fMRI和MEG研究出版物中的EyeLink眼动仪

@article{Raffin2026,

title = {Causal disconnectomics of motion perception networks: Insights from transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced BOLD responses},

author = {Estelle Raffin and Roberto F. Salamanca-Giron and Krystel R. Huxlin and Olivier Reynaud and Loan Mattera and Roberto Martuzzi and Friedhelm C. Hummel},

doi = {10.1113/JP289699#support-information-section},

year  = {2026},

date = {2026-01-01},

journal = {The Journal of Physiology},

volume = {604},

pages = {503–526},

abstract = {Understanding how focal perturbations trigger large-scale network reorganization is essential for uncovering the neural mechanisms that support perception and behaviour. Here we used a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) perturbational approach by applying brief 10 Hz TMS to early visual areas (EVAs) or the medio-temporal (MT) area in healthy participants while recording concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). TMS delivered during the early stages of motion processing specifically impaired direction discrimination at both sites,whereas disruption of the later processing phase impaired performances only for the MT condition. Despite a similar local increase in BOLD activity induced by EVA and MT stimulation, the broader network responses diverged significantly. Perturbation ofEVA elicited a more robust and efficient pattern of functional reorganization, manifesting as more constrained BOLD changes, consistent with greater resilience to focal disruption. In contrast behavioural impairments induced by MT stimulation were accompanied by a disorganized and less-efficient network configuration, characterized by smaller small-world properties and longer path lengths. The decrease in performances induced by MT stimulation scaled with lower clustering coefficients, implying a more random or decentralized network structure. These findings demonstrate that TMS-fMRI coupling provides a powerful framework for causally mapping the relationships between local neural perturbations, large-scale network dynamics and behavioural performance.},

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}

@article{Du2025,

title = {Within-individual precision mapping of brain networks exclusively using task data},

author = {Jingnan Du and Vaibhav Tripathi and Maxwell L. Elliott and Joanna Ladopoulou and Wendy Sun and Mark C. Eldaief and Randy L. Buckner},

doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2025.08.029},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Neuron},

volume = {113},

pages = {4069–4083},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {Precision mapping of brain networks within individuals prevailingly relies on functional connectivity analysis of resting-state data. Here, we explored whether networks can be estimated using only task data. Correlation matrices estimated from task data were similar to those derived from resting-state data. The largest factor affecting similarity was the amount of data. Precision networks estimated from task data showed strong spatial overlap with those derived from resting-state data and predicted the same triple functional dissociation in independent data. To illustrate novel possibilities enabled by the present methods, we mapped the detailed organization of thalamic association zones within individuals by pooling extensive resting-state and task data. We also demonstrated how task data can be used to estimate networks while simultaneously extracting task responses. Broadly, these findings suggest that there is an underlying, stable network architecture that is idiosyncratic to the individual and persists across task states.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Ferreira2025,

title = {Improvements induced by retinal gene therapy with voretigene neparvovec depend on visual cortical hemispheric dominance mechanisms},

author = {Mariana Ferreira and João Pedro Marques and Miguel Raimundo and Hugo Quental and Miguel Castelo-Branco},

doi = {10.1038/s43856-025-00820-y},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Communications Medicine},

volume = {5},

number = {1},

pages = {1–9},

publisher = {Springer Nature},

abstract = {Background: RPE65-associated retinal degeneration (RPE65-RD) causes severe visual deficits. Gene therapy with AAV2-hRPE65v2 is a breakthrough but it is currently unknown which visual pathways benefit from treatment and if cortical mechanisms can amplify retinal improvements. Methods: In this within-subject design, ten patients with biallelic RPE65-RD underwent sub-retinal injection of AAV2-hRPE65v2. Psychophysical full-field stimulus threshold determination and functional magnetic resonance imaging were performed before and 12 months after treatment. Population receptive fields (pRF) were computed in V1 and visual responses assessed using contrast-reversed checkerboards (3 contrast levels). Results: Here we show significant improvement in light sensitivity at low-luminance and neural response enhancements under low-luminance conditions specifically in the right hemisphere, which is known to show dominance in attentional and visual pooling of spatial information. Changes in pRF size also reflect known hemispheric spatial asymmetries (left/right biased for local/global analysis, respectively). Conclusions: Our findings show a contribution of known early and high-level cortical dominance mechanisms on improvement, which constrain the effects of therapy and are therefore a target for neurorehabilitation. These findings provide insight into the limits of clinical benefits of gene therapy and suggest that neurorehabilitation approaches may be needed to enhance improvements, similarly to cochlear implants.},

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}

@article{Graichen2025,

title = {Entorhinal grid-like codes for visual space during memory formation},

author = {Luise P. Graichen and Magdalena S. Linder and Lars Keuter and Ole Jensen and Christian F. Doeller and Claus Lamm and Tobias Staudigl and Isabella C. Wagner},

doi = {10.1038/s41467-025-64307-z},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Nature Communications},

volume = {16},

number = {1},

pages = {1–15},

publisher = {Nature Research},

abstract = {Eye movements, such as saccades, allow us to gather information about the environment and, in this way, can shape memory. In non-human primates, saccades are associated with the activity of grid cells in the entorhinal cortex. Grid cells are essential for spatial navigation, but whether saccade-based grid-like signals play a role in human memory formation is currently unclear. Here, human participants undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging and continuous eye gaze monitoring while studying scene images. Recognition memory is probed immediately thereafter. Results reveal saccade-based grid-like codes in the left entorhinal cortex that are specific to later remembered trials during study, a finding that we replicate with an independent data set. The grid-related effects are time-locked to activation increases in the frontal eye fields. Unexpectedly, lower saccade-based grid-like codes are associated with better subsequent recognition memory performance. Our findings suggest an entorhinal map of visual space that is timed with neural activity in oculomotor regions, and negatively associated with subsequent memory. Grid-like codes, entorhinal cortex, saccades, frontal eye fields (FEF), memory, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Gu2025,

title = {Reading comprehension in L1 and L2 readers: Neurocomputational mechanisms revealed through large language models},

author = {Chanyuan Gu and Samuel A. Nastase and Zaid Zada and Ping Li},

doi = {10.1038/s41539-025-00337-y},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {npj Science of Learning},

volume = {10},

number = {1},

pages = {1–13},

publisher = {Springer Nature},

abstract = {While evidence has accumulated to support the argument of shared computational mechanisms underlying language comprehension between humans and large language models (LLMs), few studies have examined this argument beyond native-speaker populations. This study examines whether and how alignment between LLMs and human brains captures the homogeneity and heterogeneity in both first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) readers. We recorded brain responses of L1 and L2 English readers of texts and assessed reading performance against individual difference factors. At the group level, the two groups displayed comparable model-brain alignment in widespread regions, with similar unique contributions from contextual embeddings. At the individual level, multiple regression models revealed the effects of linguistic abilities on alignment for both groups, but effects of attentional ability and language dominance status for L2 readers only. These findings provide evidence that LLMs serve as cognitively plausible models in characterizing homogeneity and heterogeneity in reading across human populations.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Li2025b,

title = {An fMRI dataset on occluded image interpretation for human amodal completion research},

author = {Bao Li and Li Tong and Chi Zhang and Panpan Chen and Long Cao and Hui Gao and Zi Ya Yu and Lin Yuan Wang and Bin Yan},

doi = {10.1038/s41597-025-05414-w},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Scientific Data},

volume = {12},

number = {1},

pages = {1–10},

publisher = {Nature Research},

abstract = {In everyday environments, partially occluded objects are more common than fully visible ones. Despite their visual incompleteness, the human brain can reconstruct these objects to form coherent perceptual representations, a phenomenon referred to as amodal completion. However, current computer vision systems still struggle to accurately infer the hidden portions of occluded objects. While the neural mechanisms underlying amodal completion have been partially explored, existing findings often lack consistency, likely due to limited sample sizes and varied stimulus materials. To address these gaps, we introduce a novel fMRI dataset,the Occluded Image Interpretation Dataset (OIID), which captures human perception during image interpretation under different levels of occlusion. This dataset includes fMRI responses and behavioral data from 65 participants. The OIID enables researchers to identify the brain regions involved in processing occluded images and examines individual differences in functional responses. Our work contributes to a deeper understanding of how the human brain interprets incomplete visual information and offers valuable insights for advancing both theoretical research and related practical applications in amodal completion fields.},

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@article{Liu2025p,

title = {Cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in category selectivity in visual cortex following pediatric cortical resection},

author = {Tina T. Liu and Michael C. Granovetter and Anne Margarette Anne and Sophia Robert and Jason Z Fu and Christina Patterson and David C. Plaut and Marlene Behrmann},

doi = {10.1038/s42003-025-08554-2},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Communications Biology},

volume = {8},

number = {1},

pages = {1–18},

publisher = {Nature Research},

abstract = {The topographic organization of category-selective responses in human ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOTC) and its relationship to regions subserving language functions is remarkably uniform across individuals. This arrangement is thought to result from the clustering of neurons responding to similar inputs, constrained by intrinsic architecture and tuned by experience. We examine the malleability of this organization in individuals with unilateral resection of VOTC during childhood for the management of drug-resistant epilepsy. In cross-sectional and longitudinal functional imaging studies, we compare the topography and neural representations of 17 category-selective regions in individuals with a VOTC resection, a ‘control patient' with a resection outside VOTC, and typically developing matched controls. We demonstrate both adherence to and deviation from the standard topography, particularly with respect to the hemispheric lateralization of category-selective regions, and uncover fine-grained competitive dynamics between word- and face-selectivity over time in the single, preserved VOTC. The findings elucidate the nature and extent of cortical plasticity and highlight the potential for remodeling of extrastriate architecture and function.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Mortazavi2025,

title = {REM sleep quality is associated with balanced tonic activity of the locus coeruleus during wakefulness},

author = {Nasrin Mortazavi and Puneet Talwar and Ekaterina Koshmanova and Roya Sharifpour and Elise Beckers and Alexandre Berger and Islay Campbell and Ilenia Paparella and Fermin Balda and Ismael Dardour Hamzaoui and Christian Berthomier and Christine Bastin and Christophe Phillips and Pierre Maquet and Fabienne Collette and Mikhail Zubkov and Laurent Lamalle and Gilles Vandewalle},

doi = {10.1186/s12929-025-01127-9},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Journal of Biomedical Science},

volume = {32},

number = {1},

pages = {1–13},

publisher = {BioMed Central Ltd},

abstract = {Background: Animal studies established that the locus coeruleus (LC) plays important roles in sleep and wakefulness regulation. Whether it contributes to sleep variability in humans is not yet established. Here, we investigated if the in vivo activity of the LC is related to the variability in the quality of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. Methods: We assessed the LC activity of 34 healthy younger (~ 22y) and 18 older (~ 61y) individuals engaged in bottom-up and top-down cognitive tasks using 7-Tesla functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). We further recorded their sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) to evaluate associations between LC fMRI measures and REM sleep EEG metrics. Results: Theta oscillation energy during REM sleep was positively associated with LC response in the top-down task. In contrast, REM sleep theta energy was negatively associated with LC activity in older individuals during the bottom-up task. Importantly, sigma oscillations power immediately preceding a REM sleep episode was positively associated with LC activity in the top-down task. Conclusions: LC activity during wakefulness was related to REM sleep intensity and to a transient EEG change preceding REM sleep, a feature causally related to LC activity in animal studies. The associations depend on the cognitive task, suggesting that a balanced level of LC tonic activity during wakefulness is required for optimal expression of REM sleep. The findings may have implications for the high prevalence of sleep complaints reported in aging and for disorders such as insomnia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease, for which the LC may play pivotal roles through sleep.},

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pubstate = {published},

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}

@article{Storm2025,

title = {Functional brain activity in persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) during galvanic vestibular stimulation reveals sensitization in the multisensory vestibular cortical network},

author = {Renana Storm and Viktoria Wrobel and Antonia Frings and Andreas Sprenger and Christoph Helmchen},

doi = {10.1038/s41598-025-11529-2},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Scientific Reports},

volume = {15},

number = {1},

pages = {1–11},

publisher = {Nature Research},

abstract = {Persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is often preceded by vestibular disorders. We applied galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) and related stimulus-evoked activity to individual ratings of perceived motion for each stimulus and to perceived egomotion thresholds by GVS and behavioural parameters outside the scanner: levels of functional disability by standardized questionnaires, visual motion coherence, passive egomotion perception by chair rotation and quantitative postural stability. We hypothesized that the preceding vestibular disorder predisposes to abnormal brain excitability by vestibular stimulation. All participants showed normal vestibular function tests on quantitative testing. GVS with different intensities was applied to 28 patients and 28 age- and gender-matched healthy participants (HC) in the scanner. After each stimulus, participants rated their perceived level of egomotion. GVS perception threshold was significantly lower in PPPD patients. Contrasting stimulus-identical GVS against a sham stimulus, group comparison revealed a stronger activation in the patient's supramarginal gyrus, insular cortex (operculum 3), and vermis. This stronger excitability was not related to the individual threshold of perceived egomotion by GVS. Patients rated GVS-evoked egomotion intensity by identical GVS intensities larger than HC but neural activity did not correlate with individual ratings of perceived egomotion by GVS. As GVS evoked larger egomotion and larger brain activation in patients, the ratio of brain activity to egomotion perception was not different between groups. GVS-evoked insular activity increased with the level of PPPD-related disability and postural imbalance. The larger activation in multisensory cortical vestibular network indicates a sensitization to vestibular stimuli eliciting egomotion perception which increases with levels of PPPD disability. It seems to reflect a sensory-neural amplification rather than an abnormal sensory-perceptual scaling.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Tuencok2025,

title = {Spatial attention selectively alters visual cortical representation during target anticipation},

author = {Ekin Tünçok and Marisa Carrasco and Jonathan Winawer},

doi = {10.1038/s41467-025-63795-3},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Nature Communications},

volume = {16},

number = {1},

pages = {1–19},

publisher = {Nature Research},

abstract = {Attention enables us to efficiently and flexibly interact with the environment by prioritizing specific image locations and features in preparation for responding to stimuli. Using a concurrent psychophysics–fMRI experiment, we investigate how covert spatial attention modulates responses in human visual cortex before target onset and how it affects subsequent behavioral performance. Performance improves at cued locations and worsens at uncued locations compared to distributed attention, demonstrating a selective processing tradeoff. Pre-target BOLD responses in cortical visual field maps reveal two key changes: First, a stimulus-independent baseline shift, with increases near cued locations and decreases elsewhere, paralleling behavioral results. Second, a shift in population receptive field centers toward the attended location. Both effects increase in higher visual areas. Together, these findings reveal that spatial attention has large effects on visual cortex prior to target appearance, altering neural response properties across multiple visual field maps and enhancing performance through anticipatory mechanisms.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Yang2025e,

title = {Attentional failures after sleep deprivation are locked to joint neurovascular, pupil and cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics},

author = {Zinong Yang and Stephanie D. Williams and Ewa Beldzik and Stephanie Anakwe and Emilia Schimmelpfennig and Laura D. Lewis},

doi = {10.1038/s41593-025-02098-8},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

journal = {Nature Neuroscience},

pages = {2526–2536},

publisher = {Nature Research},

abstract = {Sleep deprivation rapidly disrupts cognitive function and in the long term contributes to neurological disease. Why sleep deprivation has such profound effects on cognition is not well understood. Here we use simultaneous fast fMRI–EEG to test how sleep deprivation modulates cognitive, neural and fluid dynamics in the human brain. We demonstrate that attentional failures during wakefulness after sleep deprivation are tightly orchestrated in a series of brain–body changes, including neuronal shifts, pupil constriction and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow pulsations, pointing to a coupled system of fluid dynamics and neuromodulatory state. CSF flow and hemodynamics are coupled to attentional function within the awake state, with CSF pulsations following attentional impairment. The timing of these dynamics is consistent with a vascular mechanism regulated by neuromodulatory state. The attentional costs of sleep deprivation may thus reflect an irrepressible need for rest periods driven by a central neuromodulatory system that regulates both neuronal and fluid physiology.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Chen2025i,

title = {Spatio-temporal bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory-based category decoding of natural dynamic facial expression stimuli from visual functional magnetic resonance imaging data},

author = {Panpan Chen and Chi Zhang and Bao Li and Li Tong and Long Cao and Ziya Yu and Bin Yan},

doi = {10.1093/cercor/bhaf232},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-11-01},

journal = {Cerebral Cortex},

volume = {35},

number = {11},

pages = {1–11},

publisher = {Oxford University Press},

abstract = {Visual perceptual decoding of facial expressions is a key focus in affective neuroscience. Developing a mapping model between visual content and signals is crucial for decoding. Most previous visual decoding models focused on brain responses to static images, neglecting temporal-dynamic feature modeling. Additionally, they input all visual cortices as a whole into the model, overlooking that visual information flows bidirectionally between the lower and higher visual cortices based on bottom-up and top-down visual mechanisms, thus hard to capture bidirectional information between visual regions located in different spatial positions. Here, we present a spatio-temporal bidirectional long short-term memory-based model to decode 3 categories of facial expressions from multi-time functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Specifically, we used the spatio-temporal bidirectional long short-term memory module with the ability to simulate time series to grasp the temporal-dependence from visual cortices, and its forward and backward directions simulate bidirectional information flow between visual cortices to capture the bidirectional spatial information. Experimental outcomes indicate that the mean decoding accuracy employing beta estimates of multi-time response signals (Repetition TimesTR1-6 1 to 6) from 5 participants is significantly higher than that of other time points signals, unidirectional connections, and publicly available models. These results reveal that our model captures temporal-dependencies and bidirectional spatial information from the visual cortices, enhancing decoding performance.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Lehet2025,

title = {Altered effective connectivity within a thalamocortical corollary discharge network in individuals with schizophrenia},

author = {Matthew Lehet and Beier Yao and Ivy F. Tso and Vaibhav A. Diwadkar and Jessica Fattal and Jacqueline Bao and Katharine N. Thakkar},

doi = {10.1093/schbul/sbae232},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-11-01},

journal = {Schizophrenia Bulletin},

volume = {51},

number = {6},

pages = {1637–1650},

publisher = {Oxford University Press},

abstract = {Study Design: Here, we modeled fMRI data using dy- namic causal modeling (DCM) to examine patient-control differences in effective connectivity evoked by a double-step (DS) task (30 SZ, 29 HC). The interrogated network was formed from a combination of (1) functionally identified FEF and IPS regions that robustly responded on DS trials and (2) anatomically identified thalamic regions involved in CD transmission. We also examined the relationship between clinical symptoms and effective connectivity parameters associated with task modulation of network pathways. Study Results: Network connectivity was indeed modulated by the DS task, which involves CD transmission. More importantly, we found reduced effective connectivity from thalamus to IPS in SZ, which was further correlated with passivity symptom severity. Conclusions: These results reaffirm the importance of IPS and thalamocortical connections in oculomotor CD signaling and provide mechanistic insights into CD alterations and consequently agency disturbances in schizophrenia.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Shackman2025,

title = {Blunted ventral striatal reactivity to social reward is associated with more severe motivation and pleasure deficits in psychosis},

author = {Alexander J. Shackman and Jason F. Smith and Ryan D. Orth and Christina L. G. Savage and Paige R. Didier and Julie M. McCarthy and Melanie E. Bennett and Jack J. Blanchard},

doi = {10.1093/schbul/sbae221},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-11-01},

journal = {Schizophrenia Bulletin},

volume = {51},

number = {6},

pages = {1620–1636},

publisher = {Oxford University Press},

abstract = {Background and Hypothesis: Among individuals living with psychotic disorders, social impairment is common, debilitating, and challenging to treat. While the roots of this impairment are undoubtedly complex, converging lines of evidence suggest that social motivation and pleasure (MAP) deficits play a central role. Yet most neuroimaging studies have focused on monetary rewards, precluding decisive inferences. Study Design: Here we leveraged parallel social and monetary incentive delay functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigms to test whether blunted reactivity to social incentives in the ventral striatum - a key component of the distributed neural circuit mediating appetitive motivation and hedonic pleasure - is associated with more severe MAP symptoms in a transdiagnostic adult sample enriched for psychosis. To maximize ecological validity and translational relevance, we capitalized on naturalistic audiovisual clips of an established social partner expressing positive feedback. Study Results: Although both paradigms robustly engaged the ventral striatum, only reactivity to social incentives was associated with clinician-rated MAP deficits. This association remained significant when controlling for other symptoms, binary diagnostic status, or striatal reactivity to monetary incentives. Follow-up analyses suggested that this association predominantly reflects diminished activation during the presentation of social reward. Conclusions These observations provide a neurobiologically grounded framework for conceptualizing the social-anhedonia symptoms and social impairments that characterize many individuals living with psychotic disorders and underscore the need to develop targeted intervention strategies.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Gu2025a,

title = {Attractor dynamics of working memory explain a concurrent evolution of stimulus-specific and decision-consistent biases in visual estimation},

author = {Hyunwoo Gu and Joonwon Lee and Sungje Kim and Jaeseob Lim and Hyang Jung Lee and Heeseung Lee and Min Jin Choe and Dong Yoo and Jun Hwan (Joshua) Ryu and Sukbin Lim and Sang Hun Lee},

doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2025.07.003},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-10-01},

journal = {Neuron},

volume = {113},

number = {20},

pages = {3476–3490},

publisher = {Cell Press},

abstract = {Sensory evidence tends to be fleeting, often unavailable when we categorize or estimate world features. To overcome this, our brains sustain sensory information in working memory (WM). Although keeping that information accurate while acting on it is vital, humans display two canonical biases: estimates are biased toward a few stimuli (“stimulus-specific bias”) and prior decisions (“decision-consistent bias”). Integrative—especially neural mechanistic—accounts of these biases remain scarce. Here, we identify drift dynamics toward discrete attractors as a common source of both biases in orientation estimation, with decisions further steering memory states. Behavior and neuroimaging data reveal how these biases co-evolve through the decision-steered attractor dynamics. Task-optimized recurrent neural networks suggest neural mechanisms that enable categorical decisions to emerge from WM for continuous stimuli while updating their trajectory, warping decision-consistent biases under stimulus-specific drift.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Himmelberg2025,

title = {Unpacking the V1 map: Differential covariation of preferred spatial frequency and cortical magnification across spatial dimensions},

author = {Marc M. Himmelberg and Yuna Kwak and Marisa Carrasco and Jonathan Winawer},

doi = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013599},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-10-01},

journal = {PLoS Computational Biology},

volume = {21},

number = {10},

pages = {1–27},

abstract = {Primary visual cortex (V1) has long served as a model system for understanding cortical organization. Although its structural and functional properties vary markedly across its surface, patterns of covariation suggest possible underlying constancies. Such constancies would imply that V1 is composed of multiple identical units whose visual properties differ only due to differences in their inputs. To test this, we used fMRI to investigate how V1 cortical magnification and preferred spatial frequency covary with eccentricity and polar angle, measured in 40 observers. V1 cortical magnification and preferred spatial frequency were strongly correlated across eccentricity and around polar angle, however their relation differed between these dimensions: they were proportional across eccentricity but not polar angle. The constant ratio of cortical magnification to preferred spatial frequency when measured as a function of eccentricity suggests a shared underlying cause of variation in the two properties, e.g., the gradient of retinal ganglion cell density across eccentricity. In contrast, the deviation from proportionality around polar angle implies that cortical variation differs from that in retina along this dimension. Thus, a constancy hypothesis is supported for one of the two spatial dimensions of V1, highlighting the importance of examining the full 2D-map to understand how V1 is organized.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Abdirashid2025,

title = {The precision of attention controls attraction of population receptive fields},

author = {Sumiya Sheikh Abdirashid and Tomas Knapen and Serge O. Dumoulin},

doi = {10.1167/jov.25.11.3},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-09-01},

journal = {Journal of Vision},

volume = {25},

number = {11},

pages = {1–15},

publisher = {Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Inc.},

abstract = {We alter our sampling of visual space not only by where we direct our gaze, but also by where and how we direct our attention. Attention attracts receptive fields toward the attended position, but our understanding of this process is limited. Here we show that the degree of this attraction toward the attended locus is dictated not just by the attended position, but also by the precision of attention. We manipulated attentional precision while using 7T functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure population receptive field (pRF) properties.Participants performed the same color-proportion detection task either focused at fixation (0.1° radius) or distributed across the entire display (>5° radius). We observed blood oxygenation level-dependent response amplitude increases as a function of the task, with selective increases in foveal pRFs for the focused attention task and vice versa for the distributed attention task. Furthermore, cortical spatial tuning changed as a function of attentional precision. Specifically, focused attention more strongly attracted pRFs toward the attended locus compared with distributed attention. This attraction also depended on the degree of overlap between a pRF and the attention field. A Gaussian attention field model with an offset on the attention field explained our results. Together, our observations indicate the spatial distribution of attention dictates the degree of its resampling of visual space.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Altan2025,

title = {Spatial frequency adaptation modulates population receptive field sizes},

author = {Ecem Altan and Catherine A. Morgan and Steven C. Dakin and D. Samuel Schwarzkopf},

doi = {10.7554/elife.100734},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-09-01},

journal = {eLife},

volume = {13},

pages = {1–29},

publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd},

abstract = {The spatial tuning of neuronal populations in the early visual cortical regions is related to the spatial frequency (SF) selectivity of neurons. However, there has been no direct investigation into how this relationship is reflected in population receptive field (pRF) sizes despite the common application of pRF mapping in visual neuroscience. We hypothesised that adaptation to high/low SF would decrease the sensitivity of neurons with respectively small/large receptive field sizes, resulting in a change in pRF sizes as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). To test this hypothesis, we first quantified the SF aftereffect using a psychophysical paradigm where human observers made SF judgments following adaptation to high/low SF noise patterns. We then incorporated the same adaptation technique into a standard pRF mapping procedure to investigate the spatial tuning of the early visual cortex following SF adaptation. Results showed that adaptation to a low/high SF resulted in smaller/larger pRFs, respectively, as hypothesised. Our results provide the most direct evidence to date that the spatial tuning of the visual cortex, as measured by pRF mapping, is related to the SF selectivity of visual neural populations. This has implications for various domains of visual processing, including size perception and visual acuity.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Bloem2025,

title = {Dynamic estimation of the attentional field from visual cortical activity},

author = {Ilona M. Bloem and Leah Bakst and Joseph T. McGuire and Sam Ling},

doi = {10.7554/elife.104222},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-09-01},

journal = {eLife},

volume = {14},

pages = {1–21},

publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd},

abstract = {Navigating around the world, we must adaptively allocate attention to our surroundings based on anticipated future stimuli and events. This allocation of spatial attention boosts visuocortical representations at attended locations and locally enhances perception. Indeed, spatial attention has often been analogized to a ‘spotlight' shining on the item of relevance. Although the neural underpinnings of the locus of this attentional spotlight have been relatively well studied, less is known about the size of the spotlight: to what extent can the attentional field be broadened and narrowed in accordance with behavioral demands? In this study, we developed a paradigm for dynamically estimating the locus and spread of covert spatial attention, inferred from visuocortical activity using fMRI in humans. We measured BOLD activity in response to an annulus while participants (four female, four male) used covert visual attention to determine whether more numbers or letters were present in a cued region of the annulus. Importantly, the width of the cued area was systematically varied, calling for different sizes of the attentional spotlight. The deployment of attention was associated with an increase in BOLD activity in corresponding retinotopic regions of visual areas V1–V3. By modeling the visuocortical attentional modulation, we could reliably recover the cued location, as well as a broadening of the attentional modulation with wider attentional cues. This modeling approach offers a useful window into the dynamics of attention and spatial uncertainty.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Doll2025,

title = {A role of pupil-linked arousal, cingulo-insular cortex, and intralaminar thalamus for auditory near-threshold perception},

author = {Laura Doll and Sabine Heiland and Alexander Gutschalk},

doi = {10.1162/jocn_a_02324},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-09-01},

journal = {Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience},

volume = {37},

number = {9},

pages = {1391–1415},

abstract = {The perception of near-threshold tones varies strongly across trials, likely because of fluctuations in sustained attention or arousal. We used parallel fMRI and pupillometry to study the role of attention networks for the detection of near-threshold tones in three phases: (1) passive listening, (2) active detection of salient tones, and (3) active detection of near-threshold tones. Results confirmed previous findings from magnetoencephalography that auditory cortex activity and pupil-dilation responses for near-threshold tones were only observed when task-relevant, stronger for hit trials, but also present for miss trials. We then sought which attention-related areas show a similar response pattern, and found it in insular cortex, anterior midcingulate cortex, and inferior precentral sulcus. Moreover, activity in the insula was already stronger for hit than miss trials in the prestimulus interval. Activity for hit trials was also observed in a number of subcortical nuclei, including thalamus, periaqueductal gray, locus coeruleus, and the colliculi. Like insula, activity in the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus additionally showed activity for miss trials and stronger activity for hit trials in the baseline. Finally, BOLD activity correlated to spontaneous pupil fluctuations was evaluated and revealed biphasic activation and deactivation in a widespread cortical network, with a maximum 3 sec and minimum 7 sec after pupil dilation. The cortical networks included insula, anterior midcingulate cortex, retro-splenial, and sensory cortex. Overall, these data identify the cingulo-insular network and the intralaminar thalamic nuclei as potential sources of fluctuations in auditory cortex activity in the context of near-threshold tone detection.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{LadykaWojcik2025,

title = {Effective connectivity between the medial temporal lobes and early visual cortex modulated by unrestricted viewing predicts memory retrieval and gaze reinstatement},

author = {Natalia Ladyka-Wojcik and Zhong Xu Liu and Jennifer D. Ryan},

doi = {10.1162/IMAG.a.133},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-09-01},

journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},

volume = {3},

pages = {1–18},

publisher = {Massachusetts Institute of Technology},

abstract = {Memory and gaze behavior are intricately linked, guiding one another to extract information and create mental representations of our environment for subsequent retrieval. Recent findings from functional neuroimaging and computational modeling suggest that reciprocal interactions between the extended hippocampal system and visuo-oculomotor regions are functionally relevant for building these mental representations during visual exploration. Yet, evidence for the directionality of information flow during encoding within this reciprocal architecture in humans is limited. In the current study, we used dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to give a non-invasive account for the directional influences between these systems when new memories are created. Here, we provide novel evidence demonstrating how unrestricted, naturalistic visual exploration induces changes in this connectivity. Subsequent memory retrieval performance was also predicted by the pattern of connectivity modulated by unrestricted visual exploration, identifying the mechanism underlying a rich history of previous work linking increased gaze behavior during encoding to later memory. Together, these findings suggest that gaze behavior shapes the ways in which brain dynamics within and between the hippocampal system and early visual cortex unfold during encoding in humans. Importantly, these directional interactions support the building of coherent, lasting mental representations.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Paulun2025,

title = {Dissociable cortical regions represent things and stuff in the human brain},

author = {Vivian C. Paulun and Raghavendra Rao T. Pramod and Joshua B. Tenenbaum and Nancy Kanwisher},

doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.027},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-09-01},

journal = {Current Biology},

volume = {35},

pages = {1–9},

publisher = {Cell Press},

abstract = {Extensive prior work has identified regions of the human brain associated with visual perception of objects (lateral occipital complex [LOC]) and their physical properties and interactions (“frontoparietal physics network” [FPN]). However, this work has nearly exclusively tested the response of these regions to rigid objects. Deformable or nonsolid substances, or “stuff,” including liquids such as water or honey and granular materials such as sand or snow, are of similar importance in everyday life but have different physical properties and invite different actions. Little is known about the brain basis of stuff perception. Here, we scan participants with functional MRI (fMRI) while they view videos of rigid and non-rigid objects (“things”) and liquid and granular substances (stuff). We find double dissociations between the processing of things and stuff within both the ventral and dorsal visual pathways. These findings suggest that distinct mental algorithms are engaged when we perceive things and stuff, as they are in artificial physics engines.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Clewett2025,

title = {Locus coeruleus activation “resets” hippocampal event representations and separates adjacent memories},

author = {David Clewett and Ringo Huang and Lila Davachi},

doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2025.05.013},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-08-01},

journal = {Neuron},

volume = {113},

number = {15},

pages = {2521–2535.e1–e8},

publisher = {Cell Press},

abstract = {Memories reflect the ebb and flow of experiences, capturing distinct events from our lives. Using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), neuromelanin imaging, and pupillometry, we show that arousal and locus coeruleus (LC) activation segment continuous experiences into discrete memories. As sequences unfold, encountering a context shift or event boundary triggers pupil-linked arousal and LC processes that predict later memory separation. Boundaries, furthermore, promote temporal pattern separation within the left hippocampal dentate gyrus, which correlates with heightened LC responses to those same transition points. Unlike transient LC effects, indirect structural and functional markers of elevated background LC activation correlate with reduced arousal-related LC and pupil responses at boundaries, suggesting that hyperarousal disrupts event segmentation. Our findings support the idea that arousal mechanisms initiate a neural and memory “reset” in response to significant changes, fundamentally shaping the episodes that define episodic memory.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Ninghetto2025,

title = {Cortical response to transient and long-term visual field loss},

author = {Marco Ninghetto and Georgios A. Keliris and Kamil Szulborski and Tomasz Gałecki and Bartosz Kossowski and Daan Panneman and Frans P. M. Cremers and Monika Ołdak and Jacek P. Szaflik and Kalina Burnat},

doi = {10.1093/cercor/bhaf237},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-08-01},

journal = {Cerebral Cortex},

volume = {35},

number = {8},

pages = {1–13},

publisher = {Oxford University Press},

abstract = {In the visual cortices, receptive fields (RFs) are arranged in a gradient from small sizes in the center of the visual field to the largest sizes at the periphery. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) mapping of population RFs, we investigated RF adaptation in V1, V2, and V3 in patients after long-term photoreceptor degeneration affecting the central (Stargardt disease [STGD]) and peripheral (Retinitis Pigmentosa [RP]) regions of the retina. In controls, we temporarily limited the visual field to the central 10° to model peripheral loss. The central loss experienced by STGD patients led to an increase in RF size in the dorsal subdivisions of V1, V2, and V3. In contrast, peripheral loss in RP patients led to a bilateral increase in population RF sizes in V1 but a decrease in V2. Transient peripheral loss in controls led to an increase in RF size in V1 and a decrease in V2 and V3, regardless of the dorsal-ventral division of the cortical representation. Our findings suggest a dorsal-ventral difference in RF size in response to central visual field loss, likely reflecting the functional relevance of these divisions within the cortical representations of the visual field.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Sun2025,

title = {Precision network modeling of transcranial magnetic stimulation across individuals suggests therapeutic targets and potential for improvement},

author = {Wendy Sun and Anne Billot and Jingnan Du and Xiangyu Wei and Rachel A. Lemley and Mohammad Daneshzand and Aapo Nummenmaa and Randy L. Buckner and Mark C. Eldaief},

doi = {10.1002/hbm.70266},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-08-01},

journal = {Human Brain Mapping},

volume = {46},

number = {11},

pages = {1–23},

publisher = {John Wiley and Sons Inc},

abstract = {Higher-order cognitive and affective functions are supported by large-scale networks in the brain. Dysfunction in different networks is proposed to associate with distinct symptoms in neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the specific networks targeted by current clinical transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) approaches are unclear. While standard-of-care TMS relies on scalp-based landmarks, recent FDA-approved TMS protocols use individualized functional connectivity with the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) to optimize TMS targeting. Leveraging previous work on precision network estimation and modeling of the TMS electric field (E-field), we asked whether various clinical TMS approaches target different functional networks between individuals. Results revealed that modeled homotopic scalp positions (left F3 and right F4) target different networks within and across individuals, and right F4 generally favors a right-lateralized control network. TMS coil positions over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) zone anticorrelated with the sgACC most frequently target a network coupled to the ventral striatum (reward circuitry) but largely miss that network in some individuals. We further illustrate how modeling can be used to retrospectively assess the estimated targets achieved in prior TMS sessions and also used to prospectively provide coil positions that can target distinct closely localized dlPFC network regions with spatial selectivity and maximal E-field intensity. In a final study, precision targeting was found to be feasible in participants with Major Depressive Disorder using data derived from a single low-burden MRI session suggesting the methods are applicable to translational efforts where limiting patient burden and ensuring robustness are critical.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{MaekiMarttunen2025,

title = {Neuromodulatory influences on propagation of traveling waves along the unimodal-transmodal gradient},

author = {Verónica Mäki-Marttunen and Sander Tjalling Nieuwenhuis},

doi = {10.1093/cercor/bhaf183},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-07-01},

journal = {Cerebral Cortex},

volume = {35},

number = {7},

pages = {1–11},

publisher = {Oxford University Press},

abstract = {Understanding the factors underlying brain activity fluctuation is important to understand the flexible nature of the brain and cognition. Growing evidence indicates that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity travels as waves around global signal peaks following a unimodal-transmodal gradient. This may explain the organization of brain activity into functional networks, but why the strength of integration between networks fluctuates is uncertain. Given that arousal-related neuromodulatory systems affect network integration and that traveling waves are modulated by arousal, we aimed to assess the hypothesis that an increase in neuromodulatory tone can affect network integration by modulating the speed of propagation of traveling waves. We tested this hypothesis using pharmacological fMRI/pupil measurements during rest and tasks. Atomoxetine, which increases extracellular catecholamine levels, was associated with faster traveling waves, and faster traveling waves correlated with more network integration. We also examined temporal variations in pupil size, a signature of transient changes in neuromodulatory activity, and found that the periods of traveling waves were characterized by larger pupil size. Our results suggest that neuromodulatory tone affects traveling wave propagation, and that this arousal-modulated propagation shapes integrated functional connectivity features, highlighting specific effects of prolonged and transient neuromodulatory influences on slow brain dynamics.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Pan2025a,

title = {Heterogeneous effects of cognitive arousal on the contrast response in human visual cortex},

author = {Jasmine Pan and Louis N. Vinke and Joseph T. McGuire and Sam Ling},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0798-24.2025},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-06-01},

