Impact of height-induced postural threat and arm movement strategies while performing a semi-static balance task: Comparison of postural control and emotional state outcomes between children and young adults.

To investigate the relationship between cortical activation and motor performance in older women with different levels of fear of falling (FoF) and fall history. Fifty-five participants were evaluated, including 40 older adults divided into four groups (NotFall-LFoF, NotFall-HFoF, Fall-LFoF, Fall-HFoF) and 15 younger controls. Motor reaction time was assessed using adapted TRT_S2012 software, while cortical activity was recorded via EEG (EMOTIV EPOC+). Cortical arousal was indexed by the β/α ratio, and valence by (αF4/βF4) - (αF3/βF3) asymmetry. Statistical analyses included ANOVA and Pearson's correlation (α ≤ 0.05). Groups were homogeneous in demographic and cognitive characteristics. Significant differences were observed in cortical arousal (p = 0.014) and valence (p = 0.004). Higher FoF levels were associated with reduced prefrontal symmetry and slower reaction times. Strong negative correlations were found between valence and reaction times (r > -0.9). FES-I scores showed positive correlations with motor latency (r = 0.8-0.9) and negative correlations with cortical indices (r = -0.7 to -0.9). Fear of falling modulates prefrontal cortical activation, shifting motor control from automatic to more conscious processing, which impairs motor efficiency. FoF emerges as a potential cortical biomarker of motor vulnerability, reinforcing the importance of neurorehabilitation strategies integrating emotional and cortical regulation to improve mobility and reduce fall risk in aging populations.

Background/Objectives: Emerging evidence shows that dual tasking as well as the restriction of arm movements independently lead to detrimental effects on walking performance. However, it is unclear whether the deteriorations are more pronounced when applied together and if children (i.e., due to ongoing maturation processes) perform differently compared to young adults. This study investigated the influence of different arm movement strategies on subjective and objective markers related to beam walking under single-task (ST) and dual-task (DT) conditions in children and young adults. Methods: Twenty-six children (age: 11.3 ± 0.6 years) and 30 young adults (age: 23.2 ± 2.8 years) walked three meters on a balance beam with free and restricted (i.e., arms crossed over the chest) arm movements in a random order while concurrently performing a cognitive task (i.e., serial subtractions) or not. Walking outcomes (i.e., gait speed, cadence) were measured and used as objective markers. Self-reported task-related perceptions (i.e., balance confidence, fear of falling, perceived instability, conscious balance processing) were assessed and used as subjective indicators. Results: Walking under DT conditions (i.e., main effects of task) detrimentally influenced subjective task-related perceptions and walking outcomes, but using free arm movements (i.e., task × arm interactions) mitigated these deteriorations. Further, children exhibited largely stable levels of conscious balance processing, whereas young adults demonstrated overall higher levels along with pronounced differences between ST and DT walking when arm movements were unrestricted (i.e., group × task × arm interaction). Conclusions: These findings indicate that free arm movements seem to constitute a simple yet effective complementary 'upper-body strategy' that enhances postural control during a cognitively demanding walking task. Further, age differences imply that young adults compensate demanding walking conditions (i.e., DT walking with restricted arms) by elevated conscious processing of balance (i.e., a shift from automated to more conscious attention towards postural control).

Business analysis has been an important factor of success of software projects and business analysts are listed among top jobs of the future. However, training of effective business analysts is challenging and requires individualized professional development programs. This paper extends the previous research on the balanced approach to training business analyst with use of techniques, underlying competencies development and talent-oriented approaches. It argues for the need of unified theory which can be considered as a conceptual framework for integrating the background approaches. It applies integrative studies which allow to capture a broader scope of phenomena. The following research methods are in use: interpretation with meta-knowledge which explains the context of discovery and the values of the background approaches, cross-border analysis which allows to focus on connections and overlapping between the background approaches, and searching for common ground with use of conscious and non-conscious cognitive processes similar to forming habits or semi-automatic human behaviors. The findings deliver many interesting explanations of the phenomena as well as suggestions for practical use of this approach. For example, use of explicit descriptions of strengths (in terms of patterns of thought, feeling and behavior) for competence development; use of business analysis techniques for competence development; need for entire spectrum of competencies of business analyst comparing to specific strengths; possible problems with following the experts; and perspective of thinking in terms of forming and re-forming effective cognitive processes for more comfort in business analysts’ training.

