Autism spectrum disorder classification based on interpersonal neural synchrony: Can classification be improved by dyadic neural biomarkers using unsupervised graph representation learning?

Research in machine learning for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) classification bears the promise to improve clinical diagnoses. However, recent studies in clinical imaging have shown the limited generalization of biomarkers across and beyond benchmark datasets. Despite increasing model complexity and sample size in neuroimaging, the classification performance of ASD remains far away from clinical application. This raises the question of how we can overcome these barriers to develop early biomarkers for ASD. One approach might be to rethink how we operationalize the theoretical basis of this disease in machine learning models. Here we introduced unsupervised graph representations that explicitly map the neural mechanisms of a core aspect of ASD, deficits in dyadic social interaction, as assessed by dual brain recordings, termed hyperscanning, and evaluated their predictive performance. The proposed method differs from existing approaches in that it is more suitable to capture social interaction deficits on a neural level and is applicable to young children and infants. First results from functional near-infrared spectroscopy data indicate potential predictive capacities of a task-agnostic, interpretable graph representation. This first effort to leverage interaction-related deficits on neural level to classify ASD may stimulate new approaches and methods to enhance existing models to achieve developmental ASD biomarkers in the future.Comment: Accepted in Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention - MICCAI 2022: The 5th International Workshop on Machine Learning in Clinical Neuroimagin

Электрооборудование тепловой насосной станции

В данной работе выполнен расчет электроснабжения тепловой насосной станции №2 города Саяногорска. В работе так же рассмотрен механизм управления сетевым насосом при помощи преобразователя частоты с целью снижения потребляемой электрической энергии.In this paper, the power supply to the heat pump station No. 2 in Sayanogorsk has been calculated. In work the mechanism of management of the network pump by means of the frequency converter with the purpose of decrease in consumed electric energy is also considered

Open video data sharing in developmental and behavioural science

Video recording is a widely used method for documenting infant and child behaviours in research and clinical practice. Video data has rarely been shared due to ethical concerns of confidentiality, although the need of shared large-scaled datasets remains increasing. This demand is even more imperative when data-driven computer-based approaches are involved, such as screening tools to complement clinical assessments. To share data while abiding by privacy protection rules, a critical question arises whether efforts at data de-identification reduce data utility? We addressed this question by showcasing the Prechtl's general movements assessment (GMA), an established and globally practised video-based diagnostic tool in early infancy for detecting neurological deficits, such as cerebral palsy. To date, no shared expert-annotated large data repositories for infant movement analyses exist. Such datasets would massively benefit training and recalibration of human assessors and the development of computer-based approaches. In the current study, sequences from a prospective longitudinal infant cohort with a total of 19451 available general movements video snippets were randomly selected for human clinical reasoning and computer-based analysis. We demonstrated for the first time that pseudonymisation by face-blurring video recordings is a viable approach. The video redaction did not affect classification accuracy for either human assessors or computer vision methods, suggesting an adequate and easy-to-apply solution for sharing movement video data. We call for further explorations into efficient and privacy rule-conforming approaches for deidentifying video data in scientific and clinical fields beyond movement assessments. These approaches shall enable sharing and merging stand-alone video datasets into large data pools to advance science and public health

Dysfunctions in brain networks supporting empathy: An fMRI study in adults with autism spectrum disorders

The present study aimed at identifying dysfunctions in brain networks that may underlie disturbed empathic behavior in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). During functional magnetic resonance imaging, subjects were asked to identify the emotional state observed in a facial stimulus (other-task) or to evaluate their own emotional response (self-task). Behaviorally, ASD subjects performed equally to the control group during the other-task, but showed less emotionally congruent responses in the self-task. Activations in brain regions related to theory of mind were observed in both groups. Activations of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) were located in dorsal subregions in ASD subjects and in ventral areas in control subjects. During the self-task, ASD subjects activated an additional network of frontal and inferior temporal areas. Frontal areas previously associated with the human mirror system were activated in both tasks in control subjects, while ASD subjects recruited these areas during the self-task only. Activations in the ventral MPFC may provide the basis for one's “emotional bond” with other persons’ emotions. Such atypical patterns of activation may underlie disturbed empathy in individuals with ASD. Subjects with ASD may use an atypical cognitive strategy to gain access to their own emotional state in response to other people's emotions

Looking While Unhappy: A Mood-Congruent Attention Bias Toward Sad Adult Faces in Children

A negative mood-congruent attention bias has been consistently observed, for example, in clinical studies on major depression. This bias is assumed to be dysfunctional in that it supports maintaining a sad mood, whereas a potentially adaptive role has largely been neglected. Previous experiments involving sad mood induction techniques found a negative mood-congruent attention bias specifically for young individuals, explained by an adaptive need for information transfer in the service of mood regulation. In the present study we investigated the attentional bias in typically developing children (aged 6–12 years) when happy and sad moods were induced. Crucially, we manipulated the age (adult vs. child) of the displayed pairs of facial expressions depicting sadness, anger, fear and happiness. The results indicate that sad children indeed exhibited a mood specific attention bias toward sad facial expressions. Additionally, this bias was more pronounced for adult faces. Results are discussed in the context of an information gain which should be stronger when looking at adult faces due to their more expansive life experience. These findings bear implications for both research methods and future interventions

