To understand how we evaluate harm to others, it is crucial to consider the offender’s intent and the victim’s suffering. Previous research investigating event-related potentials (ERPs) during moral evaluation has been limited by small sample sizes and a priori selection of electrodes and time windows that may bias the results. To overcome these limitations, we examined ERPs in 66 healthy human adults using a data-driven analytic approach involving cluster-based permutation tests. Participants performed an implicit moral evaluation task requiring to observe scenarios depicting intentional harm (IHS), accidental harm (AHS), and neutral actions (NAS) while judging whether each scenario was set indoors or outdoors. Our results revealed two distinct clusters, peaking at ∼170 and ∼250 ms, showing differences between harm scenarios (IHS and AHS) and NAS, suggesting rapid processing of the victim’s physical outcome. The difference between IHS and AHS scenarios emerged later, at ∼400 ms, potentially reflecting subsequent evaluation of the agent’s intentions. Source analysis showed that brain regions associated with empathy for pain were associated with the earlier peaks at ∼170 and ∼250 ms, while the modulation of the activity of the mentalizing network was presented at ∼250 and ∼400 ms. These findings advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying implicit moral evaluation. Notably, they provide electrocortical new insights for models of implicit moral evaluation, suggesting an early neural response linked to empathy for pain, with subsequent integration of empathy response with mentalizing processes, followed by later cognitive evaluations, likely reflecting the assessment of the agent’s moral responsibility.

Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying spatial attention is crucial for unraveling the pathogenesis of unilateral spatial neglect (USN). However, the neural link between spatial attention and USN remains unclear. Thus, the neural mechanisms of spatial attention in the left and right hemispheres were compared. Twenty healthy volunteers participated in a hand mental rotation task in which they determined whether images depicted left or right hands. The hand images were randomly displayed in the upper, lower, left, and right directions, centered around a fixation point. The laterality index for the alpha oscillatory activity was determined to assess the lateralization of neural activity during visual stimulation. Our results revealed a significant shift in alpha oscillatory neural activity in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) towards the right hemisphere when visual stimulation occurred on the left side. In contrast, no significant oscillatory shift in the alpha band towards the left hemisphere was observed in the IPL when the visual stimulus was presented on the right side. These findings indicate that the spatial attention on the left side depends on oscillatory alpha activity in the right IPL, whereas that on the right side doesn't depend on either hemispheric alpha activity. These results provide valuable insights into the neural mechanisms of hemispatial neglect.

Correctly using hand-held tools and manipulable objects typically relies not only on sensory and motor-related processes, but also centrally on conceptual knowledge about how objects are typically used (e.g. grasping the handle of a kitchen knife rather than the blade avoids injury). A wealth of fMRI connectivity-related evidence demonstrates that contributions from both ventral and dorsal stream areas are important for accurate tool knowledge and use. Here, we investigate the combined role of ventral and dorsal stream areas in representing “primary” manipulation knowledge - that is, knowledge that is hypothesized to be of central importance for day-to-day object use. We operationalize primary manipulation knowledge by extracting the first dimension from a multi-dimensional scaling solution over a behavioral judgement task where subjects arranged a set of 80 manipulable objects based on their overall manipulation similarity. We then relate this dimension to representational and time-course correlations between ventral and dorsal stream areas. Our results show that functional coupling between posterior middle temporal cortex (pMTG) and anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) is uniquely related to primary manipulation knowledge about objects, and that this effect is more pronounced for objects that require precision grasping. We reason this is due to precision-grasp objects requiring more ventral/temporal information relating to object shape, material and function to allow correct finger placement and controlled manipulation. These results demonstrate the importance of functional coupling across these ventral and dorsal stream areas in service of manipulation knowledge and accurate grasp-related behavior.

This viewpoint explores the gap between theoretical frameworks in experimental neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology. It highlights how John Duncan's theory of the Multiple Demand (MD) system, which links the frontal lobe to fluid intelligence (g), helps explain general performance on classical executive tests. However, it also discusses how traditional scores often fail to capture the complexity of behaviours associated with frontal lobe damage, and we suggest that developing improved scoring methods could be useful for integrating experimental and clinical neuropsychology insights.

Perceptual-cognitive expertise is crucial in domains that require rapid extraction of information for anticipation (e.g., sport, aviation, warfighting). Yet, published reports on the neuroscience of perceptual-cognitive expertise in such dynamic performance environments focus almost exclusively on biological motion processing (i.e., action observation network), leaving gaps in knowledge about the neural mechanisms underlying other frequently cited perceptual-cognitive skills, such as pattern recognition, the use of contextual priors, and global processing. In this paper, we provide a narrative review of research on the neural mechanisms underlying perceptual-cognitive expertise in sport, a domain where individuals possess highly specialized perceptual-cognitive skills (i.e., expertise) that enable successful performance in dynamic environments. Additionally, we discuss how work from domains with more static, predictable stimuli for perception and decision-making (e.g., radiology, chess) can enhance understanding of the neuroscience of expertise in sport. In future, efforts are needed to address the neural mechanisms underpinning less studied perceptual-cognitive skills (i.e., pattern recognition, contextual priors, global processing) and to explore how experts prioritize these skills within different contexts, thereby enhancing our understanding of perceptual-cognitive expertise across numerous professional domains.

