Stimulus Configuration Research Articles

Progressive changes in binocular perception from stereopsis to rivalry

IntroductionThe binocular system provides a stereoscopic view from slightly different retinal images and produces perceptual alternations, namely, binocular rivalry, from significantly different retinal images. When we observe a stereogram in which the stimulus configurations induce stereopsis and rivalry simultaneously, the binocular system prefers stereopsis to rivalry. However, changes in visual perception are yet to be investigated by parametrically manipulating the components of a stereogram.MethodsWe examined stereopsis preferences in stereograms with various horizontal disparities. The stereograms of our paradigms included horizontal and vertical bars in one eye and a vertical bar alone in the other. Under experimental conditions, the vertical bar superimposed on the horizontal bar varied its position relative to the opposite vertical bar: range of horizontal disparity, 0.0′ to 42.3′. The superimposed vertical bar was absent under the control condition. Observers were instructed to indicate the disappearance of monocular horizontal bars, that is, targets, from their perception during the 30-s trials.ResultsThe total disappearance duration decreased under experimental conditions compared with that under control conditions, and it gradually increased with an increase in the disparity of the stereoscopic vertical bars.DiscussionThese results indicate that the disparity in the stereoscopic components biases binocular perception away from the rivalry between the vertical and horizontal bars toward the stereopsis of the vertical bars. Furthermore, the disappearance duration showed a unimodal and asymmetric distribution across all disparity conditions. This suggests that rivalry processing occurs in parallel when stereopsis is dominant. We found that stereopsis preference is an outcome of binocular perception selection biased by disparity.

Enhanced visual contrast suppression during peak psilocybin effects: Psychophysical results from a pilot randomized controlled trial.

In visual perception, an effect known as surround suppression occurs wherein the apparent contrast of a center stimulus is reduced when it is presented within a higher-contrast surrounding stimulus. Many key aspects of visual perception involve surround suppression, yet the neuromodulatory processes involved remain unclear. Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic compound known for its robust effects on visual perception, particularly texture, color, object, and motion perception. We asked whether surround suppression is altered under peak effects of psilocybin. Using a contrast-matching task with different center-surround stimulus configurations, we measured surround suppression after 25mg of psilocybin compared with placebo (100mg niacin). Data on harms were collected, and no serious adverse events were reported. After taking psilocybin, participants (n = 6) reported stronger surround suppression of perceived contrast compared to placebo. Furthermore, we found that the intensity of subjective psychedelic visuals induced by psilocybin correlated positively with the magnitude of surround suppression. We note the potential relevance of our findings for the field of psychiatry, given that studies have demonstrated weakened visual surround suppression in both major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. Our findings are thus relevant to understanding the visual effects of psilocybin, and the potential mechanisms of visual disruption in mental health disorders.

Spatial context non-uniformly modulates inter-laminar information flow in the primary visual cortex.

Our visual experience is a result of the concerted activity of neuronal ensembles in the sensory hierarchy. Yet, how the spatial organization of objects influences this activity remains poorly understood. We investigate how inter-laminar information flow within the primary visual cortex (V1) is affected by visual stimuli in isolation or with flankers at spatial configurations that are known to cause non-uniform degradation of perception. By employing dimensionality reduction approaches to simultaneous, layer-specific population recordings, we establish that information propagation between cortical layers occurs along a structurally stable communication subspace. The spatial configuration of contextual stimuli differentially modulates inter-laminar communication efficacy, the balance of feedforward and effective feedback signaling, and contextual signaling in the superficial layers. Remarkably, these modulations mirror the spatially non-uniform aspects of perceptual degradation. Our results suggest a model of retinotopically non-uniform cortical connectivity in the output layers of V1 that influences information flow in the sensory hierarchy.

The tilt illusion arises from an efficient reallocation of neural coding resources at the contextual boundary.

