功能磁共振和脑电神经成像技术与大脑刺激相结合的研究进展

随着对神经机制问题阐述水平的迅速提高,所应用的神经成像技术、方法及各种工具的复杂程度也在不断提高．一方面是神经成像技术本身的不断发展,另一方面则是大脑直接刺激与神经成像技术同步记录方法的发展．经颅磁刺激-功能磁共振成像同步技术(TMS-fMRI)和经颅磁刺激-脑电技术(TMS-EEG)能为研究大脑网络的功能和有效连通性提供技术手段,该技术在多种认知领域的发展和应用,为神经科学、认知心理学、神经信息学等学科的研究者对人脑的研究开启了多条通道,更加有利于深入地理解人类大脑的工作机制．     

综述与专论: 灵长类动物在人类神经系统疾病动物模型中的应用

灵长类动物遗传、行为、认知、生理、生化和解剖结构等生物学特性更接近人类,具有其他实验动物无法替代的高级脑功能结构及神经活动的优势,是研究人类神经系统疾病理想的模式动物,研究的结果更容易推广应用到人类。常被用来建立神经退行性疾病、精神性疾病等疾病的动物模型,研究其发病机制、病程的发生发展及治疗药物等,为人类神经科学及相关医学研究做出了不可替代的贡献。本文综述了近年来国内外灵长类动物在人类神经系统疾病动物模型研究中的应用进展,分析了该领域目前存在的困难和问题,探讨了未来的一些研究方向,以期为神系统经疾病的深入研究提供思路。     

生物运动识别的信息加工机制

识别其他生物体的运动对于个体的生存和社会交互都有极为重要的意义.本文首先基于生物运动识别的行为学、心理物理学、脑损伤和精神障碍研究介绍了生物运动识别的一些特性和影响因素;然后基于神经影像学、脑损伤和神经电生理学研究从视觉系统背腹侧双通路加工的角度,梳理了其信息加工机制的进展;最后对生物运动识别信息加工神经机制的研究方向提出了一点建议,并指出研究过程中需要注意的问题.     

情绪调节时间知觉的作用方式及认知神经机制

人类的时间知觉会受到情绪的调节发生主观扭曲,这种调节可以通过情绪的体验与预期来实现.本文区分了体验性情绪和预期性情绪调节时间知觉的作用方式和认知机制,基于标量计时理论,提出了在不同加工阶段情绪调节时间知觉的认知理论模型,并梳理了情绪调节时间知觉的神经生理学基础和脑机制方面的证据.未来研究需更关注预期性情绪对时间知觉的调节作用,考察注意、唤醒和效价等因素的交互影响,并进一步探究情绪调节时间知觉的神经机制.     

名词和动词加工的认知神经机制

关于名词和动词加工的认知神经机制,神经心理学和脑功能成像研究得出两种不同的结果:前者主张名词和动词认知加工的神经机制专门化,两者的神经机制分离;后者认为名词和动词认知加工的神经机制不分离。对此,语言表征的神经生物学及语义联想学分别给出了不同的解释。     

人类共情领域认知神经科学:研究展望与应用启示

共情是人类的高级情感能力之一,能够抑制攻击倾向,激发亲社会行为.良好的共情能力有助于和谐人际关系的形成,对个体自身的身心健康及社会稳定都具有积极作用.一直以来,行为学测评技术在共情研究领域占据主导地位,在儿童青少年时期的研究已取得较为丰硕的成果.随着现代脑成像技术的发展,共情研究进入新的历史阶段,人类共情领域认知神经机制的探索逐步展开.本文通过梳理人类共情的毕生发展规律,论述了共情及其发展的神经机制,并在此基础上展望了学科未来发展方向,即未来研究需进一步探察共情毕生发展规律的脑机制;开发高信效度测评工具以完善共情研究体系;搭建大数据跨文化研究平台,实现多学科协同创新发展.此外,基于基础研究结论,本文阐述了共情相关认知神经研究对教育和健康领域的启示.教育方面,基于儿童青少年大脑发展规律,应寻找共情发展的关键期,开展建设学校、家庭和社会共同培育的共情能力体系;健康方面,首先,结合共情的脑科学研究发现,预测和识别异常共情发展;其次,可结合机器学习,开发临床共情相关的应用技术与产品;最后,以镜像神经系统为窗口,开展共情相关的类脑研究等.这些探索将在国家教育和健康战略规划以及科技发展等层面产生重要的现实意义.     

睡眠,梦和记忆

睡眠是否对记忆加工处理是神经科学的一个重要问题,本文介绍了睡眠和梦和神经机制、 睡眠和记忆的相关联系,以及用ＰＥＴ研究ＲＥＭ睡眠和记忆关系的一些最新进展。     

情绪模仿的神经生理机制：从镜像神经系统到神经网络

情绪模仿是指观察者对表达者传递出的非言语情绪信号进行模仿,进而表现出一致的表情与行为.以往关于情绪模仿的神经机制着重强调镜像神经系统的作用,然而随着研究成果越来越丰富,研究者们发现仅仅是镜像神经系统不足以解释情绪模仿的发生过程.梳理以往实证研究可以发现,情绪模仿是包括镜像神经系统、情绪系统、运动系统以及与社会认知相关脑区在内的脑网络共同作用的结果,该网络同时受到内分泌系统的调节.本文首先基于过往研究对情绪模仿的神经生理基础进行总结,然后介绍新近的神经网络概念模型,试图解释情绪信息从表达者传递至观察者完成模仿的神经路径,为情绪模仿的神经生理机制提供较为完整的框架,并在此基础上指出未来可能的研究方向.     

外周输入中枢神经系统的信使：神经营养因子和细胞因子在介导针灸效应中的作用

中国针灸医术的机理是一个千古之谜。现代神经科学近年来有了很大的进展。本综述结合现代神经科学最前沿的研究,探讨神经营养因子和细胞因子在介导针灸效应中的作用。神经营养因子和细胞因子属于两个较大的蛋白调节因子家族。它与在细胞膜上的受体结合后,通过激活细胞内第二信使传导系统起到调节细胞功能的作用。神经营养因子和细胞因子与疼痛、神经退行性疾病和精神疾病等密切相关。在此综述中,作者将系统地介绍神经营养因子和细胞因子在调节细胞的生长与凋亡、突触可塑性及神经细胞髓鞘形成中的作用,以及它们的信息的逆向运输,受电刺激掌控的释放和信息转导机制。并根据这些原理提出了作为针灸机理的可能性之一的针灸机理的神经营养因子假说。     

弗洛伊德“人格结构”与麦克林“脑三位一体”学说--《神经美学》教学中遇到的问题、解决方案与讲义

《神经美学》课程在中国科学院大学(国科大)生命科学学院首次开设,吸引了来自生命科学学院内外34种不同专业的99位研究生选课.神经科学或心理学专业的学生占26.5%,虽来自生命科学专业但神经科学知识基础相对薄弱的学生占63.5%,完全没有涉猎过神经科学和心理学的理工科学生占10%.因此,在教学过程中,既要讲授神经科学等方面的基础知识使初学者得以理解《神经美学》,又要时时吸引神经科学和心理学专业研究生的学习兴趣.为此,我们设计了一个有针对性的教学方案,即把《神经美学》专业内容与相关神经科学的基础知识和前沿研究成果匹配在一起讲授,同时注意与学生互动、讨论.比如,在讲授弗洛伊德"人格心理结构"时,先介绍麦克林"脑三位一体"学说和"脑的弥散性调节系统",再讲解"本我"与原始皮层和古皮层、"超我"与新皮层,以及"自我"、"本我"和"超我"的关系.然后讨论艺术创作、审美体验的神经基础,以及对经典画作的理解和审美等.课程内容从人格心理、脑结构、神经元、分子(神经递质)四个层次,为学生构建了一个较为宽广的思维空间.从学生课后提交的学习心得来看,此次教学不仅激发了他们对《神经美学》的兴趣和学习热情,同时提高了学生从美学角度进行思考以及追求美的意识.     

