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Shao X, Krieger-Redwood K, Zhang M, Hoffman P, Lanzoni L, Leech R, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. Distinctive and Complementary Roles of Default Mode Network Subsystems in Semantic Cognition. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1907232024. [PMID: 38589231 PMCID: PMC11097276 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1907-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) typically deactivates to external tasks, yet supports semantic cognition. It comprises medial temporal (MT), core, and frontotemporal (FT) subsystems, but its functional organization is unclear: the requirement for perceptual coupling versus decoupling, input modality (visual/verbal), type of information (social/spatial), and control demands all potentially affect its recruitment. We examined the effect of these factors on activation and deactivation of DMN subsystems during semantic cognition, across four task-based human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets, and localized these responses in whole-brain state space defined by gradients of intrinsic connectivity. FT showed activation consistent with a central role across domains, tasks, and modalities, although it was most responsive to abstract, verbal tasks; this subsystem uniquely showed more "tuned" states characterized by increases in both activation and deactivation when semantic retrieval demands were higher. MT also activated to both perceptually coupled (scenes) and decoupled (autobiographical memory) tasks and showed stronger responses to picture associations, consistent with a role in scene construction. Core DMN consistently showed deactivation, especially to externally oriented tasks. These diverse contributions of DMN subsystems to semantic cognition were related to their location on intrinsic connectivity gradients: activation was closer to the sensory-motor cortex than deactivation, particularly for FT and MT, while activation for core DMN was distant from both visual cortex and cognitive control. These results reveal distinctive yet complementary DMN responses: MT and FT support different memory-based representations that are accessed externally and internally, while deactivation in core DMN is associated with demanding, external semantic tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximing Shao
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | | | - Meichao Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioural Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Lucilla Lanzoni
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Leech
- Centre for Neuroimaging Science, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 9RT, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Smallwood
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Jefferies
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
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2
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Souter NE, de Freitas A, Zhang M, Shao X, del Jesus Gonzalez Alam TR, Engen H, Smallwood J, Krieger‐Redwood K, Jefferies E. Default mode network shows distinct emotional and contextual responses yet common effects of retrieval demands across tasks. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26703. [PMID: 38716714 PMCID: PMC11077571 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) lies towards the heteromodal end of the principal gradient of intrinsic connectivity, maximally separated from the sensory-motor cortex. It supports memory-based cognition, including the capacity to retrieve conceptual and evaluative information from sensory inputs, and to generate meaningful states internally; however, the functional organisation of DMN that can support these distinct modes of retrieval remains unclear. We used fMRI to examine whether activation within subsystems of DMN differed as a function of retrieval demands, or the type of association to be retrieved, or both. In a picture association task, participants retrieved semantic associations that were either contextual or emotional in nature. Participants were asked to avoid generating episodic associations. In the generate phase, these associations were retrieved from a novel picture, while in the switch phase, participants retrieved a new association for the same image. Semantic context and emotion trials were associated with dissociable DMN subnetworks, indicating that a key dimension of DMN organisation relates to the type of association being accessed. The frontotemporal and medial temporal DMN showed a preference for emotional and semantic contextual associations, respectively. Relative to the generate phase, the switch phase recruited clusters closer to the heteromodal apex of the principal gradient-a cortical hierarchy separating unimodal and heteromodal regions. There were no differences in this effect between association types. Instead, memory switching was associated with a distinct subnetwork associated with controlled internal cognition. These findings delineate distinct patterns of DMN recruitment for different kinds of associations yet common responses across tasks that reflect retrieval demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas E. Souter
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of YorkYorkUK
- School of PsychologyUniversity of SussexBrightonUK
| | - Antonia de Freitas
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of YorkYorkUK
- Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language SciencesUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Meichao Zhang
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of YorkYorkUK
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral ScienceInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Ximing Shao
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of YorkYorkUK
- Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language SciencesUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Haakon Engen
- Institute for Military Psychiatry, Joint Medical ServicesNorwegian Armed ForcesNorway
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
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3
