Processing of Abstract Rule Violations in Audition

The ability to encode rules and to detect rule-violating events outside the focus of attention is vital for adaptive behavior. Our brain recordings reveal that violations of abstract auditory rules are processed even when the sounds are unattended. When subjects performed a task related to the sounds but not to the rule, rule violations impaired task performance and activated a network involving supratemporal, parietal and frontal areas although none of the subjects acquired explicit knowledge of the rule or became aware of rule violations. When subjects tried to behaviorally detect rule violations, the brain's automatic violation detection facilitated intentional detection. This shows the brain's capacity for abstraction – an important cognitive function necessary to model the world. Our study provides the first evidence for the task-independence (i.e. automaticity) of this ability to encode abstract rules and for its immediate consequences for subsequent mental processes

Physical activity classification meeting daily life conditions

Physical activity is one of the key factors in determining the personal health and well-being of human beings in daily life conditions. Healthy ageing and physical activity has a strong association and ageing has become one of the highly concentrated area of research community in the past decade due to the expected increase in the elderly population. A statistical survey published by European Union (EU) in 2012 shows that the elderly population (over 65 years) of Europe, is expected to increase from 87.5 million to 152.6 million (65.1 million increase) during the period from 2010 to 2016 [1]. Physical inactivity and more sedentary life style can lead towards many chronic and life threatening diseases in older adults such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular and other lethal diseases. These damages can be controlled by performing various activities and vigorous exercises in daily life, in addition to medications to promote a healthier lifestyle [2]