Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
The 4 Australasian Cognitive
Neuroscience Conference
th
28 November to 1 December, 2013
School of Psychology and Psychiatry
Monash University, Melbourne
Conference Sponsors
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Welcome
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
It is our great pleasure to welcome you with open arms to
The 4th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
(ACNC-2013), held at Monash University during 28
November to 1 December 2013. The conference is the
official annual meeting of the Australasian Cognitive
Neuroscience Society (ACNS), which is the major
organisation dedicated to cognitive neuroscience
research in both Australia and New Zealand.
including memory, attention, executive function, clinical,
motor, language, sensation/perception, and social/
emotional. The work to be presented will cover the major
methodologies used in human cognitive neuroscience
research, including MRI, fMRI, EEG, MEG, TMS and
psychophysics. We hope that across this broad range of
scientific work that you will find research that will surprise
and inspire you!
We are delighted to host the conference at Monash
University in Melbourne, which has significantly developed
key strengths in cognitive neuroscience and brain sciences
research. Against the backdrop of a city known for its café
culture and unconventional architecture, we invite you to
experience our exciting scientific program and to also sit
down with friends and colleagues, both old and new, and
forge new collaborative alliances.
Our opening cocktail reception will be held on Thursday
28 November, which follows the opening keynote address,
at our newly established world-class Monash Biomedical
Imaging (MBI) facility on Blackburn Road, Clayton. During
Friday 29 November through to Sunday 1 December, the
conference will be located at the Monash Caulfield campus
to give ease of transportation to and from the conference
via the train. The conference dinner on Saturday
30 November will be held at the historic Melbourne
Town Hall, and promises to be a night to remember with
music, dancing, great company and excellent food.
The 2013 conference has attracted the largest number
of abstract submissions (>220), with over 250 delegates
expected. Our local organising committee has organised a
stimulating program, comprising internationally renowned
keynote speakers, themed symposia, themed oral
presentations (in two parallel streams), as well as
over 130 poster presentations.
The topics are very diverse and showcase the
excellent research conducted not only in this country
but also abroad. The presentations have been grouped
into themes to showcase the broad spectrum of topics,
We are very proud to be your hosts and hope that you enjoy
the Monash University ACNC-2013 conference!
Warmest wishes
Professor Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
and Professor Kim Cornish
Co-Chairs, ACNC-2013 Organising Committee
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
1
ACNC - 2013 Local Organising Committee Members
Professor
Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
Professor Mark Bellgrove
Professor Julie Stout
Professor Gary Egan
Associate Professor
Alex Fornito
Dr Pete Enticott
Dr Tarrant Cummins
Dr Matthew Mundy
2
Professor
Kim Cornish
Ms Tamsyn Van Rheenen
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Ms April Phillpot
Ms Claudine Kraan
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3
Campus Location Maps
Monash Clayton Campus
Howleys Road
83
52
NE
3
9
Normanby Road
NE5
NE2
Gardiner Road
NE
1
NE
4
43
74
8
NE5
201
46
45
47
44
203
NE7
Halls of Residence
CSIRO
CSIRO
Lake
Bayview Avenue
82
level 4
All day ticket
parking
Red Permit
Ground Floor
56
63
26
25
Beddoe Avenue
18
77
13C
14
13E
9
C9
Underpass
12
R in
gR
oa
7
So
d
65
Bus Loop
54
58
220
3a
C1
1
ut
h
67
6
6
68
S1
Baseball
SE1
5 C10
61
Australian
Synchrotron
SE2
SE4
71
SE3
S2
84
57
Oval 1
1
4
8
55
162
62
C2
2
13B
Soccer/Hockey
1
4
11
64
SW2
1
3d
11
13D
13F
13A
3c
3b
15
16
E2
3e
50
10
76
C8
51
20
21
Tennis
courts
Union Road
C3
19
23
17
63
C11
Car pool
parking
Pavillion Way
24
Duerdin Street
85b
E1
Union Loop Road
60
32
Sports
Contractor
parking
31
23
22
60
Loading
zone
53
75
36A
33 32
Ring Road East
Green Chemical
Futures
under
construction
27
160
36
34
30
85a
Hockey/
Soccer
Oval 3
69
Blackburn Road
29
81
Woodside Ave
59
72
35
C5
205
Lake
37
70
28
W2
Hockey
Field
41e
Engineering Road
79P
Building
2
Jock Marshall Reserve
38
80A
Building 1
42
41
Monash
Pool
Ring Road West Inner
40
40
illon
Beddoe Avenue
Ring Road West Outer
Multi-level
Car Park
Building 3
202
Pav
W1
Car pool
parking
Martin Street
42A
N4
N3
N1
80
48
NE8
All day ticket
parking
Multi-level
car park
49
Lake
222
SE5
Wellington Road
free parking area
SE4
73
Entrance
Wellington Rd
PRIN
CES
HIG
HW
AY
Wellington Rd
Mannix 10
College
218
To 195 Wellington Rd
Key to car parking
1
3 hour
3 hour 1 /12 1hour
/2 hour 1 hour
Red Red Yellow Yellow Blue Blue GreenGreen Brown
Brown ticket
Motor
ticket
ticket
ticket non-ticket
permit permitpermitpermitpermitpermit permit
permit permit
permit parking
cycles
parking parking
parking parking
Travelling to MBI (Monash
Biomedical Imaging)
770 Blackburn Road, Clayton
AccessMotor
ability
cycles
parking
Residential authorised
Residential
Disabled authorised
parking
Services Carpool
parking
Services
parking
parking
only
parking
only
parking
Metropolitan Bus number 703 travels along
Blackburn Road.
Parking
Parking is available at the front of MBI.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Security bus route
and stop numbers
Map by Design and Publishing
April 2013
Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI) is located
at Building 220 on the Clayton campus of the
university at 770 Blackburn Road, immediately
adjacent to the Australian Synchrotron.
(Melways Map 70 F10).
Bus
4
RACV Pick
up points
(check signs for latest information)
Burke Road
Douglas Street
Epping Street
Turner Street
871
Dandenong
Road
Bates Street
To St Kilda
and City
Finch Street
Clarence Street
Monash Caulfield Campus
Waverley Road
Waverley Road
Princes Highway (Dandenong Road)
P r in c
J
carpark
an
on
as
hD
r iv
Sir
by
Smith
Ro
Ca
ad
Street
Members No.1 car park, entry from
the western side of Smith Street.
Ta
x
ulfi
eld
i ra
Ra
Ticket
Pay andparking
display
Princes
Avenue
nk
ilw
on
ash
ay
Central Common
S
Chisholm
Hall
Dr
Walkway (level 2)
i ve
N
Moama Rd
To Clayton
campus and
Dandenong
E
C
D
h
M
ew
s
Tennis
courts
Ro
ad
Avenue
as
g
d
on
on
Roa
M
Sir John Monash Drive
en
n by
East Caulfield Reserve
Accessability
parking
Carpool
parking
MRC Guineas
Car Park
Travelling to Monash
Caulfield campus
900 Dandenong Road
(Princes Hwy), Caulfield East
Blue
permit
parking
Queens
Yearly contractor
parking
Key to car parking
Contractor
parking
Ardrie Rd
)
nd
ma
(check signs for latest information)
Ticket
machine
parking
ad
To
Ticket
machine
parking
Green
permit
Ro
Walkway
(level 2)
B
Footbridge (level 2)
Nor
Car Pool
Blue
parking
permit
ng
Walkway (level 2)
K
T
Area 1 Yellow
Red
parking permit
permit
no
F
Library
and Campus
Administration/
information
Ac
Sta
sta cess
tio to
ti o
n v cam
ia u p
n
nd us fr
erg om
rou ra
nd ilw
wa ay
lkw
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Caulfield Racecourse
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an
exit
only
Student
Union
Joh
y (D
Da
Station Street
parking
Main
entrance
e
Queens Avenue
M
hw a
G
Carpool
n
Caulfield Plaza
Shopping
Centre
es H
ig
Ticket machine parking
rm
oh
in basem
ent
No
rJ
Derby Road
Si
Child
Care
Centre
H
Burke Road
Dandenong Road
Map by Design and Publishing
January 2013
Dudley Street
Caulfield – Parking
Parking for visitors who do not have a permit
Multi-level car park Building J – Level 7 only for parking over
1.5 hours.
Train
Period
A$
Cranbourne, Dandenong, Frankston or Pakenham
line train to Caulfield Station, next to Caulfield campus.
2 hours
4.40
4 hours
8.80
6 hours
13.20
8 hours/all day
17.00
Tram
Number 3 tram from Swanston Street in Melbourne to
Caulfield Station, via St Kilda Junction.
Bus
624: Kew, Auburn Station, Caulfield Station, Chadstone
Shopping Centre, Holmesglen TAFE, Oakleigh Station.
900: Stud Park Shopping Centre, Waverley Park, Clayton
campus, Huntingdale Station, Oakleigh Station, Chadstone
Shopping Centre, Caulfield Station.
No on site parking for visitors.
Street parking is available – please check parking signs with
stated restrictions.
Parking for visitors who do have a permit
Monash Clayton parking permits are valid at the Caulfield
campus Building J, but only during the off-semester
timetable. As ACNC is during an off-semester time,
staff are allowed to park using their permit.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
5
Conference Program
9:00
Thursday 28 November
Friday 29 November
VENUE: Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI),
770 Blackburn Road, Clayton
VENUE: Monash University, Caulfield Campus (Building K),
900 Dandenong Road (Princes Hwy), Caulfield East
Cognitive and Imaging Genetics
pre-conference workshop
(8.30 am – 12 pm, MBI Auditorium)
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Symposium
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Allison Fox
9.00 Kim Cornish
9.20 Virginia Slaughter
9.40 Sarah Whittle
10.00 Megan Spencer-Smith 10:30
11:00
Morning Tea Parallel Session 1:
MEMORY
Parallel Session 2:
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION 1
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Matthew Mundy
Chair: Mark Williams
11.00
11.15
11.30
11.45
12.00
12.15
12:30
Sylvia Hach
Oliver Baumann
Maria Pyasik
Marshall Dalton
Kate Hoy
Paul Maruff
11.00
11.15
11.30
11.45
12.00
12.15
Erin Cvejic
Caroline Gurvich
Jutta Stahl
Li Peng Evelyn Chen
Alexandra Woolgar
Peter Evans
Lunch 13:00
13:30
Advances in Brain Imaging
pre-conference workshop
(1.30 pm – 5.30 pm, MBI Auditorium)
Parallel Session 3:
CLINICAL
Parallel Session 4:
ATTENTION
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Julie Stout
Chair: Kim Cornish
13.30
13.45
14.00
14.15
14.30
14.45
Melissa Hughes
Anne-Marie Ternes
Emma Schleiger
Hayley Caulfield
Olivia Carter
Erica Neill
13.30
13.45
14.00
14.15
14.30
14.45
James Danckert
Dion Henare
Alexander Puckett
Katherine Johnson
Jeroen Van Boxtel
Knarik Tamaryan
13:45
15:00
16:30
17:00
Keynote: Professor Lynn Robertson
Registration: MBI – Foyer Area
17:30
18:00
Poster Session 1, Afternoon Tea
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321, Chair: Ross Cunnington
ECR Panel Discussion
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Panel Members: Alex Fornito, Oliver Baumann, Kate Hoy, Caroline Gurvich
Welcome Address:
Professor Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
Keynote: Professor Cameron Carter
Chair: Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
(MBI Auditorium)
19:00
6
Opening cocktail reception
MBI – Foyer Area
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Saturday 30 November
Sunday 1 December VENUE: Monash University, Caulfield Campus (Building K),
900 Dandenong Road (Princes Hwy), Caulfield East
VENUE: Monash University, Caulfield Campus (Building K),
900 Dandenong Road (Princes Hwy), Caulfield East
Perception and Memory Symposium
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Cognitive Control Symposium
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Jason Mattingley
Chair: Alex Fornito
9.00
9.20
9.40
10.00
Gillian Rhodes
Matthew Mundy
Olivier Piguet
Donna Rose Addis
Morning Tea 10:30
Morning Tea Parallel Session 5:
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL
Parallel Session 6:
SENSATION/PERCEPTION
Parallel Session 9:
LANGUAGE
Parallel Session 10:
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Peter Enticott
Chair: Paul Corballis
Chair: Gail Robinson
Chair: Gary Egan
11.00 Ian Kirk
11.15 Cherie Strikwerda-Brown
11.30 Amy Datyner
11.45 Bernadette Fitzgibbon
12.00 Melissa Kirkovski
12.15 Aimee Mavratzakis
11.00
11.15
11.30
11.45
12.00
12.15
11.00
11.15
11.30
11.45
12.00
12.15
Lunch 9:00
Chris Chambers
Stefan Bode
Frini Karayanidis
Allison Fox
9.00
9.20
9.40
10.00
Nichola Burton
Colin Clifford
Anina Rich
Rick van der Zwan
Tim Paris
Mark Schira
Lauren Hollier
Eric Tan
Vanessa Siffredi
Linden Parkes
Reece Roberts
Paula Speer
11:00
FRONTIER TECHNOLOGIES
11.00
11.15
11.30
11.45
12.00
12.15
Wojtek Goscinski
Nicole Mckay
Kiley Seymour
Joanne Ong
Giacomo Novembre
Blake Johnson
Lunch 12:30
ACNS Annual General Meeting
13:00
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321; Chair: Ross Cunnington
Parallel Session 7:
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION 2
Parallel Session 8:
MOTOR
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Frini Karayanidis
Chair: Rick van der Zwan
Marta Garrido
Nigel Rogasch
James Shine
Tamsyn Van Rheenan
Nellie GeorgiouKaristianis
14.45 Dominic Dwyer
13.30
13.45
14.00
14.15
14.30
14.45
13.30
13.45
14.00
14.15
14.30
13:30
Sharna Jamadar
Claudine Kraan
Tzu-Ying Yu
Jeff Bednark
Juan Dominguez
Vinh Nguyen
Conference closes, prizes announced
Poster Session 2, Afternoon Tea
Keynote: Professor Jason Mattingley
13:45
15:00
16:30
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321; Chair: Mark Bellgrove
17:00
17:30
18:00
7.30 PM – Conference Dinner
19:00
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
7
Day 1 | Thursday 28 November Venue
9:00
Monash Biomedical Imaging (MBI), 770 Blackburn Road, Clayton
Cognitive and Imaging Genetics pre-conference workshop (Location: MBI Auditorium)
(8.30 am – 12 pm)
Advances in Brain Imaging pre-conference workshop (Location: MBI Auditorium)
(1.30 pm – 5.30 pm)
17:00
Registration
MBI – Foyer Area
18:00
Welcome Address: Professor Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
Keynote: Professor Cameron Carter
Chair: Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
(Location: MBI Auditorium)
19:00
Opening cocktail reception
MBI – Foyer Area
International Invited Keynote Speaker
Professor Cameron Carter
University of California Davis, USA
Professor Cameron Carter is a
native of Western Australia where
he attended medical school at the
University of Western Australia. He
completed his psychiatry residency
training at the University of California
at Davis. After an initial 4 years as
a Faculty at UC Davis he moved to
the University of Pittsburgh where he
obtained advanced training in cognitive
neuroscience and neuroimaging.
In 2003 he returned to UC Davis to
establish a new Imaging Research
Center along with a clinical research
and early intervention program at the
University. Dr Carter conducts basic
research into the neural mechanisms of
cognitive control as well as clinical and
translational research in schizophrenia
and other neurodevelopmental
disorders. His research uses modeling
8
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
and behavioral methods as well as
fMRI and EEG/ERP’s and focuses
on understanding the neural basis
of healthy cognition and on the
pathophysiology of disturbances in
higher cognition and emotion in mental
disorders such as schizophrenia,
bipolar disorder and autism. His goal is
to provide an increased understanding
of the nature and causes of these
common disorders and though this
new knowledge to contribute to the
development of new diagnostic tools
and more effective therapies. Dr Carter
is presently Professor of Psychiatry
and Psychology at The University of
California at Davis, where he directs
the Center for Neuroscience, the
Imaging Research Center, and the
Early Psychosis Research Programs.
Day 2 | Friday 29 November Venue
9:00
Monash University, Caulfield Campus (Building K), 900 Dandenong Road (Princes Hwy), Caulfield East
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Symposium (Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321)
Chair: Allison Fox
9.00 Professor Kim Cornish
9.20 Professor Virginia Slaughter
9.40 Dr Sarah Whittle
10.00 Dr Megan Spencer-Smith
10:30
11:00
Morning Tea Parallel Session 1: MEMORY
Parallel Session 2: EXECUTIVE FUNCTION 1
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Mattew Mundy
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Mark Williams
11.00 Sylvia Hach
11.15 Oliver Baumann
11.30 Maria Pyasik
11.00 Erin Cvejic
11.15 Caroline Gurvich
11.30 Jutta Stahl
11.45 Marshall Dalton
12.00 Kate Hoy
12.15 Paul Maruff
12:30
13:30
15:00
11.45 Li Peng Evelyn Chen
12.00 Alexandra Woolgar
12.15 Peter Evans
Lunch Parallel Session 3: CLINICAL
Parallel Session 4: ATTENTION
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Julie Stout
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Kim Cornish
13.30 Melissa Hughes
13.45 Anne-Marie Ternes
14.00 Emma Schleiger
13.30 James Danckert
13.45 Dion Henare
14.00 Alexander Puckett
14.15 Hayley Caulfield
14.30 Olivia Carter
14.45 Erica Neill
14.15 Katherine Johnson
14.30 Jeroen Van Boxtel
14.45 Knarik Tamaryan
Poster Session 1, Afternoon Tea
16:30
Keynote: Professor Lynn Robertson (Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321) – Chair: Ross Cunnington
17:30
Early Career Researchers Panel Discussion (Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321)
Panel: Alex Fornito, Oliver Baumann, Kate Hoy, Caroline Gurvich
International Invited Keynote Speaker
Professor Lynn Robertson
University of California, Berkeley, USA
Lynn C Robertson has been studying
cognitive and neurobiological aspects
of attention and spatial vision since the
1980s. Her work has been consistently
motivated by questions arising from
neuropsychological syndromes that
distort spatial vision or can omit parts
of space entirely from the computation
of objects within a display. She has
explored fundamentals of perceptual
organization, selective attention,
visual search, feature binding, face
and object perception and global/
local perception. Her current work
is focused on visual search, binding
mechanisms and their neural
relationships as well as the early
extraction of information from a visual
display that provides the overall “gist”
(e.g., ensemble encoding). Lynn
received her PhD from the University of
California, Berkeley in 1980. She then
took positions as a Research Scientist
for the United States Veteran’s
Administration and as an Assistant
Professor in the Neurology Department
at the University of California, Davis.
She was a founding member of the
Center for Neurosciences at Davis in
1993. In 1998, she returned to the
University of California, Berkeley in
the Department of Psychology as a
faculty member where she remains.
She received a Research Career
Scientist award from the Department
of Veteran’s Affairs in 1993 where she
continues to study the effects of brain
injury on cognition.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
9
Day 3 | Saturday 30 November
Venue
9:00
Monash University, Caulfield Campus (Building K), 900 Dandenong Road (Princes Hwy), Caulfield East
Perception and Memory Symposium
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321 – Chair: Jason Mattingley
9.00 Gillian Rhodes
9.40 Olivier Piguet
9.20 Matthew Mundy
10.00 Donna Rose Addis
10:30
11:00
Morning Tea Parallel Session 5: SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL
Parallel Session 6: SENSATION/PERCEPTION
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321 – Chair: Peter Enticott
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309 – Chair: Paul Corballis
11.00 Ian Kirk
11.45 Bernadette Fitzgibbon
11.15 Cherie Strikwerda-Brown 12.00 Melissa Kirkovski
11.30 Amy Datyner
12.15 Aimee Mavratzakis
11.00 Nichola Burton
11.15 Colin Clifford
11.30 Anina Rich
12:30
13:30
15:00
11.45 Rick van der Zwan
12.00 Tim Paris
12.15 Mark Schira
Lunch Parallel Session 7: EXECUTIVE FUNCTION 2
Parallel Session 8: MOTOR
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321 – Chair: Frini Karayanidis
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309 – Chair: Rick van der Zwan
13.30 Marta Garrido
13.45 Nigel Rogasch
14.00 James Shine
13.30 Sharna Jamadar
13.45 Claudine Kraan
14.00 Tzu-Ying Yu
14.15 Tamsyn Van Rheenan
14.30 Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
14.45 Dominic Dwyer
14.15 Jeff Bednark
14.30 Juan Dominguez
14.45 Vinh Nguyen
Poster Session 2, Afternoon Tea
16:30
Keynote: Professor Jason Mattingley – Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321 – Chair: Mark Bellgrove
19:00
7.30 PM – Conference Dinner – Melbourne Town Hall
National Invited Keynote Speaker
Professor Jason Mattingley
University of Queensland, Australia
Professor Jason Mattingley is Foundation
Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at
The University of Queensland, where
he holds joint appointments at the
Queensland Brain Institute and School
of Psychology. He completed his PhD
at Monash University in 1995, before
moving to the University of Cambridge as
a National Health and Medical Research
Council post-doctoral fellow. Professor
Mattingley is interested in understanding
the mechanisms of selective attention,
in health and disease, with a particular
focus on how attentional processes
influence multisensory integration,
motor planning, neural plasticity and
consciousness. He has published
more than 200 journal articles and
book chapters. His work has appeared
in many of the worlds top scientific
journals, including Science, Nature,
10 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Neuron, Current Biology and Nature
Neuroscience. Professor Mattingley
currently sits on the editorial boards of
several international journals, including
Cognitive Neuroscience, Cortex, and
Neuropsychologia. His research is funded
by grants from both the Australian
Research Council and the National Health
and Medical Research Council. In 2012
he was awarded a prestigious Australian
Research Council Laureate Fellowship.
Professor Mattingley has received Early
Career Awards from the Academy of
Social Sciences in Australia and the
Australian Psychological Society. In 2007
he was elected a Fellow of the Academy
of Social Sciences in Australia, and in
2012 he was awarded the Australian
Psychological Society’s Distinguished
Contribution to Psychological Science
Award.
Day 4 | Sunday 1 December
Venue
9:00
Monash University, Caulfield Campus (Building K), 900 Dandenong Road (Princes Hwy), Caulfield East
Cognitive Control Symposium
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Alex Fornito
9.00
9.20
9.40
10.00
Chris Chambers
Stefan Bode
Frini Karayanidis
Allison Fox
10:30
11:00
Morning Tea Parallel Session 9: LANGUAGE
Parallel Session 10: FRONTIER TECHNOLOGIES
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Gail Robinson
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Gary Egan
11.00
11.15
11.30
11.45
12.00
12.15
Lauren Hollier
Eric Tan
Vanessa Siffredi
Linden Parkes
Reece Roberts
Paula Speer
11.00
11.15
11.30
11.45
12.00
12.15
12:30
13:00
13:45
Wojtek Goscinski
Nicole Mckay
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Joanne Ong
Giacomo Novembre
Blake Johnson
Lunch ACNS Annual General Meeting – Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321 – Chair: Ross Cunnington
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The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
11
Symposium and Parallel Sessions
FRI
29
NOV
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Symposium
Chair: Allison Fox
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
9.00
The impact of attentional constraints on shaping early cognitive trajectories: looking through the
lens of neurodevelopmental disorders?
Professor Kim Cornish
9.20
Is the human mirror system operational at birth?
Professor Virginia Slaughter
9.40
Positive parenting predicts the development of adolescent neural reward circuitry: A longitudinal study
Dr Sarah Whittle
10.00
Predictors of future mathematical performance in children: cognition, behaviour and brain structure
Dr Megan Spencer-Smith
Parallel Session 1 – Memory
Parallel Session 2 – Executive Function
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Matthew Mundy
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Mark Williams
11.00
Divergent right hippocampus-mediated
networks during autobiographical event
generation in major depression
Sylvia Hach, Lynette Tippett and Donna Addis
Genetic and inflammatory correlates of
neurocognitive performance during naturallyoccurring infective illness
Erin Cvejic, Andrew Lloyd and Ute Vollmer-Conna
11.15
Negative emotional experiences during navigation
enhance parahippocampal place memory
Oliver Baumann, Edgar Chan, Mark Bellgrove and
Jason Mattingley
Prefrontal and striatal dopamine influence
cognitive control: gene-gene and gene-gender
interactions
Caroline Gurvich and Susan Rossell
11.30
Visual working memory in people with
stuttering: ERP study
Maria Pyasik, Stanislav Kozlovskiy, Alexander
Vartanov and Janna Glozman
Error detection in a force-production task:
Testing the force-unit monitoring model
Jutta Stahl, Anne Bierbrauer, Jan Gommann,
Kilian Lenk and Stefan Bode
11.45
A tale of two hemispheres: Do the left and
right medial temporal lobes play different roles
in perception and recognition of verbal and
non-verbal stimuli?
