Prehistoria de la matemática y mente moderna : pensamiento matemático y recursividad en el Paleolítico franco-cantábrico

En este artículo, en primer lugar, se repasan de forma general distintos tipos de registros simbólicos realizados por los grupos prehistóricos desde los más remotos y probables orígenes de la mente humana moderna. A continuación, se revisan algunas de las más destacadas piezas de la Prehistoria relacionadas con el registro matemático, destacando la importancia (por cantidad y calidad), no suficientemente valorada, de las piezas de este tipo de la región franco-cantábrica. La información anterior, finalmente, nos da pie a destacar la tremenda importancia en este contexto de cuatro plaquitas de hueso hioides de caballo de la Cueva de Altamira, datadas en el Solutrense Superior (c. 18.500 años). Estas plaquitas, al ser un conjunto coherente de elementos interrelacionados, se proponen aquí como la representación de una recursividad, cualidad ésta que se ha considerado como propia y exclusiva del lenguaje humano

How Is Sentence Processing Affected by External Semantic and Syntactic Information? Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

BACKGROUND: A crucial question for understanding sentence comprehension is the openness of syntactic and semantic processes for other sources of information. Using event-related potentials in a dual task paradigm, we had previously found that sentence processing takes into consideration task relevant sentence-external semantic but not syntactic information. In that study, internal and external information both varied within the same linguistic domain-either semantic or syntactic. Here we investigated whether across-domain sentence-external information would impact within-sentence processing. METHODOLOGY: In one condition, adjectives within visually presented sentences of the structure [Det]-[Noun]-[Adjective]-[Verb] were semantically correct or incorrect. Simultaneously with the noun, auditory adjectives were presented that morphosyntactically matched or mismatched the visual adjectives with respect to gender. FINDINGS: As expected, semantic violations within the sentence elicited N400 and P600 components in the ERP. However, these components were not modulated by syntactic matching of the sentence-external auditory adjective. In a second condition, syntactic within-sentence correctness-variations were combined with semantic matching variations between the auditory and the visual adjective. Here, syntactic within-sentence violations elicited a LAN and a P600 that did not interact with semantic matching of the auditory adjective. However, semantic mismatching of the latter elicited a frontocentral positivity, presumably related to an increase in discourse level complexity. CONCLUSION: The current findings underscore the open versus algorithmic nature of semantic and syntactic processing, respectively, during sentence comprehension

Prehistoria de la matemática y mente moderna: pensamiento matemático y recursividad en el Paleolítico franco-cantábrico

En este artículo, en primer lugar, se repasan de forma general distintos tipos de registros simbólicos realizados por los grupos prehistóricos desde los más remotos y probables orígenes de la mente humana moderna. A continuación, se revisan algunas de las más destacadas piezas de la Prehistoria relacionadas con el registro matemático, destacando la importancia (por cantidad y calidad), no suficientemente valorada, de las piezas de este tipo de la región franco-cantábrica. La información anterior, finalmente, nos da pie a destacar la tremenda importancia en este contexto de cuatro plaquitas de hueso hioides de caballo de la Cueva de Altamira, datadas en el Solutrense Superior (c. 18.500 años). Estas plaquitas, al ser un conjunto coherente de elementos interrelacionados, se proponen aquí como la representación de una recursividad, cualidad ésta que se ha considerado como propia y exclusiva del lenguaje humano

Gamma Power and Cognition in Patients with Schizophrenia and Their First-Degree Relatives

Background: Gamma oscillations are essential for functional neural assembly formation underlying higher cerebral functions. Previous studies concerning gamma band power in schizophrenia have yielded diverse results. Methods: In this study, we assessed gamma band power in minimally treated patients with schizophrenia, their first-degree relatives and healthy controls during an oddball paradigm performance, as well as the relation between gamma power and cognitive performance. Results: We found a higher gamma power in the patient group than in the healthy controls at the P3, P4, Fz, Pz and T5 sites. Compared with their relatives, gamma power in the patients was only marginally higher over P3 and P4. We found a nearly significant inverse association between gamma power at F4 and Tower of London performance in the patients, as well as a significant inverse association between gamma power at T5 and verbal memory and working memory scores in the relatives. Conclusion: These results support higher total gamma power in association with schizophrenia and its inverse association with cognitive performance in patients and their first-degree relatives

Elevated noise power in gamma band related to negative symptoms and memory deficit in schizophrenia

