No description available.

Die Fähigkeit, eine interne Repräsentation der Außenwelt zu schaffen, ist ein grundlegender Aspekt, der alle lebenden Organismen höherer Ordnung verbindet und ihr Überleben sichert. Bei diesem Prozess kodiert der Thalamus sensorische Informationen, die er von der sensorischen Peripherie erhält, und leitet sie zur weiteren Verarbeitung an kortikale Zentren weiter. Dieses Wissen beruht auf der Untersuchung der Verarbeitung der meisten Sinnesmodalitäten. Die physiologische Funktion des Thalamus bei der Verarbeitung nicht schmerzhafter Temperaturen und dessen Wahrnehmungsrelevanz sind jedoch nach wie vor wenig untersucht, da der Schwerpunkt bereits veröffentlichter Arbeiten oft auf der homöostatischen Regulierung der Körpertemperatur und der Verarbeitung schmerzhafter Temperaturen lag. Darüber hinaus konzentrierten sich diese Studien in der Regel auf die Identifizierung eines zentralen thalamischen Verarbeitungszentrums und ließen außer Acht, dass Temperatur parallel von verschiedenen thalamischen Kernen verarbeitet wird. Die vorliegende Studie versucht, diese Einschränkungen zu überwinden, indem sie eine detaillierte und groß angelegte Untersuchung der Thalamus spezifischen thermischen Verarbeitung, der Konnektivität zu kortikalen Bereichen und des Einflusses auf das Verhalten der drei somatosensorisch assoziierten Thalamuskerne vornimmt. Diese beispiellose Untersuchung der Temperaturverarbeitung im Thalamus hat eine vielschichtige thermische Darstellung mit ortsspezifischen Unterschieden in der Temperaturkodierung und der Konnektivität mit temperaturempfindlichen kortikalen Regionen aufgedeckt. Darüber hinaus konnte gezeigt werden, dass der Thalamus für die Temperaturwahrnehmung von wesentlicher Bedeutung ist, was die Relevanz des Thalamus bei der Verarbeitung von Temperatur unterstreicht. / The capability to create an internal representation of the external world is a fundamental aspect that unites all living higher-order organisms and ensures their survival. In this process, the thalamus encodes sensory information, which it receives from the sensory periphery and relays to cortical centers for subsequent processing. This knowledge is built upon the investigation of the processing of most sensory modalities. However, the physiological thalamic function in processing innocuous temperature and its perceptual relevance remains elusive due to a focus on the homeostatic regulation of body temperature as well as the processing of painful temperatures of already published work. In addition, these studies usually focused on identifying a central thalamic processing hub and failed to recognize that temperature is processed in a parallel manner by various thalamic nuclei. This study will attempt to overcome these limitations by undertaking a detailed and large-scale exploration of thermal processing, connectivity to cortical areas, and the influence on the behavior of three somatosensory-associated thalamic nuclei. This unprecedented study of thermal processing in the thalamus has uncovered a multi-faceted thermal representation with location-specific differences in temperature encoding and connectivity with temperature-sensitive cortical regions. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the thalamus is essential for temperature perception, which emphasizes the relevant roles of multiple thalamic nuclei in the physiological processing of temperature and perception.

Yes / Purpose: Listening-related fatigue is a potential negative consequence of challenges experienced during everyday listening, and may disproportionately affect older adults. Contrary to expectation, we recently found that increased reports of listening-related fatigue were associated with better performance on a dichotic listening task (McGarrigle et al., 2021a). However, this link was found only in individuals who reported heightened sensitivity to a variety of physical, social, and emotional stimuli (i.e., increased ‘sensory-processing sensitivity’; SPS). The current study examined whether perceived effort may underlie the link between performance and fatigue. Methods: 206 young adults, aged 18-30 years (Experiment 1) and 122 older adults, aged 60-80 years (Experiment 2) performed a dichotic listening task and were administered a series of questionnaires including: the NASA task load index of perceived effort, the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (measuring daily life listening-related fatigue) and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (measuring SPS). Both experiments were completed online. Results: SPS predicted listening-related fatigue but perceived effort during the listening task was not associated with SPS or listening-related fatigue in either age group. We were also unable to replicate the interaction between dichotic listening performance and SPS in either group. Exploratory analyses revealed contrasting effects of age; older adults found the dichotic listening task more effortful, but indicated lower overall fatigue. Conclusions: These findings suggest that SPS is a better predictor of listening-related fatigue than performance or effort ratings on a dichotic listening task. SPS may be an important factor in determining an individual’s likelihood of experiencing listening-related fatigue irrespective of hearing or cognitive ability. / This research was supported by an ESRC New Investigator Award (ES/R003572/1) to Ronan McGarrigle.

