Close Temporal Contiguity Research Articles

The influence of stress on distractor-response bindings

Stimuli and responses that occur in close temporal contiguity are bound to each other and stored in short-term episodic traces or event files. A repetition of any of the features within an event file results in the retrieval of the entire event file and can influence responding. Along with task-relevant features, event files also contain task-irrelevant features, which are also bound to responses – distractor-response binding. In the present study, the distractor-response binding effect was examined under stress. Stress was induced via a Cold Pressor Test (CPT) and was manipulated between subjects. Distractor-response binding effects were measures at pre- and post-intervention. The CPT produced reliable effects on cortisol measurements and subjective ratings, however, no difference in the distractor-response binding effects between the groups was observed. Results are discussed against the background of the inconsistent results in the literature with respect to stimulus-response binding and stress.

Involvement of the lateral habenula in fear memory.

Increasing evidence points to the engagement of the lateral habenula (LHb) in the selection of appropriate behavioral responses in aversive situations. However, very few data have been gathered with respect to its role in fear memory formation, especially in learning paradigms in which brain areas involved in cognitive processes like the hippocampus (HPC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are required. A paradigm of this sort is trace fear conditioning, in which an aversive event is preceded by a discrete stimulus, generally a tone, but without the close temporal contiguity allowing for their association based on amygdala-dependent information processing. In a first experiment, we analyzed cellular activations (c-Fos expression) induced by trace fear conditioning in subregions of the habenular complex, HPC, mPFC and amygdala using a factorial analysis to unravel functional networks through correlational analysis of data. This analysis suggested that distinct LHb subregions engaged in different aspects of conditioning, e.g. associative processes and onset of fear responses. In a second experiment, we performed chemogenetic LHb inactivation during the conditioning phase of the trace fear conditioning paradigm and subsequently assessed contextual and tone fear memories. Whereas LHb inactivation did not modify rat's behavior during conditioning, it induced contextual memory deficits and enhanced fear to the tone. These results demonstrate the involvement of the LHb in fear memory. They further suggest that the LHb is engaged in learning about threatening environments through the selection of relevant information predictive of a danger.

The Efficacy of Multimedia Stories in Preschoolers’ Explicit and Implicit Story Comprehension

Oral language provides a foundation for reading comprehension. Story comprehension is a fundamental oral language skill; it covers making inferences, identifying main ideas, monitoring, perspective-taking, and applying working memory capacity. Complex reasoning and perspective-taking are key factors in deep reading comprehension. Preliterate children’s deeper story comprehension skills can be initial indicators of their later reading comprehension. Thus, the purpose of this research is to investigate preliterate preschool children’s story comprehension skills in detail. This study focuses on the additional multimedia features of digital storybooks and whether they hinder or promote young children’s explicit and implicit comprehension in a small group reading activity. The findings revealed that (a) children in the multimedia-enhanced storybook group outperformed the print storybook group in terms of both explicit and implicit story comprehension, (b) explicit story comprehension was higher than implicit story comprehension for both groups, and (c) the children recalled significantly more story elements and the length of the story retellings was greater with the aid of animated illustrations. The findings indicate that a digital storybook provides close temporal contiguity of text and visuals and may enhance story understanding by concretizing the narration. The study provides evidence that multimedia stories can foster children’s implicit story comprehension and inferential thinking about the content of the story.

Brief ethanol exposure and stress-related factors disorganize neonatal breathing plasticity during the brain growth spurt period in the rat

