Misato Oi

Role of the right inferior frontal gyrus in turn-based cooperation and competition: A near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Interpersonal interaction can be classified into two types: concurrent and turn-based interaction, requiring synchronized body-movement and complementary behaviors across persons, respectively. To examine the neural mechanism of turn-based interaction, we simultaneously measured paired participants activations in their bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL) in a turn-taking game using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Pairs of participants were assigned to either one of two roles (game builder and the partner) in the game. The builders task was to make a copy of a target disk-pattern by placing disks on a monitor, while the partners task was to aid the builder in his/her goal (cooperation condition) or to obstruct it (competition condition). The builder always took the initial move and the partner followed. The NIRS data demonstrated an interaction of role (builder vs. partner) by task-type (cooperation vs. competition) in the right IFG. The builder in the cooperation condition showed higher activation than the cooperator, but the same builder in the competition condition showed lower activation than in the cooperation condition. The activations in the competitor-builder pairs showed positive correlation between their right IFG, but the activations in the cooperator-builder pairs did not. These results suggest that the builders activation in the right IFG is reduced/increased in the context of interacting with a cooperative/competitive partner. Also, the competitor may actively trace the builders disk manipulation, leading to deeper mind-set synchronization in the competition condition, while the cooperator may passively follow the builders move, leading to shallower mind-set synchronization in the cooperation condition.

Distinctive activation patterns under intrinsically versus extrinsically driven cognitive loads in prefrontal cortex: a near-infrared spectroscopy study using a driving video game.

To investigate the neural bases of intrinsically and extrinsically driven cognitive loads in daily life, we measured repetitively prefrontal activation in three (one control and two experimental) groups during a driving video game using near-infrared spectroscopy. The control group drove to goal four times with distinct route-maps illustrating default turning points. In contrast, the memory group drove the memorized default route without a route-map, and the emergency group drove with a route-map, but was instructed to change the default route by an extrinsically given verbal command (turn left or right) as an envisioned emergency. The predictability of a turning point in the route in each group was relatively different: due to extrinsic dictate of others in the emergency group, intrinsic memory in the memory group, and route-map aid in the control group. We analyzed concentration changes of oxygenated hemoglobin (CoxyHb) in the three critical periods (pre-turning, actual-turning, and post-turning). The emergency group showed a significantly increasing pattern of CoxyHb throughout the three periods, and a significant reduction in CoxyHb throughout the repetitive trials, but the memory group did not, even though both experimental groups showed higher activation than the control group in the pre-turning period. These results suggest that the prefrontal cortex differentiates the intrinsically (memory) and the extrinsically (dictate of others) driven cognitive loads according to the predictability of turning behavior, although the two types of cognitive loads commonly show increasing activation in the pre-turning period as the preparation effect.

Appraisal of a copresent observer as supportive activates the left inferior parietal lobule: a near-infrared spectroscopy study using a driving video game.

The role of the presence of others in a social context has been debated widely. Although the importance of mutual cognitive functions between performer and observer is generally accepted, little is known about the neural correlates of paired performers and observers themselves. In this near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) study we measured the activation in the bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL) when driver–observer pairs of participants performed a driving video game task. The performer’s task was to drive from start to goal using a default route map, while their partner observed the performance. According to the performer’s subjective appraisal of the copresent observer obtained after the driving task, the pairs were divided into three groups: supportive, nonsupportive, and neutral. The driving time, error, and tension score did not show significant differences between the three groups. However, NIRS data of performers in the supportive group showed significantly higher activation in the left IPL than those in the nonsupportive group, but not in the right IPL. NIRS data of observers in the concerned two groups did not show significant differences bilaterally in IPL. These results suggest that the left IPL distinctively responds according to a performer’s cognitive appraisal of a copresent observer.

Obstruction increases activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus

The right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is involved in intention understanding during interpersonal interactions. To examine how prior experience of cooperation and competition affects one’s right IFG activation in the subsequent interaction, using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) we simultaneously measured paired participants’ bilateral IFG activations during a turn-taking game. Participant pairs were assigned to either one of two roles: a Builder taking the initial move to copy a target disk-pattern on monitor and the Partner taking the second move to aid in (cooperation) or to obstruct (competition) the Builder. The experiment consisted of two sessions. One participant (B-P) played as a Builder (B-) in session 1 and changed the role to the Partner (-P) in session 2, and vice versa for the paired participant (P-B). NIRS data in competition demonstrated that the Builder (B-) being obstructed in session 1 showed higher right IFG activation when (s)he took a role of obstructor (-P) in session 2 (the obstructed effect), whereas “the cooperated effect” was not revealed in cooperation. These results suggest that prior experience of being obstructed may facilitate understanding of the Builder and/or the obstructor’s tactical move, thereby increasing his/her right IFG activation when one is meant to obstruct in subsequent competitions.

Semantic judgment of Chinese-Japanese bilinguals: a near-infrared spectroscopy study.

We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to investigate the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of bilinguals in semantic processing. Chinese–Japanese bilinguals and Japanese monolinguals judged if visually presented pairings of a word and a definition were Japanese. The four types of pairs appeared in Japanese and/or Chinese dictionaries: both, Japanese-specific, Chinese-specific, and neither. The bilinguals showed greater oxy-hemoglobin concentrations in their left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for the Chinese-specific pair, while those in its right homologue were greater for the Japanese-specific, the Chinese-specific, and the neither pairs. These results imply that in the bilinguals, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is related to reducing activation of semantic information in the nontarget language, while its right homologue focuses attention on the target language.

