Contralateral delay activity as a marker of visual working memory capacity: a multi-site registered replication

Visual working memory (VWM) is a temporary storage system capable of retaining information that can be accessed and manipulated by higher cognitive processes, thereby facilitating a wide range of cognitive functions. Electroencephalography (EEG) is used to understand the neural correlates of VWM with high temporal precision, and one commonly used EEG measure is an event-related potential called the contralateral delay activity (CDA). In a landmark study by Vogel and Machizawa (2004), the authors found that the CDA amplitude increases with the number of items stored in VWM and plateaus around three to four items, which is thought to represent the typical adult working memory capacity. Critically, this study also showed that the increase in CDA amplitude between two-item and four-item arrays correlated with individual subjects’ VWM performance. Although these results have been supported by subsequent studies, a recent study suggested that the number of subjects used in experiments investigating the CDA may not be sufficient to detect differences in set size and to provide a reliable account of the relationship between behaviorally measured VWM capacity and the CDA amplitude. To address this, the current study, as part of the #EEGManyLabs project, aims to conduct a multi-site replication of Vogel and Machizawa's (2004) seminal study on a large sample of participants, with a pre-registered analysis plan. Through this, our goal is to contribute to deepening our understanding of the neural correlates of visual working memory

Frequency drift in MR spectroscopy at 3T

Purpose: Heating of gradient coils and passive shim components is a common cause of instability in the B-0 field, especially when gradient intensive sequences are used. The aim of the study was to set a benchmark for typical drift encountered during MR spectroscopy (MRS) to assess the need for real-time field-frequency locking on MRI scanners by comparing field drift data from a large number of sites.Method: A standardized protocol was developed for 80 participating sites using 99 3T MR scanners from 3 major vendors. Phantom water signals were acquired before and after an EPI sequence. The protocol consisted of: minimal preparatory imaging; a short pre-fMRI PRESS; a ten-minute fMRI acquisition; and a long post-fMRI PRESS acquisition. Both pre- and post-fMRI PRESS were non-water suppressed. Real-time frequency stabilization/adjustment was switched off when appropriate. Sixty scanners repeated the protocol for a second dataset. In addition, a three-hour post-fMRI MRS acquisition was performed at one site to observe change of gradient temperature and drift rate. Spectral analysis was performed using MATLAB. Frequency drift in pre-fMRI PRESS data were compared with the first 5:20 minutes and the full 30:00 minutes of data after fMRI. Median (interquartile range) drifts were measured and showed in violin plot. Paired t-tests were performed to compare frequency drift pre- and post-fMRI. A simulated in vivo spectrum was generated using FID-A to visualize the effect of the observed frequency drifts. The simulated spectrum was convolved with the frequency trace for the most extreme cases. Impacts of frequency drifts on NAA and GABA were also simulated as a function of linear drift. Data from the repeated protocol were compared with the corresponding first dataset using Pearson's and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).Results: Of the data collected from 99 scanners, 4 were excluded due to various reasons. Thus, data from 95 scanners were ultimately analyzed. For the first 5:20 min (64 transients), median (interquartile range) drift was 0.44 (1.29) Hz before fMRI and 0.83 (1.29) Hz after. This increased to 3.15 (4.02) Hz for the full 30 min (360 transients) run. Average drift rates were 0.29 Hz/min before fMRI and 0.43 Hz/min after. Paired t-tests indicated that drift increased after fMRI, as expected (p &lt; 0.05). Simulated spectra convolved with the frequency drift showed that the intensity of the NAA singlet was reduced by up to 26%, 44 % and 18% for GE, Philips and Siemens scanners after fMRI, respectively. ICCs indicated good agreement between datasets acquired on separate days. The single site long acquisition showed drift rate was reduced to 0.03 Hz/min approximately three hours after fMRI.Discussion: This study analyzed frequency drift data from 95 3T MRI scanners. Median levels of drift were relatively low (5-min average under 1 Hz), but the most extreme cases suffered from higher levels of drift. The extent of drift varied across scanners which both linear and nonlinear drifts were observed.</p