Marshall Dalton, Michael Hornberger, John Hodges
and Olivier Piguet
Control over immediate reward: A fMRI study
of inhibitory control over monetary reward
Li Peng Evelyn Chen, Robert Hester and Kathleen
Charles-Walsh
12.00
Testing the limits: Investigating the effect of
tDCS dose on cognitive performance in healthy
controls and patients with schizophrenia
Kate Hoy, Sara Arnold, Melanie Emonson, Richard
Thomson, Zafiris Daskalakis and Paul Fitzgerald
Flexible coding of task rules in frontoparietal
cortex
Alexandra Woolgar, Soheil Afshar, Mark Williams
and Anina Rich
12.15
BDNF, Synaptic Dysfunction and Cognitive
Decline in Pre-Clinical Alzheimer’s Disease:
Development of Biomarkers of Synapse
Function and Cognitive Decline for Synapse
Repair Therapies
Pradeep Nathan, Paul Maruff and Edward Bullmore
The role of error awareness in post-error
adaptive behaviour
Peter Evans and Rob Hester
12.30
Lunch break
12 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
FRI
29
NOV
13.30
13.45
Parallel Session 3 – Clinical
Parallel Session 4 – Attention
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Julie Stout
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Kim Cornish
Neurocognitive Predictors of Risky Driving in
Young People – Western Australia
What do failures of prism adaptation tell us
about the disorder of neglect?
Melissa Hughes and Julie Stout
James Danckert
Concurrent motor and cognitive functioning in
multiple sclerosis: A motor overflow and motor
stability study
Localising the Electrophysiological Indices of
Lateralised Attentional Processes
Anne-Marie Ternes, Joanne Fielding,
Patricia Addamo, Owen White and
Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
14.00
14.15
14.30
14.45
Dion Henare and Paul Corballis
Prognosticating Post-Stroke Cognitive Deficits
from Pre-Discharge EEG
Measuring the attentional field throughout
human visual cortex
Emma Schleiger, Nabeel Sheikh, Tennille Rowland,
Andrew Wong, Stephen Read and Simon Finnigan
Alexander M. Puckett and Edgar DeYoe
Is the role of facial mimicry in emotion
recognition influenced by differing levels
of autistic traits?
Children born with very low birth weight show
difficulties with sustained attention but not
response inhibition
Hayley Caulfield, Angelika Anderson and
Peter Enticott
Katherine Johnson, Elaine Healy, Barbara Dooley,
Simon Kelly and Fiona McNicholas
The use of pupil dilation to communicate
with locked-in syndrome patients
Distraction by action: higher autism spectrum
quotients, less distraction
Olivia Carter, Josef Stoll, Camille Chatelle, Christof
Koch, Steven Laureys and Wolfgang Einhauser
Jeroen Van Boxtel
The contributions of lower order cognitive
skills to executive function performance in
schizophrenia
Divided attention across complex audio-visual
tasks under conditions of signal interference
Erica Neill and Susan L. Rossell
Knarik Tamaryan and Ramesh Rajan
15.00
Poster Session 1, Afternoon Tea
16.30
Keynote – Professor Lynn Robertson
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
13
Symposium and Parallel Sessions
SAT
30
NOV
Perception and Memory Symposium
Chair: Jason Mattingley
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
9.00
Autistic traits and adaptive coding of face identity
Professor Gillian Rhodes
9.20
Do medial temporal lobe regions play a domain-specific or domain-independent role in perceptual
learning performance?
Dr Matthew Mundy
9.40
Frontotemporal dementia as disease model of episodic memory
Associate Professor Olivier Piguet
10.00
Behavioural and neural correlates of autobiographical memory and future thinking in depression
Associate Professor Donna Rose Addis
Parallel Session 5 – Social/Emotional
Parallel Session 6 – Sensation/Perception
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Peter Enticott
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Paul Corballis
11.00
Evidence of Hyperplasticity in adults with
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Ian Kirk, Jessica Wilson, Danielle Courtney,
Veema Lodhia and Jeff Hamm
Nine-year-old children use norm-based coding
to visually represent facial expression
Nichola Burton, Linda Jeffery, Andy Skinner,
Christopher Benton and Gillian Rhodes
11.15
Functional connectivity of the subgenual
anterior cingulate cortex predicts emerging
depressive symptoms between mid and late
adolescence
Cherie Strikwerda-Brown, Christopher Davey,
Sarah Whittle, Nicholas Allen and Ben Harrison
Orientation anisotropies early in human visual
cortex depend on contrast
Colin Clifford and Ryan Maloney
11.30
The development of empathy in infancy:
insights from the rapid facial mimicry response
Amy Datyner, Jenny Richmond and Julie Henry
Visually perceiving odour: insights into olfactory
synaesthesia
Anina Rich, Alex Russell and Richard Stevenson
11.45
An rTMS study of social rejection: Effect of
trait empathy
Bernadette Fitzgibbon, Melissa Kirkovski,
Amity Green, Naomi Eisenberger, Paul Fitzgerald
and Peter Enticott
Face Space: Facial dominance aftereffects
exist and they are not sex-tuned
Rick van der Zwan, Elise Morris and Anna Brooks
12.00
Social processing in autism spectrum disorder:
An fMRI investigation
Melissa Kirkovski, Peter Enticott, Susan Rossell
and Paul Fitzgerald
The suppression of N1 to predicted sounds
depends on attention
Tim Paris, Jeesun Kim and Chris Davis
12.15
We can’t help but think of ourselves:
A simultaneous EEG and EMG study on
the automaticity of Self-referential emotion
processing
Aimee Mavratzakis, Cornelia Herbert and Peter Walla
Towards concrete, in-depth and applicable
predictions of BOLD responses; modelling
the complete cascade from visual stimulus to
neuronal response to vascular hemodynamics
Mark M. Schira, Alexander Puckett, Michael Breakspear
12.30 13.30
Lunch break
14 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
SAT
30
NOV
13.30
Parallel Session 7 – Executive Function
Parallel Session 8 – Motor
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Frini Karayanidis
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Rick van der Zwan
Expected and unexpected uncertainty in the
human hippocampus
Changes in Antisaccade Performance with
Extended Training is Differentially Associated
with Changes in Neural Activity in the
Oculomotor Network
Marta Garrido, Gareth Barnes, Dharshan Kumaran,
Eleanor Maguire and Raymond Dolan
13.45
14.00
14.15
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex network properties
are altered in schizophrenia: a TMS-EEG study
Motor sequence learning in fragile X carrier
females: insights into cerebellar dysfunction?
Nigel Rogasch, Tarek Rajji, Lisa Tran, Neil Bailey,
Bernadette Fitzgibbon, Zafiris Daskalakis and Paul
Fitzgerald
Claudine Kraan, Darren Hocking, John Bradshaw,
Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, Sylvia Metcalfe, Alison
Archibald, Joanne Fielding, Julian Trollor, Jonathan
Cohen and Kim Cornish
A common neural mechanism for visual
hallucinations
Global motion detection, stereopsis, and motor
development are related at the age of 2-years
James Shine, Claire O’Callaghan, Glenda Halliday
and SimonLewis
Tzu-Ying Yu, Judith Ansell, Nicola Anstice, Robert
Jacobs, Nabin Paudel, Trecia Wouldes, Jane Harding
and Benjamin Thompson
The influence of Catechol-O-methyltransferase
on cognition is modulated by bipolar disorder
diagnosis
Shifts in spatial attention predict decisions for
voluntary action
Tamsyn Van Rheenen, Kiymet Bozaoglu and
Susan Rossell
14.30
14.45
16.30
Jeff Bednark, Michelle Steffens and Ross Cunnington
Functional changes during working memory
in Huntington’s disease: 30 month longitudinal
data from the IMAGE-HD study
Multi-Modal Neuroimaging in Premanifest
and Early Huntington’s disease: 30 month
longitudinal data from the IMAGE-HD study
Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, Govinda Poudel,
Juan Dominguez, Marcus Gray, Louisa Salmon,
Andrew Churchyard, Phyllis Chua, Beth Borowsky,
Julie Stout and Gary Egan
Juan Dominguez, Julie Stout, Govinda Poudel,
Louisa Salmon, Andrew Churchyard, Phyllis Chua,
Gary Egan and Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
Brain Network Correlates of Adolescent
Interference Control
Understanding cortical networks involved in
the preparation of voluntary movement using
simultaneous EEG-fMRI
Dominic Dwyer, Ben Harrison, Murat Yucel,
Christos Pantelis, Nicholas Allen and Alex Fornito
15.00
Sharna Jamadar, Beth Johnson, Gary Egan and
Joanne Fielding
Vinh Nguyen, Michael Breakspear and
Ross Cunnington
Poster Session 2, Afternoon Tea
Keynote – Professor Jason Mattingley
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
15
Symposium and Parallel Sessions
SUN
01
DEC
Cognitive Control Symposium
9.00
The effect of proactive motor control on impulsive gambling and eating behaviour
Dr Chambers
9.20
Investigating error processing by decoding patterns of event-related potentials
Dr Stefan Bode
9.40
Rate of age-related decline of cognitive control ability and structural integrity of white matter
Associate Professor Frini Karayanidis
10.00
Chair: Alex Fornito
Location: Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Response conflict and inhibition: Electrophysiological indices elicited during a modified flanker task
Dr Allison Fox
Parallel Session 9 – Language
Parallel Session 10 – Frontier Technologies
Building K, Lecture Theatre K321
Chair: Gail Robinson
Building K, Lecture Theatre K309
Chair: Gary Egan
11.00
The relationship between prenatal testosterone
exposure and hemispheric asymmetry for
language and spatial memory: A prospective
cohort study
Lauren Hollier, Murray Mayber, Jeffrey Keelan,
Martha Hickey and Andrew Whitehouse
MASSIVE: Applications in Neuroscience
Wojtek Goscinski and Gary Egan
11.15
A concurrent examination of neurocognitive
and language impairments in schizophrenia
thought disorder
Eric Tan, Gregory Yelland and Susan Rossell
Variation in the gene coding for BDNF influences
the integrity of white matter tracts within
recognition memory circuits
Nicole Mckay and Ian Kirk
11.30
Language and communication in children with
agenesis of the corpus callosum
Vanessa Siffredi, Alissandra McIlroy, Vicki Anderson,
Richard Leventer, Amanda Wood and Megan
Spencer-Smith
Binding colour to object surfaces in the
human visual cortex
Kiley Seymour, Mark Williams and Anina Rich
11.45
The Bad, the Good, and the Neutral: Emotional
Violations in Affectively Negative Sentences.
An MEG study
Linden Parkes, Conrad Perry and Peter Goodin
Investigating the functional correlates of longterm potentiation (LTP) in the human visual
evoked potential (VEP)
Joanne Ong, Ian J. Kirk and Paul Corballis
12.00
Verbal fluency, clustering, and switching in
PFTBI
Rachel Batty, Andrew Francis, Neil Thomas,
Malcolm Hopwood, Jennie Ponsford and
Susan Rossell
Motor Simulation and Perspective Taking
mediate the Co-Representation and Temporal
Integration of Self and Other in Joint Action.
Evidence from a Musical Paradigm
Giacomo Novembre and Peter Keller
12.15
The Crucial Role of Lexical Content in
Nonfluent Aphasic Sentence Production
Paula Speer and Carolyn Wilshire
A custom-engineered MEG system for
use with cochlear implant recipients
Blake Johnson, Graciela Tesan, David Meng
and Stephen Crain
12.30 13.30
Lunch break
16 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Keynotes
Prefrontal Cortical Circuitry and Cognitive Control
in the Health and Disease
Cameron S Carter
Center for Neuroscience and Imaging Research Center,
University of California at Davis, USA
A growing body of data suggest that while multiple neural
systems in the brain are engaged during cognitive control, a
general purpose dorsal prefrontal/cingulate/parietal network
plays a key role in supporting processing requiring high
levels of control in a manner that cuts across both traditional
domains of executive functions as well as traditional
cognitive processing systems. In this talk I will review the
evidence for this general-purpose system and its specialized
role in managing processing conflict. I will also present new
data using schizophrenia as a model system of impaired
cognitive control. Alternative models of impaired cognition
in the illness, such as disrupted sensory processing, will
be considered and results of fMRI and ERP/EEG studies
that test the generality of impaired cognitive control across
domains of response selection, episodic memory, language
comprehension and emotion processing in the illness. These
data support the domain generality of this network in healthy
individuals and also suggest that a disruption of prefrontal
cortical-based cognitive control systems plays a key role
in higher cognitive function in schizophrenia and contribute
to behavioral disorganization and functional impairment in
the illness. Broader implications of these findings for our
understanding of the neural basis of normal cognition as well
as for the pathophysiology and treatment of schizophrenia
and other psychotic disorders will be discussed.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
17
Keynotes
The World is Visually Bound Together Until it is Not
Lynn C Robertson
University of California, Berkeley, USA
I will give a brief overview of previous work on what has
been termed “the binding problem”, especially focusing
on findings from studies with neurological patients who
have visual-spatial deficits. The questions are how these
deficits influence the world we see and what cognitive
and neural mechanisms support perceptual experience
of a bound world?
There has been a long history of investigation into how
or whether spatial attention is critical for basic feature
integration (e.g., colour, shape, motion, etc), a central
premise of Treisman’s influential feature integration theory.
The neuropsychological literature provides compelling
evidence that integration is effected by spatial deficits.
It also demonstrates that the binding problem can
be a real problem in human perception; not simply a
theoretical concept (although resistance continues to the
present day). TMS evidence from several laboratories
and fMRI evidence from our laboratory have supported
the neuropsychological literature in suggesting the right
parietal lobe, particularly the angular gyrus, as a crucial
part of a frontal-parietal network involved in feature
integration. I will present converging data collected
from patients with Balint’s syndrome and unilateral
visual neglect, TMS studies from neurologically normal
populations and functional imaging data that support this
claim. These studies as a whole suggest that features are
coded early in the visual system and effect behaviour even
when undetected, while binding occurs later in processing
and is more likely to be associated with explicit, conscious
perception.
What can evoked neural oscillations reveal about
visual perception and selective attention?
Jason B Mattingley
Queensland Brain Institute & School of Psychology,
The University of Queensland, Australia
Perceptual, cognitive and motor processes often unfold
over extended time periods, yet many studies in cognitive
neuroscience are designed to measure brain activity in
response to discrete and rather brief psychological events.
Here I discuss various applications of an approach that uses
electroencephalography (EEG) to measure steady-state
evoked potentials (SSEPs) over prolonged timescales, from
seconds to minutes. In a typical SSEP paradigm, several
competing stimuli are flickered continuously, and their unique
neural signatures are recovered from the EEG trace using
frequency-based analyses. We have used such “frequency
tagging” methods to assess various aspects of visual
perception and selective attention, in health and disease. At
the level of early visual perception, we have used frequency
tagging to reveal the neural correlates of amodal completion
of visual surfaces hidden behind occluding objects. We have
used analogous approaches to show that feature-based
attention spreads to ignored locations during conjunction
search, but not during unique feature search, and that this
spread of attention reflects active enhancement of targetcoloured items at irrelevant locations. In more recent work we
have employed frequency tagging to compare the influence
of spatial attention on neural responses to visible and invisible
phase-scrambled targets embedded in dynamic noise. Finally,
we have adapted several of these paradigms to investigate
anomalous visual processing in parietal-lesioned patients
with unilateral spatial neglect, and in macular degeneration
patients suffering from visual hallucinations.
18 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Poster Session 1 | Friday 29 November
001
Perceiving disgust affects cortico-bulbar excitability.
A TMS study
Carmelo Vicario, Sara Borgomaneri, Welber Marinovic,
Ada Kritikos, Stefan Riek, Alessio Avenanti, Robert Rafal
012
Automated segmentation of corpus callosum in
MRI scans: application to tracking Alzheimer’s
disease progression
Babak Ardekani, Sang Han Lee, Alvin Bachman
002
Intrinsic Connectivity in Resting-State Networks
is Related to Antisaccade Task Performance
013
Body Recognition Does Not Mature Earlier in
Development than Face Recognition
Sharna Jamada, Joanne Fielding, Beth Johnson,
Vince Calhoun, Gary Egan
Linda Jeffery, Samantha Bank, Ainsley Read, Gillian Rhodes
003
Allocation of attention to the front of an object
precedes orientation-dependent asymmetries
of the rotation-related negativity
Jordan Searle, Jeff Hamm
004
Risky Decision Making in Strategic and Non-Strategic
Problem Gamblers
Felicity Lorains, Julie Stout, John Bradshaw, Peter Enticott,
Nicki Dowling
005
Adjunctive Glycine Treatment Improves Clinical
Symptoms and Logical Memory Processing in
Patients with Schizophrenia
Amity Green, Paul Fitzgerald, Pat Michie, Patrick Johnston,
Pradeep Nathan, Rodney Croft, Jayashri Kulkarni
014
Do gaze patterns predict mirror neuron activity during
the observation of grasping actions?
Peter Donaldson, Caroline Gurvich, Joanne Fielding, Peter Enticott
015
Genetic associates of a visual endophenotype of autism
and schizophrenia
Patrick Goodbourn, Jenny Bosten, Gary Bargary, Ruth Hogg,
Adam Lawrance-Owen, J. Mollon
016
Investigating the Behavioural Cognition of Rewards
and their Neural Correlates
Stuart Mcgill, Paul Corballis, Douglas Elliffe
018
Reduced V1 activity to local image patches that
are inconsistent with the global scene interpretation
Damien Mannion, Daniel Kersten, Cheryl Olman
006
Does oxytocin have a role in the neurobiology of
Huntington’s disease?
Izelle Labuschagne, Govinda Poudel, Catarina Kordaschia,
Qi-Zhu Wu, Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis, Andrew Churchyard,
Julie Stout
007
Individual variation in local grey matter density of
healthy young volunteers correlates with performance
in perceptual learning
019
The effect of a single dose of Citalopram on motion
direction discrimination
Alice Lagas, Cathy Stinear, Winston Byblow, Bruce Russel,
Robert Kydd, Benjamin Thompson
020
The effect of endogenous noradrenaline on fear
extinction learning in humans
Matthew Wade, Kim Felmingham
Ben Chen, Matthew Mundy
008
The human mirror neuron system: Evolutionary
adaptation or associative learning?
021
The Effect of Simultaneous Text on Performance
on a Modified Speech-in-Noise Task
Irina Grossman, Ramesh Rajan
Peter Enticott, Bernadette Fitzgibbon, Paul Fitzgerald
009
The role of perceptual quality and processing fluency
in the imagination inflation effect for autobiographical
memory conjunction errors
Aleea Devitt, Donna Rose Addis, Daniel Schacter
010
Adaptation of the N170: Effects of stimulus category,
presentation time and interstimulus interval
Daniel Feuerriegel, Owen Churches, Mark Kohler, Hannah Keage
011
Attention to action reveals neural representation
for agency, kinematics, and goals
022
Who jumps to conclusions? A comprehensive assessment
of probabilistic reasoning in psychosis following traumatic
brain injury (PFTBI)
Rachel Batty, Andrew Francis, Neil Thomas, Malcolm Hopwood,
Jennie Ponsford, Susan Rossell
023
Age-related decline in white matter organisation:
Relationship to global cognitive changes in a
longitudinal study
Jaime Rennie, Todd Jolly, Pat Michie, Christopher Levi,
Mark Parsons, Grant Bateman, Frini Karayanidis
Veronika Halász, Ross Cunnington, Jason Mattingley
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
19
024
Antenatal maternal stress and the catechol-Omethyltransferase (COMT) Rs165599 polymorphism
interact to affect childhood IQ across multiple ages
Yvette Lamb, John Thompson, Ian Kirk, Edwin Mitchell,
Karen Waldie
025
Assessing theories of semantic memory function
in schizophrenia thought disorder at two levels
Eric Tan, Susan Rossell
026
Attentional bias in facial affect processing:
Neural correlates of the M300
Peter Goodin, Joseph Ciorciari, Susan Rossell
027
Attentional modulation of auditory steady state responses
Yatin Mahajan, Chris Davis, Jeesun Kim
028
Biologically relevant emotion processing does not
interfere with Self- versus Other- referenced emotion
discrimination: An Electroencephalography study
Aimee Mavratzakis, Cornelia Herbert, Peter Walla
029
Clarifying Response Processes and Efficiency
in a Cued Continuous Performance Test
Diana Karamacoska, Robert Barry, Genevieve Steiner
030
Current arousal or sensitisation: which determines
electrodermal dishabituation in short and long ISI tasks?
Genevieve Steiner, Robert Barry
031
Do we imagine clouds in the sky and snails on the ground
– can semantic meaning influence fixation time?
037
Predicting implicit abstract stimulus attributes from
patterns of event-related potentials
Stefan Bode, Daniel Bennett, Jutta Stahl, Carsten Murawski
038
Radial Bias for Motion – Centrifugal or Centripetal?
Ryan Maloney, Tamara Watson, Colin Clifford
039
Sensorimotor effects of the rubber-hand illusion
differ between individuals depending on their degree
of nonclinical autism-like traits
Colin Palmer, Bryan Paton, Jakob Hohwy, Peter Enticott
040
Single-trial P300 amplitudes index feedback information
in reinforcement learning
Daniel Bennett, Carsten Murawski , Stefan Bode
041
The effects of context priming on intertemporal
decision-making
Stefan Bode, Joanna Thio, Carsten Murawski
042
A Novel Behavioural Study of Pitch Imagery
and Perception
Rebecca Gelding, Blake Johnson, William Thompson
043
Age-Differences in Practice Effects during
Task-Switching Performance: An ERP Investigation
Lisa Whitson, Frini Karayanidis, Pat Michie
044
Assessing the impact of task difficulty and external
cues on movement kinematics in older adults
Bleydy Dimech-Betancourt, Jessica Despard, Anne-Marie Ternes,
Govinda Poudel, Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
Nicole Thomas, Tobias Loetscher, Michael Nicholls
032
Does the oblique effect influence early neural correlates
of visual consciousness during binocular rivalry?
Bradley Jack, Urte Roeber, Robert O’Shea
033
EEG alpha oscillations predict response criterion
Katharina Limbach, Paul Corballis
035
Modulation of the face-sensitive N170 by competition
between faces and their features
Sreekari Vogeti, Paul Corballis
036
Non-linear and non-stationary resting state functional
connectivity examined using fast (sub-second)
functional MRI.
Bryan Paton, Parnesh Raniga, Gary Egan
045
Biases of categorical sex perception: What are they
and how do we gauge them?
Justin Gaetano, Anna Brooks, Rick van der Zwan
046
Changes in Working Memory and Worry over Time.
Kelly Trezise, Robert Reeve
047
Cognitive ability in the elderly is related to the timing not
degree of lateralisation of the functional cerebrovascular
response
Jessica Hofmann, Atlanta Flitton, Lisa Kurylowicz, Louise Lavrencic,
Nicholas Badcock, Owen Churches, Mark Kohler, Hannah Keage
048
Cognitive-Behavioural Effects of Chronic Adolescent
Stress in Val66Met Polymorphism Knock-In Mice
Carrying a Humanised Copy of the Brain-Derived
Neurotrophic Factor (hBDNF) Gene: Implications for
Neuropsychiatric Disorders & Cognitive Dysfunction
Michael Notaras, Joseph Gogos, Maarten Van Den Buuse
20 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
049
Dynamic phase-locking of the auditory envelope
following response in the human brain
055
Variation in amygdala-prefrontal cortex resting-state
functional connectivity underlies age differences in
susceptibility to the Framing Effect
Huizhen Tang, Jon Brock, Blake Johnson
Katharina Voigt, Irene Nagel, Peter Mohr, Shu Chen Li,
Hauke Heekeren
050
Emerging Representational Geometry for Objects
Predicts Reaction Time for Categorization
056
Behavioural indices of qualitative change in children’s
spatial and computation reasoning strategies
J.Brendan Ritchie, David Tovar, Thomas Carlson
Jacob Paul, Robert Reeve
052
Fitts law: Modelling upper limb movements in Huntington’s
disease and the impact of visual cue restriction
Jessica Despard, Bleydy Dimech-Betancourt, Anne-Marie Ternes,
Govinda Poudel, Andrew Churchyard, Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
057
Brain pathways underlying Response Inhibition
and Response Caution
053
Pleasantness: A New Factor in the Rubber Hand Illusion
Renate Thienel , Elise Mansfield, Patrick Cooper,
Andrew Heathcote, Birte Forstmann, Pat Michie,
Gavin Cooper, Frini Karayanidis
Charlotte Rush, Regine Zopf, Mark Williams
058
Does the upper visual field advantage in face-processing
relate to participant bias in attentional allocation?
054
The Impact of Oral Contraceptives in Cognition
Genevieve Quek, Matthew Finkbeiner
Annabelle Warren, Caroline Gurvich, Jayashri Kulkarni
059
Dual route model of the effect of head orientation on
perceived gaze direction
Yumiko Otsuka, Isabelle Mareschal, Andy Calder, Colin Clifford
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The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
21
060
Effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation
on responding in healthy younger adults.