journal = {Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {45},

number = {25},

pages = {1–14},

publisher = {Society for Neuroscience},

abstract = {While animal studies have found that arousal states modulate visual responses, direct evidence for effects of arousal on human vision remains limited. Here, we used fMRI to examine effects of cognitive arousal on the gain of contrast response functions (CRFs) in human visual cortex. To measure CRFs, we measured BOLD responses in early visual cortex (V1–V3) while participants (n = 20, 14 females and 6 males) viewed stimuli that parametrically varied in contrast. To induce different cognitive arousal states, participants solved auditory arithmetic problems categorized as either Easy (low arousal) or Hard (high arousal). We found diversity in the modulatory effects across individuals: some individuals exhibited enhanced neural response with increased arousal, whereas others exhibited the opposite effect—a decrease in response with increased arousal. The pattern of overall BOLD modulation showed within-individual stability and was correlated with the degree of arousal-driven change in pupil size. Individuals who exhibited larger increases in pupil size with the arousal manipulation tended to show greater arousal-related decreases in visuocortical responses. We speculate that the polarity of the modulatory effect by cognitive arousal may relate to individual differences in cognitive effort expended in the high-difficulty condition, with individuals reaching different points on an underlying non-monotonic function.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Wainstein2025,

title = {Evidence from pupillometry, fMRI, and RNN modelling shows that gain neuromodulation mediates task-relevant perceptual switches},

author = {Gabriel Wainstein and Christopher J. Whyte and Kaylena A. Ehgoetz Martens and Eli J. Müller and Vicente Medel and Britt Anderson and Elisabeth Stöttinger and James Danckert and Brandon R. Munn and James M. Shine},

doi = {10.7554/elife.93191},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-06-01},

journal = {eLife},

volume = {13},

pages = {1–26},

publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd},

abstract = {Perceptual updating has been hypothesised to rely on a network reset modulated by bursts of ascending neuromodulatory neurotransmitters, such as noradrenaline, abruptly altering the brain's susceptibility to changing sensory activity. To test this hypothesis at a large-scale, we analysed an ambiguous figures task using pupillometry and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Behaviourally, qualitative shifts in the perceptual interpretation of an ambiguous image were associated with peaks in pupil diameter, an indirect readout of phasic bursts in neuromodulatory tone. We further hypothesised that stimulus ambiguity drives neuromodulatory tone, leading to heightened neural gain, hastening perceptual switches. To explore this hypothesis computationally, we trained a recurrent neural network (RNN) on an analogous perceptual categorisation task, allowing gain to change dynamically with classification uncertainty. As predicted, higher gain accelerated perceptual switching by transiently destabilising the network's dynamical regime in periods of maximal uncertainty. We leveraged a low-dimensional readout of the RNN dynamics to develop two novel macroscale predictions: perceptual switches should occur with peaks in low-dimensional brain state velocity and with a flattened egocentric energy landscape. Using fMRI, we confirmed these predictions, highlighting the role of the neuromodulatory system in the large-scale network reconfigurations mediating adaptive perceptual updates.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Costantino2025,

title = {Partial information transfer from peripheral visual streams to foveal visual streams may be mediated through local primary visual circuits},

author = {Andrea I. Costantino and Benjamin O. Pelzer and Mark A. Williams and Matthew J. Crossley},

doi = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121147},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-05-01},

journal = {NeuroImage},

volume = {311},

pages = {1–14},

publisher = {Academic Press Inc.},

abstract = {Visual object recognition is driven through the what pathway, a hierarchy of visual areas processing features of increasing complexity and abstractness. The primary visual cortex (V1), this pathway's origin, exhibits retinotopic organization: neurons respond to stimuli in specific visual field regions. A neuron responding to a central stimulus will not respond to a peripheral one, and vice versa. However, despite this organization, task-relevant feedback about peripheral stimuli can be decoded in unstimulated foveal cortex, and disrupting this feedback impairs discrimination behavior. The information encoded by this feedback remains unclear, as prior studies used computer-generated objects ill-suited to dissociate different representation types. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the nature of information encoded in periphery-to-fovea feedback using real-world stimuli. Participants performed a same/different discrimination task on peripherally displayed images of vehicles and faces. Using fMRI multivariate decoding, we found that both peripheral and foveal V1 could decode images separated by low-level perceptual models (vehicles) but not those separated by semantic models (faces). This suggests the feedback primarily carries low-level perceptual information. In contrast, higher visual areas resolved semantically distinct images. A functional connectivity analysis revealed foveal V1 connections to both peripheral V1 and later-stage visual areas. These findings indicate that while both early and late visual areas may contribute to information transfer from peripheral to foveal processing streams, higher-to-lower area transfer may involve information loss.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Maechler2025,

title = {Hemifield specificity of attention response functions during multiple-object tracking},

author = {Marvin R. Maechler and Eunhye Choe and Patrick Cavanagh and Peter J. Kohler and Peter U. Tse},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1340-24.2025},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-05-01},

journal = {Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {45},

number = {19},

pages = {1–12},

publisher = {Society for Neuroscience},

abstract = {The difficulty of tracking multiple moving objects among identical distractors increases with the number of tracked targets. Previous research has shown that the number of targets tracked (i.e., load) modulates activity in brain areas related to visuospatial attention, giving rise to so-called attention response functions (ARFs). While the hemifield/hemispheric effects of spatial attention (e.g., hemispatial neglect, hemifield capacity limits) are well described, it had not previously been tested whether a hemispheric or hemifield imbalance exists among ARFs. By recording blood oxygenation level-dependent activity from human brains (n = 19, female and male) in a multiple-object tracking paradigm, we show that the number of tracked objects modulates activity in a large network of areas bilaterally. A significant effect of contralateral load was found in earlier areas throughout the dorsal and ventral visual streams, while the effects of ipsilateral load emerged in later areas. Both contra- and ipsilateral load significantly influenced activity in the parietal and frontal lobes, specifically the dorsal attention network. In addition, some brain regions in the occipital lobe were significantly more sensitive to contralateral than ipsilateral load. Our results are consistent with findings showing that a diverse set of brain areas contributes to tracking multiple targets. In particular, we extend the canonical view of load-based ARFs to include hemifield bias. Given the hemifield-specific nature of speed and capacity limits to multiple-object tracking, we conjecture that areas that show a strong hemifield preference may impose a bottleneck on processing that results in limits on the capacity and speed of tracking.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Stocker2025,

title = {Interhemispheric integration in the neural face perception network: Does stimulus location matter?},

author = {Julia Elina Stocker and Antonia Schulz and Ina Thome and Jens Sommer and Jonas Rabeneck and Kristin Marie Rusch and Olaf Steinsträter and Andreas Jansen},

doi = {10.1162/IMAG.a.17},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-05-01},

journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},

volume = {3},

pages = {1–16},

publisher = {Massachusetts Institute of Technology},

abstract = {The neural mechanisms underlying hemispheric lateralization can be investigated using neuroimaging methods and modelling techniques. In some experiments, sensory information is initially presented exclusively to one hemisphere, for example, by displaying a visual stimulus in the periphery of the contralateral hemifield. This experimental design enables, among other things, a comparison of competing theories of interhemispheric integration (e.g., interhemispheric inhibition vs. interhemispheric recruitment). However, the underlying neural models for peripheral stimulation may differ from those for central stimulation and, therefore, may not adequately describe the mechanisms associated with typical, foveal stimulus processing. To address this question, the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study analysed the influence of stimulus location (peripheral vs. central) on neural network connectivity, particularly interhemispheric transfer, as determined by dynamic causal modelling (DCM), for a face perception task. Face and object images were presented either peripherally or centrally to a group of healthy volunteers (N = 17). By contrasting brain activations for faces against objects, we identified bilateral face-sensitive regions, such as the left and right fusiform face area (FFA) and the occipital face area (OFA). Additionally, we extracted the bilateral primary visual cortex (V1) as the input region for our neural models. We constructed five increasingly complex models that differed only in their modulatory connectivity. Bayesian model averaging (BMA) was employed to average the parameters across all models, enabling the calculation of interhemispheric transfer difference (i.e., left-to-right minus right-to-left modulatory connectivity parameter) and the strength of interhemispheric transfer between bilateral OFA and FFA regions. Our findings demonstrate that interhemispheric integration depends on stimulus location. Peripheral presentations of faces induce different connectivity patterns compared with centrally depicted faces. Specifically, we observed larger interhemispheric transfer differences for peripheral face stimuli compared with central stimuli. In conclusion, peripheral and central presentations of faces modulate the face processing network differently, with left and right visual field presentations yielding asymmetrical connectivity patterns. Since faces are preferentially processed via the fovea, the typical face processing network likely aligns more closely with activation patterns elicited by central stimuli. In contrast, connectivity patterns triggered by peripheral stimulation may represent an atypical processing style and cannot be directly compared with those activated by central stimuli.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cornwell2025,

title = {A shared threat-anticipation circuit is dynamically engaged at different moments by certain and uncertain threat},

author = {Brian R. Cornwell and Paige R. Didier and Shannon E. Grogans and Allegra S. Anderson and Samiha Islam and Hyung Cho Kim and Manuel Kuhn and Rachael M. Tillman and Juyoen Hur and Zachary S. Scott and Andrew S. Fox and Kathryn A. DeYoung and Jason F. Smith and Alexander J. Shackman},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2113-24.2025},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-04-01},

journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {45},

number = {16},

pages = {1–19},

publisher = {Society for Neuroscience},

abstract = {Temporal dynamics play a central role in models of emotion: “fear” is widely conceptualized as a phasic response to certain-and-imminent danger, whereas “anxiety” is a sustained response to uncertain-or-distal harm. Yet the underlying neurobiology remains contentious. Leveraging a translationally relevant fMRI paradigm and theory-driven modeling approach in 220 adult humans, we demonstrate that certain- and uncertain-threat anticipation recruit a shared circuit that encompasses the central extended amygdala (EAc), periaqueductal gray, midcingulate, and anterior insula. This circuit exhibits persistently elevated activation when threat is uncertain and distal and transient bursts of activation just before certain encounters with threat. Although there is agreement that the EAc plays a critical role in orchestrating responses to threat, confusion persists about the respective contributions of its major subdivisions, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce). Here we used anatomical regions of interest to demonstrate that the BST and Ce exhibit statistically indistinguishable threat dynamics. Both regions exhibited activation dynamics that run counter to popular models, with the Ce (and BST) showing sustained responses to uncertain-and-distal threat and the BST (and Ce) showing phasic responses to certain-and-imminent threat. For many scientists, feelings are the hallmark of fear and anxiety. Here we used an independently validated multivoxel brain “signature” to covertly probe the moment-by-moment dynamics of anticipatory distress for the first time. Results mirrored the dynamics of neural activation. These observations provide fresh insights into the neurobiology of threat-elicited emotions and set the stage for more ambitious clinical and mechanistic research.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Duan2025,

title = {Effector general representation of movement goals in human frontal and parietal cortex},

author = {Ziyi Duan and Marissa H. Evans and Bonnie Lawrence and Clayton E. Curtis},

doi = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121124},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-04-01},

journal = {NeuroImage},

volume = {310},

pages = {1–9},

publisher = {Academic Press Inc.},

abstract = {In the nonhuman primate, discrete parts of premotor frontal and parietal cortex appear to code for movements of different effectors. However, the evidence regarding homologous effector selectivity within the human brain remains inconclusive. Here, we measured neural activity in the human brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants remembered a target location and planned either saccades or reaches that matched the rich kinematics used in seminal monkey studies. We compared activity patterns during the planning period and used assumption-free multivariate searchlight analysis to identify brain regions that could decode the spatial goals of planned movements. Critically, we performed two types of decoding analyses to determine if the spatial information embedded in activation patterns was effector-specific or effector-general. For effector-specific spatial coding, we compared brain regions that could decode target locations within each effector. However, we did not identify areas that coded spatial information in one effector but not the other. For effector-general spatial coding, we performed spatial decoding using trials across effectors and conducted cross-effector decoding. Both analyses identified several areas in the frontal and parietal regions that encoded spatial information for both effectors, including precentral sulcus, superior parietal lobe, and intraparietal sulcus. Our results indicate that premotor frontal and parietal cortex encode the spatial metrics of movement goals that can be read out and converted into effector-specific motor metrics for saccades and reaches.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Woodry2025,

title = {Feedback scales the spatial tuning of cortical responses during both visual working memory and long-term memory},

author = {Robert Woodry and Clayton E. Curtis and Jonathan Winawer},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0681-24.2025},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-04-01},

journal = {Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {45},

number = {17},

pages = {1–15},

publisher = {Society for Neuroscience},

abstract = {Perception, working memory, and long-term memory each evoke neural responses in the visual cortex. While previous neuroimaging research on the role of the visual cortex in memory has largely emphasized similarities between perception and memory, we hypothesized that responses in the visual cortex would differ depending on the origins of the inputs. Using fMRI, we quantified spatial tuning in the visual cortex while participants (both sexes) viewed, maintained in working memory, or retrieved from long-term memory a peripheral target. In each condition, BOLD responses were spatially tuned and aligned with the target's polar angle in all measured visual field maps including V1. As expected given the increasing sizes of receptive fields, polar angle tuning during perception increased in width up the visual hierarchy from V1 to V2, V3, hV4, and beyond. In stark contrast, the tuned responses were broad across the visual hierarchy during long-term memory (replicating a prior result) and during working memory. This pattern is consistent with the idea that mnemonic responses in V1 stem from top-down sources, even when the stimulus was recently viewed and is held in working memory. Moreover, in long-term memory, trial-to-trial biases in these tuned responses (clockwise or counterclockwise of target) predicted matched biases in memory, suggesting that the reinstated cortical responses influence memory-guided behavior. We conclude that feedback widens spatial tuning in the visual cortex during memory, where earlier visual maps inherit broader tuning from later maps thereby impacting the precision of memory.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Richter2025,

title = {Proactive distractor suppression in early visual cortex},

author = {David Richter and Dirk Moorselaar and Jan Theeuwes},

doi = {10.7554/elife.101733},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-03-01},

journal = {eLife},

volume = {13},

pages = {1–22},

publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd},

abstract = {Avoiding distraction by salient yet irrelevant stimuli is critical when accomplishing daily tasks. One possible mechanism to accomplish this is by suppressing stimuli that may be distracting such that they no longer compete for attention. While the behavioral benefits of distractor suppression are well established, its neural underpinnings are not yet fully understood. In a functional MRI (fMRI) study, we examined whether and how sensory responses in early visual areas show signs of distractor suppression after incidental learning of spatial statistical regularities. Participants were exposed to an additional singleton task where, unbeknownst to them, one location more frequently contained a salient distractor. We analyzed whether visual responses in terms of fMRI BOLD were modulated by this distractor predictability. Our findings indicate that implicit spatial priors shape sensory processing even at the earliest stages of cortical visual processing, evident in early visual cortex as a suppression of stimuli at locations which frequently contained distracting information. Notably, while this suppression was spatially (receptive field) specific, it did extend to nearby neutral locations and occurred regardless of whether distractors, nontarget items, or targets were presented at this location, suggesting that suppression arises before stimulus identification. Crucially, we observed similar spatially specific neural suppression even if search was only anticipated, but no search display was presented. Our results highlight proactive modulations in early visual cortex, where potential distractions are suppressed preemptively, before stimulus onset, based on learned expectations. Combined, our study underscores how the brain leverages implicitly learned prior knowledge to optimize sensory processing and attention allocation.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Li2025p,

title = {Stimulus selection influences prediction of individual phenotypes in naturalistic conditions},

author = {Xuan Li and Simon B. Eickhoff and Susanne Weis},

doi = {10.1002/hbm.70164},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-02-01},

journal = {Human Brain Mapping},

volume = {46},

number = {3},

pages = {1–22},

publisher = {John Wiley and Sons Inc},

abstract = {While the use of naturalistic stimuli such as movie clips for understanding individual differences and brain–behaviour relationships attracts increasing interest, the influence of stimulus selection remains largely unclear. By using machine learning to predict individual traits (phenotypes) from brain activity evoked during various movie clips, we show that different movie stimuli can result in distinct prediction performances. In brain regions related to lower-level processing of the stimulus, prediction to a certain degree benefits from stronger synchronisation of brain activity across subjects. By contrast, better predictions in frontoparietal brain regions are mainly associated with larger inter-subject variability. Furthermore, we demonstrate that while movie clips with rich social content in general achieve better predictions, the importance of specific movie features for prediction highly depends on the phenotype under investigation. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of careful stimulus selection and provide novel insights into stimulus selection for phenotype prediction in naturalistic conditions, opening new avenues for future research.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kerkoerle2025,

title = {Brain mechanisms of reversible symbolic reference: A potential singularity of the human brain},

author = {Timo Kerkoerle and Louise Pape and Milad Ekramnia and Xiaoxia Feng and Jordy Tasserie and Morgan Dupont and Xiaolian Li and Bechir Béchir Jarraya and Wim Vanduffel and Stanislas Dehaene and Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz},

doi = {10.7554/elife.87380},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-02-01},

journal = {eLife},

volume = {12},

pages = {1–28},

publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd},

abstract = {The emergence of symbolic thinking has been proposed as a dominant cognitive criterion to distinguish humans from other primates during hominization. Although the proper definition of a symbol has been the subject of much debate, one of its simplest features is bidirectional attachment: the content is accessible from the symbol, and vice versa. Behavioral observations scattered over the past four decades suggest that this criterion might not be met in non-human primates, as they fail to generalize an association learned in one temporal order (A to B) to the reverse order (B to A). Here, we designed an implicit fMRI test to investigate the neural mechanisms of arbitrary audio-visual and visual-visual pairing in monkeys and humans and probe their spontaneous reversibility. After learning a unidirectional association, humans showed surprise signals when this learned association was violated. Crucially, this effect occurred spontaneously in both learned and reversed directions, within an extended network of high-level brain areas, including, but also going beyond the language network. In monkeys, by contrast, violations of association effects occurred solely in the learned direction and were largely confined to sensory areas. We propose that a human-specific brain network may have evolved the capacity for reversible symbolic reference. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Gong2025,

title = {Time course of orientation ensemble representation in the human brain},

author = {Xizi Gong and Tao He and Qian Wang and Junshi Lu and Fang Fang},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1688-23.2024},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-02-01},

journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {45},

number = {7},

pages = {1–13},

publisher = {Society for Neuroscience},

abstract = {Natural scenes are filled with groups of similar items. Humans employ ensemble coding to extract the summary statistical information of the environment, thereby enhancing the efficiency of information processing, something particularly useful when observing natural scenes. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the representation ofensemble information in the brain remain elusive. In particular, whether ensemble representation results from the mere summation of individual item representations or it engages other specific processes remains unclear. In this study, we utilized a set of orientation ensembles wherein none ofthe individual item orientations were the same as the ensemble orientation. We recorded magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals from human participants (both sexes) when they performed an ensemble orientation discrimination task. Time-resolved multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) and the inverted encoding model (IEM) were employed to unravel the neural mechanisms of the ensemble orientation representation and track its time course. First, we achieved successful decoding of the ensemble orientation, with a high correlation between the decoding and behavioral accuracies. Second, the IEM analysis demonstrated that the representation of the ensemble orientation differed from the sum of the representations of individual item orientations, suggesting that ensemble coding could fur- ther modulate orientation representation in the brain. Moreover, using source reconstruction, we showed that the representation of ensemble orientation manifested in early visual areas. Taken together, our findings reveal the emergence of the ensemble representation in the human visual cortex and advance the understanding of how the brain captures and represents ensemble information.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Dias2025,

title = {A link between error monitoring and basal ganglia-dependent learning in autism},

author = {Camila Dias and Teresa Sousa and Susana Mouga and Miguel Castelo-Branco},

doi = {10.1093/braincomms/fcaf414},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Brain Communications},

volume = {7},

number = {6},

pages = {1–18},

publisher = {Oxford University Press},

abstract = {Altered error monitoring mechanisms may contribute to the neurobehavioral manifestations of autism, particularly those affecting trial-and-error learning. In this study, we examined how error-related neural responses relate to learning processes in autistic individuals. To address this, we employed a paradigm designed to assess both error monitoring and the learning of socioemotional orienting cues. Fifteen autistic and fifteen non-autistic adult males performed a challenging functional MRI task that required the integration of facial expression and gaze cues to extract the correct social-orienting direction. We evaluated how error-related neural responses evolved with learning and compared these dynamics across groups. We hypothesized differences in key error monitoring regions—the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula—and in the putamen, which is implicated in trial-and-error learning. Behaviourally, both groups exhibited similar learning rates, but the autistic group showed significantly lower accuracy (P = 9.60 × 10−5). At the neural level, although the progression of error-related activity throughout learning was similar across both groups, autistic individuals demonstrated attenuated differentiation between correct responses and errors in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (F(2, 53.23) = 9.68},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Eng2025,

title = {Personalized non-invasive neuromodulation for sensory-based urge suppression in individuals with OCD: A proof-of-concept investigation},

author = {Goi Khia Eng and Arielle Tambini and Molly S. Hermiller and Nicolette Recchia and Jeanmarie R. Harvey and Dan V. Iosifescu and Russell H. Tobe and Emily R. Stern},

doi = {10.3389/fnhum.2025.1587644},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},

volume = {19},

pages = {1–9},

publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},

abstract = {Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is chronic and impairing. While OCD often involves fear of harm or bad events, many patients experience “sensory phenomena,” which are aversive sensory experiences that drive repetitive behaviors regardless of specific fears. Standard treatments do not effectively address sensory phenomena, and novel approaches are needed. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a safe and non-invasive neuromodulation technique increasingly used in psychiatric disorders, including OCD. This work presents a data-driven approach to identifying TMS brain targets for modulating sensory urges in OCD incorporating both behavioral and clinical criteria (Study 1) for a proof-of-concept investigation (Study 2). Study 1 included 69 individuals with OCD and 23 controls who completed an urges-for-action fMRI task involving instructed eyeblink suppression as an experimental model for sensory-based urges. Data-driven conjunction analysis revealed several brain regions, including the right postcentral gyrus, that were associated with more blink suppression failure (behavioral), more severe sensory phenomena (clinical), and were hyperactivated in OCD patients compared to controls. Study 2 administered single-session inhibitory TMS on 4 returning OCD patients using individualized targets within the postcentral gyrus identified from Study 1. Compared to sham, inhibitory TMS delivered to individualized postcentral gyrus targets resulted in fewer blink suppression failures, reduced activation in the target (postcentral gyrus) and key urge-related areas (insula, mid-cingulate), and greater reduction in self-reported urge to engage in OCD-related compulsions, with medium to large effect sizes. These findings demonstrate the potential of utilizing data-driven approaches incorporating behavioral and clinical criteria to target hard-to-treat sensory phenomena in OCD.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Hur2025,

title = {Adolescent social anxiety is associated with diminished discrimination of anticipated threat and safety in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis},

author = {Juyoen Hur and Rachael M. Tillman and Hyung Cho Kim3 and Paige Didier and Allegra S. Anderson and Samiha Islam and Melissa D. Stockbridge and Andres De Los Reyes and Kathryn A. DeYoung and Jason F. Smith and Alexander J. Shackman},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science},

volume = {134},

number = {1},

pages = {41–56},

abstract = {Social anxiety-which typically emerges in adolescence-lies on a continuum and, when extreme, can be devastating. Socially anxious individuals are prone to heightened fear, anxiety, and the avoidance of contexts associated with potential social scrutiny. Yet most neuroimaging research has focused on acute social threat. Much less attention has been devoted to understanding the neural systems recruited during the uncertain anticipation of potential encounters with social threat. Here we used a novel fMRI paradigm to probe the neural circuitry engaged during the anticipation and acute presentation of threatening faces and voices in a racially diverse sample of 66 adolescents selectively recruited to encompass a range of social anxiety and enriched for clinically significant levels of distress and impairment. Results demonstrated that adolescents with more severe social anxiety symptoms experience heightened distress when anticipating encounters with social threat, and reduced discrimination of uncertain social threat and safety in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), a key division of the central extended amygdala (EAc). Although the EAc-including the BST and central nucleus of the amygdala-was robustly engaged by the acute presentation of threatening faces and voices, the degree of EAc engagement was unrelated to the severity of social anxiety. Together, these observations provide a neurobiologically grounded framework for conceptualizing adolescent social anxiety and set the stage for the kinds of prospective-longitudinal and mechanistic research that will be necessary to determine causation and, ultimately, to develop improved interventions for this often-debilitating illness.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Klimova2025,

title = {How does orientation-tuned normalization spread across the visual field?},

author = {Michaela Klímová and Ilona M. Bloem and Sam Ling},

doi = {10.1152/jn.00224.2024},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Neurophysiology},

volume = {133},

number = {2},

pages = {539–546},

abstract = {Visuocortical responses are regulated by gain control mechanisms, giving rise to fundamental neural and perceptual phenomena such as surround suppression. Suppression strength, determined by the composition and relative properties of stimuli, controls the strength of neural responses in early visual cortex, and in turn, the subjective salience of the visual stimulus. Notably, suppression strength is modulated by feature similarity; for instance, responses to a center-surround stimulus in which the components are collinear to each other are weaker than when they are orthogonal. However, this feature-tuned aspect of normalization, and how it may affect the gain of responses, has been understudied. Here, we examine the contribution of the tuned component of suppression to contrast response modulations across the visual field. To do so, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure contrast response functions (CRFs) in early visual cortex (areas V1–V3) in 10 observers while they viewed full-field center-surround gratings. The center stimulus varied in contrast between 2.67% and 96% and was surrounded by a collinear or orthogonal surround at full contrast. We found substantially stronger suppression of responses when the surround was parallel to the center, manifesting as shifts in the population CRF. The magnitude of the CRF shift was strongly dependent on voxel spatial preference and seen primarily in voxels whose receptive field spatial preference corresponds to the area straddling the center-surround boundary in our display, with little-to-no modulation elsewhere.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kosakowski2025,

title = {Ventral striatum is preferentially correlated with the salience network including regions in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex},

author = {Heather L. Kosakowski and Jingnan Du and Vaibhav Tripathi and Mark C. Eldaief and Randy L. Buckner},

doi = {10.1152/jn.00477.2024},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Neurophysiology},

volume = {134},

number = {1},

pages = {193–215},

abstract = {The ventral striatum (VS) receives input from the cerebral cortex and is modulated by midbrain dopaminergic projections in support of processing reward and motivation. Here, we explored the organization of cortical regions linked to the human VS using within-individual functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) in intensively scanned participants. In two initial participants (scanned 31 sessions each), seed regions in the VS were preferentially correlated with distributed cortical regions that are part of the salience network. The VS seed regions recapitulated salience network topography and replicated in each individual, including anterior and posterior midline regions, anterior insula, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The topography was distinct from adjacent striatal seed regions and from cortical networks associated with domain-flexible cognitive control. Unbiased comprehensive analyses of the full striatum confirmed that the VS is coupled to the salience network while also revealing the established, spatially separated cognitive zones of the caudate and motor zones of the putamen. VS correlation with the salience network, including DLPFC, was observed in 15 additional participants (scanned 8 or more times each), indicating it is a robust and generalizable finding. These results suggest that the VS contributes to a cortico-basal ganglia loop that is part of the salience network and raise the possibility that the DLPFC may be an effective neuromodulatory target for neuropsychiatric disorders of reward and motivation because of its preferential coupling to the VS.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kulkarni2025,

title = {Scene-sensitive medial temporal lobe subregions are recruited for the integration of non-scene stimuli},

author = {Mrinmayi Kulkarni and Lydia Jiang and Jessica Robin and Jung Won Choi and Bradley R. Buchsbaum and Rosanna K. Olsen},

doi = {10.1162/jocn.a.73},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience},

volume = {38},

number = {1},

pages = {100–125},

publisher = {MIT Press},

abstract = {A hallmark feature of episodic memory is the ability to flexibly recombine information across episodes to form new associations and guide behavior. This process, termed associative inference, relies on the hippocampus and surrounding medial temporal lobe (MTL) subregions. We previously found that cross-episode binding was improved when episodes were linked by scenes rather than by faces or objects. Here, we tested whether differential recruitment of category-sensitive MTL subregions underlies these behavioral differences. Participants completed study-test phases of the Associative Inference in Memory task while undergoing fMRI scanning. During the study phase, they encoded overlapping AB and BC pairs. A and C items were always objects. The linking B item was either a face or a scene. At test, memory for the direct (AB, BC) and indirect associations (inferred AC) was tested. Category sensitivity in MTL subregions was tested using an independent functional localizer and the low integration (AB) trials from the study phase of the Associative Inference in Memory task. Within the MTL, no subregions exhibited face sensitivity. The anterior hippocampal head, anterolateral and posteromedial entorhinal cortices, and parahippocampal cortex were identified as scene sensitive. Although accuracy of the indirect inferences did not differ between pairs linked by faces and scenes, MTL subregion recruitment differed across categories. Scene-sensitive subregions in MTL cortex (anterolateral entorhinal cortex, posteromedial entorhinal cortex, and parahippocampal cortex), but not the hippocampus (anterior hippocampal head), were recruited to support associative inference for faces during encoding. These findings suggest that regions in MTL cortex identified as scene sensitive here may be involved in integrating disparate elements of episodes into coherent representations, and may be recruited for non-scene stimuli when integration demands during encoding are high (e.g., during associative inference).},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Li2025d,

title = {Neural mechanisms of resource allocation in working memory},

author = {Hsin Hung Li and Thomas C. Sprague and Aspen H. Yoo and Wei Ji Ma and Clayton E. Curtis},

doi = {10.1126/sciadv.adr8015},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Science Advances},

volume = {11},

number = {15},

pages = {1–14},

abstract = {To mitigate capacity limits of working memory, people allocate resources according to an item's relevance. However, the neural mechanisms supporting such a critical operation remain unknown. Here, we developed computational neuroimaging methods to decode and demix neural responses associated with multiple items in working memory with different priorities. In striate and extrastriate cortex, the gain of neural responses tracked the priority of memoranda. We decoded higher-priority memoranda with smaller error and lower uncertainty. Moreover, these neural differences predicted behavioral differences in memory prioritization between and within participants. Trial-wise variability in the magnitude of delay activity in the frontal cortex predicted differences in decoded precision between low- and high-priority items in visual cortex. These results support a model in which feedback signals broadcast from frontal cortex sculpt the gain of memory representations in the visual cortex according to behavioral relevance, thus identifying a neural mechanism for resource allocation.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Mihovilovic2025,

title = {Brain activity during acquisition of long visuospatial sequences},

author = {Milena I. Mihovilovic and Thomas Stephan and Andreas Straube and Marianne Dieterich and Thomas Eggert},

doi = {10.3389/fcogn.2025.1493709},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Cognition},

volume = {4},

pages = {1–15},

publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},

abstract = {Explicitly acquiring a visuospatial sequence involves various fundamental attentional and processing mechanisms that can be difficult to disentangle. To this end, we performed an fMRI study (n = 34) on the acquisition of visuospatial targets in a delayed imitation paradigm. Task phases alternated between presentation and recall of a 20-target-long sequence. Behavioral data from the recall phase was used to determine encoding progress as a function of time during presentation, with this progress taken as a continuous predictor of BOLD activity. A separate, attention-only task was devised in order to isolate activity related to spatial attention shifts specifically. General linear model analysis using the constructed learning and attention predictors revealed heightened activation for both tasks in bilateral superior parietal lobules (SPL), bilateral V5, and bilateral middle frontal gyri (MFG). Increased response during learning was seen in the SPL and V5, but not MFG. Repeated measures ANOVA indicated significant interactions between region and task, as well as a right-biased tendency in the hemisphere*task interaction. This suggests a role for the SPL and V5 during sequence acquisition that cannot be explained by attention alone.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{NarhiMartinez2025,

title = {Allocation of spatial attention in human visual cortex as a function of endogenous cue validity},

author = {William Narhi-Martinez and Yong Min Choi and Blaire Dube and Julie D. Golomb},

doi = {10.1016/j.cortex.2025.01.002},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Cortex},

volume = {185},

pages = {4–19},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {Several areas of visual cortex contain retinotopic maps of the visual field, and neuroimaging studies have shown that covert attentional guidance will result in increases of activity within the regions representing attended locations. However, little research has been done to directly compare neural activity for different types of attentional cues. Here, we used fMRI to investigate how retinotopically-specific cortical activity would be modulated depending on whether we provided deterministic or probabilistic spatial information. On each trial, a four-item memory array was presented and participants' memory for one of the items would later be probed. Critically, trials began with a foveally-presented endogenous cue that was either 100% valid (deterministic runs), 70% valid (probabilistic runs), or neutral. By dividing visual cortex into quadrant-specific regions of interest (qROIs), we could examine how attention was spatially distributed across the visual field within each trial, depending on cue type and delay. During the anticipatory period prior to the memory array, we found increased activation at the cued location compared to noncued locations, with surprisingly comparable levels of facilitation for both deterministic and probabilistic cues. However, we found significantly greater facilitation on deterministic relative to probabilistic trials following the onset of the memory array, with only deterministic cue-related facilitation persisting through the presentation of the probe. These findings reveal how cue validity can drive differential allocations of neural resources over time across cued and noncued locations, and that the allocation of attention should not be assumed to invariably scale alongside the validity of a cue.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Plikat2025,

title = {Hierarchical surprise signals in naturalistic violation of expectations},

author = {Vincent Plikat and Pablo R. Grassi and Julius Frack and Andreas Bartels and Vincent Plikata and Pablo R. Grassia and Julius Frackd and Andreas Bartels},

doi = {10.1162/imag_a_00459},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},

volume = {3},

pages = {1–23},

publisher = {Massachusetts Institute of Technology},

abstract = {Surprise responses signal both high-level cognitive alerts that information is missing, and increasingly specific back-propagating error signals that allow updates in processing nodes. Studying surprise is, hence, central for cognitive neuroscience to understand internal world representations and learning. Yet, only few prior studies used naturalistic stimuli targeting our high-level understanding of the world. Here, we use magic tricks in an fMRI experiment to investigate neural responses to violations of core assumptions held by humans about the world. We showed participants naturalistic videos of three types of magic tricks, involving objects appearing, changing color, or disappearing, along with control videos without any violation of expectation. Importantly, the same videos were presented with and without prior knowledge about the tricks' explanation. Results revealed generic responses in frontal and parietal areas, together with responses specific to each of the three trick types in posterior sensory areas. A subset of these regions, the midline areas of the default mode network (DMN), showed surprise activity that depended on prior knowledge. Equally, sensory regions showed sensitivity to prior knowledge, reflected in differing decoding accuracies. These results suggest a hierarchy of surprise signals involving generic processing of violation of expectations in frontal and parietal areas with concurrent surprise signals in sensory regions that are specific to the processed features.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Priestley2025,

title = {Dorsal raphe nucleus controls motivation-state transitions in monkeys},

author = {Luke Priestley and Mark Chiew and Mo Shahdloo and Ali Mahmoodi and Xinghao Cheng and Robin Cleveland and Matthew Rushworth and Nima Khalighinejad},

doi = {10.1126/sciadv.ads1236},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Science Advances},

volume = {11},

number = {26},

pages = {1–20},

abstract = {The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is an important source of serotonin in the brain, but fundamental aspects of its function remain elusive. Here, we present a combination of minimally invasive recording and disruption studies to show that DRN brings about changes in motivation states. We use recently developed methods for identifying temporal patterns in behavior to show that monkeys change their motivation depending on the availability of rewards in the environment. Distinctive patterns of DRN activity occur when monkeys transition between a high-motivation state occupied when rewards are abundant, to a low-motivation state engendered by reward scarcity. Disrupting DRN diminishes sensitivity to the reward environment and perturbs transitions in motivational states.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Sangoi2025,

title = {Efferent compared to afferent neural substrates of the vergence eye movement system evoked via fMRI},

author = {Ayushi Sangoi and Farzin Hajebrahimi and Suril Gohel and Mitchell Scheiman and Tara L. Alvarez},

doi = {10.3389/fnins.2024.1497326},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Neuroscience},

volume = {18},

pages = {1–13},

abstract = {Introduction: The vergence neural system was stimulated to dissect the afferent and efferent components of symmetrical vergence eye movement step responses. The hypothesis tested was whether the afferent regions of interest would differ from the efferent regions to serve as comparative data for future clinical patient population studies. Methods: Thirty binocularly normal participants participated in an oculomotor symmetrical vergence step block task within a functional MRI experiment compared to a similar sensory task where the participants did not elicit vergence eye movements. Results: For the oculomotor vergence task, functional activation was observed within the parietal eye field, supplemental eye field, frontal eye field, and cerebellar vermis, and activation in these regions was significantly diminished during the sensory task. Differences between the afferent sensory and efferent oculomotor experiments were also observed within the visual cortex. Discussion: Differences between the vergence oculomotor and sensory tasks provide a protocol to delineate the afferent and efferent portion of the vergence neural circuit. Implications with clinical populations and future therapeutic intervention studies are discussed.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Sangoi2025a,

title = {Functional activity changes after vergence and accommodative rehabilitation of concussion-related convergence insufficiency: CONCUSS clinical trial fMRI results},

author = {Ayushi Sangoi and Farzin Hajebrahimi and Suril Gohel and Mitchell Scheiman and Arlene Goodman and Melissa Noble and Tara L. Alvarez},

doi = {10.3389/fnins.2025.1703781},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Neuroscience},

volume = {19},

pages = {1–13},

publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},

abstract = {Introduction: The CONCUSS clinical trial examined the neural changes associated with office-based vergence/accommodative therapy with movement (OBVAM) in concussion-related convergence insufficiency (CONC-CI). Methods: The following assessments were collected at baseline and post-OBVAM therapy: activity evoked from a functional MRI vergence oculomotor task, near point of convergence (NPC), positive fusional vergence (PFV), vergence facility (VF), and visual symptoms from a sensorimotor vision exam. Fifty-four CONC-CI participants, diagnosed with persisting concussion symptoms between one- and six-months post-injury, were analyzed in group-level results. Results: Functional activity in the vergence oculomotor network, specifically the frontal eye fields, supplemental eye fields, parietal eye fields, cerebellar vermis (CV), and visual cortex, increased post-OBVAM compared to baseline assessments. Significant increases in post-OBVAM compared to baseline assessments were observed in the visual cortex (bilateral V3 and right area PH) and the CV, via a paired t-test with family-wise error corrected for multiple comparisons (p < 0.05). The pooled baseline and post-OBVAM measures revealed that the bilateral functional activities of V3 and CV were significantly correlated with the NPC, PFV, and VF clinical signs, and the right hemisphere area PH within the visual cortex was significantly correlated with VF (Bonferroni-corrected; p < 0.001). To determine whether the CONC-CI post-OBVAM functional brain activity differed from that of the binocularly normal control (BNC) data, an unpaired t-test was performed comparing 46 age-matched BNC datasets with 54 CONC-CI datasets. Significant differences in functional activity between BNC and CONC-CI at post-OBVAM datasets were not observed (p > 0.05). Discussion: Results support that OBVAM improves functional brain activity in CONC-CI correlated with NPC, PFV, and VF.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Schuster2025,

title = {Interactive and additive effects of word frequency and predictability: A fixation-related fMRI study},

author = {Sarah Schuster and Kim Lara Weiss and Florian Hutzler and Martin Kronbichler and Stefan Hawelka},

doi = {10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105508},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Brain and Language},

volume = {260},

pages = {1–7},

publisher = {Elsevier Inc.},

abstract = {The effects of word frequency and predictability are informative with respect to bottom-up and top-down mechanisms during reading. Word frequency is assumed to index bottom-up, whereas word predictability top-down information. Findings regarding potential interactive effects, however, are inconclusive. An interactive effect would suggest an early lexical impact of contextual top-down mechanisms where both variables are processed concurrently in early stages of word recognition. An additive effect, to the contrary, would suggest that contextual top-down processing only occurs post-lexically. We evaluated potential interactions between word frequency and predictability during silent reading by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging and simultaneous eye-tracking (i.e., fixation-related fMRI). Our data revealed exclusively additive effects. Specifically, we observed effects of word frequency and word predictability in left inferior frontal regions, whereas word frequency additionally exhibited an effect in the left occipito-temporal cortex. We interpret our findings in terms of contextual top-down processing facilitation.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Tricoche2025,

title = {Neural bases of social facilitation and inhibition: How peer presence affects elementary eye movements},

author = {Leslie Tricoche and Marion Royer D'Halluin and Martine Meunier and Denis Pélisson},

doi = {10.1093/scan/nsae079},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience},

volume = {19},

number = {1},

pages = {1–16},

publisher = {OUP Publishing},

abstract = {Social facilitation/inhibition (SFI) refers to how others' presence influences task performance positively or negatively. Our previous study revealed that peer presence modulated saccadic eye movements, a fundamental sensorimotor activity. Pro- and antisaccades were either facilitated or inhibited depending on trial block complexity Tricoche L, Ferrand-Verdejo J, Pélisson D et al. (Peer Presence Effects on Eye Movements and Attentional Performance. Front Behav Neurosci 2020;13:1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00280). In the present fMRI study, we adapted our paradigm to investigate the neural basis of SFI on saccades. Considering inter- and intra-individual variabilities, we evaluated the shared and distinct neural patterns between social facilitation and inhibition. We predicted an involvement of the saccade-related and attention networks, alongside the Theory-of-Mind (ToM) network, with opposite activity changes between facilitation and inhibition. Results confirmed peer presence modulation in frontoparietal areas related to saccades and attention, in opposite directions for facilitation and inhibition. Additionally, the ventral attention network was modulated during inhibition. Default mode regions, including ToM areas, were also modulated. Finally, pupil size, often linked to arousal, increased with peers and correlated with dorsal attention regions and anterior insula activities. These results suggest that SFI engages task-specific and domain-general networks, modulated differently based on observed social effect. Attention network seemed to play a central role at both basic (linked to arousal or vigilance) and cognitive control levels.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{VonDerGablentz2025,

title = {Dissociable effects of medication on visual-vestibular brain excitability by visual motion stimuli in episodic ataxia type 2},

author = {Janina Von Der Gablentz and Andreas Sprenger and Nina Overbeeke and Dagmar Timmann and Norbert Brüggemann and Christoph Helmchen},

doi = {10.1093/braincomms/fcaf400},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Brain Communications},

volume = {7},

number = {5},

pages = {1–13},

publisher = {Oxford University Press},

abstract = {The clinical hallmark of episodic ataxia type 2 (EA2) consists of episodes of recurrent severe vestibulo-cerebellar dysfunction, characterized by marked postural unsteadiness and oscillopsia. Triggering factors of EA2 attacks, such as physical exertion and sensory stimulation, the high comorbidity with migraine, and the increased risk of epilepsy in EA2 suggest abnormal brain excitability. To investigate this, we assessed brain excitability in response to visual (checkerboard) and visual motion (optic flow) stimuli using interictal functional magnetic resonance imaging. Visual stimulation elicited strong bilateral neural activity in the primary visual cortex (V1-V3) and in motion-sensitive visual areas (V5) in 21 EA2 patients and 21 age-matched healthy participants (HP). Compared to HP, EA2 patients revealed decreased activity in the primary visual cortex (V1), cerebellar Crus I and II and caudal vermis but increased activation of multisensory vestibular processing areas (posterior insula, superior temporal and supramarginal gyrus, inferior parietal lobe). Interestingly, the abnormal excitability in the vestibular processing cortex areas was primarily found in patients without medication (4-aminopyridine, acetazolamide) but hardly seen in patients on medication. Our findings in treatment-naïve patients reflect disease-inherent changes in visual cortical excitability in EA2, which may be reversible through anti-episodic medication. As excitability by visual motion stimuli in multi-sensory vestibular processing cortical areas was largely found in patients on medication it may also indicate an inhibitory effect on the physiological reciprocal inhibitory visual-vestibular interaction as a multisensory mechanism for self-motion perception: the annoying oscillopsia of EA2 patients is counterbalanced by decreased visual cortex activity and hence smaller inhibition of the vestibular cortex.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Bouwkamp2025,

title = {Spatial predictive context speeds up visual search by biasing local attentional competition},

author = {Floortje G. Bouwkamp and Floris P. Lange and Eelke Spaak},

doi = {10.1162/jocn_a_02254},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience},

volume = {37},

number = {1},

pages = {28–42},

abstract = {The human visual system is equipped to rapidly and implicitly learn and exploit the statistical regularities in our environment. Within visual search, contextual cueing demonstrates how implicit knowledge of scenes can improve search performance. This is commonly interpreted as spatial context in the scenes becoming predictive of the target location, which leads to a more efficient guidance of attention during search. However, what drives this enhanced guidance is unknown. First, it is under debate whether the entire scene (global context) or more local context drives this phenomenon. Second, it is unclear how exactly improved attentional guidance is enabled by target enhancement and distractor suppression. In the present magnetoencephalography experiment, we leveraged rapid invisible frequency tagging to answer these two outstanding questions. We found that the improved performance when searching implicitly familiar scenes was accompanied by a stronger neural representation of the target stimulus, at the cost specifically of those distractors directly surrounding the target. Crucially, this biasing of local attentional competition was behaviorally relevant when searching familiar scenes. Taken together, we conclude that implicitly learned spatial predictive context improves how we search our environment by sharpening the attentional field.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cruz2025,

title = {Oscillatory brain activity in the canonical alpha-band conceals distinct mechanisms in attention},

author = {Gabriela Cruz and María Melcón and Leonardo Sutandi and Matias M. Palva and Satu Palva and Gregor Thut},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0918-24.2024},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {45},

number = {1},

pages = {1–17},

abstract = {Brain oscillations in the alpha-band (8-14 Hz) have been linked to specific processes in attention and perception. In particular, decreases in posterior alpha-amplitude are thought to reflect activation of perceptually relevant brain areas for target engagement, while alpha-amplitude increases have been associated with inhibition for distractor suppression. Traditionally, these alpha-changes have been viewed as two facets of the same process. However, recent evidence calls for revisiting this interpretation. Here, we recorded MEG/EEG in 32 participants (19 females) during covert visuospatial attention shifts (spatial cues) and two control conditions (neutral cue, no-attention cue), while tracking fixational eye movements. In disagreement with a single, perceptually relevant alpha-process, we found the typical alpha-modulations contra- and ipsilateral to the attention focus to be triple dissociated in their timing, topography, and spectral features: Ipsilateral alpha-increases occurred early, over occipital sensors, at a high alpha-frequency (10–14 Hz) and were expressed during spatial attention (alpha spatial cue > neutral cue). In contrast, contralateral alpha-decreases occurred later, over parietal sensors, at a lower alpha-frequency (7–10 Hz) and were associated with attention deployment in general (alpha spatial and neutral cue < no-attention cue). Additionally, the lateralized early alpha-increases but not alpha-decreases during spatial attention coincided in time with directionally biased microsaccades. Overall, this suggests that the attention-related early alpha-increases and late alpha-decreases reflect distinct, likely reflexive versus endogenously controlled attention mechanisms. We conclude that there is more than one perceptually relevant posterior alpha-oscillation, which need to be dissociated for a detailed account of their roles in perception and attention.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Pultsina2025a,

title = {Atypical pupil-linked arousal induced by low-risk probabilistic choices, and intolerance of uncertainty in adults with ASD},

author = {Kristina I. Pultsina and Tatiana A. Stroganova and Galina L. Kozunova and Andrey O. Prokofyev and Aleksandra S. Miasnikova and Anna M. Rytikova and Boris V. Chernyshev},

doi = {10.3758/s13415-024-01227-3},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience},

volume = {25},

number = {2},

pages = {531–549},

publisher = {Springer US},

abstract = {Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience stress when operating in a probabilistic environment, even if it is familiar, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Their decision-making may be affected by the uncertainty aversion implicated in ASD and associated with increased autonomic arousal. Previous studies have shown that in neurotypical (NT) people, decisions with predictably better outcomes are less stressful and elicit smaller pupil-linked arousal than those involving exploration. Here, in a sample of 46 high-functioning ASD and NT participants, using mixed-effects model analysis, we explored pupil-linked arousal and behavioral performance in a probabilistic reward learning task with a stable advantage of one choice option over the other. We found that subjects with ASD learned and preferred advantageous probabilistic choices at the same rate and to the same extent as NT participants, both in terms of choice ratio and response time. Although both groups exhibited similar predictive behaviors, learning to favor advantageous choices led to increased pupillary arousal for these choices in the ASD group, while it caused a decrease in pupillary arousal in the NT group. Moreover, greater pupil-linked arousal during decisions with higher expected value correlated with greater degree of self-reported intolerance of uncertainty in everyday life. Our results suggest that in a nonvolatile probabilistic environment, objectively good predictive abilities in people with ASD are coupled with elevated physiological stress and subjective uncertainty regarding the decisions with the best possible but still uncertain outcome that contributes to their intolerance of uncertainty.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Alvarez2024,

title = {Effectiveness of treatment for concussion-related convergence insufficiency: The CONCUSS study protocol for a randomized clinical trial},

author = {Tara L. Alvarez and Mitchell Scheiman and Suril Gohel and Farzin Hajebrahimi and Melissa Noble and Ayushi Sangoi and Chang Yaramothu and Christina L. Master and Arlene Goodman},

doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0314027},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {PloS ONE},

volume = {19},

number = {11},

pages = {1–23},

abstract = {PURPOSE: To describe CONCUSS, a randomized clinical trial (RCT) designed to compare the following: the effectiveness of immediate office-based vergence/accommodative therapy with movement (OBVAM) to delayed OBVAM as treatments for concussion-related convergence insufficiency (CONC-CI) to understand the impact of time (watchful waiting), the effect of OBVAM dosage (12 versus 16 therapy sessions), and to investigate the underlying neuro-mechanisms of OBVAM on CONC-CI participants. METHODS: CONCUSS is an RCT indexed on https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05262361 enrolling 100 participants aged 11-25 years with medically diagnosed concussion, persistent post-concussive symptoms 4-24 weeks post-injury, and symptomatic convergence insufficiency. Participants will receive standard concussion care and will be randomized to either immediate OBVAM or delayed (by six weeks) OBVAM. At the Outcome 1 examination (week 7), clinical assessments of success as determined by changes in the near point of convergence (NPC), positive fusional vergence (PFV), and symptoms will be compared between the two treatment groups. After the Outcome 1 visit, those in the delayed group receive 16 visits of OBVAM, while those in the immediate OBVAM group receive four more therapy visits. Outcome 2 assessment will be used to compare both groups after participants receive 16 sessions of OBVAM. The primary measure is the between-group differences of the composite change in the NPC and PFV at the Outcome 1 visit. Secondary outcome measures include individual clinical measures, objective eye-tracking parameters, and functional brain imaging. CONCLUSIONS: Major features of the study design include formal definitions of conditions and outcomes, standardized diagnostic and treatment protocols, a delayed treatment arm, masked outcome examinations, and the incorporation of objective eye movement recording and brain imaging as outcome measures. CONCUSS will establish best practices in the clinical care of CONC-CI. The objective eye movement and brain imaging, correlated with the clinical signs and symptoms, will determine the neuro-mechanisms of OBVAM on CONC-CI.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Anderson2024,

title = {fMRI and gene therapy in adults with CNGB3 mutation},

author = {Elaine J. Anderson and Tessa M. Dekker and Mahtab Farahbakhsh and Nashila Hirji and D. Samuel Schwarzkopf and Michel Michaelides and Geraint Rees},

doi = {10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.111026},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Brain Research Bulletin},

volume = {215},

pages = {1–10},

publisher = {Elsevier Inc.},

abstract = {Achromatopsia is an inherited retinal disease that affects 1 in 30,000–50,000 individuals and is characterised by an absence of functioning cone photoreceptors from birth. This results in severely reduced visual acuity, no colour vision, marked sensitivity to light and involuntary oscillations of the eyes (nystagmus). In most cases, a single gene mutation prevents normal development of cone photoreceptors, with mutations in the CNGB3 or CNGA3 gene being responsible for ∼80 % of all patients with achromatopsia. There are a growing number of studies investigating recovery of cone function after targeted gene therapy. These studies have provided some promise for patients with the CNGA3 mutation, but thus far have found limited or no recovery for patients with the CNGB3 mutation. Here, we developed colour-calibrated visual stimuli designed to isolate cone photoreceptor responses. We combined these with adapted fMRI techniques and pRF mapping to identify if cortical responses to cone-driven signals could be detected in 9 adult patients with the CNGB3 mutation after receiving gene therapy. We did not detect any change in brain activity after gene therapy when the 9 patients were analysed as a group. However, on an individual basis, one patient self-reported a change in colour perception, corroborated by improved performance on a psychophysical task designed to selectively identify cone function. This suggests a level of cone sensitivity that was lacking pre-treatment, further supported by a subtle but reliable change in cortical activity within their primary visual cortex.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Azadi2024a,

title = {Inactivation of face-selective neurons alters eye movements when free viewing faces},

author = {Reza Azadi and Emily Lopez and Jessica Taubert and Amanda Patterson and Arash Afraz},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},

volume = {121},

number = {3},

pages = {1–10},

abstract = {During free viewing, faces attract gaze and induce specific fixation patterns corresponding to the facial features. This suggests that neurons encoding the facial features are in the causal chain that steers the eyes. However, there is no physiological evidence to support a mechanistic link between face- encoding neurons in high- level visual areas and the oculo- motor system. In this study, we targeted the middle face patches of the inferior temporal (IT) cortex in two macaque monkeys using an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) localizer. We then utilized muscimol microinjection to unilaterally suppress IT neural activity inside and outside the face patches and recorded eye movements while the animals free viewing natural scenes. Inactivation of the face- selective neurons altered the pattern of eye movements on faces: The monkeys found faces in the scene but neglected the eye contralateral to the inactivation hemisphere. These findings reveal the causal contribution of the high- level visual cortex in eye movements.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{BachaTrams2024,

title = {Sisterhood predicts similar neural processing of a film},

author = {Mareike Bacha-Trams and Gökce Ertas Yorulmaz and Enrico Glerean and Elisa Ryyppö and Karoliina Tapani and Eero Virmavirta and Jenni Saaristo and Iiro P. Jääskeläinen and Mikko Sams},

doi = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120712},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {NeuroImage},

volume = {297},

pages = {1–14},

abstract = {Relationships between humans are essential for how we see the world. Using fMRI, we explored the neural basis of homophily, a sociological concept that describes the tendency to bond with similar others. Our comparison of brain activity between sisters, friends and acquaintances while they watched a movie, indicate that sisters' brain activity is more similar than that of friends and friends' activity is more similar than that of acquaintances. The increased similarity in brain activity measured as inter-subject correlation (ISC) was found both in higher-order brain areas including the default-mode network (DMN) and sensory areas. Increased ISC could not be explained by genetic relation between sisters neither by similarities in eye-movements, emotional experiences, and physiological activity. Our findings shed light on the neural basis of homophily by revealing that similarity in brain activity in the DMN and sensory areas is the stronger the closer is the relationship between the people.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Beckers2024,

title = {Impact of repeated short light exposures on sustained pupil responses in an fMRI environment},

author = {Elise Beckers and Islay Campbell and Roya Sharifpour and Ilenia Paparella and Alexandre Berger and Jose Fermin Balda Aizpurua and Ekaterina Koshmanova and Nasrin Mortazavi and Puneet Talwar and Siya Sherif and Heidi I. L. Jacobs and Gilles Vandewalle},

doi = {10.1111/jsr.14085},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Sleep Research},

volume = {33},

number = {4},

pages = {1–14},

abstract = {Light triggers numerous non-image-forming, or non-visual, biological effects. The brain correlates of these non-image-forming effects have been investigated, notably using magnetic resonance imaging and short light exposures varying in irradiance and spectral quality. However, it is not clear whether non-image-forming responses estimation may be biased by having light in sequential blocks, for example, through a potential carryover effect of one light onto the next. We reasoned that pupil light reflex was an easy readout of one of the non-image-forming effects of light that could be used to address this issue. We characterised the sustained pupil light reflex in 13–16 healthy young individuals under short light exposures during three distinct cognitive processes (executive, emotional and attentional). Light conditions pseudo-randomly alternated between monochromatic orange light (0.16 melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance lux) and polychromatic blue-enriched white light of three different levels (37, 92, 190 melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance lux). As expected, higher melanopic irradiance was associated with larger sustained pupil light reflex in each cognitive domain. This result was stable over the light sequence under higher melanopic irradiance levels compared with lower ones. Exploratory frequency-domain analyses further revealed that sustained pupil light reflex was more variable under lower melanopic irradiance levels. Importantly, sustained pupil light reflex varied across tasks independently of the light condition, pointing to a potential impact of light history and/or cognitive context on sustained pupil light reflex. Together, our results emphasise that the distinct contribution and adaptation of the different retinal photoreceptors influence the non-image-forming effects of light and therefore potentially their brain correlates.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Bergmann2024,

title = {Cortical depth profiles in primary visual cortex for illusory and imaginary experiences},

author = {Johanna Bergmann and Lucy S. Petro and Clement Abbatecola and Min S. Li and A. Tyler Morgan and Lars Muckli},

doi = {10.1038/s41467-024-45065-w},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Nature Communications},

volume = {15},

number = {1},

pages = {1–13},

publisher = {Springer US},

abstract = {Visual illusions and mental imagery are non-physical sensory experiences that involve cortical feedback processing in the primary visual cortex. Using laminar functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in two studies, we investigate if information about these internal experiences is visible in the activation patterns of different layers of primary visual cortex (V1). We find that imagery content is decodable mainly from deep layers of V1, whereas seemingly ‘real' illusory content is decodable mainly from superficial layers. Furthermore, illusory content shares information with perceptual content, whilst imagery content does not generalise to illusory or perceptual information. Together, our results suggest that illusions and imagery, which differ immensely in their subjective experiences, also involve partially distinct early visual microcircuits. However, overlapping microcircuit recruitment might emerge based on the nuanced nature of subjective conscious experience.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Blanchard2024,