The tilt illusion - a bias in the perceived orientation of a center stimulus induced by an oriented surround - illustrates how context shapes visual perception. While the tilt illusion has been the subject of quantitative study for over 85 years, we still lack a comprehensive account of the phenomenon that connects its neural and behavioral characteristics. Here, we demonstrate that the tilt illusion originates from a dynamic change in neural coding precision induced by the surround context. We simultaneously obtained psychophysical and fMRI responses from human subjects while they viewed gratings in the absence and presence of an oriented surround, and extracted sensory encoding precision from their behavioral and neural data. Both measures show that in the absence of a surround, encoding reflects the natural scene statistics of orientation. However, in the presence of an oriented surround, encoding precision is significantly increased for stimuli similar to the surround orientation. This local change in encoding is sufficient to accurately predict the behavioral characteristics of the tilt illusion using a Bayesian observer model. The effect of surround modulation increases along the ventral stream, and is localized to the portion of the visual cortex with receptive fields at the center-surround boundary. The pattern of change in coding accuracy reflects the surround-conditioned orientation statistics in natural scenes, but cannot be explained by local stimulus configuration. Our results suggest that the tilt illusion naturally emerges from a dynamic coding strategy that efficiently reallocates neural coding resources based on the current stimulus context.

It's all in the timing: delayed feedback in autism may weaken predictive mechanisms during contour integration.

Humans rely on predictive and integrative mechanisms during visual processing to efficiently resolve incomplete or ambiguous sensory signals. Although initial low-level sensory data are conveyed by feedforward connections, feedback connections are believed to shape sensory processing through automatic conveyance of statistical probabilities based on prior exposure to stimulus configurations. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show biases in stimulus processing toward parts rather than wholes, suggesting their sensory processing may be less shaped by statistical predictions acquired through prior exposure to global stimulus properties. Investigations of illusory contour (IC) processing in neurotypical (NT) adults have established a well-tested marker of contour integration characterized by a robust modulation of the visually evoked potential (VEP)-the IC-effect-that occurs over lateral occipital scalp during the timeframe of the visual N1 component. Converging evidence strongly supports the notion that this IC-effect indexes a signal with significant feedback contributions. Using high-density VEPs, we compared the IC-effect in 6- to 17-yr-old children with ASD (n = 32) or NT development (n = 53). Both groups of children generated an IC-effect that was equivalent in amplitude. However, the IC-effect notably onset 21 ms later in ASD, even though initial VEP afference was identical across groups. This suggests that feedforward information predominated during perceptual processing for 15% longer in ASD compared with NT children. This delay in the feedback-dependent IC-effect, in the context of known developmental differences between feedforward and feedback fibers, suggests a potential pathophysiological mechanism of visual processing in ASD, whereby ongoing stimulus processing is less shaped by visual feedback.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Children with autism often present with an atypical visual perceptual style that emphasizes parts or details over the whole. Using electroencephalography (EEG), this study identifies delays in the visual feedback from higher-order sensory brain areas to primary sensory regions. Because this type of visual feedback is thought to carry information about prior sensory experiences, individuals with autism may have difficulty efficiently using prior experience or putting together parts into a whole to help make sense of incoming new visual information. This provides empirical neural evidence to support theories of disrupted sensory perception mechanisms in autism.

The brain can develop conflicting multisensory principles to guide behavior.

Midbrain multisensory neurons undergo a significant postnatal transition in how they process cross-modal (e.g. visual-auditory) signals. In early stages, signals derived from common events are processed competitively; however, at later stages they are processed cooperatively such that their salience is enhanced. This transition reflects adaptation to cross-modal configurations that are consistently experienced and become informative about which correspond to common events. Tested here was the assumption that overt behaviors follow a similar maturation. Cats were reared in omnidirectional sound thereby compromising the experience needed for this developmental process. Animals were then repeatedly exposed to different configurations of visual and auditory stimuli (e.g. spatiotemporally congruent or spatially disparate) that varied on each side of space and their behavior was assessed using a detection/localization task. Animals showed enhanced performance to stimuli consistent with the experience provided: congruent stimuli elicited enhanced behaviors where spatially congruent cross-modal experience was provided, and spatially disparate stimuli elicited enhanced behaviors where spatially disparate cross-modal experience was provided. Cross-modal configurations not consistent with experience did not enhance responses. The presumptive benefit of such flexibility in the multisensory developmental process is to sensitize neural circuits (and the behaviors they control) to the features of the environment in which they will function. These experiments reveal that these processes have a high degree of flexibility, such that two (conflicting) multisensory principles can be implemented by cross-modal experience on opposite sides of space even within the same animal.

