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Tag Archives: Cognitive and Social Neuroscience
Su-047-Neural mechanisms of BeMim: what brain mechanism drives the link between liking and mimicry?
To explore the impact of being mimicked (BeMim) on liking and affiliation, we tracked neural activity using LightNIRS and measured liking effects with questionnaires in two participant groups (N=62) experiencing distinct mimicry types: Choice and Motor. Behavioural findings demonstrated a robust liking effect for Choice BeMim, and this was reflected in activation patterns within TPJ. Conversely, for Motor BeMim, we identified a subtle behavioural liking effect with activation in the right and left Angular Gyrus and right STS. Continue reading
Sa-001-Neural Mechanisms of Intergroup Bias in Smile Discrimination and Facial Mimicry: A fNIRS Study
People are biased in their perception of genuine smiles from ingroup members; this study aimed to identify the neural mechanism of this effect and test if it is linked to spontaneous mimicry. Thirty-three adults viewed videos of ingroup/outgroup actors producing genuine/posed smiles. The abilities to differentiate smiles and gender were assessed; participants’ facial movements were recorded as well as whole-head fNIRS with a Shimadzu LabNIRS system. The MFG and dlPFC were more activated during ingroup smiles, while the inferior frontal gyrus was more activated during outgroup smiles. There were no effects of group on behaviour or mimicry. This shows that fNIRS can pick up neural mechanisms of intergroup bias. Continue reading
Sa-025-Acute effects of nitrate and breakfast on working memory and the cortical haemodynamic response in adolescents: A randomised crossover trial
We performed a 3-arm randomised, within-subject, crossover study with pretest-posttest comparisons to test whether no breakfast compared to a high-nitrate breakfast (breakfast + beetroot juice shot) or regular breakfast improved working memory (WM) and cognitive task-related changes in prefrontal oxygenated- and deoxygenated-haemoglobin (derived from functional near-infrared spectroscopy) in adolescents. Among the 20 boys and 40 girls (13-15yrs old), no differences were seen between conditions for WM, but oxygenated-haemoglobin increased in the right prefrontal cortex after a high-nitrate breakfast during the 3-back (β 0.05, 95% confidence interval 0.03-0.07) but decreased after regular breakfast, which were different from no breakfast. Thus, different neurophysiological mechanisms may be at play depending on breakfast composition. Continue reading
Sa-022-The Engagement of Frontoparietal Network in Sequence Learning and Sensory Prediction in 8-month-olds and its Correlation with Corresponding Anatomical Development
Though sequence learning and sensory prediction are regarded as crucial abilities during development, the neural underpinnings lack exploration. The current study with 8-month-olds aims to confirm the stronger functional connectivity of frontoparietal network during learning and sensory prediction, which was previously found in 6-month-olds (Baek et al., 2022). Besides, the supporting mechanisms for neural development are under debate with the neural-interactionist perspective assuming that functional activation helps strengthen anatomical development. So, the current study also aims to test this prediction by exploring the relationship between task-based and resting-state connectivity, expecting to see a positive correlation. Continue reading
Sa-059-Biobehavioral Synchrony in Parents of Preschool Children: Insights from a novel fNIRS Hyperscanning Study
How does a stressful situation in one context affect functioning in another? Our ongoing study will answer this question by measuring biobehavioral synchrony (BBS) by means of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning during parent-child gameplay before and after a stressful parent conflict discussion (N=60 families, children’s age 4-8 years). Preliminary results, to be available at the conference, are expected to show stronger BBS during the first versus the second gameplay session due to the spillover effects of negative emotions. Understanding the mechanisms of BBS can inform interventions to improve well-being and promote healthier family relationships. Continue reading
Sa-049-Can 7-month-old infants extract affective information independently by sensory modality?
Infants' perception of emotional changes is crucial for social and emotional development. Research shows preverbal infants' sensitivity to human emotional cues and their ability to extract nonverbal affective information. However, how 7-month-old infants integrate facial and vocal expressions to extract affective information, and their neural mechanisms, requires further investigation. Through behavioral and fNIRS experiments, we aim to reveal infants' sensitivity and neural representation to consistent multimodal expressions, highlighting their ability to extract invariant affective information across modalities, contributing to our understanding of infant affective comprehension. Continue reading
Sa-048-Learning repetition-based regularities in speech: a NIRS study with 7-month-old infants
This study investigates the ability to discriminate non-adjacent repetitions from diversity-based controls in 38 7-month-old infants. Infants’ brain responses were recorded using fNIRS during the audio presentation of the two grammars. While newborns fail to discriminate them, 7-month-old infants succeed and show the preparedness to process highly variable linguistic materials. Continue reading
Sa-047-Rhythmic discrimination of languages in infants with hearing loss
This study investigates the ability of 0-10-month-old infants with hearing loss (n=31) to discriminate between two rhythmically different languages. Infants’ brain responses were recorded using fNIRS during the audio presentation of the two languages. A control group of age-matched normal hearing infants (n=45) was also tested. Preliminary results suggest similar processing abilities across the two groups for the native language compared to the non-native one. Continue reading
Sa-067-Unlocking unique reactions: Novel insights into four cerebral and systemic responses to colored light
In this case study, we investigated physiological responses to colored light exposure (CLE) using systemic physiology augmented functional near-infrared spectroscopy (SPA-fNIRS). Four subjects were exposed to blue and red light while performing a cognitive task. Physiological parameters, such as cerebral hemodynamics, blood pressure, skin conductance and respiration, were monitored. Subjects exhibited unique response patterns: consistent responses regardless of light color (pattern 1), minimal difference between light colors (pattern 2), mirrored effects across parameters (pattern 3), and divergent trends (pattern 4). These findings underscore the individual variability in response to CLE and emphasize the importance of considering the individual physiological constitution in such studies. Continue reading
Sa-064-Analytical pipeline optimisation in developmental fNIRS hyperscanning during children’s naturalistic interactions
Neural synchrony may be elicited during children’s interactions with others; however, optimization of analytical pipelines for naturalistic, dual-brain fNIRS data is required for accurate interpretation of results. This study investigates brain-to-brain synchrony between preschoolers and mothers, and the effect of short channels regression on its computation. We also implement a phase-scrambled pseudo dyad analysis to better understand the origins of brain-to-brain synchrony. After physiological noise reduction, the alignment of children and parents’ functional brain activity appears robust and related to dynamics of real interaction, particularly in deoxygenated haemoglobin. Continue reading