Tango of Control: The Interplay Between Proactive and Reactive Control

Cognitive control has been theorized operating through two distinct mechanisms, proactive and reactive control, as posited by the dual mechanism of control model. Despite its potential to explain cognitive control variability, the supporting evidence for this model remains inconclusive. Prior studies frequently employed the Stroop task to assess this model, manipulating the proportion congruency (PC) at the list-wide and/or item-specific levels to target proactive and reactive control, respectively. However, these manipulations have been questioned as they may invoke low-level associative learning instead of control-driven mechanisms. Although solutions have been proposed to address these concerns, they still have limitations and impracticalities. In pursuit of a clearer understanding of this issue, we manipulated proactive and reactive control simultaneously to more directly investigate their separability. We conducted two experiments using a peripheral and a perifoveal spatial Stroop task version, respectively, and we adopted state-of-theart methodologies, leveraging trial-level multilevel modeling analytical approaches, to effectively estimate the Stroop effect and its control-related modulations while controlling for confounding factors. Notably, we manipulated both list-wide and item-specific PCs at the trial level, allowing for a fine-grained analysis. Our results provide compelling evidence for the existence of a list-wide, PC-dependent proactive control mechanism, influencing Stroop performance independently of reactive control and confounding factors. Additionally, an item-specific PC-dependent reactive control effect was found to influence Stroop performance only in interaction with proactive control. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between proactive and reactive control mechanisms, shedding light on the intricate nature of cognitive control

On the relationship between emotions and cognitive control: Evidence from an observational study on emotional priming Stroop task

Evidence is discordant regarding how emotional processing and cognitive control interact to shape behavior. This observational study sought to examine this interaction by looking at the distinction between proactive and reactive modes of control and how they relate to emotional processing. Seventy-four healthy participants performed an emotional priming Stroop task. On each trial, target stimuli of a spatial Stroop task were preceded by sad or neutral facial expressions, providing two emotional conditions. To manipulate the requirement of both proactive and reactive control, the proportion of congruent trials (PC) was varied at the list-wide (LWPC) and item-specific (ISPC) levels, respectively. We found that sad priming led to behavioral costs only in trials with low proactive and reactive cognitive control demands. Our findings suggest that emotional processing affects cognitive processes other than cognitive control in the Stroop task. Moreover, both proactive and reactive control modes seem effective in overcoming emotional interference of priming stimuli

Proactive control for conflict resolution is intact in subclinical obsessive-compulsive individuals

Background: Obsessive-compulsive (OC) traits (i.e., tendency to implement stereotyped behaviors to avoid negative consequences) are transversally observed in psychiatric disorders largely differing in terms of clinical manifestations and etiopathogenesis. Interestingly, OC traits were also extensively found in the prodromal phases of the full-blown psychopathology and in healthy relatives of affected individuals. Moreover, OC traits were found to be associated-and possibly underlain by-cognitive control impairments. Nonetheless, the role of such interplay in the onset of OC disorders is yet to be understood. We hypothesized that OC traits are associated with abnormalities in proactively implement cognitive control for solving conflict.Methods: We administered healthy individuals (n=104) with the perifoveal spatial Stroop task to measure their ability of solving conflict in a proactive fashion, and with Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI) to stratify population according to the severity of OC traits.Results: Analysis of response times by means of Linear Mixed-effect models revealed that proactive control performance was not associated with and the severity of OC traits. Furthermore, an equivalence test (Two One-Sided Test) revealed that the association between OCI scores and task performance was equivalent to zero.Conclusion: These results suggest that the interplay between OC traits and proactive control abnormalities might not contribute to the development of OC-related disorders. Therefore, the role of other cognitive endophenotypes should be scrutinized for exploiting alternative prevention and intervention strategies