The effects of early ethanol exposure upon neonatal respiratory plasticity have received progressive attention given a multifactorial perspective related with sudden infant death syndrome or hypoxia-associated syndromes. The present preclinical study was performed in 3-9-day-old pups, a stage in development characterized by a brain growth spurt that partially overlaps with the 3rd human gestational trimester. Breathing frequencies and apneas were examined in pups receiving vehicle or a relatively moderate ethanol dose (2.0g/kg) utilizing a whole body plethysmograph. The experimental design also considered possible associations between drug administration stress and exteroceptive cues (plethysmographic context or an artificial odor). Ethanol exposure progressively exerted a detrimental effect upon breathing frequencies. A test conducted at PD9 when pups were under the state of sobriety confirmed ethanol's detrimental effects upon respiratory plasticity (breathing depression). Pre-exposure to the drug also resulted in a highly disorganized respiratory response following a hypoxic event, i.e., heightened apneic episodes. Associative processes involving drug administration procedures and placement in the plethysmographic context also affected respiratory plasticity. Pups that experienced intragastric administrations in close temporal contiguity with such a context showed diminished hyperventilation during hypoxia. In a 2nd test conducted at PD9 while pups were intoxicated and undergoing hypoxia, an attenuated hyperventilatory response was observed. In this test, there were also indications that prior ethanol exposure depressed breathing frequencies during hypoxia and a recovery normoxia phase. As a whole, the results demonstrated that brief ethanol experience and stress-related factors significantly disorganize respiratory patterns as well as arousal responses linked to hypoxia in neonatal rats.

Paired associative transcranial alternating current stimulation increases the excitability of corticospinal projections in humans.

Many types of non-invasive brain stimulation alter corticospinal excitability (CSE). Paired associative stimulation (PAS) has attracted particular attention as its effects ostensibly adhere to Hebbian principles of neural plasticity. In prototypical form, a single electrical stimulus is directed to a peripheral nerve in close temporal contiguity with transcranial magnetic stimulation delivered to the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1). Repeated pairing of the two discrete stimulus events (i.e. association) over an extended period either increases or decreases the excitability of corticospinal projections from M1, contingent on the interstimulus interval. We studied a novel form of associative stimulation, consisting of brief trains of peripheral afferent stimulation paired with short bursts of high frequency (≥80 Hz) transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) over contralateral M1. Elevations in the excitability of corticospinal projections to the forearm were observed for a range of tACS frequency (80, 140 and 250 Hz), current (1, 2 and 3 mA) and duration (500 and 1000 ms) parameters. The effects were at least as reliable as those brought about by PAS or transcranial direct current stimulation. When paired with tACS, muscle tendon vibration also induced elevations of CSE. No such changes were brought about by the tACS or peripheral afferent stimulation alone. In demonstrating that associative effects are expressed when the timing of the peripheral and cortical events is not precisely circumscribed, these findings suggest that multiple cellular pathways may contribute to a long term potentiation-type response. Their relative contributions will differ depending on the nature of the induction protocol that is used.

Far beyond declarative and non-declarative memories.

Far beyond declarative and non-declarative memories.

Does Temporal Contiguity Moderate Contingency Learning in a Speeded Performance Task?

In four experiments, we varied the time between the onset of distracting nonwords and target colour words in a word-word version of the colour-word contingency learning paradigm. Contingencies were created by pairing a distractor nonword more often with one target colour word than with other colour words. A contingency effect corresponds to faster responses to the target colour word on high-contingency trials (i.e., distractor nonword followed by the target colour word with which it appears most often) than on low-contingency trials (i.e., distractor nonword followed by a target colour word with which it appears only occasionally). Roughly equivalent-sized contingency effects were found at stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOAs) of 50, 250, and 450ms in Experiment 1, and 50, 500, and 1,000ms in Experiment 2. In Experiment 3, a contingency effect was observed at SOAs of -50, -200, and -350ms. In Experiment 4, interstimulus interval (ISI) was varied along with SOA, and learning was equivalent for 200-, 700-, and 1,200-ms SOAs. Together, these experiments suggest that the distracting stimulus does not need to be presented in close temporal contiguity with the response to induce learning. Relations to past research on causal judgement and implications for further contingency learning research are discussed.

Acquisition of the cardinal word principle: The role of input

Abstract We investigated whether specific input helps 3-1/2-year-olds discover that the last word in a count represents its cardinal value (i.e., the cardinal word principle). In Study 1, we contrasted four training approaches. The only approach to yield significant improvement was to label a set's cardinality and then immediately count it. This training is consistent with previously hypothesized mechanisms based on juxtaposing a set's cardinal label with its count in close temporal contiguity (e.g., Klahr & Wallace, 1976; Schaeffer, Eggleston, & Scott, 1974 ), as well as general theories of comparison and categorization (e.g., Gentner, 2005 ). In Study 2, we asked parents to read picture books to their preschool children and found that they rarely provide cardinal labels immediately followed by counting, even when asked to read a book about number.

