Affective Information Processing Research Articles

Reorganization of CA1 dendritic dynamics by hippocampal sharp-wave ripples during learning

The hippocampus plays a critical role in memory consolidation, mediated by coordinated network activity during sharp-wave ripple (SWR) events. Despite the link between SWRs and hippocampal plasticity, little is known about how network state affects information processing in dendrites, the primary sites of synaptic input integration and plasticity. Here, we monitored somatic and basal dendritic activity in CA1 pyramidal cells in behaving mice using longitudinal two-photon calcium imaging integrated with simultaneous local field potential recordings. We found immobility was associated with an increase in dendritic activity concentrated during SWRs. Coincident dendritic and somatic activity during SWRs predicted increased coupling during subsequent exploration of a novel environment. In contrast, somatic-dendritic coupling and SWR recruitment varied with cells' tuning distance to reward location during a goal-learning task. Our results connect SWRs with the stabilization of information processing within CA1 neurons and suggest that these mechanisms may be dynamically biased by behavioral demands.

The impact of depression on mothers' neural processing of their adolescents' affective behavior.

Depression affects neural processing of emotional stimuli and could, therefore, impact parent–child interactions. However, the neural processes with which mothers with depression process their adolescents’ affective interpersonal signals and how this relates to mothers’ parenting behavior are poorly understood. Mothers with and without depression (N = 64 and N = 51, respectively; Mage = 40 years) from low-income families completed an interaction task with their adolescents (Mage = 12.8 years), which was coded for both individuals’ aggressive, dysphoric, positive and neutral affective behavior. While undergoing fMRI, mothers viewed video clips from this task of affective behavior from their own and an unfamiliar adolescent. Relative to non-depressed mothers, those with depression showed more aggressive and less positive affective behavior during the interaction task and more activation in the bilateral insula, superior temporal gyrus and striatum but less in the lateral prefrontal cortex while viewing aggressive and neutral affect. Findings were comparable for own and unfamiliar adolescents’ affect. Heightened limbic, striatal and sensory responses were associated with more aggressive and dysphoric parenting behavior during the interactions, while reduced lateral prefrontal activation was associated with less positive parenting behavior. These results highlight the importance of depressed mothers’ affective information processing for understanding mothers’ behavior during interactions with their adolescents.

Impact of data analytics in transforming the decision-making process

Although business analytics is becoming more and more used to provide data-driven insights to support decision making, there is little research on how business analytics may be used at an organizational level to enhance decision making effectiveness. This paper develops a study model linking company analytics to organizational decision-making effectiveness, using the info processing view as well as contingency theory. Based on 740 responses from UK business organizations, the research model is examined using structural situation modelling. Key findings show that business analytics can be done through key findings. Mediating a data driven environment positively affects information processing abilities, which have a good impact on decision-making effectiveness in turn. The findings also show that the pathways from company analytics to decision making are obvious. There are no statistical differences between large and small businesses, but several differences between the manufacturing and professional services industries. Our findings add to the literature on business analytics by offering helpful insights into company analytics applications and the facilitation of data driven decision making. They also improve the knowledge and understanding of managers by showing how business analytics needs to be applied to improve decision making effectiveness.

Genetic association study reveals impact of interleukin 10 polymorphisms on cognitive functions in schizophrenia

AimCognitive deficits are the core factors impacting quality of life among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Effective method of treatment for this domain of symptoms remains lacking. Recent evidence suggests the link between impaired cognition and aberrant inflammatory response. Severity of symptoms might be linked to individual genetic predispositions and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding interleukins and their receptors. Current genetic association studies include anti-inflammatory interleukins, such as IL10. Functional polymorphisms of IL10 (rs1800871, rs18008729) have been indicated to affect information processing in schizophrenia. Materials and methodsIn this study, we analyzed the potential impact of 27 functional SNPs in 8 cytokine genes on cognitive parameters measured by Wisconsin card-sorting test (WCST) in schizophrenia group (n = 150) and healthy controls (n = 152). ResultsWe found significant associations of two functional polymorphisms of IL10 (rs1800871, rs1800872) and WCST results. Allele A carriers in rs1800871 performed significantly better in Percent of Conceptual Level Responses (CLR%). Allele A carriers in rs1800871 and allele T carriers in rs1800872 obtained better results in Completed Categories (CC). The impact of illness duration was observed, with better performance of recent-onset patients. ConclusionsResults of this study indicate that genetic variants of inflammatory response are associated with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. The role of cytokines in schizophrenia need to be investigated in the aspect of pro-/anti-inflammatory imbalance. Altered inflammatory response promote chronic mild inflammation in the brain and aberrant synaptic plasticity.

