Existing research indicates that the shape of various facial regions is linked to perceived attractiveness and perceived formidability. Interestingly, little evidence shows that people directly focus on these specific facial regions during judgments of attractiveness and formidability, and there is little support for the notion that the levels of attractiveness and formidability affect raters' visual attention. We employed eye-tracking to examine visual attention (the number of fixations and dwell time) in 40 women and 37 men, while they assessed 45 male faces in life-sized photographs for attractiveness and formidability. The facial photographs were grouped by varying levels of attractiveness and formidability (low, medium, and high). Our results showed that regardless of the characteristics rated, both men and women paid the most visual attention to the eyes, nose, mouth, and forehead regions. We found statistically discernible variation in visual attention in relation to the rater's sex or target's attractiveness levels for other facial features (the chin, cheeks, or ears), but these differences may not be substantial enough to have practical implications. We suggest that the eyes, the nose, and the mouth regions play a central role in the evolution of face perception as regions most salient to the acquisition of informative cues about others. Further, during both attractiveness and formidability judgments, men looked longer at the stimuli than women did, which may hint at increased difficulty of this task for men, possibly because they compare themselves with the stimuli. Additionally, irrespective of sex, raters looked marginally longer at faces with a medium level of formidability than at those with a high formidability level, which may reflect ambiguity of these stimuli and uncertainty regarding assessment. We found no other significantly relationships between the target's attractiveness and formidability levels and the rater's visual attention to whole faces.

• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• krása MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mínění MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• obličej * MeSH
• pozornost * fyziologie   MeSH
• rozpoznání obličeje fyziologie   MeSH
• technologie sledování pohybu očí MeSH
• výběrové chování fyziologie   MeSH
• zraková percepce fyziologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to study the differences at the whole-brain level between self-paced and cued movement processing in Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: High density electroencephalogram (HD-EEG) was recorded during the performance of self-paced movements (Bereitschaftspotential - BP) and visually cued movements (VMT) in PD patients (n = 38) and in a group of healthy controls (HC, n = 23). Oscillatory changes in the alpha, beta, and gamma frequencies were evaluated and correlated to the clinical scales- MDS-UPDRS and Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOGQ). RESULTS: The main difference in the alpha range was an activation in the basal ganglia area during VMT performance as compared to BP performance; this activation was present only in HC. The most important finding was observed in the high beta range: a higher activation of the right postcentral area during BP performance in PD subjects as compared to HC, correlating to the severity of FOG. Moreover, PD patients had lower gamma activation of the right frontal areas. CONCLUSION: A simplification of motor circuits and a hyperactivation of the right somatosensory cortex were observed in PD subjects. SIGNIFICANCE: Future studies should be focused on this area to confirm or disprove its role in FOG.

• MeSH
• elektroencefalografie * metody   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Parkinsonova nemoc * patofyziologie   MeSH
• podněty MeSH
• pohyb fyziologie   MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• somatosenzorické korové centrum * patofyziologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Is negation more difficult to process than affirmation? If it is, does processing negation in a second language (L2) compound the difficulty compared to the first language (L1)? This article addresses the issues of difficulties in processing different types of negation in the L1 and L2 by looking at the differences in the ways in which comprehenders anticipate upcoming visual information during sentence processing. Using a blank-screen paradigm, we recorded eye fixations of Croatian native speakers and Croatian learners of English while they were anticipating matching or mismatching pictures to sentences with various types of negation in L1 (Croatian) and L2 (English). Using a between-group design, we manipulated sentence polarity (affirmative vs. negative), negation type (sentential vs. negative quantifier) within both L1 Croatian and L2 English so that we could observe potential anticipation effects varying as a function of the two predictors. In line with previous studies, affirmation in the L1 was easier to process than negation, and participants were able to anticipate sentence-picture matches in both the L1 and the L2 group. In contrast with our prediction, anticipatory looks did not significantly vary across negation types in Croatian based on the number of structural cues. In L2 English, learners exhibited prediction ability across negation types. These findings go against the view that comprehension in L2 comes with a reduced ability to generate expectations, and they highlight the robustness of mental simulations in both L1 and L2 negation processing.

• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

INTRODUCTION: Food is a vital human need, and the human visual system is finely tuned to detect and respond to food cues in the environment. The omnipresence of food cues across various settings has been linked to the prevalence of obesity in susceptible populations. However, the influence of the post-prandial state on visual attention to food stimuli remains poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate how a 12 hour fast affects visual attention to food and non-food stimuli in healthy, non-obese individuals. METHODS: Visual attention was assessed by measuring the total duration of visual fixations on stimuli presented on a computer screen, using a screen-based eye tracker (Tobii X2-60). Participants were divided into two groups: those who had fasted for 12 hours and those tested within two hours after consuming breakfast (satiated state). Additionally, performance on the Food Stroop task and electrodermal activity (EDA) responses were measured to evaluate attentional interference and physiological arousal, respectively. Salivary samples were also collected to assess levels of alpha-amylase and cortisol. RESULTS: Fasted participants exhibited a progressive decline in visual attention toward food stimuli compared to satiated individuals, reflecting a satiated state. This effect was independent of the palatability of the depicted food items and was not observed with stimuli representing non-food items. The Food Stroop task revealed no differences between fasting and satiated participants, indicating that the presence of food-related stimuli does not differentially impact attentional interference under varying hunger states. Moreover, no significant variations were observed in EDA responses across participant groups and stimulus types, suggesting that the modulation of visual attention to food cues by hunger is independent of physiological arousal. Interestingly, satiated subjects exhibited higher levels of salivary alpha-amylase, which was inversely related to their subjective hunger ratings. No differences in salivary cortisol levels were found between groups. DISCUSSION: The findings indicate a novel influence of mild hunger on the processing of visual food cues, independent of physiological arousal. The decline in visual attention to food stimuli in fasted individuals suggests that satiety modulates visual processing. The lack of differences in attentional interference and physiological arousal between fasting and satiated states further supports the notion that visual attention to food cues is primarily driven by hunger-related mechanisms rather than stress. Additionally, the inverse relationship between salivary alpha-amylase levels and hunger ratings implies that alpha-amylase may serve as a marker of satiety rather than stress.

• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Sex-typicality displayed as sexual dimorphism of the human face is a key feature enabling sex recognition. It is also believed to be a cue for perceiving biological quality and it plays an important role in the perception of attractiveness. Sexual dimorphism of human faces has two main components: sexual shape dimorphism of various facial features and sexual color dimorphism, generally manifested as dimorphism of skin luminance, where men tend to be darker than women. However, very little is known about the mutual relationship of these two facets. We explored the interconnection between the dimorphism of face shape and dimorphism of face color in three visually distinct populations (Cameroonian, Czech, and Vietnamese). Our results indicated that populations which showed a significant dimorphism in skin luminance (Cameroon, Vietnam) had low levels of sexual shape dimorphism, while a population with higher levels of sexual shape dimorphism (Czech Republic) did not exhibit a significant dimorphism of skin luminance. These findings suggest a possible compensatory mechanism between various domains of sexual dimorphism in populations differing in the levels of shape and color dimorphism.

• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• obličej * anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• pigmentace kůže * MeSH
• pohlavní dimorfismus * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Vietnam MeSH

The duration of slow-wave sleep (SWS) is related to the reported sleep quality and to the important variables of mental and physical health. The internal cues to end an episode of SWS are poorly understood. One such internal cue is the initiation of a body movement, which is detectable as electromyographic (EMG) activity in sleep-electroencephalography (EEG). In the present study, we characterized the termination of SWS episodes by movement to explore its potential as a biomarker. To this end, we characterized the relation between the occurrence of SWS termination by movement and individual characteristics (age, sex), SWS duration and spectral content, chronotype, depression, medication, overnight memory performance, and, as a potential neurological application, epilepsy. We analyzed 94 full-night EEG-EMG recordings (75/94 had confirmed epilepsy) in the video-EEG monitoring unit of the EpiCARE Centre Salzburg, Austria. Segments of SWS were counted and rated for their termination by movement or not through the visual inspection of continuous EEG and EMG recordings. Multiple linear regression was used to predict the number of SWS episodes that ended with movement by depression, chronotype, type of epilepsy (focal, generalized, no epilepsy, unclear), medication, gender, total duration of SWS, occurrence of seizures during the night, occurrence of tonic-clonic seizures during the night, and SWS frequency spectra. Furthermore, we assessed whether SWS movement termination was related to overnight memory retention. According to multiple linear regression, patients with overall longer SWS experienced more SWS episodes that ended with movement (t = 5.64; p = 0.001). No other variable was related to the proportion of SWS that ended with movement, including no epilepsy-related variable. A small sample (n = 4) of patients taking Sertraline experienced no SWS that ended with movement, which was significant compared to all other patients (t = 8.00; p < 0.001) and to n = 35 patients who did not take any medication (t = 4.22; p < 0.001). While this result was based on a small subsample and must be interpreted with caution, it warrants replication in a larger sample with and without seizures to further elucidate the role of the movement termination of SWS and its potential to serve as a biomarker for sleep continuity and for medication effects on sleep.

• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Throughout human evolutionary history, snakes have been associated with danger and threat. Research has shown that snakes are prioritized by our attentional system, despite many of us rarely encountering them in our daily lives. We conducted two high-powered, pre-registered experiments (total N = 224) manipulating target prevalence to understand this heightened prioritization of threatening targets. Target prevalence refers to the proportion of trials wherein a target is presented; reductions in prevalence consistently reduce the likelihood that targets will be found. We reasoned that snake targets in visual search should experience weaker effects of low target prevalence compared to non-threatening targets (rabbits) because they should be prioritized by searchers despite appearing rarely. In both experiments, we found evidence of classic prevalence effects but (contrasting prior work) we also found that search for threatening targets was slower and less accurate than for nonthreatening targets. This surprising result is possibly due to methodological issues common in prior studies, including comparatively smaller sample sizes, fewer trials, and a tendency to exclusively examine conditions of relatively high prevalence. Our findings call into question accounts of threat prioritization and suggest that prior attention findings may be constrained to a narrow range of circumstances.

• MeSH
• biologická evoluce MeSH
• hadi MeSH
• králíci MeSH
• Lagomorpha * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• pozornost MeSH
• reakční čas MeSH
• strach * MeSH
• zraková percepce MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• králíci MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Alterations in the default mode network (DMN) are associated with aging. We assessed age-dependent changes of DMN interactions and correlations with a battery of neuropsychological tests, to understand the differences of DMN directed connectivity between young and older subjects. Using a novel multivariate analysis method on resting-state functional MRI data from fifty young and thirty-one healthy older subjects, we calculated intra- and inter-DMN 4-nodes directed pathways. For the old subject group, we calculated the partial correlations of inter-DMN pathways with: psychomotor speed and working memory, executive function, language, long-term memory and visuospatial function. Pathways connecting the DMN with visual and limbic regions in older subjects engaged at BOLD low frequency and involved the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), whereas in young subjects, they were at high frequency and involved the ventral PCC. Pathways combining the sensorimotor (SM) cortex and the DMN, were SM efferent in the young subjects and SM afferent in the older subjects. Most DMN efferent pathways correlated with reduced speed and working memory. We suggest that the reduced sensorimotor efferent and the increased need to control such activities, cause a higher dependency on external versus internal cues thus suggesting how physical activity might slow aging.

• MeSH
• krátkodobá paměť MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• magnetická rezonanční tomografie metody   MeSH
• mapování mozku * metody   MeSH
• mozek * diagnostické zobrazování   MeSH
• nervové dráhy MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• stárnutí MeSH
• zdraví dobrovolníci pro lékařské studie MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Cíl: Cílem intervenční studie bylo zjistit vliv poslechu reprodukované hudby na hodnocení strachu u pacientů před operací srdce. Metodika: Cílovou populací byli muži s plánovanou operací srdce. Byla provedena intervenční studie (květen prosinec 2022) na lůžkovém oddělení kardiocentra. Soubor pacientů byl náhodně rozdělen do dvou skupin. U intervenční skupiny byla kromě standardní péče před operací realizována intervence poslechem reprodukované hudby (30 min, jedno setkání, výběr z deseti žánrů). U kontrolní skupiny byla realizována standardní péče před operací (edukace o výkonu, medikace) s klidem na lůžku či v křesle. Pacienti hodnotili předoperační strach třemi dotazníky: Surgical Fear Questionnaire, SFQ; Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale, APAIS, a Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety, VAS-A. Data byla zpracována Mannovým–Whitneyho a Wilcoxonovým testem, statistickým programem TIBCO STATISTICA 13 na hladině významnosti 5 %. Výsledky: Z šedesáti respondentů bylo před plánovanou operací bypassů 43 mužů. Všichni respondenti se pohybovali podle výsledků skóre dotazníků ve střední míře strachu v obou měřeních. Mezi intervenční a kontrolní skupinou nebyl zjištěn statisticky významný rozdíl v obou měřeních. V rámci intervenční skupiny byly zjištěny statisticky významné rozdíly v úrovni strachu před hudební intervencí a po ní u dvou dotazníků (změna hodnoty u SFQ: 50,9 ± 20,14 na 48,03 ± 19,57, p = 0,004; změna hodnoty u VAS-A: 72,13 ± 27,44 na 71,60 ± 27,57, p = 0,002). Pacienti udávali vyšší úroveň strachu před intervencí než po intervenci. Závěr: Poslech reprodukované hudby může snížit vnímaný předoperační strach u pacientů s plánovanou operací srdce v celkové anestezii. Na základě výsledků lze předpokládat, že pacienti, kteří pociťují strach před operací srdce, mohou z intervence poslechu reprodukované hudby profitovat.