Neural Correlates of Theory of Mind Are Preserved in Young Women with Anorexia Nervosa

People with anorexia nervosa (AN) commonly exhibit social difficulties, which may be related to problems with understanding the perspectives of others, commonly known as Theory of Mind (ToM) processing. However, there is a dearth of literature investigating the neural basis of these differences in ToM and at what age they emerge. This study aimed to test for differences in the neural correlates of ToM processes in young women with AN, and young women weight-restored from AN, as compared to healthy control participants (HC). Based on previous findings in AN, we hypothesised that young women with current or prior AN, as compared to HCs, would exhibit a reduced neural response in the medial prefrontal cortex, the inferior frontal gyrus, and the temporo-parietal junction whilst completing a ToM task. We recruited 73 young women with AN, 45 weight-restored young women, and 70 young women without a history of AN to take part in the current study. Whilst undergoing a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan, participants completed the Frith-Happé task, which is a commonly-used measure of ToM with demonstrated reliability and validity in adult populations. In this task, participants viewed the movements of triangles, which depicted either action movements, simple interactions, or complex social interactions. Viewing trials with more complex social interactions in the Frith-Happé task was associated with increased brain activation in regions including the right temporo-parietal junction, the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex, the cerebellum, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. There were no group differences in neural activation in response to the ToM contrast. Overall, these results suggest that the neural basis of spontaneous mentalising is preserved in most young women with AN

Prefrontal Cortex Glutamate Correlates with Mental Perspective-Taking

Background: Dysfunctions in theory of mind and empathic abilities have been suggested as core symptoms in major psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and autism. Since self monitoring, perspective taking and empathy have been linked to prefrontal (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) function, neurotransmitter variations in these areas may account for normal and pathological variations of these functions. Converging evidence indicates an essential role of glutamatergic neurotransmission in psychiatric diseases with pronounced deficits in empathy. However, the role of the glutamate system for different dimensions of empathy has not been investigated so far. Methodology/Principal Findings: Absolute concentrations of cerebral glutamate in the ACC, left dorsolateral PFC and left hippocampus were determined by 3-tesla proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in 17 healthy individuals. Three dimensions of empathy were estimated by a self-rating questionnaire, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Linear regression analysis showed that dorsolateral PFC glutamate concentration was predicted by IRI factor ‘‘perspective taking’’ (T = 22.710, p = 0.018; adjusted alpha-level of 0.017, Bonferroni) but not by ‘‘empathic concern’ ’ or ‘‘personal distress’’. No significant relationship between IRI subscores and the glutamate levels in the ACC or left hippocampus was detected. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first study to investigate the role of the glutamate system for dimensions of theory of mind and empathy. Results are in line with recent concepts that executive top-down control of behavior is mediated b

Food-induced Emotional Resonance Improves Emotion Recognition

The effect of food substances on emotional states has been widely investigated, showing, for example, that eating chocolate is able to reduce negative mood. Here, for the first time, we have shown that the consumption of specific food substances is not only able to induce particular emotional states, but more importantly, to facilitate recognition of corresponding emotional facial expressions in others. Participants were asked to perform an emotion recognition task before and after eating either a piece of chocolate or a small amount of fish sauce – which we expected to induce happiness or disgust, respectively. Our results showed that being in a specific emotional state improves recognition of the corresponding emotional facial expression. Indeed, eating chocolate improved recognition of happy faces, while disgusted expressions were more readily recognized after eating fish sauce. In line with the embodied account of emotion understanding, we suggest that people are better at inferring the emotional state of others when their own emotional state resonates with the observed one

Yawn Contagion and Empathy in Homo sapiens

The ability to share others' emotions, or empathy, is crucial for complex social interactions. Clinical, psychological, and neurobiological clues suggest a link between yawn contagion and empathy in humans (Homo sapiens). However, no behavioral evidence has been provided so far. We tested the effect of different variables (e.g., country of origin, sex, yawn characteristics) on yawn contagion by running mixed models applied to observational data collected over 1 year on adult (>16 years old) human subjects. Only social bonding predicted the occurrence, frequency, and latency of yawn contagion. As with other measures of empathy, the rate of contagion was greatest in response to kin, then friends, then acquaintances, and lastly strangers. Related individuals (r≥0.25) showed the greatest contagion, in terms of both occurrence of yawning and frequency of yawns. Strangers and acquaintances showed a longer delay in the yawn response (latency) compared to friends and kin. This outcome suggests that the neuronal activation magnitude related to yawn contagion can differ as a function of subject familiarity. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that yawn contagion is primarily driven by the emotional closeness between individuals and not by other variables, such as gender and nationality