|
| Extending Behavioral Principles to Neurobehavioral Interaction: Comprehensive Insights and Practical Challenges in Neurobehavioral Analysis |
| Sunday, May 25, 2025 |
| 10:00 AM–11:50 AM |
| Convention Center, Street Level, 150 AB |
| Area: EAB/BPN; Domain: Translational |
| Chair: Makoto Suzuki (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University) |
| Discussant: Jun'ichi Yamamoto (Tokyo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Systems Design) |
| Abstract: Behavior analysis has traditionally focused on the whole organism and behavioral contingencies. However, behavior analysts are increasingly uncovering significant principles regarding neurobehavioral interactions and brain plasticity. Advances in neuroscience instrumentation have greatly improved our ability to observe and modulate neural activities. Recently, advanced instruments such as electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging, and transcranial static magnetic stimulation have not only enabled the observation of neural activities but also their modulation. These advancements significantly influence expectations, response strength for activation or inhibition, and emotional responses. These neural activities can now be considered manipulable variables that interact with various behaviors. This opens up new possibilities for extending behavioral principles to neurobehavioral interactions through the use of advanced methodologies. At this symposium, experts will present recent experimental and theoretical advances in neurobehavioral analysis, facilitated by these tools. Each presentation will begin with a brief overview to establish a foundational understanding of the interactions between neurobehavioral processes. Additionally, the data described will be analyzed with an eye towards potential future developments in the field of neurobehavioral analysis, particularly influenced by the advanced instruments. |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): Covert Behavior, Electroencephalography, Neurobehavioral Interaction, Response Strength |
| |
| Neuroscientific Measures of Response Strength |
| (Theory) |
| DANIELE ORTU (University of North Texas) |
| Abstract: When multiple discriminative stimuli for incompatible behaviors are present simultaneously, the resulting dynamics of response competition and selection within a response system on the neural level dictate the motor outcome. Starting from Sherrington, who showed that when one muscle group is activated during a reflex the opposing muscle group is simultaneously inhibited, we describe here the research on lateral inhibition and physiological inhibition in the cortico-striatal-thalamic loop. In this loop the striatum blocks some neural response patterns and
allows for other ones to be released by motor effectors. The strongest response will ultimately be emitted, and the competing neural activation patterns will be truncated, while still having a broad effect on the repertoire as evidenced by priming research. Here we discuss the limitations of current neuroscientific technologies in providing a live measure of response strength. Moreover, we will attempt to describe how further technological improvements may lead to a near complete match between real-time measurements and the interpretative account on response probability and strength presented by Skinner (1957) and Palmer (2009). |
| |
| Revealing the Blind Spot: Including Physiological Topography of Private Events in the Analysis Overt Behavior |
| (Theory) |
| APRIL M. BECKER (University of North Texas; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center) |
| Abstract: A rigid insistence upon independently verifiable measurement of behavior in experimental settings has established and maintained rigor in the science of behavior. As a result, behavior analysts have rightly treated covert behaviors only interpretively. New technologies have expanded the precision and dimensionality of behavioral measurement to include neural activity; an aspect of behavior previously off-limits to analysis. However, neural activity is often dismissed as “physiological”, despite its sensitivity to consequences and relevance for the behavior of the whole organism, not only in the case of what might be considered purely covert behavior, but also as an important part of overt behavior. Embracing such analyses may challenge the field in virtuous ways; understanding the physical reality of previously covert portions of behavior may lead to conceptualizations of phenomena such as trauma and emotion that expand or even alter those based solely upon self-report of covert events. Further, the incorporation of covert behavior considerations in applied settings could be improved using such analyses. This talk will use examples from autonomic and central nervous systems to explore the potential for developing both interpretation and experimentation using a better incorporation of neural activity to truly physically analyze the behavior of the whole organism. |
| |
Effect of Transcranial Static Magnetic Stimulation on Rhythmic Finger Movements During Mirror Visual Feedback |
| (Basic Research) |
| TAKUYA MATSUMOTO (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University), Makoto Suzuki (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Nanaka Arihara (Graduate School of Humanities and Life Sciences Tokyo Kasei University), Kilchoon Cho (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Naoki Iso (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Takuhiro Okabe (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Kazuo Saito (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Jun'ichi Yamamoto (Tokyo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Systems Design) |
| Abstract: Objective: Mirror visual feedback (MVF) technique use a mirror placed in the center of the participant and induced the illusion of bilateral movement during actual unilateral movement. While studies using electroencephalography (EEG) have explored the neurobehavioral mechanisms of MVF during rhythmic finger movements, the effect of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on MVF-induced cortical oscillations during rhythmic finger movements is unclear. Elucidation of this could lead to the possibility that NIBS modulates MVF-induced cortical oscillation and enhances the effects of rehabilitation such as mirror therapy. This study aimed to investigate whether transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS) applied to the primary motor cortex (M1) modulates neurobehavior interaction of rhythmic finger movements with MVF. Methods: Participants performed an auditory-paced tapping task with their right index finger using a MVF before, immediately after, and 15 minutes after stimulation. Dependent measures: EEG and reaction time were recorded. Results: We found that the difference in beta- and gamma-band power between the left and right M1 was decreased after tSMS, and reaction time did not change. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that tSMS could reduce the imbalance of activity between the left and right M1 during MVF and could be used in combination with mirror therapy. |
| |
| Brain Network Dynamics for Expectation and Reinforcement in Three-Term Contingency |
| (Basic Research) |
| MAKOTO SUZUKI (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Honoka Fukasawa (Graduate School of Humanities and Life Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University), Takako Suzuki (School of Health Sciences, Saitama Prefectural University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Naoki Iso (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Takuhiro Okabe (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Kilchoon Cho (Faculty of Health Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University; Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Jun'ichi Yamamoto (Tokyo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Systems Design) |
| Abstract: Objective: Our expectations and responses are influenced by the past history of reinforcement. This study explored brain activities related to expectation and choice outcomes within the framework of a three-term contingency. Participants: Twenty healthy adults. Procedure: Participants were instructed to make a quick choice and press either the right or left button in response to a red cross. After pressing the button, a reward (a picture of a coin) or a response cost (a mauve circle) was randomly presented, indicating earnings or deductions from their total reward. Dependent measures: Electroencephalography was used to track brain activity, and participant choices were also recorded. Results: In the anterior cingulate gyrus, high beta band oscillations increased more following a reward than a response cost, while high gamma band oscillations did the opposite. Furthermore, high beta oscillations were greater prior to choices when the previous trial had included a response cost, in contrast to high gamma oscillations, which increased more following a reward. Conclusion: These results suggest that high beta and gamma activities in the anterior cingulate gyrus are correlated with shaping expectations and reinforcement under contingency. This finding is significant for understanding brain-behavior interactions and may lead to advancements in neurobehavioral analysis. |
|
| |