Brain networks involved in emotional conflict processing have been extensively studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging in adults. Yet, the temporal correlates of these brain activations are still largely unknown, particularly in a key phase of emotional development, adolescence. Here, we elucidate the spatiotemporal profile of emotional conflict processing in 24 typically developing adolescents (10-18 years; 22 Caucasian) during an emotional face-word Stroop task. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we calculated dynamic statistical parametric maps and compared trials with and without emotional conflict whole-brain cluster-based permutation tests, followed by cluster-based ROI time-frequency analyses. Cluster analysis revealed four significant clusters, including early activation of the cingulate and temporal cortices, which may be related to dorsal and ventral streams of processing, respectively. This was followed by late components in the middle frontal and prefrontal cortices, which are likely related to response execution and post-response monitoring. Time-frequency analysis revealed event-related synchronizations and desynchronizations in beta and gamma bands across the cingulate cortex, which highlight the different roles of the cingulate subdivisions. Our findings provide further evidence of the cingulate's key role in emotional conflict processing across time. Improving our understanding of this key cognitive process will guide future work with neuropsychiatric populations, which may aid diagnosis and treatment outcomes.

Working memory (WM) load has been well-documented to impair selective attention and inhibitory control. However, its effects on motor function remain insufficiently explored. To extend the existing literature, we investigated the impact of WM load on force control and movement-related brain activity. Sixteen healthy young participants performed a visual static force matching task using a pinch grip under varying WM loads. The task included low and high WM load conditions (memorizing one digit or six digits), and the precision level required to control force was adjusted by manipulating visual gain (low vs. high visual gains), with higher visual gain necessitating more precise force control. Peri-movement alpha and beta event-related desynchronization (ERD), along with force accuracy and steadiness, were measured using electroencephalography recorded over the central areas during the force control task. Results indicated that while force accuracy and steadiness significantly improved with higher visual gain, there was no significant effect of WM load on these measures. Alpha and beta ERD were greater under high than low visual gain, and also greater under high than low WM load. These findings suggest that in young adults, increased WM load leads to compensatory increases in sensorimotor cortical activity to mitigate potential declines in static force control performance that may result from the depletion of neural resources caused by WM load. Our findings extend current understanding of the interaction between WM and sensorimotor processes by offering new insights into how movement-related brain activity is influenced by heightened WM load.

Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of executive functions (EFs) in the development of Theory of Mind (ToM) in preschoolers. However, research focusing on young children at the neural level has been limited. This study examined the relationship between EFs and ToM in twenty-nine healthy Japanese preschoolers aged 5–7 years, focusing on neural responses during EF and ToM tasks using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to monitor prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. The study utilized EF tasks and the Sally-Anne scenario to assess false- and true-belief understanding, aiming to provide a comprehensive analysis of ToM capabilities. Results indicated that despite advanced EF capabilities and a ceiling effect across all EF tasks, there were no significant correlations between EF performance or verbal ability and ToM task performance. NIRS data revealed no PFC activation during the Stroop task. However, activation was observed in the left and right lateral PFC in the control false belief condition, the left lateral PFC in the false belief condition, and across all PFC regions in the true belief condition during ToM tasks. Significant relationships were found between behavioral performance in ToM tasks and neural activity in key brain regions. The study also identified a complex relationship between false and true belief reasoning, suggesting a nuanced developmental trajectory for ToM. These findings underscore the crucial role of early childhood in the development of ToM and the complex interplay between cognitive functions and neural efficiency in understanding others' mental states.

The human auditory system consists of both peripheral and central components, both of which play a role but contribute distinctly to overall auditory functioning and can be differentially impacted by pathophysiologic states. Hemispheric surgery (HS), a procedure used for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, involves complete disconnection of the auditory cortex in the operative hemisphere, leaving hearing acuity (peripheral function) intact but having heavy implications for auditory processing (central function). The literature describing pre- and post-operative auditory processing abilities of individuals who have undergone HS is sparse, but the research available provides evidence that several central auditory processes including auditory spatial analysis and temporal processing may be impacted. Deficits noted in standardized testing within the clinical or research environment have concrete functional impacts that may be currently under-appreciated and could lead to under-utilization of appropriate therapeutic strategies and accommodations. This review describes the profile of central auditory processing abilities in patients who have undergone HS by synthesizing available literature and incorporating research in other clinical populations to help fill critical gaps in our understanding of how cerebral disconnection impacts the central auditory system.