Percepts to recollections: insights from single neuron recordings in the human brain

Transformation of experience into memories that can guide future behavior is a common ability across species. However, only humans can declare their perceptions and memories of experienced events (episodes). The medial temporal lobe (MTL) is central to episodic memory, yet the neuronal code underlying the translation from sensory information to memory remains unclear. Recordings from neurons within the brain in patients who have electrodes implanted for clinical reasons provide an opportunity to bridge physiology with cognitive theories. Recent evidence illustrates several striking response properties of MTL neurons. Responses are selective yet invariant, associated with conscious perception, can be internally generated and modulated, and spontaneously retrieved. Representation of information by these neurons is highly explicit, suggesting abstraction of information for future conscious recall.     

Time for action versus action in time: time estimation differs between motor preparation and execution

Theories relating to time perception and motor performance predict very different temporal distortions depending on the synchronisation or succession of temporal processing and motor behaviour. However, our knowledge about the temporal difference between motor preparation and execution is still scarce. In order to expand on prior studies, two different time reproduction tasks were utilised to measure motor preparation and motor execution. We found that motor preparation of a planned action allows participants to complete the time reproduction task more accurately and, in short duration trials, less variably than for motor execution. Furthermore, under-reproduction was found in motor preparation compared to motor execution, which may be caused by increased temporal information processing. According to the attentional gate theory, more attention allocated to time processing and reduced motor distraction leads to less temporal distortion in the motor preparation. The findings are also important for designing to study consciousness, temporal and visual processing.     

Language phenotypes and intervention planning: bridging research and practice

This paper focuses on the communication and language phenotypes associated with three genetic disorders: Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, and fragile X syndrome. It is argued that there is empirical evidence that these disorders predispose children to specific profiles of strength and weakness in some areas of speech, language, and communication, and that intervention planning for children with each syndrome may take an approach informed by these profiles. Issues related to within-group variability, shared outcomes among syndromes, and the need for empirical validation for syndrome-specific recommendations are discussed.     

From action to discourse: The bridging function of gestures

Gestures are pervasive in human communication across cultures; they clearly constitute an embodied aspect of cognition. In this study, evidence is provided for the contention that gestures are not only a co-expression of meaning in a different modality but also constitute an important stepping stone in the evolution of discourse. Data are provided from a Grade 10 physics course where students learned about electrostatics by doing investigations for which they constructed explanations. The data show that iconic gestures (i.e. symbolic hand movements) arise from the manipulation of objects (ergotic hand movements) and sensing activity (epistemic hand movements). Gestures not only precede but also support the emergence of scientific language. School science classes turn out to be ideal laboratories for studying the evolution of domain ontologies and (scientific) language. Micro-analytic studies of gesture–speech relationships and their emergence can therefore serve as positive constraints and test beds for synthetic models of language emergence.     

The mirror neuron system and action recognition

Mirror neurons, first described in the rostral part of monkey ventral premotor cortex (area F5), discharge both when the animal performs a goal-directed hand action and when it observes another individual performing the same or a similar action. More recently, in the same area mirror neurons responding to the observation of mouth actions have been also found. In humans, through an fMRI study, it has been shown that the observation of actions performed with the hand, the mouth and the foot leads to the activation of different sectors of Broca's area and premotor cortex, according to the effector involved in the observed action, following a somatotopic pattern which resembles the classical motor cortex homunculus. These results strongly support the existence of an execution-observation matching system (mirror neuron system). It has been proposed that this system is involved in action recognition. Experimental evidence in favor of this hypothesis both in the monkey and humans are shortly reviewed.     

Grounding words in perception and action: computational insights

We use words to communicate about things and kinds of things, their properties, relations and actions. Researchers are now creating robotic and simulated systems that ground language in machine perception and action, mirroring human abilities. A new kind of computational model is emerging from this work that bridges the symbolic realm of language with the physical realm of real-world referents. It explains aspects of context-dependent shifts of word meaning that cannot easily be explained by purely symbolic models. An exciting implication for cognitive modeling is the use of grounded systems to 'step into the shoes' of humans by directly processing first-person-perspective sensory data, providing a new methodology for testing various hypotheses of situated communication and learning.     