Aim: The aim of the intervention study was to determine the effect of listening to recorded music on the assessment of fear in patients before heart surgery. Methods: The target population were men with planned heart surgery. An intervention study was conducted in (May-December) 2022 in the inpatient department of the cardiocenter. The set of patients was randomly divided into two groups. In the intervention group, in addition to the standard care before the operation, the intervention of listening to recorded music was implemented (30 min, 1 meeting, selection from 10 genres). The control group received standard care before surgery (education about the procedure, medication) with rest in bed or in a chair. Patients assessed preoperative fear with three questionnaires: Surgical Fear Questionnaire, SFQ; Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale, APAIS, and Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety, VAS-A. Data were processed by the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon test with the statistical program TIBCO STATISTICA 13 at a significance level of 5%. Results: Of the sixty respondents, 43 were men before the planned bypass operation. All respondents ranged according to the results of the questionnaire scores in the medium level of fear in both measurements. No statistical difference was found between the intervention and control groups in both measurements. Within the intervention group, statistically significant differences were found in the level of fear before and after the music intervention in two questionnaires (change in SFQ value: 50.9±20.14 to 48.03±19.57, p = 0.004; change in VAS value-A: 72.13±27.44 to 71.60±27.57, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Listening to recorded music can reduce perceived preoperative fear in patients undergoing planned heart surgery under general anesthesia. Based on the results, it can be assumed that patients who experience fear before heart surgery may benefit from the intervention of listening to recorded music.

• MeSH
• hudba * psychologie   MeSH
• kardiochirurgické výkony MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• předoperační péče MeSH
• psychologické testy MeSH
• strach psychologie   MeSH
• úzkost psychologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• klinické zkoušky MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Background: Selective attention and visuospatial orienting attention are important cognitive functions for children's development. Testing based on touch-based mobile technology platforms is becoming increasingly widespread in psychological assessment. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the newly developed touchscreen tablet-based test of selective and orienting attention (t-SOA test) in typical developing children aged 7-10 years. Methods: Two age groups of children, the group7-8 (7-8 years, 9 girls, 10 boys) and the group9-10 (9-10 years, 9 girls, 9 boys), performed the t-SOA test on a tablet (Android operating system) and a stylus, as well as the Reaction test of selective attention of the Vienna Test System (RT4-VTS). The criterion validity of the t-SOA test was verified by the RT4-VTS, and the construct validity via an analysis of the effect of age on the results of the t-SOA test. The reliability of the t-SOA test was assessed through internal consistency. Results: The internal consistency of the response time (RT) to the target stimulus was demonstrated to be excellent, Cronbach's α = .944. The mixed linear model with two factors - the central and the spatial (peripheral) cues, showed no significant effect on mean RT. Mean RT, median RT, and the coefficient of variation for RTs (CVRT) in the t-SOA test correlated significantly with analogous test scores of the RT4-VTS test, but not in the case of the number of correct responses, omissions, and commissions. A statistically significant effect of the age group was found for mean RT, median RTs, CVRT, and omission of the t-SOA test. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that the newly constructed t- SOA test may be a valid and reliable tool for assessing the level of visual selective attention of children during middle childhood. The study supported the current suggestion that the assessment of cognitive functions with a touchscreen tablet and a digital stylus is feasible and accepted by school-age children.

• Klíčová slova
• t-SOA test,
• MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• kognice MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• neuropsychologické testy MeSH
• pilotní projekty MeSH
• počítače do ruky * MeSH
• pozornost MeSH
• výzkum MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH