
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Iman A Wahle
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Koranis Tanwisuth
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - John P O'Doherty
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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22
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Ardizzi M, Ferroni F, Umiltà MA, Pinardi C, Errante A, Ferri F, Fadda E, Gallese V. Visceromotor Roots of Aesthetic Evaluation of Pain in art: an fMRI Study. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:1113-1122. [PMID: 33988702 PMCID: PMC8599194 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy for pain involves sensory and visceromotor brain regions relevant also in the first-person pain experience. Focusing on brain activations associated with vicarious experiences of pain triggered by artistic or non-artistic images, the present study aims to investigate common and distinct brain activation patterns associated with these two vicarious experiences of pain and to assess whether empathy for pain brain regions contributes to the formation of an aesthetic judgement (AJ) in non-art expert observers. Artistic and non-artistic facial expressions (painful and neutral) were shown to participants inside the scanner and then aesthetically rated in a subsequent behavioural session. Results showed that empathy for pain brain regions (i.e. bilateral insular cortex, posterior sector of the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior portion of the middle cingulate cortex) and bilateral inferior frontal gyrus are commonly activated by artistic and non-artistic painful facial expressions. For the artistic representation of pain, the activity recorded in these regions directly correlated with participants’ AJ. Results also showed the distinct activation of a large cluster located in the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus for non-artistic stimuli. This study suggests that non-beauty-specific mechanisms such as empathy for pain are crucial components of the aesthetic experience of artworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Ardizzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Lab Neuroscience & Humanities, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Ferroni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Lab Neuroscience & Humanities, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Maria Alessandra Umiltà
- Lab Neuroscience & Humanities, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Department of Art History Columbia University, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chiara Pinardi
- Department of Neuroradiology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonino Errante
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Ferri
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Fadda
- Lab Neuroscience & Humanities, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Vittorio Gallese
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Lab Neuroscience & Humanities, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Department of Art History Columbia University, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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23
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Higuera-Trujillo JL, Llinares C, Macagno E. The Cognitive-Emotional Design and Study of Architectural Space: A Scoping Review of Neuroarchitecture and Its Precursor Approaches. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 21:2193. [PMID: 33801037 PMCID: PMC8004070 DOI: 10.3390/s21062193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Humans respond cognitively and emotionally to the built environment. The modern possibility of recording the neural activity of subjects during exposure to environmental situations, using neuroscientific techniques and virtual reality, provides a promising framework for future design and studies of the built environment. The discipline derived is termed "neuroarchitecture". Given neuroarchitecture's transdisciplinary nature, it progresses needs to be reviewed in a contextualised way, together with its precursor approaches. The present article presents a scoping review, which maps out the broad areas on which the new discipline is based. The limitations, controversies, benefits, impact on the professional sectors involved, and potential of neuroarchitecture and its precursors' approaches are critically addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Luis Higuera-Trujillo
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering (i3B), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain;
- Escuela de Arquitectura, Arte y Diseño (EAAD), Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 72453, Mexico
| | - Carmen Llinares
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering (i3B), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Eduardo Macagno
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA;
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24
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Pauletto G, Guarracino I, Nilo A, Ius T, Maieron M, Verriello L, Skrap M, Gigli GL, Tomasino B. What's behind drawing for an artist with left temporal lobe epilepsy? A multimodal neurophysiological study. Epilepsy Behav Rep 2021; 16:100418. [PMID: 33437962 PMCID: PMC7788090 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebr.2020.100418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
There are few studies in literature reporting drawing as a strong trigger of praxis-induced focal seizures. The aim of the present case report was describing a case of focal epilepsy with praxis induced EEG activation, due to a cavernoma, in the left middle anterior temporal lobe by using a multimodal approach. We combined video-EEG, showing that drawing increased a sustained monomorphic delta activity localized on left anterior temporal region (F7-T1a), diffusing to the vertex (Fz) and the fronto-polar electrodes (F3), with DTI data, showing that the left uncinate fasciculus, connecting the temporal pole to the orbitofrontal cortex, significantly differed from controls. fMRI confirmed that drawing increased activation in these areas. The congruence between findings supports the role of the left uncinated fasciculus linking the temporal lobe to the orbitofrontal cortex in the present focal epilepsy mainly facilitated by drawing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giada Pauletto
