Article
Neurosciences
Julia Landsiedel, Katie Daughters, Paul E. Downing, Kami Koldewyn
Summary: This study confirms that bilateral SI-pSTS plays a central role in dynamic social interaction perception, but is less involved when 'interactiveness' is conveyed solely with static cues. Regions in the social brain, including SI-pSTS and EBA, are sensitive to both motion and interactive content. SI-pSTS is somewhat more tuned to video interactions than is EBA, but both regions show a greater response to social interactions compared to non-interactions and both respond more strongly to videos than static images.
Article
Neurosciences
Or Yizhar, Zohar Tal, Amir Amedi
Summary: The perceptual function of the Extrastriate Body Area (EBA) develops independently of visual experience, while its action-related function depends on visual experience. Congenital blindness alters EBA's connectivity pattern, with decreased functional connectivity with sensorimotor cortices and maintained connectivity with perception-related visual occipital cortices.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jiedong Zhang, Yong Jiang, Yunjie Song, Peng Zhang, Sheng He
Summary: The study revealed consistent spatial tuning to different face parts within specific face-selective regions, with the posterior portion of the right posterior fusiform face area and right occipital face area biased towards eyes, while the anterior portion biased towards mouth and chin stimuli. This systematic spatial tuning within occipital and fusiform face processing regions supports further computation combining different face parts.
Article
Neurosciences
Iris I. A. Groen, Edward H. Silson, David Pitcher, Chris Baker
Summary: Stimulation of the occipital place area (OPA) through transcranial magnetic stimulation led to decreased responses to scenes in the parahippocampal place area (PPA), but this effect was non-specific across stimulus categories and regions. The findings suggest a causal relationship between lateral occipital and ventral temporal cortex, highlighting the importance of active control conditions in brain stimulation experiments.
Article
Neurosciences
Sophia Nestmann, Hans-Otto Karnath, Johannes Rennig
Summary: Object constancy is a crucial mechanism in the human visual system that allows for invariant object recognition across different viewpoints. Research suggests that the ventral visual stream plays a role in processing various object stimuli and may contain regions sensitive to the orientation of objects in space. Experiments with stroke patients and fMRI studies with healthy participants demonstrate greater neuronal activity and specific activation patterns in certain brain regions for objects in demanding viewing conditions, highlighting the contributions of these areas to visual object constancy.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Charisia Vlachou, Olga Iakovidou, Panagiota Sergaki, Georgios Menexes
Summary: The study examines the influence of the business environment on rural businesses in the Serres region of northern Greece, highlighting factors such as road access and social capital. The survey of 240 entrepreneurs identified higher satisfaction levels in infrastructure and social capital categories.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Xiaoyu Liu, Liyuan Hu, Jing Qu, Shuo Zhang, Xinqi Su, Aqian Li, Leilei Mei
Summary: In the field of bilingualism, the assimilation hypothesis suggests that bilinguals use the neural network of their native language to process their second language. Chinese-English bilinguals show bilateral fusiform gyrus activation when processing English words, similar to the activation seen when processing Chinese characters. However, it is unclear which type of information processing is assimilated in the fusiform gyrus. This study used RSA and PPI analysis to examine the differences in information representation and functional connectivity between Chinese and English in the fusiform subregions of bilinguals.
Article
Neurosciences
Rui Dai, Zirui Huang, Xuchu Weng, Sheng He
Summary: This study investigated the effects of visual experience at different time points on the cross-modal face specialization of the fusiform face area (FFA). The results showed that early blind participants exhibited consistent and robust face-selective activation in the FFA, while the cross-modal face activation in other groups was much less consistent.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Chujun Chen, Zhening Liu, Jing Zuo, Chang Xi, Yicheng Long, Ming D. Li, Xuan Ouyang, Jie Yang
Summary: Neuroimaging studies have shown abnormal cortical folding and disrupted functional connectivity in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study found decreased local gyrification index in the right fusiform gyrus and altered functional connectivity patterns in MDD patients, suggesting their role in the pathophysiology of MDD.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ian M. L. Pennock, Chris Racey, Emily J. Allen, Yihan Wu, Thomas Naselaris, Kendrick N. Kay, Anna Franklin, Jenny M. Bosten
Summary: Color-biased regions in the ventral visual pathway play a crucial role in object recognition. Through analyzing a large MRI dataset, we found diverging color-biased regions that are adjacent to face-selective areas, exhibiting specific response patterns.