065
Functional brain correlates of psychiatric function
in Huntington’s disease: The Image-HD study
Alexander Conley, W. Fulham, Mark Parsons, Frini Karayanidis
Shannon Driscoll, Govinda Poudel, Julie Stout,
Juan Dominguez, Andrew Churchyard, Phyllis Chua,
Gary Egan, Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
061
Enhanced lateralization in expert musicians: an fMRI
investigation of visuospatial processing
Laura Ewens, Lynette Tippett, Donna Addis
062
Facial Affect Perception in Psychosis: Recent evidence
Susan Rossell, Tamsyn Van Rheenen, Alison O’regan, Nicki Knott,
Andrea Gogos
063
fMRI responses in dorsal visual cortex relate to
binocular depth perception for both signal-in-noise
and feature difference tasks
Matthew Patten, Andrew Welchman
064
Free Radical Disbalance And Its Correction
In Schizophrenia
066
High Schizotypy shows superior putative subcortical
Magnocellular-driven emotion processing and deficits
in cortical attentional change detection
Robin Laycock, Liz Cutajar, Sheila Crewther
067
Improving Screening for Vascular Cognitive Impairment
at 3–6 Months after Ischemic Stroke
Catherine Yanhong Dong, Melissa Slavin
106
The Role of Monocular Dominance in Binocular Rivalry
Onset Bias
Jody Stanley, Jason Forte, Olivia Carter
Ekaterina Silina, Vladimir Malygin, Vladimir Orlov,
Natal’ja Men’shova, Sergej Silin, Sergej Bolevich
22 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Poster Session 2 | Saturday 30 November
068
Inter-subject correlations during watching dance:
An fMRI study 079
The role of white matter microstructure in age-related
deficits in task-switching
Staci Vicary, Frank Pollick, Katie Noble, Catherine (Kate) Stevens
Todd Jolly, Pat Michie, William Fulham, Patrick Cooper, Christopher
Levi, Mark Parsons, Rhoshel Lenroot, Frini Karayanidis
069
Investigating working memory, the effects of theta burst
stimulation on cortical plasticity: A TMS-EEG study
Benjamin Lewis, Takashi Saeki, Richard Thomson, Paul Fitzgerald
070
Linear and non-linear measures of postural control
predict individual variations in illusions of self-motion
Deborah Apthorp, Stephen Palmisano 071
Longitudinal tracking of white matter connectivity in
Huntington’s disease: 30 month longitudinal data from
the IMAGE-HD study
Govinda Poudel, Juan Dominguez, Louisa Salmon,
Andrew Churchyard, Phyllis Chua, Julie Stout, Gary Egan,
Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
080
The underlying neural mechanism in attentional control
during encoding of emotional stimuli
Maryam Ziaei, Nathalie Peira, Jonas Persson
081
Towards effective neurofeedback driven by immersive art
environments
Kameron Christopher, Gina Grimshaw, Ajay Kapur, Dale Carnegie
082
Using Orthogonal Polynomial Trend Analysis and Wavelet
decomposition (WOPTA) to investigate learning in a
Mental Rotation task
Alexander Provost, Bryan Paton, Frini Karayanidis, Scott Brown,
Andrew Heathcote
072
Maturation of Mismatch Negativity – implications
for Ultra High risk schizophrenia research
083
Atypical Motor Response Potentials (MRPs) in
Presymptomatic Huntington’s Patients During Simple
Movements
Renate Thienel, Ross Fulham, Benjamin Weissmueller, Nicole
Kilberg-Hanzon, Helen Stain, Bethany Patch, Juanita Todd,
Ulrich Schall
Lauren Turner, Rodney Croft, Lan Nguyen, Andrew Churchyard,
Deborah Apthorp, Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis
073
Motion defined surface segregation in human
visual cortex
Gabriel Vigano, Ryan Maloney, Colin Clifford
074
No relationship between binocular rivalry rate
and eye movement variables
Phillip Law, Jacqueline Riddiford, Caroline Gurvich,
Trung Ngo, Steven Miller
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075
Sex Differences in the Neural Processing of
Emotional Images
Supercomputer access – the arrival of the
new Blue Gene/Q delivers petascale
computing
Bethany Lusk, Frances Martin, Kim Felmingham, Andrea Carr
076
The COMT Val158Met polymorphism: Individual
differences in visual N1 and error-related negativity
Workshops – from hands-on ‘introduction to
programming’ to special-interest high
performance computing topics
Jennifer Lai, Melissa Pauling, Ian Kirk
Advice – our experts provide one-on-one
help to build cross-disciplinary research
collaborations and scale-up projects to
efficiently use the processing power on offer
077
An MEG neuroimaging study on the developmental
changes of face processing in pre-school aged children
Wei He, Jon Brock, Blake W Johnson
078
The Impact of Luminance Threshold Modes and
Phosphene Dropout Rates in Psychophysics Testing for
the Monash Vision Group’s Cortical Vision Prosthesis
‘Gennaris’.
Collette Mann, Horace Josh, Wai Ho Li, Lindsay Kleeman
Funding – offering PhD top-ups, travel
grants, internships, and conference
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The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
23
084
Breaking Down Bias
Daniel Mullens, Juanita Todd, István Winkler, Karlye Damaso,
Alexander Provost, Lisa Whitson, Andrew Heathcote
096
The effects of aging on recognition of basic emotions in
different modalities.
Natalia Samorow, Lynette Tippett
085
Characterization of the Medial Septum neurons using
Parvalbumin, HCN1, Necab-1, Satb1/2, ChAT, Calbindin
097
The involvement of mirror neuron system in visual
perspective taking during action memory encoding
Rong Xian Chia
Liz Franz, Yan FU
086
Complex Energocorrection of Cognitive Functions
in Vascular Cognitive Impairment
098
The neuronal mechanisms of Steady State Visually
Evoked Potential (SSVEP) studied in the fly brains with
multi-contact electrodes
Ekaterina Silina, Sof’ja Rumjanceva, Victor Stupin,
Alexandra Orlova, Serjej Silin, Natal’ja Men’shova,
Valerij Shalygin, Sergej Bolevich
Dror Cohen, Angelique Christine Paulk, Bruno Van Swinderen,
Naotsugu Tsuchiya
087
Do small saccades obscure the perceptual switch
induced gamma-band response for binocular rivalry?
099
What’s intact and what’s not within the mismatch
negativity system in schizophrenia
Laila Hugrass, David Crewther
Lisa Whitson, Ellen Smith, Pat Michie, Ulrich Schall, Philip Ward,
Juanita Todd
088
Evidence for superior dorsal stream with no magnocellular
impairments, and greater unconscious local-level
processing in higher autistic tendency
Daniel Chan, Robin Laycock, Sheila Crewther
089
Induction of plasticity in the human motor cortex
by pairing an auditory stimulus with TMS
Paul Sowman, Søren Dueholm, Jesper Rasmussen,
Natalie Mrachacz-Kersting
090
Magno and parvocellular contributions to the cortical
visually evoked response – time-frequency and source
considerations
David Crewther, Laila Hugrass, Alyse Brown, Callum Hollis
091
Melody and gamma oscillations: processing of contour
and interval in musicians and non-musicians
Rohan King, Ian Kirk, Chris King
100
Associative learning ability predicts reward-based
decision-making performance in opiate dependent
individuals
Daniel Upton, Robert Hester
101
Attributing agency for other agents: evidence for the
involvement of non-predictive processes when watching
others execute actions.
Simandeep Poonian, Ross Cunnington
102
Effect of Resveratrol on stress induced-cognitive
impairment and the possible involvement of brain
antioxidant enzymes in rats
Sampath Madhyastha, Ashwin Rai
104
Neural correlates of transparency perception
Erin Goddard, Colin Clifford
093
Motor-resonance in response to action-related visual and
audio stimuli: A fMRI study of identical twins discordant
for music training
105
Objective Measures Within Consumer Neuroscience
Miriam Mosing, Orjan deManzano, Fredrik Ullén
107
Auditory discrimination in children with Autism:
magnetic Acoustic Change Complex (mACC)
094
Omega-3 supplementation improves mood and behavior
in adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder but
does not reverse brain atrophy
Isabelle Bauer, Laura Sellick, Sheila Crewther, David Crewther,
Andrew Pipingas
Shannon Bosshard, Peter Walla
Shu Yau
109
Effects of the Mood Induction Paradigm on the
Binocular Rivalry mix percept
Anna Antinori, Luke Smillie, Philip Smith, Olivia Carter
095
Principal components analysis demonstrates a common
schizoidal phenotype within autistic and schizotypal
tendency: implications for neuroscientific studies.
Talitha Ford, David Crewther
110
Face processing and the N170 in psychiatric and
neurological disorders: A systematic review
Daniel Feuerriegel, Owen Churches, Mark Kohler,
Jessica Hofmann, Hannah Keage
24 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
111
Sodium selenate reduces neurodegeneration and
psychological comorbidities in a post-kainic acid
status epilepticus rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy
122
Implicit versus explicit measures of emotion processing
in people with aggressive and impulsive tendencies and
those who use pornography
Ping Zheng
Peter Walla, Sajeev Kunaharan
112
Spoiling the party: Long-term ketamine use has
long-term effects on bodily experience
123
Learn from your heart: dissociable neural markers for
objective interoceptive performance and metacognitive
awareness in auditory feedback
Hannah Morgan, Jinsong Tan, Paul Fletcher, Philip Corlett,
Xiaogang Chen
113
The Victorian Driving Risk in Young People Study (Vic DRYP)
Genevieve Le Bas, Julie Stout, Melissa Hughes
Tristan Bekinschtein, Andrés Canales-Johnson, Carolina Silva,
David Huepe, Alvaro Rivera-Rei, Valdas Noreika, Maria del Carmen
Garcia, Walter Silva, Lucas Sedeño, Lucila Kargieman, Fabricio
Baglivo, Srivas Chennu, Agustin Ibanez, Eugenio Rodriguez
124
Luminance and Colour Flicker Fusion in High and Low
Autistic Traits
114
Working memory as a Limitation on Problem Solving
Ability in Intellectual Disability
Alyse Brown, David Crewther, Julia Thompson, Georgette Karvelas,
Catherine Guarnaccia, Charlotte Hartwell, Claire Peck
Nahal Goharpey, Melanie Murphy, Sheila Crewther, Katrina
Tsoutsoulis, Chantanee Mungkhetklan
125
Man or Monkey? Empathy predicts species category
boundary judgements
115
An MEG study of the semantic blocking effect in
picture naming
Anna Brooks, Natalie Doring
Jon Brock, Erin Martin, Nathan Caruana, Paul Sowman
126
Neural substrates of impulse control: Insights from
neurodegenerative disease
116
Behavioural sensitivity to reward is reduced for far objects
Claire O’Callaghan, James Shine, Simon Lewis, John Hodges,
Michael Hornberger
David O’Connor, Bernard Meade, Olivia Carter, Sarah Rossiter,
Robert Hester
117
Biological motion processing in first-degree relatives
of individuals with ASD: A magnetoencephalographic
(MEG) study
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Svjetlana Vukusic, David Crewther, Joseph Ciorciari,
Jordy Kaufman
118
Cerebral blood flow and behaviour in young children
with sleep disruption
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Rachael Spooner, Atlanta Flitton, Jessica Hofmann,
Justin Ridley, Olivia Porteous, Kurt Lushington,
Hannah Keage, Nicholas Badcock, Mark Kohler
119
Developmental Trends in the Enhancements of
Multisensory Object Processing in Presence of Distractors
Sheila Crewther, Ayla Barutchu, Harriet Downing
120
From Brain to Behaviour: A Latent Variable Study
of Event-Related Potentials and Executive Functions
in Children
Christopher Brydges, Allison Fox, Corinne Reid, Mike Anderson
121
Generation, selection and sequencing in a case of Parkinson’s
disease and primary progressive dynamic aphasia
Gail Robinson
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The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
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127
Parietal Priorities: Maintenance versus Manipulation in
Working Memory
Gemma Lamp, Bonnie Alexander, Robin Laycock, David Crewther,
Sheila Crewther
128
Spatio-temporal components of preparation in taskswitching: A combined EEG and MEG approach
Elise Mansfield, Alexander Provost, Blake Johnson,
Graciela Tesan, Renate Thienel, Frini Karayanidis
129
Technical and functional validations of High Angular
Resolution Diffusion Imaging (HARDI)-MR tractography
in paediatric epilepsy patients
Sarah Barton, Joseph Yang, Wirginia Maixner, A. Simon Harvey,
Jeremy Freeman, Richard Beare, Marc Seal, Vicki Anderson
131
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Bi-Lateral
motor Cortices shows No Effect on Simple Visual Motor
Reaction Time
Jared Horvath, Olivia Carter, Jason Forte
132
Utilising alpha and theta oscillatory activity during task
switching to characterise functional networks involved in
cognitive control
Patrick Cooper, Aaron Wong, Elise Mansfield, W. Fulham,
Patricia Michie, Frini Karayanidis
University of Newcastle, School of Psychology, Callaghan,
Australia; University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
134
The Relationship Between Impulsivity for Reward and
Learning From Reward
Antoinette Poulton
130
The effect of nicotine abstinence on a measure of
inhibitory control in nicotine dependence
Kathleen Charles-Walsh, Liam Furlong, David Munro, Robert Hester
135
Tracing the formation of perceptual decisions in the
human brain: A new approach to the study of visuospatial
attention asymmetries
Daniel P. Newman, Gerard M. Loughnane, Simon P. Kelly,
Redmond G. O’Connell and Mark Bellgrove
26 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Invited Symposia
The impact of attentional constraints on shaping early
cognitive trajectories: looking through the lens of
neurodevelopmental disorders?
Results The data reveal that only a single gesture—tongue protrusion—
was imitated during the first 6 weeks of life, and that 50% of the
newborns tested, failed to imitate even this gesture. Kim Cornish1*, Gaia Scerif2 and Annette D. Karmiloff-Smith3
Discussion These data cast serious doubt on the proposal that humans are
born with a functional mirror neuron system.
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
3
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London,
United Kingdom
1
2
Background
In typical development, attention is often construed as a gateway
to learning and memory. Disruption to this essential process
can lead to widespread chaos across a number of emerging
cognitive systems. To what extent attention difficulties in children
with genetic neurodevelopmental disorders impact on cognitive
learning remains unclear. We addressed this question both
concurrently and longitudinally in a cross syndrome design, with
respect to children with Down syndrome and Williams syndrome. Positive parenting predicts the development of
adolescent neural reward circuitry: A longitudinal study
Sarah Whittle1*, Julian Simmons1, Meg Dennison1, Nandita
Vijayakumar1, Orli Schwartz1, Marie Yap1, Lisa Sheeber2 and
Nicholas Allen1
1
2
Methods
A total of 26 children with Williams syndrome, and 26 Down
syndrome matched on MA to 78 typically developing control
children completed a battery of tasks designed to assess
attentional processes in early childhood. In addition, we
mapped the children’s emerging numeracy and literacy. Results
The two syndrome groups differed in their attentional profiles,
with children with WS displaying in particular impulsive responding,
indicative of executive attention difficulties, whereas children with
DS struggled to sustain attention. For children with DS, individual
differences in attentional processes predicted outcomes in literacy
and numeracy in a way that mirrored TD children, both concurrently
and longitudinally, despite their severe developmental delay. These
relationships were weaker and atypical in children with WS. Discussion
In summary our findings point to the importance of studying
different attentional constraints on outcomes in the classroom
in children with distinct neurodevelopmental disorders.
Is the human mirror system operational at birth?
Virginia Slaughter1*, Janine Oostenbroek1, Thomas
Suddendorf1 and Mark Nielsen1
1
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Oregon Research Institute, USA
Little work has been conducted that examines the effects of positive
environmental experiences on brain development. We prospectively
investigated the effects of positive (warm, supportive) maternal
behaviour on structural brain development during adolescence,
using longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Participants
were 188 (92 female) adolescents, who were part of a longitudinal
adolescent development study that involved mother-adolescent
interactions and MRI scans at approximately 12 years old, and
follow-up MRI scans approximately 4 years later. FreeSurfer software
was used to estimate the volume of limbic-striatal regions (amygdala,
hippocampus, caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens)
and the thickness of prefrontal regions (anterior cingulate and
orbitofrontal cortices) across both time points. Rate per minute (i.e.,
frequency) of maternal positive behaviour during the interactions
was calculated and used in regression models to predict change
in volume and thickness of ROIs over time. Higher frequency of
positive maternal behaviour predicted attenuated volumetric growth
in the right amygdala, and accelerated cortical thinning in the right
anterior cingulate (males only) and left and right orbitofrontal cortices,
between baseline and follow up. Controlling for frequency of
aggressive maternal behaviour (also measured from the interactions)
did not change the pattern of results. These results have implications
for understanding the biological mediators of risk and protective
factors for mental disorders that have onset during adolescence.
Predictors of future mathematical performance in
children: cognition, behaviour and brain structure
School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia
Background Whether or not mirror neurons exist in the human brain has
been a hot topic of debate over the past two decades. Single
cell recordings provide clear evidence that they exist in monkeys,
but no such direct evidence exists for humans. As such, some
researchers have relied on indirect lines of evidence, such as our
capacity to imitate, to argue the case for a human mirror system.
Evidence that human newborns imitate facial and hand gestures
(Meltzoff, A.N., & Moore, M.K., 1977, Imitation of facial and manual
gestures by human neonates, Science 198, 75-78) has led to the
suggestion that humans have an innate mirroring system that is
operational from birth. We evaluate this proposal with reference to
data from the first large-scale longitudinal study of human newborn
imitation. Megan Spencer-Smith1*, Rita Almeida1, Fahimeh Darki1 and
Torkel Klingberg1
Methods We assessed imitation of a range of facial and manual gestures
when infants were 1, 3 and 6 weeks of age. A female experimenter
modeled the gestures to infants when they were in a quiet alert
state. Infants’ responses were videotaped. Infants’ facial and hand
gestures were later coded from the videotapes by trained coders
who were blind to the model’s actions. Methods
Included in this study were school age children 6-16 years at the
first time of testing who completed neuropsychological testing
(n=243) and brain MRI (n=53), and were tested again two years
later. Latent variables for cognitive abilities and inattentive
symptoms were created and used in all analyses. Mediation
models were tested using a series of regression analyses. 1
Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Background
Mathematical underachievement at school age has
detrimental consequences for academic success and future
employment status. We aimed to extend understanding of the
predictive ability of cognitive abilities (reasoning, working memory,
speed of processing), behavioural symptoms (inattentive, anxious/
depressed) and brain structure (cortical thickness in the intraparietal sulcus, IPS) for future mathematical performance. We
tested mediating models to determine the association of these
cognitive abilities and behavioural symptoms with children’s
future mathematical performance. The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
27
Results
Regression analyses revealed that although cognitive abilities
(p=.000) and inattentive symptoms (p=.003) (but not anxious/
depressed symptoms) were predictive of future mathematics,
the inattentive symptoms prediction reduced to almost zero after
accounting for baseline cognitive abilities (p=.083). Thus cognitive
abilities was a full mediator. The cognitive abilities prediction did
not change with sex (p=.327) but did change with age (p=.001),
and persisted even after accounting for both baseline inattentive
symptoms and mathematics (p=.000). Cortical thickness in
the left IPS (p=.000) (but not right IPS) was predictive of future
mathematics and this did not change with sex (p=.527) or age
(p=.465), and persisted even after accounting for baseline
cognitive abilities (p=.000). Discussion
Cognitive abilities and cortical thickness in the left IPS, but
not behavioural symptoms, are unique predictors of future
mathematical performance in school age children. Cognitive
abilities have a causal role in the development of mathematical
performance in school age children. Autistic traits and adaptive coding of face identity
Gillian Rhodes1*, Linda Jeffery1, Libby Taylor1 and louise Ewing1
1
ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, School of Psychology,
University of Western Australia, Australia
Background Our ability to discriminate and recognize thousands of faces
despite their similarity as visual patterns relies on adaptive,
norm-based, coding mechanisms that are continuously updated
by experience. Reduced adaptive coding of face identity has been
proposed as a neurocognitive endophenotype for autism, because
it is found in autism and in relatives of individuals with autism.
Autistic traits can also extend continuously into the general
population, raising the possibility that reduced adaptive coding
of face identity may be more generally associated with autistic
traits. In the present study, we investigated whether adaptive
coding of face identity decreases as autistic traits increase
in an undergraduate population. Methods Adaptive coding was measured using face identity aftereffects,
and autistic traits were measured using the Autism-Spectrum
Quotient (AQ) and its subscales. We also measured face and
car recognition ability to determine whether autistic traits are
selectively related to face recognition difficulties. Results We found that men who scored higher on levels of autistic traits
related to social interaction had reduced adaptive coding of face
identity. This result is consistent with the idea that atypical adaptive
face-coding mechanisms are an endophenotype for autism. Autistic
traits were also linked with face-selective recognition difficulties in
men. However, there were some unexpected sex differences. In
women, autistic traits were linked positively, rather than negatively,
with adaptive coding of identity, and were unrelated to faceselective recognition difficulties. Discussion The sex differences observed here indicate that autistic traits can
have different neurocognitive correlates in men and women and
raise the intriguing possibility that endophenotypes of autism can
differ in men and women. However, our results suggest that, at
least for men, atypical adaptive coding of faces may be an
endophenotype for autism.
Do medial temporal lobe regions play a domainspecific or domain-independent role in perceptual
learning performance?
Matthew E. Mundy1*, Paul Downing2, Rob Honey3, Dominic
Dwyer3 and Kim Graham3
Monash University, Australia
Bangor University, United Kingdom
3
Cardiff University, United Kingdom
1
2
Background It is contentious whether structures in the human medial temporal
lobe (MTL) play a domain-specific or domain-independent role in
learning and memory. Perceptual learning has been used as a
tool to investigate this critical cognitive junction. Methods In a series of event related fMRI experiments, participants
made repeated same/different judgements to previously seen and
initially novel confusable pairs of dot patterns, faces and complex
scenes. Using a series of orthogonal, and independent, functional
localisers, clusters of stimulus-selective, novelty-sensitive voxels
were identified in two medial temporal regions (perirhinal cortex
and posterior hippocampus), and two extrastriate regions (fusiform
face area, FFA, and parahippocampal place area, PPA). We asked
how activity in these regions was influenced by discrimination
accuracy and by trial repetition (e.g., adaptation). Results In contrast to FFA and PPA, which only cared about preferred
category, activity in perirhinal cortex and posterior hippocampus
predicted discrimination accuracy for faces and scenes, respectively. MTL regions also adapted less rapidly than extrastriate areas
over trial repetition, with difference emerging between extrastriate
and MTL regions after 8 repetitions. Structural differences were also
recorded in these regions, along with caudate and thalamic areas;
the size of these differences correlated with performance. Discussion These findings, supported by our recent work with MTL lesioned
patients and a second fMRI investigation directly modulating stimulus
ambiguity, show that domain-specific patterns of responding in
the human brain are not just restricted to extrastriate cortex, and
highlight a key role for perirhinal cortex and posterior hippocampus,
but not FFA and PPA, in storing feature ambiguous representations
of faces and scenes, respectively. Frontotemporal dementia as disease model
of episodic memory
Olivier Piguet1*
1
Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia
Background
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a progressive neurodegenerative
condition characterised by focal brain atrophy affecting the frontal
and temporal brain regions predominantly. In two of the three main
FTD phenotypes, the behavioural-variant of FTD and Semantic
Dementia, pathological changes are found in brain regions known
to play a central role in episodic memory, such as the hippocampus
and surrounding medial temporal lobe regions, amygdala and
prefrontal cortices. Whilst changes in episodic memory have been
previously reported in FTD, evidence regarding the pattern and
severity of these deficits is mixed.
Methods and Results
This presentation will discuss recent investigations on episodic
memory in FTD conducted by our research group, FRONTIER,
the FTD clinical research group in Sydney. The first study, which
28 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
examined the relations between emotion and episodic memory,
found a reduction in the emotional memory enhancement effect in
FTD but not in Alzheimer’s disease. This reduction was related to
the extent of atrophy in the right orbitofrontal cortex. The second
study focused on episodic future thinking and found that patients
diagnosed with the behavioural-variant of FTD were as impaired as
patients with Alzheimer’s disease in retrieving information from the
past and projecting themselves in the future. The final study
concentrated on the integrity of the Papez circuit in FTD and
Alzheimer’s disease, combining imaging and postmortem
investigations. This study showed that while hippocampal atrophy
was not a specific marker of disease, other regions of the Papez
circuit were differentially involved in the behavioural-variant of FTD
and in Alzheimer’s disease.
Conclusion
Together, these studies show that FTD represents an appropriate
disease model to examine episodic memory given its pattern
of focal brain atrophy. More broadly, this work highlights the
importance of investigations involving pathological populations
to test and enhance our understanding of human cognition. Behavioural and neural correlates of autobiographical
memory and future thinking in depression
Donna Rose Addis1*, Sylvia Hach1 and Lynette J. Tippett1
1
School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Background
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with a decrease
in the specificity of past and future events: When engaged in
autobiographical memory (AM) or future thinking (FT) tasks, patients
with a history of MDD generate more generic events compared to
non-depressed individuals. The CaRFAX model proposes that
reduced event specificity results from a combination of rumination,
functional avoidance as well as executive dysfunction. In this study,
we tested the contribution of CaRFAX model components to the
specificity of past and future events in MDD. Moreover, we explored
whether there are differences in the neural correlates of AM and FT
during the generation of specific events from the past and future. Methods
In Session 1, participants (17 MDD, 16 controls) completed
measures of rumination, avoidance and executive function
(working memory, inhibition, set-shifting and strategy use). In
Session 2 (fMRI), participants generated past and future events in
response to cues (e.g., getting/losing a pet). Events were scored
for specificity during a post-scan interview. For the fMRI analysis
(using spatiotemporal task Partial Least Squares), behaviour was
matched across groups by only analysing trials on which specific
events were generated. above measures of rumination and avoidance. Although
the MDD group was able to engage the same network as
controls, they did exhibit reductions in key regions, such as
the hippocampus, consistent with reports of hippocampal
atrophy in MDD. However, prefrontal regions were over-activated
in MDD, which may reflect greater executive demands and/or
compensatory activation.
