No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
The Assessment And Analysis Of Handedness: The Edinburgh Inventory
Abstract
The need for a simply applied quantitative assessment of handedness is discussed and some previous forms reviewed. An inventory of 20 items with a set of instructions and response- and computational-conventions is proposed and the results obtained from a young adult population numbering some 1100 individuals are reported. The separate items are examined from the point of view of sex, cultural and socio-economic factors which might appertain to them and also of their inter-relationship to each other and to the measure computed from them all. Criteria derived from these considerations are then applied to eliminate 10 of the original 20 items and the results recomputed to provide frequency-distribution and cumulative frequency functions and a revised item-analysis. The difference of incidence of handedness between the sexes is discussed.
... Only right-handed participants were selected, as visual stimuli were presented so that they would evoke right-hand actions. Handedness was verified according to the Oldfield Edinburgh test (participants with a laterality index superior to 50 were considered right-handed; Oldfield, 1971). All participants reported normal or corrected-to-normal vision. ...
... A random anonymous code (ascending number) was then attributed to each participant. The handedness of the participants was assessed with the Oldfield questionnaire (Oldfield, 1971) before familiarizing participants with the object stimuli to be used in the experiment. This procedure was done to make sure that there would be no possible doubt about the identification of each object before starting the actual experiment. ...
... We first checked the score of handedness of each participant on the Oldfield questionnaire (Oldfield, 1971) and excluded five left-handed participants (corresponding to participants with a handedness score below 50). We then computed accuracy, considering true errors as an incorrect response grasp (a power grasp made instead of a precision grasp, a precision grasp made instead of a power grasp). ...
Object perception and action are closely interrelated: Various grasping components are evoked when perceiving visual objects (“object affordances”). Yet little is known about the impact of the evocation of multiobject affordances on object perceptual processing. This study aimed to determine whether object processing may be affected by the similarity of affordances evoked by multiple objects and whether semantic relations between objects modulate this effect. Adult students were presented with three-dimensional scenes involving pairs of graspable objects. Each object evoked grasp size affordances (precision or power grasps). Affordances of the two objects could be similar or dissimilar and objects could be thematically related (spatula–pan) or unrelated (spatula–snow globe). Participants had to judge the color of a target object by performing power and precision grasps compatible or incompatible with the target evoked grasp. Results showed slower responses on compatible targets when unrelated distractors evoked similar compared to dissimilar affordances. This cost of similar affordances disappeared when objects were thematically related. Findings corroborate predictions of recent models hypothesizing automatic inhibition of distractor affordances when selecting one object among others. We further provide novel evidence for a role of thematic relations between objects in the perception of multiple affordances. Findings have implications for object processing in naturalistic scenes.
... Participants were either provided with a partial course credit, if recruited through the experimental participation system, or an honorarium for their time. Handedness was determined by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971). All participants were at least 17 years old, reported normal hearing, were free of neurological or musculoskeletal disorders that may affect upper limb function, and each provided written informed consent. ...
... At the outset of the study, participants completed the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971) to determine their dominant hand, which was used to complete the experiment. As described above, the participant first observed the trajectory and then was asked to replicate the trajectory matching as closely as possible its shape and velocity. ...
Here we present a task developed to probe implicit learning of a complex motor skill. This task addresses limitations related to task complexity noted in the literature for methods investigating implicit motor learning, namely the serial reaction time task and continuous tracking task. Specifically, the serial reaction time task is limited by the kinematic simplicity of the required movement and the continuous tracing task faces time-on-task confounds and limitations in the control of task difficulty. The task presented herein addresses these issues by employing a kinematically complex multi-articular movement that controls factors that contribute to task difficulty: stimulus animation velocity and trajectory complexity. Accordingly, our objective was to validate the use of this task in probing implicit motor learning, hypothesizing that participants would learn one of the repeating stimuli implicitly. Participants engaged in six blocks of training whereby they first observed and then reproduced a seemingly random complex trajectory. Repeated trajectories were embedded amongst random trajectories. In line with the hypothesis, error for the repeated trajectories was decreased in comparison to that observed for the random trajectories and 73% of participants were unable to identify one of the repeated trajectories, demonstrating the occurrence of implicit learning. While the task requires minor alteration to optimize learning, ultimately the findings underline the task’s potential to investigate implicit learning of a complex motor skill.
... All participants were healthy and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision. All subjects were right handed or ambidextrous according to the Edinburgh handedness inventory (laterality quotient of -100: entirely lefthanded, +100: entirely right-handed) 69 . Laterality scores were +5, 0, +90, +100, +65, +65 for P1-6 respectively. ...
Billions of people throughout the world are bilingual and can understand semantic concepts in multiple languages. However, there is little agreement about how the brains of bilinguals represent semantic information from different languages. Some theories suggest that bilingual speakers' brains contain separate representations for semantic information from different languages, while others suggest that different languages evoke the same semantic representations in the brain. To determine how the brains of bilinguals represent semantic information from different languages, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record brain responses while participants who are fluent in both English and Chinese read several hours of natural narratives in each language. We then used this data to specifically and comprehensively compare semantic representations between the two languages. We show that while semantic representations are largely shared between languages, these representations undergo fine-grained shifts between languages. These shifts systematically alter how different concept categories are represented in each language. Our results suggest that for bilinguals, semantic brain representations are shared across languages but modulated by each language. These results reconcile competing theories of bilingual language processing.
... A total of 130 healthy left-handed (n = 109) and mixedhanded (n = 21) individuals according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI) [67] participated in the study. EHI was scored according to the recommendations by Bryden [68], ranging from 24 to 37 (mixedhanded) to 38-50 (left-handed). ...
... We obtained previous histories of mental, neurological, and medical disorders from the participants and/or their family members and quantified the burden of comorbid chronic medical illnesses using the CIRS [22]. Neuropsychologists or trained research nurses evaluated cognitive function using the CERAD-K Neuropsychological Assessment Battery, Digit Span Test, and Frontal Assessment Battery, and handedness using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory [22,24,25]. Thereafter, a panel of geriatric psychiatrists determined the participants' diagnosis of major psychiatric disorders, including dementia, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria, and the global severity of cognitive impairments using the CDR [26]. ...
Background
Spatial normalization to a standardized brain template is a crucial step in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. Brain templates made from sufficient sample size have low brain variability, improving the accuracy of spatial normalization. Using population-specific template improves accuracy of spatial normalization because brain morphology varies according to ethnicity and age.
Methods
We constructed a brain template of normal Korean elderly (KNE200) using MRI scans 100 male and 100 female aged over 60 years old with normal cognition. We compared the deformation after spatial normalization of the KNE200 template to that of the KNE96, constructed from 96 cognitively normal elderly Koreans and to that of the brain template (OCF), constructed from 434 non-demented older Caucasians to examine the effect of sample size and ethnicity on the accuracy of brain template, respectively. We spatially normalized the MRI scans of elderly Koreans and quantified the amount of deformations associated with spatial normalization using the magnitude of displacement and volumetric changes of voxels.
Results
The KNE200 yielded significantly less displacement and volumetric change in the parahippocampal gyrus, medial and posterior orbital gyrus, fusiform gyrus, gyrus rectus, cerebellum and vermis than the KNE96. The KNE200 also yielded much less displacement in the cerebellum, vermis, hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and thalamus and much less volumetric change in the cerebellum, vermis, hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus than the OCF.
Conclusion
KNE200 had the better accuracy than the KNE96 due to the larger sample size and was far accurate than the template constructed from elderly Caucasians in elderly Koreans.
... Due to the design of the study (i.e., repeated measures), it was determined that for an effect size of 0.4 (medium), alpha error of 0.05, power of 0.8, using 95% confidence interval and an expected correlation of the repeated measures of 0.7, 15 participants were required for the study (Cohen 1988). According to the Edinburgh handedness questionnaire, all but one participant were right-handed (handedness Laterality Index, 0.84 ± 0.3), with one individual being ambidextrous (Oldfield 1971). All participants used their right hand during the study sessions. ...
