Prior Expectations Primes The Brain

The paper linked here shows that prior expectation of an external stimulus “tunes” the brain to expect that stimulus and thus affects the ability for that stimulus to be processed. When the expected “feature” was “task-oriented,” expecting the stimulus in advance improved participant performance. The authors also claim that: “We observed a representation of expected stimuli in the neural signal shortly before they were presented, showing that expectations indeed induce a preactivation of stimulus templates.”  In other words, the nervous system actually physically prepares for the expected stimulus so that evidence of the stimulus in a neural signal can be discerned even before the stimulus is actually presented.  This sheds light on how expectation can affect perception and, indeed, improve performance.  Abstract:

Perception can be described as a process of inference, integrating bottom-up sensory inputs and top-down expectations. However, it is unclear how this process is neurally implemented. It has been proposed that expectations lead to prestimulus baseline increases in sensory neurons tuned to the expected stimulus, which in turn, affect the processing of subsequent stimuli. Recent fMRI studies have revealed stimulus-specific patterns of activation in sensory cortex as a result of expectation, but this method lacks the temporal resolution necessary to distinguish pre- from poststimulus processes. Here, we combined human magnetoencephalography (MEG) with multivariate decoding techniques to probe the representational content of neural signals in a time-resolved manner. We observed a representation of expected stimuli in the neural signal shortly before they were presented, showing that expectations indeed induce a preactivation of stimulus templates. The strength of these prestimulus expectation templates correlated with participants' behavioral improvement when the expected feature was task-relevant. These results suggest a mechanism for how predictive perception can be neurally implemented.

Unusual Macaque Maternal Behavior

Interesting animal behavioral observation here.  Abstract:

Observations of animals' responses to dying or dead companions raise questions about their awareness of states of helplessness or death of other individuals. In this context, we report the case of a female Tonkean macaque (Macaca tonkeana) that transported the body of her dead infant for 25 days and cannibalized its mummified parts. The mother appeared agitated in the first 2 days after the birth. She then took care of her infant's corpse, which progressively dried and became mummified. In a third stage, the mother continued to transport the corpse as it started disintegrating, and she gnawed and consumed some parts of the remains. Our observations suggest that mummification of the body favored persistence of maternal behaviors by preserving the body's shape. The female gradually proceeded from strong attachment to the infant's body to decreased attachment, then finally full abandonment of the remains.

Serotonergic Psychedelics And Personality

For general interest, abstract:

Serotonergic psychedelics act as agonists at cortical 5-HT2A receptors and seem to induce personality changes. We conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the effects of these drugs on personality. Papers published from 1985-2016 were included from PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases. Three hundred and sixty-nine studies were identified, and 18 were included. Specific personality traits, such as Absorption and Self-Transcendence, seem to influence the effects of psychedelics, and psychedelic drug users and nonusers appear to differ in some personality traits. Psychedelics administered in controlled settings may induce personality changes, such as increased Openness and Self-Transcendence. Increases in global brain entropy induced by acute psychedelic administration predicted changes in Openness, and Self-Transcendence was negatively correlated with cortical thinning of the posterior cingulate cortex in long-term religious ayahuasca users. Acute and long-term use of psychedelics is associated with personality changes that appear to be modulated by 5-HT2A receptors. These changes seem to induce therapeutic effects that should be further explored in randomized controlled studies.

It is 10:10, Do You Know Where Your Credit Card Is?

Here is a study that demonstrates how clever advertisers are, and how they manipulate images to increase the probability that you will buy their product.  Watch advertisements tend to have the time set at 10:10, as this image resembles a smiling face, and increases feelings of pleasure and intention to buy, particularly among women.  Caveat emptor.  Abstract:

Have you ever noticed that in watch advertisements the time is usually set at 10:10? The reasons and psychological effects of this default time setting are elusive. In Experiment 1, we hypothesized that watches showing a time setting resembling a smiling face (10:10) would enhance emotional valence and intention to buy compared to a neutral time setting (11:30), whereas a time setting resembling a sad face (8:20) would have the opposite effect. Moreover, we investigated a possible interaction effect with the gender of the participants. In Experiment 2, we directly tested the hypotheses that watches set at 10:10 resemble a smiling face, whereas watches set at 8:20 resemble a sad face. The data of the first experiment reveal that watches set at 10:10 showed a significant positive effect on the emotion of the observer and the intention to buy. However, watches set at 8:20 did not show any effect on the emotion or the intention to buy. Moreover, watches set at 10:10 induced in women significantly stronger ratings of pleasure than in men. The data of the second experiment show that participants consistently perceive high resemblance between watches set at 10:10 and a smiling face as well as high resemblance between watches set at 8:20 and a sad face. This study provides for the first time empirical evidence for the notion that using watches with a time setting resembling a smiling face (like 10:10) can positively affect the emotional response of the observers and their evaluation of a seen watch, even though they are not aware of the fact that the shown time setting is inducing this effect. Practical implications of the observed findings and alternative explanations are discussed.

Beauty and behavior

 

Jacob Riis Lodgers in a Crowded Bayard Street

Although I am a cancer researcher by profession, I am in love with interior design and gardens. I recently found yet another British show on house remodeling. The series are available on YouTube at the moment - The £100k House Tricks of the Trade Series. In the past I was absorbed by the Grand Designs series. The difference between the two shows is that in the first one the houses are usually refurbished on a low budget.

 

There is something therapeutic about taking a dingy, ugly, and dysfunctional living space and turning it into an inspirational environment where creativity soars. Sometimes I wish I could wave a magic wand and erase the ugliness from this world. It is not that this would eliminate the world unpleasantness, crime, grief and wretchedness; however, I believe that practical, beautiful and clean surroundings command more decent and respectful behavior in humans. 

I heard long ago the thought that when you treat people as if they were better, they do become/behave better.

 

I am far away from being a fan of expensive renovations. For me, clean, open, light and freshly painted spaces are a sufficient canvas to create something inspirational that allows the spirit to be free and creative.

 

Check this Frank Lloyd Wright webpage for more inspiration.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City (1959), interior, by Frank Lloyd Wright.

  
Watch the transforming power of gardening:
Can You Dig This Official Trailer #1 (2015) Ron Finley Documentary Movie HD.