The effect of proactive motor control on impulsive
gambling and eating behaviour
Chris Chambers1*
1
Cardiff University, United Kingdom
Background Response inhibition or ‘impulse control’ is a hallmark of flexible
and intelligent behaviour, required whenever a thought or action
must be stopped or restrained. Existing evidence suggests that
linked or common mechanisms may coordinate response inhibition
in multiple domains, although evidence for causal links has
emerged only recently. Methods and Results I will discuss some of our recent studies that explored the causal
relationship between motor response inhibition and different forms
of impulsive decision-making. In a series of studies we have found
that performing a stop-signal task – which induces cautious motor
responding – reduced gambling in a multitask situation. We also
found that a short period of inhibitory training reduced gambling at
least two hours later in time. Our most recent experiments have
shown that the effects of inhibition training can transfer to eating
behaviour, reducing the tendency to make unhealthy choices.
Discussion Overall, our findings converge with work in other labs to indicate
that proactive motor control interacts strongly with decisionmaking. This link between different levels of cognitive control
might be exploited as an adjunct to existing rehabilitation
methods in addiction.
Investigating error processing by decoding patterns
of event-related potentials
Stefan Bode1* and Jutta Stahl1, 2
Results
The MDD group were more ruminative and avoidant than controls,
and generated fewer specific events during the AM and FT task.
However, there were no group differences in executive function.
Regressions revealed that strategy use (as indexed by CVLT
semantic clustering) was associated with specificity over and
above depression severity, rumination and avoidance. fMRI
analyses showed that both groups engaged regions typically
associated with AM and FT. However, the MDD group showed
reduced activity in temporal regions (hippocampus, temporal pole)
and increased recruitment of frontal regions (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus).
Discussion
Our results suggest that strategic abilities and neural changes both
play an important role in the generation of specific past and future
events in MDD. Strategic ability predicts event specificity over and
1
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
2
Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Germany
Background
In everyday life, fast and efficient error detection and error
correction can take place prior to awareness of making an error.
This early error processing, which requires cognitive control, has
been investigated using event-related potentials (ERPs), based on
electroencephalography (EEG). The error-related negativity (Ne/
ERN), an ERP component that peaks ~80-100 ms after an overt
erroneous response, has been linked to this central error monitoring
system. Here we will show how multivariate pattern classification
analysis (MVPA) for spatiotemporal patterns of ERPs in combination
with an analysis of response force can be used to track the
evolution of input signals for this central control system.
Methods
61-channel EEG was recorded from 109 participants (25.2 years ±
5.8 SD) performing a speeded digit flanker task that required
them to make parity decisions about the central digit, which was
flanked by two additional digits, which were either congruent or
incongruent. Participants used force-sensitive response keys to
indicate their decision. MVPA was performed on the EEG data to
predict performance errors in the time window between response
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
29
initiation and execution. In conjunction to this, a response force
analysis was performed to investigate early error correction.
Response conflict and inhibition: Electrophysiological
indices elicited during a modified flanker task
Results
We could predict errors with increasing classification accuracy
following response initiation, from -90 ms before response
execution. Errors in congruent trials could be predicted increasingly
better than errors in incongruent trials. The feature weight analysis
revealed channels over visual and motor cortex as the primary
sources of early error information. Error trials were further
accompanied by reduced response force, independent of the
congruency condition, pointing towards early corrective processes.
Allison Fox1*, Veronica Connaughton1, Vicole Bothma1, Karen
Clunies-Ross1 and Azhani Amiruddin1
Discussion
Our results support the assumption that ongoing accumulation of
perceptual evidence takes place after the initial decision, which
results in an error signal if no further support is provided for the
initiated motor response. Clearer error signals, when the flankers
did not induce response conflict, led to better classification. These
early error signals could be the basis for error correction attempts,
evident by the reduced response force in error trials. In
conclusion, our study provides a novel approach to track the
evolution of early error signals that precede overt behaviour as
well as classical ERP components that underlie cognitive control.
Rate of age-related decline of cognitive control ability
and structural integrity of white matter.
Frini Karayanidis1*, Todd A. Jolly1, Jaime Rennie1, Lauren
Stephens1, Pat Michie1, Christopher Levi2 and Mark Parsons2
School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Australia
2
School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Australia
1
Introduction
Old adults show poorer performance on measures of cognitive
control, as well as decline in structural brain measures of grey
matter and white matter health compared to young adults.
Longitudinal ageing studies have examined the rate of decline in
both cognitive control and brain structure. However, there is little
evidence on the relationship between these functional and
structural age effects. In this study, we examine the relationship
between rate of decline in measures of cognitive control and
structural measures of grey matter volume and white matter
microstructure over a 24-month interval.
Methods
Cognitively intact older adults (53-82 years) completed
neuropsychological assessment as well as a cued-trials taskswitching paradigm. Event-related potentials were used to measure
ERP components associated with proactive and reactive cognitive
control. Imaging included T1 structural, T2 weighted FLAIR and
diffusion-weighted imaging sequences. Testing was repeated
at an average of 24-months with identical parameters.
1
The University of Western Australia, Australia
Background
Previous research has interpreted enhancement of the N2
component of the event-related potential (ERP) as an electrophysiological index of the processes associated with response
inhibition. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the functional
significance of this component is related more broadly to the
detection of conflict induced by simultaneously activated response
alternatives, signaling the need for increased cognitive control to
achieve optimal performance. The aim of the current study was to
examine whether modifying the response conflict and inhibitory
demands of a task would modulate the amplitude of the N2
elicited by the processing of visual stimuli.
Methods
Fifteen adults (age range 20 – 37 years, 5 males/10 females)
completed the study. The electroencephalograph (EEG) was
recorded continuously while participants completed a modified
hybrid flanker-Nogo task in which target and flanking stimuli were
either congruent or incongruent. On 25% of trials, stimuli were
presented in a different colour, and participants were required to
respond with either the competing response alternative (reversed
condition) or to inhibit their response (inhibition condition).
Results
Accuracy was lower and responses were slower following
presentation of the incongruous and reversed stimuli relative
to the congruous stimuli. The negative amplitude enhancement
following presentation of stimuli that required competing responses
was greater than following presentation of stimuli that required the
inhibition of responses.
Discussion
Behavioural results indicated that the simultaneous presentation
of competing information interfered with task performance, as
expected. Electrophysiological results indicated that the N2
enhancement was associated with response conflict rather than
response inhibition, consistent with the cognitive conflict-control
loop model of anterior cingulate cortex function. Results
Measures of white matter microstructural integrity and grey matter
volume reduced over time. Overall cognitive performance declined
at retest, however the magnitude of decline varied across different
neuropsychological and experimental measures. In task-switching,
performance declined more under conditions that encouraged
proactive control and the rate of decline was associated with
rate of change in white matter structure.
Discussion
Decline in task-switching performance over time was related
to changes in white matter structure. This finding suggests that
normal aging involves subclinical pathological changes within
the white matter that may mediate age-related deficits in
cognitive control.
30 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Oral Presentations
Memory
Divergent right hippocampus-mediated networks
during autobiographical event generation in major
depression
Sylvia Hach1*, Lynette J. Tippett1 and Donna Rose Addis1
1
School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Background
Remembering specific events from the past and imagining specific
future events is difficult for individuals with Major Depressive
Disorder (MDD). This is evident in increased rumination on nonspecific events, and generating fewer specific events during
autobiographical memory (AM) or future thinking (FT) task. MDD
is also accompanied by structural changes in the hippocampus
(HC), a region critical for specific AM and FT. The present study
compared functional connectivity of the HC of MDD participants
with that of non-depressed controls during the generation of
specific events from the past and the future.
Methods
During fMRI a group of participants with a history of MDD and a
group of matched healthy controls performed an AM and FT task.
Participants viewed event-type cues (e.g., getting/losing a pet) for
a 20s construction/elaboration phase. To match behaviour across
groups, only trials on which specific events were generated were
entered into the analysis. Commonly activated regions of the right/
left HC, as determined by a spatiotemporal task Partial Least
Squares (PLS) analysis, comprised seeds for a functional
connectivity analysis.
Results
For both MDD and non-depressed participants, activity of the
left and right HC correlated with regions in the core network
associated with AM and FT (e.g., posterior cingulate, temporal
pole). The strength of this HC connectivity was significantly lower
for MDD during the FT task. Also, two distinct right HC-mediated
networks were identified in MDD, but were absent in controls.
Specifically, in MDD, right HC activity was significantly correlated
with first, a network comprised of frontal and parietal areas during
FT, and, second, a fronto-temporal network during AM retrieval.
Discussion
Individuals with MDD have the ability to recruit the core network
to support AM and FT. However, connectivity of this network is
reduced in strength – particularly with regard to FT. In MDD
additional regions support the retrieval and integration of
information necessary to perform at a behavioural level matched
to non-depressed. The nature of the additional right HC-mediated
networks is indicative of greater executive demands for AM and
FT in MDD. Moreover, the parietal components of the additional
FT network in MDD may indicate increased attentional demands.
These results are consistent with the recruitment of greater neural
resources and increased long distance connections documented
in MDD resting state data.
Negative emotional experiences during navigation
enhance parahippocampal place memory
Oliver Baumann1*, Edgar Chan1, Mark A. Bellgrove2 and
Jason B. Mattingley1
1
2
Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
Background
Extensive research has shown that emotions can exert a powerful
influence on memory, enhancing recall under some conditions and
disrupting it under others. To date, however, the possible
influence of emotions on spatial learning during navigation
has not been investigated. It is known that the parahippocampal
cortex codes for the navigational relevance of objects in the
environment, but it remains unknown whether activity within this
region is also modulated by the emotional salience of specific
locations encountered during navigation. Here we used functional
magnetic resonance imaging to examine the influence of emotional
experiences on place memory formed during active navigation
through a virtual environment.
Methods
The experiment consisted of two phases. During the initial learning
phase, participants undertook an active object location memory
task within a virtual house in which each room was associated with
a different schedule of task-irrelevant emotional events. The events
varied in valence (positive, negative, or neutral) and in their rate of
occurrence (intermittent vs. constant). A day later, we measured
neural activity while participants were shown static images of the
previously learned virtual environment and completed an object
location retrieval task, now in the absence of any affective stimuli
Results
We found that memory related parahippocampal activity was
modulated by the emotional salience associated with places
visited in a virtual environment on the day before scanning.
More specifically, activity within the posterior portion of the
parahippocampal gyri was significantly enhanced when participants
viewed images of previously visited locations at which consistently
negative events had been encountered, relative to when the
locations had been associated with positive images matched
for arousal level or with emotionally neutral stimuli.
Discussion
Our findings demonstrate that parahippocampal place representations are enhanced for places consistently associated with negative
affect. We conclude that such enhancement of place representations by aversive emotional events might serve as an important
adaptive mechanism for avoiding future threats. More broadly, our
study demonstrates the significant influence of emotion on neural
and behavioral memory processes during spatial navigation.
Visual working memory in people with stuttering:
ERP study
Maria Pyasik1*, Stanislav Kozlovskiy1, Alexander Vartanov1 and Janna Glozman1
1
Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Recent studies show, that working memory functioning is
impaired in people with stuttering (Bajaj, 2007; Kaganovich et al.
2010). However, there is still no certain neurophysiological
explanation of this fact.
Participants in the study were 10 people with stuttering and
10 people without any speech impairments (8 men and 2
women in each subject group, mean age – 25,3±4,8 years old).
We performed computer neuropsychological testing of visual
working memory capacity. Subjects’ goal was to remember three
simultaneously presented for 1000 ms visual stimuli and then find
them in the same sequence among 16-20 similar stimuli after a
1200 ms delay. The test consisted of two series, which differed in
stimuli type – complex geometric figures and words; the stimuli
were based on A.R. Luria’s neuropsychological assessment
materials. During the computer test event-related potentials
were registered for the stimuli presentation. We compared the
percentage of correct answers in the test between subject groups;
event-related potentials were averaged for each part of the test and
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
31
also compared between subject groups (the significance of the
differences in ERP amplitudes was evaluated with Student’s t-test).
According to the results of the test, visual working memory
capacity in stuttering is significantly lower in comparison to the
control subjects for memorizing complex geometric figures, while
memorizing words did not reveal any significant differences. ERP
amplitudes differ significantly between subject groups on the 400600 ms interval post-stimulus for the ‘geometric figures’ part of
the test; for the second part of the test there were no significant
differences in ERP amplitudes.
Furthermore, the coordinates of electrical activity dipole sources
for 400-600 ms interval were calculated with BrainLoc 6.0 program
(dipole coefficient > 0.95). For both parts of the test and both
subject groups activation of orbitofrontal cortex and occipital lobe
was revealed. However, the activation of orbitofrontal cortex in
control subjects was stronger during more difficult part of the test
than during the easier one, whereas in stuttering this activation was
weaker (smaller amount of dipoles were revealed) regardless of the
task difficulty. It can be speculated, that the resources of the central
executive of working memory are limited in stuttering, which does
not affect the performance in simple tasks but causes trouble
during the difficult ones.
A tale of two hemispheres: Do the left and right medial
temporal lobes play different roles in perception and
recognition of verbal and non-verbal stimuli?
Marshall A. Dalton1*, Michael Hornberger1, John R Hodges1 and Olivier Piguet1
1
Neuroscience Research Australia/University of New South Wales, Australia
Background
Episodic memory begins with perception. The medial temporal lobes
(MTL) contain structures which are crucial for episodic memory
processing but an increasing number of reports implicate the MTL in
perceptual processing. It is unclear however, how MTL substructures
contribute to the perception and memory of different kinds of stimuli.
Methods
Twenty young healthy adults, participated in two fMRI experiments
aimed at investigating MTL contributions to perception (experiment
one) and recognition (experiment two) of verbal and non-verbal
stimuli. In a third experiment, we utilised voxel based morphometry
to identify regions of brain atrophy associated with poor
performance on these tasks in twenty patients with
Alzheimer’s disease and semantic dementia.
Results
The results of experiment one and two revealed that for verbal
stimuli, the left perirhinal cortex and left hippocampus were
recruited during perception and recognition respectively. In
contrast, the right perirhinal cortex was asymmetrically recruited
during both perception and recognition of non-verbal stimuli.
Experiment 3 revealed that atrophy in the left perirhinal cortex
and hippocampus was associated with poor performance on the
verbal memory task and atrophy in the right perirhinal cortex was
associated with poor performance on the non-verbal task.
Discussion
Our results suggest that i) structures of the MTL are recruited
during both perception and recognition memory, ii) there is a
functional asymmetry with left and right MTL structures recruited for
verbal and non-verbal stimuli respectively and iii) atrophy in the MTL
regions implicated in our functional imaging results is associated
with impaired task performance in patients with dementia. These
results have important implications for current theoretical models
of episodic memory and perception.
Testing the limits: Investigating the effect of tDCS dose
on cognitive performance in healthy controls and
patients with schizophrenia
Kate Hoy1*, Sara Arnold1, Melanie Emonson1, Richard
Thomson1, Zafiris J. Daskalakis2and Paul Fitzgerald1
1
Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Australia
2
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Canada
Background
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive
form of brain stimulation which has been shown to induce changes
in brain activity and subsequent functioning. In particular, there is a
rapidly growing evidence base showing that anodal tDCS applied
to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is able to enhance
aspects of cognitive functioning. This has led to excitement
regarding the potential treatment of cognitive dysfunction in illness,
such as schizophrenia, as well as the possibility of ‘electrodoping’
in healthy controls to greatly improve cognitive performance.
Objective
This excitement surrounding the potential of tDCS, for both healthy
individuals and those with cognitive impairment, is contingent on its
ability to meaningfully improve cognitive performance. If substantial
effects are possible, there should be a dose related effect with greater
benefits apparent at higher doses. To date such a relationship has not
been investigated in either healthy controls or patients with schizophrenia.
Methods
Here I present the results of two parallel studies investigating the
effects of increasing the current (or ‘dose’) of tDCS on the degree
of working memory (WM) improvement in 18 healthy controls and
18 patients with schizophrenia. Single sessions of 1mA, 2mA and
sham anodal tDCS to the left DLPFC were undertaken over a
period of two to three weeks. Participants underwent a WM
task at three time points post stimulation (0, 20 and 40 mins).
Results
Our results showed that while active tDCS can enhance
behavioural performance in healthy controls there was no dose
response relationship. These findings are somewhat unexpected
as tDCS dose-response relationships for cognitive enhancement
have been seen in patient populations. Indeed we saw such a
relationship in our schizophrenia group, with significant effects of
2mA only on working memory performance over time in patients
with schizophrenia.
Conclusions
While tDCS was shown to enhance cognitive functioning in
healthy controls there was no evidence of greater or longer
enhancements at a higher tDCS dose. This is in contrast to
what was seen in the schizophrenia group where cognition,
and underlying neurophysiology, is impaired. These findings
provide greater understanding of the mechanisms of tDCS
induced cognitive enhancement and provide evidence of the
possible limits of such enhancement for the healthy population.
BDNF, Synaptic Dysfunction and Cognitive Decline in
Pre-Clinical Alzheimer’s Disease: Development of
Biomarkers of Synapse Function and Cognitive
Decline for Synapse Repair Therapies
Pradeep J. Nathan1, 2*, Paul Maruff3 and Edward Bullmore2
1
2
3
UCB Pharma, United Kingdom
Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Cogstate Ltd, Australia
Introduction
Synaptic dysfunction is a core pathophysiological hallmark for
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) leading to cognitive deficits. BDNF is a key
32 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
synaptogenic molecule that modulates synaptic and cognitive
function and is an attractive pharmacological target for cognitive
enhancement. In this study we used a genetic approach (i.e. BDNF
val66met polymorphism) to identify BDNF sensitive biomarkers of
cognitive and synaptic dysfunction that could be utilized to monitor
the disease progression and efficacy of synaptic repair therapies.
First, we compared a number of “synaptic” and cognitive markers
in individuals carrying val/val, val/met, met/met genotypes (Study
1). Second, we examined the interaction between BDNF and Aβ
loading (PiB PET) on cognitive decline and hippocampal volume
(Study 2).
Methods
For study 1, 60 healthy subjects (20 val/val; 20 val/met and 20 met/
met) were recruited. For study 2, 165 healthy older subjects (107
val/val and 58 met carriers) and 34 patients with mild cognitive
impairment (MCI) (24 val/val and 10 met carriers) were recruited.
Results
Compared to val homozygotes, met carries (val/met and met/met)
showed evidence of “inefficient” synaptic activity as demonstrated
by impaired EEG activity (i.e. decreased delta power and phase
synchrony) during cognitive processing in an error related negativity
task of executive function (all p<0.05) (Figure 1), increased frontal
and parietal resting theta EEG power i (all p<0.05), and increased
hippocampal (p<0.05) activation during retrieval of a memory task.
Compared to val/val homozygotes with high Aβ amyloid (i.e. PIB+),
healthy elderly subjects carrying BDNF-met genotype showed
significant and moderate-to-large magnitude decline in episodic
memory, executive function, and language, as well as greater
reductions in hippocampal volume over 36 months (all p<0.05;
cohen’s d between 0.73 and 0.8).
Conclusion
Using BDNF val66met polymorphism, we have identified several
BDNF sensitive biomarkers of cognitive and synaptic that may
potentially be used in AD clinical trials to monitor both disease
progression and drug efficacy. We have also demonstrated that
Aβ loading (i.e. PIB+) combined with BDNF-met genotype is
associated with greater neurodegeneration and cognitive decline.
The latter finding is the first evidence linking BDNF and cognitive
decline in preclinical AD and highlights the promise of synaptic
repair therapies targeting the BDNF system for ameliorating
cognitive dysfunction in AD.
Executive Function 1
Genetic and inflammatory correlates
of neurocognitive performance during
naturally-occurring infective illness
Erin Cvejic1*, Andrew Lloyd2 and Ute Vollmer-Conna1
1
2
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia
School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Australia
Background
Disturbances in neurocognitive performance are a core feature of
the acute sickness response to infection; however the underlying
mechanisms remain unclear.
Methods
A computerised battery was used to assess neurocognitive
functioning in subjects enrolled in the Dubbo Infection Outcomes
Study (n = 107) – a prospective cohort of subjects followed from
documented acute infection with Epstein-Barr virus (glandular
fever), Coxiella burnetii (the causative agent of Q fever), or Ross
River virus (epidemic polyarthritis) until recovery. Subjects were
assessed when ill, and a subset again after recovery. Associations
between sickness-related cognitive disturbances and single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cytokine (interleukin
[IL]-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon [IFN]-γ)
and neurobehavioral genes (serotonin transporter [5-HTT],
catechol-O-methyltransferase) were explored.
Results
During acute infection, subjects exhibited slower matching-tosample responses (p = 0.03), poorer working memory capacity
(p = 0.014), mental planning (p = 0.045), and dual attention task
performance (p = 0.02), and required longer to complete discordant
Stroop trials (p = 0.01) compared to recovery. Objective impairments
correlated significantly with self-reported symptoms as well as
levels of the inflammation marker, C-reactive protein (p = 0.03).
Neurocognitive disturbances during acute illness were associated
with functional polymorphisms: the high cytokine producing
G allele of the IL-6-174G/C SNP was associated with poorer
mental planning (p = 0.009, OR: 6.26) and the high producing
T allele of the IFN-γ+874T/A SNP with poorer performance under
dual attention conditions (p = 0.046, OR: 3.20). The homozygous,
less active 5-HTT SS genotype was associated with slower Stroop
task responses (p = 0.019, OR: 16.52).
Discussion
These findings confirm that acute infection impacts on
neurocognitive performance, manifesting as slowed responses
and impaired performance on complex tasks requiring higher-order
functioning which has important real-world implications. The
data provide the first evidence suggesting a role for a genetic
predisposition to more intense inflammatory responses during
infection and vulnerability in the serotonin system in objective
neurocognitive disturbances during acute infections.
Prefrontal and striatal dopamine influence cognitive
control: gene-gene and gene-gender interactions.
Caroline Gurvich1* and Susan L. Rossell1, 2
1
2
Central Clinical School, Monash University and The Alfred Hospital, Australia
Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre (BPsyC),Faculty of Life and
Social Sciences , Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Introduction
The exploration of genetic variations along the dopaminergic
pathway provides one avenue to better understand the complex
and interacting influences of prefrontal and striatal dopamine on
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
33
cognition. This study examined the influence of common and
functional polymorphisms of the catechol-O-methyltransferase
[COMT] gene, the dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) and the
dopamine receptor D2 [DRD2] gene on cognitive control in a
healthy sample.
Methods
A total of 338 healthy adults, selected from an international
consortium linked to Brain Research and Integrative Neuroscience
(BRAINnet), were genotyped. Cognitive measures were selected to
explore attention (sustained attention and switching of attention),
working memory and inhibitory control. Interactions between
genotypes were explored using Multivariate Analyses of Variance.
Gender was also explored as an additional variable given previous
research suggesting gender dopamine interactions.
Results
Working memory and sustained attention task were both
influenced by significant COMT X DRD2 X DAT1 X Gender
interactions. Different aspects of switching of attention were
influenced by significant COMT X Gender; DRD2 X Gender; and
DRD2 X DAT1 interactions. Striatal dopamine (DRD2 and DAT1)
but not COMT influenced inhibitory control.
Discussion
The findings from this study have demonstrated how gene-genegender interactions variously influence different aspects of cognitive
control in a large, non-clinical population. The findings highlight the
importance of genetic variation in baseline dopamine levels as well
as gender, when considering the impact of dopamine on cognition
in healthy populations, as well as having important implications for
the many neuropsychiatric disorders that implicate dopamine,
cognitive changes and gender differences.
Error detection in a force-production task:
Testing the force-unit monitoring model
Jutta Stahl1, 2*, Anne Bierbrauer3, Jan Gommann1,
Kilian Lenk1 and Stefan Bode2
Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Germany
2
University of Melbourne, Australia
3
Maastricht University, Netherlands
1
Background
Error monitoring is a well investigated cognitive process. In
typical choice-reaction tasks in which participants make speeded
responses to one of two alternatives, detection of an erroneous
response should be rather easy. However, responses in everyday
life are usually more complex, and even simple ballistic movements
such as button presses are comprised of more than one parameter
(e.g. time, force). Fast detection of erroneous continuous response
parameters is probably more difficult. Recently, we proposed the
force-unit monitoring model (FUMM) which suggests a link between
shape parameters of medial-frontal negativity (MFN), a component
of the event-related potential (ERP) reflecting action monitoring,
and shape parameters of force pulses. The present study tested
whether the MFN is directly associated with the detection of
erroneous force production.
Method
Using a force-production task, 54 participants (19-47 years)
were asked to produce a high or a low force pulse with the index
finger of their dominant hand. After each response, participants
estimated the accuracy of their force production before feedback
presentation. ERPs were recorded using a 61-channel electroencephalogram and they were analyzed time-locked to a) the
response onset, b) the time of peak force, and c) the feedback
indicating “correct”, “too week”, or “too strong” peak force.
Results
The MFN following the response onset as well as following the
peak force showed variations in several shape parameters (slope
of rise, peak, slope of decay, and area under the curve - AUC) as
a function of the accuracy evaluation. For successful force-error
detection in the high-force condition (i.e. detected erroneous
low-force production), we found a larger AUC and a greater slope
of the MFN’s rise compared to correct high-force production and
to non-detected low-force production. The feedback-related MFN
was increased only after incorrect accuracy estimations.