Attentional biases towards emotional scenes in autism spectrum condition: An eye-tracking study

BackgroundDifferent attentional processing of emotional information may underlie social impairments in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). It has been hypothesized that individuals with ASC show hypersensitivity to threat, which may be related to an avoidance behaviour. However, research on the attentional processing of emotional information in autism is inconclusive. AimTo examine the attentional processing biases of 27 children with ASC and 25 typically developed (TD) participants. Methods and proceduresThe initial orienting of attention, the attentional engagement, and the attentional maintenance to complex emotional scenes in competition (happy, neutral, threatening, sad) were assessed in a 20-second eye-tracking based free-viewing task. Outcomes and resultsi) children with ASC showed an initial orienting bias towards threatening stimuli; ii) TD children demonstrated an attentional engagement and maintenance bias towards threat, while children with ASC did not; and iii) in children with ASC, attentional problems and somatic complaints were associated with higher initial orienting and with higher attentional maintenance towards threat, respectively. Conclusions and implicationsThese results suggest that a perceived threat induces an early overwhelming response in autism, giving rise to an avoidance behaviour. The findings endorse affective information processing theories and shed light on the mechanisms underlying social disturbances in ASC.

Neural and behavioral effects of theta burst stimulation priming on processing of affective and neutral information in working memory

Abstract Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) has been increasingly used to target prefrontal brain regions, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), to improve neurocognitive and emotional functioning. However, despite the promising outcomes, there is still a lot of variability in responses and the clinical efficacy remains rather modest. Interestingly, fundamental research targeting the motor cortex has suggested the use of priming techniques to enhance TBS-related changes in cortical excitability. Hence, TBS priming - using a prime TBS protocol to enhance the effects of a subsequent test TBS protocol - can yield improved TBS efficacy when applied over the prefrontal cortex. Moreover, recent developments in the field indicate that stimulation priming can be highly efficacious in reducing depressive symptoms. In this within-subjects, sham-controlled study, we investigated how different TBS priming protocols over the left DLPFC affect cognitive performance and task-related brain activity in a sample of fifty healthy adults. Participants performed a verbal working memory task, consisting of affective and neutral word stimuli, during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) after receiving one of four TBS priming combinations (i.e., a prime followed by a test protocol); (1) sham TBS + sham TBS, (2) sham TBS + intermittent TBS, (3) intermittent TBS + intermittent TBS, (4) continuous TBS + intermittent TBS. Each prime and test protocol was separated by a 15-minute break and there was one week in between each experimental session. Task performance and participants’ activation patterns elicited by the task following the different TBS priming conditions were assessed. During this talk, the behavioral and neural findings will be presented. Moreover, implications of the study findings for further studies evaluating the neurobehavioral effects of TBS priming on emotional working memory, in healthy and neuropsychiatric samples, will be discussed. Keywords: Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Stimulation Priming, Working Memory

The Effects of High Power and Low Power Posing on Students’ Pain Threshold

Background and Aim: Research has shown that social power affects information processing in many ways and can induce powerful movements or gestures. This study aimed to investigate the effect of pretending power gestures on changing the pain threshold of a group of female students. Methods & Materials: The method of the present study was quasi-experimental with a pre-test post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this study included all female students of Arak University in the academic year 2016-2017, from which 60 people selected by convenience sampling method, and randomly divided into three groups: high power posing (sitting on a chair and putting your feet on the table, placing your hands behind your head and holding your head up), low power posing (sitting on a chair with your legs together, arms between your legs and bending your head to bottom) and control. Rosenberg self-esteem scale and tourniquet technique with cuff pressure gauge (to measure pain threshold) used to collect data. After the pre-test measurements and two minutes of gestures, the post-test was performed immediately. Data were analyzed using the analysis of covariance. Ethical Considerations: This study was approved by the ethics committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.ARAKMU.REC.1399.276). Results: The results showed that pretending high/low power gesture significantly affects pain threshold; pretending to have a high-power gesture increases the pain threshold, and pretending to have a low-power gesture lowers the pain threshold. Conclusion: Based on the results, using power gestures as a simple tool in pain situations is recommended for pain management or as a supplement to analgesics.

