Neural Control of Tongue Movements Across Effort Levels

Background A hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a mismatch between the perceived effort and actual forces exerted during functional activities such as speech. Current evidence supports therapy to help reset this perception of effort, but the neurological underpinnings of such treatments are unclear. This study examined brain activity during tongue movements performed at varying levels of effort to determine (1) which brain areas are involved in each task, and (2) which areas, if any, scale in activation according to effort level. These results, considered with the neurological changes associated with PD, can be used to develop and refine treatment techniques for PD. Methods The structural and functional magnetic resonance (MR) data were previously collected from 20 healthy 40-60 year-old adults. Participants performed phoneme (speech sound) repetition and isometric tongue-to-palate presses while MR images were obtained. Ten datasets underwent whole brain analysis via SPM software to create a mask of shared activation. This mask was applied to the remaining 10 datasets to extract scaling data. Results/Conclusion Multiple areas including sensory, motor, and insular cortices were active during study tasks. The only area exhibiting statistically significant scaling was the left secondary sensorimotor cortex during the isometric tongue press. This area has been linked to processing of light touch, tactile attention, and somatosensory integration for voluntary skeletal movements. Additional activations were noted in the right insula, which is associated with motor control of speech and swallowing movements, as well as self-awareness

Neural Control of Tongue Movements Across Effort Levels

Background A hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a mismatch between the perceived effort and actual forces exerted during functional activities such as speech. Current evidence supports therapy to help reset this perception of effort, but the neurological underpinnings of such treatments are unclear. This study examined brain activity during tongue movements performed at varying levels of effort to determine (1) which brain areas are involved in each task, and (2) which areas, if any, scale in activation according to effort level. These results, considered with the neurological changes associated with PD, can be used to develop and refine treatment techniques for PD. Methods The structural and functional magnetic resonance (MR) data were previously collected from 20 healthy 40-60 year-old adults. Participants performed phoneme (speech sound) repetition and isometric tongue-to-palate presses while MR images were obtained. Ten datasets underwent whole brain analysis via SPM software to create a mask of shared activation. This mask was applied to the remaining 10 datasets to extract scaling data. Results/Conclusion Multiple areas including sensory, motor, and insular cortices were active during study tasks. The only area exhibiting statistically significant scaling was the left secondary sensorimotor cortex during the isometric tongue press. This area has been linked to processing of light touch, tactile attention, and somatosensory integration for voluntary skeletal movements. Additional activations were noted in the right insula, which is associated with motor control of speech and swallowing movements, as well as self-awareness

Solving the Black Box Problem: Are Two Heads Better Than One?

We investigated the conscious experiences people had while discovering the contents and layout of a sealed box by manipulating it. Introduction to Psychology students were presented with a black video cassette box containing an object that was free to move and various fixed structures made of plastic foam packing material. Using the sounds the object made when the box was manipulated, subjects were asked to discover both the moving object and the layout of the box. Subjects participated in two rounds: First they solved the problem individually to their satisfaction, then they worked with a partner to produce a consensus solution. The partner pairs were videotaped and were asked to describe aloud their conscious experiences and problem solving strategies as they handled the box. They then responded to a check list of possible conscious experiences. This poster presentation will contrast (a) the responses and conscious experiences of partner pairs with (b) the responses and experiences of subjects working alone. The research question is whether pairs will be more likely to produce a correct solution than individuals, and if so why

Effects of Social Support on Adults\u27 Perceptions of Children\u27s Reports

We examined the effects of interviewer-provided social support and perceiver gender on adults\u27 perceptions of child witnesses. Adults watched a series of socially supportive or nonsupportive child interviews and rated their perceptions of the children. Adults who watched supportive, as compared to nonsupportive, interviews thought that children were more accurate in their reports, more confident, and better able to remember details and resist suggestion. However, perceptions of children\u27s desire to please the interviewer, anxiety, and credibility did not vary as a function of support condition. Gender differences were not pervasive and only emerged on adults\u27 perceptions of children\u27s ability to resist suggestion. Compared to men, women were more likely to think it was easy for children to resist suggestion

Do We Discover the Contents of a Black Box the Way We Think We Do?

We investigated the conscious experiences people had while discovering the contents and layout of a sealed box by manipulating it. Introduction to Psychology students were presented with a black video cassette box containing an object that was free to move and a fixed structure made of plastic foam packing material. Using the sounds the object made when the box was manipulated, subjects were asked to discover both the moving object and the fixed layout of the box. Subjects were videotaped and were asked to describe their conscious experiences and problem solving strategies as they handled the box. They then responded to a check list of possible conscious experiences. Our interest was in determining whether participants adopted a scientific strategy (characterized by hypothesis testing, direct comparison of alternatives, attempts at falsification, and potential for inconclusive investigations) or a pragmatic strategy (characterized by the rapid development of a single notion that is then confirmed or evolved through intimate interaction with box behavior). Analysis of subjects\u27 drawings of the box, the actions they took, and their descriptions of their conscious experiences agree in showing that they adopted a pragmatic strategy rather than a scientific strategy in solving the problem