Mechanism of action of methylphenidate: insights from PET imaging studies

Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most commonly prescribed drug for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We have used Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to investigate the mechanism of action of MPH in the human brain. We have shown (a) that oral MPH reaches peak concentration in the brain 60-90 minutes after its administration, (b) that therapeutic doses of MPH block more than 50% of the dopamine transporters (DAT), and (c) that of the two enantiomers that compose MPH, it is d-threo-methylphenidate (d-MPH) and not l-threo-methylphenidate (l-MPH) that binds to the DAT. We have also shown that therapeutic doses of MPH significantly enhance extracellular dopamine (DA) in the basal ganglia, which is an effect that appears to be modulated by the rate of DA release and that is affected by age (older subjects show less effect). Thus, we postulate (a) that MPH's therapeutic effects are in part due to amplification of DA signals, (b) that variability in responses is in part due to differences in DA tone between subjects, and (c) that MPH's effects are context dependent. Because DA enhances task specific neuronal signaling and decreases noise, we also postulate that MPH-induced increases in DA could improve attention and decrease distractibility; and that since DA modulates motivation, the increases in DA would also enhance the saliency of the task facilitating the 'interest it elicits' and thus improving performance.     

Getting from neuron to checkmark: models and methods in cognitive survey research

Since the 1980s much work has been done in the field of Cognitive Survey Research. In an interdisciplinary endeavour, survey methodologists and cognitive psychologists (as well as social psychologists and linguists) have worked to unravel the cognitive processes underlying survey responses: to improve survey measurement, but also to obtain fundamental insight into the process of question answering, the nature of attitudes, the functioning of human memory, etc. Yet, despite the amount of work that has been done, less progress has been made than was deemed possible. This paper suggests ways in which to develop cognitive theories that may help to obtain an integrated understanding of question answering in surveys. One way to build better theories is to focus on model construction. Different types of cognitive models are discussed that can be used to model question answering. Second, a larger variety of methods from the cognitive toolbox can be used to further develop and test these models. An overview is given of the various tools available to researchers of cognitive aspects of survey research, with a special focus on newer methods from cognitive neuroscience. To connect different tools and methods into an integrative theory of question answering, the idea of hierarchical modelling is proposed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Community science: bridging the gap between science and practice with community-centered models

A major goal of community science is to improve the quality of life in our communities by improving the quality of the practice of treatment, prevention, health promotion, and education. Community science is an interdisciplinary field, which develops and researches community-centered models that enable communities to use evidence-based interventions more effectively and efficiently. In this article, the gap between science and practice and the need to bridge the gap with new models serve as an entry point and guide to the development of a community science. Therefore, the article describes (1) the prevention science model of bringing science to practice, (2) why this model is necessary but not sufficient for influencing the quality of interventions in our everyday world, (3) the gap between science and practice and the need to integrate prevention science models with community-centered models in order to bridge the gap, and (4) features of community science.     

The chronometry of single neuron activity: testing discrete and continuous models of information processing

The authors propose to study information transmission by comparing the effects of experimental factors on reaction time (RT) with the latency of the changes in activity of single-neurons. An experiment was conducted in which a monkey (Macaca mulatta) performed a tactilo-manual 2-choice RT task and the compatibility of the stimulus-response mapping was manipulated. Task-related neurons were recorded in the monkey's primary somesthetic and motor cortices. The changes in activity of 105 of these neurons were classified either as sensory-like or as motor-like. The sensory-like changes occurred before the motor-like ones. The stimulus-response mapping exerted its entire effect on the RT after the sensory-like changes and before the motor-like ones. These findings suggest that the information was transmitted discretely from the processes affected by the mapping to the processes implemented by the motor-like changes.     

