Task-dependent Differences Research Articles

Optimization of data pre-processing methods for time-series classification of electroencephalography data

ABSTRACT The performance of time-series classification of electroencephalographic data varies strongly across experimental paradigms and study participants. Reasons are task-dependent differences in neuronal processing and seemingly random variations between subjects, amongst others. The effect of data pre-processing techniques to ameliorate these challenges is relatively little studied. Here, the influence of spatial filter optimization methods and non-linear data transformation on time-series classification performance is analyzed by the example of high-frequency somatosensory evoked responses. This is a model paradigm for the analysis of high-frequency electroencephalography data at a very low signal-to-noise ratio, which emphasizes the differences of the explored methods. For the utilized data, it was found that the individual signal-to-noise ratio explained up to 74% of the performance differences between subjects. While data pre-processing was shown to increase average time-series classification performance, it could not fully compensate the signal-to-noise ratio differences between the subjects. This study proposes an algorithm to prototype and benchmark pre-processing pipelines for a paradigm and data set at hand. Extreme learning machines, Random Forest, and Logistic Regression can be used quickly to compare a set of potentially suitable pipelines. For subsequent classification, however, machine learning models were shown to provide better accuracy.

Smartphone-based ear-electroencephalography to study sound processing in everyday life.

In everyday life, people differ in their sound perception and thus sound processing. Some people may be distracted by construction noise, while others do not even notice. With smartphone-based mobile ear-electroencephalography (ear-EEG), we can measure and quantify sound processing in everyday life by analysing presented sounds and also naturally occurring ones. Twenty-four participants completed four controlled conditions in the lab (1h) and one condition in the office (3h). All conditions used the same paired-click stimuli. In the lab, participants listened to click tones under four different instructions: no task towards the sounds, reading a newspaper article, listening to an audio article or counting a rare deviant sound. In the office recording, participants followed daily activities while they were sporadically presented with clicks, without any further instruction. In the beyond-the-lab condition, in addition to the presented sounds, environmental sounds were recorded as acoustic features (i.e., loudness, power spectral density and sounds onsets). We found task-dependent differences in the auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) to the presented click sounds in all lab conditions, which underline that neural processes related to auditory attention can be differentiated with ear-EEG. In the beyond-the-lab condition, we found ERPs comparable to some of the lab conditions. The N1 amplitude to the click sounds beyond the lab was dependent on the background noise, probably due to energetic masking. Contrary to our expectation, we did not find a clear ERP in response to the environmental sounds. Overall, we showed that smartphone-based ear-EEG can be used to study sound processing of well defined-stimuli in everyday life.

Intramuscular coherence enables robust assessment of modulated supra-spinal input in human gait: an inter-dependence study of visual task and walking speed

Intramuscular high-frequency coherence is increased during visually guided treadmill walking as a consequence of increased supra-spinal input. The influence of walking speed on intramuscular coherence and its inter-trial reproducibility need to be established before adoption as a functional gait assessment tool in clinical settings. Here, fifteen healthy controls performed a normal and a target walking task on a treadmill at various speeds (0.3 m/s, 0.5 m/s, 0.9 m/s, and preferred) during two sessions. Intramuscular coherence was calculated between two surface EMG recordings sites of the Tibialis anterior muscle during the swing phase of walking. The results were averaged across low-frequency (5–14 Hz) and high-frequency (15–55 Hz) bands. The effect of speed, task, and time on mean coherence was assessed using three-way repeated measures ANOVA. Reliability and agreement were calculated with the intra-class correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman method, respectively. Intramuscular coherence during target walking was significantly higher than during normal walking across all walking speeds in the high-frequency band as obtained by the three-way repeated measures ANOVA. Interaction effects between task and speed were found for the low- and high-frequency bands, suggesting that task-dependent differences increase at higher walking speeds. Reliability of intramuscular coherence was moderate to excellent for most normal and target walking tasks in all frequency bands. This study confirms previous reports of increased intramuscular coherence during target walking, while providing first evidence for reproducibility and robustness of this measure as a requirement to investigate supra-spinal input.Trial registration Registry number/ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03343132, date of registration 2017/11/17.

