IMPRS CoNI Summer School 2024
Programme
Timezone: BST
Monday, 9 September 2024
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08:15–08:55 |
Registration at Basement Lecture Theatre, 33 Queen Square |
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09.00–09:30 |
Welcome and Introduction:
Patrick Haggard
Basement Lecture Theatre, 33 Queen Square
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09:30–13:00 |
Session I: Interaction and Communication |
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09:30–10:15 |
Gabriella Vigliocco
Language develops - and presumably has evolved - in face-to-face contexts in which the speech is always accompanied by an ensemble of bodily signals (e.g., gestures, eyegaze) temporally and semantically linked to it. Yet, as adults, we come to master language use regardless of whether these bodily signals are present (e.g., listening or reading) and most of our cognitive and neurobiological theories of language only focus on decontextualised processing. I will present studies using both corpus and experimental (EEG) data combined with predictions from different (large) language models that show: (a) speakers combine verbal and non-verbal signals in a way that ensures efficient communication; (b) comprehenders (both L1 and L2) dynamically integrate linguistic and non-linguistic signals in language processing; (c) comprehenders may process differently speech presented in audio-only or audiovisual contexts. These studies illustrate the usefulness of bringing together insights from naturalist and experimental data and show how the brain dynamically tunes to whatever (linguistic and non-linguistic) information is available to ensure communicative success and efficiency.
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| 10:15–11:00 |
Giorgia Silani
Human behavior is motivated not only by primary rewards (such as food), but also by rewards of social nature (such as approval). In the last decade, a fundamental challenge has been to understand the different aspects involved in reward processing. While animal research has clearly established "wanting" and "liking" as two components differing on the neurobiological and neurochemical level, corresponding research in humans is less conclusive. The present talk addresses this gap of knowledge by testing: a) whether "wanting" and "liking" can be dissociated in humans on the behavioral and neurochemical level for non-social and social rewards; and b) whether such components are differently impaired in conditions such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). By employing a novel behavioral paradigm in combination with pharmacological manipulations (i.e. dopamine and opioid antagonists), we first aimed at differentially modulating wanting and liking. Subsequently, the same paradigm combined with fMRI was used to investigate reward processing in individuals with ASD compared to neurotypical controls. The overall findings are discussed in light of the current theories of reward processing and social motivation in particular.
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11:00–11:30 |
Coffee Break, Foyer Room, 33 Queen Square |
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11:30–12:15 |
INSERM U960 & Institut de Sciences Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France The ability to swiftly and accurately respond to others' non-verbal signals, such as their emotional expressions, constitutes one of the building blocks for social adaptation. It is debated whether rapid action tendencies to socio-emotional signals solely depend upon stimulus-evoked pre-decisional motor bias or can also engage goal-directed processes, based on the predicted consequence of each available action. Here, we tackle the contribution of goal-directed processes to emotional behaviours during free-choice tasks. In a first step, by using drift-diffusion models of choice and electroencephalography to investigate the impact of task-irrelevant threat-signalling individuals on spontaneous approach-avoidance decisions, we revealed that avoidance tendencies depend upon a rapid value-based competition between existing action plans. In a second step, we took advantage of VR to manipulate the predictability of expected action-outcome in an ecologically-valid socio-emotional context. Our behavioral, computational and physiological results revealed an influence of action-outcome unpredictability over spontaneous avoidance choices. Overall, our results convincingly support the underestimated influence of implicit goal-directed mechanisms in approach-avoidance responses to socio-emotional signals. |
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12:15–13:00 |
Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK As highly social beings, humans engage extensively in interpersonal interaction and communication. We recently proposed that the new field of relational neuroscience is ideally suited to study the neurobiological basis of such interpersonal dynamics that arise from shared social experiences. Situated within the broader realm of second-person social neuroscience, relational neuroscience adopts hyperscanning - i.e., the simultaneous measurement of brain activity in two (or more) individuals to derive a measure of interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) - as its core methodology. In my presentation, I will start with briefly introducing interpersonal closeness and interactivity as the two main dimensions of relational neuroscience and describe how they can be assessed by different hyperscanning experimental setups. I will then explain how INS derived from hyperscanning is embedded within synchrony in other modalities, including physiology, endocrinology and behaviour, and what the latest theoretical considerations are about the meaning and function of INS for interpersonal interaction and communication. Finally, I will show some of the most recent insights of our own hyperscanning research using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in families (mother, father and child) that associate INS with interaction and relationship quality from an attachment theory perspective. |
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13:00–14:30 |
Lunch Break |
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14:30–15:15 |
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK How to Design a Good Experiment |
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15:15–16:00 |
Experimental Design Small Group Workshops Rooms B01, B04, and B10 at Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17-19 Queen Square, and rooms 736, 744, 746, 770, 790, 834, and 836 at Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way
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16:00–16:30 |
Coffee Break, Foyer Room, 33 Queen Square |
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16:30–18:00 |
Experimental Design Small Group Workshops Rooms B01, B04, and B10 at Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17-19 Queen Square, and rooms 736, 744, 746, 770, 790, 834, and 836 at Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way |
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18:30 |
Welcome Reception and Buffet Dinner Upper Terrace & North Cloisters, Wilkins Building, Gower Street |
Tuesday, 10 September 2024
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09:30–13:00 |
Session II: New Challenges in Cognitive NeuroImaging Chair: Patrick Haggard
Basement Lecture Theatre, 33 Queen Square |
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09:30–10:15 |
Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Center, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Today only seven percent of the subcortical structures listed by the Federative Community on Anatomical Terminology (FCAT, 1998) are depicted in available standard MRI-atlases (Forstmann et al., 2017). As a consequence, the remaining 423 subcortical structures cannot be studied using automated analysis protocols available for MRI and therefore require trained anatomists for the study of subcortical brain areas: The human subcortex is notoriously difficult to visualize and analyze with functional magnetic resonance imaging.
