Faces and their aesthetic appreciation are a core element of social interaction. Although studies have been made on facial processing when looking at faces with different perspectives, a direct comparison of faces in the left to the right perspective is missing. Portraits in classical Western art indicate a preference of the left compared to the right perspective, but the neural underpinnings of such an asymmetry still have to be clarified. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the current study focuses on the processing of three-quarter faces seen with different perspectives. Seventeen participants were asked to passively look at photographs of six male and six female faces with a neutral expression; the photographs were taken from the left, right, and frontal perspectives while keeping their focus on the eyes. The results showed that specific brain areas were involved in processing the three-quarter faces in either symmetric or asymmetric ways. Viewing left and right three-quarter faces resulted in two mirror-like activations in the striate cortex corresponding to the symmetric layout of the left and right perspectives. Viewing the left face resulted additionally in an enhanced activation also in the left extrastriate cortex. The right perspective of male faces elicited a lower activation compared to other perspectives in face-selective areas of the brain. Our findings suggest that the preference of the left three-quarter face emerges already in the early visual pathway presumably prior to facial identification, emotional processing, and aesthetic appreciation. Our observations may have general importance in disentangling different neural components and processing stages in the spatiotemporal characteristics of artistic expressions.
- Klíčová slova
- aesthetic, face perception, functional magnetic resonance imaging, hemifaces, lateralization,
- MeSH
- emoce fyziologie MeSH
- estetika MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
- mapování mozku * MeSH
- mozek fyziologie MeSH
- světelná stimulace metody MeSH
- výraz obličeje MeSH
- zrakové korové centrum * fyziologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Our study estimates the prevalence of Internet addiction in Czech adolescents as well as differences by gender and school type. A total of 3,950 adolescents (n = 1,940 boys, n = 2,010 girls) from 11 to 19 years of age (M = 15.73, SD = 1.99) participated in the research. They completed the Internet Addiction Test, which consists of subscales for Salience, Excessive Use, Neglect Work, Anticipation, Lack of Control, and Neglect Social Life. The results indicate that adolescent girls have higher levels of internet addiction. In boys, unlike girls, internet addiction was associated with a reduction in social relationships and interactions. Our findings show interesting differences between adolescent girls and boys and the type of school attended in the Czech population in terms of Internet addiction.
- Klíčová slova
- Internet addiction, adolescence, gender, type of school,
- MeSH
- internet MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- návykové chování * epidemiologie MeSH
- netholismus * MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- školy MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika epidemiologie MeSH
Advertising slogans serve the function of persuasive communication by presenting catchy phrases. To decide whether a slogan is convincing or not, cognitive reasoning is assumed to be complemented by a more implicit and intuitive route of information processing, presumably similar to evaluating normative judgments in moral statements. We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while Western male subjects judged advertising slogans and moral statements as another decision task with subjective nature. Compared to a neutral control condition that targeted declarative memory and to an aesthetic-related condition, the evaluation processes in both domains engaged the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which is associated with decision-making incorporating personal value. Conjoint activations were also observed in the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ) when compared to the aesthetics condition. Results are discussed with reference to domain-independence, a suspected difference to aesthetic-like appreciations, and functional organization in the mPFC and the TPJ.
- Klíčová slova
- advertising slogans, domain-independence, moral judgment, subjective value, temporoparietal junction,
- MeSH
- inzerce jako téma MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- magnetická rezonanční tomografie * MeSH
- mapování mozku MeSH
- mravy MeSH
- přesvědčovací komunikace * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
We identified a potential neurophysiological marker for processing of verbal cues in paranoid schizophrenia: high desynchronization in the beta-2 band in the right parietal area for meaningless cues, and no synchronization differences in the beta-2 and gamma bands in the left prefrontal area pointing to deficient categorization of the stimuli.
- Klíčová slova
- desynchronization, electroencephalography (EEG), psychosis, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, synchronization,
- MeSH
- elektroencefalografie MeSH
- emoce MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- paranoidní schizofrenie * MeSH
- podněty MeSH
- sémantika * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Some people aged 80 years and older are "memory SuperAgers" (SAs), that is, they have the episodic memory of a sexagenarian. In a sample of 208 non-demented adults, we found that 12% were SAs. A total of 101 participants completed the 4-year study; of this subsample, 10.9% were stable SAs and 61.3% stable non-SAs across all assessments. The SA phenotype is conducive to further research.
- Klíčová slova
- SuperAgers, cognitive performance stability, episodic memory, healthy aging, longitudinal study,
- MeSH
- epizodická paměť * MeSH
- kognice * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- neuropsychologické testy statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- stárnutí * MeSH
- zdraví dobrovolníci pro lékařské studie statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- senioři nad 80 let MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Catatonic schizophrenia, a rare subtype in this disease group, is characterized by motor disturbances. The current study investigated the reactivity of electroencephalographic mu rhythm in a motion imagery task in two single cases of first-episode catatonic schizophrenia, assuming they would show less mu rhythm reduction compared to paranoid schizophrenic patients and healthy controls.