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Kim HJ, Lux BK, Lee E, Finn ES, Woo CW. Brain decoding of spontaneous thought: Predictive modeling of self-relevance and valence using personal narratives. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2401959121. [PMID: 38547065 PMCID: PMC10998624 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401959121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The contents and dynamics of spontaneous thought are important factors for personality traits and mental health. However, assessing spontaneous thoughts is challenging due to their unconstrained nature, and directing participants' attention to report their thoughts may fundamentally alter them. Here, we aimed to decode two key content dimensions of spontaneous thought-self-relevance and valence-directly from brain activity. To train functional MRI-based predictive models, we used individually generated personal stories as stimuli in a story-reading task to mimic narrative-like spontaneous thoughts (n = 49). We then tested these models on multiple test datasets (total n = 199). The default mode, ventral attention, and frontoparietal networks played key roles in the predictions, with the anterior insula and midcingulate cortex contributing to self-relevance prediction and the left temporoparietal junction and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex contributing to valence prediction. Overall, this study presents brain models of internal thoughts and emotions, highlighting the potential for the brain decoding of spontaneous thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Ji Kim
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon16419, South Korea
| | - Byeol Kim Lux
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, NH03755
| | - Eunjin Lee
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon16419, South Korea
| | - Emily S. Finn
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, NH03755
| | - Choong-Wan Woo
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon16419, South Korea
- Life-inspired Neural Network for Prediction and Optimization Research Group, Suwon16419, South Korea
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4
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Reed LS, Evans LH. The positive dimension of schizotypy is associated with self-report measures of autobiographical memory and future thinking but not experimenter-scored indices. Memory 2024; 32:383-395. [PMID: 38466582 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2024.2325525] [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: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACTThe ability to remember our past and to imagine the future are critical to our sense of self. Previous research has indicated that they are disrupted in schizophrenia. However, it is unclear (i) whether this is found when examining experimenter-scored indices of content and/or participants' self-report of phenomenological characteristics, and (ii) how these abilities might be related to symptoms. This study sought to address these questions by taking a dimensional approach and measuring positive and negative schizotypal experiences in healthy people (n = 90). Participants were given cue words. For some, they remembered an event from the past and for others they generated an event in the future. No significant relationships were found with any aspect of schizotypy when participants' descriptions were scored by the experimenter according to a standardised episodic content measure. In contrast, several significant positive correlations were observed for past memory and future thinking when examining the positive dimension of schizotypy and participants' ratings, particularly to sensory characteristics of the experience and mental pre- or reliving. These results indicate enhanced subjective experiences of autobiographical memory and future thinking in those who report delusional and hallucinatory-like occurrences, which might be linked to mental imagery or metacognitive alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie S Reed
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Lisa H Evans
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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5
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Teghil A, Boccia M. Brain connectivity patterns associated with individual differences in the access to experience-near personal semantics: a resting-state fMRI study. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:87-99. [PMID: 38200283 PMCID: PMC10827898 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01149-6] [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: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
It has been proposed that a continuum of specificity exists between episodic and semantic autobiographical memory. Personal semantics have been theorized to situate intermediately on this continuum, with more "experience-near" personal semantics (enPS) closer to the episodic end. We used individual differences in behavior as a model to investigate brain networks associated with the access to episodic autobiographical (EAM) and enPS information, assessing the relation between performance in the EAM and enPS conditions of the Autobiographical Fluency Task (AFT) and intrinsic brain connectivity. Results of an intrinsic connectivity contrast analysis showed that the global connectivity of two clusters in the left and right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was predicted by performance in the enPS conditions. Moreover, enPS scores predicted the connectivity strength of the right PCC with the bilateral anterior hippocampus (aHC), anterior middle temporal gyrus (aMTG) and medial orbitofrontal cortex, and the left aMTG and PCC. enPS scores also predicted the connectivity strength of the left PCC with the bilateral HC and MTG. The network highlighted involves parts of the core and of the dorsal medial subsystems of the Default Mode Network, in line with the proposal that enPS represents an intermediate entity between episodic and semantic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Teghil