0217 Is the Timing of the Endogenous Circadian Rhythm of Neurobehavioral Functioning Inherently Task-Dependent?

Abstract Introduction Changes in waking neurobehavioral functioning (NF) over time are governed by homeostatic and circadian processes. It has been reported that peak circadian timing varies inherently between tasks, such that the optimal timing for NF would be task-dependent. Here we investigated this idea with a simulated shift work study protocol followed by a 24h constant routine (CR) protocol to experimentally and statistically separate the circadian from the homeostatic process. Methods N=13 healthy adults (ages 25.5±3.2y; 9 men) completed a 7-day/6-night in-laboratory study. They were randomized to a 3-day simulated day shift condition (n=7) with nighttime sleep (22:00–06:00) or a 3-day simulated night shift condition (n=6) with daytime sleep (10:00–18:00). They then underwent a 24h CR protocol, during which they stayed awake under constant behavioral and environmental conditions and blood was collected at 1–3h intervals for the assessment of dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). During scheduled wakefulness, subjects completed three functionally distinct NF tasks at ~2h intervals: the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), and Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT). Data from these tasks taken during the CR protocol were analyzed with non-linear mixed-effects regression to separate endogenous circadian effects from the homeostatic process. Results Following simulated night shift, compared to simulated day shift, on average there was a modest, 1.4h (±0.8h SE) delay in DLMO (F1,11=3.68, p=0.082). As such, the simulated night shift condition produced a 10.6h shift in alignment of the homeostatic process relative to the circadian process. Regardless of prior shift condition, the peak of the circadian rhythm effect on NF occurred post-DLMO by 16.8h (±1.0h) for KSS, 15.9h (±1.4h) for DSST, and 18.6h (±1.0h) for PVT, which was not significantly different (F2,9=1.55, p=0.26). Conclusion As proof of principle, we studied three distinct NF assays, and found only small, non-significant differences between them in the timing of underlying circadian rhythmicity. While a larger sample could have yielded statistical significance in our comparison of circadian peak times, the small magnitude of the observed difference does not support the idea of inherent task-dependent differences in the timing of the endogenous circadian rhythm’s influence on NF. Support (If Any) CDMRP W81XWH-16-1-0319 and W81XWH-20-1-0442

Behavioural and neural indices of perceptual decision-making in autistic children during visual motion tasks

Many studies report atypical responses to sensory information in autistic individuals, yet it is not clear which stages of processing are affected, with little consideration given to decision-making processes. We combined diffusion modelling with high-density EEG to identify which processing stages differ between 50 autistic and 50 typically developing children aged 6–14 years during two visual motion tasks. Our pre-registered hypotheses were that autistic children would show task-dependent differences in sensory evidence accumulation, alongside a more cautious decision-making style and longer non-decision time across tasks. We tested these hypotheses using hierarchical Bayesian diffusion models with a rigorous blind modelling approach, finding no conclusive evidence for our hypotheses. Using a data-driven method, we identified a response-locked centro-parietal component previously linked to the decision-making process. The build-up in this component did not consistently relate to evidence accumulation in autistic children. This suggests that the relationship between the EEG measure and diffusion-modelling is not straightforward in autistic children. Compared to a related study of children with dyslexia, motion processing differences appear less pronounced in autistic children. Exploratory analyses also suggest weak evidence that ADHD symptoms moderate perceptual decision-making in autistic children.

Working around the Clock: Is a Person's Endogenous Circadian Timing for Optimal Neurobehavioral Functioning Inherently Task-Dependent?

Neurobehavioral task performance is modulated by the circadian and homeostatic processes of sleep/wake regulation. Biomathematical modeling of the temporal dynamics of these processes and their interaction allows for prospective prediction of performance impairment in shift-workers and provides a basis for fatigue risk management in 24/7 operations. It has been reported, however, that the impact of the circadian rhythm—and in particular its timing—is inherently task-dependent, which would have profound implications for our understanding of the temporal dynamics of neurobehavioral functioning and the accuracy of biomathematical model predictions. We investigated this issue in a laboratory study designed to unambiguously dissociate the influences of the circadian and homeostatic processes on neurobehavioral performance, as measured during a constant routine protocol preceded by three days on either a simulated night shift or a simulated day shift schedule. Neurobehavioral functions were measured every 2 h using three functionally distinct assays: a digit symbol substitution test, a psychomotor vigilance test, and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale. After dissociating the circadian and homeostatic influences and accounting for inter-individual variability, peak circadian performance occurred in the late biological afternoon (in the “wake maintenance zone”) for all three neurobehavioral assays. Our results are incongruent with the idea of inherent task-dependent differences in the endogenous circadian impact on performance. Rather, our results suggest that neurobehavioral functions are under top-down circadian control, consistent with the way they are accounted for in extant biomathematical models.