Nucleus accumbens opioid signaling conditions short-term flavor preferences

Opioid signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) strongly modulates flavor-based food choice. To further investigate the role of opioid signaling in taste reward, we used a sensory specific satiety (SSS) paradigm to devalue specific flavors of nutritionally identical food pellets in rats. In the NAcc, infusion of a μ opioid (MOP) receptor selective agonist selectively increased consumption of a pre-fed flavor, thus reversing the SSS effect. Conversely, blockade of endogenous opioid signaling with the opioid antagonist naltrexone selectively decreased consumption of a recently consumed flavor, potentiating the SSS effect. No enhancement of consumption was observed if a delay of 3 h was imposed following the intra-NAcc MOP agonist indicating that there were no long-term changes in flavor preference. If a delay was introduced between the initial flavor exposure and the intra-NAcc MOP agonist infusion, pellet consumption was increased non-selectively (irrespective of flavor) suggesting that close temporal contiguity between flavor experience and NAcc opioid action is critical for the opioid effect on flavor preference. In contrast to opioid effects, inactivating NAcc neurons by local microinjection of muscimol (a GABA A agonist) increased consumption of both the pre-fed and non-pre-fed flavors equally. These results demonstrate that opioids released in the NAcc during consumption of palatable foods produce a selective and transient increase in preference for a recently sampled flavor.

Orientation Congruency Effects for Familiar Objects

How do observers recognize objects after spatial transformations? Recent neurocomputational models have proposed that object recognition is based on coordinate transformations that align memory and stimulus representations. If the recognition of a misoriented object is achieved by adjusting a coordinate system (or reference frame), then recognition should be facilitated when the object is preceded by a different object in the same orientation. In the two experiments reported here, two objects were presented in brief masked displays that were in close temporal contiguity; the objects were in either congruent or incongruent picture-plane orientations. Results showed that naming accuracy was higher for congruent than for incongruent orientations. The congruency effect was independent of superordinate category membership (Experiment 1) and was found for objects with different main axes of elongation (Experiment 2). The results indicate congruency effects for common familiar objects even when they have dissimilar shapes. These findings are compatible with models in which object recognition is achieved by an adjustment of a perceptual coordinate system.

Dopamine D1-like Receptors and Reward-related Incentive Learning

BENINGER, R. J., R. MILLER. Dopamine D1-like receptors and reward-related incentive learning. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV 22(2) 335–345, 1998.—There now is general agreement that dopaminergic neurons projecting from ventral mesencephalic nuclei to forebrain targets play a critical role in reward-related incentive learning. Many recent experiments evaluate the role of dopamine (DA) receptor subtypes in various paradigms involving this type of learning. The first part of this paper reviews evidence from these studies that use antagonists or agonists relatively specific for D1- or D2-like receptors in operant paradigms with food, brain stimulation, self-administered stimulant or conditioned rewards or place conditioning. The focus is on studies that directly compare agents acting at the two DA receptor families, especially those studies where the agents produce differential actions. Results support the conclusion that D1-like receptors play a more critical role in reward-related learning than D2-like receptors. D1-like receptors initiate a cascade of intracellular events including cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) formation and activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). The final section of this paper reviews evidence from a wide range of neuroscience experiments that implicates the cAMP/PKA pathway in learning in general and in reward-related incentive learning in particular. We conclude that the molecular mechanism underlying DA-mediated incentive learning may involve DA release in association with reward, stimulation of D1-like receptors, activation of the cAMP/PKA cascade and additional intracellular events leading to modification of cortico-striatal glutamatergic synapses activated by stimuli encountered in close temporal contiguity with reward. Thus, when reward-related incentive learning takes place, it may be the action of DA acting at D1-like receptors that leads to plastic changes in the striatum that form the substrate of that learning.

The influence of temporal phase differences on texture segmentation.