Discussion
Our study shows that successful force-error detection is related
to more than the peak amplitude of MFN. The information inherent
in the temporal distribution of the neural activity (reflected by
MFN shape parameters) contributed to successful detection
of erroneous force production. These results are in line with the
FUMM describing the relationship between the characteristics of
MFN and response force and they support the development of
an action-monitoring model with high ecological validity.
Control over immediate reward: A fMRI study of
inhibitory control over monetary reward
Li Peng Evelyn Chen1*, Robert Hester1 and Kathleen
Charles-Walsh1
1
School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
Background
Considerable evidence implicates a combination of heightened
reward sensitivity and inhibitory control deficit in drug addiction.
Investigations into the neural mechanisms underlying reward and
control have typically approached these different neural systems in
isolation. While this approach has been invaluable, it is the control
of the impulse for immediate reward that is fundamental to
addiction disorders. The current challenge in research is to
investigate how control is exerted over reward.
Method
We administered a novel monetary reward task during fMRI data
collection (n = 22) that cued participants to expect a monetary
reward. On a small proportion of trials, rather than making a buttonpress response to receive the monetary reward, participants were
presented with a stop-signal that required them to withhold their
response. To mimic real-world abstinence, successful response
inhibition over a money-related stimulus received no immediate
financial reward, whereas failure to withhold resulted in the
expected monetary reward.
Results
BOLD activity for the response preparation and response
inhibition epochs of successful inhibition over a reward-related
stimulus, indicated hyperactivity in inhibitory control related
regions (e.g., right inferior frontal gyrus) and hypoactivity in
reward anticipation regions (e.g., striatum, nucleus accumbens).
Significant differences were evident during the response
preparation period when successful control over reward was
compared to either failures of control, or successful control
over a neutral stimulus.
Discussion
Our results suggest that suppressing impulsiveness for reward
in healthy control participants is associated with both the downregulation of reward-related anticipation, and upregulation of
cognitive control-related processes. While both of these mechanisms
are implicated in clinical conditions such as addiction, application
of this paradigm may further clarify their relative contribution. 34 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Flexible coding of task rules in frontoparietal cortex
The role of error awareness in post-error adaptive
behaviour
Alexandra Woolgar1*, Soheil Afshar1, Mark A. Williams1 and
Anina N. Rich1
1
Peter Evans1* and Rob Hester1
Department of Cognitive Science and ARC Centre of Excellence in
Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Australia
1
Background
Humans are characterised by diverse and flexible behaviour. How
does the brain achieve the flexible cognitive control that is required?
Several theories implicate frontoparietal cortex, which is thought to
represent the information needed for current behaviour and to bias
processing towards task-relevant information elsewhere in the
brain. In particular, frontoparietal cortex is thought to structure and
maintain task sets or rules. For behaviour to be flexible, however,
the system must rapidly reorganise as mental focus changes. We
have previously demonstrated this reorganisation, or “adaptive
coding”, in the visual domain, with frontoparietal cortex adjusting to
code perceptual information more strongly when visual input is
weak. Here, we test whether this rapid reorganisation is also seen
in the conceptual domain, for task rules.
Methods
20 participants learnt 4 rules determining which of 4 buttons
should be pressed in response to a blue square shown in one of
4 possible horizontal locations on a screen. Two of the rules were
conceptually simple (“easy”) while the other two rules were more
complex (“hard”). On each trial, the current rule was cued by the
background colour of the screen. Functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) data were acquired on a 3T Siemens Verio scanner
while participants performed alternating blocks of easy and hard
rules. We used Multivoxel Pattern Analysis (MVPA) to characterise
the extent to which activity patterns in frontoparietal cortex
discriminated between (“coded”) the task rules, stimulus positions,
and button press responses, in easy and hard blocks separately
Results
Participants were significantly slower and less accurate for the
hard compared to easy rules. In a restricted set of frontal and
parietal “multiple-demand” (MD) brain regions, chosen a priori for
their common response to a range of cognitive demands, coding
dynamically adjusted between easy and hard blocks. MD coding
of rule increased in hard compared to easy blocks, suggesting
increased focus on this task element as it became more cognitively
demanding. At the same time, MD coding of responses decreased
in hard blocks, suggesting a redistribution of response information
as focus on task rules increased.
Melbourne School of Psychological Science, University of Melbourne, Australia
Background
Adapting behaviour in response to errors is an important part
of cognitive function; however it remains unclear how conscious
error awareness influences post-error adaptive behaviour. For
example, the conflict theory of error processing indicates that error
awareness is not necessary for adaptive behaviour changes such
as post-error slowing. Given the error awareness deficits in a wide
range of clinical conditions (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia,
substance abuse), it is of interest whether such deficits would also
negatively influence the adaptation of behaviour in response to
errors.
Methods
A healthy control sample (n = 28,15 female) performed a
modified version of the Error Awareness Task, a Go/No-go
response inhibition task that produces errors that participants
are either aware or unaware of. The task was modified so that
participants would know, following an error, which of two inhibition
rules would apply to the upcoming No-go trial. Awareness of the
error would therefore provide a competitive advantage to post-error
performance, as participants would not be required to monitor for
both the competing inhibition rules.
Results
Mean inhibition accuracy following an aware error was significantly
higher than following an unaware error or correct inhibition. There
was no significant difference in post-error accuracy between unaware
errors and correct inhibition trials. In addition, there was a significant
post-error slowing effect following unaware errors but not following
aware errors.
Discussion
These findings suggest that awareness of errors impacts on
task performance and post-error adaptation over relatively large
timeframes. Finding that awareness of errors influences individual
ability to adapt to an error highlights the role of awareness in
performance monitoring. Approaches toward increasing awareness
of errors may provide an avenue for treating issues caused by
deficient error processing in relevant clinical conditions.
Discussion
The results suggest an adaptive frontoparietal system that rapidly
reorganises in response to changing conceptual demands. This
system may provide the neural basis for flexible control of human
behaviour.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
35
Clinical
Neurocognitive Predictors of Risky Driving in
Young People – Western Australia
Melissa A. Hughes1* and Julie C. Stout1
1
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
Background
Driving is one of the most risky activities for young people between
the ages of 17-25 years. Despite making up only a small proportion
of Australian Drivers, young drivers account for over 25% of driver
deaths. Young drivers’ risk is thought to reflect a convergence of
factors including lack of skills, knowledge and experience, and
immature nervous systems that lead to risky decision making,
impulsivity and emotional dysregulation. In this study we
investigated how individual variation of riskiness, and cognitive
characteristics of risky decision making, impulsivity, and emotional
dysregulation, relate to risky driving in young people. Methods: In
the first phase of the study we assessed whether online screening
of developmental cognitive risk factors in young drivers in Western
Australia related to individual levels of self-reported risky driving. On
a newly developed online platform participants completed a battery
of cognitive assessment tasks and personality measures assessing
risky decision making, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation. In
phase 2 of the study we compared high and low risk (as identified
from the online cognitive risk assessment) young drivers on their
actual driving behaviours under naturalistic conditions using travel
diaries and CD4 in-vehicle monitoring devices.
Results
Preliminary findings suggest that risky performance on cognitive
tasks relates to aspects of self-reported driving risk. For example
risky performance on the Iowa Gambling Task related to driving
with extra passengers (r=.263, p=.030), while difficulty inhibiting go
responses on a no-go task related to taking risks to make driving
more fun (r=.393, p=.001) and preventing other drivers from
changing lanes (r=.255, p=.033). Reduced arousal to pleasant
stimuli also related to higher use of rude gestures (r=.249, p=.041).
Discussion
Our findings suggest that identification of cognitive characteristics
in young drivers which predict risky driving behaviour will prove
essential for developing more targeted prevention strategies to
improve road safety in young people who are at highest crash risk.
Further results and implications will be discussed.
Concurrent motor and cognitive functioning in multiple
sclerosis: A motor overflow and motor stability study
Anne-Marie Ternes1*, Joanne Fielding1, Patricia K. Addamo2,
Owen White3 and Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis1*
1
2
3
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
Institute of Sport, Exercise, and Active Living, Victoria University, Australia
Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia
Background
The interplay between motor and cognitive functions during
concurrent task performance is not fully understood and can vary
as a function of task characteristics and across clinical populations.
The current study examined the impact of a concurrent digit span
task on motor stability and motor overflow in patients with Multiple
Sclerosis (MS).
Method
Twenty-two MS and 22 control participants performed a unimanual
force production task, with motor stability reflected in accuracy of
voluntary force production, and motor overflow measured as
involuntary force produced by the opposite inactive hand. During half
of the trials, participants concurrently performed a digit span task.
Results
Overall, MS patients demonstrated increased motor overflow and
decreased motor stability; these measures correlated with disease
severity. Motor stability was influenced by the inclusion of the
concurrent task and this relationship varied as a function of task
difficulty (target force). Motor overflow decreased during trials with
the concurrent task. MS patients were not differentially affected by
the concurrent task, compared with controls.
Discussion
This study demonstrates preserved motor function in a concurrent
task paradigm in MS patients and sheds further light on the
relationship between attention and motor function in both healthy
controls and MS patients. This research may help to inform
rehabilitation strategies which are relevant to everyday life
situations in which cognitive and motor tasks are routinely
performed simultaneously. Prognosticating Post-Stroke Cognitive Deficits
from Pre-Discharge EEG
Emma Schleiger1*, Nabeel Sheikh1, 2, Tennille Rowland2,
Andrew Wong2, Stephen Read2 and Simon Finnigan1
1
2
Centre for Clinical Research, University of Queensland, Australia
Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Australia
Background
Cognitive impairment and vascular dementia are common sequelae
of stroke, however pre-discharge prognostication remains elusive.
Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) provides indices of
brain (dys)function and has proven informative for prognostication
of generalised, post-stroke functional outcomes.
Aim
To analyse the relationship between pre-discharge QEEG indices
and 3 month post-stroke cognitive outcome.
Method
Resting EEG was recorded at mean 69 hours (range 57-99)
after symptom onset using a standard 19-electrode array. At an
average of 108 days (range 70-209) post-stroke, the functional
assessment and functional independence measure (FIMFAM)
assessing functional, behavioural and cognitive outcomes, was
administered. Relative power for alpha, beta, delta and theta
frequencies, as well as delta/alpha ratio (DAR) and pair wise
derived brain symmetry index (pdBSI) were computed for each
electrode then averaged over all 19 electrodes. Additionally,
frontal-specific values for each of these were averaged over only
electrodes F3, F4, F7, F8. Spearman’s rho was used to correlate
these QEEG indices with outcome measures which included total
FIMFAM and the sub-total of 5 cognitive items.
Results
Twenty-six patients (14 female, mean age: 67 years, range
38-82) were recruited. Significant correlations (p<0.05) were
found between all QEEG measures (except theta power) and
both total FIMFAM and cognitive items only. Significant correlations
were also obtained when using only the QEEG measures from the
frontal lobe electrodes.
Discussion
These results indicate that early QEEG measures may help predict
post-stroke cognitive deficits; notably, just several frontal electrodes
may give adequate information in this setting.
36 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Is the role of facial mimicry in emotion recognition
influenced by differing levels of autistic traits?
Hayley A. Caulfield1, 2*, Angelika Anderson3 and
Peter G. Enticott2
Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia
Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Australia
3
Krongold Centre, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia
1
2
Background
Facial emotion processing is important for social understanding.
Recognition of emotion is facilitated by facial mimicry, attributed to
the mirror neuron system. Blocking mimicry impairs the ability to
accurately recognise emotion in neurotypical individuals, resulting in
difficulties akin to those seen in individuals with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD). This study sought to investigate the extent to which
individuals with differing levels of autistic traits rely on facial mimicry
to recognise emotion.
Method
50 healthy adult females aged 19 to 60 completed the Adult
Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and a Facial Emotion Recognition
Task, comprising facial images displaying fear, surprise, and
morphed expressions of fear and surprise. Participants completed
the facial emotion task while mimicry was blocked or not blocked.
To block mimicry participants bit down on five tongue depressors,
a technique used to disrupt the production of meaningful muscle
signals thought to facilitate facial mimicry.
Results
Results indicated a significant interaction between condition
(blocking vs. non-blocking) and emotion, p=.019. Further
analysis found a significant difference between blocking and
control conditions for the morphed fear expression, p=.015, with
participants with high autistic traits demonstrating poorer accuracy
of recognition of morphed fear when mimicry was blocked. No
significant results were identified for low or medium autistic traits
Discussion
While there is evidence for reduced facial mimicry in ASD, these
findings suggest that individuals with high (but sub-clinical) levels
of autistic traits do rely on mimetic processes. Impaired emotion
recognition when mimicry was disrupted might indicate that the
mirror neuron system is more vulnerable to disruption in these
individuals. Those with lower level of autistic traits may not rely on
mimetic processes to the extent previously thought, and may in
fact engage alternate strategies to supplement mimetic processes
in the recognition of facial emotion.
The use of pupil dilation to communicate with lockedin syndrome patients
Olivia Carter1*, Josef Stoll2, Camille Chatelle3, Christof Koch4,
Steven Laureys3 and Wolfgang Einhauser 2, 5
1
Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
2
Neurophysics, Philips-University, Germany
3
Coma Science Group, University and University Hospital of Liege, Belgium
4
Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA
5
Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF), Bielefeld University, Germany
Background
For patients with severe motor disabilities, a robust means of
communication is a crucial factor for their well-being. Typically
this involves the use of brain computer interfaces that require
sophisticated machinery that are unsuitable for home use due
to cost and physical size or require continued expert technical
support to adjust and maintain equipment over sustained use.
Despite recent progress in BCI research, developing a system
that provides the patient maximal autonomy remains challenging.
Methods
Here we exploit pupil size as an alternative simple and robust
measure for communication. Based on the data of six young, healthy
controls, we established a protocol that enables them to control their
own pupil size by increasing or decreasing cognitive load (i.e.,
performing mental arithmetic or not) and to use this signal to answer
yes/no questions. The system was then tested in eleven patients
suffering from locked-in-syndrome (LIS), seven of whom were in a
typical LIS due to a brainstem stroke (i.e., without supratentorial brain
lesions and with normal cognitive function), and four atypical LIS (i.e.,
with supratentorial lesions and resulting cognitive dysfunction) as
result of a severe brain injury. Finally, we tested command-following
responses with the same system in a single patient in a noncommunicative minimally conscious state (MCS).
Results
As reported recently (Stoll et al 2013, Current Biology R647-8)
we found that all healthy controls could use the system for
communication, with an average decoding performance of over 90%
and significant decoding in each individual. The responses of six out of
seven typical LIS patients could be decoded above chance level, with
three reaching significance individually. In contrast, none of the atypical
LIS patients reached a performance significantly different from chance.
Finally, in the MCS patient, who was explicitly instructed to react either
to the “yes” or the “no” alternative in each question, the response
could again be decoded significantly above chance.
Discussion
Our data provides proof-of-principle that pupil size can be used
as a means of communication with at least a subset of LIS patients.
In addition, the MCS data renders the use of this system as a
diagnostic tool conceivable, permitting the identification of motorindependent (i.e., pupil-dependent) signs of command-following in
a population whose state of consciousness is in question.
The contributions of lower order cognitive skills to
executive function performance in schizophrenia
Erica Neill1* and Susan L. Rossell1
1
Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Australia
Introduction
Executive functions (EF) are impaired in schizophrenia (SZ) and
often constitute a key element in neurocognitive models of this
disorder. Characterising EF impairments is difficult given their
reliance on lower order cognitive skills. The current study
investigated this relationship by investigating the contribution of
lower order skills, including processing speed and visual scanning,
to performance on two commonly used measures of EF: the
Stroop and Trails tasks.
Methods
Participants included 40 individuals with a diagnosis of
schizophrenia. Each participant was administered the modified
Stroop and Trails tasks from the Delis Kaplan Executive Function
System (D-KEFS) battery. The D-KEFS versions of these tasks
were employed as they provide a method for parcelling out the
contributions of lower order skills from executive performance.
Results
When the contributions of lower order cognitive skills were
controlled for, there was no evidence for an executive specific
deficit on Stroop or Trails performance in a schizophrenia group.
Conclusion
While executive dysfunction is a defining feature of SZ, the
current results suggest that from a theoretical and rehabilitation
perspective, the contribution of lower order cognitive deficits
should be more carefully considered.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
37
Attention
What do failures of prism adaptation tell us about the
disorder of neglect?
James Danckert1*
1
Psychology, University of Waterloo, Canada
Background
Spatial neglect, a disorder common after right parietal injury, has
long been thought of as a problem of attention. The dominant
models of the syndrome suggest that it is best characterised by
a failure to orient attention to left space. If that were the case,
rehabilitation protocols that focus on spatial attention should prove
most successful in ameliorating the disorder. In a series of studies
I will demonstrate that one such rehabilitation protocol–prism
adaptation–fails to address many of the core symptoms of neglect.
This works suggests that neglect is a more complex constellation
of cognitive deficits that cannot be fully explained by recourse to
spatial attention.
Methods
Three studies will be presented. The first examined a single neglect
patient on a chimaeric faces task in which the patient must judge
which of two vertically aligned faces is ‘happier’ (the faces are split
such that one half is smiling and the other is neutral). The second
study explored performance on a spatial working memory (SWM)
task in which neglect patients (n=6) had to keep in mind the
location of vertically aligned targets over a short delay–all targets
were presented in right, non-neglected space. Finally, the third
study had patients (n=6) perform a temporal estimation task in
which they estimated the passage of time for an illusory motion
stimulus that varied in duration from 5 to 60 seconds. All tasks
were performed before and after adaptation to prisms.
Results
In the first study the patient directed overt attention (i.e., eye
movements) more towards left space after prisms. Despite this,
he continued to choose the face shown smiling on the right as
appearing happier. In the other two studies, despite showing
changes on clinical measures of neglect, there was no
improvement of SWM or temporal perception following prisms.
Discussion
Taken together these results suggest that neglect should not
be considered a disorder only of spatial attention. This is not to
suggest that neglect patients do not suffer from impaired
attentional orienting, but rather that this deficit alone does not
account for the full range of impairments. A more parsimonious
account of the neglect syndrome will be put forth in which the
heterogeneous deficits are characterised as a failure to build and
update accurate mental models of the environment. Such mental
models–and the ability to modify them based on changing
information–are vital for the fluid control of behaviour.
Localising the Electrophysiological Indices of
Lateralised Attentional Processes
Dion T. Henare1, 2* and Paul M. Corballis1, 2
1
2
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Centre for Brain Research, New Zealand
Background
Visual selective attention allows for the flexible allocation of
processing resources to those parts of the scene which are more
salient or goal relevant. This selective process is posited to involve
the selection of targets, suppression of distractors and
maintenance of target features within visual short term memory
(VSTM). Recent evidence has suggested that three lateralised
potentials, the N2pc, Ptc, and SPCN, may be dissociable
components of the VEP indexing these 3 processes respectively.
We used high-density EEG to investigate whether these
components could be both functionally and spatially
dissociated within the same experiment.
Methods
Displays consisted of 16 letters arranged in a circle. One of these
letters was a salient target (either orange or green on each trial),
one was a salient distractor (always the colour not chosen for the
target), and the rest were grey filler letters. On each trial the display
was shown for 200ms and participants’ task was to identify the
orientation of the target letter. Critically, only one of the two salient
letters (target or distractor) was lateralised on a given trial. In half
of the trials the target was lateralised and in the other half the
distractor was lateralised. This allowed us to dissociate the
contributions of the target and distractor to the lateralised ERPs.
Results
ERP results show that lateralised targets elicit both an N2pc and
SPCN but no significant Ptc. Lateralised distractors however elicit
an N2pc and Ptc but no significant SPCN. Source analysis revealed
that the N2pc was generated in occipito-parietal areas for both
targets and distractors, the Ptc to distractors is generated in more
anterior, temporal areas, and the SPCN is generated by occipitoparietal areas similar to the N2pc.
Discussion
Our results are consistent with the suggestion that the N2pc,
Ptc, and SPCN are distinct components of the visual evoked
potential which index target selection, distractor suppression,
and maintenance within VSTM respectively. While an equivalent
N2pc is elicited by targets and distractors, only distractors elicit
a subsequent Ptc, and only targets elicit an SPCN. The colocalisation of the N2pc and SPCN is consistent with the notion
that VSTM involves the recruitment and sustained activation of
cortical areas involved in the initial representation of a stimulus.
Measuring the attentional field throughout human
visual cortex
Alexander M. Puckett1, 2* and Edgar A. DeYoe3
School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Australia
Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
3
Department of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
1
2
Background
The spatial topography of the attentional field (AF) is a critical
feature of many models of visual attention. Previous fMRI studies
of AF topography have been limited by the coarseness of the voxel
sampling matrix and the presence of local susceptibility artifacts,
issues that are exaggerated in higher-order areas due to their
smaller surface area. Using a new technique we circumvent these
issues and show that AF topography can be estimated from single
voxel time-course data.
Methods
While fixating a center marker, subjects were cued to covertly
attend to a target within a dartboard-like array of stimulus
segments that slowly rotated about fixation. In attention runs,
subjects continuously tracked a single target within the array.
In sensory runs, the previously attended target was presented
in isolation while subjects performed an attention task at fixation.
In the attention condition, voxels with population receptive
fields (pRFs) positioned along the trajectory of the target were
differentially activated when the focus of attention passed over their
38 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
pRF. These voxels were also activated in the sensory condition
when the isolated stimulus segment passed over the pRF. Thus,
the duration of fMRI activation was proportional to either (1) the
width of the attentional focus or (2) the width of the stimulus
segment. The empirical time-course data were fit using a model
composed of the stimulus sequence, the AF, the voxel’s estimated
pRF, and a temporal hemodynamic response function. The resulting
model parameters were used to estimate the AF topography.
Results
Responses were identified and modeled for both conditions in
visual areas V1, V2, V3, V4, VO-1,2, V3AB, IPS-0,1,2,3, LO-1,2,
and TO-1,2. We found that the AF scales with eccentricity and
visual area. We also found that voxels in multiple visual areas
exhibited attention signals that indicate a marked suppressive
surround distinct from the response profile observed when
measuring the sensory pRFs.
Discussion
This study demonstrates an fMRI-based technique to estimate the
spatial topography of the AF from neurophysiological correlates
measured throughout much of visual cortex. Recent models of
visual attention indicate that the size of the AF relative to a visual
stimulus and sensory pRF are central factors in determining the
behavioral effects of attention. The method described here permits
empirical measurement of the AF thereby providing key information
for models of attention.
Children born with very low birth weight show
difficulties with sustained attention but not response
inhibition
Katherine A. Johnson1*, Elaine Healy2, Barbara Dooley3, Simon
P. Kelly4 and Fiona McNicholas2
1
School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
2
Lucena Clinic, Ireland
3
School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Ireland
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City College of New York, USA
4
Children born with very low birth weight (VLBW) perform poorly
on executive function batteries, showing difficulties on tasks
measuring response inhibition, task switching, working memory,
verbal fluency and concept generation. Impairments have also
been shown on attention measures, including difficulties with
selective, sustained, shifting and divided attention control.
Previous sustained attention research on children with VLBW
has used tasks that have methodological problems. Any
difficulties with sustained attention may underpin problematic
performances on tasks measuring higher-order cognitive control.
The aim of this study was to compare the performance of VLBW
and normal birth weight (NBW) children on a well-controlled task
of sustained attention. The Fixed and Random versions of the
Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) were given to
17 VLBW and 18 NBW children. The response time data were
analysed using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), to define fastand slow-frequency contributions to overall response variability.
The VLBW group performed the Fixed and Random SARTs in
a similar manner as the NBW group on all measures except for
the omission error and Slow Frequency Area under the Spectra
(SFAUS) variables on the Fixed SART. These measures index
lapses in sustained attention. The VLBW group showed no
response inhibition deficits. Omission error and SFAUS
measures are sensitive measures of behaviour associated
with premature birth and low birth weight and may mark
difficulties with sustained attention and arousal during a
predictable, taxing task.
Distraction by action: higher autism spectrum
quotients, less distraction
Jeroen J. Van Boxtel1, 2* and Hongjing Lu3
1
Department of Psychology, UCLA, USA
2 School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
3 Department of Statistics, UCLA, USA
Background
The visual system receives more information than it can process,
and therefore needs to select the likely relevant information for
processing, and disregard the other information. This selective
process is performed by attention. What is considered important
information, depends on the context, but potentially also on the
individual. Autism spectrum disorder is reportedly linked to a
decreased biological motion processing. We therefore investigated
if this is partly due to a decrease in automatic allocation of attention
to biological motion.
Methods
We presented the participants with a central attention-demanding
task: a rapid serial visual presentation of colored crosses, of which
participants had to count the number of upright yellow and inverted
green crosses. Performance on this task was the dependent
measure. Concurrently with this task, we showed walking and
boxing point-light animations in the periphery. We displayed two
walkers (either above/below fixation, or left/right of fixation) and two
boxers (displayed at the remaining two position, above/below or
left/right of fixation). In intact conditions, one of the two action types
was intact, the other was scrambled; in scrambled conditions, all
four stimuli were scrambled. This manipulation ensured that local
motion information was identical in all experimental conditions, and
only global information differed. These animations were irrelevant to
the task. We measured the autism spectrum quotient (AQ) for each
participant, and correlated the AQ with task performance.
