Biology subjects

Haesebaert, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Haesebaert, F..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

How the Brain Distinguishes Internal and External Sounds: An fMRI Investigation of Auditory Sound Externalization

Auditory externalization, the perception of a sound source as located outside the head, is essential for spatial hearing and auditory scene analysis. However, its neural correlates remain poorly understood. This study investigated differences in brain activation elicited by externalized versus internalized sound sources. Twenty-nine healthy participants underwent a 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan while listening to auditory stimuli presented in three spatialization conditions: reverberant externalized sounds (highest externalization), anechoic externalized sounds (intermediate externalization) and diotic anechoic sounds (internalized). Whole-brain analyses revealed greater activation for externalized compared to internalized sound sources in the left superior temporal gyrus, including the planum temporale, the cerebellum and the left posterior cingulate gyrus. Internalized sounds elicited greater relative activity in the left inferior temporal gyrus. Direct comparison between the two externalized conditions revealed stronger left superior temporal gyrus activation for reverberant sounds, while anechoic sounds preferentially activated the right middle temporal gyrus. These findings confirmed the key role of the planum temporale in auditory externalization and the involvement of higher-order brain regions, suggesting broader networks underpinning the perception of sound location.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

The interplay between executive functions and updating predictive representations

Modifying habits, particularly unwanted behaviors, is often challenging. Cognitive research has focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying habit formation and how habits can be rewired. A key mechanism is statistical learning, the continuous, implicit extraction of probabilistic patterns from the environment, which forms the basis of predictive processing. However, the interplay between executive functions (EF) and the rewiring - or updating - of these probabilistic representations remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we conducted an experiment consisting of four sessions: 1) Learning Phase - acquisition of probabilistic representations, 2) Rewiring Phase - updating these probabilistic representations, 3) Retrieval Phase - accessing learned representations, and 4) EF assessment, targeting five key aspects: attentional control, inhibition, working memory, flexibility, and verbal fluency. We focused on the relationship between these EF measures and the updating of previously acquired knowledge using an interindividual differences approach. Our results revealed a positive relationship between rewiring and inhibition, suggesting that better inhibitory control may facilitate the adaptive restructuring of probabilistic predictive representations. Conversely, a negative relationship was identified between rewiring and semantic fluency, implying that certain underlying aspects of verbal fluency tasks, such as access to long-term memory representations, may hinder the updating process. We interpret this relationship through the lens of competitive memory network models. Our findings indicate that the rewiring of implicit probabilistic representations is a multifaceted cognitive process requiring both the suppression of proactive interference from prior knowledge through cognitive inhibition and a strong reliance on model-free functioning.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Evidence for a competitive relationship between executive functions and statistical learning

The ability of the brain to extract patterns from the environment and predict future events, known as statistical learning, has been proposed to interact in a competitive manner with prefrontal lobe related networks and their characteristic cognitive or executive functions. However, it remains unclear whether these cognitive functions also show competitive relationship with implicit statistical learning across individuals and at the level of latent executive function components. In order to address this currently unknown aspect, we investigated, in two independent experiments (NStudy1 = 186, NStudy2 = 157), the relationship between implicit statistical learning, measured by the Alternating Serial Reaction Time task, and executive functions, measured by multiple neuropsychological tests. In both studies, a modest, but consistent negative correlation between implicit statistical learning and most executive function measures was observed. Factor analysis further revealed that a factor representing the verbal fluency and complex working memory seemed to drive these negative correlations. Thus, an antagonism between implicit statistical learning and executive functions might specifically be mediated by updating component of executive functions or/and long-term memory access.

animal behavior and cognition↗