Article
Neurosciences
Roni Arbel, Benedetta Heimler, Amir Amedi
Summary: Previous evidence suggests that visual experience is crucial for the development and adjustment of the neural system for face recognition. However, this study found that even in individuals with congenital blindness, specific cortical regions in the brain still show a preference for faces and exhibit parameter modulation for face orientation and novelty. This finding strengthens the existence of sensory-independent and computation-specific processing, which can be retained in lifelong sensory deprivation independently of previous perceptual experience.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Ding Cui, Koen Nelissen
Summary: The existence of mirror neurons in the human brain is largely inferred from indirect non-invasive measurements like functional MRI, based on previous findings in several monkey brain regions. However, the overall usefulness of fMRI adaptation to demonstrate mirror neuron activity in the human brain remains unclear. Therefore, further research is needed to validate the activity of mirror neurons in the human brain.
Article
Neurosciences
Insa Schlossmacher, Jacky Dilly, Ina Protmann, David Hofmann, Torge Dellert, Marie-Luise Roth-Paysen, Robert Moeck, Maximilian Bruchmann, Thomas Straube
Summary: This study investigated the hierarchical cortical structure of neural mismatch responses and found that the relative contributions of prediction error-related processes and adaptation processes vary across different brain regions.
Article
Neurosciences
Charly Caredda, Eric Van Reeth, Laurent Mahieu-Williame, Raphael Sablong, Michael Sdika, Fabien C. Schneider, Thiebaud Picart, Jacques Guyotat, Bruno Montcel
Summary: RGB optical imaging is a technique that can be used to localize functional areas of the human cerebral cortex during neurosurgical procedures. We proposed a methodology to evaluate and optimize intraoperative identification of brain functional areas using RGB imaging. Experimental results showed consistent identification of functional brain areas using deoxygenated hemoglobin contrast.
Article
Neurosciences
Massieh Moayedi, Nasim Noroozbahari, Georgia Hadjis, Kristy Themelis, Tim V. Salomons, Roger Newport, Jennifer S. Lewis
Summary: The study provides evidence that the extrastriate body area (EBA) is the structural and functional neural substrate for representing body shape and size. Both the volume of EBA and its functional connectivity to the posterior parietal cortex are related to participants' susceptibility to the finger-stretch illusion, suggesting that EBA structure and connectivity encode disturbances in body representation and perception.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
C. J. Hodgetts, J. P. Shine, A. D. Lawrence, P. E. Downing, K. S. Graham
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2016)
Article
Neurosciences
Bronson B. Harry, Katja Umla-Runge, Andrew D. Lawrence, Kim S. Graham, Paul E. Downing
JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Paul E. Downing, Marius V. Peelen
Article
Neurosciences
Inez M. Greven, Paul E. Downing, Richard Ramsey
SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2016)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Marius V. Peelen, Paul E. Downing
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jon Walbrin, Paul Downing, Kami Koldewyn
Article
Neurosciences
Inez M. Greven, Paul E. Downing, Richard Ramsey
SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marco Gandolfo, Paul Edward Downing
Article
Neurosciences
Francesca Perini, Thomas Powell, Simon J. Watt, Paul E. Downing
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Neurosciences
Julia Landsiedel, Katie Daughters, Paul E. Downing, Kami Koldewyn
Summary: This study confirms that bilateral SI-pSTS plays a central role in dynamic social interaction perception, but is less involved when 'interactiveness' is conveyed solely with static cues. Regions in the social brain, including SI-pSTS and EBA, are sensitive to both motion and interactive content. SI-pSTS is somewhat more tuned to video interactions than is EBA, but both regions show a greater response to social interactions compared to non-interactions and both respond more strongly to videos than static images.
Review
Psychology, Biological
Marius V. Peelen, Paul E. Downing
Summary: Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) has become a powerful method for analyzing functional imaging data, allowing for the testing of cognitive theories in various domains, such as perception, attention, memory, navigation, emotion, social cognition, and motor control. This review highlights the strengths of MVPA in understanding the mechanisms behind human cognition and its ability to test predictions at the item or event level, while also discussing limitations and future directions.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Elin H. Williams, Laura Bilbao-Broch, Paul E. Downing, Emily S. Cross
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Marco Gandolfo, Paul E. Downing
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Marco Gandolfo, Paul E. Downing
COGNITION & EMOTION
(2020)
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Leah T. Johnstone, Paul E. Downing