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation tool with potential for managing neuromuscular fatigue, possibly due to alterations in corticospinal excitability. However, inconsistencies in intra- and inter- individual variability responsiveness to tDCS limit its clinical use. Emerging evidence suggests harnessing homeostatic metaplasticity induced via tDCS may reduce variability and boost its outcomes, yet little is known regarding its influence on neuromuscular fatigue in healthy adults. We explored whether cathodal tDCS (ctDCS) prior to exercise combined with anodal tDCS (atDCS) could augment corticospinal excitability and attenuate neuromuscular fatigue. 15 young healthy adults (6 males, 22 ± 4 years) participated in four pseudo-randomised neuromodulation sessions: sham stimulation prior and during exercise, sham stimulation prior and atDCS during exercise, ctDCS prior and atDCS during exercise, ctDCS prior and sham stimulation during exercise. The exercise constituted an intermittent maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the right first dorsal interosseous (FDI) for 10 min. Neuromuscular fatigue was quantified as an attenuation in MVC force, while motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude provided an assessment of corticospinal excitability. MEP amplitude increased during the fatiguing exercise, whilst across time, force decreased. There were no differences in MEP amplitudes or force between neuromodulation sessions. These outcomes highlight the ambiguity of harnessing metaplasticity to ameliorate neuromuscular fatigue in young healthy individuals.
... Two trained psychiatrists (Yanli Luo and Tianming Huang) diagnosed the PSPD using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) to exclude other psychiatric conditions and severe somatic comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, tumor, and hyperlipidemia. Inclusion criteria for PSPD patients included: 1) right-hand dominance (The hand dominance was tested by using the Edinburgh Handness Inventory [21]); 2) ages between 18 and 65 years; 3) duration of clinical pain of at least 6 months; 4) diagnosis of PSPD according to ICD-10 criteria. Exclusion criteria for all subjects included current or past history of any of the following as indicated: 1) presence of pain symptoms due to severe somatic diseases; 2) existence of uncontrolled diseases, such as congestive heart failure, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, thyropathy; 3) substance or depilatory abuse, such as alcohol and cocaine; 4) presence of mental diseases (such as affective disorder, suicidal depression, anxiety disorder, phobic anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder); 5) electroconvulsive therapy within past 4 weeks; 6) current pregnancy; 7) participation in other clinical trials within past 4 weeks; 8) indications as evidenced by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cerebral atrophy diagnosed by a radiologist who visually analyzed the MRI images on the scene. ...
Patients with persistent somatoform pain disorder (PSPD) usually experience various functional impairments in pain, emotion, and cognition, which cannot be fully explained by a physiological process or a physical disorder. However, it is still not clear for the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of PSPD. The present study aimed to explore the intra- and inter-network functional connectivity (FC) differences between PSPD patients and healthy controls (HCs). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in 13 PSPD patients and 23 age- and gender-matched HCs. We used independent component analysis on resting-state fMRI data to calculate intra- and inter-network FCs, and we used the two-sample t-test to detect the FC differences between groups. Spearman correlation analysis was employed to evaluate the correlations between FCs and clinical assessments. As compared to HCs, PSPD patients showed decreased coactivations in the right superior temporal gyrus within the anterior default-mode network and the anterior cingulate cortex within the salience network, and increased coactivations in the bilateral supplementary motor areas within the sensorimotor network and both the left posterior cingulate cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex within the anterior default-mode network. In addition, we found that the PSPD patients showed decreased FNCs between sensorimotor network and audio network as well as visual network, between default-mode network and executive control network as well as audio network and between salience network and executive control network as well as right frontoparietal network, and increased FNCs between sensorimotor network and left frontoparietal network, salience network as well as cerebellum network, which were negatively correlated with the clinical assessments in PSPD patients. Our findings suggest that PSPD patients experience large-scale reorganization at the level of the functional networks, which suggests a possible mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of PSPD.
... Healthy adults (n = 30) were recruited from the University of Toronto and surrounding community. Inclusion criteria were: (1) 18-50 years, (2) non-smokers, (3) English fluency, (4) right-handedness confirmed by the Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire [19], (5) no allergies to adhesives, and (6) not colour blind. Exclusion criteria were: (1) acute or chronic respiratory, musculoskeletal, or neurological conditions, (2) exclusion criteria on ACSM/AHA preparticipation questionnaire [20], and (3) uncontrolled diabetes and/or high blood pressure. ...
Inspiratory threshold loading (ITL) and associated dyspnoea has been shown to interfere with cognition during cognitive-motor dual tasking. However, ITL has not been compared to another rhythmic muscle activity, such as lower limb pedaling. While ITL has been shown to interfere with cognition, the mechanisms of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during ITL or other rhythmical muscle dual tasking, has not been elucidated. Given the cognitive interference that arises during ITL, we hypothesize that ITL cognitive-motor dual tasking will result in greater cognitive decrements and increased PFC activity compared to the pedaling cognitive-motor dual task. Thirty, healthy participants (16 females; median age: 23 IQR [23-24] years) were recruited. They performed in a single visit five 3-minute tasks in random order: single tasks - ITL, Pedaling, Stroop task; dual tasks - ITL-Stroop; Pedaling-Stroop. Participant's PFC activity was assessed bilaterally using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) throughout each task. Single and dual task cognitive performance was evaluated by measuring Stroop task reaction time and accuracy. Dyspnoea and rating of perceived exertion were evaluated at the end of each task. ITL-Stroop resulted in greater impairments in reaction time (p<0.001), accuracy (p<0.01), and increased medial/dorsolateral PFC activity (p < 0.006) than Pedaling-Stroop. ITL-Stroop elicited greater Borg dyspnoea and rating of perceived exertion than Pedaling-Stroop (p<0.001), despite Pedaling-Stroop having a greater heart rate response (p<0.001). The heightened cognitive decrements, perceptual response, and PFC activity suggests that inspiratory muscle loading and its accompanied dyspnoea results in greater cognitive interference than rhythmic pedaling.
... neurodegenerative diseases) or psychiatric disorders were excluded. Subjects were right-handed (Oldfield questionnaire lateralization quotient >80) 95 . The study was approved by the local ethics committee (University College London ethics reference no. ...
The locus coeruleus (LC), our main source of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain, declines with age and is a potential epicentre of protein pathologies in neurodegenerative diseases (ND). In vivo measurements of LC integrity and function are potentially important biomarkers for healthy ageing and early ND onset. In the present study, high-resolution functional MRI (fMRI), a reversal reinforcement learning task, and dedicated post-processing approaches were used to visualise age differences in LC function (N = 50). Increased LC responses were observed during emotionally and task-related salient events, with subsequent accelerations and decelerations in reaction times, respectively, indicating context-specific adaptive engagement of the LC. Moreover, older adults exhibited increased LC activation compared to younger adults, indicating possible compensatory overactivation of a structurally declining LC in ageing. Our study shows that assessment of LC function is a promising biomarker of cognitive aging.
... (Sample sizes for Experiments 1 and 4a were not determined using a priori power analysis, though are consistent with similar investigations on the basic psychophysics of Fitts ' Law;Alphonsa et al., 2016;Rohs et al., 2011;Rohs & Oulasvirta, 2008;van Donkelaar, 1999;Wu et al., 2010). All participants provided informed, written consent in accordance with procedures approved by the Yale University Institutional Review Board and reported their handedness using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, with a score of >40 indicating right-handedness (Oldfield, 1971). ...
Fitts’ Law is one among a small number of psychophysical laws. However, a fundamental variable in Fitts’ Law—the movement distance, D—confounds two quantities: The physical distance the effector has to move to reach a goal, and the visually perceived distance to that goal. While these two quantities are functionally equivalent in everyday motor behavior, decoupling them might improve our understanding of the factors that shape speed–accuracy tradeoffs. Here, we leveraged the phenomenon of visuomotor gain adaptation to de-confound movement and visual distance during goal-directed reaching. We found that movement distance and visual distance can influence movement times, supporting a variant of Fitts’ Law that considers both. The weighting of movement versus visual distance was modified by restricting movement range and degrading visual feedback. These results may reflect the role of sensory context in early stages of motor planning.
... Inclusion criteria included (1) ability to provide informed consent; (2) being free from any known neurological or psychiatric condition; (3) age between 18 and 45 years old; and (4) being right-handed. Accordingly, all participants were right-handed as evidenced by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory [43]. Exclusion criteria included (1) an uncontrolled medical condition; (2) metal in the skull or eye such as a cardiac pacemaker, brain stimulator, shrapnel, surgical metal, clips in the brain, cochlear implants, and metal fragments in the eye; (3) diagnosed hearing loss; (4) having had a brain tumor, a stroke, head trauma, epilepsy, or a history of seizures, having a neurological disorder or a movement disorder, or having a head injury that involved being passed out for more than a few seconds; and (5) being pregnant or thought to be pregnant. ...
Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) is a common paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measure used to assess primary motor cortex (M1) interneuron activity in healthy populations and in neurological disorders. Many of the parameters of TMS stimulation to most accurately measure SICI have been determined. However, one TMS parameter that has not been investigated is the time between SICI trials (termed inter-trial interval; ITI). This is despite a series of single-pulse TMS studies which have reported that motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude were suppressed for short, but not long ITIs in approximately the initial ten trials of a TMS block of 20–30 trials. The primary purpose was to examine the effects of ITI on the quantification of SICI at rest. A total of 23 healthy adults completed an experimental session that included four SICI trial blocks. Each block utilized a different ITI (4, 6, 8, and 10 s) and was comprised of a total of 26 SICI trials divided into three epochs. ANOVA revealed that the main effects for ITI and epoch as well as their interaction were all non-statistically significant for SICI. We conclude that the shorter (4–6 s) ITIs used in studies investigating SICI should not alter the interpretation of M1 activity, while having the advantages of being more comfortable to participants and reducing the experimental time needed to evaluate perform single and paired-pulse TMS experiments.
... All were free of any neurological or major disease or medication, and all had normal vision. They were right-handed as assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory [9]. All participants gave informed consent to participate in the study, which was approved by the local ethics commi ee of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tübingen, Germany. ...
Motor intention is a high-level brain function related to planning for movement. Although studies have shown that motor intentions can be decoded from brain signals before movement execution, it is unclear whether intentions relating to mental imagery of movement can be decoded. Here, we investigated whether differences in spatial and temporal patterns of brain activation were elicited by intentions to perform different types of motor imagery and whether the patterns could be used by a multivariate pattern classifier to detect such differential intentions. The results showed that it is possible to decode intentions before the onset of different types of motor imagery from functional MR signals obtained from fronto-parietal brain regions, such as the premotor cortex and posterior parietal cortex, while controlling for eye movements and for muscular activity of the hands. These results highlight the critical role played by the aforementioned brain regions in covert motor intentions. Moreover, they have substantial implications for rehabilitating patients with motor disabilities.
... Of all participants, each reported normal or corrected-to-normal vision, and 15 confirmed prior participation in an EEG study. We assessed 23 persons as righthanded, and three as left-handed, according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971). Each participant gave their written informed consent and received compensatory payment for their time. ...
Accident analyses repeatedly reported the considerable contribution of runoff road incidents to fatalities in road traffic, and despite considerable advances in assistive technologies to mitigate devastating consequences, little insight into the drivers' brain response during such accident scenarios has been gained. While various literature documents neural correlates to steering motion, the driver's mental state, and the impact of distraction and fatigue on driving performance, the cortical substrate of continuous deviations of a car from the road-i.e., how the brain represents a varying discrepancy between the intended and observed car position and subsequently assigns customized levels of corrective measures-remains unclear. Furthermore, the superposition of multiple subprocesses, such as visual and erroneous feedback processing, performance monitoring, or motor control, complicates a clear interpretation of engaged brain regions within car driving tasks. In the present study, we thus attempted to disentangle these subprocesses, employing passive and active steering conditions within both error-free and error-prone vehicle operation conditions. We recorded EEG signals of 26 participants in 13 sessions, simultaneously measuring pairs of Executors (actively steering) and Observers (strictly observing) during a car driving task. We observed common brain patterns in the Executors regardless of error-free or error-prone vehicle operation, albeit with a shift in spectral activity from motor beta to occipital alpha oscillations within erroneous conditions. Further, significant frontocentral differences between Observers and Executors, tracing back to the caudal anterior cingulate cortex, arose during active steering conditions, indicating increased levels of motor-behavioral cognitive control. Finally, we present regression results of both the steering signal and the car position, indicating that a regression of continuous deviations from the road utilizing the EEG might be feasible.
... Twenty-four healthy native Korean speakers participated in the experiment (12 female; 23.8 ± 2.5 years, M ± SD). All had normal or corrected-to-normal vision and were rated as right-handed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory [43]. They signed and were informed with written consent and compensated with payment for their participation. ...
... Of these 46 participants, 10 individuals were removed from the final analysis either due to excessive head motion in the MRI scanner, incomplete scans, poor task compliance (i.e., >25% of trials not being completed within the maximal trial duration), or missing data (i.e., >20% of trials being missed due to insufficient pressure of the fingertip on the MRI-compatible tablet). We assessed right-handedness using the Edinburgh handedness questionnaire (Oldfield, 1971) and obtained informed consent before beginning the experimental protocol. The Queen's University Research Ethics Board approved the study (ethics approval number: CNS-019-16), and it was conducted in coherence to the principles outlined in the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (1964). ...
Adaptive motor behavior depends on the coordinated activity of multiple neural systems distributed across the brain. While the role of sensorimotor cortex in motor learning has been well established, how higher-order brain systems interact with sensorimotor cortex to guide learning is less well understood. Using functional MRI, we examined human brain activity during a reward-based motor task where subjects learned to shape their hand trajectories through reinforcement feedback. We projected patterns of cortical and striatal functional connectivity onto a low-dimensional manifold space and examined how regions expanded and contracted along the manifold during learning. During early learning, we found that several sensorimotor areas in the dorsal attention network exhibited increased covariance with areas of the salience/ventral attention network and reduced covariance with areas of the default mode network (DMN). During late learning, these effects reversed, with sensorimotor areas now exhibiting increased covariance with DMN areas. However, areas in posteromedial cortex showed the opposite pattern across learning phases, with its connectivity suggesting a role in coordinating activity across different networks over time. Our results establish the neural changes that support reward-based motor learning and identify distinct transitions in the functional coupling of sensorimotor to transmodal cortex when adapting behavior.
... The experimental protocol was approved by the local Ethics Committee of Keio University (IRB approval number: 31-22) and performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants were confirmed to be right-handed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971). ...
Closed‐loop neurofeedback training utilizes neural signals such as scalp electroencephalograms (EEG) to manipulate specific neural activities and the associated behavioral performance. A spatiotemporal filter for high‐density whole‐head scalp EEG using a convolutional neural network can overcome the ambiguity of the signaling source because each EEG signal includes information on the remote regions. We simultaneously acquired EEG and functional magnetic resonance images in humans during the brain‐computer interface (BCI) based neurofeedback training and compared the reconstructed and modeled hemodynamic responses of the sensorimotor network. Filters constructed with a convolutional neural network captured activities in the targeted network with spatial precision and specificity superior to those of the EEG signals preprocessed with standard pipelines used in BCI‐based neurofeedback paradigms. The middle layers of the trained model were examined to characterize the neuronal oscillatory features that contributed to the reconstruction. Analysis of the layers for spatial convolution revealed the contribution of distributed cortical circuitries to reconstruction, including the frontoparietal and sensorimotor areas, and those of temporal convolution layers that successfully reconstructed the hemodynamic response function. Employing a spatiotemporal filter and leveraging the electrophysiological signatures of the sensorimotor excitability identified in our middle layer analysis would contribute to the development of a further effective neurofeedback intervention.
... The participants had no history of neurological or orthopedic disease. Two were left-handed and the others were right-handed according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield 1971). All participants gave written informed consent for study participation before the experiment. ...
The purpose of the present study was to elucidate whether an external reference frame contributes to tactile localization in blindfolded healthy humans. In a session, the right forearm was passively moved until the elbow finally reached to the target angle, and participants reached the left index finger to the right middle fingertip. The locus of the right middle fingertip indicated by the participants deviated in the direction of the elbow extension when vibration was provided to the biceps brachii muscle during the passive movement. This finding indicates that proprioception contributes to the identification of the spatial coordinate of the specific body part in an external reference frame. In another session, the tactile stimulus was provided to the dorsal of the right hand during the passive movement, and the participants reached the left index finger to the spatial locus at which the tactile stimulus was provided. Vibration to the biceps brachii muscle did not change the perceived locus of the tactile stimulus indicated by the left index finger. This finding indicates that an external reference frame does not contribute to tactile localization during the passive movement. Humans may estimate the spatial coordinate of the tactile stimulus based on the time between the movement onset and the time at which the tactile stimulus is provided.
... • The Edinburgh Handedness Inventory scale: participants were right-handed with a minimum score for right-handedness of 80 [123]. ...