Results
We found that with scrambled animations there was no correlation
between the AQ and task performance; overall performance was
around 70% correct. However for intact actions (both for walkers
and boxers), there was a significant correlation between AQ and
task performance, such that participants with low AQ scores
performed below baseline when intact walkers or boxers were
presented, while participants with high AQ scores still performed
at baseline.
Discussion
People with few autistic traits automatically process global aspects
of biological motion even when this is detrimental to their central
task performance. Such automatic processing of biological motion
is indicative of a “hard-wired” bias toward global processing
of action information, because it cannot be switched off. This
processing is absent in people with many autistic traits.
Divided attention across complex audio-visual tasks
under conditions of signal interference
Knarik Tamaryan1 and Ramesh Rajan1*
1
Physiology, Monash University, Australia
Background
Our ability to conduct two demanding tasks simultaneously,
allocating attention resources appropriately, and knowing when to
switch between one and the other has serious ramifications for
many daily events, and when there is cognitive decline. Most
divided attention (DA) studies have used simple dual task
conditions, with clear signals and with no interference being
present whereas, in most daily life, such conditions are the
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
39
norm, placing more strain on our ability to allocate attention
during multi-tasking. We examined audio-visual multi-tasking
under more realistic conditions of noise and interference.
Social/Emotional
Methods
Five groups undertook a speech-in-noise (SiN) task with
linguistically-simple 4-6 word meaningful sentences delivered
through headphones, in five levels of background multi-talker
babble (each test session using one fixed level). The control
group undertook only this task. The other four, DA, groups
undertook this task while doing mazes on a tablet PC; the
four groups differed in the level of maze difficulty which was
fixed for each group. Pre-testing trials in the DA groups, as
well as experiments in other control groups, were conducted
to establish that the mazes differed in degree of difficulty.
Evidence of Hyperplasticity in adults with Autism
Spectrum Disorder
Results
The greatest distractor effect of the visuospatial maze task
on sentence recall occurred at the easiest maze level, and for
intermediate noise levels (the highest and lowest noise levels
showing ceiling and floor effects on sentence recall in the SiN task).
With increasing maze difficulty, performance shifted back toward
control group values, as indexed in changes in the point of
subjective equality derived from Boltzman functions fitted to group
data, with no change in function slopes. There was also no change
in the pattern of recall of sentence keywords as a function of
keyword position. However, even at the most difficult maze level,
when almost no mazes were done, SiN task performance was still
poorer than in control subjects. For the visuspatial task, at a group
level, performance did not appear affected by the simultaneous SiN
task, but individual data showed large variance that varied
systematically with background noise level in the SiN task.
Discussion
We propose that the visuospatial distractor effects are due to
divided executive attention and divided orienting attention. Both
effects are present when the visuospatial task is easy but when
it is hard, only the second effect causes interference with the
auditory task. Ian J. Kirk1*, Jessica Wilson1, Danielle Courtney1, Veema
Lodhia1 and Jeff P. Hamm1
1
School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Background
Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a form of synaptic plasticity
involved in learning and memory. Abnormal levels of LTP have
been suggested to contribute to symptoms in a number of
disorders, and here we examined the extent to which LTP may
be affected in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). While animal
models of ASD have suggested LTP may be atypical, the results
have been inconsistent in terms of the direction of abnormality.
Methods
An EEG paradigm for non-invasively eliciting LTP in humans was
applied to a group of adults with ASD and matched neurotypical
(NT) controls. This paradigm uses high frequency visual stimulation
as the LTP inducing stimulus, and the increase in amplitude of the
visually-elicited N1b component of the visual evoked potential
(VEP) is taken as the index of LTP.
Results
It was found that the ASD group had a significantly larger LTP
effect relative to the neurotypical control group.
Discussion
These results provide support for the “Intense World” theory, in
which hyper-plasticity is thought to underlie cognitive symptoms in
ASD. This non-invasive paradigm for eliciting LTP has potential to
be applied in a clinical setting as a neural marker for ASD.
Functional connectivity of the subgenual anterior
cingulate cortex predicts emerging depressive
symptoms between mid and late adolescence
Cherie Strikwerda-Brown1*, Christopher G. Davey1, 2,
Sarah Whittle1, Nicholas Allen2, 3 and Ben Harrison1
1
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of
Melbourne, Australia
2
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia
3
Background
Alterations in the functional activity and connectivity of the
anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) have been consistently found in
depression, although it remains to be determined whether these
changes represent a neurobiological vulnerability marker of the
disorder. In this longitudinal functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI) study we examined associations between ACC
function and emerging symptoms of depression between mid
and late adolescence.
Methods
72 adolescents recruited as part of larger longitudinal study
were included here. They had no history of mental illness at
the time of baseline scan (T1; aged 16). Resting-state fMRI
and ratings of depressive symptoms was acquired as this time
point and two years later (T2; age 18). We used our previously
published methods to evaluate the functional connectivity
of 4 a priori subregions of the ACC; and to explore correlations
between subregional connectivity and changes in depressive
symptoms.
40 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Results
As a primary finding, functional connectivity between the
subgenual ACC and the posterior cingulate cortex, right angular
gyrus, and right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex was significantly
positively correlated with increased depressive symptoms
between T1 and T2. Further analyses showed that the
relationship between subgenual ACC and posterior cingulate
cortex connectivity and emerging depressive symptoms was
mediated by higher levels of trait rumination.
Discussion
Subgenual ACC functional connectivity predicted increased
depressive symptoms emerging between mid and late
adolescence. This observed pattern of connectivity, particularly
implicating subgenual ACC and posterior cingulate cortex,
suggests a broader role for the so-called “default mode network”
in the emergence of adolescent depressive symptoms. Our results
are coherent with an emerging view that this brain network may
underlie disturbed self-referential cognitions in depressed
individuals, including pathological rumination. For the first time,
we have demonstrated that these associations may represent a
vulnerability marker of emerging depression in late adolescence.
Amy C. Datyner1*, Jenny L. Richmond1 and Julie D. Henry2
2
Bernadette M. Fitzgibbon1*, Melissa Kirkovski1, Amity Green1,
Naomi Eisenberger2, Paul Fitzgerald1 and Peter G. Enticott1
1
2
Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Center, Monash University, Australia
Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Background
Social pain describes the experience of actual or potential damage
to one’s feeling of social connection or value through such means
as rejection, exclusion, and loss. Neuroimaging findings over the
last decade have identified that similar neural networks active in
response to social pain are also involved in physical pain; the
experience that comes with actual or potential tissue damage.
Although etiologically dissimilar, brain stimulation methods applied
to induce pain relief may therefore also reduce the negative
experience of social pain.
Methods
In this double-blind pilot study, we used low-frequency (1Hz)
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to the
left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in 18 healthy participants
(8 active; 10 sham). Following stimulation, participants played the
‘Cyberball task’; an online ball-tossing game where the subject is
either included or excluded from the other players. Following each
condition, participants completed a questionnaire exploring levels
of social distress, ostracism, group cohesion and mood. Prior to
stimulation, participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity
Index (IRI) to measure trait empathy.
The development of empathy in infancy: insights from
the rapid facial mimicry response
1
An rTMS study of social rejection: Effect of trait
empathy
School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, Australia
School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia
Background
Humans rapidly and unconsciously mimic other’s emotional
facial expressions, a phenomenon known as Rapid Facial Mimicry
(RFM). The RFM response is considered to be a low-level process
of empathy, which enables an observer to experience and share
another’s emotions. Measured using facial electromyography
(EMG), RFM has been associated with empathic function in clinical
and healthy populations and has been demonstrated across the
lifespan in child, adolescent, adult and older adult samples.
Theories of RFM suggest that it is present from birth, however,
no study has investigated this response in children younger than
6 years of age. Documenting development of the RFM response
will allow us to understand how infants begin to share emotion
when they observe facial expressions in others.
Results
Compared to the sham rTMS group, participants who
underwent active rTMS reported increased positive mood and
reduced overall negative scores in response to the inclusion
condition. No differences were seen between groups in response
to the exclusion condition. In a secondary analysis, we explored
whether the relationship between trait empathy and questionnaire
responses following inclusion and exclusion is affected by active
stimulation. Correlation analysis within the active group found a
significant relationship between positive mood following the
exclusion condition and greater scores on the perspective taking
subscale of the IRI. No relationship was found between these
variables following sham stimulation or in response to the
inclusion condition.
Methods
Using facial EMG, corrugator supercillii (brow) and zygomaticus
major (cheek) muscle activity was recorded (1000 ms post-stimulus
onset) whilst 3-and-7month old infants viewed happy and angry
facial expressions.
Discussion
These pilot findings suggest left DLPFC rTMS may increase
positive emotion during social interactions in general. Although
we did not find that rTMS altered the negative effects of the
exclusion condition, we did identify that trait empathy was related
to more positive mood following social rejection. As this relationship
was not identified in the sham rTMS group, this preliminary study
highlights the need to further explore the effects of individual
differences on response to rTMS.
Results
Seven-month-old infants (n = 33) were found to exhibit a
typical RFM response to happy but not angry facial expressions.
In contrast, preliminary results indicate that 3-month-olds (n = 22)
do not yet exhibit mimicry responses to either of these facial
expressions.
Discussion
Our findings demonstrate that RFM, a low-level empathy
response, is present in the first year of life, but may not be
present from birth. They also suggest that experience with facial
expressions of emotion is likely to be important for development
of the RFM response. These findings represent the first attempt
to measure rapid emotional facial responses in an infant sample,
and indicate that infants are capable of sharing certain emotions
from an early age.
Social processing in autism spectrum disorder: An
fMRI investigation
Melissa Kirkovski1*, Peter G. Enticott1, Susan L. Rossell1, 2 and Paul B. Fitzgerald1
1
2
Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Australia
Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre, Swinburne University, Australia
Background
Females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may present
differently to affected males. This may be due to masking or
camouflaging of some of the clinical symptoms. Consequently, it
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
41
may appear that, to some degree, females experience less social
impairment than affected males. Further, females with ASD
may experience more, or different, neurobiological impairment
compared to affected males when controlling for expected sexual
dimorphisms.
Methods
The sample comprised 58 participants; 28 (14 male, 14 female)
had a confirmed diagnosis of high functioning autism or Asperger’s
syndrome (based on DSM-IV criteria), and 28 (14 male, 14 female)
were NT controls. Participants underwent functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) while observing and judging 12 videos
depicting interactions between two triangles. Participants were
required to evaluate the type of interaction observed in each of
the videos (no interaction, psychological interaction, physical
interaction).
Results
Whole brain analysis indicated increased BOLD responses
(p=.0001) in the left middle temporal gyrus, and inferior frontal
lobe in the NT group compared to the ASD group while observing
psychological interactions. With respect to gender, females with
ASD showed increased BOLD responses in the right medial
temporal region while observing psychological interactions,
a difference that was not evident in the NT group.
Results
Neural activity (the ‘input stage’) revealed a significantly greater Late
Positive Potential over the central-parietal cortex when participants
were not imagining anyone experiencing the scenario. As expected,
corrugator Supercilii (CS) muscle activity (the ‘output stage’)
increased significantly between 500-1000ms post-stimulus onset
during negative picture presentations regardless of referential task
and level of emotion awareness. Surprisingly though, CS activity
was greatest during the ‘No one’ task and lowest during the ‘Self’
task across the entire first second of picture viewing. Even more
important however, was the finding that the degree of CS activation
during referential tasks was strongly dependent on emotion
awareness. Low emotion awareness evoked significantly stronger
CS activity compared to high emotion awareness, and this effect
was even more pronounced during the ‘No one’ task.
Discussion
The results are discussed in terms of how higher cognitive
processes interact with and modulate automatic or basic affective
processes, as well as how these interactions may influence
behavioural expressions of emotion. Discussion
NT individuals displayed increased activity in regions commonly
associated with social processing compared to individuals with
ASD. This is consistent with the social impairment observed in
ASD. Moreover, these results suggest that females with ASD may
process social stimuli differently to affected males, and NT females.
Thus, the importance of furthering our understanding of sex
differences in neurobiological mechanisms underpinning
symptomatology of ASD is pertinent to improve diagnostic
and intervention paradigms in the future.
We can’t help but think of ourselves: A simultaneous
EEG and EMG study on the automaticity of Selfreferential emotion processing
Aimee L. Mavratzakis1, 2*, Cornelia Herbert3 and Peter Walla1, 2
University of Newcastle, Australia
Priority Research Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health,
University of Newcastle, Australia
3
Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology and
Psychotherapy, University of Wuerzburg, Germany
1
2
Background
he ability to recognise our own and others emotions has become a
fundamental aspect of current emotion research, with focus having
been on either the neural correlates or the behavioural correlates.
The aim of the current study was to combine these approaches to
determine how Self- versus Other-referential information influences
the ‘input’ stage of emotion processing (neural activity), compared
to the ‘output’ stage, when behavioural responses are elicited,
including spontaneous facial muscle activity.
Method
EEG and facial EMG activity were recorded simultaneously for
18 participants while they passively viewed negative, positive
and neutral emotional pictures during three blocks of referential
instructions. Each participant imagined themself, an unknown
person or no one, experiencing the emotional scenario, with the
priming words ‘You’, ‘Him’ or ‘None’ presented before each picture
for the respective block of instructions. Participants rated each
picture for emotional valence and arousal immediately after each
5 second presentation. In addition, emotion awareness was
recorded using the TAS-20 Alexithymia questionnaire.
42 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Sensation/Perception
Methods
In two experiments, the fMRI BOLD response at 3T was measured
in retinotopically-defined regions of the visual cortex of human
subjects (n=5) as a function of the orientation of a sinusoidal
grating, across different stimulus contrasts (10, 30 & 100% in
Experiment 1; 3 & 100% in Experiment 2).
Nine-year-old children use norm-based coding to
visually represent facial expression
Nichola Burton1*, Linda Jeffery1, Andy Skinner2,
Christopher P. Benton2 and Gillian Rhodes1
1
2
Results
The results revealed a shift from the previously observed inverse
oblique effect at high contrast to a pattern of anisotropy resembling
an oblique effect at low contrast. In Experiment 1, a significant
orientation by contrast interaction was evident only in primary visual
cortex. Moving to 3% contrast in Experiment 2 revealed a similar
pattern of results extending to subsequent retinotopic visual areas.
ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Australia
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Background
Children are less skilled than adults at judging facial expression;
at age ten they still perform worse than adults in expression
judgement tasks. It may be that at this age children have not yet
developed adult-like mechanisms for visually representing faces.
Adults are thought to represent faces in a multidimensional facespace, and have been shown to code the expression of a face
relative to the norm or average face in face-space. Norm-based
coding is economical and adaptive, and could explain why adults
are more sensitive to facial expression than children. This study
investigated the coding system that nine-year-old children use to
represent facial expression.
Discussion
The qualitative change in the form of orientation anisotropy as a
function of stimulus contrast is consistent with the idea that early
visual cortex adaptively changes its coding strategy as a function
of signal-to-noise ratio.
Visually perceiving odour: insights into olfactory
synaesthesia
Methods
An adaptation aftereffect paradigm was used to test 24 adults
and 18 children (9 years 2 months to 9 years 11 months old).
Participants adapted to anti-expressions of varying extremity.
They then judged the expression of an average expression.
Adaptation creates an aftereffect that makes the test face look
like the expression opposite that of the adaptor; if coding is normbased, we expect larger aftereffects for more extreme adaptors.
Anina N. Rich1*, Alex M. Russell2 and Richard Stevenson3
1
Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Australia
2
School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia
3
Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Australia
Background
In synaesthesia, a stimulus in one modality elicits an unusual
experience within the same, or in another, modality. We examined
olfactory synaesthetes for whom odours elicit visual experiences.
There are very few studies of olfactory synaesthesia, but it could
provide insight into the debate regarding the role of meaning in
synaesthesia. Odours are often difficult to identify, which gives
the potential to disentangle full identification from awareness of
characteristics of the stimulus, allowing examination of the
relationship between inducer processing and synaesthetic
experience.
Results
Consistent with the predictions of norm-based coding, aftereffects
were larger for more extreme adaptors in both the child and adult
groups.
Discussion
Results indicate that, like adults, children’s coding of facial
expressions is norm-based by nine years of age. This is consistent
with other recent findings suggesting that qualitatively adult-like
face processing mechanisms develop earlier in childhood than
was previously thought.
Orientation anisotropies early in human visual cortex
depend on contrast
Colin W. Clifford1* and Ryan T. Maloney1
School of Psychology & ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science, The University
of Sydney, Australia
1
Background
The mechanisms of orientation processing in mammalian
visual cortex appear matched to the environment, such that
larger populations of cells are tuned to the cardinal orientations
(horizontal and vertical) than oblique orientations. Perceptually,
this property appears to be manifested in poorer sensitivity to
the oblique compared to the cardinal orientations in a wide variety
of tasks – the so-called oblique effect. Surprisingly, some recent
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have
revealed an opposite pattern of anisotropy – namely, an increased
response to the oblique orientations over the cardinals: the inverse
oblique effect. It has been proposed that this might reflect efficient
coding strategies optimised to the particular diet of orientations
encountered during natural viewing. As such, it might be expected
that the form of anisotropy would change as the quality or strength
of the oriented stimulation changes.
Methods
We tested 6 synaesthetes who reported visual experiences in
response to odours. We documented their responses to 20 odours
(varying in intensity, irritancy, hedonics, familiarity, and ease of
naming) over 2 sessions. We tested the consistency of reports over
time, and the characteristics of images across the range of odours.
We assessed the consistency of the complex visual images via
similarity judgements from 20 non-synaesthetic raters, as well as
collecting normative data (non-synaesthetes).
Results
Synaesthetes were significantly better at identifying odours than
non-synaesthetes. Both groups showed highly reliable ratings of
intensity, hedonics, irritancy, and familiarity. Similarity ratings
demonstrated that the synaesthetes’ complex visual images
from odours were consistent over time. For the same odour,
named consistently at times 1 and 2, the synaesthete images
were more similar than images from different odours, and also
from the same odour named differently on the 2 sessions.
Images from the same odour named differently were also more
similar than from 2 different odours. This latter finding held even
when we separated similarity by near and far misses: when an
odour was named quite differently on the 2 occasions, the
image generated was more similar than for 2 different odours.
Further analyses on the other attributes of the odours show this
‘nameless’ effect is due to consistent hedonic information.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
43
Discussion
These results demonstrate that the complex visual images elicited
by odours for olfactory synaesthetes are consistent and correlate
with improved odour identification relative to controls. They suggest
that these visual experiences are elicited by access to the meaning
of the odour – primarily through identifying a name, but with a
contribution from non-linguistic semantic information carried in
the hedonic qualities of an odour.
Face Space: Facial dominance aftereffects exist and
they are not sex-tuned.
Rick van der Zwan1*, Elise Morris1 and Anna Brooks1
1
Psychology, Southern Cross University, Australia
Background
Interpreted for a long time as evidence for opponent processing,
explanations of the mechanisms giving rise to aftereffects have
matured to incorporate the observation that neurons seldom (if
ever) are tuned for a single dimension: The array of neurons active
in response to any stimulus captures a perceptual “space”
describing the stimulus in the context of the observer’s experience.
The dimensions of the space are reflected by the tuning properties
of the neurons within it. In that context, prolonged adaptation to a
stimulus alters the space such that subsequently presented stimuli
are not “misperceived” as such, but perceived differently.
With that in mind, aftereffects can again be deployed to investigate
perceptual spaces. In the experiments described here facedominance aftereffects were used to explore the multi-dimensional
“face space” described by Todorov et al. (2008). In that space
Todorov suggests there are independent dimensions for social
qualities like facial dominance and trustworthiness.
To better understand the dimension of dominance Experiment 1
was designed to discover if facial dominance cues give rise to
“facial dominance” aftereffects: Can adaptation to a face at one
point on the dominance dimension shift perceptions of subsequently viewed faces along the dimension? Experiment 2 was designed
to explore the parameters of those effects. Specifically, Experiment
2 investigated whether or not facial dominance aftereffects are
sex-tuned.
Methods
10 female and 10 male observers were used. Observers adapted
to female or male faces that had features consistent with being
“dominant”, “neutral”, or “non-dominant”. They then judged neutral
faces as “non-domiant” or “dominant” in a classic 2AFC paradigm.
In every case (each adaptation/test pairing) different facial identities
were used to reduce identity confounds.
In Experiment 1 adapting and test stimuli were always the same
sex. In Experiment 2 same and opposite sex pairs were used as
adapting and test stimuli.
Results
Experiment 1: Facial Dominance Aftereffects were observed.
Adapting to a dominant face made a neutral face look less
dominant. Adapting to a non-dominant face made a neutral face
look more dominant.
cortex and is not tied to specific facial configurations. Similarly,
it is not tied to the sex of the face. These data suggest that facial
dominance cues and facial sex cues may map independent
dimensions in face space. Theoretical implications will be described.
The suppression of N1 to predicted sounds depends
on attention
Tim Paris1*, Jeesun Kim1 and Chris Davis1
1
MARCS Institute, UWS, Australia
Background
An event registered in one sensory modality is often preceded by
an event (cue) in another, for example seeing a falling ball prior to
hearing it bounce. This prior visual cue provides predictive timing
information about the upcoming auditory event. This temporal
prediction information has been shown to reduce the amplitude
of the evoked N1 ERP (i.e., for predicted relative to unpredicted
sounds, an N1 suppression effect). Research has also shown that
temporal attention, i.e., attending to when an event occurs in time,
leads to an increase in N1 amplitude (an N1 enhancement effect).
It is currently unknown how (or whether) these effects interact. We
conducted an ERP study that varied prediction and attention in an
orthogonal design to determine how the suppression and
enhancement effects influence each other.
Method
Sixteen participants attended to pure tones at one of two equally
likely intervals; either short (600 ms) or long (1200 ms). In addition,
tones were either predicted (preceding visual stimulus cue) or
unpredicted (a non-predictive visual stimulus) and participants
were asked to respond to deviant tones in the attended interval.
Results
The results indicated an N1 suppression effect for predicted relative
to unpredicted sounds, but no N1 enhancement effect for attended
sounds. Interestingly there was a significant prediction by attention
interaction: N1 suppression was only evident in the attended
condition.
Discussion
These results indicate that in order for N1 suppression to occur,
the predicted event needs to be attended. This result appears to be
at odds with a recent ERP study that found attention did not affect
the N1 suppression for sounds triggered by self-generated actions.
We suggest that these different results may be due to different
mechanisms generating N1 suppression due to temporal prediction
(that is attention dependent) and N1 suppression due to selfgenerated action (that is unaffected by attention). This interpretation
is consistent with a recent finding that N1 reduction to a selfgenerated tone differs from that produced by a temporal predictive
cue (the former was greater) and that the self-generated reduction
tends to occur for later N1 components (i.e., for N1b and c).
Towards concrete, in-depth and applicable predictions
of BOLD responses; modelling the complete cascade
from visual stimulus to neuronal response to vascular
hemodynamics.
Experiment 2: The magnitudes of Facial Dominance Aftereffects
were not affected by the sex of the adaptation/test pairs. That is,
the magnitudes of effects elicited by female-female or male-male
pairs was equal the the magnitudes of effects elicited by femalemale and male-female pairs.
Mark M. Schira1*, Alexander M. Puckett1, Michael Breakspear2,
Peter Robinson3, 4 and Kevin M. Aquino3
Discussion
Facial dominance aftereffects can be elicited independent of
identity. That is, facial dominance is explicitly encoded within the
Background
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become one of
the most widespread tools of brain research. As fMRI is an indirect
School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Australia
QIMR Berghofer, Australia
3
School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Australia
4
Brain Dynamics Center Sydney Medical School, Australia
1
2
44 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
measure resting upon the blood oxygen level dependent
(BOLD) signal there are many steps from an experimental
manipulation, such as a visual stimulus or cognitive task,
to the BOLD response. As our understanding of each of these
processes matures, more and more sophisticated models have
been proposed from describing the spatial layout of early visual
cortex, neuronal processing, and the spatiotemporal hemodynamic response. Here a new framework created by integrating
an assembly of existing models allows generating concrete and
applicable predictions of the BOLD measurements for an
experiment with a simple visual stimulus.
Methods
A toolbox incorporates three existing models:
i. A recent model of retinotopic organization. This provides a
mapping of visual responses in the visual field to primary,
secondary and tertiary visual areas.
ii. A model of neural responses in the cortex. As a first pass these
responses are treated as simplified impulses, supported by
the relatively slower time scale of the hemodynamic response.
iii. A spatiotemporal model of the hemodynamic response based
on physiological principles. This model calculates the BOLD
response in both space and in time, and accounts for previously
observed hemodynamic waves.
These components are then integrated through a BOLD signal
model replicating the fMRI signal. In summary, this framework
simulates a typical visual experiment from the visual stimulus to the
BOLD response on cortex.
Results
Our toolbox predicts the outcome of fMRI experiments providing
artificial fMRI data at theoretically infinite resolution. A range of
visual stimuli were tested from basic retinotopic mapping stimuli
such as expanding rings and traveling bars to more complex
including letters and sentences. We found that the visual stimulus
examples tested are in good agreement with reported experiments
employing these stimuli.