Can natural scenes cue attention to multiple locations? Evidence from eye-movements in contextual cueing

Humans find visual targets more quickly when the target appears at the same location in a repeated configuration of other stimuli. However, when the target alternates between two locations in the repeated configuration, the benefit for visual search is smaller. This reduction of benefits has been explained as the result of an averaging of a benefit for one location and a cost for the other location. In two experiments, we investigated this two-target-locations effect in real-world scenes using high-resolution eye-tracking. Experiment 1 adapted a study in which subjects searched for a small “T” or “L” superimposed on real-world photographs. Half of the trials showed repeated scenes with one possible target location each; half showed novel scenes. We replicated the pronounced contextual cueing effect in real-world scenes. In Experiment 2, two conditions were added. In one of them, targets appeared in repeated scenes alternating between two possible locations per scene. In the other condition, targets appeared in repeated scenes but at new locations, constrained to one side of the screen. Subjects were faster to search for and identify a target in repeated scenes than in novel scenes, including when the scene was paired with two alternating target locations and (after extensive training) even when the scene only predicted the hemifield. Separate analyses on the two possible target locations resulted in rejection of the suggestion of costs for the additional target location, since the contextual cueing effect was present in the second half of the experiment for both the favored and the less favored target location. The eye-tracking data demonstrated that contextual cueing influences searching fixations, characteristic of attentional guidance, rather than responding fixations, characteristic of facilitation of response processes. Further, these data revealed that adding another possible target location leads to less guidance, rather than impeding response processes. Thus, this study delivers evidence for a flexible and attentional guidance mechanism that is able to prioritize more than one location in natural contexts.

Evaluation of efferent influences on neural coding using pre-clinical models of sensorineural hearing loss

The medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent system is less explored than the ascending auditory pathway but likely contributes in important ways to neural coding and perception. These effects are thought to vary across stimulus configurations, anesthetic states, and subtypes of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). To explore effective assays of MOC effects on neural coding, we have recorded Interleaved otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and envelope following responses (EFRs) from several pre-clinical SNHL chinchilla models. Our preliminary observations include increases in OAEs with inner-hair-cell loss and anesthesia, which may be due to reduced efferent strength. Additionally, we observed enhanced EFRs with an added noise masker, which also could be related to efferent effects. We are using sedated and awake OAE comparisons to develop a standard efferent assay for use in neural-coding studies. Interleaved recording of OAEs and EFRs track cochlear-gain and neural-coding changes during acoustic stimuli. A recently developed modeling framework (Farhadi et al., 2023 JASA) that includes different MOC projection pathways, including midbrain modulation-sensitive inputs, is used to guide most-effective stimulus selection. Ultimately, this model-guided experimental framework will provide unique guidance for testing MOC hypotheses related to neural coding.

Reliability and stability of tactile perception in the whisker somatosensory system.

Rodents rely on their whiskers as vital sensory tools for tactile perception, enabling them to distinguish textures and shapes. Ensuring the reliability and constancy of tactile perception under varying stimulus conditions remains a fascinating and fundamental inquiry. This study explores the impact of stimulus configurations, including whisker movement velocity and object spatial proximity, on texture discrimination and stability in rats. To address this issue, we employed three distinct approaches for our investigation. Stimulus configurations notably affected tactile inputs, altering whisker vibration's kinetic and kinematic aspects with consistent effects across various textures. Through a texture discrimination task, rats exhibited consistent discrimination performance irrespective of changes in stimulus configuration. However, alterations in stimulus configuration significantly affected the rats' ability to maintain stability in texture perception. Additionally, we investigated the influence of stimulus configurations on cortical neuronal responses by manipulating them experimentally. Notably, cortical neurons demonstrated substantial and intricate changes in firing rates without compromising the ability to discriminate between textures. Nevertheless, these changes resulted in a reduction in texture neuronal response stability. Stimulating multiple whiskers led to improved neuronal texture discrimination and maintained coding stability. These findings emphasize the importance of considering numerous factors and their interactions when studying the impact of stimulus configuration on neuronal responses and behavior.

Microsaccades Track Location-Based Object Rehearsal in Visual Working Memory.

Besides controlling eye movements, the brain's oculomotor system has been implicated in the control of covert spatial attention and the rehearsal of spatial information in working memory. We investigated whether the oculomotor system also contributes to rehearsing visual objects in working memory when object location is never asked about. To address this, we tracked the incidental use of locations for mnemonic rehearsal via directional biases in microsaccades while participants maintained two visual objects (colored oriented gratings) in working memory. By varying the stimulus configuration (horizontal, diagonal, and vertical) at encoding, we could quantify whether microsaccades were more aligned with the configurational axis of the memory contents, as opposed to the orthogonal axis. Experiment 1 revealed that microsaccades continued to be biased along the axis of the memory content several seconds into the working memory delay. In Experiment 2, we confirmed that this directional microsaccade bias was specific to memory demands, ruling out lingering effects from passive and attentive encoding of the same visual objects in the same configurations. Thus, by studying microsaccade directions, we uncover oculomotor-driven rehearsal of visual objects in working memory through their associated locations.

