Are Sensory-Motor Relationships Encoded ad hoc or by Default?: An ERP Study

Published: 03 May 2019In this event-related potentials study we tested whether sensory-motor relations between concrete words are encoded by default or only under explicit ad hoc instructions. In Exp. 1, participants were explicitly asked to encode sensory-motor relations (e.g., “do the following objects fit in a pencil-cup?”), while other possible semantic relations remained implicit. In Exp. 2, using the same materials other group of participants were explicitly asked to encode semantic relations (e.g., “are the following objects related to a pencil-cup?”), and the possible sensory-motor relations remained implicit. The N400 component was sensitive to semantic relations (e.g., “desk” related to “pencil-cup”) both under implicit (Exp. 1) and explicit instructions (Exp. 2). By contrast, most sensory-motor relations (e.g., “pea” fitting in “pencil-cup”) were encoded ad hoc under explicit instructions (Exp. 1). Interestingly some sensory-motor relations were also encoded implicitly, but only when they corresponded to “functional” actions associated with high-related objects (e.g., “eraser” fitting in “pencil-cup”) and occurring at a late time window (500–650 ms; Exp. 2), suggesting that this type of sensory-motor relations were encoding by default.This research was supported by the Spanish MINECO (Grant Nos. PSI2015-66277-R to MdV and PSI2016-79624-P to HB) and the European Regional Development Funds

Exploring the temporal dynamics of speech production with EEG and group ICA

Speech production is a complex skill whose neural implementation relies on a large number of different regions in the brain. How neural activity in these different regions varies as a function of time during the production of speech remains poorly understood. Previous MEG studies on this topic have concluded that activity proceeds from posterior to anterior regions of the brain in a sequential manner. Here we tested this claim using the EEG technique. Specifically, participants performed a picture naming task while their naming latencies and scalp potentials were recorded. We performed group temporal Independent Component Analysis (group tICA) to obtain temporally independent component timecourses and their corresponding topographic maps. We identified fifteen components whose estimated neural sources were located in various areas of the brain. The trial-by-trial component timecourses were predictive of the naming latency, implying their involvement in the task. Crucially, we computed the degree of concurrent activity of each component timecourse to test whether activity was sequential or parallel. Our results revealed that these fifteen distinct neural sources exhibit largely concurrent activity during speech production. These results suggest that speech production relies on neural activity that takes place in parallel networks of distributed neural sources

Electrophysiological signature of the interplay between habits and inhibition in response to smoking-related cues in individuals with a smoking habit: An event-related potential study

First published: 24 February 2023The rigid, stimulus-bound nature of drug seeking that characterizes substance use disorder (SUD) has been related to a dysregulation of motivational and early attentional reflexive and inhibitory reflective systems. However, the mechanisms by which these systems are engaged by drug-paired conditioned stimuli (CSs) when they promote the enactment of seeking habits in individuals with a SUD have not been elucidated. The present study aimed behaviourally and electrophysiologically to characterize the nature of the interaction between the reflexive and reflective systems recruited by CSs in individuals with a smoking habit. We measured the behavioural performance and associated event-related potentials (ERPs) of 20 individuals with a smoking habit and 20 controls, who never smoked regularly, in a modified Go/NoGo task during which smoking-related CSs, appetitive and neutral pictures, presented either in first or third-person visual perspective were displayed 250 ms before the Go/NoGo cue. We show that smoking-related cues selectively influence early incentive motivation-related attention bias (N2 after picture onset), motor readiness and behavioural inhibition (Go-P3, NoGo-P3 and Pc) of individuals with a smoking habit only when presented from a first-person visual perspective. These data together identify the neural signature of the aberrant engagement of the reflexive and reflective systems during the recruitment of an incentive habit by CSs presented as if they had been response-produced, that is, as conditioned reinforcers.This work was conducted at the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psycholinguistics, University of La Laguna. J.D. was supported by a Postdoctoral fellowship from the University of La Laguna (Programa Agustin de Betancourt). HAB was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant PID2020-118487GBI00). D.B. was supported by a Medical Research Council Programme grant (MR/N02530X/1) to DB, Barry Everitt, Amy Milton, Jeffrey Dalley and Trevor Robbins. The authors would to thank Dr Tristan Hynes for their careful reading of the proof of this manuscript

Electrophysiological signature of the interplay between habits and inhibition in response to smoking-related cues in individuals with a smoking habit: An event-related potential study.

