Motor imagery perspective and brain oscillations characteristics: Differences between right- and left-handers.

Motor imagery (MI) encompasses kinesthetic motor imagery (KMI), internal visual-motor motor imagery (IVMI), and external visual-motor motor imagery (EVMI). This study explored α/β oscillations during MI of left-/right-hand movement from KMI/IVMI/EVMI perspectives in a group of left- (N = 20) and right-handed (N = 20), volunteers selected based on their laterality quotient (RH > 80; LH > -80). We analyzed changes in the power of α/β oscillations from visual- and motor-related clusters of independent components, connectivity (imaginary part of coherence; ICOH) between electroencephalographic activity from selected regions of interest (ROIs), and the correctness of the MI.

Adults' spatial scaling of tactile maps: Insights from studying sighted, early and late blind individuals.

The current study investigated spatial scaling of tactile maps among blind adults and blindfolded sighted controls. We were specifically interested in identifying spatial scaling strategies as well as effects of different scaling directions (up versus down) on participants' performance. To this aim, we asked late blind participants (with visual memory, Experiment 1) and early blind participants (without visual memory, Experiment 2) as well as sighted blindfolded controls to encode a map including a target and to place a response disc at the same spot on an empty, constant-sized referent space.

Compensatory brain activity pattern is not present in older adults during the n-back task performance-Findings based on EEG frequency analysis.

Introduction: Cognitive ability is one of the most important enablers for successful aging. At the same time, cognitive decline is a well-documented phenomenon accompanying the aging process. Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that aging can also be related to positive processes that allow one to compensate for the decline.

Drawing as a tool for investigating the nature of imagery representations of blind people: The case of the canonical size phenomenon.

Several studies have shown that blind people, including those with congenital blindness, can use raised-line drawings, both for "reading" tactile graphics and for drawing unassisted. However, research on drawings produced by blind people has mainly been qualitative. The current experimental study was designed to investigate the under-researched issue of the size of drawings created by people with blindness.

Effects of scaling direction on adults' spatial scaling in different perceptual domains.

The current study investigated adults' strategies of spatial scaling from memory in three perceptual conditions (visual, haptic, and visuo-haptic) when scaling up and down. Following previous research, we predicted the usage of mental transformation strategies. In all conditions, participants (N = 90, aged 19-28 years) were presented with tactile, colored graphics which allowed to visually and haptically explore spatial information.

Brief Visual Deprivation Effects on Brain Oscillations During Kinesthetic and Visual-motor Imagery.

It is widely recognized that opening and closing the eyes can direct attention to external or internal stimuli processing. This has been confirmed by studies showing the effects of changes in visual stimulation changes on cerebral activity during different tasks, e.g.

Self-concept clarity and processing self-relevant information: An event-related potential study.

Self-concept clarity (SCC) refers to the extent to which self-beliefs are clearly and confidently defined, internally consistent, and stable. While there is an abundance of research showing an association between SCC, well-being, and effective self-regulation, there is little knowledge about how SCC relates to basic cognitive processes such as attention and memory. Drawing on the attentional function theory of cognitive control, we hypothesized that low SCC is associated with greater attentional control during a trait assessment task.

Implicit spatial sequential learning facilitates attentional selection in covert visual search. An event-related potentials study.

Introduction: While most studies on implicit sequential learning focus on object learning, the hidden structure of target location and onset time can also be a subject of implicitly gathered knowledge. In our study, we wanted to investigate the effect of implicitly learned spatial and temporal sequential predictability on performance in a localization task in a paradigm in which covert selective attention is engaged. We were also interested in the neural mechanism of the facilitating effect of the predictable spatio-temporal context on visual search processes.

The Effect of Cognitive Strategies and Facial Attractiveness on Empathic Neural Responses.

Empathy is a phenomenon that brings together both emotions and an understanding of another person. Recent studies have disentangled the mechanisms of empathy into emotional and cognitive aspects. Event-related potential (ERP) studies suggest that emotional empathy is related to the modulation of the amplitude of early ERPs, and cognitive empathy is linked to later ERPs.

Size and Quality of Drawings Made by Adults Under Visual and Haptic Control.

The aim of this study was twofold. First, our objective was to test the influence of an object's actual size (size rank) on the drawn size of the depicted object. We tested the canonical size effect (i.

Recognition of Attentional States in VR Environment: An fNIRS Study.

An improvement in ecological validity is one of the significant challenges for 21st-century neuroscience. At the same time, the study of neurocognitive processes in real-life situations requires good control of all variables relevant to the results. One possible solution that combines the capability of creating realistic experimental scenarios with adequate control of the test environment is virtual reality.

An Attentive Blank Stare Under Simulator-induced Spatial Disorientation Events.

Objective: This study investigated the effect of the spatial disorientation (SD) events on an attentive blank stare in the cockpit scene and demonstrated how much the flight task and visual delayed discrimination task were competing for the pilots' attention.

