Frank A. Rodden

Humor and smiling Cortical regions selective for cognitive, affective, and volitional components

Background: The interrelationships among humor, smiling, and grinning have fascinated philosophers for millennia and neurologists for over a century. A functional dissociation between emotional facial expressions and those under voluntary control was suggested decades ago. Recent functional imaging studies, however, have been somewhat at odds with older studies with respect to the role of the right frontal cortex in the perception of humor. Methods: Blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) activity was measured in 13 subjects during the presentation of “funny” vs “nonfunny” versions of essentially the same cartoons and compared with BOLD activity associated with “merely grinning” at similar nonfunny cartoons via fMRI. Results: Humor perception was correlated with BOLD activity in the left temporo-occipitoparietal junction and left prefrontal cortex and humor-associated smiling (recorded with an MR-compatible video camera) with bilateral activity in the basal temporal lobes. Unexpectedly, both conditions were also accompanied by a decrease in BOLD activity in the right orbitofrontal cortex. Voluntary “grinning” in the absence of humorous stimuli was accompanied by bilateral activity in the facial motor regions. Conclusions: These results confirm the clinically derived hypothesis of separate cortical regions responsible for the production of emotionally driven vs voluntary facial expressions. The right orbitofrontal decrease reconciles inconsistencies between clinical and functional imaging findings and may reflect a disinhibition of facial emotional expression.

Neuroimaging Patterns Associated with Motor Control in Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective. To determine if patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and motor deficits show differences in functional activation maps during repetitive hand movements relative to healthy controls. Are there predictors for motor outcome in the functional maps of these patients? Methods. In an exploratory cross-sectional study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) response in cortical motor areas of 34 patients suffering from moderate motor deficits after TBI as they performed unilateral fist-clenching motions. Twelve of these patients with unilateral motor deficits were studied 3 months after TBI and a 2nd time approximately 4 months later. Results. Compared to age-matched, healthy controls performing the same task, TBI patients showed diminished fMRI-signal change in the primary sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the moving hand (cSM1), the contralateral dorsal premotor cortex, and bilaterally in the supplementary motor areas (SMAs). Clinical impairment and the magnitude of the fMRI-signal change in cSM1 and SMA were negatively correlated. Patients with poor and good motor recovery showed comparable motor impairment at baseline. Only patients who evolved to “poor clinical outcome” had decreased fMRI-signal change in the cSM1 during baseline. Conclusions. These observations raise the hypothesis that the magnitude of the fMRI-signal change in the cSM1 region could have prognostic value in the evaluation of patients with TBI.

Is the Homo Ludens Cheerful and Serious at the Same Time? An Empirical Study of Hugo Rahner’s Notion of Ernstheiterkeit

The theologian Hugo Rahner argued that the homo ludens is a man of ‘Ernstheiterkeit’ (serious-cheerfulness), a person who can smile under tears but also recognizes the gravity in all earthly cheerfulness. The primary aim of this study was to test the validity of this notion: Do homines ludentes exist? Two hundred sixty-three adult subjects were measured for (1) seriousness and cheerfulness and (2) playfulness. Results provided unequivocal support for Rahners thesis. Numerous subjects scored high in both seriousness and cheerfulness thus confirming the existence of homines ludentes. It was further found that these subjects were among those scoring highest in playfulness. Subjects scoring high in cheerfulness but low in seriousness were, however, even more closely associated with playfulness. The scores for homines ludentes did not differ from the rest of the subjects in the creative and dynamic facets of playfulness. The importance of developing empirical research to investigate hypotheses derived from non-scientific concepts is discussed.

The thought-translation device

Publisher Summary A rupture or an occlusion in one of the multitude of tiny blood vessels at the base of the brain or, more properly, at the juncture between the brain and the spinal cord usually causes the locked-in syndrome. But vascular accidents in other parts of the brain, tumors, encephalitis, and brain injuries localized in the ventral midbrain can also result in the locked-in syndrome. Other, less frequent, causes of total motor paralysis are degenerative neuromuscular diseases, the most frequent of these being amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which involves a continuously progressive degeneration of the nerves that activate muscles all over the body. In ALS, the weakness most often begins in the lower extremities and then moves on to the hands and arms, finally paralyzing the facial muscles, and the muscles involved in swallowing and breathing. During the terminal stage, patients with ALS can stay alive only with artificial feeding and ventilation.

Letter on Shahidi et al. (2011): "Laughter Yoga versus group exercise program in elderly depressed women: a randomized controlled trial" I -- first things first! Caveats in research on "laughter yoga".

We read the paper by Shahidi and colleagues (2011) with great interest as there is much discussion about the value of “Laughter Yoga” among scholars in the field of humor research. Studies evaluating laughter interventions are sparse and therefore highly welcome. The present study, however, leaves many questions open, and we have the impression that it starts from premises that cannot be backed up by the current state of the art in the field. Thus, clarification is needed. One main point of criticism is that the paper contains claims that are not substantiated by literature; for example, the authors argue that “Its [Laughter Yoga’s] effect on mental and physical aspects of healthy individuals was shown to be beneficial” (abstract). In fact, there is no scientific literature available to substantiate this claim. The authors themselves refer to two sources: (a) Nagendra et al. (2007), published at “Laughter Yoga International”, which appears to be a website dedicated to the promotion of Laughter Yoga; and (b) Beckman et al. (2007), which is based on 33 participants, which has neither a control nor a placebo-group. A literature search on “Laughter Yoga” (and variants; ISI Web of Knowledge, PubMed June 1, 2011) yielded two hits: Shahidi et al. and Sharma et al. (2007), who reported two case studies on a rare medical condition involving abdominal pathology. The elderly patients attended yoga or laughter therapy sessions and developed symptoms later on. This points towards potential problems in the application of such programs, as does other literature, suggesting that people differ in the way they appreciate laughter (Ruch & Proyer, 2008) and that morphologically different forms of laughter (Duchenne display versus non-Duchenne display; Ruch & Ekman, 2001) need to be distinguished. Unfortunately, Shahidi et al. missed much of the literature that has been generated in the field. The scientific basis of Laughter Yoga is not well documented, and convincing evidence of positive effects are not available (in scientific literature). Shahidi et al. have not presented any theoretical rational on why Laughter Yoga should have beneficial effects. The crucial question is, “Why should laughing for no reason enhance life satisfaction and lower levels of depression?” The authors failed to convincingly argue why this may be the case. We think that any research pursuit is hindered if not following a clear rationale. Unfortunately, it seems as if the authors have no explanation for their findings either. Rather there is slightly confusing discussion of effects of humor, which (as the authors acknowledged) cannot be used synonymously with laughter. Before such a study (i.e., application) can be conducted, more research in the basic field is needed. Underlying mechanisms and processes need to be described, and models need to be derived that can be tested. References to popular books are not sufficient as theoretical foundation. A further problem may be the structure of the program employed. Step 1 in the procedure was, “A brief talk about something delightful . . . having positive attitudes to everyday life affairs . . .etc.” Doing this

Functional Brain Imaging of Language processes

Brain imaging and brain mapping techniques are major tools in language research and language rehabilitation. While this section aims to introduce the reader to the major techniques used in the study of language, it also wishes to raise the readers awareness of the limitations of each of these methods. This discussion includes electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography, positron emission tomography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, density tensor imaging, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and transcranial direct current stimulation. The strengths and weaknesses of each of these methods – as well as examples of how these techniques have been applied to the study of language – follow explanations of how they function.