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via dei Marsi, 78, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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Wei JM, Xia LX. Neural Correlates of Positive Outcome Expectancy for Aggression: Evidence from Voxel-Based Morphometry and Resting-State Functional Connectivity Analysis. Brain Sci 2023; 14:43. [PMID: 38248258 PMCID: PMC10813425 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Positive outcome expectancy is a crucial cognitive factor influencing aggression, yet its neural basis remains unclear. Therefore, the present study combined voxel-based morphometry (VBM) with a resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis to investigate the brain correlates of positive outcome expectancy in aggression in young people. In the VBM analysis, multiple linear regression was conducted to explore the relationship between individual differences in aggressive positive outcome expectancy and regional gray matter volume (GMV) among 325 undergraduate students. For the RSFC analysis, seed regions were selected based on the results of the VBM analysis. Subsequently, multiple linear regression was employed to examine whether a significant correlation existed between individual differences in aggressive positive outcome expectancy and the RSFC of seed regions with other brain regions in 304 undergraduate students. The findings indicated that aggressive positive outcome expectancy was positively correlated with GMV in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), right temporoparietal junction (TPJ), and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Moreover, it was also positively associated with RSFC between the PCC and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The prediction analysis indicated robust relationships between aggressive positive outcome expectancy and the GMV in the PCC, right TPJ, as well as the RSFC between the PCC and the left DLPFC. Our research provides the initial evidence for the neural basis of positive outcome expectancy in aggression, suggesting the potential role of the PCC as a hub in its neural network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Ming Wei
- Research Center of Psychology and Social Development, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China;
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Ling-Xiang Xia
- Research Center of Psychology and Social Development, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China;
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China
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7
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Grilli MD, Sabharwal-Siddiqi S, Thayer SC, Rapcsak SZ, Ekstrom AD. Evidence of Impaired Remote Experience-near Semantic Memory in Medial Temporal Lobe Amnesia. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:2002-2013. [PMID: 37713665 PMCID: PMC10824049 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Neuropsychological research suggests that "experience-near" semantic memory, meaning knowledge attached to a spatiotemporal or event context, is commonly impaired in individuals who have medial temporal lobe amnesia. It is not known if this impairment extends to remotely acquired experience-near knowledge, which is a question relevant to understanding hippocampal/medial temporal lobe functioning. In the present study, we administered a novel semantic memory task designed to target knowledge associated with remote, "dormant" concepts, in addition to knowledge associated with active concepts, to four individuals with medial temporal lobe amnesia and eight matched controls. We found that the individuals with medial temporal lobe amnesia generated significantly fewer experience-near semantic memories for both remote concepts and active concepts. In comparison, the generation of abstract or "experience-far" knowledge was largely spared in the individuals with medial temporal lobe amnesia, regardless of whether the targets for retrieval were remote or active concepts. We interpret these findings as evidence that the medial temporal lobes may have a sustained role in the retrieval of semantic memories associated with spatiotemporal and event contexts, which are cognitive features often ascribed to episodic memory. These results align with recent theoretical models proposing that the hippocampus/medial temporal lobes support cognitive processes that are involved in, but not exclusive to, episodic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Steven Z Rapcsak
- University of Arizona, Tucson AZ
- Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Tucson, AZ
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8
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Kucyi A, Kam JWY, Andrews-Hanna JR, Christoff K, Whitfield-Gabrieli S. Recent advances in the neuroscience of spontaneous and off-task thought: implications for mental health. NATURE MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 1:827-840. [PMID: 37974566 PMCID: PMC10653280 DOI: 10.1038/s44220-023-00133-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
People spend a remarkable 30-50% of awake life thinking about something other than what they are currently doing. These experiences of being "off-task" can be described as spontaneous thought when mental dynamics are relatively flexible. Here we review recent neuroscience developments in this area and consider implications for mental wellbeing and illness. We provide updated overviews of the roles of the default mode network and large-scale network dynamics, and we discuss emerging candidate mechanisms involving hippocampal memory (sharp-wave ripples, replay) and neuromodulatory (noradrenergic and serotonergic) systems. We explore how distinct brain states can be associated with or give rise to adaptive and maladaptive forms of thought linked to distinguishable mental health outcomes. We conclude by outlining new directions in the neuroscience of spontaneous and off-task thought that may clarify mechanisms, lead to personalized biomarkers, and facilitate therapy developments toward the goals of better understanding and improving mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Kucyi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University
