In this presentation, I will make an overview of behavioral addiction, including its definition, symptoms, and prevalence. I will also discuss the integration of psychological and neurobiological mechanisms for the development and maintenance of behavioral addiction.

In this presentation, the Applied Linguistics, Language, and Literacy Lab will be briefly introduced followed by an introduction of lab members conducting research in the domain of Brain and Language Cognition in the Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Analysis of participant behavioral data gathered through the use of response time and eye-tracking methodologies allows us to explore three main research interests: Formulaic Language Processing, Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition, and Written Corrective Feedback in L2 Writing. Four studies focusing on English Collocations, English Phrasal Verbs, Context, and Teacher Written Feedback will be briefly introduced.

Simultaneous interpreting, an extreme form of bilingualism which involves constant language switching and concurrently listening, speaking and sometimes reading, as is the case with simultaneous interpreting with text, is arguably one of the most cognitively demanding tasks. Effects of simultaneous interpreting experience on cognitive functioning has attracted considerable scholarly attention (e.g. Harvais-Adelman et al, 2015; Klein et al, 2018; Babcock et al, 2017; Van de Putte et al, 2018; Garcia et al, 2019). Our eye-tracking studies found that more effective use of working memory, shorter response time and the ability to maintain a balance between visual and auditory attentions in tasks that demand both listening and reading efforts are associated with simultaneous interpreting training. Even more interestingly, our fNIRS studies jointly conducted with the Faculty of Health Science detected symmetrical hemisphere activation associated with simultaneous interpreting. Putting our research in the context of Macao and taking the unique resources and needs of Macao into consideration, the presentation looks into the possibility of expanding the scope and scale of our investigation through collaborative research and explores its potential to contribute to areas such as child development, rehabilitation and anti-aging.

In the human societies, everyone is socially connected to one another However, the neural mechanism for interpersonal communication is still not well-understood. To address this issue, we developed a fNIRS-based hyperscanning technique, i.e., measuring brain activity from multiple persons simultaneously. We applied this technique to the study on the neural mechanism of interpersonal and inter-group communication and interaction. We found that communicators integrated visual-auditory information and shared high-level linguistic representations through distinctive patterns of interpersonal neural synchronization. Moreover, during communication, high-level linguistic context modulates the selective processing of visual-auditory information in a top-down mode. Finally, we also demonstrated the cognitive hierarchical structure of social communication and revealed the neural mechanism.

White matter is tissue that includes nerve fibers, which connect nerve cells. White matter disease, or Leukoaraiosis (LA), is a particular abnormal change in appearance of white matter near the lateral ventricles. White matter disease may develop with conditions associated with aging, such as stroke, but it can also affect young people due to conditions such as cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) is a new technology evaluated the integrity, pathological changing, organization structure of brain. The fractional anisotropy (FA) value and mean diffusivity (MD) value are sensitive markers of microstructural changes occurring in the brain with LA.

Studies exhibit that white matter fibers have highly diffusion anisotropy in brain of LA patients. The FA values decreased with age, the white matter fiber tracts diffusion anisotropy decreased with age. The MD values in the corresponding regions of LA lesions, NAWM and normal cerebral white matter decreased, FA value increases; the degree of LA and MD positive correlation, negative correlation with FA value. The study on the relationship between LA and celebrovascular find that cerebral vascular disease incidence rate of LA increased with age, the effect of age on LA was higher than that of factors of cerebral vascular disease. In addition, ischemic cerebrovascular disease, especially lacunar cerebral infarction and LA far more close than cerebral hemorrhage and LA. The relationship between LA and ischemic cerebrovascular disease is higher than that of LA and cerebral hemorrhage closely.

Objective

SPECT is a powerful tool for diagnosing or staging brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) but is limited by its inferior resolution and sensitivity. At the same time, pinhole SPECT provides superior resolution and detection efficiency trade-off as compared to the conventional parallel-hole collimator for imaging small field-of-view (FOV), which fits for the case of brain imaging. In this study, we propose to develop and evaluate two multi-pinhole (MPH) collimator designs to improve the imaging of cerebral blood flow and striatum.