Discussion
The toolbox presented herein stands as an important advancement
in the field of BOLD fMRI by integrating current bottom-up models
to provide a tool to simulate BOLD activity. Practically, this toolbox
can be used to aid experimental design construct hypotheses and
optimize experiments. Furthermore, discrepancies between
predictions and experiment can be used to refine models
and be systematically tested in the current framework.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
45
Executive Function 2
Expected and unexpected uncertainty in the human
hippocampus
Marta Garrido , Gareth Barnes , Dharshan Kumaran ,
Eleanor Maguire2 and Raymond Dolan2
1, 2*
1
2
3
2
3
Queensland Brain Institute, University if Queensland, Australia
Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London, United Kingdom
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom
Background
We are sure to face uncertainty in a constantly changing world.
The ability to detect changes is fundamental for adaptive behaviour
and the failure to tolerate uncertainty has been associated with
anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. Different forms of uncertainty,
expected and unexpected, have been proposed to evoke
qualitatively different brain signals and segregation of specific
neuromodulators. Neuroimaging studies have shown that the
hippocampus is involved in mismatch computations and that
hippocampal theta oscillations are modulated in novel
environments.
Methods
We use magnetocencephalography (MEG) to investigate the
oscillatory activity in the hippocampus under different forms of
uncertainty: expected and unexpected. While performing an
incidental task, participants were presented with predictable
(ABCD), surprising (ABDC), or random (CADB) sequences of
objects. Surprising sequences of objects elicit a mismatch, or
unexpected uncertainty, whereas random sequences evoke
expected uncertainty due to a predicted change. We used linear
constrained minimum variance (LCMV) Beamforming to reconstruct
images of theta, alpha, beta, and gamma oscillatory source activity
from MEG data recorded in a sample of healthy individuals (N=16).
We then looked for specific effects of expected and unexpected
uncertainty in the hippocampus.
Results
We found that anterior hippocampal theta was significantly
higher for the unexpected than the predictable condition.
Posterior hippocampal theta, on the other hand, was higher
for the unexpected when compared to the ‘expected uncertainty’
condition. Crucially, these effects were found specifically in theta
and not in other frequency bands.
Conclusions
Our findings build upon ideas of functional segregation down the
long axis of the hippocampus, by linking generic novelty or change
detection to theta modulation in the anterior hippocampus, and
prediction violation or mismatch computations to theta modulation
in the posterior hippocampus. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex network properties are
altered in schizophrenia: a TMS-EEG study
Nigel Rogasch1*, Tarek Rajji2, Lisa C. Tran2, Neil Bailey1,
Bernadette M. Fitzgibbon1, Zafiris J. Daskalakis2 and
Paul Fitzgerald1
1
2
Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Australia
Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction
and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Canada
sensory integration has proven difficult. The aim of this study was
to assess DLPFC function evoked by non-invasive transcranial
magnetic stimulation (TMS) and working memory performance in
people with and without SCZ.
Methods
19 volutneers with SCZ and 20 healthy controls received single
TMS pulses to the left DLPFC while electroencephalography was
recorded. Several indices of TMS-evoked cortical function were
measured at the DLPFC and across the scalp including TMSevoked cortical potentials such as the N100 (a putative marker of
cortical inhibition) and TMS-evoked cortical oscillations. Working
memory was assessed using the Sternberg letter recognition task
with 5 and 7 letters.
Results
The N100 slope and amplitude were reduced over the DLPFC of
SCZ participants compared with controls, whereas latter TMSevoked potentials (P180) were increased. TMS-evoked oscillations
(13-45 Hz) at the DLPFC were also reduced, as was propagation of
gamma (31-45 Hz) oscillations to left parietal cortex and upper beta
(21-30 Hz) oscillations to contralateral DLPFC. SCZ participants
with low working memory capacity displayed significantly reduced
TMS-evoked gamma oscillations over DLPFC compared with other
SCZ participants and controls.
Discussion
Intrinsic DLPFC network properties such as cortical inhibition and
the ability to entrain high frequency oscillations in local and distant
cortical regions are altered in SCZ. A reduced capability of the
DLPFC to generate gamma oscillations may contribute to SCZrelated working memory deficits. A common neural mechanism for visual hallucinations
James Shine1*, Claire O’Callaghan1, 2, Glenda Halliday2 and
Simon J. Lewis1
1
2
Brain and Mind Research Institute, Australia
Neuroscience Research Australia, Australia
Visual hallucinations are common across a number of
disorders but to date, a unifying pathophysiology underlying
these phenomena has not been described. In this manuscript,
we combine insights from neuropathological, neuropsychological
and neuroimaging studies to propose a testable common neural
mechanism for visual hallucinations. We propose that ‘simple’
visual hallucinations arise from disturbances within regions
responsible for the primary processing of visual information,
however with no further modulation of perceptual content by
attention. In contrast, ‘complex’ visual hallucinations reflect
dysfunction within and between the Attentional Control Networks,
leading to the inappropriate interpretation of ambiguous percepts.
The incorrect information perceived by hallucinators is often
differentially interpreted depending on the time-course and the
neuroarchitecture underlying the interpretation. Disorders with
‘complex’ hallucinations without retained insight are proposed
to be associated with a reduction in the activity within the Dorsal
Attention Network. The review concludes by showing that a variety
of pathological processes can ultimately manifest in any of these
three categories, depending on the precise location of the
impairment.
Background
Dysfunctional dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation
during working memory is a consistent finding in schizophrenia
(SCZ). However, determining whether these deficits reflect aberrant
DLPFC network properties or impaired attention, motivation or
46 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
The influence of Catechol-O-methyltransferase on
cognition is modulated by bipolar disorder diagnosis
Tamsyn E. Van Rheenen1, 2*, Kiymet Bozaoglu3 and Susan L.
Rossell1, 2
Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre, Swinburne University, Australia
Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Australia
3
Genomics and Systems Biology, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Australia
1
2
Background
Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) variations have been implicated in the genetic predisposition to bipolar disorder (BD) and may
modulate candidate endophenotypes related to neurocognition.
Given the sparse empirical data examining this, the aim of the current
study was to determine the relationship of three single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) within the COMT gene (rs165599, rs4680
and rs4818) and performance on standardised cognitive battery in
a well characterised sample of BD patients compared to controls.
Discussion
We provide evidence for longitudinal changes in BOLD activity
during WM prior to clinical manifestation of HD. The ability to
increase activation in the prefrontal cortex over time may represent
an early compensatory response during the premanifest stage,
which may reflect an early marker for clinically relevant functional
changes in HD. Methods
Fifty BD patients and 52 healthy controls were genotyped
across rs165599, rs4680 and rs4818, and their association
with performance on a battery of cognitive measures tested
in a case-control design.
Brain Network Correlates of Adolescent
Interference Control
Results
Significant interaction effects were evident for executive functioning
across all three SNP’s, and for visuospatial learning on the rs4680.
On these tasks, G allelotype carrier performance was associated
with better performance in the control group, but worse
performance in the patient group.
Conclusions
These novel findings suggest that aberrations of executive function
and visuospatial memory in BD are, at least partially, the result of a
significant influence of COMT on these particular domains. Thus,
COMT may be involved in the pathophysiology of the disorder by
influencing the capacity for certain cognitive processes. Functional changes during working memory in
Huntington’s disease: 30 month longitudinal data
from the IMAGE-HD study
Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis1*, Govinda Poudel1, Juan
Dominguez1, Marcus Gray2, Louisa Salmon1, Andrew
Churchyard3, Phyllis Chua1, Beth Borowsky4, Julie Stout1
and Gary F. Egan1*
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
University of Queensland, Australia
Neurology, Monash Medical Centre, Australia
4
CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, USA
1
2
3
Introduction
We report on a 30 month fMRI investigation of working memory
(WM) performance in premanifest Huntington’s disease (pre-HD)
and symptomatic HD (symp-HD) using data from the Australian
based IMAGE-HD study. We characterized longitudinal changes
in functional activation and functional connectivity during working
memory (WM), to investigate mechanisms of functional
compensation as a consequence of disease progression.
Methods
Twenty-two pre-HD, eleven symp-HD, and twenty healthy control
participants were included. Participants underwent fMRI testing at
three time points over 30 months (baseline, 18 and 30 months)
during which they completed an N-BACK WM task consisting of
three conditions (0-BACK, 1-BACK and 2-BACK). BOLD (bloodoxygen level-dependent) activation, during 1-BACK and 2-BACK,
and functional connectivity, were investigated in a number of
cortical and subcortical structures.
Results
Compared with controls, the pre-HD group showed significantly
increased activation longitudinally during 1-BACK in the left
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and medial frontal cortex,
and further increased activation during 2-BACK in the bilateral
caudate, putamen, and temporal cortex. Longitudinal change in
symp-HD was not significantly different from controls. Longitudinal
changes in pre-HD were associated with disease burden and years
to onset. The pre-HD group showed longitudinal decreased
functional connectivity between left DLPFC and caudate during
both 1-BACK and 2-BACK performance.
Dominic Dwyer1*, Ben J. Harrison1, Murat Yucel2, Christos
Pantelis1, Nicholas B. Allen3 and Alex Fornito2
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Australia
3
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia
1
2
Background
Understanding the neural basis of teenage self-control is a
central goal of developmental neuroscience. Previous work has
emphasised prefrontal cortex regions (PFC), but recent functional
magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) evidence suggests three
alternatives: 1) activation and functional connectivity of the cognitive
control network (CCN); 2) deactivation and functional connectivity
of the default-mode network (DMN); or 3) a dynamic interplay
between the two systems. We investigated these hypotheses by
studying how individual differences in interference control were
related to task-related activation, deactivation, and functional
connectivity. We also determined if similar relationships could be
found in the resting-state.
Methods
Seventy-three 16-year-old adolescents were selected from a
longitudinal study of development. Each subject performed the
Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) and underwent a restingstate acquisition. A novel graph theoretic approach was used to
correlate the MSIT reaction-time interference effect (IE) with taskrelated brain activation and deactivation, task-related functional
connectivity, and resting-state functional connectivity. Behavioural
relationships with higher-order brain network organisation were
then investigated with modularity analyses.
Results
Significant IE correlations with fMRI task activity were found
in the dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC), frontal eye fields (FEF),
the intra-parietal sulci (IPS), lateral occipital cortices (LO), and
two DMN regions. Task-related functional connectivity analysis
demonstrated that these areas were embedded within an IE
subnetwork containing 35 CCN and DMN regions centred on
the superior colliculus (SC). Performance was also associated
with the successful integration of IE subnetwork regions into
two core modules during the transition from rest to task conditions.
No IE relationships were found during the resting-state.
Discussion
Adolescent interference control was mediated by task-dependent
recruitment of a large-scale subnetwork that included CCN and
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
47
DMN regions. The subnetwork contained canonical PFC control
areas (e.g., the dACC) in addition to visual attention (e.g., FEF, IPS,
SC, and LO) and DMN regions. Together, the results emphasise the
behavioural importance of task-dependent activation, deactivation,
connectivity, and modular changes. This conclusion highlights the
need to look beyond the frontal lobes to better understand teenage
self-control.
Motor
Changes in Antisaccade Performance with Extended
Training is Differentially Associated with Changes in
Neural Activity in the Oculomotor Network
Sharna Jamadar1*, Beth P. Johnson2, Gary Egan1 and
Joanne Fielding2
1
Monash Biomedical Imaging/School of Psychology & Psychiatry,
Monash University, Australia
2
School of Psychology, Monash University, Australia
Background
The neural oculomotor network (OMN) that underlies the control
of saccadic eye movements encompasses prefrontal, parietal,
subcortical and cerebellar regions. When presented with a peripheral
target, the prepotent response is to perform a prosaccade (PS)
towards the target. The antisaccade (AS) task requires participants
to inhibit this response and make a saccade towards the mirror
opposite location. AS trials show slower reaction time (RT), higher
error rate and increased OMN activation compared to PS trials.
Previous studies suggest that extended training can improve the
control of saccades and reduce AS RT and error rate. Here, we use
fMRI to examine the neural bases of improvement in the control of
saccades on AS.
Method
Participants (n=23) completed 2 testing sessions and 14 training
sessions. In testing sessions, participants underwent fMRI scanning
while performing AS (50%) and PS (50%) trials. Testing session 1
was followed by 14 consecutive days of training; testing session 2
occurred 14 days after testing session 1.
fMRI was acquired with T2*-weighted GRAPPA EPI (4runs,
116volumes, TR=2.5sec, TE=30ms, FOV=192mm, matrix=64x64,
44slices, 3x3x3mm voxels). EPIs were preprocessed in SPM8 (slice
time corrected, realigned, coregistered, normalized, smoothed
6x6x6mm FWHM). First-level contrast images for AS>PS averaged
over testing session were entered into a second-level model.
Anatomical regions of interest (ROIs) of OMN were used to mask
the AS>PS contrast and 10mm spherical ROIs were created
around the maxima within each ROI. Effect sizes were extracted
from each ROI for AS>PS for each session separately. Session 2-1
delta measures were computed for AS RT, error rate, gain and fMRI
ROIs and subjected to bivariate correlation.
Results
AS RT and gain reduced between sessions 1 and 2; error rate did
not change. Variability in delta fMRI was positively correlated with
delta AS RT in basal ganglia. Variability in delta fMRI was negatively
related to delta gain in frontal eye fields, intraparietal sulcus,
supramarginal gyrus, precuneus, lingual gyrus and vermis.
Discussion
Change in AS performance with training is associated with change
in fMRI activity in the OMN. Change in AS RT is associated with
change in basal ganglia activity, consistent with its known role in
motor responses. Change the ability to accurately determine the
target of an AS (gain) was associated with change in prefrontal,
parietal, and cerebellar regions
48 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Motor sequence learning in fragile X carrier females:
insights into cerebellar dysfunction?
Claudine Kraan1, Darren Hocking1, John L. Bradshaw2,
Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis2, Sylvia Metcalfe3, 4,
Alison Archibald3, 4, 5, Joanne Fielding2, 6, Julian Trollor7,
Jonathan Cohen8, 9 and Kim Cornish2*
Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
Monash University, Australia
Genetics Education & Health Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Australia
4
Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences,
The University of Melbourne, Australia
5
Victorian Clinical Genetic Services, Australia
6
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences,
The University of Melbourne, Australia
7
Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry, and Centre for Healthy
Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia
8
Centre for Developmental Disability Health Victoria, Monash University, Australia
1
2
3
9
Fragile X Alliance Inc. (Clinic and Resource Centre), Australia
Background
FMR1 premutation carriers have a defective trinucleotide expansion
on the Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (FMR1) gene that is associated
with subtle motor impairments and a continuum of neurocognitive
and psychiatric dysfunction. Here we examine implicit sequence
learning impairments that may indicate at-risk cerebellar profiles
proposed to underlie some aspects of these subtle dysfunctions
found amongst female fragile X carriers.
Methods
A total of 34 female fragile X carriers confirmed by Asuragen
triple primed PCR and 33 age- and intelligence-matched controls
completed an implicit symbolically primed Serial Reaction Time
Task (SRTT) previously shown to be sensitive to cerebellar
involvement. Participants also self-reported on psychiatric
symptoms and completed tasks sensitive to executive and
visuospatial function.
Results
Group comparisons revealed a core deficit in response inhibition
alongside elevated ADHD-PI symptoms in female FXS carriers.
Moreover, implicit learning scores indicated a preservation of
learning in both groups; however, fragile X carriers demonstrated
poorer learning through significantly elevated response latencies
overall and at each specific block within the symbolic SRTT.
Indicating a more generally affected sub-group within this cohort,
strong and significant associations were observed between poor
SRTT performance and a range of executive, visuospatial and
affective deficits. These associations remained strong even after
controlling motor speed, and were not observed in age- and IQmatched participants.
Discussion
The findings suggest that developmental mechanisms associated
with the FMR1 gene may contribute to vulnerability in cerebellar
non-motor networks subserving the implicit sequencing of
responses. Moreover, given these data showing that the symbolic
SRTT can detect phenotypic involvement across three distinct
domains of neuropsychological function, symbolic SRTT
performance may well be a useful test in diagnostics and
future clinical trials with female fragile X carriers. Global motion detection, stereopsis, and motor
development are related at the age of 2-years
Tzu-Ying (. Yu1*, Judith Ansell2, Nicola Anstice1, Robert
Jacobs1, Nabin Paudel1, Trecia Wouldes3, Jane Harding2 and Benjamin Thompson1
1
2
3
Optometry and Vision Science, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Psychological Medicine, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
Background
The dorsal cortical processing stream is thought to support global
motion processing, stereopsis and visuo-motor coordination.
Deficits in global motion processing have been reported in groups of
children with or at risk of abnormal neurodevelopment which has led
to the dorsal stream vulnerability hypothesis. However, it is unclear
whether the development of global motion processing is associated
with the development of other abilities that may rely on the dorsal
stream. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship
between global motion detection, stereopsis and motor
development in a group of 2-year old children born at
risk of abnormal neurodevelopment.
Methods
Children born with risk factors for neonatal hypoglycaemia
(n=403) were assessed at 24±1 months corrected age. Global
motion coherence thresholds were measured using the method
of constant stimuli by presenting random-dot-kinematograms and
recording the optokinetic reflex. Stereopsis was measured using
LANG I&II and Frisby stereotests. Motor functions were measured
using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (BSID-III). Data
were analysed using Spearman’s Rho and multiple comparisons
were accounted for using the Bonferroni correction.
Results
Global motion coherence thresholds, successfully measured in
334 children, were significantly correlated with BSID-III composite
motor (r=-0.19, p=0.001), fine motor (r=-0.16, p=0.004), and
gross motor (r=-0.17, p=0.002) scores, with poorer global motion
coherence thresholds associated with poorer motor scores.
Stereopsis was successfully measured in 333 children using the
LANG I&II stereotest and in 222 children using the Frisby stereotest.
Both LANG I&II and Frisby stereopsis results correlated with
composite motor (r=-0.17, p=0.002 and r=-0.19, p=0.004) and
fine motor (r=-0.22, p less than 0.001 and r=-0.20, p=0.002)
scores as well as global motion coherence thresholds (r=0.28,
p less than 0.001 and r=0.18, p=0.013). However, stereopsis
was not significantly correlated with gross motor scores (r=-0.08,
p=0.135 and r=-0.065, p=0.337).
Discussion
Global motion detection, stereopsis, and motor function were
correlated in 2-year-old children. The results are consistent with
the hypothesis that the dorsal processing stream contributes to
both visual and motor development.
Shifts in spatial attention predict decisions for
voluntary action
Jeff Bednark1*, Michelle Steffens1 and Ross Cunnington1
1
Queensland Brain Institute, Australia
Background
Preparatory brain activity begins up to several seconds before the
decision to move is consciously perceived. Previous studies have
identified brain areas outside of the motor regions that can predict
voluntary movement selection. However, it is unclear which nonmotor processes underlie this early predictive activity. In the present
study, we test the premotor theory of attention, which asserts that
covert spatial attention and motor preparation arise from similar
neural substrates.
Methods
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to
investigate the degree of similarity between patterns of neural
activity associated with covert shifts in spatial attention and
voluntary movement selection. Twenty-four healthy right-handed
adults participated in two tasks during brain scanning. To assess
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
49
spatial attention, participants were cued to direct and hold attention
to either their left or right hand, in order to detect frequency changes
in vibrotactile stimuli on that hand. This allowed us to identify the
pattern of neural activation representing shifts of spatial attention to
the left hand and to the right hand. To assess motor activation,
participants performed a voluntary action task, in which they freely
selected whether to make a button-press with their left or right index
finger. Crucially, we then used a form of multivariate pattern analysis,
based on fMRI activation Similarity Index, to test whether decisions
to move the left hand or right hand in the motor task could be
predicted from patterns of activation associated with attending
to the left hand or the right hand in the spatial attention task.
Results
Analysis revealed that patterns of neural activity associated
with covert spatial attention to the cued hand and movements
performed on the same side (i.e. attention left and movement
left) had a significantly higher Similarity Index than movements
performed on the opposite side (i.e. attention left and movement
right).
Discussion
Our results support the premotor theory of attention. Results
suggest that neural processes associated with shifts in spatial
attention to the left or right hand also occur when preparing
voluntary actions and are predictive of decisions of which hand
participants ultimately move. Thus, it appears that spatial
attentional processes are a crucial part of voluntary movement
selection and performance. Multi-Modal Neuroimaging in Premanifest and Early
Huntington’s disease: 30 month longitudinal data from
the IMAGE-HD study
Juan Dominguez1*, Julie Stout1, Govinda Poudel1, Louisa
Salmon1, Andrew Churchyard2, Phyllis Chua1, Gary F. Egan1 and Nellie Georgiou-Karistianis1
1
2
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
Monash Medical Centre, Australia
Background
The efficacy of therapeutic interventions aimed at slowing or
even stopping the progression of Huntington’s disease (HD) can
only be judged against sensitive, objective and quantitative
outcome measures that are functionally relevant and can be
tracked in vivo over clinically relevant periods of time.
Methods
We investigated the efficacy of neuroimaging measures of volume
(whole brain, grey matter, white matter, CSF, basal ganglia and
thalamus) and diffusivity (basal ganglia and thalamus) in tracking
disease progression in HD over 30 months. We also evaluated the
relationship between longitudinal change in these measures and
neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric status in HD. Participants
included 18 premanifest HD (pre-HD) far from estimated symptom
onset (less than ~15 years), 18 pre-HD close to symptom onset
(less than ~15 years), 32 early symptomatic HD (symp-HD)
and 30 controls from the IMAGE-HD study.
Results
Symp-HD had the largest rates of brain-wide and subcortical
longitudinal volume change over 30 months followed by pre-HD
close and then pre-HD far from onset, relative to controls. Diffusion
measures were less sensitive for tracking disease progression in
HD; however, 30 month change in caudate fractional anisotropy
clearly discriminated between symp-HD and controls. Caudate
atrophy was the most sensitive maker of neurodegeneration across
all HD groups. There were also significant correlations between
deterioration over 30 months in several neuroimaging measures
and neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric status. Importantly, we
found evidence for the first time of associations between
longitudinal caudate volume loss and several neurocognitive
and neuropsychiatric metrics.
Conclusions
These findings confirm that caudate volume is potentially the most
suitable outcome measure for therapeutic intervention in a relatively
small sample and also shows a high degree of functional relevance. Understanding cortical networks involved in the
preparation of voluntary movement using simultaneous
EEG-fMRI
Vinh T. Nguyen1*, Michael Breakspear2, 3, 4, 5 and
Ross Cunnington1, 6
1
Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia
2
Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia
3
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia
4
The Black Dog Institute, Australia
5
The Royal Brisbane and Womans Hospital, Australia
School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Australia
6
Background
The cortical correlates of voluntary actions precede movement
by at least 1-2 seconds. This sustained activity is reflected in the
widely studied readiness potential (RP), which provides insight into
the brain processes underlying the preparation of actions. Key
contributing regions have been identified, including the middle
cingulate cortex (MCC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA),
but the relationship of activity within and between these regions to
the RP is not understood. We sought to examine this relationship
by integrating simultaneously acquired EEG and fMRI through
computational modelling.
Method
We acquired simultaneous EEG and fMRI data from 20 healthy
participants as they performed a simple task of voluntary, selfpaced finger movements made every 10–15 seconds. We applied
an EEG-informed fMRI analysis to examine trial-by-trial correlation
between BOLD signals and neural responses reflected in the RP
and global field power (GFP) activity preceding movements. We
then used dynamic causal modelling (DCM) to examine interactions
between the network of SMA and MCC during the preparation and
performance of actions. DCM models were therefore informed by
movement events as well as contextual modulators derived from
EEG activity. The latter accounts for the correlation shown by the
EEG-informed fMRI analysis. Bayesian model selection with a
random-effects analysis was employed to select the most likely
model of cortical interactions for our data.
Results and Discussion
The EEG-informed fMRI analysis revealed a positive correlation
between GFP over the period from 750 ms to 400 ms prior
to movement and BOLD responses in MCC. Specifically, trials
in which neural activity in the GFP was greater over this
premovement period also involved greater activation of the
MCC. The best fitting model to infer the interactions between
MCC and SMA comprised the GFP regulating the self-feedback
connection of MCC to itself, and MCC activity regulating the
self-feedback connection of SMA. This result suggests that the
MCC modulates its own activity, and this modulation is strongest
on trials with greater premovement GFP activity. Together, our
study suggests that the internal modulation of MCC is essential
to sustain premovement activity over time, and drives SMA
activity in preparation for actions.
50 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Language
A concurrent examination of neurocognitive
and language impairments in schizophrenia
thought disorder
The relationship between prenatal testosterone
exposure and hemispheric asymmetry for language
and spatial memory: A prospective cohort study
Eric J. Tan1*, Gregory Yelland2 and Susan L. Rossell1, 3
Monash-Alfred Psychiatry research centre, Australia
School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Australia
3
Brain and Psychological Sciences research centre, Swinburne University
of Technology, Australia
1
2
Lauren P. Hollier1, 2*, Murray Maybery2, Jeffrey A. Keelan3,
Martha Hickey4 and Andrew Whitehouse1, 2
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research,
University of Western Australia, Australia
2
Neurocognitive Development Unit, School of Psychology, University of Western
Australia, Australia
3
School of Women’s and Infant’s Health, University of Western Australia, Australia
4
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne, Australia
1
Background
It has long been speculated that developmental language
difficulties may reflect failure to develop typical lateralisation.