Participatory action research with self-help groups: An alternative paradigm for inquiry and action

Conclusion I have not sought here to make a case for participatory action research as theonly mode for inquiry and action with self-help groups, but to raise issues that may help counter the dominance of the conventional model and encourage a more pluralistic scientific enterprise. Researchers must be competent in and free to use (or try to use) whatever paradigms and techniques best fit their own epistemological preferences, the phenomena they wish to understand, and the goals and resources they and their coparticipants have. In particular, the assumptions and operating styles associated with PAR seem especially relevant and useful for inquiry and action that can advance knowledge about, and contribute to the effectiveness of, self-help groups. Dogma about the proper scientific method may suit the current scientific establishment and governmental funding agencies, but it does not necessarily lead to good research, research that is valid and useful to the scholarly community and to the self-help movement.In preparing this paper I benefited enormously from the suggestions of David Bargal, Thomasina Borkman, Barry Checkoway, Thomas Powell, and Margaret Weigers. An informal version of this paper was presented at the Planning Session on Collaboration with Parent Groups, sponsored by the National Project on Self-Help Groups, funded by a grant from Maternal and Child Health (MCJ-009127).     

New insights on sensorimotor integration: from hand action to speech perception

In the last two decades the integrative role of the frontal premotor cortex (a mosaic of agranular/disgranular areas lying in front of the primary motor cortex) have been more and more elucidated. Among its various functions, sensorimotor transformation, and action representation storage, also for nonstrictly motor purposes, are the most intriguing properties of this region, as shown by several researches. In this article we will mainly focus on the ventro-rostral part of the monkey premotor cortex (area F5) in which visual information describing objects and others' acting hands are associated with goal-directed motor representations of hand movements. We will describe the main characteristics of F5 premotor neurons and we will provide evidence in favor of a parallelism between monkeys and humans on the basis of new experimental observations. Finally, we will present some data indicating that, both in humans and in monkeys, action-related sensorimotor transformations are not restricted to visual information but concern also acoustic information.     

Martin Mayman's early memories technique: bridging the gap between personality assessment and psychotherapy

In this article, we describe Martin Mayman's approach to early childhood memories as a projective technique, beginning with his scientific interest in learning theory, coupled with his interest in ego psychology and object relations theory. We describe Mayman's contributions to the use of the early memories technique to inform the psychotherapy process, tying assessment closely to psychotherapy and making assessment more useful in treatment. In this article, we describe a representative sample of research studies that demonstrate the reliability and validity of early memories, followed by case examples in which the early memories informed the therapy process, including issues of transference and countertransference.     

Reflexive action research: Developing knowledge through practice

This paper gives an overview of different ways of conducting counselling and psychotherapy research. An approach to research is described which overcomes the research‐practice gap: reflexive action research. It is argued that this approach to research is particularly appropriate and relevant for practitioners since it draws upon skills and awareness necessary for clinical work, and can complement positivist methods of research which are already well established in the profession. The wider use of systematic clinical case studies is suggested as a means of promoting the reflexive action research approach. Further consideration of issues of validity and reliability is required on the part of those intending to apply this approach within the field of therapy research.     

Inter-hemispheric remapping between arm proprioception and vision of the hand is disrupted by single pulse TMS on the left parietal cortex

Parietal cortical areas are involved in sensori-motor transformations for their respective contralateral hemifield/body. When arms of the subjects are crossed while their gaze is fixed straight ahead, vision of the hand is processed by the hemisphere ipsilateral to the arm position and proprioception of the arm by the contralateral hemisphere. It induces interhemispheric transfer and remapping. Our objective was to investigate whether a single pulse TMS applied to the left parietal cortical area would disturb interhemispheric remapping in a similar case, and would increase a simple reaction time (RT) with respect to a control single pulse TMS applied to the frontal cortical area. Two LED were superimposed and located in front of the subjects on the saggital axis. Subjects were asked to carefully fixate on these LED during each trial. The lighting of the red LED was used as a warning signal. Following the green one was illuminated after a variable delay and served as a go-signal. The hand for the response was determined before the start of each trial. TMS was applied to the left parietal, the left frontal cortical areas, or not applied to the subject. Results revealed that: (1) Irrespective of its location, single pulse TMS induced a non-specific effect similar to a startle reflex and reduced RT substantially (15 ms on average) with respect to a control condition without TMS (mean value = 153 ms). (2) Irrespective of TMS, RT were shorter when the right or the left hand was positioned in the right visual hemi-field (i.e. normal and crossed positions respectively). (3) Finally, RT increased when single pulse TMS was applied to the left parietal area and when hands were crossed irrespective of which hand was used. We concluded that interhemispheric sensori-motor remapping was disrupted by a single pulse TMS that was applied to the left parietal cortex. This effect was also combined with some visual attention directed towards the hand located on the right visual hemi-field.     