社会认知神经科学的取向与研究进展

社会认知神经科学是社会心理学和认知神经科学相结合的新兴多学科研究领域,其强调在社会、认知与脑神经等三个层面的交互作用上去理解心理现象。前几年主要是对刻板印象、态度与态度改变、他人知觉、自我认知以及情绪与认知交互作用等方面进行了深入研究,其主要范式是应用认知神经科学的方法来验证社会心理学在这些范围内上的各种不同的理论观点,当前的研究主要集中在知觉和再认的社会标记、社会判断和归因、评价调节知觉和经验以及社会交互作用等传统的社会心理学方面,并取得了突破性进展。展望未来的研究,其将在系统准则研究发展的基础上,把当今的社会认知研究与认知神经科学在理论和方法论上整合起来,为揭示人类高级社会心理现象的神经基础,开辟一条崭新的研究道路。     

情绪的脑机制研究在社会认知神经科学中的进展

社会认知神经科学是近几年国外新兴起的交叉学科,旨在阐述社会性、情绪性的体验与行为的心理和神经基础。它综合了认知神经科学与社会心理学研究的长处,对刻板印象、态度与态度改变、他人知觉、自我认知以及情绪与认知交互作用等方面进行了深入研究。主要范式是应用认知神经科学的方法来验证社会心理学在这些范畴上的各种不同理论观点,并在某些方面取得了突破性进展,但仍存在着广泛的发展空间。随着当前各种脑成像技术的革新,人们对情绪状态下大脑的神经活动的了解在原来认知的层面上有了进一步提升。本文主要阐述社会认知神经科学在情绪的脑机制研究上所取得的进展。     

Meeting of minds: the medial frontal cortex and social cognition

Social interaction is a cornerstone of human life, yet the neural mechanisms underlying social cognition are poorly understood. Recently, research that integrates approaches from neuroscience and social psychology has begun to shed light on these processes, and converging evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests a unique role for the medial frontal cortex. We review the emerging literature that relates social cognition to the medial frontal cortex and, on the basis of anatomical and functional characteristics of this brain region, propose a theoretical model of medial frontal cortical function relevant to different aspects of social cognitive processing.     

Understanding self and others: from origins to disorders

In order to interpret and engage with the social world, individuals must understand how they relate to others. Self–other understanding forms the backbone of social cognition and is a central concept explored by research into basic processes such as action perception and empathy, as well as research on more sophisticated social behaviours such as cooperation and intergroup interaction. This theme issue integrates the latest research into self–other understanding from evolutionary biology, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience and psychiatry. By gathering perspectives from a diverse range of disciplines, the contributions showcase ways in which research in these areas both informs and is informed by approaches spanning the biological and social sciences, thus deepening our understanding of how we relate to others in a social world.     

Interactive Social Neuroscience to Study Autism Spectrum Disorder

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate difficulty with social interactions and relationships, but the neural mechanisms underlying these difficulties remain largely unknown. While social difficulties in ASD are most apparent in the context of interactions with other people, most neuroscience research investigating ASD have provided limited insight into the complex dynamics of these interactions. The development of novel, innovative “interactive social neuroscience” methods to study the brain in contexts with two interacting humans is a necessary advance for ASD research. Studies applying an interactive neuroscience approach to study two brains engaging with one another have revealed significant differences in neural processes during interaction compared to observation in brain regions that are implicated in the neuropathology of ASD. Interactive social neuroscience methods are crucial in clarifying the mechanisms underlying the social and communication deficits that characterize ASD.     

The shaping of social perception by stimulus and knowledge cues to human animacy

Although robots are becoming an ever-growing presence in society, we do not hold the same expectations for robots as we do for humans, nor do we treat them the same. As such, the ability to recognize cues to human animacy is fundamental for guiding social interactions. We review literature that demonstrates cortical networks associated with person perception, action observation and mentalizing are sensitive to human animacy information. In addition, we show that most prior research has explored stimulus properties of artificial agents (humanness of appearance or motion), with less investigation into knowledge cues (whether an agent is believed to have human or artificial origins). Therefore, currently little is known about the relationship between stimulus and knowledge cues to human animacy in terms of cognitive and brain mechanisms. Using fMRI, an elaborate belief manipulation, and human and robot avatars, we found that knowledge cues to human animacy modulate engagement of person perception and mentalizing networks, while stimulus cues to human animacy had less impact on social brain networks. These findings demonstrate that self–other similarities are not only grounded in physical features but are also shaped by prior knowledge. More broadly, as artificial agents fulfil increasingly social roles, a challenge for roboticists will be to manage the impact of pre-conceived beliefs while optimizing human-like design.     

Optical imaging of infants' neurocognitive development: recent advances and perspectives

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provides a unique method of monitoring infant brain function by measuring the changes in the concentrations of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin. During the past 10 years, NIRS measurement of the developing brain has rapidly expanded. In this article, a brief discussion of the general principles of NIRS, including its technical advantages and limitations, is followed by a detailed review of the role played so far by NIRS in the study of infant perception and cognition, including language, and visual and auditory functions. Results have highlighted, in particular, the developmental changes of cerebral asymmetry associated with speech acquisition. Finally, suggestions for future studies of neurocognitive development using NIRS are presented. Although NIRS studies of the infant brain have yet to fulfill their potential, a review of the work done so far indicates that NIRS is likely to provide many unique insights in the field of developmental neuroscience.     

Opinion: the neural basis of human moral cognition

Moral cognitive neuroscience is an emerging field of research that focuses on the neural basis of uniquely human forms of social cognition and behaviour. Recent functional imaging and clinical evidence indicates that a remarkably consistent network of brain regions is involved in moral cognition. These findings are fostering new interpretations of social behavioural impairments in patients with brain dysfunction, and require new approaches to enable us to understand the complex links between individuals and society. Here, we propose a cognitive neuroscience view of how cultural and context-dependent knowledge, semantic social knowledge and motivational states can be integrated to explain complex aspects of human moral cognition.     

视觉系统中的性别差异

大脑性别差异一直是神经科学领域中的一个热门话题.以前的性别差异研究往往关注与高级认知相关的脑区结构和功能差异,而对低级感知觉系统中的性别差异没有足够的重视.近年来,越来越多的研究结果表明,男性和女性在视知觉功能上也存在着明显的差异.本文首先回顾和梳理了视觉系统中存在性别差异的行为学和神经生物学证据,然后对视觉系统中性别差异的来源提出了两种可能的解释,接着讨论了视知觉功能存在性别差异的进化学意义,最后强调了在感知觉研究中把性别作为一个实验变量的的重要性,并对后续的性别差异研究提出了一些具体的建议.     

The “online brain”: how the Internet may be changing our cognition

The impact of the Internet across multiple aspects of modern society is clear. However, the influence that it may have on our brain structure and functioning remains a central topic of investigation. Here we draw on recent psychological, psychiatric and neuroimaging findings to examine several key hypotheses on how the Internet may be changing our cognition. Specifically, we explore how unique features of the online world may be influencing: a) attentional capacities, as the constantly evolving stream of online information encourages our divided attention across multiple media sources, at the expense of sustained concentration; b) memory processes, as this vast and ubiquitous source of online information begins to shift the way we retrieve, store, and even value knowledge; and c) social cognition, as the ability for online social settings to resemble and evoke real‐world social processes creates a new interplay between the Internet and our social lives, including our self‐concepts and self‐esteem. Overall, the available evidence indicates that the Internet can produce both acute and sustained alterations in each of these areas of cognition, which may be reflected in changes in the brain. However, an emerging priority for future research is to determine the effects of extensive online media usage on cognitive development in youth, and examine how this may differ from cognitive outcomes and brain impact of uses of Internet in the elderly. We conclude by proposing how Internet research could be integrated into broader research settings to study how this unprecedented new facet of society can affect our cognition and the brain across the life course.