- Unità Operativa di Neurologia, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria del Friuli Centrale S. Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy
| | - Ilaria Guarracino
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "Eugenio Medea", Polo FVG, San Vito al Tagliamento (PN), Italy
| | - Annacarmen Nilo
- Clinica Neurologica, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria del Friuli Centrale S. Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy
| | - Tamara Ius
- Unità Operativa di Neurochirurgia, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria del Friuli Centrale S. Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy
| | - Marta Maieron
- Fisica Medica, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria del Friuli Centrale S. Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Verriello
- Unità Operativa di Neurologia, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria del Friuli Centrale S. Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy
| | - Miran Skrap
- Unità Operativa di Neurochirurgia, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria del Friuli Centrale S. Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy
| | - Gian Luigi Gigli
- Clinica Neurologica, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria del Friuli Centrale S. Maria della Misericordia, Udine, Italy.,Dipartimento di Matematica, Informatica e Fisica (DMIF), Università degli Studi di Udine, Italy
| | - Barbara Tomasino
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "Eugenio Medea", Polo FVG, San Vito al Tagliamento (PN), Italy
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25
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ZHAO X, LI T, LI J, HE X, ZHANG W, CHEN G. The neural mechanism of the aesthetics of dynamic animal-stick figures. ACTA PSYCHOLOGICA SINICA 2021. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1041.2021.00575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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26
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Thieleking R, Medawar E, Disch L, Witte AV. art.pics Database: An Open Access Database for Art Stimuli for Experimental Research. Front Psychol 2020; 11:576580. [PMID: 33391092 PMCID: PMC7772247 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.576580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
While art is omnipresent in human history, the neural mechanisms of how we perceive, value and differentiate art has only begun to be explored. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies suggested that art acts as secondary reward, involving brain activity in the ventral striatum and prefrontal cortices similar to primary rewards such as food. However, potential similarities or unique characteristics of art-related neuroscience (or neuroesthetics) remain elusive, also because of a lack of adequate experimental tools: the available collections of art stimuli often lack standard image definitions and normative ratings. Therefore, we here provide a large set of well-characterized, novel art images for use as visual stimuli in psychological and neuroimaging research. The stimuli were created using a deep learning algorithm that applied different styles of popular paintings (based on artists such as Klimt or Hundertwasser) on ordinary animal, plant and object images which were drawn from established visual stimuli databases. The novel stimuli represent mundane items with artistic properties with proposed reduced dimensionality and complexity compared to paintings. In total, 2,332 novel stimuli are available open access as “art.pics” database at https://osf.io/BTWNQ/ with standard image characteristics that are comparable to other common visual stimuli material in terms of size, variable color distribution, complexity, intensity and valence, measured by image software analysis and by ratings derived from a human experimental validation study [n = 1,296 (684f), age 30.2 ± 8.8 y.o.]. The experimental validation study further showed that the art.pics elicit a broad and significantly different variation in subjective value ratings (i.e., liking and wanting) as well as in recognizability, arousal and valence across different art styles and categories. Researchers are encouraged to study the perception, processing and valuation of art images based on the art.pics database which also enables real reward remuneration of the rated stimuli (as art prints) and a direct comparison to other rewards from e.g., food or money. Key Messages: We provide an open access, validated and large set of novel stimuli (n = 2,332) of standardized art images including normative rating data to be used for experimental research. Reward remuneration in experimental settings can be easily implemented for the art.pics by e.g., handing out the stimuli to the participants (as print on premium paper or in a digital format), as done in the presented validation task. Experimental validation showed that the art.pics’ images elicit a broad and significantly different variation in subjective value ratings (i.e., liking, wanting) across different art styles and categories, while size, color and complexity characteristics remained comparable to other visual stimuli databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronja Thieleking
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Evelyn Medawar
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Leonie Disch
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - A Veronica Witte
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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27
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Fiori F, Plow E, Rusconi ML, Cattaneo Z. Modulation of corticospinal excitability during paintings viewing: A TMS study. Neuropsychologia 2020; 149:107664. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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28