Hemispheric differences for function are among the most replicated
findings in all of neuropsychology. Typically, the most crucial areas
involved in language production are found in the left hemisphere,
while the right hemisphere is more specialized for visuospatial
functions. It has been suggested that differing concentrations
of prenatal testosterone may underpin variations in cerebral
lateralisation. However, research in this area has been limited
by indirect measures of cerebral lateralisation (i.e. handedness)
and prenatal testosterone (i.e. 2D:4D digit ratio). The aim of this
study is to investigate whether levels of circulating testosterone
are associated with hemispheric asymmetry for language and
spatial memory, using functional Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography (fTCD) to measure hemispheric asymmetry. fTCD
uses ultrasound to measure the blood flow in the left and right
middle cerebral arteries. It was hypothesised that higher fetal
testosterone concentrations would be associated with reduced
left hemisphere activation for language and increased right
hemisphere activation for spatial memory.
Methods
Umbilical cord serum testosterone concentration was used as a
surrogate measure of prenatal testosterone exposure. Samples
taken immediately after delivery in a subset of the Western
Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study were assayed for testosterone
by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. fTCD sessions
were conducted with subset of male participants from the cohort
(18 high umbilical testosterone; 18 low umbilical testosterone).
Recordings were taken while the participants completed a
word generation task and a visual short-term memory task.
Formal thought disorder (FTD) in schizophrenia has been
associated with both cognitive and language impairments.
However, there is still considerable debate regarding the
degree to which each contributes to FTD. This study had
two aims: (i) to examine which cognitive impairments are related
to FTD and, (ii) to explore if FTD has any language-specific
symptoms. 57 schizophrenia/schizoaffective patients and 48
healthy controls completed the MATRICS battery and D-KEFS
Stroop task assessing general neurocognition and inhibition,
as well as three language tasks assessing word identification
(lexical recognition), synonym identification (lexical semantics)
and sentence meanings (syntax). PANSS FTD ratings were used.
Cognitive assessment results revealed FTD patients performed
worse than non-FTD patients on measures of semantic and
executive processing (p<.05), with both groups poorer than
controls (p<.01). This supports indications of concurrent semantic
and executive dysfunction, and suggests that a combination of
both may relate to manifest FTD. Language assessment results
revealed impairments in FTD compared to non-FTD patients and
controls in the recognition of homophones (but not antonyms) and
sentence comprehension (syntax). Lexical recognition of words
(without semantic manipulation) was not impaired in schizophrenia
patients generally compared to controls. This supports language
processing impairments at both the single word and sentence
levels in FTD. Significant correlations were observed between
positive FTD symptoms and syntactic problems (p<.001). Stepwise
regressions revealed that syntactic errors predicted 10% of the
variance (p=.008) in positive TD severity, after controlling for
semantic and executive deficits and lexical semantic processing.
This provides evidence that a language-specific impairment of
syntactic comprehension is present in schizophrenia, and
exacerbated in FTD. Overall, this study supports current cognitive
and language theories of impairment in FTD, with evidence for
concurrence of executive, semantic and syntactic dysfunction.
Language and communication in children
with agenesis of the corpus callosum
Vanessa Siffredi1, 2, 3*, Alissandra McIlroy1, 2,
Vicki Anderson1, 2, 4, Richard Leventer1, 2, 4,
Amanda Wood5 and Megan M. Spencer-Smith1, 6
Results
A Laterality Index (LI) was calculated by computing the relative
difference in blood flow velocity between the two hemispheres.
No significant differences were found between the high and low
testosterone groups for word generation LI, t (34) = -.739,
p = .47, or spatial memory LI, t (34) = -.552, p = .58.
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Australia
The University of Melbourne, Australia
The University of Geneva, Switzerland
4
The Royal Children’s Hospital, Australia
5
University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
6
Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
1
2
3
Conclusions
Results show no relationship between umbilical testosterone
levels and hemispheric asymmetry for language or spatial memory.
This is in contrast with previous research using various proxy
measures. However, the current study is the first to have used a
neuroimaging technique, to measure hemispheric asymmetry, in
conjunction with a relatively direct measure of prenatal testosterone
exposure. The current findings indicate that prenatal testosterone
exposure may not be related to the development of cerebral
lateralisation. Background
Expressive and receptive language are predominantly processed
by the left hemisphere. Interhemispheric transfer is important for the
integration of linguistic and communication related information. The
corpus callosum, the largest white matter pathway connecting the
two cerebral hemispheres, plays a crucial role in the transfer and
integration of language and communication information across
hemispheres. Developmental absence (agenesis) of the corpus
callosum (AgCC) is a congenital brain malformation resulting from
disruption of corpus callosum formation. This study aims to: 1)
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
51
describe language and communication skills in children with AgCC;
and 2) examine the role of general intellectual ability, brain structure
(partial or complete AgCC; intactness of anterior and posterior
commissures) and clinical factors (presence of seizure disorder,
genetic condition) as predictors of language and communication
abilities.
Methods
Fifteen children with AgCC (partial n=8, complete n=7) aged 8 to
15 years (M= 12.03, SD=2.16) were recruited. Language (receptive
and expressive skills), general intellectual and communication
abilities were estimated using standardised measures. Brain MRI
was reviewed using a standardised coding system.
Results
Preliminary analysis showed that children with AgCC performed
below the test mean on all measures: expressive (p=.001), receptive
(p=.001), communication (p=.005). There was some variability in
language and communication skills: communication ratings were
higher than expressive language scores (p=.015), which were higher
than receptive language scores (p=.016). A series of regressions
showed that general intellectual ability predicted expressive language
scores (p=.001), and approached significance for receptive language
scores (p=.064). Intactness of the corpus callosum predicted
communication ratings (p=.043), with complete AgCC associated
with poorer outcomes. Clinical factors and intactness of anterior
and posterior commissures were not significantly associated with
language and communication abilities.
Discussion
Language and communication abilities are reduced in children
with AgCC. Contrary to expectations, children with AgCC showed
better communication than language abilities, with greatest
difficulties in expressive language. General intellectual ability
predicted language but not communication abilities. The intactness
of the corpus callosum predicted communication but not language
abilities.
The Bad, the Good, and the Neutral: Emotional
Violations in Affectively Negative Sentences.
An MEG study.
Linden Parkes1*, Conrad Perry1 and Peter Goodin1
1
Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Background
The processing of emotional information when reading is much
disputed. Electrophysiological studies have attempted to argue for
a processing network that includes subcortical regions such as the
amygdala, yet have relied on electrode level data, which has
notoriously poor spatial resolution. We aimed to examine possible
cortical and subcortical regions involved in processing written
emotional content using Magnoencephalography (MEG) and
source localisation.
Methods
Data was collected from 11 females and 7 male participants.
Emotional context violations when reading were examined using a
sentence task where stems with negative affect were completed by
either a congruent negative adjective or an incongruent positive or
neutral adjective (e.g., My marriage problems make me feel
insecure/comfortable/unconcerned). Three MEG evoked
components were the focus of the study: the Early-Posterior
Negativity-Magnetic (EPN-M), the M400, and the M600.
Results
(1) Sensor analysis revealed a strong EPN-M where positive and
negative words showed different patterns of activity to neutral,
suggesting non-valence specific preferential processing of emotion.
No significant difference between negative, positive or neutral
adjectives was found during the M400. Neutral and positive words
differed from negative adjectives during the M600 response,
suggesting modulation of evoked responses for contextual
violations rather than emotion. (2) Source localised data showed
emotional words evoked a short early response in the parahippocampal cortex activations (around 250ms-350ms), which was
followed by right amygdala activity (~250-350ms) and a sustained
response from the left amygdala at roughly 350 to 650ms.
Discussion
The results suggest that words with emotional valence are
processed differently to emotionally neutral words. In particular, the
EPN-M data suggests that emotional words capture attention early
in processing, while the lack of an M400 suggests that emotional
words embedded in an emotional context are not necessarily
processed in a semantically similar way as traditional sentence
paradigms (i.e., words with neutral affect embedded within a
neutral context), and the M600 is modulated by violations in the
emotional context. Together with the source localisation analysis,
these results suggest that a subcortical network including the
amygdalae and the parahippocampal cortices are involved
in the processing of affectively valenced sentences.
Verbal fluency, clustering, and switching in PFTBI
Rachel A. Batty1, 2, 3*, Andrew J. Francis3, Neil Thomas1, 2,
Malcolm Hopwood4, Jennie Ponsford5 and Susan Rossell1, 2
Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre (BPsyC), Swinburne University
of Technology, Australia
Monash-Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc), Australia
3
RMIT University, Australia
4
Austin Hospital, Australia
5
Monash-Epworth Rehabilitation Research Centre, Epworth Hospital, Australia
1
2
Background
Verbal fluency in patients with psychosis following traumatic brain
injury (PFTBI) was reported by Fujii et al. (2004) to be comparable
to healthy participants. This finding is counterintuitive given the
prominent fluency impairments demonstrated post traumatic
brain injury and in schizophrenia.
Methods
Phonological fluency (‘F’ ‘A’ and ‘S’), and semantic fluency (fruits
and vegetables) were assessed in four matched groups; PFTBI
(N=10), TBI (N=10), schizophrenia (N=23), and healthy controls
(N=23). Clustering and switching during fluency responses were
determined by two independent raters.
Results
PFTBI patients showed the lowest mean production of words
across all assessments of verbal fluency, and all groups illustrated
greater semantic, relative to phonological, fluency. No group-wise
differences were shown to the number of clusters, or mean cluster
size, produced for either fluency trial. However, the PFTBI patients
demonstrated the least number of switches between clusters than
any other group on both fluency trials.
Conclusions
Reduced fluency from PFTBI patients is aligned with existing
evidence in TBI and schizophrenia. Data further suggested that
PFTBI patients share deficits with their single diagnosis counterparts.
Phonological fluency deficits may thus primarily stem from the
consequences of the injury (i.e., executive dysfunction), while
semantic fluency deficits may stem from the effects of the psychosis.
Finally, novel evidence was obtained for concise executive function
impairment in PFTBI using switching analysis, with results indicating
that patients were unable to efficiently move to a new cluster
subcategory once the present cluster was exhausted.
52 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Frontier Technologies
The Crucial Role of Lexical Content in Nonfluent
Aphasic Sentence Production
Paula Speer1* and Carolyn E. Wilshire1
1
MASSIVE: Applications in Neuroscience
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Background
Individuals with nonfluent aphasia may have great difficulty
producing sentences, even despite being able to produce many
words accurately in isolation. This disorder could therefore provide
important insights into the cognitive processes involved in sentence
production. Most research to date has compared accuracy across
different types of sentence structures, while only paying little
attention to lexical content. However, if lexical items activate their
associated grammatical frames as well as vice-versa, then rapid
access to lexical items–particularly ones appearing early in the
sentence–may also be vital, especially if the sentence plan is weak
or rapidly decaying. Furthermore, previous research suggests that
utterances containing meaning related words may be challenging
for individuals with nonfluent aphasia, possibly because lexical
representations are inadequately tied to an appropriate structural
representation. The current study investigates the effect of lexical
content on sentence production in nonfluent aphasia.
Methods
Five participants with nonfluent aphasia, four with fluent aphasia
and eight healthy controls described pictured events that were
extensively normed to elicited SVO sentences (e.g., The dog is
chasing the fox). These were interspersed with filler pictures
requiring different structures. Based on the premise that frequent
words are accessed more rapidly than rarer ones, Experiment 1
manipulated the frequency of the subject and object nouns in.
In Experiment 2, we examined the semantic relationship between
subject and object nouns.
Results
In Experiment 1, sentence accuracy was consistently higher on
sentences commencing with a high frequency subject noun for
the nonfluent participants – but not for any of the fluent cases.
This pattern remained unchanged when errors on the subject
nouns themselves were excluded. In Experiment 2, the nonfluent
participants produced sentences less accurately when they
contained meaning related lexical items – the opposite pattern
was observed for the fluent participants.
Discussion
These results demonstrate that lexical context has a powerful
influence on sentence production success in nonfluent aphasia.
We propose that individuals with nonfluent aphasia are
disproportionately reliant on activated lexical representations
to drive the sentence generation process, an idea we call the
Content Drives Structure (COST) hypothesis.
Wojtek James Goscinski1* and Gary Egan1
1
Monash University, Australia
The Multi-modal Australian ScienceS Imaging and Visualisation
Environment (MASSIVE – www.massive.org.au) is a specialised
High Performance Computing (HPC) facility for computational
imaging and visualisation. This facility provides the hardware,
software and expertise to drive research in the biomedical science,
materials research, engineering, and neuroscience communities.
The facility stimulates advanced imaging research that will be
exploited across a range of imaging modalities, including
synchrotron x-ray and infrared imaging, functional and structural
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), x-ray Computer Tomography
(CT), electron microscopy and optical microscopy.
MASSIVE is a unique Australian facility with a focus on fast data
processing, including processing data ’in-experiment’, large-scale
visualisation, and analysis of large-cohort and longitudinal research
studies. The facility runs an Instrument Integration program to allow
researchers to more easily process imaging data, and provides a
Remote Desktop environment providing access to common
interactive analysis and visualisation tools.
MASSIVE supports over 25 Australian neuroinformatics projects.
These include:
• Multi-subject studies and longitudinal studies such as the
Australian based IMAGE-HD [Gray et al] study with individuals
diagnosed with Huntington’s disease
• Researchers who are applying advanced image processing,
image analysis, visualisation techniques, or undertaking research
in these fields;
• Scientists applying computer tomography techniques or volume
visualisation and analysis techniques.
• Researchers running or developing modelling and simulation
applications, in particular applications that are suited to fast file
system access or Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) hardware;
• Researchers processing, analysing and viewing data generated
by advanced imaging equipment, such as the Australian
Synchrotron Imaging Beamline, new generation CT, MRI,
and other techniques.
This presentation will highlight two specific neuroinformatics case
studies, and outline the unique attributes of the Instrument
Integration program and Remote Desktop environment.
1. Neuroinformatics Case Studies
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) [Ng et al] is a technique
used in MRI to measure the magnetic susceptibility of tissue, which
in turn relates to the metal content of the tissue. Diffusion-guided
QSM is a new technique that uses diffusion MRI data to improve
the model of magnetic susceptibility of each image voxel, but it is a
computationally challenging problem, requiring the inversion of a
multi-terabyte matrix. By computing the elements of the matrix onthe-fly, researchers have managed to speed up the computation of
the QSM image by 15 times, using GPUs [Kaluza et al].
The IMAGE-HD study [Gray et al] is an intensive multi-modal MRI
longitudinal study in Huntington’s disease. The study investigates
the relationships between brain structure, microstructure and
function with clinical, cognitive and motor deficits in both premanifest and symptomatic individuals with Huntington’s disease.
Testing was acquired at three time points: baseline, 18 months and
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
53
30 months. Multi-modal imaging was used to identify sensitive
biomarkers of disease progression for recommendation in future
clinical trials. The multi-modal findings have demonstrated evidence
of differential rates of change in both Huntington’s disease groups
across a range of imaging measures with changes detected up to
15 years before the onset of symptoms.
2. Instrument Integration
MASSIVE has a dedicated program to integrate imaging
instruments with HPC capability. The result of this work allows
scientists to use complex and computationally demanding data
processing workflows within minutes of image capture. Instruments
integrated with MASSIVE that are of particular interest to
neuroscientists include:
• MRI and CT equipment at Australian National Imaging Facility
locations across Australia through DaRIS [Lohrey et al], a multimodality neuroimaging research data informatics system, and
the Characterisation Virtual Laboratory; and
• Beamlines at Australian Synchrotron including near real-time
CT reconstruction on the Imaging Beamline.
The integration program allows scientists to visualise and
analyse collected data in near real-time, as the experiment is
in progress or shortly after it completes. In particular, groups that
are imaging live anesthetised animals must be able to establish
whether a previous scan has successfully produced the desired
data, before proceeding with the next step of the experiment.
These experiments are typically time-critical as the window of
the experiment once begun is short. In some cases the images
captured by detectors at the Imaging Beamline are very large
and necessitate the movement of data sets in the terabyte range.
These constraints dictate that significant computing power is
available on demand and that the computer is tightly coupled
to the instruments.
3. Remote Desktop Environment
MASSIVE provides users with an easy-access managed
scientific desktop–the MASSIVE Desktop–an interactive
environment for analysis and visualisation of multi-modal and
multi-scale data. This environment provides researchers with
access to a range of existing tools and software, including
commercial and open neuroinformatics applications.
The MASSIVE Desktop supports a community that is relatively
new to HPC, providing a recognisable environment. Common
neuroimaging applications such as FSL and SPM have been
integrated to allow users to transparently submit HPC jobs without
HPC knowledge. Together with the Instrument Integration program,
the MASSIVE Desktop provides an end-to-end solution, allowing
researchers to view and analyse images shortly after capture. As
data and study sizes increase, it becomes more logical to perform
analysis and rendering at the very location where the data is stored
and alongside systems such as MASSIVE and nearby storage
systems.
Variation in the gene coding for BDNF influences
the integrity of white matter tracts within recognition
memory circuits.
Nicole Mckay1* and Ian J. Kirk1
1
University of Auckland, New Zealand
Background
Recognition memory allows for the discrimination of stimuli that
have been previously encountered from those that have not.
Previous research has suggested that performance on recognition
memory tasks is influenced by a single nucleotide polymorphism
(SNP) observed within the gene that codes for brain derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This SNP is known to affect the
functional activity of BDNF and carriers of the BDNF Met
allele have shown impaired performance on recognition
memory tasks as well as reduced hippocampal volume compared
to Val homozygotes. It is of interest to us to determine whether
observed behavioural differences between Met allele carriers
and Val homozygotes might be underpinned by white matter
connectivity differences.
Methods
30 healthy participants completed two behavioural tasks that were
designed to examine familiarity and recollection based recognition
memory performance. Diffusion weighted images were also
collected for each participant and probabilistic tractography
was used to trace out thalamo-cortical pathways of interest.
Results
Connectivity of thalamo-cortical pathways differed between
the two genotype groups. Carriers of the Met allele were
found to have reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased
mean diffusivity (MD) in tracts seeded from the anterior and
medial dorsal thalamic nuclei compared to Val homozygotes.
Behavioural results showed no difference in accuracy between
the two groups, however, connectivity measures were found to
account for 60% of the variance in the recognition scores of our
participants and therefore might indicate problems with the
sensitivity of our behavioural tasks.
Discussion
We have found that across thalamo-cortical pathways implicated
in recognition memory circuits, carriers of the BDNF Met allele
have reduced connectivity as measured by FA and MD. This was
particularly apparent in pathways seeded from the anterior thalamic
nuclei, which is thought to be a critical component of the neural
circuit for recollection-based recognition memory. These results are
consistent with previous findings that Met allele carriers perform
worse on recognition memory tasks. Our findings indicate that
BDNF genotype influences white matter microstructure and we
therefore propose that in Met allele carriers, this results in a loss
of tract integrity and may underpin the decrease in recognition
memory performance observed in previous studies.
Binding colour to object surfaces in the human
visual cortex.
Kiley J. Seymour1*, Mark A. Williams1, 2 and Anina N. Rich1, 2
1
2
Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition & its Disorders, Australia
Background
Many theories of visual object perception assume that the
visual system initially extracts borders between the object and
its background through figure-ground segmentation and later
binds colour to the resulting object surfaces. However the neural
representation of surface colour in human visual cortex is largely
unknown. Here, we tested which levels of the visual system
contain specific information about the surface colour of objects.
Methods
We used a 3T MRI scanner to collect fMRI data while participants
viewed isoluminant red/green square-wave radial gratings. The two
sets of stimuli varied only in whether the red or green part of the
grating fell at a particular retinal location (e.g., 12 o’clock position)
and whether it appeared as a red fan on a green background or a
green fan on a red background due to a slight change of contextual
information. We used multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to
investigate in which visual brain areas a classifier could distinguish
54 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
the colour (red vs. green) at a set location versus the object
(red vs. green) independent of its position on the retina. We also
determined whether brain signals in these areas were dominated
by object position or surface colour information.
Motor Simulation and Perspective Taking mediate
the Co-Representation and Temporal Integration
of Self and Other in Joint Action. Evidence from a
Musical Paradigm.
Results
Our preliminary results show that classifiers are able to decode
information about which colour was presented at a particular
retinal location from early visual areas. Further classifier analysis
also revealed that these areas contain strong colour-invariant
information about object position to support the early extraction
of object borders within a visual scene. Areas further along the
ventral stream, in contrast, represent object surface colour,
which is position-invariant.
Giacomo Novembre1, 2* and Peter E. Keller1
1
2
Discussion
These findings are consistent with theories of feature binding
that suggest colour is bound to object surfaces after figure-ground
segmentation.
Investigating the functional correlates of
long-term potentiation (LTP) in the human visual
evoked potential (VEP)
Joanne Ong1*, Ian J. Kirk1 and Paul M. Corballis1
1
School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Background
Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a form of cortical plasticity that
can be observed during normal brain functioning. LTP refers to
the increase in synaptic strength in networks of connected
cortical neurons, and has been proposed to underlie the
molecular foundation of learning and memory. LTP has been studied
extensively with laboratory animals, but has also has been shown
non-invasively in humans using rapid visual simulation, which leads
to an increase in the N1b component of visual evoked potentials
(VEP). While the ability to induce LTP in humans in the laboratory has
now been well-established, considerably less attention has focused
on the functional behavioural consequences of increased VEP
amplitude. Therefore, our aim in this research is to combine EEG
with visual psychophysics to explore the relationship between
LTP and behavioural performance in a perceptual learning task.
Methods
EEG was measured from 129-scalp electrodes. Prior to induction
of LTP, full contrast Gabor gratings were presented at a low rate of
stimulus presentation (1.5 Hz) to obtain a baseline VEP amplitude.
Following that, full-contrast Gabor gratings were flashed at a higher
presentation rate (10Hz) for approximately two minutes. This
constituted the photic ‘tetanus’ – used to induce LTP, which is
inferred through an increase in the amplitude of the N1 component.
VEP amplitude was measured again post-tetanus. Contrast
thresholds were also measured pre- and post-tetanus using
the method of constant stimuli.
Results
Data collection and analysis are still ongoing. Preliminary analyses
suggest that we will replicate past studies from our research group
showing an increase in the N1 amplitude following tetanus, and
that the minimum contrast required for accurate discrimination
of the orientation of a Gabor grating is reduced post-tetanus.
Marcs Institute – University of Western Sydney, Australia
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Germany
Successful joint action requires the simultaneous representation
of self- and other-related behaviour, and their integration in (real)
time. Here we used a musical paradigm to investigate the role of
motor simulation and perspective-taking skills (PTS – a cognitive
empathy sub-scale) in mediating these functions in the interactive
brain and behaviour. In a first (single-pulse) TMS study, we found
evidence that musicians co-represent the actions of their coperformers using motor simulation processes, and that these
mechanisms are particularly enhanced in individuals with high
PTS. In a second (repetitive) TMS study, we show that interfering
with motor simulation of another’s action impairs one’s ability to
coordinate with it in real time, and that this interference is stronger
in individuals with high PTS. Finally, we provide evidence of how
motor simulation and PTS modulate reciprocal adaptation (at
a millisecond time scale) in a task requiring interaction between
two musicians. Taken together, the results suggest that motor
simulation and perspective-taking traits mediate co-representation
and temporal integration of self and other in joint action.
A custom-engineered MEG system for use with
cochlear implant recipients
Blake W. Johnson1*, Graciela Tesan1, David Meng1 and
Stephen Crain2
1
2
Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Australia
Macquarie University, Australia
The advent of cochlear prosthic devices introduces new scientific
opportunities for basic and biomedical research into the effects
of sensory deprivation on the central auditory system and for
investigations of plasticity of function after restoration of hearing.
To date, however, investigations in humans have been limited
due to the incompatibility of cochlear implants with functional
neuroimaging techniques. We describe a new magnetoencephalography (MEG) neuroimaging system that has been
designed to enable routine measurements of auditory cortical
function in cochlear implant recipients, while coping with the
electromagnetic artefacts of the implant. The cochlear implant
MEG was designed to measure auditory cortical function in the
hemisphere contralateral to the implant. The dewar is configured
with a flat tail with an outer diameter of 20 cm. The gradiometers
are configured in two stages: a sensing stage with second-order
axial gradiometers; and a reference stage consisting of fluxgate
magnetometers. This novel MEG system opens new avenues for
research into the effects of deafness and restoration of hearing on
brain development and brain function.
Discussion
Results from this experiment will provide insights as to whether
there are meaningful improvements in perception that accompanies
LTP. If our hypotheses and initial observations are confirmed,
our data will provide novel evidence of perceptual learning in
the absence of task-relevant training, and would constitute the
first reliable evidence that long-term potentiation of the visual
evoked potential has meaningful perceptual consequences.
The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
55
Notes
56 The 4 th Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference
Conference Dinner
Saturday 30 November
at 7.30pm
The Melbourne Town Hall
90/120 Swanston Street
cnr of Swanston and
Collins street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Please enter using main door
on Swanston Street
Dinner includes canapes on
arrival, 2 course meal, and
alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks.
Dress code: semi formal.
The information in this publication was correct at the time of publication – November 2013. Monash University reserves the right to alter this information should the need arise.
You should always check with the institution when considering a course. CRICOS provider: Monash University 00008C. MMS363436