Resting-State Cortical Connectivity Underlying Cognitive-Motor Interactions in Gait and Postural Tasks in Young Adults

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between intra- and internetwork connectivity and DTC of postural, gait, and cognitive performance in healthy, young adults. Dual-task (DT) deficits persist after return to activity in those recovering from a sports related concussion. However, little is known about the relationship of cortical network function to DT capacity. Current evidence regarding the relationship between network connectivity and dual-task balance and gait performance is limited by focusing on older adults and those with cognitive impairments, using a condensed set of task demands, and neglecting the role of connectivity in the ability to adapt to minimize DT cost (DTC). Twelve adults (7 females; age: 23.41 ± 2.74 years; height: 1.73 ± 0.10 m; weight: 72.66 ± 11.25 kg) volunteered for this study. Participants completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, as well as single and DT variants of the Concussion Balance Test, Sensory Organization Test, and gait. Functional connectivity within and between the default mode (DMN), salience (SAL), and sensorimotor (SMN) networks were calculated for all subjects. Pearson's correlations were used to assess the association of connectivity to balance and gait speed DTC. Inter-network connectivity between to DMN to the SAL and SMN demonstrated moderate to strong association to DTC of gait speed and postural control during tasks which perturbed sensory environments (r = -0.59 to 0.94, p < 0.05). There was no relationship between connectivity and DTC of cognitive performance during DT (r = -0.50 to 0.54, p > 0.05). Our findings highlight the role of the SAL, SMN, and DMN in cognitive-motor interactions during gait and postural control. Furthermore, functional connectivity underlying DT gait and static postural control performance express inverse relationships, suggesting task-dependent differences in system level processing.

The task dependent differences in electromyography activity of hamstring muscles during leg curls and hip extensions.

This study aimed to investigate the influence of the task type on the relative electromyography (EMG) activity of biceps femoris long head (BFlh) to semitendinosus (ST) muscles, and of proximal to distal regions during isometric leg-curl (LC) and hip-extension (HE). Twenty male volunteers performed isometric LC with the knee flexed to 30° (LC30) and 90° (LC90), as well as isometric HE with the knee extended (HE0) and flexed to 90° (HE90), at 40% and 100% maximal voluntary contraction (MVIC). Hip position was neutral in all conditions. EMG activity was recorded from the proximal and distal region of the BFlh and ST muscles. BFlh/ST was calculated from the raw root-mean-square (RMS) amplitudes. The RMS of 40% MVIC was normalized using MVIC data and the proximal/distal (P/D) ratio of normalized EMG (NEMG) was calculated. The BFlh/ST ratio was higher in HE0 than in LC90 during MVIC and 40% MVIC (p<0.05), and was higher in HE90 than in LC90 (p<0.05) during 40% MVIC at the proximal region, whereas no difference was observed between HE0 and LC30. There was no inter-task difference in BFlh/ST ratio in the distal region. Furthermore, the P/D ratio was higher in LC90 than in LC30 and HE0 (p<0.05) in BFlh and ST muscles, and was higher in HE90 than in LC30 and HE0 (p<0.05) in BFlh during 40% MVIC. However, there was no difference in P/D ratio between LC30 and LC90, and HE0 and HE90. This showed that there was no task-dependent difference in the EMG activity of the BFlh muscle relative to the ST muscle between prone hip extension and prone knee flexion when the knee joint was set at an equivalent angle. Similarly, there was no task-dependent difference in the NEMG of the proximal region relative to the distal region in BFlh and ST muscles during 40% MVIC.

Modulation of Intermuscular Beta Coherence in Different Rhythmic Mandibular Behaviors.

IntroductionJaw movement during chewing and speech is facilitated by neural activation patterns for opening and closing movements of the mandible. This study investigated anatomic- and task-dependent differences in intermuscular coherence (IMC) and their association with the parameters of jaw muscle activity using surface electromyography (sEMG).MethodsWe recorded sEMG activation from bilateral and ipsilateral jaw-closing muscle pairs during non-nutritive and nutritive chewing, and during a syllable repetition task. IMC and cross-correlational analyses between bilateral and ipsilateral muscle pairs were performed.ResultsIntermuscular coherence in the beta band was statistically significant between agonist jaw-closing muscle pairs, with beta IMC weaker for rapid syllable repetition compared to chewing tasks. Cross-correlational analysis of muscle co-activation, as well as sEMG burst amplitude, was positively associated with beta IMC strength.DiscussionBeta IMC was influenced heavily by task-dependent behavioral goals and physiologic demands, which was interpreted as evidence of shared neural drive among jaw-closing muscles.

Task-dependent modulation of corticospinal excitability and inhibition following strength training

This study determined whether there are task-dependent differences in cortical excitability following different types of strength training. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measured corticospinal excitability (CSE) and intracortical inhibition (ICI) of the biceps brachii muscle in 42 healthy subjects that were randomised to either paced-strength-training (PST, n = 11), self-paced strength-training (SPST, n = 11), isometric strength-training (IST, n = 10) or to a control group (n = 10). Single-pulse and paired-pulse TMS were applied prior to and following 4-weeks of strength-training. PST increased CSE compared to SPST, IST and the control group (all P < 0.05). ICI was only reduced (60%) following PST. Dynamic strength increased by 18 and 25% following PST and SPST, whilst isometric strength increased by 20% following IST. There were no associations between the behavioural outcome measures and the change in CSE and ICI. The corticospinal responses to strength-training are task-dependent, which is a new finding. Strength-training that is performed slowly could promote use-dependent plasticity in populations with reduced volitional drive, such as during periods of limb immobilization, musculoskeletal injury or stroke.

Corticomuscular control of walking in older people and people with Parkinson\u2019s disease

Changes in human gait resulting from ageing or neurodegenerative diseases are multifactorial. Here we assess the effects of age and Parkinson’s disease (PD) on corticospinal activity recorded during treadmill and overground walking. Electroencephalography (EEG) from 10 electrodes and electromyography (EMG) from bilateral tibialis anterior muscles were acquired from 22 healthy young, 24 healthy older and 20 adults with PD. Event-related power, corticomuscular coherence (CMC) and inter-trial coherence were assessed for EEG from bilateral sensorimotor cortices and EMG during the double-support phase of the gait cycle. CMC and EMG power at low beta frequencies (13–21 Hz) was significantly decreased in older and PD participants compared to young people, but there was no difference between older and PD groups. Older and PD participants spent shorter time in the swing phase than young individuals. These findings indicate age-related changes in the temporal coordination of gait. The decrease in low-beta CMC suggests reduced cortical input to spinal motor neurons in older people during the double-support phase. We also observed multiple changes in electrophysiological measures at low-gamma frequencies during treadmill compared to overground walking, indicating task-dependent differences in corticospinal locomotor control. These findings may be affected by artefacts and should be interpreted with caution.

Task-Dependent Differences in Operant Behaviors of Rats With Acute Exposure to High Ambient Temperature: A Potential Role of Hippocampal Dopamine Reuptake Transporters.

Behavioral or cognitive functions are known to be influenced by thermal stress from the change in ambient temperature (Ta). However, little is known about how increased Ta (i.e., when the weather becomes warm or hot) may affect operant conditioned behavior and the neural substrates involved. The present study thus investigated the effects of high Ta on operant behaviors maintained on a fixed-ratio 1 (FR1) and a differential reinforcement for low-rate responding 10 s (DRL 10-s) schedule of reinforcement. The rats were randomly assigned to three groups receiving acute exposure to Ta of 23°C, 28°C, and 35°C, respectively, for evaluating the effects of high Ta exposure on four behavioral tests. Behavioral responses in an elevated T-maze and locomotor activity were not affected by Ta treatment. Regarding operant tests, while the total responses of FR1 behavior were decreased only under 35°C when compared with the control group of 23°C, those of DRL 10-s behavior were significantly reduced in both groups of 28°C and 35°C. Distinct patterns of inter-response time (IRT) distribution of DRL behavior appeared among the three groups; between-group differences of behavioral changes produced by high Ta exposure were confirmed by quantitative analyses of IRT data. Western blot assays of dopamine (DA) D1 and D2 receptor, DA transporter (DAT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were conducted for the sample tissues collected in six brain areas from all the subjects after acute high Ta exposure. Significant Ta-related effects were only revealed in the dorsal hippocampus (dHIP). In which, the DAT levels were increased in a Ta-dependent fashion that was associated with operant behavior changes under high Ta exposure. And, there as an increased level of D1 receptors in the 28°C group. In summary, these data indicate that the performance of operant behavior affected by the present high Ta exposure is task-dependent, and these changes of operant behaviors cannot be attributed to gross motor function or anxiety being affected. The regulation of dHIP DAT may be involved in this operant behavioral change under high Ta exposure.

Feature-Based Visual Short-Term Memory Is Widely Distributed and Hierarchically Organized

Feature-based visual short-term memory is known to engage both sensory and association cortices. However, the extent of the participating circuit and the neural mechanisms underlying memory maintenance is still a matter of vigorous debate. To address these questions, we recorded neuronal activity from 42 cortical areas in monkeys performing a feature-based visual short-term memory task and an interleaved fixation task. We find that task-dependent differences in firing rates are widely distributed throughout the cortex, while stimulus-specific changes in firing rates are more restricted and hierarchically organized. We also show that microsaccades during the memory delay encode the stimuli held in memory and that units modulated by microsaccades are more likely to exhibit stimulus specificity, suggesting that eye movements contribute to visual short-term memory processes. These results support a framework in which most cortical areas, within a modality, contribute to mnemonic representations at timescales that increase along the cortical hierarchy.

Similar but separate systems underlie perceptual bistability in vision and audition

The dynamics of perceptual bistability, the phenomenon in which perception switches between different interpretations of an unchanging stimulus, are characterised by very similar properties across a wide range of qualitatively different paradigms. This suggests that perceptual switching may be triggered by some common source. However, it is also possible that perceptual switching may arise from a distributed system, whose components vary according to the specifics of the perceptual experiences involved. Here we used a visual and an auditory task to determine whether individuals show cross-modal commonalities in perceptual switching. We found that individual perceptual switching rates were significantly correlated across modalities. We then asked whether perceptual switching arises from some central (modality-) task-independent process or from a more distributed task-specific system. We found that a log-normal distribution best explained the distribution of perceptual phases in both modalities, suggestive of a combined set of independent processes causing perceptual switching. Modality- and/or task-dependent differences in these distributions, and lack of correlation with the modality-independent central factors tested (ego-resiliency, creativity, and executive function), also point towards perceptual switching arising from a distributed system of similar but independent processes.

Task-dependent output of human parasternal intercostal motor units across spinal levels.

During breathing, there is differential activity in the human parasternal intercostal muscles and the activity is tightly coupled to the known mechanical advantages for inspiration of the same regions of muscles. It is not known whether differential activity is preserved for the non-respiratory task of ipsilateral trunk rotation. In the present study, we compared single motor units during resting breathing and axial rotation of the trunk during apnoea. We not only confirmed non-uniform recruitment of motor units across parasternal intercostal muscles in breathing, but also demonstrated that the same motor units show an altered pattern of recruitment in the non-respiratory task of trunk rotation. The output of parasternal intercostal motoneurones is modulated differently across spinal levels depending on the task and these results help us understand the mechanisms that may govern task-dependent differences in motoneurone output. During inspiration, there is differential activity in the human parasternal intercostal muscles across interspaces. We investigated whether the earlier recruitment of motor units in the rostral interspaces compared to more caudal spaces during inspiration is preserved for the non-respiratory task of ipsilateral trunk rotation. Single motor unit activity (SMU) was recorded from the first, second and fourth parasternal interspaces on the right side in five participants in two tasks: resting breathing and 'isometric' axial rotation of the trunk during apnoea. Recruitment of the same SMUs was compared between tasks (n=123). During resting breathing, differential activity was indicated by earlier recruitment of SMUs in the first and second interspaces compared to the fourth space in inspiration (P<0.01). By contrast, during trunk rotation, the same motor units showed an altered pattern of recruitment because SMUs in the first interspace were recruited later and at a higher rotation torque than those in the second and fourth interspaces (P<0.05). Tested for a subset of SMUs, the reliability of the breathing and rotation tasks, as well as the SMU recruitment measures, was good-excellent [intraclass correlation (2,1): 0.69-0.91]. Thus, the output of parasternal intercostal motoneurones is modulated differently across spinal levels depending on the task. Given that the differential inspiratory output of parasternal intercostal muscles is linked to their relative mechanical effectiveness for inspiration and also that this output is altered in trunk rotation, we speculate that a mechanism matching neural drive to muscle mechanics underlies the task-dependent differences in output of axial motoneurone pools.

Spatial Working Memory in Male Rats: Pre-Experience and Task Dependent Roles of Dopamine D1- and D2-Like Receptors.

The dopaminergic system is known to be involved in working memory processed by several brain regions like prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus, striatum. In an earlier study we could show that Levodopa but not Modafinil enhanced working memory in a T-maze only during the early phase of training (day 3), whereas the later phase remained unaffected. Rats treated with a higher dose performed better than low dose treated rats. Here we could more specifically segregate the contributions of dopamine type 1- and 2- like receptors (D1R; D2R) to the training state dependent modulation of spatial working memory by intracerebroventricular (ICV) application of a D1R-like (SKF81297) and D2R-like agonist (Sumanirole) and antagonist (SCH23390, Remoxipride) at a low and high dose through 3 days of training. The D1R-like-agonist at both doses enhanced working memory at day 1 but only in the low dose treated rats enhancement persists over training compared to control rats. Rats treated with a high dose of a D1R-like-antagonist show persistent enhancement of working memory over training, whereas in low dose treated rats no statistical difference at any time point could be determined compared to controls. The D2R-like-agonist at both doses does not show an effect at any time point when compared to control animals, whereas the D2R-like antagonist at a low dose enhanced working memory at day 2. For the most effective D1R-like agonist, we repeated the experiments in a water maze working memory task, to test for task dependent differences in working memory modulations. Treated rats at both doses did not differ as compared to controls, but the temporal behavioral performance of all groups was different compared to T-maze trained rats. The results are in line with the view that spatial working memory is optimized within a limited range of dopaminergic transmission, however suggest that these ranges vary during spatial training.

Altered hippocampal function in major depression despite intact structure and resting perfusion.

Hippocampal volume reductions in major depression have been frequently reported. However, evidence for functional abnormalities in the same region in depression has been less clear. We investigated hippocampal function in depression using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and neuropsychological tasks tapping spatial memory function, with complementing measures of hippocampal volume and resting blood flow to aid interpretation. A total of 20 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and a matched group of 20 healthy individuals participated. Participants underwent multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): fMRI during a spatial memory task, and structural MRI and resting blood flow measurements of the hippocampal region using arterial spin labelling. An offline battery of neuropsychological tests, including several measures of spatial memory, was also completed. The fMRI analysis showed significant group differences in bilateral anterior regions of the hippocampus. While control participants showed task-dependent differences in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal, depressed patients did not. No group differences were detected with regard to hippocampal volume or resting blood flow. Patients showed reduced performance in several offline neuropsychological measures. All group differences were independent of differences in hippocampal volume and hippocampal blood flow. Functional abnormalities of the hippocampus can be observed in patients with MDD even when the volume and resting perfusion in the same region appear normal. This suggests that changes in hippocampal function can be observed independently of structural abnormalities of the hippocampus in depression.

Abstract TMP30: SICI During Voluntary Movement Reveals Persistent Impairment in Cortical Stroke

Introduction: Short intracortical inhibition (SICI) is a GABAa-mediated phenomenon argued to mediate motor selectivity. SICI is markedly reduced, producing motor disinhibition, in the sub-acute period following cortical (CORT), but not subcortical (SC), stroke. Previous work suggests SICI may normalize as part of the natural course of recovery. Importantly, SICI is typically measured at rest complicating our understanding of its role in motor control and recovery following stroke. Here we investigated task-dependent differences in SICI in chronic stroke survivors. Hypothesis: We hypothesized: i) differences between SICI measured at rest and during voluntary movement and ii) SICI during voluntary movement would reveal persistent impairments following CORT stroke. Methods: We tested 13 adults (65±8.5 yr, 11 male) with chronic (72.8±52.6 mo) stroke (5 CORT, 8 SC) and 7 controls (CON)(58±6.9 yr, 4 male) using paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation during 3 tasks: rest, grip, box &amp; blocks (B&amp;B). Motor evoked responses (MEPs) were measured from the first dorsal interosseous of the paretic and non-dominant hands of stroke and CON, respectively. SICI was induced by conditioning the test MEP at 0.8 resting or 0.7 active, motor threshold at the interstimulus interval producing maximal SICI at R (3 ms CON, 3.7 ms Stroke) and quantified as the ratio of conditioned/unconditioned MEParea. Stimulation intensity was adjusted to maintain test MEP amplitude at 1mV pk-pk across tasks. Results: At rest, SICI was similar between groups (p &gt; 0.5). However during grip, CORT revealed significantly less SICI than CON or SC (p’s .05). During B&amp;B, CORT again revealed less SICI than CON (p =.04); however SICI was similar between CORT and SC (p &gt;.05). Across tasks, SICI produced by CON and SC was similar (p &gt;.05) while CORT revealed less SICI during both grip and B&amp;B (p’s &lt;.005) compared to rest. Conclusions: Measured at rest, SICI is similar across groups suggesting GABAa circuits are normalized as part of the natural course of stroke recovery. However, SICI measured during voluntary motor tasks reveals persistent impairments, which are more widespread following CORT stroke and may interfere with rehabilitation involving voluntary movement.

A trade-off between somatosensory and auditory related brain activity during object naming but not reading.

The parietal operculum, particularly the cytoarchitectonic area OP1 of the secondary somatosensory area (SII), is involved in somatosensory feedback. Using fMRI with 58 human subjects, we investigated task-dependent differences in SII/OP1 activity during three familiar speech production tasks: object naming, reading and repeatedly saying "1-2-3." Bilateral SII/OP1 was significantly suppressed (relative to rest) during object naming, to a lesser extent when repeatedly saying "1-2-3" and not at all during reading. These results cannot be explained by task difficulty but the contrasting difference between naming and reading illustrates how the demands on somatosensory activity change with task, even when motor output (i.e., production of object names) is matched. To investigate what determined SII/OP1 deactivation during object naming, we searched the whole brain for areas where activity increased as that in SII/OP1 decreased. This across subject covariance analysis revealed a region in the right superior temporal sulcus (STS) that lies within the auditory cortex, and is activated by auditory feedback during speech production. The tradeoff between activity in SII/OP1 and STS was not observed during reading, which showed significantly more activation than naming in both SII/OP1 and STS bilaterally. These findings suggest that, although object naming is more error prone than reading, subjects can afford to rely more or less on somatosensory or auditory feedback during naming. In contrast, fast and efficient error-free reading places more consistent demands on both types of feedback, perhaps because of the potential for increased competition between lexical and sublexical codes at the articulatory level.

The Influence of Pre-specified Targets on Categorisation Tasks

Event Abstract Back to Event The Influence of Pre-specified Targets on Categorisation Tasks Natalie Doring1*, Anna Brooks1 and Rick Van Der Zwan1 1 Southern Cross University, Department of Psychology, Australia For human observers, the task of recognising faces involves exploiting low-level cues to rapidly discern higher-level social category membership, including race or species. Much of the research exploring this phenomenon employs pre-specified target categorisation tasks, yet the potential for variance across such tasks to impact upon outcomes remains relatively univestigated. With this in mind, we compared outcomes when performing two different types of face categorisation tasks: ³Target X or Target Y² versus ³Target X or not² and ³Target Y or not². Data reveal task-dependent differences, and the implications of these findings for models of vision-based categorisation are discussed. Keywords: Perception, Vision, face perception, task analysis, Classification (Cognitive Process) Conference: XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Sensation and Perception Citation: Doring N, Brooks A and Van Der Zwan R (2015). The Influence of Pre-specified Targets on Categorisation Tasks. Conference Abstract: XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00130 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 19 Feb 2015; Published Online: 24 Apr 2015. * Correspondence: Ms. Natalie Doring, Southern Cross University, Department of Psychology, Coffs Harbour, Australia, n.doring.10@student.scu.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Natalie Doring Anna Brooks Rick Van Der Zwan Google Natalie Doring Anna Brooks Rick Van Der Zwan Google Scholar Natalie Doring Anna Brooks Rick Van Der Zwan PubMed Natalie Doring Anna Brooks Rick Van Der Zwan Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.