Semantic memory representations are generally well maintained in aging, whereas semantic control is thought to be more affected. To explain this phenomenon, this study tested the predictions of the Compensation-Related Utilization of Neural Circuits Hypothesis (CRUNCH), focusing on task demands in aging as a possible framework. The CRUNCH effect would manifest itself in semantic tasks through a compensatory increase in neural activation in semantic control network regions but only up to a certain threshold of task demands. This study compares 39 younger (20–35 years old) with 39 older participants (60–75 years old) in a triad-based semantic judgment task performed in an fMRI scanner while manipulating task demand levels (low versus high) through semantic distance. In line with the CRUNCH predictions, differences in neurofunctional activation and behavioral performance (accuracy and response times) were expected in younger versus older participants in the low- versus high-demand conditions, which should be manifested in semantic control Regions of Interest (ROIs). Our older participants had intact behavioral performance, as proposed in the literature for semantic memory tasks (maintained accuracy and slower response times (RTs)). Age-invariant behavioral performance in the older group compared to the younger one is necessary to test the CRUNCH predictions. The older adults were also characterized by high cognitive reserve, as our neuropsychological tests showed. Our behavioral results confirmed that our task successfully manipulated task demands: error rates, RTs and perceived difficulty increased with increasing task demands in both age groups. We did not find an interaction between age group and task demand, or a statistically significant difference in activation between the low- and high-demand conditions for either RTs or accuracy. As for brain activation, we did not find the expected age group by task demand interaction, or a significant main effect of task demand. Overall, our results are compatible with some neural activation in the semantic network and the semantic control network, largely in frontotemporoparietal regions. ROI analyses demonstrated significant effects (but no interactions) of task demand in the left and right inferior frontal gyrus, the left posterior middle temporal gyrus, the posterior inferior temporal gyrus and the prefrontal gyrus. Overall, our test did not confirm the CRUNCH predictions.
... Handedness can be assessed with specific questionnaires such as the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI) [46]. Based on an individual's distribution of right-and left-hand preferences for particular tasks, the experimenter can determine a laterality quotient (LQ) that indicates both direction and strength of the participant's preference [47]. ...
While most people are right-handed, a minority are left-handed or mixed-handed. It has been suggested that mental and developmental disorders are associated with increased prevalence of left-handedness and mixed-handedness. However, substantial heterogeneity exists across disorders, indicating that not all disorders are associated with a considerable shift away from right-handedness. Increased frequencies in left- and mixed-handedness have also been associated with more severe clinical symptoms, indicating that symptom severity rather than diagnosis explains the high prevalence of non-right-handedness in mental disorders. To address this issue, the present study investigated the association between handedness and measures of stress reactivity, depression, mania, anxiety, and positive and negative symptoms in a large sample of 994 healthy controls and 1213 patients with DSM IV affective disorders, schizoaffective disorders, or schizophrenia. A series of complementary analyses revealed lower lateralization and a higher percentage of mixed-handedness in patients with major depression (14.9%) and schizophrenia (24.0%) compared to healthy controls (12%). For patients with schizophrenia, higher symptom severity was associated with an increasing tendency towards left-handedness. No associations were found for patients diagnosed with major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizoaffective disorder. In healthy controls, no association between hand preference and symptoms was evident. Taken together, these findings suggest that both diagnosis and symptom severity are relevant for the shift away from right-handedness in mental disorders like schizophrenia and major depression.
... If eligible persons so wished, we also included spouses in our sample even if they did not fully meet our age criterion: five spouses were 64 years old, one was 78, and three were 79 years old. Eight participants were left-handers, as assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971). All stated normal or corrected to normal vision and hearing, and all passed the Freiburg Visual Acuity Test v. 3.9.0 ...
The presentation of one task increases the reaction time on a subsequent task, if stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between tasks is short. This psychological refractory period (PRP) effect is typically leveling off as SOA approaches 1 s, which has been documented both in classical laboratory paradigms and in simulated car driving. Here we report a more persistent effect on the subsequent task that goes well beyond the typical duration of the PRP effect. In a driving simulator, 120 healthy older participants followed a lead car that mostly drove at a constant speed. They had to maintain a regular distance from the lead car and had to brake when the lead car braked. Participants also engaged in several additional tasks during driving (two types of tasks: typing three-digit numbers, stating arguments on public issues). SOA between the braking task and the last preceding additional task was 11.49 s ± 1.99 (mean and standard deviation). In a control condition, the braking task was administered without additional tasks. Main performance outcome was Braking Reaction Time (RT, in s), as the interval between onset of brake lights of the lead car and the moment participants released the gas pedal. Additionally, foot movement time (MT, in s), i.e., the difference between gas pedal release and brake pedal onset, was considered for possible compensation behavior. Inter-vehicle distance to the lead car (in m) was taken into account as a moderator. We found that RT averaged 0.77 s without additional tasks, but averaged 1.45 s with additional tasks. This RT difference was less pronounced at smaller inter-vehicle distances, and was not compensated for by faster MT from the gas pedal to the brake pedal. We conclude that detrimental effects of additional tasks on subsequent braking responses can be more persistent than suggested by the PRP effect, possibly because of maintaining multiple task sets, requiring increased executive control. We further conclude that potential detrimental effects can be ameliorated at small inter-vehicle distances by mobilizing extra cognitive resources when response urgency is higher. As a practical implication of our study, distracting stimuli can have persisting detrimental effects on traffic safety.
... Time between practicing and fMRI may vary but is no longer than 2 weeks. Before data collection, the participants (and/or caregivers of young participants) complete a brief questionnaire providing demographic information and a modified version of the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory [32]. To investigate the presence of autistic traits among the adults, adult participants are asked to fill out a screening questionnaire (Autism Spectrum Quotient, AQ). ...
Motor issues are frequently observed accompanying core deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Impaired motor behavior has also been linked to cognitive and social abnormalities, and problems with predictive ability have been suggested to play an important, possibly shared, part across all these domains. Brain imaging of sensory-motor behavior is a promising method for characterizing the neurobiological foundation for this proposed key trait. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) developmental study, involving children/youth with ASD, typically developing (TD) children/youth, and neurotypical adults, will investigate brain activations during execution and observation of a visually guided, goal-directed sequential (two-step) manual task. Neural processing related to both execution and observation of the task, as well as activation patterns during the preparation stage before execution/observation will be investigated. Main regions of interest include frontoparietal and occipitotemporal cortical areas, the human mirror neuron system (MNS), and the cerebellum.
... All were native speakers of English, had normal hearing and normal or corrected vision, and had no history of language impairment. 20 participants were right-handed, and the remaining 2 were left-handed, as determined by the Edinburgh handedness inventory (Oldfield, 1971), or selfreport. All but three participants showed typical left-lateralized activation for the language localizer task (paradigm details above). ...
Human language comprehension is remarkably robust to ill-formed inputs (e.g., word transpositions). This robustness has led some to argue that syntactic parsing is largely an illusion, and that incremental comprehension is more heuristic, shallow, and semantics-based than is often assumed. However, the available data are also consistent with the possibility that humans always perform rule-like symbolic parsing and simply deploy error correction mechanisms to reconstruct ill-formed inputs when needed. We put these hypotheses to a new stringent test by examining brain responses to a) stimuli that should pose a challenge for syntactic reconstruction but allow for complex meanings to be built within local contexts through associative/shallow processing (sentences presented in a backward word order), and b) grammatically well-formed but semantically implausible sentences that should impede semantics-based heuristic processing. Using a novel behavioral syntactic reconstruction paradigm, we demonstrate that backward- presented sentences indeed impede the recovery of grammatical structure during incremental comprehension. Critically, these backward-presented stimuli elicit a relatively low response in the language areas, as measured with fMRI. In contrast, semantically implausible but grammatically well-formed sentences elicit a response in the language areas similar in magnitude to naturalistic (plausible) sentences. In other words, the ability to build syntactic structures during incremental language processing is both necessary and sufficient to fully engage the language network. Taken together, these results provide strongest to date support for a generalized reliance of human language comprehension on syntactic parsing.
Significance statement
Whether language comprehension relies predominantly on structural (syntactic) cues or meaning- related (semantic) cues remains debated. We shed new light on this question by examining the language brain areas’ responses to stimuli where syntactic and semantic cues are pitted against each other, using fMRI. We find that the language areas respond weakly to stimuli that allow for local semantic composition but cannot be parsed syntactically—as confirmed in a novel behavioral paradigm—and they respond strongly to grammatical but semantically implausible sentences, like the famous ‘Colorless green ideas sleep furiously’ sentence. These findings challenge accounts of language processing that suggest that syntactic parsing can be foregone in favor of shallow semantic processing.
