Daniel Feuerriegel

The N170 and face perception in psychiatric and neurological disorders: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate evidence for configural and affective face processing abnormalities as measured by the N170 and Vertex Positive Potential (VPP) event-related potential components, and analogous M170 magnetoencephalography (MEG) component, in neurological and psychiatric disorders. METHODS 1251 unique articles were identified using PsychINFO and PubMed databases. Sixty-seven studies were selected for review, which employed various tasks to measure the N170, M170 or VPP; the 13 neurological/psychiatric conditions were Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Alcohol Dependence, Alzheimers Disease, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), Bipolar Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa, Fibromyalgia, Huntingtons Disease, Major Depressive Disorder, Parkinsons Disease, Prosopagnosia, Schizophrenia and Social Phobia. RESULTS Smaller N170 and VPP amplitudes to faces compared to healthy controls were consistently reported in Schizophrenia but not in ASDs. In Schizophrenia N170 and VPP measures were not correlated with clinical symptoms. Findings from other disorders were highly inconsistent; however, reported group differences were almost always smaller amplitudes or slower latencies to emotional faces in disordered groups regardless of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that N170/VPP abnormalities index non-specific facial affect processing dysfunction in these neurological and psychiatric conditions, reflecting social impairments being broadly characteristic of these groups. SIGNIFICANCE The N170 and analogous components hold promise as diagnostic and treatment monitoring biomarkers for social dysfunction.

Is neural adaptation of the N170 category-specific? Effects of adaptor stimulus duration and interstimulus interval

Neural adaptation paradigms have been used in the electrophysiological and neuroimaging literature to characterise neural populations underlying face and object perception. It was recently reported by Nemrodov and Itier (2012) that adaptation of the N170 event-related potential (ERP) component is not stimulus category-specific over rapid adapting stimulus durations (S1 durations) and interstimulus intervals (ISIs). We therefore tested the category-specificity of adaptation over a range of S1 durations and ISIs. Faces and chairs were presented at S1 (for 200, 500 or 1000 ms) and S2 (for 200 ms), over a variable ISI (200 or 500 ms). Mean amplitudes of the P1, N170 and P2 visual ERP components were measured following S1 and S2 stimuli. Faces at S1 led to the smallest (i.e., most adapted) N170 amplitudes to both faces and chairs at S2, more than chairs at S1. N170s at S2 were smallest after a 500ms S1 duration; but N170 amplitude did not vary over ISI. Effects were also seen for the two surrounding positive components, the P1 and P2. Presenting faces at S1 led to enhanced P1 amplitudes evoked by S2 chair stimuli. The P2 showed the smallest amplitudes following the shorter 200 ms ISI. These results indicate that adaptation of the N170 is not actually category-specific but instead dependent on the S1 category (regardless of S2 category), and may also be influenced by earlier effects at the P1 (i.e., not specific to the N170). This challenges the assumption that N170 category adaptation indexes effects on distinct neural populations that differ between faces and non-face objects.

Selecting appropriate designs and comparison conditions in repetition paradigms

The studies described by Vogels (this issue) demonstrate the complexity of repetition effects in the visual processing stream. In addition to signal suppression, findings of inherited effects from earlier processing, and discrepancies between the stimulus selectivity of cells before and after repetition, have informed the inferences that can be drawn from measures over larger scales such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or electroencephalography (EEG). This work also demonstrates that integration of evidence across recording methods is vital for understanding repetition effects in the brain. It is however difficult to integrate evidence across different recording methods and repetition paradigms. At the crux of this difficulty is the selection of comparison or unrepeated stimulus conditions within paradigms, which influence the observed strength, selectivity and even direction of repetition effects. This viewpoint highlights prevalent methodological issues with regard to repeated-unrepeated stimulus comparisons: inherited adaptation, stimulus specific expectations, concurrent memory retrieval, stimulus novelty and familiarity, attention, and changes in neuronal selectivity with repetition. The extent to which current conflicting and uncertain findings are due to selection of unrepeated stimulus conditions is unknown, but needs to be addressed to develop models of repetition spanning recording methods and repetition paradigms.

The Decision Decoding ToolBOX (DDTBOX) -- A Multivariate Pattern Analysis Toolbox for Event-Related Potentials

In recent years, neuroimaging research in cognitive neuroscience has increasingly used multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to investigate higher cognitive functions. Here we present DDTBOX, an open-source MVPA toolbox for electroencephalography (EEG) data. DDTBOX runs under MATLAB and is well integrated with the EEGLAB/ERPLAB and Fieldtrip toolboxes (Delorme and Makeig 2004; Lopez-Calderon and Luck 2014; Oostenveld et al. 2011). It trains support vector machines (SVMs) on patterns of event-related potential (ERP) amplitude data, following or preceding an event of interest, for classification or regression of experimental variables. These amplitude patterns can be extracted across space/electrodes (spatial decoding), time (temporal decoding), or both (spatiotemporal decoding). DDTBOX can also extract SVM feature weights, generate empirical chance distributions based on shuffled-labels decoding for group-level statistical testing, provide estimates of the prevalence of decodable information in the population, and perform a variety of corrections for multiple comparisons. It also includes plotting functions for single subject and group results. DDTBOX complements conventional analyses of ERP components, as subtle multivariate patterns can be detected that would be overlooked in standard analyses. It further allows for a more explorative search for information when no ERP component is known to be specifically linked to a cognitive process of interest. In summary, DDTBOX is an easy-to-use and open-source toolbox that allows for characterising the time-course of information related to various perceptual and cognitive processes. It can be applied to data from a large number of experimental paradigms and could therefore be a valuable tool for the neuroimaging community.