The purpose of this review was to determine whether the use of sensory-based alternative seating to increase the appropriate behaviors of individuals with disabilities is an evidence-based practice (EBP). Articles located on this topic were descriptively analyzed, and What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) guidelines were applied to determine each study’s methodological rigor, level of evidence, and whether, taken together, there is enough research to support alternative seating as an EBP. A total of 37 studies of the effects of sensory-based alternative seating on individuals with disabilities were found. These studies included a total of 44 participants, between 3 to 9 years of age. Based on WWC guidelines, six of the 37 studies, or 16%, met standards for rigor, and of those, only one study showed evidence of a positive effect on the target behavior. The results and their implications for teachers/practitioners, and future research are discussed.

Högkänslighet, eller så kallad sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), har beskrivits som ett personlighetsdrag där individen bearbetar sensorisk information på ett djupare och starkare sätt än personer som inte är högkänsliga. Syftet med den aktuella studien var att, med hjälp av självskattningsformuläret ”the Highly Sensitive Person Scale” (HSP), undersöka högkänslighet mot skattningar av naturen (NR, NR-Self, NR-Perspective, NR-Experience), grubbleri (RRQ-Rumination) och självreflektion (RRQ-Reflection), subjektivt välbefinnande (WHO) och upplevelser av mindfulness (MAAS). Undersökningen skedde via en webb-baserad enkät och omfattade 213 deltagare. Resultatet visade att individer som är mer högkänsliga värderar naturen högre, samt grubblar och reflekterar mer kring sig själva, än mindre högkänsliga personer. Inga signifikanta skillnader förelåg mellan grupperna vad gäller mindfulness eller välbefinnande. Resultatet tyder på att både en interaktion med naturen och mindfulness kan vara gynnsamt för högkänsliga individer. Denna studie kan utgöra en startpunkt för framtida forskning, där experimentella studier med upprepad mätning kan genomföras för att undersöka naturens roll för högkänsliga personer. / Sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) has been described as a personality trait where the individual process sensory information in a deeper and stronger way than people who are not highly sensitive. The aim of the present study was to, with the self-assessment form ”the Highly Sensitive Person Scale” (HSP), examine sensory-processing sensitivity against evaluations of nature (NR, NR-Self, NR-Perspective, NR-Experience), rumination (RRQ-Rumination) and self-reflection (RRQ-Reflection), subjective well-being (WHO) and experiences of mindfulness (MAAS). The survey was done through a web-based questionnaire and included 213 participants. The results showed that individuals who are more highly sensitive value nature higher, and also ruminate and reflect more on themselves, than people who are less highly sensitive. No significant differences existed between the groups concerning mindfulness or subjective well-being. The results suggest that both an interaction with nature and mindfulness can be favourable for highly sensitive persons. This study can serve as a starting point for future research, where experimental studies with repeated measures can be conducted to investigate the role of nature for highly sensitive persons.

The aim of the present study was to investigate how sensory processing sensitivity is related to the personality traits extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability, conscientiousness and autonomy of the five-factor model. The samples for the study were members of the Association for the Highly Sensitive in Sweden and a Facebook community for highly sensitive individuals. The participants in the present study responded on a web-based questionnaire to participate. To answer the purpose of the study The Highly Sensitive Person scale (HSPS) were used to measure the degree of a person’s sensitivity. The Five Factor Personality Inventory (FFPI) was used to measure the Big Five personality traits. The data were analyzed in the statistics program SPSS with Pearson’s correlations coefficient and a multiple regression analysis. The result of the multiple regression analysis showed that personality traits of neuroticism and agreeableness predicted sensory processing sensitivity. Further on results showed that the personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness and autonomy not predicted sensory processing sensitivity. The results of the study conclude that participants of the study are much likely to have the personality traits neuroticism and introversion. Furthermore, results indicated that the participants of the study had the personality traits agreeableness, conscientiousness and autonomy. Continued studies with other methodological starting points are needed to achieve greater knowledge about the personality trait sensory processing sensitivity. / Studiens syfte var att undersöka om det fanns en relation mellan högkänslighet och personlighetsdragen extraversion, vänlighet, samvetsgrannhet, öppenhet samt emotionell stabilitet enligt femfaktormodellen. Urvalet bestod av medlemmar från Sveriges Förening för Högkänsliga och en Facebookgrupp som riktar sig till högkänsliga personer. För att besvara frågeställningen användes en webbaserad enkät som mailades ut till medlemmarna i Sveriges Förening för Högkänsliga samt publicerades i Facebookgruppen. Beroendevariabeln högkänslighet mättes med mätinstrumentet The Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS). Oberoendevariablerna extraversion, vänlighet, samvetsgrannhet, emotionell stabilitet och öppenhet mättes med mätinstrumentet The Five Factor Personality Inventory (FFPI). Dataanalyserna som genomfördes i studien var Pearsons korrelationskoefficient och multipel regressionsanalys. Regressionsanalysen visade att personlighetsdragen emotionell stabilitet och vänlighet var prediktorer för högkänslighet. Personlighetsdragen extraversion, samvetsgrannhet och öppenhet var inte prediktorer för högkänslighet. Resultatet indikerade att studiens deltagare i högre grad hade personlighetsdragen neuroticism och introversion. Vidare visade resultatet att studiens deltagare hade grad av personlighetsdragen samvetsgrannhet, vänlighet och öppenhet. Studien gav en indikation på hur hög grad av högkänslighet var i relation till andra personlighetsdrag. Resultatet kan således öka kunskapen om högkänslighet och vad det medför. Fortsatta studier med andra metodologiska utgångspunkter krävs för att få ökad kunskap om personlighetsdraget högkänslighet.

Les comportements olfactifs nécessitent de reconnaitre les odeurs sur une large gamme de concentration tout en restant sensible aux changements de concentration. Pour accomplir cette tâche paradoxale, le système olfactif doit façonner des représentations des odeurs qui soient à la fois dépendantes et indépendantes de leurs concentrations.Nous avons combiné des techniques de génétique murine, microscopie biphotonique, et enregistrements neurophysiologiques extracellulaires pour caractériser l’activité neuronale en réponse aux odeurs dans le bulbe olfactif et le cortex olfactif (piriforme) de la souris. En utilisant une souris au « nez monoclonal », nous montrons que les circuits du bulbe olfactif sont capables d’amplifier les entrées sensorielles très faibles, et d’atténuer les entrées envahissantes. En revanche, nous observons que le niveau d’activité neuronale induite par les odeurs dans le cortex piriforme est globalement indépendant de leurs concentrations. En outre, nous avons identifié une sous-population de neurones du cortex piriforme encodant l’identité d’une odeur indépendamment de sa concentration. Nos résultats d’imagerie calcique in vivo et d’enregistrement neurophysiologiques suggèrent que cette invariance à la concentration dans le cortex piriforme est assurée par les interneurones positifs à la paravalbumine, une sous-population de neurones inhibiteurs.Ces résultats mettent en évidence deux étapes différenciées du traitement de l’information dans les voies neurales de l’olfaction : tandis que le bulbe olfactif normalise les entrées sensorielles, les microcircuits du cortex piriforme intègrent cette information en composantes sensorielles distinctes. / Olfactory behaviors require the identification of odors across a large range of different concentrations, yet are exquisitely sensitive to changes in odor concentrations. To accomplish this seemingly paradoxical task the olfactory system must generate odor representations that are, at once, both concentration-dependent and concentration-invariant.We have used a combination of mouse genetics, in vivo two-photon microscopy, and extracellular multielectrode recording techniques to characterize odor-evoked activity in the olfactory bulb and olfactory (piriform) cortex of mice. Taking advantage of a mouse with a “monoclonal nose” in which the sensory input map is strongly perturbed, we show that olfactory bulb circuits are able to amplify very weak sensory inputs, and to suppress pervasive input.In contrast, we found that the overall level of odor-evoked neural activity in the piriform cortex is largely concentration-invariant. Moreover, we identified a small subpopulation of odor-responsive piriform neurons, which encodes odor identity independent of concentration. In vivo calcium imaging and extracellular multielectrode recordings suggest that parvalbumin-expressing interneurons, a subpopulation of inhibitory neurons, mediate concentration invariance in the piriform cortex.These results highlight contrasting processing mechanisms of sensory information along the olfactory pathway: while the olfactory bulb normalizes sensory inputs, microcircuits of the piriform cortex integrate this information into distinct sensory features. This process may allow for the simultaneous representation of identity and intensity in the olfactory system.