ABSTRACTBackgroundAttentional bias (AB) toward substance‐related cues is a core cognitive mechanism in alcohol use disorder (AUD) and closely associated with craving and relapse risk. Yet, the extent to which AB reflects automatic bottom‐up processes remains unclear.MethodsThis study (N = 107) examined alcohol‐related AB in clinical populations (inpatients and outpatients with AUD) and healthy controls (occasional and non‐drinkers). Alcohol cues were presented under masked and unmasked conditions in a dot‐probe task, and AB was measured via reaction times. Patients also reported alcohol craving and dependence levels. The study assessed whether AB patterns differed between clinical and healthy groups, whether cue awareness modulated attentional processing, and whether alcohol‐type preference within the clinical sample influenced AB. Finally, associations between craving, dependence, and AB were explored.ResultsAs predicted, unmasked alcohol cues elicited significant AB in both inpatient and outpatient groups, but not in healthy controls. No significant AB emerged in masked trials for any subgroup, suggesting that alcohol‐related AB is not fully automatic but depends on conscious awareness. Patients reporting current craving showed greater AB than those without craving. However, AB magnitude did not correlate with craving intensity, AUD severity scores, or alcohol‐type preference.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that alcohol‐related AB in AUD is shaped by conscious processing rather than purely automatic mechanisms, underscoring the role of top‐down factors in attentional processes relevant to addiction.

The Global Neuronal Workspace as a multilevel model of conscious processing.

We present a perspective that integrates clinical and neuroimaging evidence to argue that voluntary visual mental imagery is supported by a distributed network organized around the Fusiform Imagery Node (FIN) of the left fusiform gyrus. Lesion evidence shows that imagery is consistently impaired when the FIN is damaged or disconnected, while neuroimaging confirms robust, domain-independent activation of this cortical area. Recent 7T fMRI data further clarify the putative functional attributes of the FIN. First, the FIN appears to subserve domain-general processes, supporting imagery for objects, colors, words, faces, and spatial relationships, whereas adjacent ventral temporal regions display domain selectivity. Second, it encodes semantic information, as shown by shared multivoxel activity patterns between the FIN, the left inferior frontal gyrus, and the intraparietal sulcus, indicating common representational codes for semantic content. Third, FIN representational overlap between imagery and perception correlates with subjective vividness-the more perceptual-like the representation, the more vivid the experience. This overlap is absent in congenital aphantasia. Fourth, the FIN exhibits functional connectivity with both frontoparietal control regions and domain-specific areas, consistent with a role as a semantic integration hub. Notably, FIN-prefrontal connectivity is markedly reduced in aphantasia. Fifth, the FIN is strongly left-lateralized, mirroring the asymmetry of the semantic system that provides a major input to imagery. Collectively, these features suggest that the FIN serves as a central bridge between semantic and visual information, essential for constructing mental images. Its connectivity may account for individual variability in imagery vividness-from aphantasia to typical imagery-and offers theoretical insight into the neural mechanisms of conscious processing and hemispheric asymmetries, with implications for both clinical and applied domains.

Consciousness presents a structural puzzle: a unified, context-sensitive, globally integrated mode of experience emerging from distributed neural dynamics. While classical neuroscience has mapped synaptic, oscillatory, and network-level mechanisms with increasing precision, debate persists as to whether classical formalisms fully capture the integrative and contextual features of conscious processing. This review examines whether quantum principles offer explanatory leverage in two distinct senses: as formal mathematical frameworks for modeling contextual cognition, and as mechanistic hypotheses proposing biologically instantiated non-classical states. We surveyed empirical and theoretical developments spanning zero-quantum-coherence in MRI signals, entanglement-structured learning paradigms, quantum-inspired computational models, and proposed neural substrates, including microtubules, nuclear spins, and photonic architectures. Although certain findings have been interpreted as consistent with a non-classical structure, no study to date has demonstrated entanglement, long-lived coherence, or collapse dynamics in neural tissue under operational criteria comparable to those used in controlled quantum systems. Replication remains limited, biological entanglement witnesses are not yet established, and nonlinear classical dynamics can reproduce many putative quantum signatures. Accordingly, the decisive question is not whether the brain is quantum, but whether its dynamics exceed the explanatory reach of rigorously defined classical models. Progress hinges on replication, adversarial scrutiny, and operational criteria precise enough to discriminate genuine non-classical correlations from classical complexity. Whether quantum mechanisms ultimately prove necessary or refined classical models remain sufficient, this inquiry compels a deeper understanding of integration, contextuality, and the physical constraints shaping conscious experience.