- Klíčová slova
- catatonic schizophrenia, electroencephalographic (EEG), motor imagery, mu rhythm suppression, paranoid schizophrenia,
- MeSH
- imaginativní postupy v psychoterapii * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mozkové vlny fyziologie MeSH
- schizofrenie katatonická diagnóza MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- MeSH
- biologické jevy * MeSH
- biomedicínský výzkum metody MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- neurologie MeSH
- psychiatrie * MeSH
- psychologie * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- úvodníky MeSH
UNLABELLED: Single cases may lead to unexpected hypotheses in psychology. We retrospectively analyzed single case studies that suggested organizational principles along the early visual pathway, which have remained unanswered until now. FIRST CASE: In spite of the inhomogeneity of sensitivity, paradoxically the visual field on the subjective level appears to be homogeneous; constancy of brightness of supra-threshold stimuli throughout the visual field is claimed to be responsible for homogeneity; specific summation properties of retinal ganglion cells are hypothesized to guarantee this effect. SECOND CASE: With a brain-injured patient having suffered a partial visual field loss it can be shown that color induction is a retinal phenomenon; lateral inhibitory processes at the level of amacrine cells are hypothesized as neural network. Third case: In a patient having suffered a bilateral occipital lobe infarction, some functional recovery has been demonstrated; divergence and convergence of projection in the ascending neural pathway are suggested as a structural basis for recovery. Slowed down binocular rivalry discloses a sequential mechanism in the construction of a visual percept. Fourth case: The pre-wired projection of the retina to the visual cortex in spite of a severe squint of one eye is confirmed, but paradoxically some local neuroplasticity is also suggested. Fifth case: Using habituation of local sensitivity in the visual field and its resetting by interhemispheric interactions as an experimental paradigm, it is suggested that spatial attention is controlled at the midbrain level. Sixth case: Observations on residual vision or "blindsight" support the hypothesis that the visual cortex is the one and only structure responsible for visual perception on a conscious level. The unifying principle of these retrospective analyses is that subjective visual phenomena can lead to unexpected but testable hypotheses of neural processing on the structural and functional level in the early visual pathway.
- Klíčová slova
- attentional control, binocular rivalry, blindsight, brightness perception, color perception, consciousness, eccentricity effect, habituation, neuroplasticity, restitution of function,
- MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- metathalamus fyziologie MeSH
- mozkový infarkt patofyziologie MeSH
- poranění mozku patofyziologie MeSH
- pozornost fyziologie MeSH
- retina fyziologie MeSH
- retrospektivní studie MeSH
- slepota patofyziologie MeSH
- světelná stimulace MeSH
- vnímání barev MeSH
- zraková pole * MeSH
- zrakové dráhy fyziologie MeSH
- zrakové korové centrum fyziologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
In the general concept of self-disturbances in schizophrenia and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, somatopsychic depersonalization (SPD) occupies a special place as it constitutes a syndrome that comprises feelings of detachment from one's own body and mental processes. However, apart from clinical descriptions, to date the pathophysiology of SPD is not fully understood due to the rareness of the syndrome and a lack of experimental studies. In a case study of one patient with schizotypal disorder, we applied a multimodal approach to understanding the SPD phenomena. The patient's clinical profile was identified as disruption of implicit bodily function, accompanied by depressive symptoms. On a neuropsychological level, the patient exhibited impairment in executive functioning, intact tactile perception and kinesthetic praxis. Behavioral tests revealed an altered sense of time but unimpaired self-agency. Furthermore, the patient exhibited a lack of empathy and he had autistic traits, although with a sufficient ability to verbalize his feelings. On the neurobiological level using an active and passive touch paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we found a hyperconnectivity of the default-mode network and salience network and a hypoconnectivity of the central executive brain networks in the performance of the touch task as well as intact perceptual touch processing emerging from the direct comparisons of the touch conditions. Our data provide evidence for the important role of altered large-brain network functioning in SPD that corresponds to the specific behavioral and neurocognitive phenomena.
- Klíčová slova
- disembodiment, fMRI, neurocognition, schizotypal disorder, self, somatopsychic depersonalization, time perception, touch,
- MeSH
- depersonalizace komplikace MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- magnetická rezonanční tomografie MeSH
- mozek patofyziologie MeSH
- neuropsychologické testy MeSH
- psychomotorický výkon fyziologie MeSH
- schizotypální porucha osobnosti komplikace patofyziologie MeSH
- somatoformní poruchy komplikace MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Bilingualism (BL) is increasing around the world. Although BL has been shown to have a broad impact-both positive and negative-on language and cognitive functioning, cognitive models and standards are mainly based on monolinguals. If we take cognitive performance of monolinguals as a standard, then the performance of bilinguals might not be accurately estimated. The assessment of cognitive functions is an important part of both the diagnostic process and further treatment in neurological and neuropsychiatric patients. In order to identify the presence or absence of cognitive deficit in bilingual patients, it will be important to determine the positive and/or negative impact of BL properties on measured cognitive performance. However, research of the impact of BL on cognitive performance in neuropsychiatric patients is limited. This article aims to compare the influence of the language (dominant-L1, second-L2) used for assessment of verbal cognitive performance in two cases of bilingual neuropsychiatric patients (English/Czech). Despite the fact that the two cases have different diagnoses, similarities in working memory and verbal learning profiles for L1 and L2 were present in both patients. We expected L1 to have higher performance in all measures when compared with L2. This assumption was partially confirmed. As expected, verbal working memory performance was better when assessed in L1. In contrast, verbal learning showed the same or better performance in L2 when compared with L1. Verbal fluency and immediate recall results were comparable in both languages. In conclusion, the language of administration partially influenced verbal performance of bilingual patients. Whether the language itself influenced low performance in a given language or it was a result of a deficit requires further research. According to our results, we suggest that an assessment in both languages needs to be a component of reasonable cognitive assessment of bilingual patients.
- Klíčová slova
- bilingualism, cross-language comparison, neuropsychiatric disease, verbal cognition,
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- duševní poruchy diagnóza MeSH
- kognice * MeSH
- krátkodobá paměť * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mnohojazyčnost * MeSH
- neuropsychologické testy MeSH
- verbální učení * MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- kazuistiky MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