Perceptual addition of continuous magnitudes in an ‘artificial algebra’

Although there is substantial evidence for an innate ‘number sense’ that scaffolds learning about mathematics, whether the underlying representations are based on discrete or continuous perceptual magnitudes has been controversial. Yet the nature of the computations supported by these representations has been neglected in this debate. While basic computation of discrete non-symbolic quantities has been reliably demonstrated in adults, infants, and non-humans, far less consideration has been given to the capacity for computation of continuous perceptual magnitudes. Here we used a novel experimental task to ask if humans can learn to add non-symbolic, continuous magnitudes in accord with the properties of an algebraic group, by feedback and without explicit instruction. Three pairs of experiments tested perceptual addition under the group properties of commutativity (Experiments 1a-b), identity and inverses (Experiments 2a-b) and associativity (Experiments 3a-b), with both line length and brightness modalities. Transfer designs were used in which participants responded on trials with feedback based on sums of magnitudes and later were tested with novel stimulus configurations. In all experiments, correlations of average responses with magnitude sums were high on trials with feedback. Responding on transfer trials was accurate and provided strong support for addition under all of the group axioms with line length, and for all except associativity with brightness. Our results confirm that adult human subjects can implicitly add continuous quantities in a manner consistent with symbolic addition over the integers, and that an ‘artificial algebra’ task can be used to study implicit computation.

Exploring watercolor illusion spreading between dissected stimulus parts.

The watercolor illusion (WCI) occurs when an achromatic region is surrounded by an outer contour and inner chromatic fringe, resulting in an apparent pale tint of the same hue as the fringe. The WCI both fills in and spreads out, with the previous literature suggesting it always spreads out in the absence of an enclosing border. We examined how global stimulus configuration affects this illusion by dissecting various WCI-inducing stimuli into parts. Specifically, would color spread out of the unenclosed ends of the disconnected parts? Participants provided WCI illusion magnitude ratings and shading data indicating perceived locations of color spreading for a variety of stimulus configurations. Instead of the WCI spreading modally into the spaces between the disconnected parts, we found a global reorganization of the stimuli occurred. The dissected WCI stimuli were perceived as either amodally completed behind a white illusory surface perceptually different than the physically identical background or, as empty space between separate objects depending in part on the distance between dissected parts. This study demonstrates the WCI does not always spread outside of unenclosed borders when the global interpretation interferes with spreading. These findings highlight the importance of global configuration and perceptual organization in the WCI.

Need for (expected) speed: Exploring the indirect influence of trial type consistency on representational momentum

The biases affecting people’s perception of dynamic stimuli are typically robust and strong for specific stimulus configurations. For example, representational momentum describes a systematic perceptual bias in the direction of motion for the final location of a moving stimulus. Under clearly defined stimulus configurations (e.g., specific stimulus identity, size, speed), for example, the frequently used “implied motion” trial sequence, for which a target is subsequently presented in a consistent direction and with a consistent speed, a displacement in motion direction is evidenced. The present study explores the potential influence of expectations regarding directional as well as speed consistencies on representational momentum, elicited by including other, inconsistently moving trial types within the same experimental block. A systematic representational momentum effect was observed when only consistent motion trials were presented. In contrast, when inconsistent target motion trials were mixed within the same block of experimental trials, the representational momentum effect decreased, or was even eliminated (Experiments 1 & 2). Detailed analysis indicated that this reflects a global (proportion of consistent and inconsistent motion trials within a particular experimental block), not local (preceding trial influencing actual trial) effect. Yet, additional follow-up studies (Experiments 3 & 4) support the idea that these changes in perceived location are strongly influenced by the overall stimulus speed statistics in the different experimental blocks. These results are discussed and interpreted in light of recent theoretical developments in the literature on motion perception that highlight the importance of expectations about stimulus speed for motion perception.