title = {Motivation and pleasure deficits undermine the benefits of social affiliation in psychosis},

author = {Jack J. Blanchard and Jason F. Smith and Melanie E. Bennett and Ryan D. Orth and Christina L. G. Savage and Julie M. McCarthy and James A. Coan and Alexander J. Shackman},

doi = {10.1177/21677026241227886},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Clinical Psychological Science},

volume = {12},

number = {6},

pages = {1195 –1217},

abstract = {In psychotic disorders, motivation and pleasure (MAP) deficits are associated with decreased affiliation and heightened functional impairment. We leveraged a transdiagnostic sample enriched for psychosis and a multimethod approach to test the hypothesis that MAP deficits undermine the stress-buffering benefits of affiliation. Participants completed the social-affiliation-enhancement task (SAET) to cultivate affiliation with an experimental partner. Although the SAET increased perceived affiliation and mood, individuals with greater negative symptoms derived smaller emotional benefits from the partners, as indexed by self-report and facial behavior. We then used the handholding functional MRI paradigm, which combines threat anticipation with affiliative physical contact, to determine whether MAP deficits undermine the social regulation of distress. Individuals with greater MAP deficits showed diminished neural “benefits”—reduced dampening of threat-elicited activation—from affiliative touch in key frontoparietal nodes of the dorsal attention network. In short, MAP symptoms disrupt the emotional and neuroregulatory benefits of affiliation.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Bocha2024,

title = {Action observation reveals a network with divergent temporal and parietal cortex engagement in dogs compared with humans},

author = {Magdalena Bocha and Sabrina Karl and Isabella C. Wagnera and Lukas L. Lengersdorff and Ludwig Huberc and Claus Lamm},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},

volume = {2},

pages = {1–29},

abstract = {Action observation is a fundamental pillar of social cognition. Neuroimaging research has revealed a human and non-human primate action observation network (AON) encompassing frontotemporoparietal areas with links to the species' imitation tendencies and relative lobe expansion. Dogs (Canis familiaris) have good action perception and imitation skills and a less expanded parietal than temporal cortex, but their AON remains unexplored. We conducted a functional MRI study with 28 dogs and 40 humans and found functionally analogous involvement of somatosensory and temporal brain areas of both species' AONs and responses to transitive and intransitive action observation in line with their imitative skills. Employing a functional localizer, we also identified functionally analogous agent-responsive areas within both species' AONs. However, activation and task-based functional connectivity measures suggested significantly less parietal cortex involvement in dogs than in humans. These findings advance our understanding of the neural bases of action understanding and the convergent evolution of social cognition, with analogies and differences resulting from similar social environments and divergent brain expansion, respectively.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Borovska2024,

title = {Individual gaze shapes diverging neural representations},

author = {Petra Borovska and Benjamin Haas},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},

volume = {121},

number = {36},

pages = {1–3},

abstract = {Complex visual stimuli evoke diverse patterns of gaze, but previous research suggests that their neural representations are shared across brains. Here, we used hyperalignment to compare visual responses between observers viewing identical stimuli. We find that individual eye movements enhance cortical visual responses but also lead to representational divergence. Pairwise differences in the spatial distribution of gaze and in semantic salience predict pairwise representational divergence in V1 and inferior temporal cortex, respectively. This suggests that individual gaze sculpts individual visual worlds.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Brendler2024,

title = {Assessing hypo-arousal during reward anticipation with pupillometry in patients with major depressive disorder: replication and correlations with anhedonia},

author = {Andy Brendler and Max Schneider and Immanuel G. Elbau and Rui Sun and Taechawidd Nantawisarakul and Dorothee Pöhlchen and Tanja Brückl and A. K. Brem and E. B. Binder and A. Erhardt and J. Fietz and N. C. Grandi and Y. Kim and S. Ilić-Ćoćić and L. Leuchs and S. Lucae and T. Namendorf and J. Pape and L. Schilbach and I. Mücke-Heim and J. Ziebula and Michael Czisch and Philipp G. Sämann and Michael D. Lee and Victor I. Spoormaker},

doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-48792-0},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Scientific Reports},

volume = {14},

number = {344},

pages = {1–11},

abstract = {Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a devastating and heterogenous disorder for which there are no approved biomarkers in clinical practice. We recently identified anticipatory hypo-arousal indexed by pupil responses as a candidate mechanism subserving depression symptomatology. Here, we conducted a replication and extension study of these findings. We analyzed a replication sample of 40 unmedicated patients with a diagnosis of depression and 30 healthy control participants, who performed a reward anticipation task while pupil responses were measured. Using a Bayesian modelling approach taking measurement uncertainty into account, we could show that the negative correlation between pupil dilation and symptom load during reward anticipation is replicable within MDD patients, albeit with a lower effect size. Furthermore, with the combined sample of 136 participants (81 unmedicated depressed and 55 healthy control participants), we further showed that reduced pupil dilation in anticipation of reward is inversely associated with anhedonia items of the Beck Depression Inventory in particular. Moreover, using simultaneous fMRI, particularly the right anterior insula as part of the salience network was negatively correlated with depressive symptom load in general and anhedonia items specifically. The present study supports the utility of pupillometry in assessing noradrenergically mediated hypo-arousal during reward anticipation in MDD, a physiological process that appears to subserve anhedonia.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Bridge2024,

title = {Neurochemistry and functional connectivity in the brain of people with Charles Bonnet syndrome},

author = {Holly Bridge and Abigail Wyllie and Aaron Kay and Bailey Rand and Lucy Starling and Rebecca S. Millington-Truby and William T. Clarke and Jasleen K. Jolly and I. Betina Ip},

doi = {10.1177/25158414241280201},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Therapeutic Advances in Ophthalmology},

volume = {16},

pages = {1–18},

abstract = {Background: Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) is a condition in which people with vision loss experience complex visual hallucinations. These complex visual hallucinations may be caused by increased excitability in the visual cortex that are present in some people with vision loss but not others. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the association between γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the visual cortex and CBS. We also tested the relationship among visually evoked responses, functional connectivity, and CBS. Design: This is a prospective, case-controlled, cross-sectional observational study. Methods: We applied 3-Tesla magnetic resonance spectroscopy, as well as task-based and resting state (RS) connectivity functional magnetic resonance imaging in six participants with CBS and six controls without CBS. GABA+ was measured in the early visual cortex (EVC) and in the lateral occipital cortex (LOC). Participants also completed visual acuity and cognitive tests, and the North-East Visual Hallucinations Interview. Results: The two groups were well-matched for age, gender, visual acuity and cognitive scores. There was no difference in GABA+ levels between groups in the visual cortex. Most participants showed the expected blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) activation to images of objects and the phase-scrambled control. Using a fixed effects analysis, we found that BOLD activation was greater in participants with CBS compared to controls. Analysis of RS connectivity with LOC and EVC showed little difference between groups. A fixed effects analysis showed a correlation between the extent of functional connectivity with LOC and hallucination strength. Conclusion: Overall, our results provide no strong evidence for an association between GABAergic inhibition in the visual cortex and CBS. We only found subtle differences in visual function and connectivity between groups. These findings suggest that the neurochemistry and visual connectivity for people with Charles Bonnet hallucinations are comparable to a sight loss population. Differences between groups may emerge when investigating subtle and transient changes that occur at the time of visual hallucinations.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Brus2024,

title = {Causal phase-dependent control of non-spatial attention in human prefrontal cortex},

author = {Jeroen Brus and Joseph A. Heng and Valeriia Beliaeva and Fabian Gonzalez Pinto and Antonino Mario Cassarà and Esra Neufeld and Marcus Grueschow and Lukas Imbach and Rafael Polanía},

doi = {10.1038/s41562-024-01820-z},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Nature Human Behaviour},

volume = {8},

number = {4},

pages = {743–757},

publisher = {Springer US},

abstract = {Non-spatial attention is a fundamental cognitive mechanism that allows organisms to orient the focus of conscious awareness towards sensory information that is relevant to a behavioural goal while shifting it away from irrelevant stimuli. It has been suggested that attention is regulated by the ongoing phase of slow excitability fluctuations of neural activity in the prefrontal cortex, a hypothesis that has been challenged with no consensus. Here we developed a behavioural and non-invasive stimulation paradigm aiming at modulating slow excitability fluctuations of the inferior frontal junction. Using this approach, we show that non-spatial attention can be selectively modulated as a function of the ongoing phase of exogenously modulated excitability states of this brain structure. These results demonstrate that non-spatial attention relies on ongoing prefrontal excitability states, which are probably regulated by slow oscillatory dynamics, that orchestrate goal-oriented behaviour.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Buschermoehle2024,

title = {Comparing the performance of beamformer algorithms in estimating orientations of neural sources},

author = {Yvonne Buschermöhle and Malte B. Höltershinken and Tim Erdbrügger and Jan Ole Radecke and Andreas Sprenger and Till R. Schneider and Rebekka Lencer and Joachim Gross and Carsten H. Wolters},

doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2024.109150},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {iScience},

volume = {27},

number = {3},

pages = {1–21},

abstract = {The efficacy of transcranial electric stimulation (tES) to effectively modulate neuronal activity depends critically on the spatial orientation of the targeted neuronal population. Therefore, precise estimation of target orientation is of utmost importance. Different beamforming algorithms provide orientation estimates; however, a systematic analysis of their performance is still lacking. For fixed brain locations, EEG and MEG data from sources with randomized orientations were simulated. The orientation was then estimated (1) with an EEG and (2) with a combined EEG-MEG approach. Three commonly used beamformer algorithms were evaluated with respect to their abilities to estimate the correct orientation: Unit-Gain (UG), Unit-Noise-Gain (UNG), and Array-Gain (AG) beamformer. Performance depends on the signal-to-noise ratios for the modalities and on the chosen beamformer. Overall, the UNG and AG beamformers appear as the most reliable. With increasing noise, the UG estimate converges to a vector determined by the leadfield, thus leading to insufficient orientation estimates.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Campbell2024d,

title = {Regional response to light illuminance across the human hypothalamus},

author = {Islay Campbell and Roya Sharifpour and Jose Fermin Balda Aizpurua and Elise Beckers and Ilenia Paparella and Alexandre Berger and Ekaterina Koshmanova and Nasrin Mortazavi and John Read and Mikhail Zubkov and Puneet Talwar and Fabienne Collette and Siya Sherif and Christophe Phillips and Laurent Lamalle and Gilles Vandewalle},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {eLife},

volume = {13},

pages = {1–21},

abstract = {Light exerts multiple non-image-forming biological effects on physiology including the stimulation of alertness and cognition. However, the subcortical circuitry underlying the stimulating impact of light is not established in humans. We used 7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the impact of variations in light illuminance on the regional activity of the hypothalamus while healthy young adults (N=26; 16 women; 24.3 ± 2.9y) were completing two auditory cognitive tasks. We find that, during both the executive and emotional tasks, higher illuminance triggered an activity increase over the posterior part of the hypothalamus, which includes part of the tuberomamillary nucleus and the posterior part of the lateral hypothalamus. In contrast, increasing illuminance evoked a decrease in activity over the anterior and ventral parts of the hypothalamus, encompassing notably the suprachiasmatic nucleus and another part of the tuberomammillary nucleus. Critically, performance of the executive task was improved under higher illuminance and was negatively correlated with the activity of the posterior hypothalamus area. These findings reveal the distinct local dynamics of different hypothalamus regions that underlie the impact of light on cognition. They may suggest that light acts on the orexin and histamine system to affect the quality of wakefulness. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cao2024a,

title = {Moral conviction interacts with metacognitive ability in modulating neural activity during sociopolitical decision-making},

author = {Qiongwen Cao and Michael Cohen and Akram Bakkour and Yuan Leong and Jean Decety},

doi = {10.3758/s13415-024-01243-3},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience},

pages = {1–20},

publisher = {Springer US},

abstract = {The extent to which a belief is rooted in one's sense of morality has significant societal implications. While moral convictions can inspire positive collective action, they can also prompt dogmatism, intolerance, and societal divisions. These negative effects may be exacerbated by poor metacognition. There has been extensive research in social psychology about the characteristics of moral convictions, but their neural mechanisms and how they are incorporated into the valuation and decision-making process remain unclear. This study was designed to examine the neural mechanisms of decision-making on sociopolitical issues that vary on moral conviction, as well as how metacognitive abilities relate to these mechanisms. Participants (N = 44) underwent fMRI scanning while deciding on each trial which of two groups of political protesters they supported more. As predicted, stronger moral conviction was related to faster response times. Hemodynamic response in the anterior insula (aINS), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) were elevated during decisions with higher moral conviction level, supporting both the emotional and cognitive dimensions of moral conviction. Functional connectivity between lPFC and vmPFC was also higher on trials higher in moral conviction, elucidating mechanisms through which moral conviction is incorporated into valuation. Support for protesters was positively associated with brain activity in regions involved in valuation (particularly vmPFC and amygdala). Metacognitive sensitivity, measured in a separate perceptual task, negatively correlated with parametric effects of moral conviction in the brain, providing new evidence that metacognition modulates responses to morally convicted issues.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cecconi2024,

title = {Study protocol: Cerebral characterization of sensory gating in disconnected dreaming states during propofol anesthesia using fMRI},

author = {Benedetta Cecconi and Javier Montupil and Sepehr Mortaheb and Rajanikant Panda and Robert D. Sanders and Christophe Phillips and Naji Alnagger and Emma Remacle and Aline Defresne and Melanie Boly and Mohamed Ali Bahri and Laurent Lamalle and Steven Laureys and Olivia Gosseries and Vincent Bonhomme and Jitka Annen},

doi = {10.3389/fnins.2024.1306344},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Neuroscience},

volume = {18},

pages = {1–14},

abstract = {Background: Disconnected consciousness describes a state in which subjective experience (i.e., consciousness) becomes isolated from the external world. It appears frequently during sleep or sedation, when subjective experiences remain vivid but are unaffected by external stimuli. Traditional methods of differentiating connected and disconnected consciousness, such as relying on behavioral responsiveness or on post-anesthesia reports, have demonstrated limited accuracy: unresponsiveness has been shown to not necessarily equate to unconsciousness and amnesic effects of anesthesia and sleep can impair explicit recollection of events occurred during sleep/sedation. Due to these methodological challenges, our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying sensory disconnection remains limited. Methods: To overcome these methodological challenges, we employ a distinctive strategy by combining a serial awakening paradigm with auditory stimulation during mild propofol sedation. While under sedation, participants are systematically exposed to auditory stimuli and questioned about their subjective experience (to assess consciousness) and their awareness of the sounds (to evaluate connectedness/disconnectedness from the environment). The data collected through interviews are used to categorize participants into connected and disconnected consciousness states. This method circumvents the requirement for responsiveness in assessing consciousness and mitigates amnesic effects of anesthesia as participants are questioned while still under sedation. Functional MRI data are concurrently collected to investigate cerebral activity patterns during connected and disconnected states, to elucidate sensory disconnection neural gating mechanisms. We examine whether this gating mechanism resides at the thalamic level or results from disruptions in information propagation to higher cortices. Furthermore, we explore the potential role of slow-wave activity (SWA) in inducing disconnected consciousness by quantifying high-frequency BOLD oscillations, a known correlate of slow-wave activity. Discussion: This study represents a notable advancement in the investigation of sensory disconnection. The serial awakening paradigm effectively mitigates amnesic effects by collecting reports immediately after regaining responsiveness, while still under sedation. Ultimately, this research holds the potential to understand how sensory gating is achieved at the neural level. These biomarkers might be relevant for the development of sensitive anesthesia monitoring to avoid intraoperative connected consciousness and for the assessment of patients suffering from pathologically reduced consciousness.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Centanino2024,

title = {The neural link between stimulus duration and spatial location in the human visual hierarchy},

author = {Valeria Centanino and Gianfranco Fortunato and Domenica Bueti},

doi = {10.1038/s41467-024-54336-5},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Nature Communications},

volume = {15},

number = {1},

pages = {1–19},

publisher = {Springer US},

abstract = {Integrating spatial and temporal information is essential for our sensory experience. While psychophysical evidence suggests spatial dependencies in duration perception, few studies have directly tested the neural link between temporal and spatial processing. Using ultra-high-field functional MRI and neuronal-based modeling, we investigated how and where the processing and the representation of a visual stimulus duration is linked to that of its spatial location. Our results show a transition in duration coding: from monotonic and spatially-dependent in early visual cortex to unimodal and spatially-invariant in frontal cortex. Along the dorsal visual stream, particularly in the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), neuronal populations show common selective responses to both spatial and temporal information. In the IPS, spatial and temporal topographic organizations are also linked, although duration maps are smaller, less clustered, and more variable across participants. These findings help identify the mechanisms underlying human perception of visual duration and characterize the functional link between time and space processing, highlighting the importance of their interactions in shaping brain responses.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Chauhan2024,

title = {Reading reshapes stimulus selectivity in the visual word form area},

author = {Vassiki S. Chauhan and Krystal C. McCook and Alex L. White},

doi = {10.1523/ENEURO.0228-24.2024},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {eNeuro},

volume = {11},

number = {7},

pages = {1–20},

abstract = {Reading depends on a brain region known as the “visual word form area” (VWFA) in the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex. This region's function is debated because its stimulus selectivity is not absolute, it is modulated by a variety of task demands, and it is inconsistently localized. We used fMRI to characterize the combination of sensory and cognitive factors that activate word-responsive regions that we precisely localized in 16 adult humans (4 male). We then presented three types of character strings: English words, pseudowords, and unfamiliar characters with matched visual features. Participants performed three different tasks while viewing those stimuli: detecting real words, detecting color in the characters, and detecting color in the fixation mark. There were three primary findings about the VWFA's response: (1) It preferred letter strings over unfamiliar characters even when the stimuli were ignored during the fixation task. (2) Compared with those baseline responses, engaging in the word reading task enhanced the response to words but suppressed the response to unfamiliar characters. (3) Attending to the stimuli to judge their color had little effect on the response magnitudes. Thus, the VWFA is uniquely modulated by a cognitive signal that is specific to voluntary linguistic processing and is not additive. Functional connectivity analyses revealed that communication between the VWFA and a left frontal language area increased when the participant engaged in the linguistic task. We conclude that the VWFA is inherently selective for familiar orthography, but it falls under control of the language network when the task demands it.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cicero2024,

title = {Differential cortical and subcortical visual processing with eyes shut},

author = {Nicholas G. Cicero and Michaela Klimova and Laura D. Lewis and Sam Ling},

doi = {10.1152/jn.00073.2024},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Neurophysiology},

volume = {132},

number = {1},

pages = {54–60},

abstract = {Closing our eyes largely shuts down our ability to see. That said, our eyelids still pass some light, allowing our visual system to coarsely process information about visual scenes, such as changes in luminance. However, the specific impact of eye closure on processing within the early visual system remains largely unknown. To understand how visual processing is modulated when eyes are shut, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure responses to a flickering visual stimulus at high (100%) and low (10%) temporal contrasts, while participants viewed the stimuli with their eyes open or closed. Interestingly, we discovered that eye closure produced a qualitatively distinct pattern of effects across the visual thalamus and visual cortex. We found that with eyes open, low temporal contrast stimuli produced smaller responses across the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), primary (V1) and extrastriate visual cortex (V2). However, with eyes closed, we discovered that the LGN and V1 maintained similar blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses as the eyes open condition, despite the suppressed visual input through the eyelid. In contrast, V2 and V3 had strongly attenuated BOLD response when eyes were closed, regardless of temporal contrast. Our findings reveal a qualitatively distinct pattern of visual processing when the eyes are closed-one that is not simply an overall attenuation but rather reflects distinct responses across visual thalamocortical networks, wherein the earliest stages of processing preserve information about stimuli but are then gated off downstream in visual cortex.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Clairis2024,