Funder: Programa Agustin de BetancourtThe rigid, stimulus-bound nature of drug seeking that characterizes substance use disorder (SUD) has been related to a dysregulation of motivational and early attentional reflexive and inhibitory reflective systems. However, the mechanisms by which these systems are engaged by drug-paired conditioned stimuli (CSs) when they promote the enactment of seeking habits in individuals with a SUD have not been elucidated. The present study aimed behaviourally and electrophysiologically to characterize the nature of the interaction between the reflexive and reflective systems recruited by CSs in individuals with a smoking habit. We measured the behavioural performance and associated event-related potentials (ERPs) of 20 individuals with a smoking habit and 20 controls, who never smoked regularly, in a modified Go/NoGo task during which smoking-related CSs, appetitive and neutral pictures, presented either in first or third-person visual perspective were displayed 250 ms before the Go/NoGo cue. We show that smoking-related cues selectively influence early incentive motivation-related attention bias (N2 after picture onset), motor readiness and behavioural inhibition (Go-P3, NoGo-P3 and Pc) of individuals with a smoking habit only when presented from a first-person visual perspective. These data together identify the neural signature of the aberrant engagement of the reflexive and reflective systems during the recruitment of an incentive habit by CSs presented as if they had been response-produced, that is, as conditioned reinforcers.Medical research fundin

Electrophysiological signature of the interplay between habits and inhibition in response to smoking-related cues in individuals with a smoking habit: an Event-Related Potential study.

The rigid, stimulus-bound nature of drug seeking that characterizes substance use disorder (SUD) has been related to a dysregulation of motivational and early attentional reflexive and inhibitory reflective systems. However, the mechanisms by which these systems are engaged by drug-paired conditioned stimuli CSs) when they promote the enactment of seeking habits in individuals with a SUD have not been elucidated. The present study aimed behaviorally and electrophysiologically to characterize the nature of the interaction between the reflexive and reflective systems recruited by CSs in individuals with a smoking habit. We measured the behavioral performance and associated Event Related Potentials (ERPs) of 20 individuals with a smoking habit and 20 controls, who never smoked regularly, in a modified Go/NoGo task during which smoking-related CSs, appetitive, and neutral pictures, presented either in first-person or as a third-person visual perspective were displayed 250 ms before the Go/NoGo cue. We show that smoking-related cues selectively influence early incentive motivation-related attentional bias (N2 after picture onset), motor readiness and behavioral inhibition (Go-P3, NoGo-P3 and Pc) of individuals with a smoking habit only when presented from a first-person perspective. These data together identify the neural signature of the aberrant engagement of the reflexive and reflective systems during the recruitment of an incentive habit by CSs presented as if they had been response-produced, i.e., as conditioned reinforcers.Medical research fundin