Emotions originate from complex neurobiological processes that occur in the brain, where different structures work in an integrated way to recognize stimuli, assign meaning, and generate behavioral and physiological responses. The amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, the hypothalamus, and the limbic system constitute the core of this emotional response, modulating everything from instinctive reactions to conscious regulation processes. Contemporary evidence demonstrates that emotions are not purely subjective events, but organized patterns of neural activity that influence perception, decision-making, learning, and social relationships. Understanding that emotions originate in the brain allows for advances in mental health, emotional education, and human development, reinforcing the importance of neuroscience in understanding behavior.

How the brain generates conscious experiences remains profoundly mysterious. Pharmacological interventions that alter the state of consciousness have been proposed as a tool to investigate the neural mechanisms of consciousness. However, we have recently demonstrated that the sedative Propofol influences both conscious and unconscious neural processing. Altered arousal, and other pharmacological effects, therefore cannot be assumed a priori to provide information specifically on conscious neural processes. Instead, effects on both conscious and unconscious processes need to be considered. Here we investigated the role of noradrenergic activity in conscious and unconscious visuospatial processing. In Study 1 we used Dexmedetomidine, a sedative that specifically targets α2A noradrenergic receptors. In Study 2, we used sleep deprivation as a natural state of altered arousal, which exerts partially overlapping effects on noradrenaline levels. Unlike Propofol, both Dexmedetomidine and sleep deprivation selectively altered brain activity (fMRI BOLD signal change) during conscious processing. However, the two methods produced distinct effects on visuospatial bias during low arousal: while Dexmedetomidine reduced leftward bias, sleep deprivation increased leftward bias. These differential effects on spatial bias were explained by an unexpected increase in sympathetic drive, as indexed by increased activity in the central autonomic network and in heart rate, from sleep deprivation, that indicate increased rather than decreased noradrenaline levels during task performance. Together, these findings emphasize noradrenergic activity as a target for pharmacological manipulations of consciousness, which could open a window to its neurophysiological underpinnings.

Reinvestment Theory proposes that excessive conscious control over movement execution or decision making can disrupt automaticity and contribute to performance breakdown under pressure. Despite its clinical relevance in sport psychology, culturally validated measures of reinvestment remain limited. This study examined the psychometric properties of adapted versions of the Decision-Specific Reinvestment Scale (DSRS) and Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale (MSRS) in a sample of athletes and physically active individuals. Participants were 259 undergraduate sport science students (Mage = 20.34 years). Data were analyzed using item discrimination indices, confirmatory factor analyses, convergent validity tests, and internal consistency estimates. Item-level analyses supported the removal of one item from each scale. The resulting DSRS comprised 12 items across two factors (decision reinvestment and decision rumination), and the MSRS comprised nine items across two factors (conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness). Both scales demonstrated acceptable to good reliability and evidence of factorial and convergent validity. These findings support the use of the adapted DSRS and MSRS as clinically informative tools for assessing vulnerability to performance disruptions under pressure in sport and performance settings.

Links between central visual field loss and movement processing during walking.

The article examines dreams as a primordial, non-verbal mode of communication within the framework of contemporary Psychology of Religion. Dreaming—especially in the REM phase—predates articulated speech by hundreds of millions of years (around 500 million years), is observable across both vertebrate and invertebrate species, and operates as a psychosomatic interface linking conscious and unconscious processes, as well as the human realm with what is perceived as the metaphysical. Within the Christian tradition, from biblical accounts to patristic writings (e.g., Clement, John Chrysostom, Augustine), dreams have been interpreted as vehicles of divine disclosure—prophetic encounters or experiences of God and angelic beings. In the present day, a considerable number of Christians still affirm that God communicates through dreams, imparting guidance, warnings, or spiritually charged experiences that shape everyday religious life and personal spirituality. The study concentrates on symbols of transition (such as the ladder, flying, and upward movement), drawing in part on Desoille’s technique of the guided waking dream (rêve éveillé dirigé). These symbolic motifs are understood to express ontological transformation, the resolution or surpassing of crises, rebirth, and the transcendence of spatial and temporal limits. In this perspective, dreams arise from multiple sources and function as ritualized passages that mediate movement toward psychological or religious forms of reality.