Specific Gestalt principles cannot explain (un)crowding

The standard physiological model has serious problems accounting for many aspects of vision, particularly when stimulus configurations become slightly more complex than the ones classically used, e.g., configurations of Gabors rather than only one or a few Gabors. For example, as shown in many publications, crowding cannot be explained with most models crafted in the spirit of the physiological approach. In crowding, a target is neighbored by flanking elements, which impair target discrimination. However, when more flankers are added, performance can improve for certain flanker configurations (uncrowding), which cannot be explained by classic models. As was shown, aspects of perceptual organization play a crucial role in uncrowding. For this reason, we tested here whether known principles of perceptual organization can explain crowding and uncrowding. The answer is negative. As shown with subjective tests, whereas grouping is indeed key in uncrowding, the four Gestalt principles examined here did not provide a clear explanation to this effect, as variability in performance was found between and within categories of configurations. We discuss the philosophical foundations of both the physiological and the classic Gestalt approaches and sketch a way to a happy marriage between the two.

Light-stimulated long-term potentiation behavior enhanced in a HfO2/InGaZnO photonic synapse

Photonic-based neuromorphic systems offer numerous advantages, including low crosstalk, high bandwidth, and low power consumption, making them an ideal choice for ultrafast neuromorphic systems. Although these neuromorphic systems promote the utilization of amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOSs) for promising photonic synapses, precise control of their unique persistent photoconductivity to mimic synaptic plasticity using an external light stimulus has rarely been studied. This study investigates the significant enhancement of the long-term potentiation (LTP) behavior in an InGaZnO (IGZO) photonic synapse through facile HfO2 passivation. In HfO2/IGZO synapses, the HfO2 layer is crucial in enhancing the LTP characteristics. The improvement in the persistent photocurrent behavior of the HfO2/IGZO synapse was attributed to the higher activation energy required for the neutralization of ionized oxygen vacancies, facilitating the LTP behavior. The LTP was dynamically modulated depending on external light pulse conditions. A large number of multilevel states (1024 states) were enabled by consecutive light simulations. Furthermore, HfO2/IGZO synapses exhibit different learning capacities depending on the external stimuli configuration. These findings demonstrate our ability to manipulate synaptic functionality in AOS-based artificial photonic synapses, paving the way for multifunctional photonic synapse circuitry. This advancement holds the potential for realizing an artificial vision system in the future.

Influences of local and global context on local orientation perception.

Visual context modulates perception of local orientation attributes. These spatially very localised effects are considered to correspond to specific excitatory-inhibitory connectivity patterns of early visual areas as V1, creating perceptual tilt repulsion and attraction effects. Here, orientation misperception of small Gabor stimuli was used as a probe of this computational structure by sampling a large spatio-orientation space to reveal expected asymmetries due to the underlying neuronal processing. Surprisingly, the results showed a regular iso-orientation pattern of nearby location effects whose reference point was globally modulated by the spatial structure, without any complex interactions between local positions and orientation. This pattern of results was confirmed by the two perceptual parameters of bias and discrimination ability. Furthermore, the response times to stimulus configuration displayed variations that further provided evidence of how multiple early visual stages affect perception of simple stimuli.

The impact of stimulus configuration on visual short-term memory decline in normal aging and mild cognitive impairment.

When we memorize simultaneous items, we not only store information about specific items and/or their locations but also how items are related to each other. Such relational information can be parsed into spatial (spatial configuration) and identity (object configuration) components. Both these configurations are found to support performance during a visual short-term memory (VSTM) task in young adults. How the VSTM performance of older adults is influenced by object/spatial configuration is less understood, which this study investigated. Twenty-nine young adults, 29 normally aging older adults, and 20 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) completed two yes-no memory-recognition experiments for four simultaneously presented items (2.5s). Test display items were presented either at the same locations as the memory items (Experiment 1) or were globally shifted (Experiment 2). One of the test display items (target) was highlighted with a square box; participants indicated whether this item was shown in the preceding memory display. Both experiments comprised four conditions where nontarget items changed as follows: (i) nontarget items remained the same; (ii) nontarget items were replaced by new items; (iii) nontarget items switched locations; (iv) nontarget items were replaced by square boxes. Performance (% correct) in both older groups was significantly reduced than young adults in both experiments and each condition. For the MCI adults, significantly reduced performance (vs. normal older adults) was found only for Experiment 1. VSTM for simultaneous items declines significantly in normal aging; the decline is not influenced differently by spatial/object configuration change. The ability of VSTM to differentiate MCI from normal cognitive aging is apparent only where the spatial configuration of stimuli is retained at original locations. Findings are discussed in terms of the reduced ability to inhibit irrelevant items and location priming (by repetition) deficits.