The Interplay Between Affective Processing and Sense of Agency During Action Regulation: A Review.

Sense of agency is the feeling of being in control of one's actions and their perceivable effects. Most previous research identified cognitive or sensory determinants of agency experience. However, it has been proposed that sense of agency is also bound to the processing of affective information. For example, during goal-directed actions or instrumental learning we often rely on positive feedback (e.g., rewards) or negative feedback (e.g., error messages) to determine our level of control over the current task. Nevertheless, we still lack a scientific model which adequately explains the relation between affective processing and sense of agency. In this article, we review current empirical findings on how affective information modulates agency experience, and, conversely, how sense of agency changes the processing of affective action outcomes. Furthermore, we discuss in how far agency-related changes in affective processing might influence the ability to enact cognitive control and action regulation during goal-directed behavior. A preliminary model is presented for describing the interplay between sense of agency, affective processing, and action regulation. We propose that affective processing could play a role in mediating the influence between subjective sense of agency and the objective ability to regulate one's behavior. Thus, determining the interrelation between affective processing and sense of agency will help us to understand the potential mechanistic basis of agency experience, as well as its functional significance for goal-directed behavior.

Does attentional focus modulate affective information processing in male violent offenders with psychopathic traits?

Antisocial and psychopathic individuals are characterized by a reduced responsivity to affective information. Yet, the role of attentional processes as possible modulator of these deficits is poorly understood. The current study investigated early and late processing of emotional stimuli in a sample of incarcerated offenders while manipulating the attentional focus. Twenty-seven male violent offenders with psychopathic traits and 27 healthy controls completed two experimental tasks while electroencephalography (EEG) data were collected. Task 1 assessed indirect processing of emotional or neutral distractors during a perceptual judgment task, while Task 2 measured direct processing of the emotional or neutral stimuli and required participants to rate the stimuli regarding valence and arousal. EEG data indicated no differences in early stage processing (early posterior negativity) between the experimental groups. However, we found significant group differences with regard to the late processing stage (late positive potential, LPP). Controls showed increased LPP amplitudes in Task 2 as compared to Task 1, indicating that task demands (i.e., attentional focus) had an effect on the processing of the emotional stimuli. In contrast, LPP amplitudes in the violent offender group were largely unaffected by task demands, suggesting specific late alterations in the neural processing of emotional stimuli. In sum, this study provides new evidence for a modulatory impact of attention on affective information processing in male violent offenders with psychopathic traits.

Tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B impairs presynaptic NMDA receptor-mediated plasticity in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Mutations in the beta-amyloid protein (APP) cause familial Alzheimer's disease. In hAPP-J20 mice expressing mutant APP, pharmacological inhibition or genetic ablation of the tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B prevents CA3 hippocampus neuron loss and cognitive decline. However, how targeting PTP1B affects the cellular mechanisms underlying these cognitive deficits remains unknown. Changes in synaptic strength at the hippocampus can affect information processing for learning and memory. While prior studies have focused on post-synaptic mechanisms to account for synaptic deficits in Alzheimer's disease models, presynaptic mechanisms may also be affected. Here, using whole cell patch-clamp recording, coefficient of variation (CV) analysis suggested a profound presynaptic deficit in long-term potentiation (LTP) of CA3:CA1 synapses in hAPP-J20 mice. While the membrane-impermeable ionotropic NMDA receptor (NMDAR) blocker norketamine in the post-synaptic recording electrode had no effect on LTP, additional bath application of the ionotropic NMDAR blockers MK801 could replicate the deficit in LTP in wild type mice. In contrast to LTP, the paired-pulse ratio and short-term facilitation (STF) were aberrantly increased in hAPP-J20 mice. These synaptic deficits in hAPP-J20 mice were associated with reduced phosphorylation of NMDAR GluN2B and the synaptic vesicle recycling protein NSF (N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor). Phosphorylation of both proteins, together with synaptic plasticity and cognitive function, were restored by PTP1B ablation or inhibition by the PTP1B-selective inhibitor Trodusquemine. Taken together, our results indicate that PTP1B impairs presynaptic NMDAR-mediated synaptic plasticity required for spatial learning in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Since Trodusquemine has undergone phase 1/2 clinical trials to treat obesity, it could be repurposed to treat Alzheimer's disease.

Does media coverage of fake news affect citizens’ reactions to misinformation and its correction?