Scene segmentation and perceptual grouping are important operations in visual processing. Pattern elements constituting individual perceptual objects need to be segregated from those of other objects and the background and have to be bound together for further joint evaluation. Both textural (spatial) and temporal cues are exploited for this grouping operation. Thus, pattern elements might get bound that share certain textural features and/or appear in close spatial or temporal contiguity. However, results on the involvement of temporal cues in perceptual grouping are contradictory [Kiper et al. (1991). Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 17, 1209; Fahle (1993). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 254, 199-203]. We therefore reinvestigated the relative contributions of temporal and spatial cues and their interactions in a texture-segmentation paradigm. Our data show that the visual system can segregate figures solely on the basis of temporal cues if the temporal offset between figure and ground elements exceeds 10 msec. Moreover, segregation of figures defined by orientation differences among pattern elements is facilitated by additional temporal cues if these define the same figure. If temporal and textural cues define different figures, the two cues compete and only the more salient pattern is perceived. By contrast, the detection of a figure defined by orientation is not impaired by conflicting temporal cues if these do not define a figure themselves and do not exceed offset intervals of 100 msec. These results indicate the existence of a flexible binding mechanism that exploits both temporal and textural cues either alone or in combination if they serve perceptual grouping but can exclude either of the two cues if they are in conflict or do not define a figure. It is proposed that this flexibility is achieved by the implementation of two segmentation mechanisms which differ in their sensitivity for spatial and temporal cues and interact in a facultative way.

Effects of restraint stress and intra-ventral tegmental area injections of morphine and methyl naltrexone on the discriminative stimulus effects of heroin in the rat

The effect of restraint stress on the discriminative stimulus properties of heroin and the role of the opioid receptor activation in the ventral tegmental area in heroin discrimination were examined. In Experiment 1, male rats were trained to discriminate heroin (0.5 mg/kg, SC) from saline under conditions of exposure to restraint (15 mm/day; three times a week) or no stress. Dose-response curves were subsequently determined under conditions of no stress, restraint, corticosterone (3 mg/kg, IP), and saline. Exposure to restraint during training did not alter heroin discrimination under any of the conditions tested. In contrast, administration of restraint or the stress hormone corticosterone just prior to drug injections decreased sensitivity to the heroin cue. In Experiment 2, injections of morphine (5–10 μg/side) into the ventral tegmental area (VTA, the cell body region of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine neurons) did not result in heroin-appropriate responding in animals trained to discriminate heroin injected systemically from saline. Furthermore, intra-VTA injections of the opioid antagonist methyl naltrexone (0.75–3.0 μg/side) did not block the discriminability of heroin given systemically. These results indicate that exposure to restraint stress or the stress hormone corticosterone in close temporal contiguity to the drug injection may reduce the sensitivity to the opioid cue. In addition, under the condition of the present experiment activation of opioid receptors in the VTA does not appear to mimic the discriminative stimulus effects of systemically administered heroin.

The CS-US interval and taste aversion learning: A brief look.

Temporal parameters of taste aversion learning are known to differ markedly from other learning paradigms in that acquisition occurs despite lengthy delays between exposure to conditioned (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US). Far less consideration has been paid to very brief CS-US intervals and the possibility that this learning may also be distinguished by an ineffectiveness of close temporal contiguity between CS and US. The effectiveness of a very brief CS-US interval (10 s) was compared with that of 2 lengthier intervals (15 and 30 min). Temporal control of CS delivery (0.15% saccharin solution) into the oral cavity and US delivery (7.5 mg/kg apomorphine hydrochloride) into circulation involved infusion pumps and indwelling catheters. Using a 1-trial learning paradigm, CS-US delays of 15 and 30 min led to significant aversions whereas the 10-s CS-US interval did not, suggesting that close temporal contiguity between CS and US is neither necessary nor sufficient for conditioned taste aversion acquisition.

Development of learned food aversions in humans: Investigation in a “natural laboratory” of cancer chemotherapy

Humans often develop learned food aversions (LFAs) to foods or beverages consumed in temporal contiguity to gastrointestinal distress. Viewed as a classical conditioning process, principles of LFA development have been studied in the animal laboratory. Cancer chemotherapy provides a “natural laboratory” for examining whether these principles characterize human LFA development. Chemotherapy patients ( n = 63) were interviewed prior to a regularly scheduled chemotherapy infusion (i.e. target infusion). Foods and beverages consumed in the preceding 24 h were identified. Postinfusion nausea and vomiting (PNV) was assessed. Finally, preference changes for items consumed prior to the target infusion were assessed prior to patients' next chemotherapy infusion. Contrary to hypothesis, (a) less preferred and familiar items were not more likely to become LFA targets, (b) LFA items were not consumed in close temporal contiguity to either the initiation of chemotherapy or PNV, and (c) LFAs developed in the absence of PNV. Consistent with the hypothesis, the severity of PNV was associated with a greater likelihood of LFA development. Problems in defining LFAs under nonexperimental conditions are discussed as are the implications of results for the classical conditioning model of human LFA development.