In this talk, I will first present technical advances that allow charting terra incognita; the human subcortex. Next, I will give a concrete example of how joint modeling of brain and behavior can be used to test the functional role of cortico-basal ganglia loops in decision making. Finally, I will discuss the emerging possibilities of novel human neuroanatomical approaches and directions for the incorporation of these data within the field of model-based cognitive neuroscience.
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| 10:15–11:00 |
Functional Imaging Laboratory, University College London, UK
To date, the neuronal instantiation of natural cognition and behaviour has eluded detailed scrutiny. In large part this is because of our inability to precisely measure neuronal processing from the whole brain while people behave naturally in everyday settings. Studying neuronal activity in real-world settings requires experimental paradigms that enable adults and children to move and participate in dynamic, multisensory environments, as well as the methods to analyse the rich data that result. To overcome these barriers, we are establishing a Discovery Research Platform for Naturalistic Neuroimaging. In this talk I will present proof-of-principle studies demonstrating the potential of wearable MEG technology, which utilises novel optically-pumped magnetometer (OPM) sensors, to transform our ability to study neuronal processes during movement. This approach delivers excellent temporal resolution, coupled with very good spatial resolution, even during substantial head movement. It can also detect signals from deep brain structures such as the hippocampus and cerebellum. I will illustrate how virtual reality can further improve our capacity to study individuals going about their everyday lives by merging realism with experimental control. Finally, I will discuss recent advances in hierarchical dynamic generative models that can be applied to diverse behavioural and neuroimaging data, and highlight their impact for future research.
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11:00–11:30 |
Coffee Break, Foyer Room, 33 Queen Square |
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11:30–12:15 |
MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK
Three decades of brain imaging consistently link the organization of thoughts and behaviour to circumscribed regions within the association cortices, commonly known as domain-general or multiple-demand (MD) regions. However, the imprecision of classical fMRI has impeded our understanding of how MD regions interact with distributed brain circuits. To address this challenge, we turned to the high-resolution multimodal MRI acquisition and analysis approaches of the Human Connectome Project (HCP). I will explain the advances in HCP approaches, demonstrating that they are nearly three times more effective than traditional fMRI methods. Next, I will discuss how this new level of precision suggests a novel framework for cognitive control. Unlike the broad differentiations commonly seen in lesion studies and functional imaging investigations, this framework shows that partially-specialized circuits work together with neighbouring MD areas to generate distinct cognitive functions.
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12:15–13:00 |
Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
Often people believe to be “free” when deciding between different choice options. Ever since the pioneering work of Benjamin Libet, neuroimaging studies have repeatedly shown that it is possible to partially predict the outcome of subjectively free decisions from brain activity – even before people believe to be making up their mind. It has also been debated whether this poses a challenge to the notion of free will. In this brief presentation I will discuss three points that have contaminated the debate on free will between neuroscientists and philosophers: (1) What exactly does neuroimaging reveal about the link between prior brain activity and subsequent choices? Does it support a deterministic model of choice preparation? (2) Do simple and seemingly random laboratory decisions really capture people’s intuitions about free choices? (3) Are there other neuroscientific challenges to free will, beyond the demonstration of choice-predictive brain signals?