During the 2016 US presidential election campaign, interest in fake news surged among political elites, media, and mass publics. This raises the question of how general awareness of fake news affects information processing by citizens. We address this deficit by theorizing about the consequences of awareness of fake news for receptivity to misinformation. We hypothesize that individuals induced to be more aware of fake news will be less likely to update beliefs and attitudes in response to information from news media. We test this theoretical expectation in a pre-registered experiment in cooperation with a national news magazine in Denmark. Results suggest that contrary to the hypothesis, primed and unprimed respondents react similarly. In both groups, misinformation affects approval of a fictional politician in the predicted direction, and a subsequent correction fully cancels out the initial effect of misinformation. The results suggest that the risk of fake news fatigue is limited and media outlets can discuss the phenomenon of fake news in general as well as present concrete factual corrections with little risk of engendering additional media skepticism.

Can I Stick to My Guns? Motivated Reasoning and Biased Processing of Balanced Political Information

News media offer balanced political messages and many citizens also seek content that presents two sides of a political issue. Despite this supply and demand, most work on information processing tests exposure to one-sided content, i.e., either pro- or counter-attitudinal. We advance this work by studying (1) how balanced and one-sided messages affect information processing; (2) whether the processing of balanced information is moderated by individual motivations; and (3) the impact of balanced exposure on attitude polarization. Using an online experiment (N = 677), we primed either accuracy or defensive motivation and examined how participants processed information about two distinct issues (i.e., climate change and Syrian refugees). On both issues, participants were less biased in response to balanced content, compared to one-sided content. In addition, defensive and accuracy motivated people processed balanced content in a similar manner. Furthermore, pro-attitudinal content polarized individual attitudes, but not balanced content, and this effect was not moderated by motivation.

An eye-tracking study for measuring the attentional characteristics towards emotional scenes in children with autism spectrum condition

IntroductionThe difficulties in social interaction present in individuals with autism spectrum conditions may are related with the abnormal attentional processing of emotional information. Specifically, it has been hypothesized that the hypersensibility to threat shown by individuals with autism may explain an avoidance behaviour. However, this hypothesis is not supported by research and the underlying psychological mechanisms of social interaction in autism still unclear.ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to examine attentional processing biases by administering a computer-based attentional task in a sample of 27 children with autism spectrum conditions and 25 typically developed participants (age 11-15 years).MethodsThe initial orienting of attention, the attention al engagement, and the attentional maintenance to different emotional scenes in competition (i.e. happy, neutral, threatening and sad) were measured by recording the eye movements during a 20 seconds free-viewing task.Results The main findings were: i) children with autism spectrum conditions showed an initial orientating bias towards threatening stimuli; and ii) while typically developed children revealed an attentional engagement and attentional maintenance bias towards threatening stimuli, children with autism spectrum conditions did not.ConclusionsThe findings of the present study are consistent with the affective information processing theories and shed light on the underlying mechanisms of social disturbances in autism spectrum conditions.

Psychological status after insulo-opercular resection in patients with epilepsy: Depression, anxiety, and quality of life

Insular epilepsy is increasingly recognized in epilepsy surgery centers. Recent studies suggest that resection of an epileptogenic zone that involves the insula as a treatment for drug-resistant seizures is associated with good outcomes in terms of seizure control. However, despite the existing evidence of a role of the insula in emotions and affective information processing, the long-term psychological outcome of patients undergoing these surgeries remain poorly documented. A group of 27 adults (18 women) who underwent an insulo-opercular resection (in combination with a part of the temporal lobe in 10, and of the frontal lobe in 5) as part of epilepsy surgery at our center between 2004 and 2019 completed psychometric questionnaires to assess depression (Beck Depression Inventory – 2nd edition; BDI-II), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Trait Version; STAI-T), and quality of life (Patient Weighted Quality of Life In Epilepsy; QOLIE-10-P). Scores were compared to those of patients who had standard temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) surgery with similar socio-demographic and disease characteristics. Seizure control after insular epilepsy surgery was comparable to that observed after TLE surgery, with a majority of patients reporting being seizure free (insular: 63.0%; temporal: 63.2%) or having rare disabling seizures (insular: 7.4%; temporal: 18.4%) at the time of questionnaire completion. Statistical comparisons revealed no significant group difference on scores of depression, anxiety, or quality of life. Hemisphere or extent of insular resection had no significant effect on the studied variables. In the total sample, employment status and seizure control, but not location of surgery, significantly predicted quality of life. Self-reported long-term psychological status after insulo-opercular resection as part of epilepsy surgery thus appears to be similar to that observed after TLE surgery, which is commonly performed in epilepsy surgery centers.