Severe Fatigue in the First Year Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Severe fatigue can persist for months after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) onset. This longitudinal study describes fatigue severity and its determinants up to 12 months after illness onset across the full spectrum of COVID-19 severity. Methods: RECoVERED, a prospective cohort study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, enrolled participants aged≥16 years after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnosis. Fatigue was measured using the validated Short Fatigue Questionnaire (SFQ; range 4-28) at months 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 of follow-up. Fatigue severity was modeled over time using mixed-effects linear regression. Determinants of severe fatigue (SFQ≥18) at 6 months since illness onset (ie, persistent fatigue) were identified using logistic regression. Results: Between May 2020 and July 2021, 303 participants completed at least 1 fatigue questionnaire. Twelve months after illness onset, 17.4% (95% CI, 6.7% to 38.3%), 21.6% (95% CI, 11.2% to 37.7%), and 44.8% (95% CI, 28.0% to 62.9%) of participants with mild, moderate, and severe/critical COVID-19 (World Health Organization definition), respectively, experienced severe fatigue. When adjusting for age and sex, having≥3 comorbidities (P=.007), severe/critical COVID-19 (P=.002), low mood (P<.001), and dyspnea in the first 2 weeks of illness (P=.001) were associated with more severe fatigue over time. Severe/critical COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.37; 95% CI, 1.28 to 8.93) and low mood at enrollment (aOR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.11 to 5.29) were associated with persistent fatigue. Recovery rarely occurred beyond 6 months after illness onset, regardless of COVID-19 severity. Conclusions: The occurrence of severe fatigue in our cohort was high, especially among those with initially severe/critical COVID-19, with little recovery beyond 6 months after illness onset. Our findings highlight an urgent need for improved understanding of persistent severe fatigue following COVID-19 to help inform prevention and intervention

Severe Fatigue in the First Year Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Severe fatigue can persist for months after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) onset. This longitudinal study describes fatigue severity and its determinants up to 12 months after illness onset across the full spectrum of COVID-19 severity. Methods: RECoVERED, a prospective cohort study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, enrolled participants aged≥16 years after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) diagnosis. Fatigue was measured using the validated Short Fatigue Questionnaire (SFQ; range 4-28) at months 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 of follow-up. Fatigue severity was modeled over time using mixed-effects linear regression. Determinants of severe fatigue (SFQ≥18) at 6 months since illness onset (ie, persistent fatigue) were identified using logistic regression. Results: Between May 2020 and July 2021, 303 participants completed at least 1 fatigue questionnaire. Twelve months after illness onset, 17.4% (95% CI, 6.7% to 38.3%), 21.6% (95% CI, 11.2% to 37.7%), and 44.8% (95% CI, 28.0% to 62.9%) of participants with mild, moderate, and severe/critical COVID-19 (World Health Organization definition), respectively, experienced severe fatigue. When adjusting for age and sex, having≥3 comorbidities (P=.007), severe/critical COVID-19 (P=.002), low mood (P<.001), and dyspnea in the first 2 weeks of illness (P=.001) were associated with more severe fatigue over time. Severe/critical COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.37; 95% CI, 1.28 to 8.93) and low mood at enrollment (aOR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.11 to 5.29) were associated with persistent fatigue. Recovery rarely occurred beyond 6 months after illness onset, regardless of COVID-19 severity. Conclusions: The occurrence of severe fatigue in our cohort was high, especially among those with initially severe/critical COVID-19, with little recovery beyond 6 months after illness onset. Our findings highlight an urgent need for improved understanding of persistent severe fatigue following COVID-19 to help inform prevention and intervention

Health-related quality of life among persons with initial mild, moderate, and severe or critical COVID-19 at 1 and 12 months after infection: a prospective cohort study

Background: Currently, there is limited evidence about the long-term impact on physical, social and emotional functioning, i.e. health-related quality of life (HRQL) after mild or moderate COVID-19 not requiring hospitalization. We compared HRQL among persons with initial mild, moderate or severe/critical COVID-19 at 1 and 12 months following illness onset with Dutch population norms and investigated the impact of restrictive public health control measures on HRQL. Methods: RECoVERED, a prospective cohort study in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, enrolled adult participants after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis. HRQL was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-item health survey (SF-36). SF-36 scores were converted to standard scores based on an age- and sex-matched representative reference sample of the Dutch population. Differences in HRQL over time were compared among persons with initial mild, moderate or severe/critical COVID-19 using mixed linear models adjusted for potential confounders. Results: By December 2021, 349 persons were enrolled of whom 269 completed at least one SF-36 form (77%). One month after illness onset, HRQL was significantly below population norms on all SF-36 domains except general health and bodily pain among persons with mild COVID-19. After 12 months, persons with mild COVID-19 had HRQL within population norms, whereas persons with moderate or severe/critical COVID-19 had HRQL below population norms on more than half of the SF-36 domains. Dutch-origin participants had significantly better HRQL than participants with a migration background. Participants with three or more COVID-19 high-risk comorbidities had worse HRQL than part participants with fewer comorbidities. Participants who completed the SF-36 when restrictive public health control measures applied reported less limitations in social and physical functioning and less impaired mental health than participants who completed the SF-36 when no restrictive measures applied. Conclusions: Twelve months after illness onset, persons with initial mild COVID-19 had HRQL within population norms, whereas persons with initial moderate or severe/critical COVID-19 still had impaired HRQL. Having a migration background and a higher number of COVID-19 high-risk comorbidities were associated with worse HRQL. Interestingly, HRQL was less impaired during periods when restrictive public health control measures were in place compared to periods without