| | - Julia W. Y. Kam
- Department of Psychology and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary
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9
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Moscovitch DA, Moscovitch M, Sheldon S. Neurocognitive Model of Schema-Congruent and -Incongruent Learning in Clinical Disorders: Application to Social Anxiety and Beyond. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023; 18:1412-1435. [PMID: 36795637 PMCID: PMC10623626 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221141351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Negative schemas lie at the core of many common and debilitating mental disorders. Thus, intervention scientists and clinicians have long recognized the importance of designing effective interventions that target schema change. Here, we suggest that the optimal development and administration of such interventions can benefit from a framework outlining how schema change occurs in the brain. Guided by basic neuroscientific findings, we provide a memory-based neurocognitive framework for conceptualizing how schemas emerge and change over time and how they can be modified during psychological treatment of clinical disorders. We highlight the critical roles of the hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and posterior neocortex in directing schema-congruent and -incongruent learning (SCIL) in the interactive neural network that comprises the autobiographical memory system. We then use this framework, which we call the SCIL model, to derive new insights about the optimal design features of clinical interventions that aim to strengthen or weaken schema-based knowledge through the core processes of episodic mental simulation and prediction error. Finally, we examine clinical applications of the SCIL model to schema-change interventions in psychotherapy and provide cognitive-behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder as an illustrative example.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research & Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Rotman Research Institute and Department of Psychology, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
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10
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Abstract
In a complex world, we are constantly faced with environmental stimuli that shape our moment-to-moment experiences. But just as rich and complex as the external world is the internal milieu-our imagination. Imagination offers a powerful vehicle for playing out hypothetical experiences in the mind's eye. It allows us to mentally time travel to behold what the future might bring, including our greatest desires or fears. Indeed, imagined experiences tend to be emotion-laden. How and why are humans capable of this remarkable feat? Based on psychological findings, we highlight the importance of imagination for emotional aspects of cognition and behavior, namely in the generation and regulation of emotions. Based on recent cognitive neuroscience work, we identify putative neural networks that are most critical for emotional imagination, with a major focus on the default mode network. Finally, we briefly highlight the possible functional implications of individual differences in imagination. Overall, we hope to address why humans have the capacity to simulate hypothetical emotional experiences and how this ability can be harnessed in adaptive (and sometimes maladaptive) ways. We end by discussing open questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantelle M Cocquyt
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Daniela J Palombo
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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11
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Kim J, Andrews-Hanna JR, Eisenbarth H, Lux BK, Kim HJ, Lee E, Lindquist MA, Losin EAR, Wager TD, Woo CW. A dorsomedial prefrontal cortex-based dynamic functional connectivity model of rumination. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3540. [PMID: 37321986 PMCID: PMC10272121 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39142-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Rumination is a cognitive style characterized by repetitive thoughts about one's negative internal states and is a common symptom of depression. Previous studies have linked trait rumination to alterations in the default mode network, but predictive brain markers of rumination are lacking. Here, we adopt a predictive modeling approach to develop a neuroimaging marker of rumination based on the variance of dynamic resting-state functional connectivity and test it across 5 diverse subclinical and clinical samples (total n = 288). A whole-brain marker based on dynamic connectivity with the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) emerges as generalizable across the subclinical datasets. A refined marker consisting of the most important features from a virtual lesion analysis further predicts depression scores of adults with major depressive disorder (n = 35). This study highlights the role of the dmPFC in trait rumination and provides a dynamic functional connectivity marker for rumination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jungwoo Kim
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
- Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Jessica R Andrews-Hanna
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Cognitive Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Hedwig Eisenbarth
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Byeol Kim Lux
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Hong Ji Kim
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
- Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Eunjin Lee
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
- Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Martin A Lindquist
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Reynolds Losin
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Tor D Wager
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
| | - Choong-Wan Woo
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea.
- Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea.
- Life-inspired Neural Network for Prediction and Optimization Research Group, Suwon, South Korea.
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12
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Cherry J, Kamel S, Elfil M, Aravala SS, Bayoumi A, Patel A, Sinha R, Tinaz S. Mental imagery content is associated with disease severity and specific brain functional connectivity changes in patients with Parkinson's disease. Brain Imaging Behav 2023; 17:161-171. [PMID: 36434490 PMCID: PMC10050121 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00749-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Mental imagery is the mental re-creation of perceptual experiences, events and scenarios, and motor acts. In our previous study, we assessed whether motor imagery (MI) training combined with functional magnetic resonance imaging-based neurofeedback could improve the motor function of nondemented subjects with mild Parkinson's disease (PD) (N = 22). We used visual imagery (VI) (e.g., of scenes or events, but not of self-movements) training without neurofeedback for the control group (N = 22). Notably, both groups showed significant and comparable improvement in motor function after four weeks of daily imagery practice. In this study, we further examined the neural correlates of the motor enhancement as a result of the VI training by analyzing the self-reported VI content during daily practice and relating its quality to the functional connectivity characteristics of the same subjects. We demonstrated that the VI practice encompassed multisensory, spatial, affective, and executive processes all of which are also important for motor function in real life. Subjects with worse global disease severity also showed poorer quality of the VI content. Finally, the quality of the VI content showed significant positive correlations with the functional connectivity changes during the VI tasks in brain areas supporting visuospatial and sensorimotor processes. Our findings suggest that mental imagery training combining VI and MI may enhance motor function in patients with mild PD, and more broadly, underline the importance of incorporating self-reports of thoughts and experiences in neuroimaging studies that examine the brain mechanisms of complex cognitive processes especially in neuropsychiatric patient populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared Cherry
- Department of Neurology, Division of Movement Disorders, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Imaging Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Serageldin Kamel
- Department of Neurology, Division of Movement Disorders, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Imaging Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mohamed Elfil
- Department of Neurology, Division of Movement Disorders, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Imaging Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sai S Aravala
- Department of Neurology, Division of Movement Disorders, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Imaging Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ahmed Bayoumi
- Department of Neurology, Division of Movement Disorders, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Clinical Neurosciences Imaging Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Amar Patel
- Department of Neurology, Division of Movement Disorders, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rajita Sinha
- Yale Stress Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sule Tinaz
- Department of Neurology, Division of Movement Disorders, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Clinical Neurosciences Imaging Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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13
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Acevedo-Molina MC, Thayer S, Horn K, Nkulu H, Ryan L, Andrews-Hanna JR, Grilli MD. Past and future episodic detail retrieval is reduced among clinically normal older adults at higher genetic risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychology 2023; 37:194-203. [PMID: 36442007 PMCID: PMC10129290 DOI: 10.1037/neu0000866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Remembering and imagining personal events that are rich in episodic (i.e., event-specific) detail is compromised in older adults who have mild cognitive impairment, a known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease dementia. Less clear is whether lower episodic detail generation is associated with higher risk for Alzheimer's disease dementia before mild clinical decline is detectable. METHOD We compared past and future autobiographical thinking in clinically normal older adult carriers of the Alzheimer's disease-associated apolipoprotein E e4 allele (APOE4; n = 39) to demographically and neuropsychologically similar non-APOE4 carriers (n = 43). RESULTS APOE4 carriers showed a significant reduction for episodic details when remembering past events (d = .47) and imagining future events (d = .46), but not for nonepisodic details. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that APOE4 is associated with a selective reduction of episodic detail during past and future autobiographical thinking among clinically normal older adults. Reduced episodic detail generation, therefore, may be an early cognitive associate of higher risk for Alzheimer's disease dementia. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sean Thayer
- Psychology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
| | - Kiley Horn
- Psychology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
| | - Hanna Nkulu
- Psychology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
| | - Lee Ryan
- Psychology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
- Neurology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
| | - Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna
- Psychology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
- Cognitive Sciences Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
| | - Matthew D. Grilli
- Psychology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
- Neurology Department, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, 85721
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Grilli MD, Sheldon S. Autobiographical event memory and aging: older adults get the gist. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:1079-1089. [PMID: 36195539 PMCID: PMC9669242 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
We propose that older adults' ability to retrieve episodic autobiographical events, although often viewed through a lens of decline, reveals much about what is preserved and prioritized in cognitive aging. Central to our proposal is the idea that the so-called gist of an autobiographical event is not only spared with normal aging but also well adapted to serve memory-guided behavior in older age. To support our proposal, we review cognitive and brain evidence indicating an age-related shift toward gist memory. We then discuss why this shift likely arises from more than age-related decline and instead partly reflects a natural, arguably adaptive, outcome of experience, motivation, and mode-of-thinking factors. Our proposal reveals an upside of age-related memory changes and identifies important research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Grilli
- Department of Psychology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Signy Sheldon
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1G1, Canada.
