Work

Computer-Mouse Tracking Reveals TMS Disruptions of Prefrontal Function During Semantic Retrieval

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Converging evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies is essential for understanding human frontal cortical function. We introduce a new method for studying the effects of transient disruptions of frontal activity during transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Using a novel combination of TMS and computer-mouse tracking, through two experiments we tested process models of semantic competition in left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). On TMS stimulation of left mid-VLPFC just after presentation of an ambiguous stimulus, participants' mouse-movement trajectories deviated more toward the incorrect target for weak associate trials than for any other trial type. This effect was extinguished when participants were simultaneously shown both target and cue stimuli. Results suggest that left mid-VLPFC is necessary to resolve semantic competition when a response is underdetermined by the stimulus and the interpretive context of the stimulus is ambiguous. Computer-mouse movements reveal the dynamics of competitive interactions as they resolve, making this technique ideally suited for studying cognitive control processes and a more sensitive index of TMS disruption than reaction time and accuracy alone.

Source: Journal of Neurophysiology

DOI: 10.1152/jn.00516.2009

Authors: Nicholas C. Hindy, Roy Hamilton, Andrea S. Houghtling, H. Branch Coslett, Sharon L. Thompson-Schill

Institution: University of Pennsylvania

Language: English

Topic: Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Awards: G572628577, Linguistic and Nonlinguistic Functions of Frontal Cortex