Habituation is a filter that optimizes the processing of information by our brain in all sensory modalities. It results in an unconscious reduced responsiveness to continuous or repetitive stimulation. In olfaction, the main question is whether habituation works the same way for any odorant or whether we habituate differently to each odorant? In particular, whether chemical, physical or perceptual cues can limit or increase habituation. To test this, the odour intensity of 32 odorants differing in physicochemical characteristics was rated by 58 participants continuously during 120s. Each odorant was delivered at a constant concentration. Results showed odorants differed significantly in habituation, highlighting the multifactoriality of habituation. Additionally habituation was predicted from 15 physico-chemical and perceptual characteristics of the odorants. The analysis highlighted the importance of trigeminality which is highly correlated to intensity and pleasantness. The vapour pressure, the molecular weight, the Odor Activity Value (OAV) and the number of double bonds mostly contributed to the modulation of habituation. Moreover, length of the carbon chain, number of conformers and hydrophobicity contributed to a lesser extent to the modulation of habituation. These results highlight new principles involved in the fundamental process of habituation, notably trigeminality and the physicochemical characteristics associated.

No description available.

<p>Touch plays a key role in facilitating social communication and is often presented in conjunction with auditory stimuli such as speech. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently show atypical behavioral responsivity to both tactile and auditory stimuli, which is associated with increased ASD symptomatology. However, as discussed throughout Chapter 1, the neural mechanisms associated with responsivity to tactile and auditory stimuli in ASD are not fully understood. For example, some have argued that differences in responding to tactile and auditory stimuli may be attributed to sensory and perceptual factors, whereas others suggest that these differences could be related to atypicalities in allocation of attention to incoming stimuli. In Chapter 2, I address these competing hypotheses by examining early and late ERP components (indicative of perceptual and attentional processing respectively) in response to tactile and auditory stimuli. Next, despite the evidence suggesting that touch plays a role in modulating attention in typical development (TD), it is unclear whether touch cues affect the response of the phasic alerting network – a subcomponent of attention – in ASD and TD, and whether the alerting response may be atypical in children with ASD. In Chapter 3, I address this gap in the literature by examining whether tactile cues presented at different intervals before auditory targets facilitate reaction times differently in children with ASD and TD. Lastly, because prior research has shown associations between sensory and attentional processes and ASD symptomatology, in Chapters 2 and 3, I examine the associations of neural and behavioral indices of tactile and auditory processing with ASD symptomatology and language skills in children with ASD and TD. </p><p>In Chapter 2, I show that children in both the ASD and TD groups do not exhibit differences in both early and later neurological responses to tactile and auditory stimuli, suggesting that under certain experimentally-controlled conditions, behavioral differences to tactile and auditory stimuli may not be attributable to atypicalities in perceiving or attending to the incoming sensory input. However, neural responsivity to tactile and auditory stimuli is linked with sensory responsivity and social skills in all children. Specifically, reduced early contralateral activation to tactile stimuli is related to increased tactile symptoms, and reduced early amplitudes to auditory oddball stimuli are associated with impairments in reciprocal social communication in children with ASD as well as when examined across all children, and greater tendency of overall sensory hyper-reactivity. Additionally, in the TD group, greater later amplitudes to touch and auditory oddball stimuli are related to differences in reciprocal social communication and sensory reactivity respectively, indicating that patterns of allocation of attention may be related to ASD-like traits in typical development. Lastly, there is an association between greater sensitivity to changes to a stream of auditory stimuli and expressive language skills in all children. These results suggest that, although there are no group differences between neurological responses to tactile and auditory stimuli in ASD and TD, individual neural differences may be related to sensory and socio-communicative skills in all children. </p><p>In Chapter 3, I show that although children with ASD responded more slowly than children with TD, both groups displayed faster reaction times as a result of tactile cues before auditory targets, suggesting equivalent phasic alerting in response to tactile stimuli. Longer intervals between cues and targets benefitted children in both groups resulting in faster reaction times. Contrary to my hypotheses, touch-related behavioral facilitation was not associated with ASD symptomatology and language skills. </p>Taken together, the results of these studies suggest that, at least in certain contexts and with certain cues, children with ASD may show typical neurological processing in response to tactile and auditory stimuli, and that touch may facilitate the response of the alerting network similarly in ASD and TD. Therefore, everyday behavioral differences in response to tactile and auditory stimuli may be related to the specific nature of the stimuli as well as social contexts in which such stimuli are more likely to be encountered. Differences between processing rich and dynamic sensory stimuli experienced in the outside world vs experimentally-controlled sensory stimuli presented in the laboratory settings are discussed in Chapter 4. Additionally, I argue that individual responses expected in social vs non-social experimental settings may affect neural and behavioral responses in individuals with ASD. Finally, future research directions are discussed.