title = {Value estimation versus effort mobilization: A general dissociation between ventromedial and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex},

author = {Nicolas Clairis and Mathias Pessiglione},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1176-23.2024},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {44},

number = {17},

pages = {1–13},

abstract = {Deciding on a course of action requires both an accurate estimation of option values and the right amount of effort invested iwn deliberation to reach sufficient confidence in the final choice. In a previous study, we have provided evidence, across a series of judgment and choice tasks, for a dissociation between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), which would represent option values, and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), which would represent the duration of deliberation. Here, we first replicate this dissociation and extend it to the case of an instrumental learning task, in which 24 human volunteers (13 women) choose between options associated with probabilistic gains and losses. According to fMRI data recorded during decision-making, vmPFC activity reflects the sum of option values generated by a reinforcement learning model and dmPFC activity the deliberation time. To further generalize the role of the dmPFC in mobilizing effort, we then analyze fMRI data recorded in the same participants while they prepare to perform motor and cognitive tasks (squeezing a handgrip or making numerical comparisons) to maximize gains or minimize losses. In both cases, dmPFC activity is associated with the output of an effort regulation model, and not with response time. Taken together, these results strengthen a general theory of behavioral control that implicates the vmPFC in the estimation of option values and the dmPFC in the energization of relevant motor and cognitive processes.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Dabbagh2024,

title = {Reliability of task-based fMRI in the dorsal horn of the human spinal cord},

author = {Alice Dabbagh and Ulrike Horn and Merve Kaptan and Toralf Mildner and Roland Müller and Jöran Lepsien and Nikolaus Weiskop and Jonathan C. W. Brooks and Jürgen Finsterbusch and Falk Eippert},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},

volume = {2},

pages = {1–27},

abstract = {The application of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to the human spinal cord is still a relatively small field of research and faces many challenges. Here we aimed to probe the limitations of task-based spinal fMRI at 3T by investigating the reliability of spinal cord blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses to repeated nociceptive stimulation across 2 consecutive days in 40 healthy volunteers. We assessed the test–retest reliability of subjective ratings, autonomic responses, and spinal cord BOLD responses to short heat-pain stimuli (1 s duration) using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). At the group level, we observed robust autonomic responses as well as spatially specific spinal cord BOLD responses at the expected location, but no spatial overlap in BOLD response patterns across days. While autonomic indicators of pain processing showed good-to-excellent reliability, both β-estimates and z-scores of task-related BOLD responses showed poor reliability across days in the target region (gray matter of the ipsilateral dorsal horn). When taking into account the sensitivity of gradient-echo echo planar imaging (GE-EPI) to draining vein signals by including the venous plexus in the analysis, we observed BOLD responses with fair reliability across days. Taken together, these results demonstrate that heat- pain stimuli as short as 1 s are able to evoke a robust and spatially specific BOLD response, which is, however, strongly variable within participants across time, resulting in low reliability in the dorsal horn gray matter. Further improvements in data acquisition and analysis techniques are thus necessary before event-related spinal cord fMRI as used here can be reliably employed in longitudinal designs or clinical settings.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Demiral2024,

title = {Blink-induced changes in pupil dynamics are consistent and heritable},

author = {Şükrü Barış Demiral and Nora D. Volkow},

doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-79527-4},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Scientific Reports},

volume = {14},

number = {1},

pages = {1–13},

abstract = {Pupil size and blink rates are heritable but the extent to which they interact with one another has not been properly investigated. Though changes in pupil size due to eye blinks have been reported, they are considered a pupillary artifact. In this study we used the HCP 7T fMRI dataset with resting state eye-tracking data obtained in monozygotic and dizygotic twins to assess their heritability and their interactions. For this purpose, we characterized the pupil dilation (positive peak) and constriction (negative peak) that followed blink events, which we describe as blink-induced pupillary response (BIPR). We show that the BIPR is highly consistent with a positive dilatory peak (D-peak) around 500ms and a negative constricting peak (C-peak) around 1s. These patterns were reproducible within- and between-subjects across two time points and differed by vigilance state (vigilant versus drowsy). By comparing BIPR between monozygotic and dizygotic twins we show that BIPR have a heritable component with significant additive genetic (A) and environmental (E) factors dominating the structural equation models, particularly in the time-domain for both D- and C-peaks (a2 between 42 and 49%) and shared effects (C) as observed in the amplitude domain for the C-peak. Blink duration, pupil size and blink rate were also found to be highly heritable (a2 up to 62% for pupil size). Our study provides evidence of that shared environmental and additive genetic factors influence BIPR and indicates that BIPR should not be treated as a coincidental artefact. Instead BIPR appears to be a component of a larger oculomotor system that we label here as Oculomotor Adaptive System, that is genetically determined.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Diasa2024,

title = {A chronometric relationship between circuits underlying learning and error monitoring in the basal ganglia and salience network},

author = {Camila Diasa and Teresa Sousa and Miguel Castelo-Branco},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},

volume = {2},

pages = {1–16},

abstract = {Healthy individuals readily adjust their behavior in response to errors using learning mechanisms. This raises the question of how error-related neural mechanisms underlie the learning process and its progress. In this study, 21 healthy participants performed a challenging functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task to answer this question. We assessed the evolution of error- related neural response as a function of learning progress. We tested the hypothesis that the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula, key regions of the error monitoring neural circuitry, reflect both the performance of an action and its improvement. Given the nature of trial- and-error learning, we also expected an involvement of the striatum, particularly the putamen. We found that error-related neural activity (in the dACC and anterior insula) was similar following correct responses and errors in an initial learning period. However, as learning progressed, the activity continuously decreased in response to correct events and increased after errors. In opposition, during the initial learning phase, the putamen activity was modulated by errors, but, as it progressed, this region became unaffected by response outcomes. In sum, our study provides neural evidence for an interaction between the mechanisms underlying error monitoring and learning, contributing to clarifying how error- related neural responses evolve with learning.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Du2024a,

title = {Organization of the human cerebral cortex estimated within individuals: Networks, global topography, and function},

author = {Jingnan Du and Lauren M. DiNicola and Peter A. Angeli and Noam Saadon-Grosman and Wendy Sun and Stephanie Kaiser and Joanna Ladopoulou and Aihuiping Xue and B. T. Thomas Yeo and Mark C. Eldaief and Randy L. Buckner},

doi = {10.1152/jn.00308.2023},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Neurophysiology},

volume = {131},

number = {6},

pages = {1014–1082},

abstract = {The cerebral cortex is populated by specialized regions that are organized into networks. Here we estimated networks from functional MRI (fMRI) data in intensively sampled participants. The procedure was developed in two participants (scanned 31 times) and then prospectively applied to 15 participants (scanned 8–11 times). Analysis of the networks revealed a global organization. Locally organized first-order sensory and motor networks were surrounded by spatially adjacent second-order networks that linked to distant regions. Third-order networks possessed regions distributed widely throughout association cortex. Regions of distinct third-order networks displayed side-by-side juxtapositions with a pattern that repeated across multiple cortical zones. We refer to these as supra-areal association megaclusters (SAAMs). Within each SAAM, two candidate control regions were adjacent to three separate domain-specialized regions. Response properties were explored with task data. The somatomotor and visual networks responded to body movements and visual stimulation, respectively. Second-order networks responded to transients in an oddball detection task, consistent with a role in orienting to salient events. The third-order networks, including distinct regions within each SAAM, showed two levels of functional specialization. Regions linked to candidate control networks responded to working memory load across multiple stimulus domains. The remaining regions dissociated across language, social, and spatial/episodic processing domains. These results suggest that progressively higher-order networks nest outward from primary sensory and motor cortices. Within the apex zones of association cortex, there is specialization that repeatedly divides domain-flexible from domain-specialized regions. We discuss implications of these findings, including how repeating organizational motifs may emerge during development.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Duan2024a,

title = {Visual working memories are abstractions of percepts},

author = {Ziyi Duan and Clayton E. Curtis},

doi = {10.7554/ELIFE.94191},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {eLife},

volume = {13},

pages = {1–18},

abstract = {During perception, decoding the orientation of gratings depends on complex interactions between the orientation of the grating, aperture edges, and topographic structure of the visual map. Here, we aimed to test how aperture biases described during perception affect working memory (WM) decoding. For memoranda, we used gratings multiplied by radial and angular modulators to generate orthogonal aperture biases for identical orientations. Therefore, if WM representations are simply maintained sensory representations, they would have similar aperture biases. If they are abstractions of sensory features, they would be unbiased and the modulator would have no effect on orientation decoding. Neural patterns of delay period activity while maintaining the orientation of gratings with one modulator (e.g. radial) were interchangeable with patterns while maintaining gratings with the other modulator (e.g. angular) in visual and parietal cortex, suggesting that WM representations are insensitive to aperture biases during perception. Then, we visualized memory abstractions of stimuli using models of visual field map properties. Regardless of aperture biases, WM representations of both modulated gratings were recoded into a single oriented line. These results provide strong evidence that visual WM representations are abstractions of percepts, immune to perceptual aperture biases, and compel revisions of WM theory.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Eng2024,

title = {Identifying subgroups of urge suppression in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder using machine learning},

author = {Goi Khia Eng and Alessandro S. De Nadai and Katherine A. Collins and Nicolette Recchia and Russell H. Tobe and Laura B. Bragdon and Emily R. Stern},

doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.06.052},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Psychiatric Research},

volume = {177},

pages = {129–139},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is phenomenologically heterogeneous. While predominant models suggest fear and harm prevention drive compulsions, many patients also experience uncomfortable sensory-based urges (“sensory phenomena”) that may be associated with heightened interoceptive sensitivity. Using an urge-to-blink eyeblink suppression paradigm to model sensory-based urges, we previously found that OCD patients as a group had more eyeblink suppression failures and greater activation of sensorimotor-interoceptive regions than controls. However, conventional approaches assuming OCD homogeneity may obscure important within-group variability, impeding precision treatment development. This study investigated the heterogeneity of urge suppression failure in OCD and examined relationships with clinical characteristics and neural activation. Eighty-two patients with OCD and 38 controls underwent an fMRI task presenting 60-s blocks of eyeblink suppression alternating with free-blinking blocks. Latent profile analysis identified OCD subgroups based on number of erroneous blinks during suppression. Subgroups were compared on behavior, clinical characteristics, and brain activation during task. Three patient subgroups were identified. Despite similar overall OCD severity, the subgroup with the most erroneous eyeblinks had the highest sensory phenomena severity, interoceptive sensitivity, and subjective urge intensity. Compared to other subgroups, this subgroup exhibited more neural activity in somatosensory and interoceptive regions during the early phase (first 30 s) of blink suppression and reduced activity in the middle frontal gyrus during the late phase (second 30 s) as the suppression period elapsed. Heterogeneity of urge suppression in OCD was associated with clinical characteristics and brain function. Our results reveal potential treatment targets that could inform personalized medicine.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Fafrowicz2024,

title = {Classification of ROI-based fMRI data in short-term memory tasks using discriminant analysis and neural networks},

author = {Magdalena Fafrowicz and Marcin Tutajewski and Igor Sieradzki and Jeremi K. Ochab and Anna Ceglarek-Sroka and Koryna Lewandowska and Tadeusz Marek and Barbara Sikora-Wachowicz and Igor T. Podolak and Paweł Oświcecimka},

doi = {10.3389/fninf.2024.1480366},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Neuroinformatics},

volume = {18},

pages = {1–18},

abstract = {Understanding brain function relies on identifying spatiotemporal patterns in brain activity. In recent years, machine learning methods have been widely used to detect connections between regions of interest (ROIs) involved in cognitive functions, as measured by the fMRI technique. However, it's essential to match the type of learning method to the problem type, and extracting the information about the most important ROI connections might be challenging. In this contribution, we used machine learning techniques to classify tasks in a working memory experiment and identify the brain areas involved in processing information. We employed classical discriminators and neural networks (convolutional and residual) to differentiate between brain responses to distinct types of visual stimuli (visuospatial and verbal) and different phases of the experiment (information encoding and retrieval). The best performance was achieved by the LGBM classifier with 1-time point input data during memory retrieval and a convolutional neural network during the encoding phase. Additionally, we developed an algorithm that took into account feature correlations to estimate the most important brain regions for the model's accuracy. Our findings suggest that from the perspective of considered models, brain signals related to the resting state have a similar degree of complexity to those related to the encoding phase, which does not improve the model's accuracy. However, during the retrieval phase, the signals were easily distinguished from the resting state, indicating their different structure. The study identified brain regions that are crucial for processing information in working memory, as well as the differences in the dynamics of encoding and retrieval processes. Furthermore, our findings indicate spatiotemporal distinctions related to these processes. The analysis confirmed the importance of the basal ganglia in processing information during the retrieval phase. The presented results reveal the benefits of applying machine learning algorithms to investigate working memory dynamics.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Fietz2024,

title = {Data-driven pupil response profiles as transdiagnostic readouts for the detection of neurocognitive functioning in affective and anxiety disorders},

author = {Julia Fietz and Dorothee Pöhlchen and BeCOME Working Group and Tanja M. Brückl and Anna-Katharine Brem and Frank Padberg and Michael Czisch and Philipp G. Sämann and Victor I. Spoormaker},

doi = {10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.06.005},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging},

volume = {9},

number = {6},

pages = {580–587},

abstract = {Background: Neurocognitive functioning is a relevant transdiagnostic dimension in psychiatry. As pupil size dynamics track cognitive load during a working memory task, we aimed to explore if this parameter allows identification of psychophysiological subtypes in healthy participants and patients with affective and anxiety disorders. Methods: Our sample consisted of 226 participants who completed the n-back task during simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging and pupillometry measurements. We used latent class growth modeling to identify clusters based on pupil size in response to cognitive load. In a second step, these clusters were compared on affective and anxiety symptom levels, performance in neurocognitive tests, and functional magnetic resonance imaging activity. Results: The clustering analysis resulted in two distinct pupil response profiles: one with a stepwise increasing pupil size with increasing cognitive load (reactive group) and one with a constant pupil size across conditions (nonreactive group). A larger increase in pupil size was significantly associated with better performance in neurocognitive tests in executive functioning and sustained attention. Statistical maps of parametric modulation of pupil size during the n-back task showed the frontoparietal network in the positive contrast and the default mode network in the negative contrast. The pupil response profile of the reactive group was associated with more thalamic activity, likely reflecting better arousal upregulation and less deactivation of the limbic system. Conclusions: Pupil measurements have the potential to serve as a highly sensitive psychophysiological readout for detection of neurocognitive deficits in the core domain of executive functioning, adding to the development of valid transdiagnostic constructs in psychiatry.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Froesel2024,

title = {Macaque claustrum, pulvinar and putative dorsolateral amygdala support the cross-modal association of social audio-visual stimuli based on meaning},

author = {Mathilda Froesel and Maëva Gacoin and Simon Clavagnier and Marc Hauser and Quentin Goudard and Suliann Ben Hamed},

doi = {10.1111/ejn.16328},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {European Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {59},

number = {12},

pages = {3203–3223},

abstract = {Social communication draws on several cognitive functions such as perception, emotion recognition and attention. The association of audio-visual information is essential to the processing of species-specific communication signals. In this study, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging in order to identify the subcortical areas involved in the cross-modal association of visual and auditory information based on their common social meaning. We identified three subcortical regions involved in audio-visual processing of species-specific communicative signals: the dorsolateral amygdala, the claustrum and the pulvinar. These regions responded to visual, auditory congruent and audio-visual stimulations. However, none of them was significantly activated when the auditory stimuli were semantically incongruent with the visual context, thus showing an influence of visual context on auditory processing. For example, positive vocalization (coos) activated the three subcortical regions when presented in the context of positive facial expression (lipsmacks) but not when presented in the context of negative facial expression (aggressive faces). In addition, the medial pulvinar and the amygdala presented multisensory integration such that audiovisual stimuli resulted in activations that were significantly higher than those observed for the highest unimodal response. Last, the pulvinar responded in a task-dependent manner, along a specific spatial sensory gradient. We propose that the dorsolateral amygdala, the claustrum and the pulvinar belong to a multisensory network that modulates the perception of visual socioemotional information and vocalizations as a function of the relevance of the stimuli in the social context. Significance statement: Understanding and correctly associating socioemotional information across sensory modalities, such that happy faces predict laughter and escape scenes predict screams, is essential when living in complex social groups. With the use of functional magnetic imaging in the awake macaque, we identify three subcortical structures—dorsolateral amygdala, claustrum and pulvinar—that only respond to auditory information that matches the ongoing visual socioemotional context, such as hearing positively valenced coo calls and seeing positively valenced mutual grooming monkeys. We additionally describe task-dependent activations in the pulvinar, organizing along a specific spatial sensory gradient, supporting its role as a network regulator.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Geurts2024,

title = {Pupil-linked arousal modulates precision of stimulus representation in cortex},

author = {Laura S. Geurts and Sam Ling and Janneke F. M. Jehee},

doi = {10.1523/jneurosci.1522-23.2024},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {44},

number = {42},

pages = {1–11},

abstract = {Neural responses are naturally variable from one moment to the next, even when the stimulus is held constant. What factors might underlie this variability in neural population activity? We hypothesized that spontaneous fluctuations in cortical stimulus representations are created by changes in arousal state. We tested the hypothesis using a combination of fMRI, probabilistic decoding methods, and pupillometry. Human participants (20 female, 12 male) were presented with gratings of random orientation. Shortly after viewing the grating, participants reported its orientation and gave their level of confidence in this judgment. Using a probabilistic fMRI decoding technique, we quantified the precision of the stimulus representation in the visual cortex on a trial-by-trial basis. Pupil size was recorded and analyzed to index the observer's arousal state. We found that the precision of the cortical stimulus representation, reported confidence, and variability in the behavioral orientation judgments varied from trial to trial. Interestingly, these trial-by-trial changes in cortical and behavioral precision and confidence were linked to pupil size and its temporal rate of change. Specifically, when the cortical stimulus representation was more precise, the pupil dilated more strongly prior to stimulus onset and remained larger during stimulus presentation. Similarly, stronger pupil dilation during stimulus presentation was associated with higher levels of subjective confidence, a secondary measure of sensory precision, as well as improved behavioral performance. Taken together, our findings support the hypothesis that spontaneous fluctuations in arousal state modulate the fidelity of the stimulus representation in the human visual cortex, with clear consequences for behavior.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Giacometti2024,

title = {Differential functional organization of amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex networks in macaque and human},

author = {Camille Giacometti and Delphine Autran-Clavagnier and Audrey Dureux and Laura Viñales and Franck Lamberton and Emmanuel Procyk and Charles R. E. Wilson and Céline Amiez and Fadila Hadj-Bouziane},