Orientation congruency effects on the identification of disoriented shapes.

Effects of orientation on identification can be attenuated when other patterns at the same (or a similar) orientation are identified in close temporal contiguity. In Experiments 1 and 2, letters were presented simultaneously in brief masked displays. Identification accuracy was much higher when the letters had consistent orientations than when the letters had different orientations within a display. In Experiment 3, two letters were presented sequentially. Identification accuracy was higher with congruent than with incongruent orientations. The results are unexpected if one assumes that the patterns themselves are rotated until upright prior to their identification, unless pattern rotation processes can be primed, and that priming requires orientation congruence between the priming and primed stimulus. The results are expected if the orientation of a frame of reference can be adjusted to the orientation of the patterns during the identification process.

Characteristics of bombesin-induced inhibition of intake of ethanol

The temporal and neural dependencies of the inhibitory effect of the administration of bombesin tetradecapeptide (BBS) on the intake of ethanol were assessed in the water-deprived rat. Variation of the intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of neuropeptide—5% ethanol access interval (0–20 min), revealed that suppression induced by bombesin (0.5–4.0 μ/g/kg) was significantly greater and more potent at shorter intervals. The intake of ethanol was less in rats with subdiaphragmatic vagotomies, but bombesin equivalently suppressed the intake. Intracerebroventricular injection of bombesin more potently and completely inhibited the intake of ethanol but bombesin injected intraventricularly, unlike that given intraperitoneally, elicited excessive grooming and scratching behavior. The suppressant effect of bombesin, given intraperitoneally, requires close temporal contiguity of administration and caloric solution access, which is consistent with a satiety action of a neuropeptide. This satiation effect to ethanol of peripherally administered bombesin appears to reflect a non-vagal, extra-ventricular neural action.

Disruption of conditioned taste aversion by ECS: The role of lithium chloride

Rats were taught a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) by pairing a 10% sucrose solution (CS) with lithium chloride (LiCl)-induced poisoning (UCS). The CS-UCS interval was 30 min. The LiCl dose (20 ml/kg) was either strong (0.15 M) or weaker (0.075 M). Electroconvulsive shock (ECS) (80 mA for 600 msec) was interpolated within the CS-UCS interval at either 15 or 30 min. ECS caused a significant disruption of CTA only when the aversion was-established with the weaker dose of LiCl. These was also no indication that interference with CTA was dependent upon close temporal contiguity between the ECS and LiCl. In a second experiment a CTA was established with LiCl (0.15 M) which was heated to 45°C. Under these conditions ECS produced a similar disruption of learning to that when the UCS was the weaker dose of LiCl (0.075 M). The results suggest that an apparent differential loss of learning within the CS-UCS interval described in a previous report was accidentally created when some groups of animals were poisoned with warm and others with cold LiCl.

A longitudinal study of cardiac component analysis

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of a physiological event over several weeks. The physiology analyzed was the electrical event of the heart. Two operationally defined components of the typical heart response were examined. The technique gave very reliable data within a given day. Moreover, when the data for 20 weeks were added, the overall standard deviation was very small, but there were unpredictable physiological variations from day to day. The data suggest that comparisons between psychological tasks using physiological events as the dependent measure are best done in close temporal contiguity.

Stimulus Duration May Affect Partial Report Performance

Townsend, and Di Lollo and Moscovitch investigated the retention of item information in nearly identical variations of the partial report task. Whereas Townsend found a slight decrement in performance as the interval increased, Di Lollo and Moscovitch found a substantial increment. An experimental study of procedural differences that may have led to this discrepancy is reported. The results suggest that stimulus duration may have been responsible: Di Lollo and Moscovitch used extremely short durations (2 ms), while Townsend used longer durations (50 ms). This difference in durations may be important when the stimulus array and the partial report probe occur in close temporal contiguity.