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Zhao X, Wang J, Li J, Luo G, Li T, Chatterjee A, Zhang W, He X. The neural mechanism of aesthetic judgments of dynamic landscapes: an fMRI study. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20774. [PMID: 33247221 PMCID: PMC7695698 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77658-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Most previous neuroaesthetics research has been limited to considering the aesthetic judgment of static stimuli, with few studies examining the aesthetic judgment of dynamic stimuli. The present study explored the neural mechanisms underlying aesthetic judgment of dynamic landscapes, and compared the neural mechanisms between the aesthetic judgments of dynamic landscapes and static ones. Participants were scanned while they performed aesthetic judgments on dynamic landscapes and matched static ones. The results revealed regions of occipital lobe, frontal lobe, supplementary motor area, cingulate cortex and insula were commonly activated both in the aesthetic judgments of dynamic and static landscapes. Furthermore, compared to static landscapes, stronger activations of middle temporal gyrus (MT/V5), and hippocampus were found in the aesthetic judgments of dynamic landscapes. This study provided neural evidence that visual processing related regions, emotion-related regions were more active when viewing dynamic landscapes than static ones, which also indicated that dynamic stimuli were more beautiful than static ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueru Zhao
- Academy of Basic Education Professionals, Beijing Institute of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Junjing Wang
- Department of Applied Psychology, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinhui Li
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guang Luo
- School of Fine Arts, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ting Li
- SSL Experimental Middle School, Dongguan, China
| | - Anjan Chatterjee
- School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Wei Zhang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xianyou He
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China. .,Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China. .,Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
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29
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Li R, Zhang J. Review of computational neuroaesthetics: bridging the gap between neuroaesthetics and computer science. Brain Inform 2020; 7:16. [PMID: 33196915 PMCID: PMC7669983 DOI: 10.1186/s40708-020-00118-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The mystery of aesthetics attracts scientists from various research fields. The topic of aesthetics, in combination with other disciplines such as neuroscience and computer science, has brought out the burgeoning fields of neuroaesthetics and computational aesthetics within less than two decades. Despite profound findings are carried out by experimental approaches in neuroaesthetics and by machine learning algorithms in computational neuroaesthetics, these two fields cannot be easily combined to benefit from each other and findings from each field are isolated. Computational neuroaesthetics, which inherits computational approaches from computational aesthetics and experimental approaches from neuroaesthetics, seems to be promising to bridge the gap between neuroaesthetics and computational aesthetics. Here, we review theoretical models and neuroimaging findings about brain activity in neuroaesthetics. Then machine learning algorithms and computational models in computational aesthetics are enumerated. Finally, we introduce studies in computational neuroaesthetics which combine computational models with neuroimaging data to analyze brain connectivity during aesthetic appreciation or give a prediction on aesthetic preference. This paper outlines the rich potential for computational neuroaesthetics to take advantages from both neuroaesthetics and computational aesthetics. We conclude by discussing some of the challenges and potential prospects in computational neuroaesthetics, and highlight issues for future consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Educational Big Data, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Junsong Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Educational Big Data, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China.
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Brain-Inspired Computing Technique and Applications, Department of Artificial Intelligence, School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
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30
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Viewing of figurative paintings affects pseudoneglect as measured by line bisection. Atten Percept Psychophys 2020; 82:3795-3803. [PMID: 33025464 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-020-02138-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Neurologically intact individuals usually show a leftward bias in spatial attention, known as pseudoneglect, likely reflecting a right-hemisphere dominance in the control of spatial attention. A leftward bias also seems to manifest when individuals are asked to provide aesthetic judgments about visual stimuli, like artworks. However, whether artwork perception affects the allocation of spatial attention has never been directly investigated. Here, we assessed whether viewing figurative paintings affects hemispheric imbalance in the control of spatial attention by asking participants to bisect a series of lines presented on a grey background, on figurative paintings or on non-artistic photographs of real-world scenes, while either simply observing or explicitly evaluating each image. In line with previous evidence, participants showed a leftward bisection bias in the baseline condition, reflecting pseudoneglect. Critically, the presence of a painting in the background (irrespective of whether an aesthetic evaluation was required or not) significantly shifted the bias further to the left compared to when lines were bisected over a grey background (baseline) or a photographed scene. This finding suggests that perception of visual art may affect the control of spatial attention, possibly tapping on right-hemisphere resources related to visuospatial exploration, regardless of reward apprehension mechanisms (at least when images do not evoke strong emotional reactions leading to polarized like/dislike judgements).
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31
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Sarasso P, Neppi-Modona M, Sacco K, Ronga I. "Stopping for knowledge": The sense of beauty in the perception-action cycle. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:723-738. [PMID: 32926914 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
According to a millennial-old philosophical debate, aesthetic emotions have been connected to knowledge acquisition. Recent scientific evidence, collected across different disciplinary domains, confirms this link, but also reveals that motor inhibition plays a crucial role in the process. In this review, we discuss multidisciplinary results and propose an original account of aesthetic appreciation (the stopping for knowledge hypothesis) framed within the predictive coding theory. We discuss evidence showing that aesthetic emotions emerge in correspondence with an inhibition of motor behavior (i.e., minimizing action), promoting a simultaneous perceptual processing enhancement, at the level of sensory cortices (i.e., optimizing learning). Accordingly, we suggest that aesthetic appreciation may represent a hedonic feedback over learning progresses, motivating the individual to inhibit motor routines to seek further knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, the neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies we review reveal the presence of a strong association between aesthetic appreciation and the activation of the dopaminergic reward-related circuits. Finally, we propose a number of possible applications of the stopping for knowledge hypothesis in the clinical and education domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Sarasso
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy
| | - M Neppi-Modona
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy
| | - K Sacco
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy
| | - I Ronga
- BIP (BraIn Plasticity and Behaviour Changes) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
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32
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Li K, Bi Y, Wang Y, Zhang M, Liu YJ, Yang H, Lin F. The Disentangled Sub-Processes Involved in Implied Motion Contributing to Food Freshness: The Neural Evidence from ERPs. Adv Cogn Psychol 2020; 15:185-198. [PMID: 32426079 PMCID: PMC7218451 DOI: 10.5709/acp-0267-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Implied motion can enhance the consumer’s judgment of food freshness. However, this enhancing effect has only been investigated for a few products. Furthermore, researchers have not conclusively determined whether the effects of the low-level visual sensory processing and high-level conceptual processing on food evaluation differ. In Experiment 1, using different fruits in static water (fruit_IS), fruit with implied moving water (fruit_IM), or only fruits as stimuli, we initially generalized the effect of implied motion on the broader category of fruit, and implied motion improved the perceived freshness of the fruit. In Experiment 2, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) and measured the temporal processes involved in the mechanism by which implied motion improved perceived fruit freshness. The behavioral results further supported the findings from Experiment 1. The ERP data revealed a pronounced positive difference between fruit_IM and fruit-only conditions recorded from posterior electrodes at approximately 200-300 ms (P2). This difference reflected the low-level visual implied motion sensory processing involved in the effect of implied motion on improving food freshness. Additionally, an early frontocentral negativity difference of approximately 300-500 ms between fruit_IM and fruit-only conditions was recorded, which reflected the high-level visual conceptual processing involved in the effect of implied motion on improving food freshness. These results strengthen and extend previous behavioral findings indicating that implied motion enhances the consumer’s judgment of food freshness across various food categories, and improves our understanding of the cognitive processes involved in the mechanism by which implied motion influences food judgments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiyun Li
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Yan Bi
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Yifan Wang
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Mingxian Zhang
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Yong-Jin Liu
- Beijing National Research Center for Inforation Science and Technology, Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100074, China
| | - Huijing Yang
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
| | - Fengxun Lin
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
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33
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Gender Differences in the Associations Between Gray Matter Volume and the Centrality of Visual Product Aesthetics. Neuroscience 2020; 431:64-72. [PMID: 32058065 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.01.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Visual aesthetics influence consumers' perception, acquisition, and usage of products, but the level of significance that a commercial product's visual aesthetics hold for each consumer varies from one person to another. Such individual difference is referred to as the centrality of visual product aesthetics (CVPA). Previous research has revealed that female adults scored higher than male adults in the self-reported CVPA scale. In order to identify the neuroanatomical correlates of this gender difference, we conducted a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study to examine the association between the CVPA and gray matter volume (GMV) in a large sample of healthy adults from mainland China. The results revealed positive correlations between the female participants' CVPA scores and the GMV in two brain areas liked to reward processing, namely the left medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and the left dorsal striatum. By contrast, the results revealed a negative correlation between the male participants' CVPA scores and their GMV in the left mOFC. Collectively, these findings suggest that the level of significance that a commercial product's visual aesthetics hold for consumers may be associated with the rewards that they are able to receive from them. These findings also provide empirical evidence about the neuroanatomical correlates of self-reported values.