doi = {10.1038/s42003-024-05918-y},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Communications Biology},

volume = {7},

pages = {1–10},

publisher = {Springer US},

abstract = {Over the course of evolution, the amygdala (AMG) and medial frontal cortex (mPFC) network, involved in behavioral adaptation, underwent structural changes in the old-world monkey and human lineages. Yet, whether and how the functional organization of this network differs remains poorly understood. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imagery, we show that the functional connectivity (FC) between AMG nuclei and mPFC regions differs between humans and awake macaques. In humans, the AMG-mPFC FC displays U-shaped pattern along the corpus callosum: a positive FC with the ventromedial prefrontal (vmPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a negative FC with the anterior mid-cingulate cortex (MCC), and a positive FC with the posterior MCC. Conversely, in macaques, the negative FC shifted more ventrally at the junction between the vmPFC and the ACC. The functional organization divergence of AMG-mPFC network between humans and macaques might help understanding behavioral adaptation abilities differences in their respective socio-ecological niches.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Grogans2024,

title = {Neuroticism/negative emotionality is associated with increased reactivity to uncertain threat in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, not the amygdala},

author = {Shannon E. Grogans and Juyoen Hur and Matthew G. Barstead and Allegra S. Anderson and Samiha Islam and Hyung Cho Kim and Manuel Kuhn and Rachael M. Tillman and Andrew S. Fox and Jason F. Smith and Kathryn A. DeYoung and Alexander J. Shackman},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1868-23.2024},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {44},

number = {32},

pages = {1–18},

abstract = {Neuroticism/negative emotionality (N/NE) - the tendency to experience anxiety, fear, and other negative emotions - is a fundamental dimension of temperament with profound consequences for health, wealth, and well-being. Elevated N/NE is associated with a panoply of adverse outcomes, from reduced socioeconomic attainment to psychiatric illness. Animal research suggests that N/NE reflects heightened reactivity to uncertain threat in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce), but the relevance of these discoveries to humans has remained unclear. Here we used a novel combination of psychometric, psychophysiological, and neuroimaging approaches to test this hypothesis in an ethnoracially diverse, sex-balanced sample of 220 emerging adults selectively recruited to encompass a broad spectrum of N/NE. Cross-validated robust-regression analyses demonstrated that N/NE is preferentially associated with heightened BST activation during the uncertain anticipation of a genuinely distressing threat (aversive multimodal stimulation), whereas N/NE was unrelated to BST activation during certain-threat anticipation, Ce activation during either type of threat anticipation, or BST/Ce reactivity to threat-related faces. It is often assumed that different threat paradigms are interchangeable assays of individual differences in brain function, yet this has rarely been tested. Our results revealed negligible associations between BST/Ce reactivity to the anticipation of threat and the presentation of threat-related faces, indicating that the two tasks are nonfungible. These observations provide a framework for conceptualizing emotional traits and disorders; for guiding the design and interpretation of biobank and other neuroimaging studies of psychiatric risk, disease, and treatment; and for refining mechanistic research.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Gu2024,

title = {Onscreen presence of instructors in video lectures affects learners' neural synchrony and visual attention during multimedia learning},

author = {Chanyuan Gu and Yingying Peng and Samuel A. Nastase and Richard E. Mayer and Ping Li},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},

volume = {121},

pages = {1–12},

abstract = {COVID- 9 forced students to rely on online learning using multimedia tools, and multimedia learning continues to impact education beyond the pandemic. In this study, we combined behavioral, eye-tracking, and neuroimaging paradigms to identify multimedia learning pro- cesses and outcomes. College students viewed four video lectures including slides with either an onscreen human instructor, an animated instructor, or no onscreen instructor. Brain activity was recorded via fMRI, visual attention was recorded via eye-tracking, and learning outcome was assessed via post-tests. Onscreen presence of instructor, compared with no instructor presence, resulted in superior post-test performance, less visual attention on the slide, more synchronized eye movements during learning, and higher neural synchronization in cortical networks associated with socio-emotional processing and working memory. Individual variation in cognitive and socio- emotional abilities and intersubject neural synchronization revealed different levels of cognitive and socio- emotional processing in different learning conditions. The instructor-present condition evoked increased synchronization, likely reflecting extra pro- cessing demands in attentional control, working memory engagement, and socio-emotional processing. Although human instructors and animated instructors led to comparable learning outcomes, the effects were due to the dynamic interplay of information processing vs. atten- tional distraction. These findings reflect a benefit–cost trade-off where multimedia learning outcome is enhanced only when the cognitive benefits motivated by the social presence of onscreen instructor outweigh the cognitive costs brought about by concurrent attentional distraction unrelated to learning.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Hmamouche2024,

title = {Interpretable prediction of brain activity during conversations from multimodal behavioral signals},

author = {Youssef Hmamouche and Magalie Ochs and Laurent Prévot and Thierry Chaminade},

doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0284342},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {PLoS ONE},

volume = {19},

number = {3},

pages = {1–23},

abstract = {We present an analytical framework aimed at predicting the local brain activity in uncontrolled experimental conditions based on multimodal recordings of participants' behavior, and its application to a corpus of participants having conversations with another human or a conversational humanoid robot. The framework consists in extracting high-level features from the raw behavioral recordings and applying a dynamic prediction of binarized fMRI-recorded local brain activity using these behavioral features. The objective is to identify behavioral features required for this prediction, and their relative weights, depending on the brain area under investigation and the experimental condition. In order to validate our framework, we use a corpus of uncontrolled conversations of participants with a human or a robotic agent, focusing on brain regions involved in speech processing, and more generally in social interactions. The framework not only predicts local brain activity significantly better than random, it also quantifies the weights of behavioral features required for this prediction, depending on the brain area under investigation and on the nature of the conversational partner. In the left Superior Temporal Sulcus, perceived speech is the most important behavioral feature for predicting brain activity, regardless of the agent, while several features, which differ between the human and robot interlocutors, contribute to the prediction in regions involved in social cognition, such as the TemporoParietal Junction. This framework therefore allows us to study how multiple behavioral signals from different modalities are integrated in individual brain regions during complex social interactions.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Ip2024,

title = {The relationship between visual acuity loss and GABAergic inhibition in amblyopia},

author = {I. Betina Ip and William T. Clarke and Abigail Wyllie and Kathleen Tracey and Jacek Matuszewski and Saad Jbabdia and Lucy Starling and Sophie Templer and Hanna Willis and Laura Breach and Andrew J. Parker and Holly Bridge},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},

volume = {2},

pages = {1–18},

abstract = {Early childhood experience alters visual development, a process exemplified by amblyopia, a common neurodevelopmental condition resulting in cortically reduced vision in one eye. Visual deficits in amblyopia may be a consequence of abnormal suppressive interactions in the primary visual cortex by inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). We examined the relationship between visual acuity loss and GABA+ in adult human participants with amblyopia. Single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data were collected from the early visual cortex (EVC) and posterior cingulate cortex (control region) of 28 male and female adults with current or past amblyopia while they viewed flashing checkerboards monocularly, binocularly, or while they had their eyes closed. First, we compared GABA+ concentrations between conditions to evaluate suppressive binocular interactions. Then, we correlated the degree of visual acuity loss with GABA+ levels to test whether GABAergic inhibition could explain visual acuity deficits. Visual cortex GABA+ was not modulated by viewing condition, and we found weak evidence for a negative correlation between visual acuity deficits and GABA+. These findings suggest that reduced vision in one eye due to amblyopia is not strongly linked to GABAergic inhibition in the visual cortex. We advanced our understanding of early experience dependent plasticity in the human brain by testing the association between visual acuity deficits and visual cortex GABA in amblyopes of the most common subtypes. Our study shows that the relationship was not as clear as expected and provides avenues for future investigation.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Ischebecka2024,

title = {Fixating targets in visual search: The role of dorsal and ventral attention networks in the processing of relevance and rarity},

author = {Anja Ischebecka and Hannah Kreilinger and Joe Peiris Miller and Margit Höfler and Iain D. Gilchristd and Christof Körner},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Imaging Neuroscience},

volume = {2},

pages = {1–16},

abstract = {The dorsal attention network, often observed to be activated in serial visual search tasks, has been associated with goal-directed attention, responsible for the processing of task relevance. In serial visual search, the moment of target detection constitutes not only a task- relevant event, but also a rare event. In the present fMRI experiment, we disentangled task relevance from item rarity using a fixation-based analysis approach. We used a multiple target search task, and participants had to report the number of targets among distractors in the display. We had also added rare distractors to the displays. We found that rare events (targets and rare distractors) activated the dorsal attention network more strongly than common distractors. More importantly, we observed that the left IPS and the left insula, belonging to the dorsal and ventral attention system, respectively, were more strongly activated for targets compared to rare distractors. Using multi- voxel pattern analysis, we found that activation in the TPJ, bilaterally, an area also associated with the ventral attention system, distinguished between target and rare distractor fixations. These results point to an expanded role of the TPJ that seems to process post- perceptual information which is linked to task relevance.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Jellestad2024,

title = {Atypical attention and saccade vigor in post-traumatic stress disorder},

author = {Lena Jellestad and Thomas Zeffiro and Hanspeter Mörgeli and Marco Piccirelli and Assia Jaillard and Patrick Pasi and Naomi Ruth Shepherd and Christoph Mueller-Pfeiffer},

doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.07.035},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Psychiatric Research},

volume = {177},

pages = {361–367},

abstract = {Effective attention control is essential for behavioral adaptation to different environmental contexts. In Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) altered attention has been described in trauma-related and other emotional contexts. Nevertheless, atypical attention is also seen with neutral stimuli. The mechanisms of attention alterations in PTSD associated with neutral stimuli are poorly understood. The present study investigates alerting and orienting responses in PTSD participants using emotionally neutral stimuli in a saccade eye movement task incorporating both spatially predictable and temporally unpredictable conditions. We studied 23 PTSD patients and 27 Non-PTSD controls, using repeated-measures mixed modeling to estimate group and task condition differences in behavioral and psychophysiological measures. We explored the relationships among saccade characteristics, pupil size, and PTSD symptoms, including CAPS hypervigilance scores. PTSD, compared to Non-PTSD, participants showed differences in their saccade ‘main sequence', reflected by higher peak velocities adjusted for amplitude. PTSD participants had smaller primary position errors in the unpredictable saccade condition. They also exhibited greater hyperarousal, reflected by larger pupil size during fixation that was greater in the unpredictable condition. Our results suggest that a heightened state of arousal and hypervigilance in PTSD leads to a state of atypical attention bias, even in emotionally neutral contexts. These differences may reflect higher saccade vigor. The observed differences suggest atypical attention in PTSD, which goes beyond possible distraction associated with emotional or threat-related stimuli.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Keidel2024,

title = {The date/delay effect in intertemporal choice: A combined fMRI and eye-tracking study},

author = {Kristof Keidel and Rebekka Schröder and Peter Trautner and Alexander Radbruch and Carsten Murawski and Ulrich Ettinger},

doi = {10.1002/hbm.26585},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Human Brain Mapping},

volume = {45},

number = {3},

pages = {1–18},

abstract = {Temporal discounting, the tendency to devalue future rewards as a function of delay until receipt, is influenced by time framing. Specifically, discount rates are shallower when the time at which the reward is received is presented as a date (date condition; e.g., June 8, 2023) rather than in delay units (delay condition; e.g., 30 days), which is commonly referred to as the date/delay effect. However, the cognitive and neural mechanisms of this effect are not well understood. Here, we examined the date/delay effect by analysing combined fMRI and eye-tracking data of N = 31 participants completing a temporal discounting task in both a delay and a date condition. The results confirmed the date/delay effect and revealed that the date condition led to higher fixation durations on time attributes and to higher activity in precuneus/PCC and angular gyrus, that is, areas previously associated with episodic thinking. Additionally, participants made more comparative eye movements in the date compared to the delay condition. A lower date/delay effect was associated with higher prefrontal activity in the date > delay contrast, suggesting that higher control or arithmetic operations may reduce the date/delay effect. Our findings are in line with hypotheses positing that the date condition is associated with differential time estimation and the use of more comparative as opposed to integrative choice strategies. Specifically, higher activity in memory-related brain areas suggests that the date condition leads to higher perceived proximity of delayed rewards, while higher frontal activity (middle/superior frontal gyrus, posterior medial frontal cortex, cingulate) in participants with a lower date/delay effect suggests that the effect is particularly pronounced in participants avoiding complex arithmetic operations in the date condition.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Klaassen2024,

title = {The neurocomputational link between defensive cardiac states and approach-avoidance arbitration under threat},

author = {Felix H. Klaassen and Lycia D. Voogd and Anneloes M. Hulsman and Jill X. O'Reilly and Floris Klumpers and Bernd Figner and Karin Roelofs},

doi = {10.1038/s42003-024-06267-6},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Communications Biology},

volume = {7},

pages = {1–15},

publisher = {Springer US},

abstract = {Avoidance, a hallmark of anxiety-related psychopathology, often comes at a cost; avoiding threat may forgo the possibility of a reward. Theories predict that optimal approach-avoidance arbitration depends on threat-induced psychophysiological states, like freezing-related bradycardia. Here we used model-based fMRI analyses to investigate whether and how bradycardia states are linked to the neurocomputational underpinnings of approach-avoidance arbitration under varying reward and threat magnitudes. We show that bradycardia states are associated with increased threat-induced avoidance and more pronounced reward-threat value comparison (i.e., a stronger tendency to approach vs. avoid when expected reward outweighs threat). An amygdala-striatal-prefrontal circuit supports approach-avoidance arbitration under threat, with specific involvement of the amygdala and dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) in integrating reward-threat value and bradycardia states. These findings highlight the role of human freezing states in value-based decision making, relevant for optimal threat coping. They point to a specific role for amygdala/dACC in state-value integration under threat.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kliger2024,

title = {Distinct yet proximal face- and body-selective brain regions enable clutter-tolerant representations of the face, body, and whole person},

author = {Libi Kliger and Galit Yovel},

doi = {10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1871-23.2024},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {The Journal of Neuroscience},

volume = {44},

number = {24},

pages = {1–13},

abstract = {Faces and bodies are processed in separate but adjacent regions in the primate visual cortex. Yet, the functional significance of dividing the whole person into areas dedicated to its face and body components and their neighboring locations remains unknown. Here we hypothesized that this separation and proximity together with a normalization mechanism generate clutter-tolerant representations of the face, body, and whole person when presented in complex multi-category scenes. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a fMRI study, presenting images of a person within a multi-category scene to human male and female participants and assessed the contribution of each component to the response to the scene. Our results revealed a clutter-tolerant representation of the whole person in areas selective for both faces and bodies, typically located at the border between the two category-selective regions. Regions exclusively selective for faces or bodies demonstrated clutter-tolerant representations of their preferred category, corroborating earlier findings. Thus, the adjacent locations of face- and body-selective areas enable a hardwired machinery for decluttering of the whole person, without the need for a dedicated population of person-selective neurons. This distinct yet proximal functional organization of category-selective brain regions enhances the representation of the socially significant whole person, along with its face and body components, within multi-category scenes.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kosakowski2024,

title = {Human striatal association megaclusters},

author = {Heather L. Kosakowski and Noam Saadon-Grosman and Jingnan Du and Mark C. Eldaief and Randy L. Buckner},

doi = {10.1152/jn.00387.2023},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Neurophysiology},

volume = {131},

number = {6},

pages = {1083–1100},

abstract = {The striatum receives projections from multiple regions of the cerebral cortex consistent with the role of the basal ganglia in diverse motor, affective, and cognitive functions. Within the striatum, the caudate receives projections from association cortex, including multiple distinct regions of prefrontal cortex. Building on recent insights about the details of how juxtaposed cortical networks are specialized for distinct aspects of higher-order cognition, we revisited caudate organization using within-individual precision neuroimaging initially in two intensively scanned individuals (each scanned 31 times). Results revealed that the caudate has side-by-side regions that are coupled to at least five distinct distributed association networks, paralleling the organization observed in the cerebral cortex. We refer to these spatial groupings of regions as striatal association megaclusters. Correlation maps from closely juxtaposed seed regions placed within the megaclusters recapitulated the five distinct cortical networks, including their multiple spatially distributed regions. Striatal association megaclusters were explored in 15 additional participants (each scanned at least 8 times), finding that their presence generalizes to new participants. Analysis of the laterality of the regions within the megaclusters further revealed that they possess asymmetries paralleling their cortical counterparts. For example, caudate regions linked to the language network were left lateralized. These results extend the general notion of parallel specialized basal ganglia circuits with the additional discovery that, even within the caudate, there is fine-grained separation of multiple distinct higher-order networks that reflects the organization and lateralization found in the cerebral cortex.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kreichman2024,

title = {Parafoveal vision reveals qualitative differences between fusiform face area and parahippocampal place area},

author = {Olga Kreichman and Sharon Gilaie-Dotan},

doi = {10.1002/hbm.26616},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Human Brain Mapping},

volume = {45},

number = {3},

pages = {1–22},

abstract = {The center-periphery visual field axis guides early visual system organization with enhanced resources devoted to central vision leading to reduced peripheral performance relative to that of central vision (i.e., behavioral eccentricity effect) for many visual functions. The center-periphery organization extends to high-order visual cortex where, for example, the well-studied face-sensitive fusiform face area (FFA) shows sensitivity to central vision and the place-sensitive parahippocampal place area (PPA) shows sensitivity to peripheral vision. As we have recently found that face perception is more sensitive to eccentricity than place perception, here we examined whether these behavioral findings reflect differences in FFA's and PPA's sensitivities to eccentricity. We assumed FFA would show higher sensitivity to eccentricity than PPA would, but that both regions' modulation by eccentricity would be invariant to the viewed category. We parametrically investigated (fMRI},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Kulkarni2024,

title = {Control of memory retrieval alters memory-based eye movements},

author = {Mrinmayi Kulkarni and Allison E. Nickel and Greta N. Minor and Deborah E. Hannula and Mrinmayi Kulkarni and Allison E. Nickel and Greta N. Minor and Deborah E. Hannula},

doi = {10.1037/xlm0001321},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition},

volume = {50},

number = {8},

pages = {1199–1219},

abstract = {Past work has shown that eye movements are affected by long-term memory across different tasks and instructional manipulations. In the current study, we tested whether these memory-based eye movements persist when memory retrieval is under intentional control. Participants encoded multiple scenes with six objects (three faces; three tools). Next, they completed a memory regulation and visual search task, while undergoing eye tracking. Here, scene cues were presented and participants either retrieved the encoded associate, suppressed it, or substituted it with a specific object from the other encoded category. Following a delay, a search display consisting of six dots intermixed with the six encoded objects was presented. Participants' task was to fixate one remaining dot after five had disappeared. Incidental viewing of the objects was of interest. Results revealed that performance in a final recognition phase was impaired for suppressed pairs, but only when the associate was a tool. During the search task, incidental associate viewing was lower when participants attempted to control retrieval, whereas one object from the nonassociate category was most viewed in the substitute condition. Additionally, viewing patterns in the search phase were related to final recognition performance, but the direction of this association differed between conditions. Overall, these results suggest that eye movements are attracted to information retrieved from long-term memory and held active (the associate in the retrieve condition, or an object from the other category in the substitute condition). Furthermore, the level of viewing may index the strength of the representation of retrieved information.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}