An fMRI investigation into the effect of preceding stimuli during visual oddball tasks

FAJKUS, Jiří, Michal MIKL, Daniel Joel SHAW and Milan BRÁZDIL. An fMRI investigation into the effect of preceding stimuli during visual oddball tasks. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. AMSTERDAM: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV, 2015, vol. 251, August, p. 56-61. ISSN 0165-0270. doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2015.05.005.

Basic information

• Original name: An fMRI investigation into the effect of preceding stimuli during visual oddball tasks
• Authors: FAJKUS, Jiří (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Michal MIKL (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Daniel Joel SHAW (826 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, belonging to the institution) and Milan BRÁZDIL (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution).
• Edition: Journal of Neuroscience Methods, AMSTERDAM, ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV, 2015, 0165-0270.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 30000 3. Medical and Health Sciences
• Country of publisher: Netherlands
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• Impact factor: Impact factor: 2.053
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14740/15:00084727
• Organization unit: Central European Institute of Technology
• Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2015.05.005
• UT WoS: 000358631700007
• Keywords in English: fMRI; Oddball; Stimulus sequence; Target; Parametric modulation; Attention
• Tags: EL OK, podil, rivok
• Tags: International impact, Reviewed

Abstract

Background: This study investigates the modulatory effect of stimulus sequence on neural responses to novel stimuli. A group of 34 healthy volunteers underwent event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a three-stimulus visual oddball task, involving randomly presented frequent stimuli and two types of infrequent stimuli targets and distractors. New method: We developed a modified categorization of rare stimuli that incorporated the type of preceding rare stimulus, and analyzed the event-related functional data according to this sequence categorization; specifically, we explored hemodynamic response modulation associated with increasing rare-to-rare stimulus interval. Results: For two consecutive targets, a modulation of brain function was evident throughout posterior midline and lateral temporal cortex, while responses to targets preceded by distractors were modulated in a widely distributed fronto-parietal system. As for distractors that follow targets, brain function was modulated throughout a set of posterior brain structures. For two successive distractors, however, no significant modulation was observed, which is consistent with previous studies and our primary hypothesis. Comparison with existing methods: The addition of the aforementioned technique extends the possibilities of conventional oddball task analysis, enabling researchers to explore the effects of the whole range of rare stimuli intervals. Conclusion: This methodology can be applied to study a wide range of associated cognitive mechanisms, such as decision making, expectancy and attention. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Links

• ED1.1.00/02.0068, research and development project: Name: CEITEC - central european institute of technology