Longitudinal course of depressive symptom severity among youths with bipolar disorders: Moderating influences of sustained attention and history of child maltreatment

BackgroundPediatric bipolar disorders are often characterized by disruptions in cognitive functioning, and exposure to child maltreatment (e.g., physical and sexual abuse) is associated with a significantly poorer course of illness. Although clinical and developmental research has shown maltreatment to be robustly associated with poorer cognitive functioning, it is unclear whether maltreatment and cognitive function jointly influence the clinical course of bipolar symptoms. MethodsThis secondary analysis examined moderating effects of lifetime childhood physical and sexual abuse, and cognitive disruptions (sustained attention, affective information processing), on longitudinal ratings of depression symptom severity in youths from the Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth (COBY) study, examined from intake (M = 12.24 years) through age 22 (N = 198; 43.9% female; Mean age of bipolar onset = 8.85 years). ResultsA significant moderating effect was detected for sustained attention and maltreatment history. In the context of lower sustained attention, maltreatment exposure was associated with higher depression symptom severity during childhood, but not late adolescence. There was no association between maltreatment and symptom severity in the context of higher sustained attention, and no association between attention and depression symptom severity for non-maltreated youths. LimitationsDepression symptom ratings at each assessment were subject to retrospective recall bias despite the longitudinal design. Cognitive assessments were administered at different ages across youths. ConclusionsDepressive symptoms in pediatric bipolar may be jointly moderated by impairments in attention and exposure to maltreatment. Assessment of these risks, particularly in childhood, may be beneficial for considering risk of recurrence or chronicity of depressive symptoms.

How Depressive Symptoms Hinder Positive Information Processing: An Experimental Study on the Interplay of Cognitive Immunisation and Negative Mood in the Context of Expectation Adjustment

BackgroundPeople with depression maintain negative expectations despite disconfirming positive experiences by reappraising or discarding novel positive information, referred to as “cognitive immunisation”. A second body of literature suggests that negative mood can negatively affect information processing. Bridging these two lines of research, the present study examined the interplay of cognitive immunisation and negative mood in the context of expectation modification.MethodsIn a student sample (N = 152), we used a well-established experimental paradigm to examine the adjustment of performance expectations in response to positive performance feedback, and its relation to depressive symptoms. In a 2 × 2 design, participants received either a negative mood induction, a cognitive immunisation manipulation, both, or no further manipulation.ResultsParticipants from all experimental groups revised their previous expectations significantly in line with positive performance feedback. However, depressive symptoms were a negative predictor of expectation adjustment, and a moderation analysis indicated that this effect was particularly pronounced if participants underwent the negative mood induction.ConclusionsConsistent with previous work, depressive symptoms were associated with a reduced ability to integrate positive information. Furthermore, our results suggest that the activation of negative mood in people with elevated levels of depression may hamper learning from new positive experience.

Long-lasting analgesic and neuroprotective action of the non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic etifoxine in a mouse model of neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain is frequently associated with anxiety and major depressive disorders, which considerably impact the overall patient experience. Favoring GABAergic inhibition through the pain matrix has emerged as a promising strategy to restore proper processing of nociceptive and affective information in neuropathic pain states. In this context, the non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic etifoxine (EFX), known to amplify GABAergic inhibition through positive modulation of GABAA receptors and neurosteroidogenesis, presents several advantages. Therefore, we sought to investigate the preclinical therapeutic potential of EFX on the somatosensory and affective components of neuropathic pain. Here, we used a murine model in which neuropathic pain was induced by the implantation of a compressive cuff around the sciatic nerve (mononeuropathy). We showed that the intraperitoneal EFX treatment for five consecutive days (50 mg/kg) relieved mechanical allodynia in a sustained manner. Besides its effect on evoked mechanical hypersensitivity, EFX also alleviated aversiveness of ongoing pain as well as anxiodepressive-like consequences of neuropathic pain following cuff-induced mononeuropathy. This effect was also seen 12 weeks after induction of the neuropathy when allodynia was no longer present. Analgesic and neuroprotective actions of EFX were also seen by the absence of neuropathic pain symptoms if a second sciatic nerve constriction injury was applied to the contralateral hindpaw. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed a normalization of brainstem serotonin levels in EFX-treated animals and an increase in norepinephrine. This study suggests that EFX presents promising therapeutic potential for the relief of both somatosensory and affective consequences of neuropathic pain, a beneficial effect that is likely to involve monoamine descending controls.