This jeremiad is a critique of commodity aesthetics advocating resistance to the hegemony of the brandscape. The persona laments a consciousness cluttered by, and grieves an imagination colonized by, brands. The poem hints at consumers’ patriotic inability to conceive of alternatives to capitalism, and the seductive deception that invites buyers to regard brands merely as products, rather than occasions of cultural occultation or occlusion. The poem explores the yin-yang nature of such brand dialectics as positive and negative relationships, sacred and profane attributes, and authentic and inauthentic experience. Iconic brands are paragons of this (sub)conscious enculturation process of artful perception.

Advanced MRI is recommended for the clinical evaluation of patients with coma. However, the implementation of these guidelines has been hindered by an inadequate identification of relevant markers among the vast amount of reported MRI-derived metrics. We developed and validated an innovative and explainable machine learning (ML) analytical pipeline to fill this critical knowledge gap. Prospective cross-sectional study. Three Intensive Critical Care Units affiliated to the University in Toulouse (France). Patients with coma (Glasgow Coma Scale score at the hospital admission ≤ 9) from either traumatic or anoxic origin. Patient's neurologic outcome was assessed at 3 months by using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. Whole-brain advanced structural MRI data and functional connectivity analysis of resting-state networks known to contribute to conscious processing. A specifically designed ensemble of explainable ML methods was applied and cross-validated. None. Overall, 64 patients with coma due to either traumatic (n = 26) or anoxic (n = 38) brain injuries were studied and compared with 55 controls. The median delay between ICU admission and MRI scan was 9 days (interquartile range, 6-16 d). At 3 months, 50% patients (32/64) had an unfavorable outcome. All the models showed valuable generalization capacities: coma diagnosis (mean accuracy, 0.934%), primary brain injury discrimination (mean accuracy, 0.762 %), and neurologic outcome prediction (mean accuracy, 0.824 %). A new ensemble of brain MRI-derived metrics was specifically related to coma state, its etiology, and the patient's potential for recovery at 3 months. The structural and functional integrity of mesocircuit and frontoparietal networks appeared to carry the most relevant information.

Creating a spatial, generative, multimodal, dynamic artificial general intelligence (AGI) is a complex and multifaceted task. It involves developing a system capable of performing human-like intellectual tasks, such as learning, abstraction, self-regulation, and adaptation. This requires modeling basic cognitive functions and developing methods for long-term storage and retrieval of information. Perception and understanding of the surrounding world: processing sensory data, creating internal representations. Problem solving and planning using solution-finding algorithms. Linguistic thinking and communication: modeling the understanding and generation of natural language. Integration of multilayer and multifaceted models: creating architectures that combine perception, thinking, memory, and motivation. Using a spatial, generative, multimodal, dynamic AGI as a model of consciousness for simulating cognitive processes is planned, using neuromorphic platforms of spiking neural networks and transformers on transformable neurochips. The neuromorphic platform will also facilitate the modeling of metacognitive processes of consciousness, such as the ability to evaluate one's knowledge and strategies. An important stage is, firstly, the creation of test environments to evaluate universality and adaptability; secondly, the gradual increase in task complexity to increase intelligence; and thirdly, the development of infrastructure for large-scale computing. Today, the creation of spatial, generative, multimodal, dynamic artificial general intelligence is considered a feasible, integrative task for multidisciplinary projects. These projects are aimed at, firstly, the ability to solve diverse problems without reprogramming for each specific problem-from data analysis to creative thinking; secondly, the ability to acquire new skills in various ways: independently, through mentoring, and through research; thirdly, maintaining up-to-date information, understanding the situation as a whole, and predicting consequences; fourthly, flexible switching between strategies, choosing the optimal solution under conditions of uncertainty; and fifthly, awareness of one's own cognitive processes, assessing one's knowledge and limitations. The implementation of the projects will require an interdisciplinary international effort of highly qualified scientists, researchers and developers in various fields such as neuroscience, linguistics, artificial intelligence, intelligent modeling and manufacturing based on modern technologies.