... Seventy-nine (79) participants were included in this study, seventy-one (71) of whom pertained to a cohort described in a previous study (Villar-Rodríguez et al. 2023). All participants were left-handed (n = 68) or mixed-handed (n = 11) according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory/EHI (Oldfield 1971). EHI was scored by computing the Laterality Quotient or LQ, according to the formula (R − L/R + L)*100 (LQ lower or equal to − 50 was considered left-handed, and LQ between − 50 and + 50 was considered mixed-handed) (Szaflarski et al. 2002). ...
The causal and statistical hypotheses diverge in determining whether the lateralization of language function in one cerebral hemisphere entails the lateralization of visuospatial function in the opposite hemisphere. Additionally, it remains unclear if the atypical segregation of these functions could influence cognitive performance. This study addresses these questions by examining the hemispheric lateralization of visuospatial attention during a line bisection judgement (landmark) task in three groups of healthy non-right-handed individuals with different language production segregations: left (typical), ambilateral (atypical), and right (atypical). Consistent with the causal hypothesis, results indicate that the groups with left and right language lateralization primarily utilize the opposite hemisphere for visuospatial attention. The ambilateral group, however, displays a pattern compatible with an independent segregation, supporting the statistical hypothesis. Behavioral analyses reveal that atypical lateralization of visuospatial attention (non-right) can lead to either better or worse performance during the landmark task, depending on the specific pattern. Bilateral organization is associated with reduced overall accuracy, whereas the left segregation results in improved performance during the most challenging trials. These findings suggest the existence of diverse pathways to lateralization, akin to either the causal or statistical hypothesis, which can result in cognitive advantages or disadvantages.
... The volunteer signed a written informed consent form before participating. We used Oldfield's Edinburgh Inventory to assess the dominance of a person's right or left hand [7]. We recruited a volunteer (female, age: 27 years) who was remunerated with an hourly compensation of 10 euros for participation. ...
In transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) experiments, two researchers typically collaborate in the lab. This study addresses the challenge a single researcher faces in managing the TMS experiment's timing while operating the TMS coil. It introduces the Arduino Trigger Generator (ArTGen) to remotely control the timing of TMS experiments using a footswitch pedal. Moreover, a bespoke printed circuit board (PCB) is designed to interface the eegoMylab amplifier with off‐the‐shelf EEG caps. The ArTGen facilitates accurate timing of the TMS stimulator's inter‐pulse intervals (IPIs) through a footswitch pedal, enhancing researchers' control over TMS‐EEG experiments. The PCB interface provides a cost‐effective tool to extend the functionality of the eegoMylab amplifier. The integration of our PCB interface has been validated in a custom TMS‐EEG setup by analyzing TMS‐evoked potentials (TEPs), global mean field power (GMFP), butterfly plots, and event‐related spectral potentials (ERSPs). The PCB reliably preserved EEG signal integrity, ensuring accurate data acquisition. Thorough channel‐wise consistency checks across components confirmed data accuracy. ArTGen's portability and footswitch feature streamline experimental control, aiding TMS‐EEG research and clinical applications. Moreover, our PCB resolves compatibility between the eegoMylab amplifier and the Waveguard EEG cap by extending the amplifier to connect to off‐the‐shelf EEG caps. The ArTGen serves as a robust remote control tool for TMS stimulators, while our PCB interface presents a solution for integrating a customized TMS‐EEG setup. This study addresses the gap in existing TMS‐EEG research by introducing innovative technological enhancements that not only augment experimental flexibility but also streamline procedural workflows.
... Screening procedures were employed using a combination of online questionnaires and two laboratory sessions held at the University of Haifa. The initial laboratory session involved obtaining informed consent from participants, followed by completion of the Hebrew version of the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory [44], a demographic questionnaire, and an MRI contraindication inventory. To exclude individuals with undiagnosed ADHD symptoms, participants also completed the Hebrew version of the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale [CAARS; [45]], a self-report questionnaire specifically designed to assess ADHD symptoms in adults. ...
Background
The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a central neural network, with recent evidence indicating that it is composed of functionally distinct sub-networks. Methylphenidate (MPH) administration has been shown before to modulate impulsive behavior, though it is not yet clear whether these effects relate to MPH-induced changes in DMN connectivity. To address this gap, we assessed the impact of MPH administration on functional connectivity patterns within and between distinct DMN sub-networks and tested putative relations to variability in sub-scales of impulsivity.
Methods
Fifty-five right-handed healthy adults underwent two resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scans, following acute administration of either MPH (20 mg) or placebo, via a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled design. Graph modularity analysis was implemented to fractionate the DMN into distinct sub-networks based on the impact of MPH (vs. placebo) on DMN connectivity patterns with other neural networks.
Results
MPH administration led to an overall decreased DMN connectivity, particularly with the auditory, cinguloopercular, and somatomotor networks, and increased connectivity with the parietomedial network. Graph analysis revealed that the DMN could be fractionated into two distinct sub-networks, with one exhibiting MPH-induced increased connectivity and the other decreased connectivity. Decreased connectivity of the DMN sub-network with the cinguloopercular network following MPH administration was associated with elevated impulsivity and non-planning impulsiveness.
Conclusion
Current findings highlight the intricate effects of MPH administration on DMN rs-fMRI connectivity, uncovering its opposing impact on distinct DMN sub-divisions. MPH-induced dynamics in DMN connectivity patterns with other neural networks may account for some of the effects of MPH administration on impulsive behavior.
... Detailed records of previous medical events/visits and current medication, the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale (Morris, 1997), the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI; Oldfield, 1971), and the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq; Nucci et al., 2012) were completed exclusively at the baseline assessment. Moreover, a comprehensive clinical, functional, and neuropsychological evaluation (approximately 90 min) was carried out for all groups at baseline (T0), at the end of FTF treatment (T1, 1 month from baseline), and at four (T2) and 7 months (T3) from baseline by expert neuropsychologists blinded to the treatment allocation of the participants. ...
Background
In recent years, an increasing number of studies have examined the potential efficacy of cognitive training procedures in individuals with normal ageing and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Objective
The aims of this study were to (i) evaluate the efficacy of the cognitive Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS) combined with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to placebo tDCS stimulation combined with VRRS and (ii) to determine how to prolong the beneficial effects of the treatment. A total of 109 subjects with MCI were assigned to 1 of 5 study groups in a randomized controlled trial design: (a) face-to-face (FTF) VRRS during anodal tDCS followed by cognitive telerehabilitation (TR) (clinic-atDCS-VRRS+Tele@H-VRRS); (b) FTF VRRS during placebo tDCS followed by TR (clinic-ptDCS-VRRS+Tele@H-VRRS); (c) FTF VRRS followed by cognitive TR (clinic-VRRS+Tele@H-VRRS); (d) FTF VRRS followed by at-home unstructured cognitive stimulation (clinic-VRRS+@H-UCS); and (e) FTF cognitive treatment as usual (clinic-TAU).
Results
An improvement in episodic memory was observed after the end of clinic-atDCS-VRRS ( p < 0.001). We found no enhancement in episodic memory after clinic-ptDCS-VRRS or after clinic-TAU.
Moreover, the combined treatment led to prolonged beneficial effects (clinic-atDCS-VRRS+Tele@H-VRRS vs. clinic-ptDCS-VRRS+Tele@H-VRRS: p = 0.047; clinic-atDCS-VRRS+Tele@H-VRRS vs. clinic-VRRS+Tele@H-VRRS: p = 0.06).
Discussion
The present study provides preliminary evidence supporting the use of individualized VRRS combined with anodal tDCS and cognitive telerehabilitation for cognitive rehabilitation.
Clinical trial registration
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03486704?term=NCT03486704&rank=1 , NCT03486704.
... To ensure consistency in handedness, we specifically recruited individuals who scored above 40 on the Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire (EHQ) and were exclusively righthanded. All participants had a mean handedness score (scaled from −100 to 100) (Oldfield, 1971) of M = 80.4, SD = 13.7, ...