Co-Speech Gesture Production in an Animation-Narration Task by Bilinguals: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

To examine the neural mechanism of co-speech gesture production, we measured brain activity of bilinguals during an animation-narration task using near-infrared spectroscopy. The task of the participants was to watch two stories via an animated cartoon, and then narrate the contents in their first language (Ll) and second language (L2), respectively. The participants showed significantly more gestures in L2 than in L1. The number of gestures lowered at the ending part of the narration in L1, but not in L2. Analyses of concentration changes of oxygenated hemoglobin revealed that activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) significantly increased during gesture production, while activation of the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) significantly decreased in line with an increase in the left IFG. These brain activation patterns suggest that the left IFG is involved in the gesture production, and the left pSTS is modulated by the speech load.

Effective learning environment design for aging well: A review

This paper reviewed the previous studies with respect to education neuro and cognitive psychology research in elderly and suggested learning environments design with information and communication technologies for the elderly. In the relationship with education, elderly has less memorization, much time to be used to new environments, but aware of building new social relationships, tends to play important roles in learning community, according to the previous research review about learning behaviors using ICT and so on. Therefore, we extracted two perspectives for effective learning environments for the elderly: perception of the self that recognizes learning as a self-behavior and building social relationships. In the relationship with cognitive strategies, the importance of strategic support for cognitive function was extracted. Considering the above, collaborative learning environments that facilitate self-perception and cognitive strategies such as visualization of the relationships between self-learning and collaborative learning with the enhancement of reflection awareness should be one of the effective learning environments for the elderly.

Reproducibility of findings from educational big data: a preliminary study

In this paper, we examined whether previous findings on educational big data consisting of e-book logs from a given academic course can be reproduced with different data from other academic courses. The previous findings showed that (1) students who attained consistently good achievement more frequently browsed different e-books and their pages than low achievers and that (2) this difference was found only for logs of preparation for course sessions (preview), not for reviewing material (review). Preliminarily, we analyzed e-book logs from four courses. The results were reproduced in only one course and only partially, that is, (1) high achievers more frequently changed e-books than low achievers (2) for preview. This finding suggests that to allow effective usage of learning and teaching analyses, we need to carefully construct an educational environment to ensure reproducibility.

The neural correlates of biomechanical constraints in hand laterality judgment task performed from other person’s perspective: A near-infrared spectroscopy study

Previous studies, mainly using a first-person perspective (1PP), have shown that the judgments of the hand laterality judgment (HLJ) task are dependent on biomechanical constraints (BC). Specifically, differing reaction times (RT) for hand pictures rotated medially or laterally around the mid sagittal plane are attributed to the BC effect on motor imagery. In contrast, we investigated whether the HLJ task is also subject to BC when performed from a third-person perspective (3PP) as well as 1PP using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure the brain activity of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in right-handed participants assigned to 1PP or 3PP groups. The 1PP group judged whether a presented hand was their own left or right hand, and the 3PP group whether it was the other’s left or right hand. Using their HLJ task error rates, the 1PP and 3PP groups were subdivided into an Error Group (EG) and No Error Group (NEG). For the 1PP group, both EG and NEG showed a significant Hand Laterality × Orientation interaction for RT, indicating the BC effect on motor imagery. For the 3PP group, however, neither EG nor NEG showed the interaction, even though EG showed a significantly longer RT than NEG. These results suggest that the 3PP EG appropriately followed the 3PP task instruction, while the NEG might have taken 1PP. However, the 3PP EG NIRS profile of left PFC showed a significant Hand Laterality × Orientation interaction, while the 1PP EG did not. More noteworthy is that the left PFC activation of EG showed an interaction between the 1PP and 3PP groups when the left hand was presented. Furthermore, in the NEG, the PFC activation was not influenced by the BC in either the 1PP or 3PP condition. These results indicate that BC interferes with the HLJ task performed from the 1PP and 3PP.

The neural mechanism of biomechanical constraints in the hand laterality judgment task: A near-infrared spectroscopy study.

The mental rotation (MR) task is defined as a discrimination task between mirror-reversed images involving discrepancy in angular orientation. Various studies have shown that the MR task likely causes mental imagery, that is, visual and/or motor imagery, depending on stimulus types. When figures of rotated hands are presented to be identified as a left or right hand, reaction times (RTs) usually show an effect of biomechanical constraints (BC): a hand in a position difficult to reach with a real movement results in longer RTs. The BC effect as a marker of motor imagery has been investigated by brain function measures (fMRI, PET, EEG and MEG) as well as by RTs. Unlike other neuroimaging techniques, NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy) imposes few physical constraints on participants and is relatively unaffected by motion artifact, which permits serial assessments of tasks in relaxed and natural environment. Focusing on these advantages, a NIRS study on motor imagery in HLJ was carried out in which we measured the brain activation during the HLJ task and a single character judgment task. In the HLJ task, both the RTs and the activity of the left superior parietal lobe (SPL) showed an interaction between Hand (left, right) and Orientation (135°, 225°) i.e., the BC effect, but not in the character judgment task. More specifically, in the analysis of BC-related activity of SPL, although the Hand×Orientation interaction was significant, the left SPL for the left hand significantly increased from 135° to 225°, but the reversed increase (from 225° to 135°) was not found for the right hand. These results suggest that left SPL is involved in the BC effect and NIRS differentiates left hand awkwardness of right-hander in the HLJ task.