Bayesian modeling of temporal expectations in the human brain

The brain predicts the timing of forthcoming events to optimize processes in response to them. Temporal predictions are driven by both our prior expectations on the likely timing of stimulus occurrence and the information conveyed by the passage of time. Specifically, such predictions can be described in terms of the hazard function, that is, the conditional probability that an event will occur, given it has not yet occurred. Events violating expectations cause surprise and often induce updating of prior expectations. While it is well-known that the brain is able to track the temporal hazard of event occurrence, the question of how prior temporal expectations are updated is still unsettled. Here we combined a Bayesian computational approach with brain imaging to map updating of temporal expectations in the human brain. Moreover, since updating is usually highly correlated with surprise, participants performed a task that allowed partially differentiating between the two processes. Results showed that updating and surprise differently modulated activity in areas belonging to two critical networks for cognitive control, the fronto-parietal (FPN) and the cingulo-opercular network (CON). Overall, these data provide a first computational characterization of the neural correlates associated with updating and surprise related to temporal expectation

A comparison between different variants of the spatial Stroop task: The influence of analytic flexibility on Stroop effect estimates and reliability

The spatial Stroop task measures the ability to resolve interference between relevant and irrelevant spatial information. We recently proposed a four-choice spatial Stroop task that ensures methodological advantages over the original color-word verbal Stroop task, requiring participants to indicate the direction of an arrow while ignoring its position in one of the screen corners. However, its peripheral spatial arrangement might represent a methodological weakness and could introduce experimental confounds. Thus, aiming at improving our “Peripheral” spatial Stroop, we designed and made available five novel spatial Stroop tasks (Perifoveal, Navon, Figure-Ground, Flanker, and Saliency), wherein the stimuli appeared at the center of the screen. In a within-subjects online study, we compared the six versions to identify which task produced the largest but also the most reliable and robust Stroop effect. Indeed, although internal reliability is frequently overlooked, its estimate is fundamental, also in light of the recently proposed reliability paradox. Data analyses were performed using both the classical general linear model analytical approach and two multilevel modelling approaches (linear mixed models and random coefficient analysis), which specifically served for more accurately estimating the Stroop effect by explaining intra-subject, trial-by-trial variability. We then assessed our results based on their robustness to such analytic flexibility. Overall, our results indicate that the Perifoveal spatial Stroop is the best alternative task for its statistical properties and methodological advantages. Interestingly, our results also indicate that the Peripheral and Perifoveal Stroop effects were not only the largest, but also those with highest and most robust internal reliability

The Effects of Cocaine on Different Redox Forms of Cysteine and Homocysteine, and on Labile, Reduced Sulfur in the Rat Plasma Following Active versus Passive Drug Injections

Received: 28 November 2012 / Revised: 19 April 2013 / Accepted: 6 May 2013 / Published online: 16 May 2013 The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.comThe aim of the present studies was to evaluate cocaine-induced changes in the concentrations of different redox forms of cysteine (Cys) and homocysteine (Hcy), and products of anaerobic Cys metabolism, i.e., labile, reduced sulfur (LS) in the rat plasma. The above-mentioned parameters were determined after i.p. acute and subchronic cocaine treatment as well as following i.v. cocaine self-administration using the yoked procedure. Additionally, Cys, Hcy, and LS levels were measured during the 10-day extinction training in rats that underwent i.v. cocaine administration. Acute i.p. cocaine treatment increased the total and protein-bound Hcy contents, decreased LS, and did not change the concentrations of Cys fractions in the rat plasma. In turn, subchronic i.p. cocaine administration significantly increased free Hcy and lowered the total and protein-bound Cys concentrations while LS level was unchanged. Cocaine self-administration enhanced the total and protein-bound Hcy levels, decreased LS content, and did not affect the Cys fractions. On the other hand, yoked cocaine infusions did not alter the concentration of Hcy fractions while decreased the total and protein-bound Cys and LS content. This extinction training resulted in the lack of changes in the examined parameters in rats with a history of cocaine self-administration while in the yoked cocaine group an increase in the plasma free Cys fraction and LS was seen. Our results demonstrate for the first time that cocaine does evoke significant changes in homeostasis of thiol amino acids Cys and Hcy, and in some products of anaerobic Cys metabolism, which are dependent on the way of cocaine administration

Evaluating semantic control with transcranial magnetic stimulation: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Background: This meta-analysis investigates the role of specific brain regions in semantic control processes using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). According to the Controlled Semantic Cognition framework, control processes help manage the contextually appropriate retrieval of semantic information by activating a distributed neural network, including the inferior frontal gyrus, the posterior middle temporal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule. Lesions in these areas can lead to difficulties in manipulating weakly activated or competing semantic information. Researchers have used TMS to simulate such deficits in healthy individuals. Method: By synthesizing results from TMS studies that targeted these regions, we aimed to evaluate whether neurostimulation over these areas can effectively impair participants’ performance under high semantic control demands. Results: Results from different meta-analytical approaches consistently showed no significant effects of TMS, especially after correcting for publication bias. Nevertheless, variability in experimental methodologies was evident. Conclusion: These findings raise questions about the effectiveness of TMS in simulating deficits in semantic control and highlight the need for methodological improvements in future studies to enhance reliability and interpretability

lmeEEG: Mass linear mixed-effects modeling of EEG data with crossed random effects

Background: Mixed-effects models are the current standard for the analysis of behavioral studies in psycholinguistics and related fields, given their ability to simultaneously model crossed random effects for subjects and items. However, they are hardly applied in neuroimaging and psychophysiology, where the use of mass univariate analyses in combination with permutation testing would be too computationally demanding to be practicable with mixed models. New method: Here, we propose and validate an analytical strategy that enables the use of linear mixed models (LMM) with crossed random intercepts in mass univariate analyses of EEG data (lmeEEG). It avoids the unfeasible computational costs that would arise from massive permutation testing with LMM using a simple solution: removing random-effects contributions from EEG data and performing mass univariate linear analysis and permutations on the obtained marginal EEG. Results: lmeEEG showed excellent performance properties in terms of power and false positive rate. Comparison with existing methods: lmeEEG overcomes the computational costs of standard available approaches (our method was indeed more than 300 times faster). Conclusions: lmeEEG allows researchers to use mixed models with EEG mass univariate analyses. Thanks to the possibility offered by the method described here, we anticipate that LMM will become increasingly important in neuroscience. Data and codes are available at osf.io/kw87a. The codes and a tutorial are also available at github.com/antovis86/lmeEEG

A Review of Interventions to Reduce Mechanical Restraint and Seclusion among Adult Psychiatric Inpatients

Objective: This review examines nature and effectiveness of interventions to reduce the use of mechanical restraint and seclusion among adult psychiatric inpatients. Method: Electronic searches were conducted to locate post-1960 empirical studies of restraint and seclusion reduction in English. A total of 36 studies were identified, mostly from the USA. Analysis was conducted using a structured data extraction tool. Results: The majority of studies reported reduced levels or mechanical restraint and/or seclusion, but the standard of evidence was poor. There were no randomised trials. Most were retrospective studies of official records before and after the intervention was introduced, with varying follow-up periods. The interventions were diverse, but tended to include one or more of the following: new restraint and/or seclusion policies, staffing changes, staff training, review procedures and crisis management initiatives. The research was unable to address which of these elements was most effective. There was also evidence that some improved outcomes were achieved by substituting restraint or seclusion for each other or for alternatives forms of containment (medication in particular). Nurses’ attitudes, skills and approach to patient care were absent from the literature. Conclusions: Interventions probably can reduce the use of restraint and seclusion, but better designed research is required to demonstrate their effectiveness conclusively. More attention should also be paid to understanding how interventions work, particularly from the perspective of nursing staff. This is essential to the successful implementation of restraint and seclusion interventions across different psychiatric settings and treatment populations