Recent works point to the importance of emotions in special-numerical associations. There remains a notable gap in understanding the electrophysiological underpinnings of such associations. Exploring resting-state (rs) EEG, particularly in frontal regions, could elucidate emotional aspects, while other EEG measures might offer insights into the cognitive dimensions correlating with behavioral performance. The present work investigated the relationship between rs-EEG measures (emotional and cognitive traits) and performance in the mental number line (MNL). EEG activity in theta (3-7 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz, further subdivided into low-alpha and high-alpha), sensorimotor rhythm (SMR, 13-15 Hz), beta (16-25 Hz), and high-beta/gamma (28-40 Hz) bands was assessed. 76 university students participated in the study, undergoing EEG recordings at rest before engaging in a computerized number-to-position (CNP) task. Analysis revealed significant associations between frontal asymmetry, specific EEG frequencies, and MNL performance metrics (i.e., mean direction bias, mean absolute error, and mean reaction time). Notably, theta and beta asymmetries correlated with direction bias, while alpha peak frequency (APF) and beta activity related to absolute errors in numerical estimation. Moreover, the study identified significant correlations between relative amplitude indices (i.e., theta/beta ratio, theta/SMR ratio) and both absolute errors and reaction times (RTs). Our findings offer novel insights into the emotional and cognitive aspects of EEG patterns and their links to MNL performance.
... Upon neurological examination, WR showed signs of dyspraxia, a developmental motor coordination deficit, and complete left-handedness (EHI-100; Oldfield, 1971). No hemianopsia was observed. ...
18 Jun 2024): Developmental surface dyslexia and dysgraphia in a child with corpus callosum agenesis: an approach to diagnosis and treatment, Cognitive Neuropsychology, ABSTRACT We present a case study detailing cognitive performance, functional neuroimaging, and effects of a hypothesis-driven treatment in a 10-year-old girl diagnosed with complete, isolated corpus callosum agenesis. Despite having average overall intellectual abilities, the girl exhibited profound surface dyslexia and dysgraphia. Spelling treatment significantly and persistently improved her spelling of trained irregular words, and this improvement generalized to reading accuracy and speed of trained words. Diffusion weighted imaging revealed strengthened intrahemispheric white matter connectivity of the left temporal cortex after treatment and identified interhemispheric connectivity between the occipital lobes, likely facilitated by a pathway crossing the midline via the posterior commissure. This case underlines the corpus callosum's critical role in lexical reading and writing. It demonstrates that spelling treatment may enhance interhemisphericconnectivity in corpus callosum agenesis through alternative pathways, boosting the development of a more efficient functional organization of the visual word form area within the left temporo-occipital cortex. ARTICLE HISTORY
... Participants needed 1-2 practice blocks (1.28 on average). Participants then completed the computerized task, followed by the Edinburgh handedness questionnaire [51], and an eye-test with low contrast Sloan letters (Precision Vision, www.precision-vision.com). ...
While recent advancements have been made towards a better understanding of the involvement of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the context of cognitive control, the exact mechanism is still not fully understood. Successful behavior requires the correct detection of goal-relevant cues and resisting irrelevant distractions. Frontal parietal networks have been implicated as important for maintaining cognitive control in the face of distraction. The present study investigated the role of gamma-band power in distraction resistance and frontoparietal networks, as its increase is linked to cholinergic activity. We examined changes in gamma activity and their relationship to frontoparietal top–down modulation for distractor challenges and to bottom–up distractor processing. Healthy young adults were tested using a modified version of the distractor condition sustained attention task (dSAT) while wearing an EEG. The modified distractor was designed so that oscillatory activities could be entrained to it, and the strength of entrainment was used to assess the degree of distraction. Increased top–down control during the distractor challenge increased gamma power in the left parietal regions rather than the right prefrontal regions predicted from rodent studies. Specifically, left parietal gamma power increased in response to distraction where the amount of this increase was negatively correlated with the neural activity reflecting bottom–up distractor processing in the visual area. Variability in gamma power in right prefrontal regions was associated with increased response time variability during distraction. This may suggest that the right prefrontal region may contribute to the signaling needed for top–down control rather than its implementation.
... Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. 15 All interviews and evaluations were conducted on the day of PET scans. ...
Background
Understanding synaptic alteration in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is crucial for elucidating its pathological mechanisms, but in vivo research on this topic remains limited.
Aims
This study aimed to identify the synaptic density indicators in OCD and explore the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and synaptic density changes in OCD.
Methods
This study enrolled 28 drug-naive adults with OCD aged 18–40 years and 16 healthy controls (HCs). Three-dimensional T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging and ¹⁸ F-SynVesT-1 positron emission tomography were conducted. Cognitive function was assessed using the Wisconsin Cart Sorting Test (WCST) in patients with OCD and HCs. Correlative analysis was performed to examine the association between synaptic density reduction and cognitive dysfunction.
Results
Compared with HCs, patients with OCD showed reduced synaptic density in regions of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit such as the bilateral putamen, left caudate, left parahippocampal gyrus, left insula, left parahippocampal gyrus and left middle occipital lobe (voxel p<0.001, uncorrected, with cluster level above 50 contiguous voxels). The per cent conceptual-level responses of WCST were positively associated with the synaptic density reduction in the left middle occipital gyrus (R ² =0.1690, p=0.030), left parahippocampal gyrus (R ² =0.1464, p=0.045) and left putamen (R ² =0.1967, p=0.018) in patients with OCD.
Conclusions
Adults with OCD demonstrated lower ¹⁸ F-labelled difluoro analogue of ¹⁸ F-SynVesT-1 compared with HCs, indicating potentially lower synaptic density. This is the first study to explore the synaptic density in patients with OCD and provides insights into potential biological targets for cognitive dysfunctions in OCD.
... Forearm measurements were obtained from each forearm. To determine handedness, participants were prompted with questions from the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory [23] to objectively identify handedness in activities of daily living such as writing, drawing or using utensils. A seven day physical activity questionnaire adapted from Sarkin et al. [24] was completed to confirm current physical activity habits. ...
The human forearm model is commonly employed in physiological investigations exploring local vascular function and oxygen delivery; however, the effect of arm dominance on exercising forearm hemodynamics and skeletal muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) in untrained individuals is poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effect of self-identified arm dominance on forearm hemodynamics and SmO2 in untrained individuals during submaximal, non-ischemic forearm exercise. Twenty healthy individuals (23±4 years, 50% female; 80% right-handed) completed three-minute bouts of supine rhythmic (1 second contraction: 2 second relaxation duty cycle) forearm handgrip exercise at both absolute (10kg; 98N) and relative (30% of maximal voluntary contraction) intensities in each forearm. Beat-by-beat measures of forearm blood flow (FBF; ml/min), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP; mmHg) and flexor digitorum superficialis SmO2 (%) were obtained throughout and averaged during the final 30 seconds of rest, exercise, and recovery while forearm vascular conductance was calculated (FVC; ml/min/100mmHg). Data are Δ from rest (mean±SD). Absolute force production did not differ between non-dominant and dominant arms (97±11 vs. 98±13 N, p = 0.606) whereas relative force production in females did (69±24 vs. 82±25 N, p = 0.001). At both exercise intensities, FBFRELAX, FVCRELAX, MAPRELAX, and the time constant tau for FBF and SmO2 were unaffected by arm dominance (all p>0.05). While arm dominance did not influence SmO2 during absolute intensity exercise (p = 0.506), the non-dominant arm in females experienced an attenuated reduction in SmO2 during relative intensity exercise (-14±10 vs. -19±8%, p = 0.026)–though exercise intensity was also reduced (p = 0.001). The present investigation has demonstrated that arm dominance in untrained individuals does not impact forearm hemodynamics or SmO2 during handgrip exercise.
... Participants were defined as ablebodied based on a standardized general eligibility questionnaire, with no history of neurological, psychiatric, or medical diseases and no intake of medication. All participants were right-handed (except one who had no preference), according to the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Laterality quotient: 88.1 ± 25.9 mean ± SD) 36 . ...
Motor learning relies on experience-dependent plasticity in relevant neural circuits. In four experiments, we provide initial evidence and a double-blinded, sham-controlled replication (Experiment I-II) demonstrating that motor learning involving ballistic index finger movements is improved by preceding paired corticospinal-motoneuronal stimulation (PCMS), a human model for exogenous induction of spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Behavioral effects of PCMS targeting corticomotoneuronal (CM) synapses are order- and timing-specific and partially bidirectional (Experiment III). PCMS with a 2 ms inter-arrival interval at CM-synapses enhances learning and increases corticospinal excitability compared to control protocols. Unpaired stimulations did not increase corticospinal excitability (Experiment IV). Our findings demonstrate that non-invasively induced plasticity interacts positively with experience-dependent plasticity to promote motor learning. The effects of PCMS on motor learning approximate Hebbian learning rules, while the effects on corticospinal excitability demonstrate timing-specificity but not bidirectionality. These findings offer a mechanistic rationale to enhance motor practice effects by priming sensorimotor training with individualized PCMS.