Evidence for spatiotemporally distinct effects of image repetition and perceptual expectations as measured by event-related potentials

ABSTRACT Repeated stimulus presentation leads to reductions in responses of cortical neurons, known as repetition suppression or stimulus‐specific adaptation. Circuit‐based models of repetition suppression provide a framework for investigating patterns of repetition effects that propagate through cortical hierarchies. To further develop such models it is critical to determine whether (and if so, when) repetition effects are modulated by factors such as expectation and attention. We investigated whether repetition effects are influenced by perceptual expectations, and whether the time courses of each effect are similar or distinct, by presenting pairs of repeated and alternating face images and orthogonally manipulating expectations regarding the likelihood of stimulus repetition. Event‐related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from n = 39 healthy adults, to map the spatiotemporal progression of stimulus repetition and stimulus expectation effects, and interactions between these, using mass univariate analyses. We also tested for another expectation effect that may contribute to repetition effects in many previous experiments: that repeated stimulus identities are predictable after seeing the first stimulus in a trial, but unrepeated stimulus identities cannot be predicted. Separate blocks were presented with predictable and unpredictable alternating face identities. Multiple repetition and expectation effects were identified between 99 and 800ms from stimulus onset, which did not statistically interact at any point and exhibited distinct spatiotemporal patterns of effects. Repetition effects in blocks with predictable alternating faces were smaller than in unpredictable alternating face blocks between 117‐179 ms and 506–652ms, and larger between 246 and 428ms. The distinct spatiotemporal patterns of repetition and expectation effects support separable mechanisms underlying these phenomena. However, previous studies of repetition effects, in which the repeated (but not unrepeated) stimulus was predictable, are likely to have conflated repetition and stimulus predictability effects. HighlightsERP face image repetition effects were apparent between 99 and 800ms from stimulus onset.Expectations of stimulus image properties did not modulate face repetition effects.The predictability of unrepeated stimuli influenced repetition effect magnitudes.

Event-Related Potentials in Relation to Risk-Taking: A Systematic Review

Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been used to investigate neural mechanisms underlying risk-related decisions over the last 16 years. We aimed to systematically evaluate associations between risk-taking and ERP components elicited during decisions and following feedback. A total of 79 articles identified from PsychINFO and PubMed databases met the inclusion criteria. Selected articles assessed early ERP components (feedback-related negativity/FRN, error-related negativity/ERN, and medial frontal negativity/MFN) and the mid-latency P3 component, all using gambling paradigms that involved selecting between choices of varying risk (e.g., Iowa Gambling Task, Balloon Analogue Risk Task, and two-choice gambling tasks). The P3 component was consistently enhanced to the selection of risky options and when positive feedback (as compared to negative feedback) was provided. Also consistently, the early negative components were found to be larger following feedback indicating monetary losses as compared to gains. In the majority of studies reviewed here, risk was conceptualized in the context of simple economical decisions in gambling tasks. As such, this narrow concept of risk might not capture the diversity of risky decisions made in other areas of everyday experience, for example, social, health, and recreational risk-related decisions. It therefore remains to be seen whether the risk-sensitivity of the ERP components reviewed here generalizes to other domains of life.

Perceptual Expectations Do Not Modulate Image Repetition Effects As Measured By Event-Related Potentials

Repeated stimulus presentation leads to complex changes in cortical neuron response properties, commonly known as repetition suppression or stimulus-specific adaptation. Circuit-based models of repetition suppression provide a framework for investigating patterns of repetition effects that propagate through cortical hierarchies. To further develop such models it is critical to determine whether (and if so, when) repetition effects are modulated by top-down influences, such as those related to perceptual expectation. We investigated this by presenting pairs of repeated and alternating face images, and orthogonally manipulating expectations regarding the likelihood of stimulus repetition. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from n=39 healthy adults, to map the spatiotemporal progression of stimulus repetition and expectation effects, and interactions between these factors, using mass univariate analyses. We also tested whether the ability to predict unrepeated (compared to repeated) face identities could influence the magnitude of observed repetition effects, by presenting separate blocks with predictable and unpredictable alternating faces. Multiple repetition and expectation effects were identified between 99-800ms from stimulus onset, which did not statistically interact at any point. Repetition effects in blocks with predictable alternating faces were smaller than in unpredictable alternating face blocks between 117-179ms and 506-652ms, and larger between 246-428ms. ERP repetition effects appear not to be modulated by perceptual expectations, supporting separate mechanisms for repetition and expectation suppression. However, previous studies that aimed to test for repetition effects, in which the repeated (but not unrepeated) stimulus was predictable, are likely to have conflated repetition and stimulus predictability effects. Highlights - ERP face image repetition effects were apparent between 99-800ms from stimulus onset - Expectations of stimulus image properties did not modulate face repetition effects - The predictability of unrepeated stimuli influenced repetition effect magnitudes

Temporal expectations modulate face image repetition suppression as indexed by event-related potentials

Repeated exposure to a stimulus leads to reduced responses of stimulus-selective sensory neurons, an effect known as repetition suppression or stimulus-specific adaptation. Several influential models have been proposed to explain repetition suppression within hierarchically-organised sensory systems, with each specifying different mechanisms underlying repetition effects. We manipulated temporal expectations within a face repetition experiment to test a critical prediction of the predictive coding model of repetition suppression: that repetition effects will be larger following stimuli that appear at expected times compared to stimuli that appear at unexpected times. We recorded event-related potentials from 18 participants and mapped the spatiotemporal progression of repetition effects using mass univariate analyses. We then assessed whether the magnitudes of observed face image repetition effects were influenced by temporal expectations. In each trial participants saw an adapter face, followed by a 500ms or 1000ms interstimulus interval (ISI), and then a test face, which was the same or a different face identity to the adapter. Participants’ expectations for whether the test face would appear after a 500ms ISI were cued by the sex of the adapter face. Our analyses revealed multiple repetition effects with distinct scalp topographies, extending until at least 800ms from stimulus onset. An early (158-203ms) repetition effect was larger for stimuli following surprising, rather than expected, 500ms ISI durations, contrary to the model predictions of the predictive coding model of repetition suppression. Later (230-609ms) repetition effects tended to be larger following expected stimulus onset times, in line with predictive coding models. Our results indicate that the relationship between repetition suppression and temporal expectation differs across the time course of the stimulus-evoked response, suggesting multiple distinct mechanisms driving repetition suppression that operate at different latencies within the visual hierarchy. Highlights - Multiple face image repetition effects identified from 162-800ms post stimulus onset - Temporal expectations influenced the magnitudes of repetition effects - Temporal expectation effects differed for early and late stimulus-evoked responses

Immediate stimulus repetition abolishes stimulus expectation and surprise effects in fast periodic visual oddball designs

Oddball designs are widely used to investigate the sensitivity of the visual system to statistical regularities in sensory environments. However, the underlying mechanisms that give rise to visual mismatch responses remain unknown. Much research has focused on identifying separable, additive effects of stimulus repetition and stimulus appearance probability (expectation/surprise) but findings from non-oddball designs indicate that these effects also interact. We adapted the fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) unfamiliar face identity oddball design (Liu-Shuang et al., 2014) to test for both additive and interactive effects of stimulus repetition and stimulus expectation. In two experiments, a given face identity was presented at a 6 Hz periodic rate; a different identity face (the oddball) appeared as every 7th image in the sequence (i.e., at 0.857 Hz). Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded during these stimulation sequences. In Experiment 1, we tested for surprise responses evoked by unexpected face image repetitions by replacing 10% of the commonly-presented oddball faces with exact repetitions of the base rate face identity image. In Experiment 2, immediately repeated or unrepeated face identity oddballs were presented in high and low presentation probability contexts (i.e., expected or surprising contexts), allowing assessment of expectation effects on responses to both repeated and unrepeated stimuli. Across both experiments objective (i.e., frequency-locked) visual mismatch responses driven by stimulus expectation were only found for oddball faces of a different identity to base rate faces (i.e., unrepeated identity oddballs). Our results show that immediate stimulus repetition (i.e., repetition suppression) can reduce or abolish expectation effects as indexed by EEG responses in visual oddball designs.

Cross-sectional associations between metabolic syndrome and performance across cognitive domains: A systematic review

ABSTRACT This review aimed to systematically evaluate associations between the Metabolic Syndrome and domain specific cognitive performance from cross-sectional studies. PsycINFO and Medline were searched on 12 January 2017 with the terms “Metabolic Syndrome” and “cogni*.” A total of 973 articles were identified, with 26 meeting inclusion criteria. Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome were consistently reported to have poorer performance on executive function tasks that were not adaptations of the verbal fluency task, including the Stockings of Cambridge test, Color-Word Inference Test and Frontal Assessment Battery; findings from adaptations of the verbal fluency test showed less consistent results. Associations with performance in attention/working memory/information processing, memory, language, and construction/motor performance domains were mixed. All studies reporting on perception showed nonsignificant results. Non-language based executive function tasks appear to be the most sensitive tests of Metabolic Syndrome, and hold promise as a cognitive screen and for the tracking of interventions in this group.