Differential chloride homeostasis in the spinal dorsal horn locally shapes synaptic metaplasticity and modality-specific sensitization

GABAA/glycine-mediated neuronal inhibition critically depends on intracellular chloride (Cl−) concentration which is mainly regulated by the K+-Cl− co-transporter 2 (KCC2) in the adult central nervous system (CNS). KCC2 heterogeneity thus affects information processing across CNS areas. Here, we uncover a gradient in Cl− extrusion capacity across the superficial dorsal horn (SDH) of the spinal cord (laminae I-II: LI-LII), which remains concealed under low Cl− load. Under high Cl− load or heightened synaptic drive, lower Cl− extrusion is unveiled in LI, as expected from the gradient in KCC2 expression found across the SDH. Blocking TrkB receptors increases KCC2 in LI, pointing to differential constitutive TrkB activation across laminae. Higher Cl− lability in LI results in rapidly collapsing inhibition, and a form of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity expressed as a continuous facilitation of excitatory responses. The higher metaplasticity in LI as compared to LII differentially affects sensitization to thermal and mechanical input. Thus, inconspicuous heterogeneity of Cl− extrusion across laminae critically shapes plasticity for selective nociceptive modalities.

Differential Neurobehavioral Effects of Cross-Modal Selective Priming on Phonetic and Emotional Prosodic Information in Late Second Language Learners.

Purpose Spoken language is inherently multimodal and multidimensional in natural settings, but very little is known about how second language (L2) learners undertake multilayered speech signals with both phonetic and affective cues. This study investigated how late L2 learners undertake parallel processing of linguistic and affective information in the speech signal at behavioral and neurophysiological levels. Method Behavioral and event-related potential measures were taken in a selective cross-modal priming paradigm to examine how late L2 learners (N = 24, M age = 25.54 years) assessed the congruency of phonetic (target vowel: /a/ or /i/) and emotional (target affect: happy or angry) information between the visual primes of facial pictures and the auditory targets of spoken syllables. Results Behavioral accuracy data showed a significant congruency effect in affective (but not phonetic) priming. Unlike a previous report on monolingual first language (L1) users, the L2 users showed no facilitation in reaction time for congruency detection in either selective priming task. The neurophysiological results revealed a robust N400 response that was stronger in the phonetic condition but without clear lateralization and that the N400 effect was weaker in late L2 listeners than in monolingual L1 listeners. Following the N400, late L2 learners showed a weaker late positive response than the monolingual L1 users, particularly in the left central to posterior electrode regions. Conclusions The results demonstrate distinct patterns of behavioral and neural processing of phonetic and affective information in L2 speech with reduced neural representations in both the N400 and the later processing stage, and they provide an impetus for further research on similarities and differences in L1 and L2 multisensory speech perception in bilingualism.

The effects of insular and mesiotemporal lesions on affective information processing: Preliminary evidence from patients with epilepsy surgery

Depressive symptoms and anxiety are common complaints in patients who have had epilepsy surgery. Recent studies have reported disturbances in emotional memory, facial and vocal emotion recognition, and affective learning after temporal lobe and/or insular resection for drug-resistant seizures, suggesting that these regions may be involved in emotional processes underlying psychological symptoms. The insula is a core component of the salience network and is thought to be involved in processing emotions such as disgust, and the role of mesial temporal lobe structures in affective processing is well established. However, to our knowledge, no study has yet investigated whether attentional processing of affective information is altered when these structures are resected as part of an epilepsy surgery. The present study examined the interference control capacity and attentional biases for emotional information in adult patients with epilepsy who underwent temporal lobe resections including the amygdala and hippocampus (n = 15) and/or partial or complete insular resections (n = 16). Patients were tested on an Emotional Stroop test and on a Dot-Probe task using fearful and disgusting pictures and were compared with a healthy control group (n = 30) matched for age, gender, and education. Repeated-measures analyses of variances revealed a significant effect of emotional words on color naming speed in the Emotional Stroop task among insular patients, which was not observed in the other groups. By contrast, the groups did not differ on Dot-Probe task performance. These preliminary findings suggest that insular damage may alter emotional interference control.