... d = −.22]. There were two lefthanded participants in each group, as measured with the Oldfield questionnaire (Oldfield, 1971), and handedness did not differ between groups either [t (28) = −.17, p = .86, ...
... We used the Joint Position Reproduction Test (JPR) (Goble, 2010) to assess PAc for the dominant and the non-dominant elbow and knee joints. Hand dominance was assessed with the Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire (Oldfield, 1971), while foot dominance was assessed with Waterloo Footedness Questionnaire (Elias et al., 1998). A custom-made computer-controlled motorized device, dubbed proprioceptor, was used, that could precisely ( ± 0.5 degree) move and measure joint positions. ...
Proprioceptive accuracy (PAc), i.e., the acuity of perception of the state of different parts of the motor system, shows substantial intraindividual differences, and is often considered a general ability. However, it is questionable whether there is an association between accuracies measured with different tests at different body sites. With the participation of 87 young individuals with regular physical activity, PAc with respect to both knee and elbow joints (joint position reproduction) and the flexors of the upper arms (weight discrimination) was measured with multiple indices. Expected and perceived performance was also assessed for each behavioral task. Frequentist and Bayesian analysis largely supported the idea that PAc with respect to various parts of the motor system are unrelated. No dominant-subdominant differences for actual performance were found; however, PAc for the dominant and subdominant limb were associated in many cases. Finally, perceived performance was related to expected but not to actual performance for all three proprioceptive modalities. In conclusion, actual accuracy of perception of the actual state of a part (i.e., joint, muscle) of the motor system cannot be generalized to other parts. Perceived accuracy, dominantly shaped by expectations, is independent from actual accuracy.
Ultra-processed foods high in fat and sugar may be addictive, in part, due to their purported ability to induce an exaggerated postingestive brain dopamine response akin to drugs of abuse. Using standard [ ¹¹ C]raclopride positron emission tomography (PET) displacement methods used to measure brain dopamine responses to addictive drugs, we measured postingestive striatal dopamine responses to an ultra-processed milkshake high in fat and sugar in 50 young, healthy adults over a wide body mass index range (BMI 20-45 kg/m ² ). Surprisingly, milkshake consumption did not result in significant postingestive dopamine response in the striatum ( p =0.62) nor any striatal subregion (p>0.33) and the highly variable interindividual responses were not significantly related to adiposity (BMI: r =0.076, p =0.51; %body fat: r =0.16, p =0.28). Thus, postingestive striatal dopamine responses to an ultra-processed milkshake were likely substantially smaller than many addictive drugs and below the limits of detection using standard PET methods.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03648892
Pain-related motor adaptations may be enacted predictively at the mere threat of pain, before pain occurrence. Yet, in humans, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying motor adaptations in anticipation of pain remain poorly understood. We tracked the evolution of changes in corticospinal excitability (CSE) as healthy adults learned to anticipate the occurrence of lateralized, muscle-specific pain to the upper limb. Using a Pavlovian threat conditioning task, different visual stimuli predicted pain to the right or left forearm (experiment 1) or hand (experiment 2). During stimuli presentation before pain occurrence, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied over the left primary motor cortex to probe CSE and elicit motor evoked potentials from target right forearm and hand muscles. The correlation between participants' trait anxiety and CSE was also assessed. Results showed that threat of pain triggered corticospinal inhibition specifically in the limb where pain was expected. In addition, corticospinal inhibition was modulated relative to the threatened muscle, with threat of pain to the forearm inhibiting the forearm and hand muscles, whereas threat of pain to the hand inhibited the hand muscle only. Finally, stronger corticospinal inhibition correlated with greater trait anxiety. These results advance the mechanistic understanding of pain processes showing that pain-related motor adaptations are enacted at the mere threat of pain, as sets of anticipatory, topographically organized motor changes that are associated with the expected pain and are shaped by individual anxiety levels. Including such anticipatory motor changes into models of pain may lead to new treatments for pain-related disorders.
The purpose was to identify the variables that can explain the variance in the grooved pegboard times of older adults categorized as either fast or slow performers. Participants (n = 28; 60–83 years) completed two experimental sessions, before and after 6 practice sessions of the grooved pegboard test. The 2 groups were identified based on average pegboard times during the practice sessions. Average pegboard time during practice was 73 ± 11 s for the fast group and 85 ± 13 s for the slow group. Explanatory variables for the pegboard times before and after practice were the durations of 4 peg-manipulation phases and 12 measures of force steadiness (coefficient of variation [CV] for force) during isometric contractions with the index finger abductor and wrist extensor muscles. Time to complete the grooved pegboard test after practice decreased by 25 ± 11% for the fast group and by 28 ± 10% for the slow group. Multiple regression models explained more of the variance in the pegboard times for the fast group before practice (Adjusted R² = 0.85) than after practice (R² = 0.51), whereas the variance explained for the slow group was similar before (Adjusted R² = 0.67) and after (Adjusted R² = 0.64) practice. The explanatory variables differed between before and after practice for the fast group but only slightly for the slow group. These findings indicate that performance-based stratification of older adults can identify unique adjustments in motor function that are independent of chronological age.
The intention to include another person in an interaction (i.e., social intention) is known to influence the spatio-temporal characteristics of motor performances. However, the interplay between these kinematic variations and the social cues provided by eye gaze has not been properly assessed yet. In the present study, we tested whether limiting the access to eye gaze altered the motor-related effects of social intention on motor performances. In a dyadic interaction, the agents’ task was to displace a dummy glass to a new position with the intention to fill it themselves (personal intention) or having it filled by the observers facing them (social intention). The observers performed their action only when they were able to identify a social intention in agents’ action. The task was performed while having access to observers’ eye gaze or not, through the manipulation of an occluder. Results showed an effect of social intention on agents’ motor performances, that induced an amplification of the kinematic spatio-temporal parameters. Such amplification was smaller when the observers’ eye gaze was not available. In this latter condition, the identification of the social intention in the observed actions was impaired. Altogether, the results suggest that the presence of eye gaze cues contributes significantly to the success of social interaction, by facilitating the expression and the understanding of social intentions through the kinematics of object-directed actions.
Main theories of embodied cognition assume that arbitrary abstract concepts (e.g., words, numbers) are understood through their grounding in our sensory-motor system. Recent evidence shows that performing iconic finger embodied gestures (finger-montring) primes number processing, suggesting a shared numerical semantic representation between Arabic and finger-numeral representations. However, it is still unknown in which hemisphere this cross-talk could happen. To investigate where the cross-modal semantic priming between self-experienced iconic finger-postures and visual Arabic digit processing would occur in the brain, we tested educated adults in a simple numerical identification task with lateralized stimuli, while they covertly executed task-irrelevant finger-montring configurations. Participants were instructed to identify a set of Arabic digits (2-3-4) presented in each hemisphere by Divided Visual Field (DVF) paradigm responding with one hand, while the non-responding hand was fixed in canonical (iconic) or non-canonical (non-iconic) finger-posture. Results showed that RTs for Arabic digit (e.g., 3) identification were faster in left hemisphere, particularly when participants’ non-responding hand was fixed in canonical configuration compared to non-canonical configuration, but only when both bodily-hand information and visual stimuli were matched simultaneously within the left hemisphere. On the other hand, no semantic priming was found when both stimuli (body and visual) were matched in the right hemisphere. These results suggest that own proprioceptive perception of finger-numeral postures primes symbolic number processing in left hemisphere but not in the right, at least for small numbers. Taken together, we illustrate a clear hemispheric asymmetry in the semantic integration between iconic finger-numeral and Arabic-digit representations.
Background
Over 50% of individuals with aphasia face ongoing word‐finding issues. Studies have found phonologically oriented therapy helpful for English speakers, but this has not yet been studied in French. It is essential to assess the effectiveness of such a therapy in French, considering the distinct linguistic typologies between both languages, which may impact the outcomes of phonologically oriented interventions.
Aim
This paper evaluates the effectiveness of French Phonological Component Analysis (Fr‐PCA) on communication skills of individuals with chronic aphasia and the impact of individual factors on treatment success.
Methods & Procedures
Eighteen individuals with chronic aphasia received 15 h of Fr‐PCA therapy over 5 weeks. Naming accuracy for treated and untreated words was measured before and after therapy, as well as at 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐ups. Secondary outcome measures included standardized tests measuring within‐level generalization (object and action naming) and across‐level generalization (repetition, verbal fluency, oral comprehension, communication effectiveness reported by a frequent communication partner).
