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During the observation of an ambiguous figure our perception alternates between mutually exclusive interpretations, although the stimulus itself remains unchanged. The rate of these endogenous reversals has been discussed as reflecting basic aspects of endogenous brain dynamics. Recent evidence indicates that extensive meditation practice evokes long-term functional and anatomic changes in the brain, also affecting the endogenous brain dynamics. As one of several consequences the rate of perceptual reversals during ambiguous figure perception decreases. In the present study we compared EEG-correlates of endogenous reversals of ambiguous figures between meditators and non-meditating controls in order to better understand timing and brain locations of this altered endogenous brain dynamics. A well-established EEG paradigm was used to measure the neural processes underlying endogenous perceptual reversals of ambiguous figures with high temporal precision. We compared reversal-related ERPs between experienced meditators and non-meditating controls. For both groups we found highly similar chains of reversal-related ERPs, starting early in visual areas, therewith replicating previous findings from the literature. Meditators, however, showed an additional frontal ERP signature already 160 ms after stimulus onset (Frontal Negativity). We interpret the additional, meditation-specific ERP results as evidence that extensive meditation practice provides control of frontal brain areas over early sensory processing steps. This may allow meditators to overcome phylogenetically evolved perceptual and attentional processing automatisms.
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The Necker-Zeno model of bistable perception provides a formal relation between the average duration of meta-stable percepts (dwell times T) of ambiguous figures and two other basic time scales (t(0), ΔT) underlying cognitive processing. The model predicts that dwell times T covary with t(0), ΔT or both. We tested this prediction by exploiting that observers, in particular experienced meditators, can volitionally control dwell times T. Meditators and non-meditators observed bistable Necker cubes either passively or tried to hold their current percept. The latencies of a centro-parietal event-related potential (CPP) were recorded as a physiological correlate of t(0). Dwell times T and the CPP latencies, correlated with t(0), differed between conditions and observer groups, while ΔT remained constant in the range predicted by the model. The covariation of CPP latencies and dwell times, as well as their quadratic functional dependence extends previous psychophysical confirmation of the Necker-Zeno model to psychophysiological measures.
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A Concealed Information Test (CIT) investigates differential physiological responses to deed-related (probe) vs. irrelevant items. The present study focused on the detection of concealed information using simultaneous recordings of autonomic and brain electrical measures. As a secondary issue, verbal and pictorial presentations were compared with respect to their influence on the recorded measures. Thirty-one participants underwent a mock-crime scenario with a combined verbal and pictorial presentation of nine items. The subsequent CIT, designed with respect to event-related potential (ERP) measurement, used a 3-3.5s interstimulus interval. The item presentation modality, i.e. pictures or written words, was varied between subjects; no response was required from the participants. In addition to electroencephalogram (EEG), electrodermal activity (EDA), electrocardiogram (ECG), respiratory activity, and finger plethysmogram were recorded. A significant probe-vs.-irrelevant effect was found for each of the measures. Compared to sole ERP measurement, the combination of ERP and EDA yielded incremental information for detecting concealed information. Although, EDA per se did not reach the predictive value known from studies primarily designed for peripheral physiological measurement. Presentation modality neither influenced the detection accuracy for autonomic measures nor EEG measures; this underpins the equivalence of verbal and pictorial item presentation in a CIT, regardless of the physiological measures recorded. Future studies should further clarify whether the incremental validity observed in the present study reflects a differential sensitivity of ERP and EDA to different sub-processes in a CIT.
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Theta increases with workload and is associated with numerous processes including working memory, problem solving, encoding, or self monitoring. These processes, in turn, involve numerous structures of the brain. However, the relationship between regional brain activity and the occurrence of theta remains unclear. In the present study, simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings were used to investigate the functional topography of theta. EEG-theta was enhanced by mental arithmetic-induced workload. For the EEG-constrained fMRI analysis, theta-reference time-series were extracted from the EEG, reflecting the strength of theta occurrence during the time course of the experiment. Theta occurrence was mainly associated with activation of the insular cortex, hippocampus, superior temporal areas, cingulate cortex, superior parietal, and frontal areas. Though observation of temporal and insular activation is in accord with the theory that theta specifically reflects encoding processes, the involvement of several other brain regions implies that surface-recorded theta represents comprehensive functional brain states rather than specific processes in the brain. The results provide further evidence for the concept that emergent theta band oscillations represent dynamic functional binding of widely distributed cortical assemblies, essential for cognitive processing. This binding process may form the source of surface-recorded EEG theta.
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- Evoked Potentials/*physiology
- Acoustic Stimulation/methods (1)
- Adult (4)
- Ambiguous figures (1)
- Analysis of Variance (1)
- Biological Clocks/physiology (1)
- Bistable perception (1)
- Brain/anatomy & histology/blood supply/*physiology (1)
- Brain Mapping/methods (1)
- Brain/*physiology (1)
- Cerebral Cortex/*physiology (1)
- Cerebrovascular Circulation/*physiology (1)
- Cognition/*physiology (1)
- Cognitive time scales (1)
- *Deception (1)
- EEG (1)
- Electrocardiography/methods (1)
- Electroencephalography (1)
- Electroencephalography/methods (2)
- Event-related potentials (1)
- Event-Related Potentials, P300/physiology (1)
- Evoked Potentials, Visual/*physiology (1)
- Female (4)
- Fingers/blood supply (1)
- Functional Laterality/physiology (1)
- Galvanic Skin Response/physiology (1)
- Heart Rate/physiology (1)
- Humans (4)
- Lie Detection/*psychology (1)
- Logistic Models (1)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods (1)
- Male (4)
- Mathematics (1)
- *Meditation (1)
- Meditation (1)
- Meditation/*methods (1)
- Middle Aged (1)
- *Models, Theoretical (1)
- Necker cube (1)
- Necker-Zeno model (1)
- Nerve Net/anatomy & histology/physiology (1)
- Neural Pathways/anatomy & histology/*physiology (1)
- Neuropsychological Tests (1)
- Optical Illusions/*physiology (1)
- Pattern Recognition, Visual/*physiology (1)
- *Photic Stimulation (1)
- Photic Stimulation/methods (1)
- Plethysmography/methods (1)
- Problem Solving/physiology (1)
- Psychomotor Performance/*physiology (1)
- Quantum cognition (1)
- Reaction Time (1)
- Reaction Time/physiology (1)
- Respiration (1)
- Space Perception/*physiology (1)
- *Theta Rhythm (1)
- Thinking/physiology (1)
- Time Factors (2)
- Visual Perception/*physiology (1)
- Young Adult (1)