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34
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Yang L, Demetriou L, Wall MB, Mills EG, Zargaran D, Sykes M, Prague JK, Abbara A, Owen BM, Bassett PA, Rabiner EA, Comninos AN, Dhillo WS. Kisspeptin enhances brain responses to olfactory and visual cues of attraction in men. JCI Insight 2020; 5:133633. [PMID: 32051344 PMCID: PMC7098781 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.133633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Successful reproduction is a fundamental physiological process that relies on the integration of sensory cues of attraction with appropriate emotions and behaviors and the reproductive axis. However, the factors responsible for this integration remain largely unexplored. Using functional neuroimaging, hormonal, and psychometric analyses, we demonstrate that the reproductive hormone kisspeptin enhances brain activity in response to olfactory and visual cues of attraction in men. Furthermore, the brain regions enhanced by kisspeptin correspond to areas within the olfactory and limbic systems that govern sexual behavior and perception of beauty as well as overlap with its endogenous expression pattern. Of key functional and behavioral significance, we observed that kisspeptin was most effective in men with lower sexual quality-of-life scores. As such, our results reveal a previously undescribed attraction pathway in humans activated by kisspeptin and identify kisspeptin signaling as a new therapeutic target for related reproductive and psychosexual disorders. Kisspeptin enhances brain processing in response to olfactory and visual cues of attraction and is most effective in men with lower sexual quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Yang
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Lysia Demetriou
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew B Wall
- Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, University College London, United Kingdom
| | - Edouard Ga Mills
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - David Zargaran
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Sykes
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Julia K Prague
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Ali Abbara
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Bryn M Owen
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eugenii A Rabiner
- Invicro, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.,Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander N Comninos
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.,Department of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Waljit S Dhillo
- Section of Endocrinology & Investigative Medicine, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
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35
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Sarasso P, Ronga I, Pistis A, Forte E, Garbarini F, Ricci R, Neppi-Modona M. Aesthetic appreciation of musical intervals enhances behavioural and neurophysiological indexes of attentional engagement and motor inhibition. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18550. [PMID: 31811225 PMCID: PMC6898439 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55131-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
From Kant to current perspectives in neuroaesthetics, the experience of beauty has been described as disinterested, i.e. focusing on the stimulus perceptual features while neglecting self-referred concerns. At a neurophysiological level, some indirect evidence suggests that disinterested aesthetic appreciation might be associated with attentional enhancement and inhibition of motor behaviour. To test this hypothesis, we performed three auditory-evoked potential experiments, employing consonant and dissonant two-note musical intervals. Twenty-two volunteers judged the beauty of intervals (Aesthetic Judgement task) or responded to them as fast as possible (Detection task). In a third Go-NoGo task, a different group of twenty-two participants had to refrain from responding when hearing intervals. Individual aesthetic judgements positively correlated with response times in the Detection task, with slower motor responses for more appreciated intervals. Electrophysiological indexes of attentional engagement (N1/P2) and motor inhibition (N2/P3) were enhanced for more appreciated intervals. These findings represent the first experimental evidence confirming the disinterested interest hypothesis and may have important applications in research areas studying the effects of stimulus features on learning and motor behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Sarasso
- SAMBA (SpAtial, Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
| | - I Ronga
- MANIBUS Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - A Pistis
- SAMBA (SpAtial, Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - E Forte
- SAMBA (SpAtial, Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - F Garbarini
- MANIBUS Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - R Ricci
- SAMBA (SpAtial, Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - M Neppi-Modona
- SAMBA (SpAtial, Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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36
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Neural correlates of visual aesthetic appreciation: insights from non-invasive brain stimulation. Exp Brain Res 2019; 238:1-16. [PMID: 31768577 PMCID: PMC6957540 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-019-05685-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
During the last decade, non-invasive brain stimulation techniques have been increasingly employed in the field of neuroaesthetics research to shed light on the possible causal role of different brain regions contributing to aesthetic appreciation. Here, I review studies that have employed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to investigate neurocognitive mechanisms mediating visual aesthetic appreciation for different stimuli categories (faces, bodies, paintings). The review first considers studies that have assessed the possible causal contribution of cortical regions in mediating aesthetic appreciation along the visual ventral and dorsal pathways (i.e., the extrastriate body area, the motion-sensitive region V5/MT+ , the lateral occipital complex and the posterior parietal cortex). It then considers TMS and tDCS studies that have targeted premotor and motor regions, as well as other areas involved in body and facial expression processing (such as the superior temporal sulcus and the somatosensory cortex) to assess their role in aesthetic evaluation. Finally, it discusses studies that have targeted medial and dorsolateral prefrontal regions leading to significant changes in aesthetic appreciation for both biological stimuli (faces and bodies) and artworks. Possible mechanisms mediating stimulation effects on aesthetic judgments are discussed. A final section considers both methodological limitations of the reviewed studies (including levels of statistical power and the need for further replication) and the future potential for non-invasive brain stimulation to significantly contribute to the understanding of the neural bases of visual aesthetic experiences.