Placebo: Its action and place in health research today

The place for the placebo in human clinical research is addressed in this paper. The World Medical Association which is comprised of some 80 National Medical Associations uses much of its resources to address medical ethics and human rights issues. It adopted the Declaration of Helsinki in June 1964 which addressed the protection of individuals in clinical trials. The use of placebos assumes an important role in this document. Five Revisions of the Declaration of Helsinki have occurred and the most recent was adopted in October 2000. The provisions on placebo are now in Paragraph 29 which reads as follows: “The benefit, risks, burdens and effectiveness of a new method should be tested against those of the best current prophylactic, diagnostic and therapeutic methods. This does not exclude the use of placebo, or no treatment, in studies where no proven prophylactic, diagnostic or therapeutic methods exists.” The reactions to the newly revised version of the Declaration of Helsinki were numerous and rapid, not the least of which was the paragraph I quoted above. At the direction of the WMA Council, a small group of experts together with the WMA workgroup studied the Paragraph 29 to ensure that no ethically sound research was being restricted by the revision. The outcome was approved by the Council and later the WMA General Assembly in October 2000. This gives a note of clarification as to the appropriate use of placebos. Numerous papers and statements over the last several years have described positions very much in line with the Note of Clarification cited above. This paper was presented at an international conference, “Placebo: Its Action and Place in Health Research Today,” held in Warsaw, Poland on 12–13 April, 2003.     

Current directions in visual working memory research: An introduction and emerging insights

Visual working memory (VWM) is a core construct in the cognitive (neuro‐)sciences, assumed to serve as a hub for information exchange and thus supporting a multitude of cognitive functions related to processing visual information. Here, we give an introduction into key terms and paradigms and an overview of ongoing debates in the field, to which the articles collected in this Special Issue on ‘Current Directions in Visual Working Memory Research’ contribute. Our aim is to extract, from this overview, some ‘emerging’ theoretical insights concerning questions such as the optimal way to examine VWM, which types of mental representations contribute to performance on VWM tasks, and how VWM keeps features from the same object together and apart from features of concurrently maintained objects (the binding problem).     

Children's living arrangements following separation and divorce: insights from empirical and clinical research

When parents separate, children typically enter into new living arrangements with each parent in a pattern determined most often by one or both parents or, failing private agreement, as a result of recommendations and decisions by lawyers, therapists, custody evaluators, or family courts. Most of these decisions have been based on cultural traditions and beliefs regarding postseparation parenting plans, visitation guidelines adopted within jurisdictions, unsubstantiated theory, and strongly held personal values and professional opinions, and have resulted since the 1960s in children spending most of their time with one residential parent and limited time with nonresident, or "visiting," parents. A large body of social science and child development research generated over the past three decades has identified factors associated with risk and resiliency of children after divorce. Such research remains largely unknown and untapped by parents and professionals making these crucial decisions about children's living arrangements. This article highlights empirical and clinical research that is relevant to the shape of children's living arrangements after separation, focusing first on what is known about living arrangements following divorce, what factors influence living arrangements for separated and divorced children, children's views about their living arrangements, and living arrangements associated with children's adjustment following divorce. Based on this research, it is argued that traditional visiting patterns and guidelines are, for the majority of children, outdated, unnecessarily rigid, and restrictive, and fail in both the short and long term to address their best interests. Research-based parenting plan models offering multiple options for living arrangements following separation and divorce more appropriately serve children's diverse developmental and psychological needs.