Biology subjects

Schonberg, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Schonberg, T..

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Linking continuous behavior to aesthetic enjoyment in a walkable virtual-reality museum tour: effects of agency and a painting-level analysis framework

Museum visits typically follow curator-defined routes that constrain how visitors shape their own experience, yet choice is widely held to heighten engagement, autonomy, and enjoyment. Virtual reality (VR) offers a setting in which to study these processes because it combines ecological immersion with precise, continuous behavioral measurement. We investigated (i) whether VR- derived behavioral signals are associated with self-reported enjoyment during a virtual museum tour, and (ii) whether the level of agency afforded to visitors influences enjoyment. Forty-eight adults completed a room-scale, life-size VR tour (8 * 4 m) of seven paintings from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, each accompanied by a synchronized audio guide. Synchronized gaze and head- position streams were logged continuously (50 Hz) and segmented into painting-level viewing episodes using a trial-and-tile pipeline that intersects each painting's trial interval with an empirically defined spatial window in front of the canvas. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three agency conditions, Active (choice before every artwork), Semi-Active (choice for the first three), or Passive (fixed route),while the artwork sequence was held identical. Self- reported enjoyment at the tour and painting levels did not differ reliably across agency conditions. Among VR-derived measures, gaze engagement during the audio guide showed the clearest (though modest) association with painting-level liking, whereas locomotion and pacing measures were weak and inconsistent predictors. Agency nonetheless reliably modulated several gaze- and time-based viewing measures. The findings reveal a dissociation between subjective enjoyment and the micro-structure of viewing, and establish a reusable framework for full-tour, painting-level behavioral analysis in immersive settings.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

ResXR: validated infrastructure for reproducible studies of human behavior in Extended Reality

Extended Reality (XR) combines experimental control and ecological validity, yet behavioral XR research lacks shared infrastructure: building immersive experiments demands specialized engineering, and custom tools yield data in custom formats that other laboratories cannot readily reanalyze. We present ResXR (Research with XR), an open-source toolkit providing a path from immersive experiment to standardized dataset and quality report, running on standalone headsets. A Unity template records synchronized head, hand, eye, and face tracking with per-sample hardware timestamps; an independent Python pipeline validates quality, masks flagged intervals, and exports raw and derivative datasets in Motion-BIDS format with self-contained quality reports. Three ready-to-run paradigms span common behavioral designs. ResXR is an idea new to XR research: sensor data from consumer headsets must be empirically validated rather than taken from vendor documentation, grounding its schema and quality flags in stress-tested sensor behavior. Its aim is a transparent, community-extensible foundation for reproducible XR experimentation.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Mechanisms of long term non-reinforced preference change: functional connectivity changes in a longitudinal functional MRI study

Behavioral change studies mostly focus on external reinforcements to modify preferences. Cue-approach training (CAT) is a paradigm that influences preferences by the mere association of stimuli, sensory cues, and a rapid motor response, without external reinforcements. The behavioral effect has been shown to last for months after less than one hour of training. Here, we used a modified version of CAT by changing the neutral-cue to a number that represented a monetary amount of reward that the participants accumulate (i.e. incentive-cue). After a single training session, we compared behavioral performance and functional connectivity (FC), as measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging, between two groups, one receiving a neutral-cue and the other receiving an incentive-cue, at 5 time points across one year. We replicated the maintenance of behavioral changes after 6-months for the non-reinforced neutral-cue participants, but not for the reinforced group. The reinforced training group showed higher FC within the limbic system, whereas the non-externally reinforced group showed higher functional connectivity within and between default-mode and dorsal-attention networks. Our findings offer putative neural correlates for both reinforced and non-reinforced preference changes that are maintained over time and which could be implemented in future behavioral change interventions. Significance StatementThe current work examines the neural mechanisms of non-externally reinforced preference change and its maintenance over time, using both a neutral cue and a modified version of the cue-approach training paradigm. While both groups initially exhibited preference shifts, only the non-reinforced group maintained preference changes over one year, suggesting an enduring internal reinforcement mechanism. We identified distinct patterns in functional connectivity related to behavioral maintenance, find that non-external reinforcement increases the connectivity of the default mode network while external reinforcement elevates connectivity between limbic areas. These findings enhance our understanding of sustainable behavior change and advocate for non-external reinforcement in behavioral interventions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

The effect of virtual reality modality level of immersion and locomotion on spatial learning and gaze measures

The widespread adoption of head-mounted display (HMD) virtual reality (VR) systems has emerged in various fields, including spatial learning research. This study investigated the effects of VR modality level of immersion, locomotion interface, and proprioception on spatial learning and physiological measures using eye-tracking (ET) in VR. We translated the classic T-maze task from Barnes et al. (1980) to humans for the first time, comparing three VR modalities: 3D HMD VR with physical walking, 3D HMD VR with controller-based movement, and 2D desktop VR. Results revealed that human participants employed a mixture of cue, place, and response strategies when navigating the virtual T-maze, mirroring rodent behavior. In both samples, no significant differences were found between the two HMD VR conditions in learning performance, nor consistent ones in strategy choices. However, 2D desktop navigation was associated with slower initial learning, though this discrepancy diminished in subsequent sessions. These results were supported by spatial presence, immersion, and naturalness reports. Gaze measures showed that participants who physically walked devoted more visual attention to environmental cues compared to controller users. Predictive models for identifying spatial learning strategies based on ET and behavioral measures demonstrated significant accuracy in some models, particularly in the VR walking condition and second session. Our findings enhance the understanding of spatial learning strategies and the effects of VR modality on cognition and gaze behavior. This work demonstrates the potential of integrated ET data and holds implications for early detection and personalized rehabilitation of neurodegenerative conditions related to spatial cognition.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Eye movement patterns under exposure to spatial disorientation illusions during simulated flight

ObjectiveTo identify eye movement patterns which are correlated with spatial disorientation (SD) events during flights in a flight simulator that induces SD. BackgroundSpatial disorientation is one of the main causes of aviation mishaps. It results from illusions caused by misinterpreted vestibular or visual sensory cues, leading to an incorrect perception of an aircrafts position, attitude, or motion. SD prevention is crucial, as there is no objective tool to detect its occurrence. MethodEye movements of 45 participants (30 aircrew members, 15 cadets) were recorded using Tobii Pro Glasses 2 in a Gyro-IPT SD flight simulator. Illusions were either vestibular or visual. Gaze metrics--such as fixations, saccades (rapid gaze transfers), and visits--were compared between participants who experienced SD and those who did not. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify significant differences. ResultsAmong 284 flight profiles, 136 SD occurrences were recorded (48%). During visual illusions, participants who more frequently checked the instrument panel were more likely to avoid SD. In contrast, during vestibular illusions, participants who examined the head-up display (HUD) more frequently had a lower probability of experiencing SD. ConclusionEfficient SD mitigation requires task-specific eye-movement strategies: mitigating visual illusions requires increased focus on the instrument panel, while mitigating vestibular illusions involves greater engagement with the HUD, challenging current standard instructions. ApplicationThese findings may inform training programs aimed at improving performance in high-risk SD profiles. Additionally, the results support the development of real-time SD alert systems to help mitigate or prevent SD-related incidents. PrecisThis study examined eye-movement patterns during flight in a flight simulator to identify mechanisms underlying spatial disorientation (SD) and strategies for SD avoidance. Findings reveal that to avoid visual illusions greater instrument focus is required, whereas to avoid vestibular illusions, HUD engagement is beneficial. Results could be applied to training programs to enhance flight safety and reduce SD incidents.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Assessing Garmin Stress Level Score Against Heart Rate Variability Measurements

Daily stressors elicit physiological and mental responses impacting health, cognition, and behavior. Accurately assessing stress responses in natural settings remains challenging despite extensive research, though wrist-worn devices have the potential to address this gap through remote data collection. The Garmin fitness tracker provides a stress score largely based on HRV which must be validated prior to use in research. This study aimed to assess the stress score given by the Garmin Vivosmart 4 against HR and HRV from ECG recordings derived by the Polar H10 chest strap. A pilot study of 29 participants was conducted, followed by power calculations and preregistration of the main study which included 60 participants. Data were collected simultaneously from both devices during a laboratory session of restful and mental-stress-inducing tasks. Garmins stress score, mean HR, SD2/SD1, and HF power exhibited significant differences between stress and rest conditions. Moreover, Garmins stress score correlated significantly with HR, RMSSD, and SD2/SD1. Our findings suggest that physiological responses to mental stress were influenced by sex and tonic HRV. The study suggests that the GSS is indicative of mental stress, with its accessibility and noninvasive nature promising widespread utilization in various research domains.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2023

The reward system plays a role in natural story comprehension

Prediction is a fundamental process that spans most facets of human cognition and is one of the most essential aspects of efficient language processing. At the same time, prediction plays a critical role in reward processing. Nevertheless, the exploration of the involvement of the reward system during language processing has not yet been directly tested. Here, we investigated the role of reward-processing regions while listening to a natural story. In a pre-registered study, we utilized a published dataset in which half of the participants listened to a natural story and the others listened to a scrambled version of it. We compared the functional MRI signals in the reward system between these conditions and discovered a unique pattern that differentiates between them. This suggests that the reward system is activated during the comprehension of natural stories. We also found that the fMRI signals in reward areas are related to the predictability level of processed sentences and that the system might be involved in higher predictability during the processing of a natural story.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Passive identification of subjective preferences towards individual items using eye-tracking in a virtual reality environment

Usage of Virtual reality (VR) has been growing in many fields of research and therapy thanks to its immersive and gamified nature. Detection of the subjective experience of the users is thus essential for effective personalization of content. Eye-tracking (ET) data and specifically gaze, in two-dimensional tasks has been linked to value-based choices and emotional states. Therefore, here we aimed to develop a method for passive identification of subjective preferences based on ET data collected during a VR experience. For this purpose, we developed a naturalistic dynamic VR task where participants searched and looked at complex objects of pets and control shapes that appeared in pre-defined locations in random order. At the end of the task, participants ranked their preference, valence, and arousal of the items they saw during the task. ET data was recorded using a built-in binocular eye-tracker within the VR headset. We found that the median distance of gaze from the center of objects and the median gaze scan speed showed a significant interaction with object type (pets/shapes), as well as a significant positive relation to preference and valence rankings of pets. Our results suggest that ET could be used as a passive biomarker for detecting individual preferences and pleasantness, and in the future may enable successful personalization of VR content in real time for various applications.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Characterizing habit learning in the human brain at the individual and group levels: a multi-modal MRI study

The dual-process theory of action control postulates that there are two competitive and complementary mechanisms that control our behavior: a goal-directed system that executes deliberate actions, explicitly aimed toward a particular outcome, and a habitual system that autonomously execute well-learned actions, typically following an encounter with a previously associated cue. In line with dual-process theory, animal studies have provided convincing evidence for dissociable neural mechanisms, mainly manifested in cortico-striatal regions, involved in goal-directed and habitual action control. While substantial progress has been made in characterizing the neural mechanism underlying habit learning in animals, we still lack knowledge on how habits are formed and maintained in the human brain. Thus far only one study, conducted more than a decade ago by Tricomi et al. (2009), has been able to induce habitual behavior in humans via extensive training. This study also implicated the posterior putamen in the process, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, recent attempts to replicate the behavioral results of this study were not successful. This leaves the research of human habits, and particularly the research of their formation through extensive repetition, as well as their neural basis, limited and far behind the animal research in the field. This motivated us to (1) attempt to replicate the behavioral and imaging main findings of Tricomi et al., (2) identify further functional and microstructural neural modifications associated with habit formation and manifestation, and (3) investigate the relationships between functional and structural plasticity and individual differences in habit expression. To this end, in this registered report we used Tricomi et al.s free-operant task along with multi-modal MRI methods in a well-powered sample (n=123). In this task participants sensitivity to outcome devaluation (an index of goal-directed/habitual action control) is tested following either short or extensive training. In contrast to our hypothesis, we were not able to demonstrate habit formation as a function of training duration nor were we able to relate any functional or microstructural plasticity in the putamen with individual habit expression. We found that a pattern of increased activations in the left head of caudate that re-occurred across each days training is associated with goal directed behavior and that increased processing of devalued cues in low-level visual regions was indicative of goal-directed behavior (and vice versa). In a follow-up exploratory analysis comparing habitual and goal-directed subgroups within each experimental group, we found that elevated activations in frontoparietal regions during early stages of training, as well as increased reactivity towards still-valued cues in somatosensory and superior parietal regions were found in individuals that were more inclined to perform goal-directed behavior (compared with more habitual individuals). Taken together, regions commonly implicated in goal-directed behavior were most predictive of individual habit expression. Finally, we also found that differential patterns of training-related microstructural plasticity, as measured with diffusion MRI, in midbrain dopaminergic regions were associated with habit expression. This work provides new insights into the neural dynamics involved in individual habit formation/expression and encourages the development and testing of new, more sensitive, procedures for experimental habit induction in humans.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

A passive computational marker for individual differences in non-reinforced learning

Cue-Approach Training (CAT) is a paradigm that enhances preferences without external reinforcmeents, suggesting a potential role for internal learning processes. Here, we developed a novel Bayesian computational model to quantify anticipatory response patterns during the training phase of CAT. This phase includes individual items and thus this marker is potentially of internal learning signals at the item level. Our model, fitted to meta-analysis data from 29 prior CAT experiments, was able to predict individual differences in non-reinforced preference changes using a key computational marker. Crucially, two new experiments manipulated the training procedure to influence the models predicted learning marker. As predicted and preregistered, the manipulation successfully induced differential preference changes, supporting a causal role of our model. These findings demonstrate powerful potential of our computational framework for investigating intrinsic learning processes. This framework could be used to predict preference changes and opens new avenues for understanding intrinsic motivation and decision-making. TeaserBayesian modeling of response time predicts individual differences in non reinforced preference change.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Simultaneous association of grip effort with snack food items does not change preferences

Effort is typically considered aversive such that rewards requiring less effort are preferred over identical value rewards that require greater effort, commonly referred to as "effort discounting". Although effort has been repeatedly shown to be weighed as a cost, there are indications to suggest that under some conditions it may increase preferences. An example for how effort affects preferences is the contrast effect were items that follow effort production gain value. In the current study we examined whether the association of grip effort with snack food items would change preferences. In four experiments, we first identified each participants individual preferences of snack food items and subjective maximal grip force. We then associated different effort levels with items of similar preference. Finally, we tested for changes in preferences following the effort association. Across the four studies, effort association had no effect on preferences. Using Bayesian analyses, we conclude that simultaneous association of effort does not change preferences in our studies and call for a replication effort of previous findings.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

The value of the whole or the sum of the parts: The role of ventromedial prefrontal cortex in multi-attribute object evaluation

Everyday decision-making commonly involves assigning values to complex objects with multiple value-relevant attributes. Drawing on object recognition theories, we hypothesized two routes to multi-attribute evaluation: assessing the value of the whole object based on holistic attribute configuration or summing individual attribute-values. In two samples of healthy human participants undergoing eye-tracking and fMRI while evaluating novel pseudo-objects, we found evidence for both forms of evaluation. Fixations to, and transitions between attributes differed systematically when value of pseudo-objects was associated with individual attributes or attribute configurations. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and perirhinal cortex were engaged when configural processing was required. These results converge with our recent findings that individuals with vmPFC lesions were impaired in decisions requiring configural evaluation, but not when evaluating "the sum of the parts". This suggests that multi-attribute decision-making engages distinct evaluation mechanisms relying on partially dissociable neural substrates, depending on the relationship between attributes and value. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDecision neuroscience has only recently begun to address how multiple choice-relevant attributes are brought together during evaluation and choice among complex options. Object recognition research makes a crucial distinction between individual attribute and holistic/configural object processing, but how the brain evaluates attributes and whole objects remains unclear. Using fMRI and eye-tracking, we found that the vmPFC and the perirhinal cortex contribute to value estimation specifically when it emerged from the whole objects i.e. predicted by the unique configuration of attributes, and not when value was predicted by the sum of individual attributes. This novel perspective on the interactions between subjective value and object processing mechanisms bridges an important gap between the fields of object recognition and reward-guided decision-making.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Brain volumetric changes in the general population following the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown

The COVID-19 outbreak introduced unprecedented health-risks, as well as pressure on the financial, social, and psychological well-being due to the response to the outbreak. Here, we examined the manifestations of the COVID-19 outbreak on the brain structure in the healthy population, following the initial phase of the pandemic in Israel. We pre-registered our hypothesis that the intense experience of the outbreak potentially induced stress-related brain modifications. Volumetric changes in n = 50 participants who were scanned before and after the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown, were compared with n = 50 control participants who were scanned twice prior to the pandemic. The pandemic provided a rare opportunity to examine brain plasticity in a natural experiment. We found volumetric increases in bilateral amygdalae, putamen, and the anterior temporal cortices. Changes in the amygdalae diminished as time elapsed from lockdown relief, suggesting that the intense experience associated with the pandemic outbreak induced transient volumetric changes in brain regions commonly associated with stress and anxiety.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Variability in the analysis of a single neuroimaging dataset by many teams

Data analysis workflows in many scientific domains have become increasingly complex and flexible. To assess the impact of this flexibility on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results, the same dataset was independently analyzed by 70 teams, testing nine ex-ante hypotheses. The flexibility of analytic approaches is exemplified by the fact that no two teams chose identical workflows to analyze the data. This flexibility resulted in sizeable variation in hypothesis test results, even for teams whose statistical maps were highly correlated at intermediate stages of their analysis pipeline. Variation in reported results was related to several aspects of analysis methodology. Importantly, meta-analytic approaches that aggregated information across teams yielded significant consensus in activated regions across teams. Furthermore, prediction markets of researchers in the field revealed an overestimation of the likelihood of significant findings, even by researchers with direct knowledge of the dataset. Our findings show that analytic flexibility can have substantial effects on scientific conclusions, and demonstrate factors related to variability in fMRI. The results emphasize the importance of validating and sharing complex analysis workflows, and demonstrate the need for multiple analyses of the same data. Potential approaches to mitigate issues related to analytical variability are discussed.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Memory for Individual Items is Related to Non-Reinforced Preference Change

It is commonly assumed that memories contribute to value-based decisions. Nevertheless, most theories of value-based decision-making do not account for memory influences on choice. Recently, new interest has emerged in the interactions between these two fundamental processes, mainly using reinforcement-based paradigms. Here, we aimed to study the role memory processes play in preference change following the non-reinforced cue-approach training (CAT) paradigm. In CAT, the mere association of cued items with a speeded motor response influences choices. Previous studies with this paradigm showed that a single training session induces a long-lasting effect of enhanced preferences for high-value trained stimuli, that is maintained for several months. We hypothesized that CAT influences memory accessibility for trained items, leading to enhanced accessibility of their positive associative memories and in turn to preference changes. In two pre-registered experiments, we tested whether memory for trained items was enhanced following CAT, in the short and in the long-term, and whether memory modifications were related to choices. We found that memory was enhanced for trained items and that better memory was correlated with enhanced preferences at the individual item level, both immediately and one month following CAT. Our findings show that memory plays a central role in value-based decision-making following CAT, even in the absence of external reinforcements. These findings contribute to new theories relating memory and value-based decision-making and set the groundwork for the implementation of novel behavioral interventions that lead to long-lasting behavioral change.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

A retrieval-counterconditioning procedure diminishes reinstatement of appetitive memories in humans

Appetitive memories play a crucial role in learning and behavior but under certain circumstances become maladaptive and play a vital part in addiction and other psychopathologies. In recent years, scientific research demonstrated the ability of memories to be modified following their reactivation through memory retrieval, in a process termed memory reconsolidation. Several non-pharmacological behavioral manipulations yielded mixed results in their capacity to alter maladaptive memories in humans. Here, aiming to translate promising findings observed in rodents to humans, we constructed a novel three-day procedure to test the efficacy of aversive counterconditioning to alter appetitive memories when given following memory retrieval. On Day1 we used appetitive conditioning to form appetitive memories. On Day2, we retrieved these appetitive memories for half of the participants (Retrieval group). Subsequently, all participants underwent counterconditioning. On Day3, we tried to reinstate Day1 appetitive memories. We observed a significant reduction in the reinstatement of the original appetitive memory when counterconditioning was induced following memory retrieval. We provide here a novel human paradigm that models several memory processes, and demonstrate memory attenuation when counterconditioned after its retrieval. This paradigm can be used to study complex appetitive memory dynamics, e.g., memory reconsolidation, and their underlying brain mechanisms.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Ventromedial prefrontal cortex is not critical for behavior change without external reinforcement

Cue-approach training (CAT) is a novel paradigm that has been shown to induce preference changes towards items without external reinforcements. In the task the mere association of a neutral cue and a speeded button response has been shown to induce a behavioral change lasting months. This paradigm includes several phases whereby after the training of individual items, behavior change is manifested through binary choices of items with similar initial values. Neuroimaging data have implicated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) during the choice phase of this task. However, it still remains unclear what are the underlying neural mechanisms during training. Here, we sought to determine whether the ventromedial frontal cortex (VMF) is critical for the non-reinforced preference change induced by CAT. For this purpose, eleven participants with focal lesions involving the VMF and 30 healthy age-matched controls performed the CAT. We found that at the individual level, a similar proportion of VMF and healthy participants showed a preference shift following CAT. The VMF group performed similarly to the healthy age-matched control group in the ranking and training phases. As a group the healthy age-matched controls exhibited a behavior change, but the VMF participants as a group did not. We did not find an association between individual lesion patterns and performance in the task. We conclude that a fully intact VMF is not critical to induce non-externally reinforced preference change and suggest potential mechanisms for this novel type of behavioral change.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Perceptual and memory neural processes underlie short and long-term non-reinforced behavioral change

Behavioral change studies and interventions focus on self-control and external reinforcements as means to influence preferences. Cue-approach training (CAT) has been shown to induce preference changes lasting months following a mere association of items with a neutral cue and a speeded response, without external reinforcements. We utilized this paradigm to study preference representation and modification in the brain without external reinforcements. We scanned 36 participants with fMRI during a novel passive viewing task before, after and 30 days following CAT. We pre-registered the predictions that activity in regions related to memory, top-down attention and value processing underlie behavioral change. We found that bottom-up neural mechanisms, involving visual processing regions, were associated with immediate behavioral change, while reduced top-down parietal activity and enhanced hippocampal activity were related to the long-term change. Enhanced activity in value-related regions was found both immediately and in the long-term. Our findings suggest a novel neural mechanism of preference representation and modification. We suggest that non-reinforced change occurs initially in perceptual representation of items, which putatively lead to long-term changes in memory and top-down processes. These findings could lead to implementation of bottom-up instead of top-down targeted interventions to accomplish long-lasting behavioral change.

neuroscience↗