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37
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Sarasso P, Ronga I, Kobau P, Bosso T, Artusio I, Ricci R, Neppi-Modona M. Beauty in mind: Aesthetic appreciation correlates with perceptual facilitation and attentional amplification. Neuropsychologia 2019; 136:107282. [PMID: 31770549 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Neuroaesthetic research suggests that aesthetic appreciation results from the interaction between the object perceptual features and the perceiver's sensory processing dynamics. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between aesthetic appreciation and attentional modulation at a behavioural and psychophysiological level. In a first experiment, fifty-eight healthy participants performed a visual search task with abstract stimuli containing more or less natural spatial frequencies and subsequently were asked to give an aesthetic evaluation of the images. The results evidenced that response times were faster for more appreciated stimuli. In a second experiment, we recorded visual evoked potentials (VEPs) during exposure to the same stimuli. The results showed, only for more appreciated images, an enhancement in C1 and N1, P3 and N4 VEP components. Moreover, we found increased attention-related occipital alpha desynchronization for more appreciated images. We interpret these data as indicative of the existence of a correlation between aesthetic appreciation and perceptual processing enhancement, both at a behavioural and at a neurophysiological level.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Sarasso
- SAMBA (SpAtial Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy; Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
| | - I Ronga
- Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
| | - P Kobau
- Department of Philosophy and Education Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
| | - T Bosso
- SAMBA (SpAtial Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy
| | - I Artusio
- SAMBA (SpAtial Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy
| | - R Ricci
- SAMBA (SpAtial Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy
| | - M Neppi-Modona
- SAMBA (SpAtial Motor & Bodily Awareness) Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy
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38
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Cattaneo Z, Ferrari C, Schiavi S, Alekseichuk I, Antal A, Nadal M. Medial prefrontal cortex involvement in aesthetic appreciation of paintings: a tDCS study. Cogn Process 2019; 21:65-76. [DOI: 10.1007/s10339-019-00936-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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39
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Nguyen T, Zhou T, Potter T, Zou L, Zhang Y. The Cortical Network of Emotion Regulation: Insights From Advanced EEG-fMRI Integration Analysis. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING 2019; 38:2423-2433. [PMID: 30802854 DOI: 10.1109/tmi.2019.2900978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The ability to perceive and regulate emotion is a key component of cognition that is often disrupted by disease. Current neuroimaging studies regarding emotion regulation have implicated a number of cortical regions and identified several EEG features of interest, including the late positive potential and frontal asymmetry. Unfortunately, currently applied methods generally lack in the resolution necessary to capture focal cortical activity and explore the causal interactions between brain regions. In this paper, electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were simultaneously recorded from 20 subjects undergoing emotion processing and regulation tasks. Cortical activity with high-spatiotemporal resolution and accuracy was reconstructed using a novel multimodal EEG/fMRI integration method. A detailed causal brain network associated with emotion processing and regulation was then identified, and the network changes that facilitate different emotion conditions were investigated. The cortical activity of the ventrolateral prefrontal (VLPFC) and posterior parietal cortices depicted conditionally-sensitive spike and wave patterns evidenced in inter-regional communication. The VLPFC was found to behave as a main network source, with conditionally-specific interactions supporting emotional shifts. The results provide unique insight into the cortical activity that supports emotional perception and regulation, the origins of known EEG phenomena, and the manner in which brain regions coordinate to affect behavior.
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40
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Mastandrea S, Fagioli S, Biasi V. Art and Psychological Well-Being: Linking the Brain to the Aesthetic Emotion. Front Psychol 2019; 10:739. [PMID: 31019480 PMCID: PMC6458291 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Mastandrea
- Department of Education, Experimental Psychology Laboratory, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | - Sabrina Fagioli
- Department of Education, Experimental Psychology Laboratory, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
- Neuroimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Biasi
- Department of Education, Experimental Psychology Laboratory, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
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41
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Grossi E, Tavano Blessi G, Sacco PL. Magic Moments: Determinants of Stress Relief and Subjective Wellbeing from Visiting a Cultural Heritage Site. Cult Med Psychiatry 2019; 43:4-24. [PMID: 29998384 DOI: 10.1007/s11013-018-9593-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We provide an experimental evaluation of the impact of aesthetic experiences in terms of stress reduction (cortisol levels) and wellbeing increase. The test experience is a visit to the vault of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, Italy. Data have been collected using a double step method. A structured interview in relation to the individual subjective well-being has been administered to a sample of 100 subjects. In addition, a sample of their saliva has been taken, and its cortisol level measured, before and after the experience, and likewise for momentary wellbeing measured on a Visual Analogous Scale. Subjects reported an average increase of 40% in wellbeing and a decrease of the 60% in the cortisol level. The recorded cortisol level values dropped on average well beyond the decrease normally associated to its circadian cycle. The modulating role of various variables has been appreciated, and profiling of the typical subjects who are wellbeing respondents/non-respondents and cortisol respondents/non-respondents has been carried out. We conclude that aesthetic experience seems to have a noticeable impact on individual physical and mental health. In both dominions, cultural participation intensity is significantly correlated to the response. The study underlines the potential of the arts and culture as a new platform for public health practices and new approaches to welfare policy design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enzo Grossi
- Villa Santa Maria Institute, Tavernerio, Italy
| | | | - Pier Luigi Sacco
- IULM University, Milan, Italy.
- FBK-IRVAPP, Trento, Italy.