One hundred years of EEG for brain and behaviour research

On the centenary of the first human EEG recording, more than 500 experts reflect on the impact that this discovery has had on our understanding of the brain and behaviour. We document their priorities and call for collective action focusing on validity, democratization and responsibility to realize the potential of EEG in science and society over the next 100 years

Hospital-based child protection teams that care for parents who abuse or neglect their children recognize the need for multidisciplinary collaborative practice involving perinatal care and mental health professionals: a questionnaire survey conducted in Japan

Ayumi Okato,1 Tasuku Hashimoto,1 Mami Tanaka,2 Masumi Tachibana,1 Akira Machizawa,3 Jun Okayama,4 Mamiko Endo,5 Masayoshi Senda,6,7 Naoki Saito,5,7 Masaomi Iyo1 1Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 2Division of Clinical Study on Juvenile Delinquency, Center for Forensic Mental Health, Chiba University, 3Department of Psychiatry, Chiba University Hospital, 4Department of Reproductive Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 5Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 6Department of Pediatrics, Asahi General Hospital, 7Division of Clinical Forensic Medicine, Education and Research Center of Legal Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan Background: Child abuse and/or neglect is a serious issue, and in many cases, parents are the perpetrators. Hospital-based child protection teams (CPTs) play pivotal roles in the management of not only abused and/or neglected children but also of their parents; this is generally conducted through multidisciplinary practice. The aim of this study is to survey hospital-based CPT members to determine the professions they perceive to be most applicable to participation in CPTs. Participants and methods: The participants were members of CPTs affiliated with hospitals that had pediatric emergency departments and which were located in Chiba Prefecture; specifically, 114 CPT members from 23 hospitals responded to this survey. The two main questionnaire items concerned are as follows: 1) each respondent&rsquo;s evaluation of conducting assessments, providing support, and implementing multidisciplinary collaborative practice in the treatment of abusive and negligent parents, and 2) each CPT member&rsquo;s opinion on the professions that are most important for CPT activities. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to explore the factor structure of the data, and a correlation analysis was performed using the result obtained. Results: The EFA returned two factors: multidisciplinary collaborative practice (&alpha; = 0.84) and assessment and support (&alpha; = 0.89). A correlational analysis showed that multidisciplinary collaborative practice had a positive correlation for obstetricians (r&nbsp;= 0.315, p = 0.001), neonatologists (r = 0.261,&nbsp;p&nbsp;= 0.007), midwives (r&nbsp;= 0.248,&nbsp;p&nbsp;= 0.011), and psychiatrists (r&nbsp;= 0.194, p&nbsp;= 0.048); however, assessment and support was only significantly correlated with midwives (r&nbsp;= 0.208,&nbsp;p&nbsp;= 0.039). Conclusion: This study showed that hospital-based CPT members highly evaluate multidisciplinary collaborative practice for the management of abusive and/or negligent parents, and they believe that, in addition to pediatric physicians and nurses, perinatal care and mental health professionals are the most important participants in advanced CPT activities. Keywords: child abuse and neglect, abusive parents, child protection services, multidisciplinary practice, maltreatment of childre

Transnational Psychology In The classroom: A Pluralistic Approach

This chapter suggests ways to help instructors and students understand transnational concepts more fully and hopefully adopt a more transnational research program and psychological perspective. Teaching transnational psychology requires a transformation in instructors\u27 and students\u27 appreciation for the range of impacts of globalization on individuals and communities and the extent to which globalization and power asymmetries may influence psychological phenomena. Transnational psychological perspectives require the rejection of assumptions of universality and greater examination of reciprocal interactions among multiple dynamic, intersecting factors. Through the assignments and activities, instructors can help students disrupt their belief systems and look at psychological constructs and data from the perspectives of Global Majority communities. The chapter describes readings, assignments, and classroom activities that can be used in any class in which transnational psychology is covered. It is useful in infusing transnational psychology into the curriculum generally, as well as enriching a dedicated course on the topic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved