Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106407
Silvie Rádlová, Anna Pidnebesna, Aleksandra Chomik, David Tomeček, Jaroslav Hlinka, Daniel Frynta, Eva Landová
{"title":"Corrigendum to \"From ancient fears to airborne threats: fMRI insights into neural fear responses\" [Brain Cogn. 191 (2025) 106371].","authors":"Silvie Rádlová, Anna Pidnebesna, Aleksandra Chomik, David Tomeček, Jaroslav Hlinka, Daniel Frynta, Eva Landová","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106407","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106407","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":" ","pages":"106407"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146138066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106406
Szilvia Linnert, Vincent Reid, Gert Westermann
Visual perception emerges from dynamic interactions between bottom‑up sensory input and top‑down, task‑driven expectations. This study tested whether task‑related ERP modulations during object categorization depend on low‑level category‑specific features-specifically the amplitude spectrum (AS)-or whether they arise independent of these features. Participants viewed grayscale images of animals and vehicles with either intact or equalized AS, each paired with an "X" or "O." They performed either a category‑relevant task (animal vs. vehicle) or a category‑irrelevant task ("X" vs. "O"). Task demands influenced visual processing at multiple stages. P1 category selectivity emerged only for intact AS stimuli under category-relevant task demands, indicating sensitivity to low-level structure. In contrast, P2/N2 differences were present across AS and task conditions, although their magnitude was modulated, consistent with higher-level category representations. The lack of sustained early effects raises questions about how sensory evidence is transformed across processing stages. Manipulating category relevance revealed task modulation beyond response-format effects, showing how top-down goals shape both early sensory and later category-level processing as reflected in distinct visual ERP components.
{"title":"Task modulation of visual category selectivity at physical and conceptual levels: An ERP study.","authors":"Szilvia Linnert, Vincent Reid, Gert Westermann","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106406","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106406","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Visual perception emerges from dynamic interactions between bottom‑up sensory input and top‑down, task‑driven expectations. This study tested whether task‑related ERP modulations during object categorization depend on low‑level category‑specific features-specifically the amplitude spectrum (AS)-or whether they arise independent of these features. Participants viewed grayscale images of animals and vehicles with either intact or equalized AS, each paired with an \"X\" or \"O.\" They performed either a category‑relevant task (animal vs. vehicle) or a category‑irrelevant task (\"X\" vs. \"O\"). Task demands influenced visual processing at multiple stages. P1 category selectivity emerged only for intact AS stimuli under category-relevant task demands, indicating sensitivity to low-level structure. In contrast, P2/N2 differences were present across AS and task conditions, although their magnitude was modulated, consistent with higher-level category representations. The lack of sustained early effects raises questions about how sensory evidence is transformed across processing stages. Manipulating category relevance revealed task modulation beyond response-format effects, showing how top-down goals shape both early sensory and later category-level processing as reflected in distinct visual ERP components.</p>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"194 ","pages":"106406"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146127784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-20DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106405
Sonja Kuderer , Christoph Rotter , Sylvia Kirchengast
Brain lateralization, reflected in handedness, plays a role in cognitive and affective processing. While sex differences in personality and depression are well established, the combined effects of handedness and sex on these variables are not well understood. To address this gap, this study examined the associations of sex, handedness direction and consistency on personality and depressive symptoms in 198 European students (93 males, 105 females). Participants completed self-report inventories for personality (NEO-FFI), depression (BDI-II) and handedness (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory). MANOVA analyses revealed that females scored higher than males on neuroticism and agreeableness, consistent with previous research. Regarding handedness direction, right-handers showed higher conscientiousness and extraversion levels compared to left-handers, whereas left-handers scored higher in neuroticism. No main effects of handedness consistency on personality were observed. Females reported higher depression scores than males, consistent with epidemiological data. A significant interaction across sex, handedness direction and consistency indicated sex-specific vulnerability patterns. Specifically, consistent left-handed males and consistent right-handed females showed the highest depression scores, whereas inconsistent right-handed females and consistent right-handed males scored the lowest. These findings suggest that handedness and sex independently and interactively shape personality and depressive symptoms, emphasizing the role of lateralization and sex-specific neurobiological mechanisms in affective functioning.
{"title":"Sex and handedness differences in Big Five personality traits and depression: Investigating the role of cerebral lateralization","authors":"Sonja Kuderer , Christoph Rotter , Sylvia Kirchengast","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Brain lateralization, reflected in handedness, plays a role in cognitive and affective processing. While sex differences in personality and depression are well established, the combined effects of handedness and sex on these variables are not well understood. To address this gap, this study examined the associations of sex, handedness direction and consistency on personality and depressive symptoms in 198 European students (93 males, 105 females). Participants completed self-report inventories for personality (NEO-FFI), depression (BDI-II) and handedness (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory). MANOVA analyses revealed that females scored higher than males on neuroticism and agreeableness, consistent with previous research. Regarding handedness direction, right-handers showed higher conscientiousness and extraversion levels compared to left-handers, whereas left-handers scored higher in neuroticism. No main effects of handedness consistency on personality were observed. Females reported higher depression scores than males, consistent with epidemiological data. A significant interaction across sex, handedness direction and consistency indicated sex-specific vulnerability patterns. Specifically, consistent left-handed males and consistent right-handed females showed the highest depression scores, whereas inconsistent right-handed females and consistent right-handed males scored the lowest. These findings suggest that handedness and sex independently and interactively shape personality and depressive symptoms, emphasizing the role of lateralization and sex-specific neurobiological mechanisms in affective functioning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"194 ","pages":"Article 106405"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146020594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-18DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106404
Karen Chan Barrett , Vani Dewan , Patpong Jiradejvong , Sanjana Sanghani , Charles J. Limb
Creativity is a quintessential behavior underlying innovation and cultural evolution. Improvisation occurs each time we execute an unplanned action, with musical improvisation being a complex form of creative behavior. Here, we studied Indian tabla percussionist Zakir Hussain (ZH), widely regarded as the greatest tabla master, as a case study. ZH performed a perception and an improvisation task inside an fMRI scanner. Because no adequate control group exists for a tabla master of ZH’s caliber, we employed internal controls where each paradigm featured an experimental task compared to a matched control. In our first paradigm, ZH listened to English speech or tabla bols; listening to bols activated ZH’s language and proprioceptive areas more than listening to speech. In our second paradigm, ZH performed an unconstrained improvisation on a single tabla drum, resulting in the deactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a region known to be involved in conscious self-monitoring. DLPFC deactivation has been observed in jazz experts when improvising, suggesting a common neural mechanism of musical improvisation across musical traditions and genres. Additionally, this experiment offers insight into the creative mind of an unparalleled musician, deepening the current understanding of the neural correlates of generative musical creativity.
{"title":"Neural substrates of Indian classical percussive Improvisation: A case study investigation of tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain","authors":"Karen Chan Barrett , Vani Dewan , Patpong Jiradejvong , Sanjana Sanghani , Charles J. Limb","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106404","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106404","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Creativity is a quintessential behavior underlying innovation and cultural evolution. Improvisation occurs each time we execute an unplanned action, with musical improvisation being a complex form of creative behavior. Here, we studied Indian tabla percussionist Zakir Hussain (ZH), widely regarded as the greatest tabla master, as a case study. ZH performed a perception and an improvisation task inside an fMRI scanner. Because no adequate control group exists for a tabla master of ZH’s caliber, we employed internal controls where each paradigm featured an experimental task compared to a matched control. In our first paradigm, ZH listened to English speech or tabla bols; listening to bols activated ZH’s language and proprioceptive areas more than listening to speech. In our second paradigm, ZH performed an unconstrained improvisation on a single tabla drum, resulting in the deactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a region known to be involved in conscious self-monitoring. DLPFC deactivation has been observed in jazz experts when improvising, suggesting a common neural mechanism of musical improvisation across musical traditions and genres. Additionally, this experiment offers insight into the creative mind of an unparalleled musician, deepening the current understanding of the neural correlates of generative musical creativity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"194 ","pages":"Article 106404"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146004658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106394
Claire Gigleux , Alice van de Walle de Ghelcke , Christine Schiltz , Bruno Rossion , Aliette Lochy
The developmental origin of the left occipitotemporal cortex specialization for automatic lexical access from vision remains unclear. Here we investigated cortical specialization for print processing in children with or without dyslexia, focusing on two distinct tuning levels: coarse-grained tuning for letter/symbol discrimination, and fine-grained tuning for word/pseudoword discrimination. 10-year-old typical readers (n = 24) and children with dyslexia (n = 14) were tested with electroencephalography (EEG) and fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS), viewing streams of stimuli at a relatively fast rate (6 Hz) for 40 s with deviant categories every 5 items (at 6 Hz/5 = 1.2 Hz). Deviant words or pseudowords among pseudo-font strings elicited clear coarse ocicpito-temporal discrimination responses significantly larger over the left than the right hemisphere (LH), numerically larger in typical readers. Unlike in adults, these responses were unaffected by lexicality. Deviant regular or irregular words among matched pseudowords generated a finer-grained word-selective response only over the LH. While irregular words elicited similar brain responses in both groups, regular words were not discriminated from pseudowords in children with dyslexia. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of FPVS-EEG to implicitly detect lexical neural responses in 10 years old children within a few minutes, as well as atypical lexical processing in children with dyslexia.
{"title":"Lexical brain responses in 10-year-old children are impaired in dyslexia: An FPVS-EEG study","authors":"Claire Gigleux , Alice van de Walle de Ghelcke , Christine Schiltz , Bruno Rossion , Aliette Lochy","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106394","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106394","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The developmental origin of the left occipitotemporal cortex specialization for automatic lexical access from vision remains unclear. Here we investigated cortical specialization for print processing in children with or without dyslexia, focusing on two distinct tuning levels: coarse-grained tuning for letter/symbol discrimination, and fine-grained tuning for word/pseudoword discrimination. 10-year-old typical readers (n = 24) and children with dyslexia (n = 14) were tested with electroencephalography (EEG) and fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS), viewing streams of stimuli at a relatively fast rate (6 Hz) for 40 s with deviant categories every 5 items (at 6 Hz/5 = 1.2 Hz). Deviant words or pseudowords among pseudo-font strings elicited clear coarse ocicpito-temporal discrimination responses significantly larger over the left than the right hemisphere (LH), numerically larger in typical readers. Unlike in adults, these responses were unaffected by lexicality. Deviant regular or irregular words among matched pseudowords generated a finer-grained word-selective response only over the LH. While irregular words elicited similar brain responses in both groups, regular words were not discriminated from pseudowords in children with dyslexia. These results demonstrate the sensitivity of FPVS-EEG to implicitly detect lexical neural responses in 10 years old children within a few minutes, as well as atypical lexical processing in children with dyslexia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"194 ","pages":"Article 106394"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145963134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106392
Laura Stolp , Kanad N Mandke , Pedro AM Mediano , Helena M Gellersen , Alex Swartz , Katarzyna Rudzka , Jon Simons , Tristan A Bekinschtein , Daniel Bor
In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a mismatch between neurological damage and cognitive functioning often is attributed to individual differences in cognitive reserve. Understanding the neural mechanisms of cognitive reserve, which may differ across individuals, could help to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of interventions in AD. Here, 38 elderly participants performed a sustained attention task during high-density EEG while alert and drowsy. We defined cognitive reserve operationally as the ability to maintain task performance under drowsiness, with less impairment indicating higher reserve. Investigating performance variations during the active management of neural challenges offers a novel approach to studying cognitive reserve, capturing dynamics that mirror everyday cognitive demand. We relate performance under neural strain to various measures, including informational complexity using the Lempel-Ziv (LZsum) algorithm. We found a significant interaction between arousal and performance: LZsum values increased in high performers when drowsy but decreased in low performers. This effect was most pronounced in the frontal and central areas. These findings suggest LZsum reflects a compensatory mechanism and has potential as a neural marker of cognitive reserve. Additional structural MRI and network analyses revealed performance-related associations in entorhinal cortex, supramarginal gyrus, and frontoparietal networks, suggesting broader neural correlates of compensatory capacity.
{"title":"Informational complexity as a neural marker of cognitive reserve","authors":"Laura Stolp , Kanad N Mandke , Pedro AM Mediano , Helena M Gellersen , Alex Swartz , Katarzyna Rudzka , Jon Simons , Tristan A Bekinschtein , Daniel Bor","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106392","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106392","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a mismatch between neurological damage and cognitive functioning often is attributed to individual differences in cognitive reserve. Understanding the neural mechanisms of cognitive reserve, which may differ across individuals, could help to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of interventions in AD. Here, 38 elderly participants performed a sustained attention task during high-density EEG while alert and drowsy. We defined cognitive reserve operationally as the ability to maintain task performance under drowsiness, with less impairment indicating higher reserve. Investigating performance variations during the active management of neural challenges offers a novel approach to studying cognitive reserve, capturing dynamics that mirror everyday cognitive demand. We relate performance under neural strain to various measures, including informational complexity using the Lempel-Ziv (LZsum) algorithm. We found a significant interaction between arousal and performance: LZsum values increased in high performers when drowsy but decreased in low performers. This effect was most pronounced in the frontal and central areas. These findings suggest LZsum reflects a compensatory mechanism and has potential as a neural marker of cognitive reserve. Additional structural MRI and network analyses revealed performance-related associations in entorhinal cortex, supramarginal gyrus, and frontoparietal networks, suggesting broader neural correlates of compensatory capacity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 106392"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145914077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-04DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106395
Yanan LI , Lei LIU , Pan LI , Ying LIU
Interpersonal movement coordination involves the organized, synchronized execution of actions between individuals. The spatial configuration of co-actors (e.g., side-by-side vs. face-to-face) modulates coordination dynamics, likely due to differences in the availability and processing of action-related perceptual information. This study employed a face-to-face stepping paradigm with sixteen dyads to investigate how different coordination modes (in-phase vs. anti-phase) engage these neural systems compared to individual performance. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning to record cerebral hemodynamic responses simultaneously from both partners, we examined the behavioral and neural correlates of interpersonal synchronization. To quantify neural coupling between partners, we computed wavelet transform coherence as a measure of inter-brain synchronization. The experimental results showed that (1) behaviorally, the inter-individual coordination index revealed that individuals showed higher coherence when coordinating in the mirror-symmetric direction as compared to non-mirror symmetric mode, (2) cerebral activity was lower in the frontal-parietal region during coordination of pairs executing movements face-to-face as compared to stepping alone, and (3) inter-brain synchronization was significantly enhanced during both interpersonal coordination modes compared to solo stepping, indicating strengthened neural coupling between partners during coordinated action. This pattern suggests that face-to-face coordination promotes neural efficiency through coupled predictive processing between partners.
{"title":"Cognitive neural mechanisms of face-to-face interpersonal synchronous stepping: An fNIRS study","authors":"Yanan LI , Lei LIU , Pan LI , Ying LIU","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bandc.2026.106395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interpersonal movement coordination involves the organized, synchronized execution of actions between individuals. The spatial configuration of co-actors (e.g., side-by-side vs. face-to-face) modulates coordination dynamics, likely due to differences in the availability and processing of action-related perceptual information. This study employed a face-to-face stepping paradigm with sixteen dyads to investigate how different coordination modes (in-phase vs. anti-phase) engage these neural systems compared to individual performance. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning to record cerebral hemodynamic responses simultaneously from both partners, we examined the behavioral and neural correlates of interpersonal synchronization. To quantify neural coupling between partners, we computed wavelet transform coherence as a measure of inter-brain synchronization. The experimental results showed that (1) behaviorally, the inter-individual coordination index revealed that individuals showed higher coherence when coordinating in the mirror-symmetric direction as compared to non-mirror symmetric mode, (2) cerebral activity was lower in the frontal-parietal region during coordination of pairs executing movements face-to-face as compared to stepping alone, and (3) inter-brain synchronization was significantly enhanced during both interpersonal coordination modes compared to solo stepping, indicating strengthened neural coupling between partners during coordinated action. This pattern suggests that face-to-face coordination promotes neural efficiency through coupled predictive processing between partners.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 106395"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145907328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106393
Conor Thornberry , Robert Fox , Adrianna Wozniak , Seán Commins
Healthy aging is associated with a decline in spatial cognition, with older adults learning spatial environments more slowly and with less precision compared to younger adults. This study investigated whether resting-state EEG measures could be used to predict differences in spatial learning/memory performance in a virtual water maze task among younger and older adults. We recorded eyes-open resting-state EEG from 22 older adults (aged 60–76) and 31 younger adults (aged 18–40) before they completed the NavWell virtual water maze task. Our analysis focused on five EEG frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma) and their relationship with age and behavioural measures: spatial learning (path length & escape latency) and spatial memory (percentage of time spent searching in the goal quadrant). Principal component analysis was used to reduce the absolute and relative power EEG variables to component scores, which were then used as predictors. Results revealed that age was a significant, strong predictor of all performance-related outcomes. Though resting-state EEG was not a significant predictor of spatial learning/memory ability, EEG component loadings differed between older and younger adults. Specifically, older adults demonstrated reduced low-frequency (delta) and greater high-frequency (beta/gamma) power compared to younger adults. These findings suggest that while resting-state EEG dynamics differ by age, they do not explain age-related differences in spatial learning performance.
{"title":"Age-related resting state EEG differences in learning and memory performance during a spatial learning task","authors":"Conor Thornberry , Robert Fox , Adrianna Wozniak , Seán Commins","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106393","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106393","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Healthy aging is associated with a decline in spatial cognition, with older adults learning spatial environments more slowly and with less precision compared to younger adults. This study investigated whether resting-state EEG measures could be used to predict differences in spatial learning/memory performance in a virtual water maze task among younger and older adults. We recorded eyes-open resting-state EEG from 22 older adults (aged 60–76) and 31 younger adults (aged 18–40) before they completed the NavWell virtual water maze task. Our analysis focused on five EEG frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma) and their relationship with age and behavioural measures: spatial learning (path length & escape latency) and spatial memory (percentage of time spent searching in the goal quadrant). Principal component analysis was used to reduce the absolute and relative power EEG variables to component scores, which were then used as predictors. Results revealed that age was a significant, strong predictor of all performance-related outcomes. Though resting-state EEG was not a significant predictor of spatial learning/memory ability, EEG component loadings differed between older and younger adults. Specifically, older adults demonstrated reduced low-frequency (delta) and greater high-frequency (beta/gamma) power compared to younger adults. These findings suggest that while resting-state EEG dynamics differ by age, they do not explain age-related differences in spatial learning performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 106393"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145879426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-20DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106391
Lisa Moreel , Robin Gerrits , Wim Fias
Understanding hemispheric specialization in arithmetic offers insights into the neural basis of numerical cognition. Previous research using functional transcranial Doppler Sonography (fTCD) suggested a left-lateralized pattern for multiplication and bilateral activation for subtraction, but these findings were limited by small samples and uncontrolled task difficulty. The present study aimed to replicate and extend these results using a substantially larger sample. Participants completed multiplication and subtraction tasks of varying difficulty while cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) in the middle cerebral arteries was recorded with fTCD. Results confirmed significant left-hemispheric activation for multiplication but not subtraction. Increased task difficulty also enhanced left-lateralization across both operations. These findings align with the Triple Code Model, which links multiplication to left-lateralized verbal memory retrieval and subtraction to bilateral magnitude processing. The increase in left-lateralization for complex tasks may reflect additional engagement of verbal working memory, such as subvocal rehearsal. Hemispheric asymmetries for both operations were positively correlated, suggesting shared neural resources. Overall, our study validates fTCD as a reliable method for assessing arithmetic lateralization and highlights the importance of task difficulty and individual variability. These findings advance understanding of arithmetic processing by demonstrating operation- and difficulty-dependent specialization and the role of domain-general resources.
{"title":"Hemispheric specialization in mental arithmetic: Insights from functional transcranial Doppler Sonography","authors":"Lisa Moreel , Robin Gerrits , Wim Fias","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106391","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106391","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding hemispheric specialization in arithmetic offers insights into the neural basis of numerical cognition. Previous research using functional transcranial Doppler Sonography (fTCD) suggested a left-lateralized pattern for multiplication and bilateral activation for subtraction, but these findings were limited by small samples and uncontrolled task difficulty. The present study aimed to replicate and extend these results using a substantially larger sample. Participants completed multiplication and subtraction tasks of varying difficulty while cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) in the middle cerebral arteries was recorded with fTCD. Results confirmed significant left-hemispheric activation for multiplication but not subtraction. Increased task difficulty also enhanced left-lateralization across both operations. These findings align with the Triple Code Model, which links multiplication to left-lateralized verbal memory retrieval and subtraction to bilateral magnitude processing. The increase in left-lateralization for complex tasks may reflect additional engagement of verbal working memory, such as subvocal rehearsal. Hemispheric asymmetries for both operations were positively correlated, suggesting shared neural resources. Overall, our study validates fTCD as a reliable method for assessing arithmetic lateralization and highlights the importance of task difficulty and individual variability. These findings advance understanding of arithmetic processing by demonstrating operation- and difficulty-dependent specialization and the role of domain-general resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 106391"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145806475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106384
Szymon Pałubinski , Nicholas E.V. Foster , Simone Dalla Bella , Aleksandra Podlecka-Piętowska , Monika Nojszewska , Joanna Rychter , Joanna Flis , Natalia Szejko , Beata Zakrzewska-Pniewska , Piotr Kałowski , Charles-Étienne Benoit
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that damages grey and white matter and reduces neural transmission efficiency. Volumetric MRI studies indicate early neurodegeneration in subcortical structures, including the basal ganglia (BG), with microstructural damages and altered tissue anisotropy reported across all MS subtypes, affecting BG functional connectivity while also being linked to fatigue. Given the BG’s central role in temporal processing, we hypothesized that people with MS (pwMS) would show impaired perceptual and motor timing. Twenty-two pwMS (14 females) with relapsing–remitting MS completed the Battery for the Assessment of Auditory Sensorimotor and Timing Abilities (BAASTA) on a tablet, performing perceptual tasks and finger-tapping motor tasks. Compared to normative data, pwMS exhibited increased motor variability during unpaced tapping and reduced synchronization consistency to rhythmic auditory cues. Perceptual deficits included poorer detection of metronome alignment with musical beats and reduced sensitivity to deviations from a regular beat. These perceptual impairments correlated with higher patient-reported Expanded Disability Status Scale (prEDSS) scores and perceived fatigue levels, as evaluated with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). These findings suggest timing measures as a potential candidate for behavioral biomarkers of disease progression and fatigue in MS.
{"title":"Impaired temporal processing in multiple sclerosis","authors":"Szymon Pałubinski , Nicholas E.V. Foster , Simone Dalla Bella , Aleksandra Podlecka-Piętowska , Monika Nojszewska , Joanna Rychter , Joanna Flis , Natalia Szejko , Beata Zakrzewska-Pniewska , Piotr Kałowski , Charles-Étienne Benoit","doi":"10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106384","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bandc.2025.106384","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that damages grey and white matter and reduces neural transmission efficiency. Volumetric MRI studies indicate early neurodegeneration in subcortical structures, including the basal ganglia (BG), with microstructural damages and altered tissue anisotropy reported across all MS subtypes, affecting BG functional connectivity while also being linked to fatigue. Given the BG’s central role in temporal processing, we hypothesized that people with MS (pwMS) would show impaired perceptual and motor timing. Twenty-two pwMS (14 females) with relapsing–remitting MS completed the Battery for the Assessment of Auditory Sensorimotor and Timing Abilities (BAASTA) on a tablet, performing perceptual tasks and finger-tapping motor tasks. Compared to normative data, pwMS exhibited increased motor variability during unpaced tapping and reduced synchronization consistency to rhythmic auditory cues. Perceptual deficits included poorer detection of metronome alignment with musical beats and reduced sensitivity to deviations from a regular beat. These perceptual impairments correlated with higher patient-reported Expanded Disability Status Scale (prEDSS) scores and perceived fatigue levels, as evaluated with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI). These findings suggest timing measures as a potential candidate for behavioral biomarkers of disease progression and fatigue in MS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55331,"journal":{"name":"Brain and Cognition","volume":"193 ","pages":"Article 106384"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145716942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}