- Harvard University and MetaLAB (at) Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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42
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Cheung MC, Law D, Yip J, Wong CWY. Emotional Responses to Visual Art and Commercial Stimuli: Implications for Creativity and Aesthetics. Front Psychol 2019; 10:14. [PMID: 30723437 PMCID: PMC6349741 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
There is an ongoing debate about whether emotional responses to artworks are similar to those produced by the commercial stimuli experienced in everyday life. In this study, we evaluated the emotional responses to the visual art and commercial stimuli by using electroencephalography (EEG) to obtain an objective measure of emotional responses of the brain, namely the frontal alpha asymmetry. Positive frontal alpha asymmetry suggests positive emotional responses, and vice versa. The visual art stimuli consisted of 80 artistic and naturally colored paintings whereas the commercial stimuli consisted of 80 different window displays of fashion collections. The results revealed that positive frontal alpha asymmetry was elicited when the participants judged the visual art stimuli as either beautiful or not beautiful. For the commercial stimuli, positive frontal alpha asymmetry was observed when they were considered as beautiful, whereas negative frontal alpha asymmetry was exhibited toward those perceived as not beautiful. These findings suggest more positive emotional responses to the visual art stimuli, regardless of their aesthetics. However, favorable emotional responses were only elicited toward the commercial stimuli regarded as beautiful. The implications for the creative and aesthetic design of the commercial stimuli in Chinese society in influencing consumers’ emotional responses are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei-Chun Cheung
- Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Derry Law
- Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Joanne Yip
- Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Christina W Y Wong
- Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
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Tramonte S, Sorbello R, Guger C, Chella A. Acceptability Study of A3-K3 Robotic Architecture for a Neurorobotics Painting. Front Neurorobot 2019; 12:81. [PMID: 30687057 PMCID: PMC6336031 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2018.00081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, authors present a novel architecture for controlling an industrial robot via Brain Computer Interface. The robot used is a Series 2000 KR 210-2. The robotic arm was fitted with DI drawing devices that clamp, hold and manipulate various artistic media like brushes, pencils, pens. User selected a high-level task, for instance a shape or movement, using a human machine interface and the translation in robot movement was entirely demanded to the Robot Control Architecture defining a plan to accomplish user's task. The architecture was composed by a Human Machine Interface based on P300 Brain Computer Interface and a robotic architecture composed by a deliberative layer and a reactive layer to translate user's high-level command in a stream of movement for robots joints. To create a real-case scenario, the architecture was presented at Ars Electronica Festival, where the A3-K3 architecture has been used for painting. Visitors completed a survey to address 4 self-assessed different dimensions related to human-robot interaction: the technology knowledge, the personal attitude, the innovativeness and the satisfaction. The obtained results have led to further exploring the border of human-robot interaction, highlighting the possibilities of human expression in the interaction process with a machine to create art.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Tramonte
- RoboticsLab, Department of Industrial and Digital Innovation (DIID), Universitá di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Rosario Sorbello
- RoboticsLab, Department of Industrial and Digital Innovation (DIID), Universitá di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Chella
- RoboticsLab, Department of Industrial and Digital Innovation (DIID), Universitá di Palermo, Palermo, Italy.,ICAR-CNR, Palermo, Italy
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Abstract
Although the neural correlates of the appreciation of aesthetic qualities have been the target of much research in the past decade, few experiments have explored the hemispheric asymmetries in underlying processes. In this study, we used a divided visual field paradigm to test for hemispheric asymmetries in men and women's preference for abstract and representational artworks. Both male and female participants liked representational paintings more when presented in the right visual field, whereas preference for abstract paintings was unaffected by presentation hemifield. We hypothesize that this result reflects a facilitation of the sort of visual processes relevant to laypeople's liking for art-specifically, local processing of highly informative object features-when artworks are presented in the right visual field, given the left hemisphere's advantage in processing such features.
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Ma Y, Jin J, Yu W, Zhang W, Xu Z, Ma Q. How Is the Neural Response to the Design of Experience Goods Related to Personalized Preference? An Implicit View. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:760. [PMID: 30416423 PMCID: PMC6214219 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the process by which consumers evaluate the designs of experience goods is critical for firms designing and delivering experience products. As the implicit process involved in this evaluation, and given the possible social desirability bias inherent to traditional methods of product design evaluation in certain conditions, neuroscientific methods are preferred to gain insight into the neural basis of consumers' evaluation of experience good designs. We here used event-related potentials (ERPs) and a revised go/no-go paradigm to investigate consumers' neural responses to experience good designs. Personalized product designs and neutral landscape pictures were randomly presented to 20 student participants; they were asked to view these product designs without making any decisions. The paired t-test and repeated-measures analysis of correlation showed that the P200 and late positive potential (LPP) elicited by the most-preferred experience good designs were significantly higher than that elicited by least-preferred designs, and the two ERP components were positively correlated with the personalized rating scores. Thus, P200 and LPP might be the early and late indices of consumers' evaluation of experience good designs, respectively, and may facilitate an understanding of the temporal course of this evaluation. Furthermore, these two ERP components can be used to identify consumers' preferences toward experience good designs. In addition, given the use of personalized experimental stimuli, these findings may help to explain why customized products are preferred by consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongbin Ma
- Business School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Academy of Neuroeconomics and Neuromanagement, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Modem Management Research Centre, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Jia Jin
- Business School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Academy of Neuroeconomics and Neuromanagement, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Wenjun Yu
- Business School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Academy of Neuroeconomics and Neuromanagement, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Wuke Zhang
- Business School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Academy of Neuroeconomics and Neuromanagement, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Zhijiang Xu
- College of Information Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qingguo Ma
- Business School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Academy of Neuroeconomics and Neuromanagement, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China.,Institute of Neuromanagement Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
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Military Object Real-Time Detection Technology Combined with Visual Salience and Psychology. ELECTRONICS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/electronics7100216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents a method of military object detection through the combination of human visual salience and visual psychology, so as to achieve rapid and accurate detection of military objects on the vast and complex battlefield. Inspired by the process of human visual information processing, this paper establishes a salient region detection model based on double channel and feature fusion. In this model the pre-attention channel is to process information on the position and contrast of images, and the sub-attention channel is to integrate information on primary visual features first and then merges results of the two channels to determine the salient region. The main theory of Gestalt visual psychology is then used as the constraint condition to integrate the candidate salient regions and to obtain the object figure with overall perception. After that, the efficient sub-window search method is used to detect and filter the object in order to determine the location and range of objects. The experimental results show that, when compared with the existing algorithms, the algorithm proposed in this paper has prominent advantages in precision, effectiveness, and simplicity, which not only significantly reduces the effectiveness of battlefield camouflage and deception but also achieves the rapid and accurate detection of military objects, thus promoting its application prospect.
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Gao C, Guo C. The Experience of Beauty of Chinese Poetry and Its Neural Substrates. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1540. [PMID: 30186210 PMCID: PMC6110881 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chinese poetry has a long history and high esthetic value. People who engage esthetically with Chinese poetry would feel the sense of beauty naturally. However, there is little information regarding what happens in the brain when an individual appreciates Chinese poetry, and how the brain processes the subject’s appreciation of beauty. Herein, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural substrates of experiencing beauty by appreciating Chinese poetry. The participants in our study were 28 college students and the stimuli consisted of 25 Chinese poetry and 25 prose selections. Based on an event-related paradigm, the findings of this study suggested that different areas scattered in both the left and right cerebral hemispheres are activated when an individual appreciates Chinese poetry. Compared to reading prose, appreciating Chinese poetry heightens the activation of the left inferior orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the bilateral insula, the left fusiform, the left supplementary motor area (SMA), and the left precentral gyrus. In these areas, the left inferior OFC and the bilateral insula are considered closely related to experiencing beauty of Chinese poetry, which have been demonstrated that it is an important neural basis of esthetic beauty when using other types of materials. The findings of this study shed new light on the complex but ordinary processes of experiencing beauty when appreciating Chinese poetry and show that some key processes underlying the feeling of esthetic beauty are shared across different esthetic domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhai Gao
- Laboratory of Personality Development and Social Adaptation, Department of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Research Center of Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Cheng Guo
- Laboratory of Personality Development and Social Adaptation, Department of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Research Center of Mental Health Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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TMS over the superior temporal sulcus affects expressivity evaluation of portraits. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 18:1188-1197. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0630-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Abstract
The competence for appreciating beauty appears to be a human universal trait. This fact points out to a phylogenetically derived capacity that, somehow, evolved by means of natural selection. To detail how this evolutionary process took place is difficult to determine, because appreciating beauty is an elusive capacity, impossible to be detected in the fossil record. However, efforts have been made to understand the main characteristics of such competence, particularly by means of the advances of neuroaesthetics. Here, we examine some of the results obtained in experimental research to identify neural correlations of the appreciation of beauty, as well as archaeological and paleoanthropological proofs of the relationship existing between production of artistic objects and evolution of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo José Cela-Conde
- CLASSY (Center for the Scientific Study of Creativity: Literature, Arts and Science), School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States.
| | - Francisco J Ayala
- CLASSY (Center for the Scientific Study of Creativity: Literature, Arts and Science), School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States
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