Background: There is an increasing consideration for a disorganized cerebral activity in schizophrenia, perhaps relating to a synaptic inhibitory deficit in the illness. Noise power (scalp-recorded electroencephalographic activity unlocked to stimuli) may offer a non-invasive window to assess this possibility. Methods: 29 minimally-treated patients with schizophrenia (of which 17 were first episodes) and 27 healthy controls underwent clinical and cognitive assessments and an electroencephalographic recording during a P300 paradigm to calculate signal-to-noise ratio and noise power magnitudes in the theta and gamma bands. Results: In comparison to controls, a significantly higher gamma noise power was common to minimally-treated and first episode patients over P3, P4, T5 and Fz electrode sites. Those high values were directly correlated to negative symptom severity and inversely correlated to verbal memory scores in the patients. There were no differences in signal-to-noise ratio magnitudes among the groups. Gamma noise power at Fz discriminated significantly between patients and controls. No significant differences were found in theta noise power or in gamma noise power over the other electrode sites between the groups of patients and controls. Limitations: We have not assessed phase-locked and non-phase locked power changes, a complementary approach that may yield useful information. Conclusions: Gamma noise power may represent a useful and non-invasive tool for studying brain dysfunction in psychotic illness. These results suggest an inefficient activation pattern in schizophrenia

Isolating the Effects of Word’s Emotional Valence on Subsequent Morphosyntactic Processing: An Event-Related Brain Potentials Study

Emotional information significantly affects cognitive processes, as proved by research in the past decades. Recently, emotional effects on language comprehension and, particularly, syntactic processing, have been reported. However, more research is needed, as this is yet very scarce. The present paper focuses on the effects of emotion-laden linguistic material (words) on subsequent morphosyntactic processing, by using Event-Related brain Potentials (ERP). The main aim of this paper is to clarify whether the effects previously reported remain when positive, negative and neutral stimuli are equated in arousal levels and whether they remain long-lasting. In addition, we aimed at testing whether these effects vary as a function of the task performed with the emotion-laden words, to assess their robustness across variations in attention and cognitive load during the processing of the emotional words. In this regard, two different tasks were performed: a reading aloud (RA) task, where participants simply read aloud the words, written in black on white background, and an Emotional Stroop (ES) task, where participants named the colors in which the emotional words were shown. After these words, neutral sentences followed, that had to be evaluated for grammaticality while recording ERPs (50% containing a morphosyntactic anomaly). ERP analyses showed main effects of valence across tasks on the two components reflecting morphosyntactic processing: The Left Anterior Negativity (LAN) is increased by previous emotional words (more by negative than positive) relative to neutral ones, while the P600 is similarly decreased. No interactions between task and valence were found. As a result, an emotion-laden word preceding a sentence can modulate the syntactic processing of the latter, independently of the arousal and processing conditions of the emotional word

Subliminal Priming Effects of Masked Social Hierarchies During a Categorization Task: An Event-Related Brain Potentials Study

published: 07 July 2022Evidence so far shows that status detection increases attentional resources, especially for high hierarchies. However, little is known about the effects of masked social status cues on cognition. Here, we explore the masked priming effects of social status cues during a categorization task. For this purpose, we use Event-Related brain Potentials (ERP) time-locked to the presentation of two types of artworks (Christian, non-Christian) primed by masked social hierarchies sorted into two types (religious, military), and in two ranks (high, low) each. ERP results indicate early attention effects at N1, showing larger amplitudes for the processing of artworks after high and military ranks. Thereafter, the P3a increased for all artworks primed by religious vs. military figures, indicating a relevant role of task demands at this processing stage. Our results remark the automaticity of hierarchy detection and extend previous findings on the effects of social status cues on complex cognitive processes.This work was supported by the MINECO (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, PSI2013-43107-P) and Ministerio de Ciencia, Investigación y Universidades (Programa Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica de Excelencia, PSI2017-82357-P), Spai

Encouraging expressions affect the brain and alter visual attention.

Background Very often, encouraging or discouraging expressions are used in competitive contexts, such as sports practice, aiming at provoking an emotional reaction on the listener and, consequently, an effect on subsequent cognition and/or performance. However, the actual efficiency of these expressions has not been tested scientifically. Methodology/principal findings To fill this gap, we studied the effects of encouraging, discouraging, and neutral expressions on event-related brain electrical activity during a visual selective attention task in which targets were determined by location, shape, and color. Although the expressions preceded the attentional task, both encouraging and discouraging messages elicited a similar long-lasting brain emotional response present during the visuospatial task. In addition, encouraging expressions were able to alter the customary working pattern of the visual attention system for shape selection in the attended location, increasing the P1 and the SP modulations while simultaneously fading away the SN. Conclusions/significance This was interpreted as an enhancement of the attentional processes for shape in the attended location after an encouraging expression. It can be stated, therefore, that encouraging expressions, as those used in sport practice, as well as in many other contexts and situations, do seem to be efficient in exerting emotional reactions and measurable effects on cognition