A causal role of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in random exploration.

Decision to explore new options with uncertain outcomes or exploit familiar options with known outcomes is a fundamental challenge that the brain faces in almost all real-life decisions. Previous studies have shown that humans use two main explorative strategies to negotiate this explore-exploit tradeoff. Exploring for the sake of information is called directed exploration, and exploration driven by behavioral variability is known as random exploration.

Gender Effect on Neural Correlates of Autobiographical False Memories for Brand Images.

Introduction: This study investigated the effect of autobiographical brand images on false memory formation in adults, using the category associate's procedure. The study also applied the event-related potential (ERP) approach to explore neural correlates of false memory and gender differences in false memory recall of brand images.

Methods: Eight categories of autobiographical brand images were implied in a category associates' procedure to investigate false memory recall.

Norms for 718 Persian Words in Emotional Dimensions, Animacy, and Familiarity.

Research frequently uses words as stimuli to assess cognitive and psychological processes. However, various attributes of these words, such as their semantic and emotional aspects, could potentially confound study results if not properly controlled. This study aims to establish a reliable foundation for the semantic and emotional aspects of words for research in Persian.

Exploring the neuropsychological basis of behavioral contagion during learning about another agent's social preferences: Evidence from an ERP study.

Social contagion is a pervasive phenomenon and an important social influence that involves the rapid dissemination (propagation) of behaviors, attitudes, emotions, or ideas from one person to another, often without conscious reflection or rational thought. This phenomenon is closely related to conformity, by which a person changes his/her original ideas and attitude and imitates certain behavior of others. Although some behavioral research has been carried out on contagion and conformity, there is very little neuropsychological understanding of these phenomena.

Development of a real-world simulated instrument for evaluating visuospatial working memory: a preliminary psychometric study on older adults.

Background: A prevalent challenge in neuropsychological assessment, particularly when utilizing instruments designed for controlled laboratory environments, is that the outcomes may not correspond to an individual's real-life status. Accordingly, assessments of visuospatial working memory (VSWM) conducted in such settings might fail to capture certain facets of this function, as it operates in real life. On the other hand, entirely ecological assessments may risk compromising internal validity.

A Comparative Evaluation of Error Processing Performance and its Relationship with Cognitive Function in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease, Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Normal Controls Using the Event-Related Potentials.

Background: Some pathological changes occur in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) prior to the onset of clinical symptoms.

Objective: In the present study, we aimed to investigate the potential of event-related potential (ERP) components in error processing performance as a neuromarker of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and transition to AD and their relation with cognitive functions.

Methods: We conducted an evaluation of 16 patients diagnosed with AD, 16 patients with MCI, and 15 normal controls using three subtests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB).

The Effect of Modeling Methods on Mirror Neuron Activity and a Motor Skill Acquisition and Retention.

Introduction: Mirror neurons have been suggested as a potential neural mechanism of observational learning. This study aims to investigate the effect of self-modeling, skilled model, and learning model on mu rhythm suppression and golf putting acquisition and retention.

Methods: The study was conducted on 45 male volunteer students (aged 19.

Brain waves and landscape settings: emotional responses to attractiveness.

Neuro-architecture is a specific branch of architecture that studies how the physical environment can change our mental processes and influence our behaviors. One of the main purposes of this field is to use changes in brain activities as a measure to quantify attractiveness of the landscapes. In this study, we investigated how changes in elements of attractiveness influence ones' emotional perception and present the related pattern of changes in brain activities.

Dysfunctional feedback processing in male methamphetamine abusers: Evidence from neurophysiological and computational approaches.

Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) as a major public health risk is associated with dysfunctional neural feedback processing. Although dysfunctional feedback processing in people who are substance dependent has been explored in several behavioral, computational, and electrocortical studies, this mechanism in MUDs requires to be well understood. Furthermore, the current understanding of latent components of their behavior such as learning speed and exploration-exploitation dilemma is still limited.

Differential Cortical Oscillatory Patterns in Amputees With and Without Phantom Limb Pain.

Introduction: Phantom limb pain (PLP) as neuropathic pain affects the life of amputees. It is believed an efficient PLP treatment should consider the underlying neurological mechanisms. Hereby, we investigated brain activity in PLP and its relationships to the psychological and cognitive dimensions of chronic pain.

The Role of Cognitive Control in Paranormal Beliefs: A Study Based on Performance in Go/No-go Task.

Introduction: Cognitive control plays a role in human behavior and mental processes and affects paranormal beliefs. This study aims to investigate the role of cognitive control in paranormal beliefs using the go/no-go task.

Methods: A total of 92 people were selected based on low, middle, and high scores in the revised paranormal belief scale (R-PBS) and assigned to 3 groups.

The Brain Networks Basis for Deductive and Inductive Reasoning: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Introduction: Frontoparietal (FPN) and cingulo-opercular network (CON) control cognitive functions needed in deductive and inductive reasoning via different functional frameworks. The FPN is a fast intuitive system while the CON is slow and analytical. The default-interventionist model presents a serial view of the interaction between intuitive and analytic cognitive systems.

Impact of negative links on the structural balance of brain functional network during emotion processing.

Activation of specific brain areas and synchrony between them has a major role in process of emotions. Nevertheless, impact of anti-synchrony (negative links) in this process still requires to be understood. In this study, we hypothesized that quantity and topology of negative links could influence a network stability by changing of quality of its triadic associations.

Variability of Postural Coordination in Dual-Task Paradigm.

Postural control is influenced by cognition. In most studies, variability of motor output has been considered regardless of variability in patterns of joint coordination. Uncontrolled manifold framework has been applied to decompose the joint's variance in two components.

Balance-energy of resting state network in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Stability of the brain functional network is directly linked to organization of synchronous and anti-synchronous activities. Nevertheless, impact of arrangement of positive and negative links called links topology requires to be well understood. In this study, we investigated how topology of the functional links reduce balance-energy of the brain network in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and push the network to a more stable state as compared to healthy controls.

Sleep Micro-Macro-structures in Psychophysiological Insomnia. PSG Study.

Study Objectives: To address sleep micro-macro-structures in psychophysiological insomnia (PPI) as denoted by cyclic alternating pattern (CAP), Sleep spindles, and hyperarousal as microstructures and sleep characteristics such as sleep stages' variables, and heart rate as macrostructures.

Methods: Two statistical populations, with 20 participants in each, are addressed: good sleepers (GS) and patients with psychophysiological insomnia (PPI). The sleep polysomnography (PSG) for one night was performed and sleep macro-micro-structures extraction was implemented for each participant.

Brain Functional Correlates of Intelligence Score in ADHD Based on EEG.

Introduction: It has been shown that intelligence as a general mental ability is related to the structure and function of the brain regions. However, the specificity of these regional dependencies to the intelligence scores in the typical and atypical developed individuals needs to be well understood. In this study, we hypothesized that neural correlates of IQ should not have a fixed pattern rather they must follow a dynamic pattern to compensate for the functional deficits caused by a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Brain Structural Covariance Network in Asperger Syndrome Differs From Those in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Healthy Controls.

Introduction: Autism is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder associated with social, cognitive and behavioral impairments. These impairments are often reported along with alteration of the brain structure such as abnormal changes in the grey matter (GM) density. However, it is not yet clear whether these changes could be used to differentiate various subtypes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Distinct suppressing effects of deep brain stimulation in the orbitofrontal cortex on the development, extinction, and reinstatement of methamphetamine-seeking behaviors.

Aims: The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is implicated in compulsive drug-seeking and relapse, the characteristics that result in addiction treatment failure. Structural and functional impairments within the OFC have been detected in many substance use disorders (SUDs). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is proposed as a promising therapeutic option in treating SUDs.

Embodying Time in the Brain: A Multi-Dimensional Neuroimaging Meta-Analysis of 95 Duration Processing Studies.

Time is an omnipresent aspect of almost everything we experience internally or in the external world. The experience of time occurs through such an extensive set of contextual factors that, after decades of research, a unified understanding of its neural substrates is still elusive. In this study, following the recent best-practice guidelines, we conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis of 95 carefully-selected neuroimaging papers of duration processing.

Paranormal believers show reduced resting EEG beta band oscillations and inhibitory control than skeptics.

Paranormal believers' thinking is frequently biased by intuitive beliefs. Lack of inhibition of these tempting beliefs is considered a key element in paranormal believers' thinking. However, the brain activity related to inhibitory control in paranormal believers is poorly understood.