Outcomes & Results
Fr‐PCA led to improved accuracy for treated (17 participants out of 18) and untreated words (9 participants out of 18), with gains maintained at 6‐month follow‐up (7 participants out of 10 for treated and 6 participants out of 10 for untreated), and generalization to communication effectiveness reported by a frequent communication partner (11 participants out of 16). Age, apraxia of speech severity and initial anomia severity impacted therapy gains.
Conclusions & Implications
Though more research is needed, results suggest Fr‐PCA benefits French individuals living with aphasia. Identifying individual factors influencing therapy gains could enable clinicians to improve therapy tailoring.
WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS
What is already known on this subject
Phonological Component Analysis (PCA) improves naming of treated and untreated items in individuals living with aphasia. There is also evidence supporting long‐lasting benefits following PCA. However, PCA has never been studied in French, a language presenting with a different linguistic typology than English, and we know little as to which individual factors can influence PCA therapy benefits.
What this paper adds to existing knowledge
Through group‐level analyses on both personalized sets and standardized tests, this study shows that PCA constitutes an effective therapy protocol for francophone individuals living with aphasia. The gains are measured on treated and untreated items and generalized to levels other than naming, such as communication effectiveness. Individual factors such as age, initial anomia severity and apraxia of speech severity influence therapy outcomes.
What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?
There is now evidence supporting PCA in French, a language with strong morphological‐phonological interactions. Furthermore, when working with individuals living with aphasia and severe anomia or apraxia of speech, gains can still be made, but might be longer to attain.
Individuals experience difficulty falling asleep in a new environment, termed the first night effect (FNE). However, the impact of the FNE on sleep-induced brain plasticity remains unclear. Here, using a within-subject design, we found that the FNE significantly reduces visual plasticity during sleep in young adults. Sleep-onset latency (SOL), an indicator of the FNE, was significantly longer during the first sleep session than the second session, confirming the FNE. We assessed performance gains in visual perceptual learning after sleep and increases in the excitatory-to-inhibitory neurotransmitter (E/I) ratio in early visual areas during sleep using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and polysomnography. These parameters were significantly smaller in sleep with the FNE than in sleep without the FNE; however, these parameters were not correlated with SOL. These results suggest that while the neural mechanisms of the FNE and brain plasticity are independent, sleep disturbances temporarily block the neurochemical process fundamental for brain plasticity.
Amaç: Dünyada pandeminin sürdüğü esnada COVID-19’in uzun süreli etkileri rapor edilmeye başlandı ve 12 haftadan uzun süren olgular uzun-covid sendromu olarak ifade edildi. Uzun covid sendromunun en belirgin ifadesi sinir sistemi üzerine gösterdiği belirtilerdi. Bu etkiler uzun covid sendromuna bağlı “beyin sisi” olarak adlandırıldı. Biz de bu çalışma da COVID-19 geçirmiş bireylerde nörokognitif etkileri denetlemeyi amaçladık. Yöntemler: Bu amaçla benzer yaş grubuna sahip, tanı aldıkları tarihten 12 hafta geçmiş COVID-19 geçiren 36 katılımcı yanı sıra COVID-19 tanısı almamış 35 birey çalışmaya dahil edildi. Bu çalışmada Simon etkisi olarak adlandırılan yönelim etkisinin test edilebilmesi için hazırlanmış işitsel bir görev katılımcılara uygulandı. Eş zamanlı olarak EEG kayıtları alındı. Görev esnasında tüm katılımcıların kayıtları üzerinde olay ilişkili potansiyel kayıtları alındı. Bulgular: Çalışmanın davranış sonuçlarında gruplar arası test başarı oranı arasında fark yoktu. Fakat covid grubu kontrol grubuna göre görev tamamlama ve reaksiyon sürelerinde artış gözlendi. Olay ilişkili potansiyel kayıtlarında uyumlu uyaran sunumunda neredeyse tüm dalga amplitüd ve latansları iki grup için benzerdi. Bunun aksine uyumsuz uyaran sunumunda gruplar arasından N2 amplitüd ve latansları bakımından anlamlı fark gözlendi. Bununla birlikte covid grubu P3 Δt kontrol grubuna göre artmıştı. Çalışma sonuçlarımızda gözlenen covid grubundaki reaksiyon süresi artışı elektrofizyolojik ölçümlerde de doğrulandı. Sonuç: Bulgular COVID-19’un dikkatin oluşumu ve uyarana karşın cevap hazırlığı esnasında inhibitör işlemin azaldığını. COVID-19’a bağlı yaşanan beyin sisinin dikkatin ön işlem basamaklarında meydana geldiğini gösterdi.
Brain-damaged and normal rats were trained to run from the start box to the end box in order to avoid shock (active avoidance response) and subsequently were trained not to run from the start box to the end box in order to avoid shock (passive avoidance response). Destruction of either the hippocampo-septal system, rostral internal capsule, or medial hypothalamus interfered with acquisition of both avoidance habits. Lesions of the medial thalamus, amygdala, medial forebrain bundle, or ventral midbrain interfered only with acquisition of active avoidance.
Rats that fail on a simple active-avoidance test because of the presence of medial thalamic damage will often avoid if the septal area is damaged in a 2nd operation. Thus supports an earlier hypothesis that rats with medial thalamic lesions can learn an active-avoidance habit but are incapable of quick voluntary movements when frightened. Since septal lesions alone (thalamus intact) impair avoidance performance, it may be that septal damage has 2 independent effects: (a) impairment of an inhibitory system, and (b) impairment of learning ability. (18 ref.)
Reports a questionnaire study of the prevalence of left-handedness among musicians, and the difficulties, which lefthanders experienced in acquiring executant skills. It was found that left-handedness is neither less nor more common in the group of musicians studied than in a population of psychology undergraduates, and that left-handedness did not in general occasion any special difficulty. The left-handers adapted successfully to the right-handedness of their instruments, the only substanial connection in which left-handed practices were retained being in conducting. It is suggested that right-handedness is less a matter of superior inherent dexterity or the capacity for agility, precision, and speed in the right hand than of closer, more immediate, availability of the right hand as the instrument of the individual's conceptions and intentions. It is also suggested that the special function of the dominant cerebral hemisphere is to mediate between the executive intentions of the individual and his physical means of expressing them, whether through manual or vocal channels. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
A target, a pin, an escape, and a treasure test of hand dominance were devised. The battery proved to have a reliability of .76 to .91. By its use, 4¼ to 5% of the children were found to be left-handed. These findings were also checked against a criterion questionnaire. Among results found by the study were the following: Distributions of handedness show "no evidence of being normal curves." The measures of handedness used were positively correlated, the
r's ranging from .2827 to 1.00 (corrected for attenuation). Changes in handedness with age were relatively slight, being greater in those tests requiring a high degree of coordination and control. The right-handed group proved to be superior to the left-handed in school achievement and in intelligence tests. The criterion questionnaire promises to be useful in selecting out right- and left-handed subjects for further investigation. A bibliography of 12 titles accompanies the article. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
THREE main areas within the diencephalon are known to be concerned with somatosensory mechanisms; these are the ventrobasal complex, the intralaminar complex, and the posterior group. It is generally accepted that the afferents to the ventrobasal complex are organized in a simple somatotopic fashion1,2, whereas the input to the intralaminar complex3,4 and to the posterior group4,5 is non-somatotopic and generally of long latency. The arrangement of afferents to the ventrobasal complex may be more complex than previously supposed6,7, and the lateral thalamic nuclei may also be involved in somatosensory activity7. Furthermore, the properties of the nuclei of the dorsal column show a rostro-caudal differentiation8,9, and it has been suggested that this is reflected in a differential termination of the medial lemniscus10. We have investigated the distribution of degeneration in the rat diencephalon using the Nauta method11,12 after lesions made separately in the gracile and cuneate nuclei, the spinal cord at different levels from the spinomedullary junction to the lumbar region, and the trigeminal nuclear complex.
Right, mixed and left handers are found in binomial proportions in seven samples of varied subjects whose lateral prefernces were ascertained by several methods. These proportions have been obtained in previous studies of humans and animals when the performance of several actions has been recorded in complete samples and when consistent right and left subjects have been separated from those of mixed usage.
By electrocoagulation of the thalamic posterior commissure, the electroencephalographic arousal by high frequency stimulation
of the thalamic unspecific nuclei was prevented, whereas the synchronizing influence on the cerebral cortex remained intact.
On this ground, the role of the "thalamic reticular system" in the control of the cerebral rhythms is discussed.
Handedness and Cerebral Dominance
- Humphrey