Disentangling the Contributions of Repeating Targets, Distractors, and Stimulus Positions to Practice Benefits in D2-Like Tests of Attention

When a test of attention, such as the d2 test, is repeated, performance improves. These practice benefits threaten the validity of a test because it is impossible to separate the contributions of ability and practice, respectively, to a particular result. A possible solution to this dilemma would be to determine the sources of practice effects, and to use this knowledge for constructing tests that are less prone to practice. The present study investigates the contribution of three components of a d2-like test of attention to practice benefits: targets, distractors, and stimulus configurations. In Experiment 1, we compared practice effects in a target-change condition, where targets changed between sessions, to a target-repetition condition. Similarly, in Experiment 2, we compared practice effects in a distractor-change condition to a distractor-repetition condition. Finally, in Experiment 3, we compared practice effects in a position-repetition condition, where stimulus configurations were repeated within and between tests, to a position-change condition. Results showed that repeating targets and repeating distractors contribute to practice effects, whereas repeating stimulus configurations does not. Hence, in order to reduce practice effects, one might construct tests in which target learning is prevented, for example, by using multiple targets.

Electrical nerve stimulation for sensory-neural pathway reconstruction in upper-limb amputees.

The loss of the neural sensory function pathways between the stump limbs and the brain greatly impacts the rehabilitation of limb function and the daily lives of amputees. Non-invasive physical stressors, such as mechanical pressure and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), could be potential solutions for recovering somatic sensations in amputees. Previous studies have shown that stimulating the residual or regenerated nerves in the stumps of some amputees can produce phantom hand sensations. However, the results are inconclusive due to unstable physiological responses caused by inaccurate stimulus parameters and positions. In this study, we developed an optimal TENS strategy by mapping the distribution of the nerves in the stump skin that elicitsphantom sensations known as a "phantom hand map." We evaluated the effectiveness and stability of the confirmed stimulus configuration in a long-term experiment using single- and multi-stimulus paradigms. Additionally, we evaluated the evoked sensations by recording electroencephalograms (EEG) and analyzing brain activities. The results demonstrated that various types of intuitive sensations for amputees could be stably induced by adjusting TENS frequencies, particularly at 5 and 50 Hz. At these frequencies, 100% stability of sensory types was achieved when the stimuli were applied to two specific locations on the stump skin. Furthermore, at these locations, the stability of sensory positions was 100% across different days. Moreover, the evoked sensations were objectively supported by specific patterns of event-related potentials in brain responses. This study provides an effective method for developing and evaluating physical stressor stimulus strategies, which could play an important role in the somatosensory rehabilitation of amputees and other patients suffering from somatomotor sensory dysfunction. The paradigm developed in this study can provide effective guidelines for stimulus parameters in physical and electrical nerve stimulation treatments for a variety of symptoms related to neurological disorders.

Heat-Driven Iontronic Nanotransistors.

Thermoelectric polyelectrolytes are emerging as ideal material platform for self-powered bio-compatible electronic devices and sensors. However, despite the nanoscale nature of the ionic thermodiffusion processes underlying thermoelectric efficiency boost in polyelectrolytes, to date no evidence for direct probing of ionic diffusion on its relevant length and time scale has been reported. This gap is bridged by developing heat-driven hybrid nanotransistors based on InAs nanowires embedded in thermally biased Na+ -functionalized (poly)ethyleneoxide, where the semiconducting nanostructure acts as a nanoscale probe sensitive to the local arrangement of the ionic species. The impact of ionic thermoelectric gating on the nanodevice electrical response is addressed, investigating the effect of device architecture, bias configuration and frequency of the heat stimulus, and inferring optimal conditions for the heat-driven nanotransistor operation. Microscopic quantities of the polyelectrolyte such as the ionic diffusion coefficient are extracted from the analysis of hysteretic behaviors rising in the nanodevices. The reported experimental platform enables simultaneously the ionic thermodiffusion and nanoscale resolution, providing a framework for direct estimation of polyelectrolytes microscopic parameters. This may open new routes for heat-driven nanoelectronic applications and boost the rational design of next-generation polymer-based thermoelectricmaterials.