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13:00–15:00 |
Lunch Break and Experimental Design Small Group Work Rooms B01, B04, and B10 at Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17-19 Queen Square, and rooms 736, 744, 746, 770, 790, 834, and 836 at Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way |
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15:00–16:15 |
Lab Tours/Workshops |
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16:15–16:45 |
Coffee Break, Jeffrey Hall Foyer, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way |
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16:45–17:45 |
Poster Session I, Jeffrey Hall, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way |
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17:45–18:45 |
Poster Session II, Jeffrey Hall, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way |
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19:00 |
Free Evening Opportunity to Continue Small Group Work |
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23:59 |
Deadline to Submit Experimental Designs by Email |
Wednesday, 11 September 2024
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09:30–13:00 |
Session III: Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health Chair: Oliver Robinson Basement Lecture Theatre, 33 Queen Square |
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09:30–10:15 |
Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, Division of Medicine, University College London, UK
Survival across animal species depends on the ability to generate appropriate responses to imminent threats. The adaptive control of these responses becomes crucial following injur, signalled by the presence of pain. While hypersensitivity to pain acts as a protective mechanism for an injured site, reducing the risk of further damage, the broader impact of tonic pain on behavioural strategies is less clear. It is yet to be determined whether such pain influences a wider range of behavioural choices in response to environmental challenges. Here, we describe interactions between tonic pain, the pursuit of safety, and sensitivity to threats. We investigate the neural basis of these adaptive processes through precise chemogenetic and optogenetic manipulations in the mouse cortex. Our findings suggest that cortex plays key roles in linking pain and sensory processing with adaptive behaviours critical for survival.
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10:15–11:00 |
Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, UK
Our ability to learn about and respond to uncertainty enables us to successfully navigate a complex and uncertain world. However, aberrant responding to uncertainty is a characteristic of many mental health problems, most notable anxiety disorders. I will cover work using computational modelling to uncover the processes used by the human brain to learn about uncertainty, focusing on Bayesian modelling, and outline how these processes may play a role in the development of common mental health problems. These results highlight the benefits of taking a computational modelling approach to break down complex processes into their component parts, and the importance of uncertainty estimation as a transdiagnostic mechanism across a spectrum of mental health problems.
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11:00–11:30 |
Coffee Break , Foyer Room, 33 Queen Square |
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11:30–12:15 |
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques are used to treat depression. We seek to understand how they work, who they work for, and how to make them work better. We combine cognitive tasks with neuroimaging methods to interrogate these questions. In this talk we will present two lines of work. The first aims to test the hypothesis that early reductions in negative bias precede and predict treatment response. We test this hypothesis in a cohort of patients with medication-resistant depression undergoing theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation to prefrontal cortex. We identify acute changes in cognitive and neuroimaging markers that distinguish subsequent mood responders from non-responders. The second aims to test the hypothesis that cognitive deficits in depression can be ameliorated by prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation more effectively when stimulation is applied during learning than when stimulation is applied during rest (as in clinical practice). We test this in a proof-of-concept study in a community sample with high anxiety/depression scores. We show that stimulation during learning can remediate participants’ difficulty in adapting loss learning rates to volatility. In summary, the data offer neurocognitive insights into how stimulation works, who it works for, and how to make it work better.
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12:15–13:00 |
Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
Psychiatric disorders, including alcohol addiction, are among the most common yet still poorly treated human conditions. Developing new treatments requires a better understanding of the etiology of symptoms and the evaluation of novel therapeutic targets in preclinical studies. Recent advancements in our understanding of reinforcement-based cognitive biases (RBCBs) that contribute to the development of psychiatric disorders offer new opportunities for both clinical and preclinical research. During my talk, I will first briefly describe various aspects of reinforcement sensitivity in the development, maintenance, and recurrence of psychiatric disorders. Following this, I will discuss studies investigating RBCBs, their behavioral and pharmacological correlates, and possible interactions between RBCBs and the trajectories of mental dysfunction development. Finally, I will explain how recent translational studies using state-of-the-art animal models can enhance our understanding of the role of reinforcement sensitivity and RBCBs in vulnerability to psychiatric conditions.
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13:00–14:30 |
Lunch Break |
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14:30–16:00 |
Career Choice and Career Planning Inside and Outside of Academia: Panel Discussion and Q&A Session with Alexandra Giorgescu, Guido Orgs, Catherine Perrodin, and Sarah White Room G03, Ground Floor LT, 26 Bedford Way |
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16:00–16:30 |
Coffee Break, 3rd Floor Common Room, 26 Bedford Way |
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16:30–17:15 |
Project Talks and Poster Prizes Room G03, Ground Floor LT, 26 Bedford Way |
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17:15–17:30 |
Final Remarks |