MRI versus mammography for breast cancer screening in women with familial risk (FaMRIsc): a multicentre, randomised, controlled trial

Background: Approximately 15% of all breast cancers occur in women with a family history of breast cancer, but for whom no causative hereditary gene mutation has been found. Screening guidelines for women with familial risk of breast cancer differ between countries. We did a randomised controlled trial (FaMRIsc) to compare MRI screening with mammography in women with familial risk. Methods: In this multicentre, randomised, controlled trial done in 12 hospitals in the Netherlands, women were eligible to participate if they were aged 30–55 years and had a cumulative lifetime breast cancer risk of at least 20% because of a familial predisposition, but were BRCA1, BRCA2, and TP53 wild-type. Participants who were breast-feeding, pregnant, had a previous breast cancer screen, or had a previous a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ were eligible, but those with a previously diagnosed invasive carcinoma were excluded. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive either annual MRI and clinical breast examination plus biennial mammography (MRI group) or annual mammography and clinical breast examination (mammography group). Randomisation was done via a web-based system and stratified by centre. Women who did not provide consent for randomisation could give consent for registration if they followed either the mammography group protocol or the MRI group protocol in a joint decision with their physician. Results from the registration group were only used in the analyses stratified by breast density. Primary outcomes were number, size, and nodal status of detected breast cancers. Analyses were done by intention to treat. This trial is registered with the Netherlands Trial Register, number NL2661. Findings: Between Jan 1, 2011, and Dec 31, 2017, 1355 women provided consent for randomisation and 231 for registration. 675 of 1355 women were randomly allocated to the MRI group and 680 to the mammography group. 218 of 231 women opting to be in a registration group were in the mammography registration group and 13 were in the MRI registration group. The mean number of screening rounds per woman was 4·3 (SD 1·76). More breast cancers were detected in the MRI group than in the mammography group (40 vs 15; p=0·0017). Invasive cancers (24 in the MRI group and eight in the mammography group) were smaller in the MRI group than in the mammography group (median size 9 mm [5–14] vs 17 mm [13–22]; p=0·010) and less frequently node positive (four [17%] of 24 vs five [63%] of eight; p=0·023). Tumour stages of the cancers detected at incident rounds were significantly earlier in the MRI group (12 [48%] of 25 in the MRI group vs one [7%] of 15 in the mammography group were stage T1a and T1b cancers; one (4%) of 25 in the MRI group and two (13%) of 15 in the mammography group were stage T2 or higher; p=0·035) and node-positive tumours were less frequent (two [11%] of 18 in the MRI group vs five [63%] of eight in the mammography group; p=0·014). All seven tumours stage T2 or higher were in the two highest breast density categories (breast imaging reporting and data system categories C and D; p=0·0077) One patient died from breast cancer during follow-up (mammography registration group). Interpretation: MRI screening detected cancers at an earlier stage than mammography. The lower number of late-stage cancers identified in incident rounds might reduce the use of adjuvant chemotherapy and decrease breast cancer-related mortality. However, the advantages of the MRI screening approach might be at the cost of more false-positive results, especially at high breast density. Funding: Dutch Government ZonMw, Dutch Cancer Society, A Sister's Hope, Pink Ribbon, Stichting Coolsingel, J&T Rijke Stichting