When presented with temperature related options that metaphorically reflect loneliness or non-loneliness, lonely people choose the non-lonely option. Less is known about the reasons for this preference, or whether it also extends to the visual domain. Across six experiments (Total N = 1,725) we investigate whether background lighting that evokes a conceptual metaphor of loneliness activates undesired self-schemas and motivates preferences for objects presented with bright versus dark background lighting. Studies 1-2 found that chronic and state loneliness were associated with preferences for objects in brightness rather than darkness. Study 3 replicated results from Study 2 and provided evidence for the idea that lonely people do not prefer objects in darkness because they evoke a negative self-congruity with the object. Study 4 demonstrated that engaging in conscious information processing of dark background lighting eliminated the effects of loneliness on object preference and the associated negative emotions. Studies 5 and 6 provided evidence that the effects of loneliness were only for objects that had self-referent salience, supporting an ideal self-object congruity hypothesis. This research reveals a novel link between loneliness and lighting preferences, and as such advances understanding of the metaphorical mapping of loneliness, and the implications of individual differences in loneliness for decision-making and consumer behavior.

Purpose Consumers rapidly assess packaging through a mix of conscious and unconscious processes, which play a crucial role in shaping their engagement and purchase decisions. The purpose of this study is to explain how visual realism versus caricature in ingredient-based front-of-pack illustrations differentially activates dual cognitive–affective processing routes and shapes multidimensional consumer engagement. Design/methodology/approach Across four complementary studies, this study investigates how illustration type influences preference (behavioral engagement), visual attention (cognitive engagement), emotional intensity (emotional engagement), cognitive load (cognitive engagement) and implicit evaluations (emotional engagement). First, a within-subject behavioral experiment assessed preferences for realistic versus caricatured illustrations across two product categories. Next, neurometric and non-neurometric tools employing eye-tracking, electroencephalography and implicit association tests measured visual attention, cognitive load, emotional intensity, implicit evaluation through emotional association, during exposure to stimuli. The design ensured methodological triangulation, allowing for rich, converging insights into how different illustration styles function as visual heuristics in consumer engagement. Findings Challenging prior findings, the results reveal that caricatured ingredient illustrations evoke positive cognitive, emotional and behavioral engagements than realistic illustrations. By positioning these diverse measures within a single consumer engagement framework, the present research contributes novel empirical insights to the consumer behavior literature by elucidating how ingredient-based illustrations impact consumer engagement, especially in online shopping contexts where quick, affect-driven judgments dominate. Practical implications The research also offers novel managerial implications for product and brand managers; by emphasizing how caricatured ingredient-based illustrations may strengthen the connection between ingredient and its perceived authenticity, enhancing consumer engagement through more intuitive and emotionally engaging visuals. Originality/value The present research offers a novel examination of how FOP ingredient illustrations, realistic versus caricatured, function as visual heuristics in consumer engagement, framed through dual process theory and neuroscientific evidence. While prior studies emphasize realism as a marker of credibility, the findings challenge this assumption, showing that caricatured illustrations evoke stronger emotional and cognitive responses. By integrating behavioral and neuroscientific methods, the study provides new empirical insights into how illustration styles shape emotional, behavioral and cognitive engagements particularly in online shopping environments. From a managerial perspective, the results highlight how caricatured visuals can enhance intuitive comprehension and emotional resonance, reinforcing ingredient benefit associations in consumers’ minds.

Continuous flash suppression (CFS) is widely used in research on unconscious visual processing due to its long-lasting masking. While CFS effectively masks static stimuli, its application to motion stimuli remains challenging. To resolve this issue, our previous work developed the Chameleon-1 paradigm (Zhao & Bao, 2022), an enhanced CFS technique that enables robust masking of translational motion stimuli for up to 10s through precise spatiotemporal matching of color dynamics between target and masking stimuli. The current study systematically evaluated and optimized this paradigm through three studies. We first assessed the masking efficacy of the Chameleon-1 paradigm across different motion parameters and patterns (Study 1). Because Chameleon-1 failed to effectively mask biological motion (BM) stimuli, we then upgraded the paradigm to accommodate BM stimulus characteristics (Study 2). The results demonstrated that this Chameleon-2 paradigm achieved superior masking efficacy for BM stimuli, with average breakthrough time extended by over two-fold compared to Chameleon-1 and breakthrough ratios approximately 75% for upright and 45% for inverted BM stimuli during 10-s of BM presentation. We further employed this paradigm to investigate the neural correlates of conscious and unconscious BM processing using functional near-infraredspectroscopy in Study 3. Our work establishes a robust paradigm for sustained masking of BM stimuli and validates its utility in unconscious processing research. We also provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying unconscious BM perception.

The phenomenal binding problem for neural networks.