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Bo O'Connor B, Fowler Z. How Imagination and Memory Shape the Moral Mind. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2022; 27:226-249. [PMID: 36062349 DOI: 10.1177/10888683221114215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Interdisciplinary research has proposed a multifaceted view of human cognition and morality, establishing that inputs from multiple cognitive and affective processes guide moral decisions. However, extant work on moral cognition has largely overlooked the contributions of episodic representation. The ability to remember or imagine a specific moment in time plays a broadly influential role in cognition and behavior. Yet, existing research has only begun exploring the influence of episodic representation on moral cognition. Here, we evaluate the theoretical connections between episodic representation and moral cognition, review emerging empirical work revealing how episodic representation affects moral decision-making, and conclude by highlighting gaps in the literature and open questions. We argue that a comprehensive model of moral cognition will require including the episodic memory system, further delineating its direct influence on moral thought, and better understanding its interactions with other mental processes to fundamentally shape our sense of right and wrong.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zoë Fowler
- University at Albany, State University of New York, USA
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16
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Rominger C, Schwerdtfeger AR, Benedek M, Perchtold-Stefan CM, Fink A. Ecological Momentary Assessment of Creative Ideation. EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Creative ideas in daily life show substantial variation in quality. Yet, most studies investigate the creative ideation process in highly controlled laboratory contexts, which challenges the ecological validity of creativity research findings. In this article, we advocate the use of ambulatory assessments of creative ideation to gain deeper insight into the variability of ideation processes (between- and within-subjects) in everyday life. We demonstrate this approach by the example of the ambulatory battery of creativity (ABC), which constitutes a reliable and valid approach to assess divergent thinking ability in the verbal and figural domain in everyday life context. Furthermore, it differentiates between-person and within-person variation of creative ideation performance. The first part of this paper will shortly describe the general approach using ABC as an example. In the second part, we use the 7 C’s heuristic to explore applications and implications of this novel method for creativity research. We focus on four C’s with special relevance for ambulatory assessment: Creator, Creating, Context, and Curricula. To this end, we review the findings of strongly controlled laboratory studies and discuss and illustrate applications of the ambulatory assessment. We conclude that the assessment of creative ideation performance in the field might help move the spotlight of creative ideation research from the laboratory to more naturalistic settings. This would increase the ecological validity of creative ideation research and facilitate fresh or unprecedented perspectives on past and future questions on a person’s creative potential and its moment-to-moment fluctuation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
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17
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Andrews-Hanna JR, Woo CW, Wilcox R, Eisenbarth H, Kim B, Han J, Reynolds Losin EA, Wager TD. The conceptual building blocks of everyday thought: Tracking the emergence and dynamics of ruminative and nonruminative thinking. J Exp Psychol Gen 2022; 151:628-642. [PMID: 34498906 PMCID: PMC8904643 DOI: 10.1037/xge0001096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
How do thoughts arise, unfold, and change over time? Are the contents and dynamics of everyday thought rooted in conceptual associations within one's semantic networks? To address these questions, we developed the Free Association Semantic task (FAST), whereby participants generate dynamic chains of conceptual associations in response to seed words that vary in valence. Ninety-four adults from a community sample completed the FAST task and additionally described and rated six of their most frequently occurring everyday thoughts. Text analysis and valence ratings revealed similarities in thematic and affective content between FAST concept chains and recurrent autobiographical thoughts. Dynamic analyses revealed that individuals higher in rumination were more strongly attracted to negative conceptual spaces and more likely to remain there longer. Overall, these findings provide quantitative evidence that conceptual associations may act as a semantic scaffold for more complex everyday thoughts, and that more negative and less dynamic conceptual associations in ruminative individuals mirror maladaptive repetitive thoughts in daily life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA,Cognitive Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Choong-Wan Woo
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea,Biomedical Institute for Convergence at SKKU, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea,Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea
| | - Ramsey Wilcox
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Hedwig Eisenbarth
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Byeol Kim
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Jihoon Han
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea,Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea
| | | | - Tor D. Wager
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
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The think aloud paradigm reveals differences in the content, dynamics and conceptual scope of resting state thought in trait brooding. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19362. [PMID: 34593842 PMCID: PMC8484343 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98138-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Although central to well-being, functional and dysfunctional thoughts arise and unfold over time in ways that remain poorly understood. To shed light on these mechanisms, we adapted a "think aloud" paradigm to quantify the content and dynamics of individuals' thoughts at rest. Across two studies, external raters hand coded the content of each thought and computed dynamic metrics spanning duration, transition probabilities between affective states, and conceptual similarity over time. Study 1 highlighted the paradigm's high ecological validity and revealed a narrowing of conceptual scope following more negative content. Study 2 replicated Study 1's findings and examined individual difference predictors of trait brooding, a maladaptive form of rumination. Across individuals, increased trait brooding was linked to thoughts rated as more negative, past-oriented and self-focused. Longer negative and shorter positive thoughts were also apparent as brooding increased, as well as a tendency to shift away from positive conceptual states, and a stronger narrowing of conceptual scope following negative thoughts. Importantly, content and dynamics explained independent variance, accounting for a third of the variance in brooding. These results uncover a real-time cognitive signature of rumination and highlight the predictive and ecological validity of the think aloud paradigm applied to resting state cognition.
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Ceh SM, Annerer-Walcher S, Koschutnig K, Körner C, Fink A, Benedek M. Neurophysiological indicators of internal attention: An fMRI-eye-tracking coregistration study. Cortex 2021; 143:29-46. [PMID: 34371378 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Many goal-directed, as well as spontaneous everyday activities (e.g., planning, mind-wandering), rely on an internal focus of attention. This fMRI-eye-tracking coregistration study investigated brain mechanisms and eye behavior related to internally versus externally directed cognition. Building on an established paradigm, we manipulated internal attention demands within tasks utilizing conditional stimulus masking. Internally directed cognition involved bilateral activation of the lingual gyrus and inferior parietal lobe areas as well as wide-spread deactivation of visual networks. Moreover, internally directed cognition was related to greater pupil diameter, pupil diameter variance, blink duration, fixation disparity variance, and smaller amounts of microsaccades. FMRI-eye-tracking covariation analyses further revealed that larger pupil diameter was related to increased activation of basal ganglia and lingual gyrus. It can be concluded that internally and externally directed cognition are characterized by distinct neurophysiological signatures. The observed neurophysiological differences indicate that internally directed cognition is associated with reduced processing of task-irrelevant information and increased mental load. These findings shed further light on the interplay between neural and perceptual mechanisms contributing to an internal focus of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Majed Ceh
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, BioTechMed, Graz, Austria
| | - Sonja Annerer-Walcher
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, BioTechMed, Graz, Austria
| | - Karl Koschutnig
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, BioTechMed, Graz, Austria
| | - Christof Körner
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, BioTechMed, Graz, Austria
| | - Andreas Fink
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, BioTechMed, Graz, Austria
| | - Mathias Benedek
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, BioTechMed, Graz, Austria.
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