Background: SD in flight is the leading cause of human error-related aircraft accidents in the military, general and commercial aviation, and has been an unsolved problem since the inception of flight. In-flight safety research, visually scanning cockpit instruments, and detecting changes are critical countermeasures against SD.

Handedness effects on motor imagery during kinesthetic and visual-motor conditions.

Recent studies show that during a simple movement imagery task, the power of sensorimotor rhythms differs according to handedness. However, the effects of motor imagery perspectives on these differences have not been investigated yet. Our study aimed to check how handedness impacts the activity of alpha (8-13 Hz) and beta (15-30 Hz) oscillations during creating a kinesthetic (KMI) or visual-motor (VMI) representation of movement.

The Effect of Painting Beauty on Eye Movements.

The current study aimed to determine relationships between oculomotor behavior and aesthetical evaluation of paintings. We hypothesized that paintings evaluated as beautiful compared to nonbeautiful would be associated with different oculomotor behavior in terms of fixation duration, viewing time, and temporal and spatial distribution of attention. To verify these hypotheses, we examined forty participants that looked at and evaluated 140 figurative paintings while their eye movements were recorded.

Feeling Other People's Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study on Facial Attractiveness and Emotional Empathy.

Empathy is the ability to understand and react to other people's inner states. Neuroimaging evidence suggests that there are two aspects of empathy which are subserved by distinct brain networks. The emotional aspect of empathy is reflected by bottom-up processes and the cognitive aspect of empathy is influenced by top-down processes.

How Does Knowledge About an Artist's Disability Change the Aesthetic Experience?

Based on concepts of cognitive mastering and the rewarding effect of making sense of challenging visual art (taken from a psychological model of aesthetic appreciation and aesthetic judgments of Leder et al., 2004), we hypothesised that viewers who have knowledge about an artist's disability will appreciate their ambiguous works more than viewers who do not have such knowledge. Additionally, we aimed to explore how information about the artist's disability changes the viewer's aesthetic emotions.

The effects of handedness on sensorimotor rhythm desynchronization and motor-imagery BCI control.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow control of various applications or external devices solely by brain activity, e.g., measured by electroencephalography during motor imagery.

Acoustic Neurofeedback Increases Beta ERD During Mental Rotation Task.

The purpose of the present study was to identify the effect of acoustic neurofeedback on brain activity during consecutive stages of mental rotation of 3D objects. Given the fact that the process of mental rotation of objects is associated with desynchronisation of beta rhythm (beta ERD), it was expected that suppression in this band would be greater in the experimental group than in the controls. Thirty-three participants were randomly allocated to two groups performing the classic Shepard-Metzler mental rotation task (1971).

The Effect of Art Expertise on Eye Fixation-Related Potentials During Aesthetic Judgment Task in Focal and Ambient Modes.

This study aimed to determine the effect of expertise on the eye fixation-related potentials (EFRPs) during the aesthetic evaluation of images, independently in focal and ambient modes of visual processing. Focal and ambient modes were identified by averaging EFRP waveforms about the beginning of long eye fixations followed by short saccades and short fixations followed by long saccades, respectively. Thirty experts with formal training in visual arts and thirty-two non-experts freely viewed 150 figurative paintings presented for 20 s, each.

The dissolution of temporal distance increases risk-taking: experimental evidence.

Earlier research shows that delaying the realization of a lottery (temporal distance) increases risk tolerance. Presumably, this happens because temporal distance protects one from encountering the negative emotions produced when facing risk. However, no study has tested whether people that made a choice in the presence of temporal distance would actually change their decision later on (in the absence of temporal distance), towards the safer choice.

Selective Auditory Attention and Spatial Disorientation Cues Effect on Flight Performance.

The auditory system is not as heavily involved in the pilot's spatial orientation as the visual and vestibular systems; however, it plays a significant role in the cockpit for communication and warning information. The aim of this research was to investigate the combined effect of selective auditory attention and simulator-induced spatial disorientation (SD) cues on pilots' flight performance. We hypothesized that the flight performance in both disoriented and oriented flight profiles would be impaired by selective auditory attention.

The Effects of Arousal and Approach Motivated Positive Affect on Cognitive Control. An ERP Study.

A growing body of research has demonstrated that affect modulates cognitive control modes such as proactive and reactive control. Several studies have suggested that positive affect decreases proactive control compared to neutral affect. However, these studies only focused on the valence of affect and often omitted two of its components: arousal and approach motivation.

The Effects of Motor Expertise on Sensorimotor Rhythm Desynchronization during Execution and Imagery of Sequential Movements.

The purpose of the study was to investigate sensorimotor rhythm desynchronization during the performance of a motor execution and motor imagery task of different complexity, while varying motor musical expertise of subjects. We compared EEG patterns of professional pianists and non-pianists, who either executed or imagined finger tapping movements of different complexity. Results show that the power in alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) rhythms decreases with the complexity of both performed and imagined movements.