Methods

We set the target resolutions to be 12 and 8 mm, respectively, and the FOV at 200 mm which is large enough to cover the whole brain. The constraints for system optimization include maximum and minimum detector-to-center-of-FOV (CFOV) distances of 344 and 294 mm, respectively, and minimal radius-of-rotation (ROR) of 135 mm to accommodate patients’ shoulder. According to the targeted FOV, resolutions, and constraints, we determined the pinhole number, ROR, focal length, aperture acceptance angle, and aperture diameter which maximized the system sensitivity. We then assessed the imaging performance of the proposed MPH and standard low-energy high-resolution (LEHR) collimators using analytical simulations of a digital NCAT brain phantom with ^99mTc-HMPAO/^99mTc-TRODAT-1 distributions; Monte Carlo simulations of a hot-rod phantom; and a Defrise phantom using GATE v6.1. Projections were generated over 360° and reconstructed using the 3D MPH/LEHR OS-EM methods with up to 720 updates. The normalized mean square error (NMSE) was calculated over the cerebral and striatal regions extracted from the reconstructed images for ^99mTc-HMPAO and ^99mTc-TRODAT-1 simulations, respectively, and average normalized standard deviation (NSD) based on 20 noise realizations was assessed on selected uniform 3D regions as the noise index. Visual assessment and image profiles were applied to the results of Monte Carlo simulations.

Results

The optimized design parameters of the MPH collimators were 9 pinholes with 4.7 and 2.8 mm pinhole diameter, 73° acceptance angle, 127 mm focal length, 167 mm ROR for 12 mm and 8 mm target resolution, respectively. According to the optimization results, the detection efficiencies of the proposed collimators were 270 and 40% more as compared to LEHR. The Monte Carlo simulations showed that 7.9 and 6.4 mm rods can be discriminated for the MPH collimators with target resolutions of 12 and 8 mm, respectively. The eight 12 mm-thick discs of the Defrise phantom can also be resolved clearly in the axial plane as demonstrated by the image profiles generated with the MPH collimators.

Conclusion

The two collimator designs provide superior image quality as compared to the conventional LEHR, and shows potential to improve current brain SPECT imaging based on a conventional SPECT scanner.

Neuroscience has developed to a point where we can begin to see the links between high level concepts – such as the self, memory, imagination, etc. – and the basic neurobiological concepts involving individual neurons and their functions. This is a very new time in history of science, yet it is also a very new time in history of philosophy. The recent understanding of neurobiological mechanisms is reshaping the way in which we think about ourselves, as well as about human interactions in their multifaceted dimensions pertaining, among others, questions about the nature of language, morality, agency, emotions, and free will. Such a shift of paradigm is mirrored in recent debates in philosophy, whereby philosophers employ and discuss research findings from neuroscience. To showcase what is at stake in the domain at the intersection of (greening) neuroscience and (graying) philosophy, I will briefly present and discuss new ways in which philosophy, having internalized an interdisciplinary stance, addresses the traditional problem of hallucination. The study of hallucinations, as (by definition) subjectively indistinguishable from veridical perception, widely relies on data on both qualitative and quantitative kind: the correlation between the subjects’ insight into the nature of their experience, and the ‘correlated’ neural activities deserves to be further investigated, as it might shed light into some crucial aspects of the relation between the neural and the psychological/phenomenal level of cognition.

Addiction is a brain disease which might involve decision making deficits. In this presentation, I will first introduce the big picture of decision making deficits in addiction. Then, I will briefly introduce the neural systems underlying the decision process, and introduce our researches revealed dysfunction of these neural systems in addiction. Last, I will show some of our recent progress on changing the decision making behavior by non-invasive brain stimulation. These studies highlighted the importance of decision making in normal and addiction participants.

Faced with the unfamiliar, both animals and men are less likely to go for the risky choice suggesting a biological basis for clinging to what we know. This bias towards the familiar manifests itself in different settings in modern lives, e.g., home market bias in finance markets and preference for more familiar brands. Proposed by researches in the mere exposure effect, this bias may be explained by the uncertainty reduction role of the familiar. We put this explanation to test at a neurogenetic level. In study 1, we show that polymorphisms in GABRB2, which encodes GABA_A receptor β₂ subunit, predict the sensitivity of people’s risk attitude towards familiarity. In study 2 using fMRI, we select a subsample using the most allelic balanced polymorphism (rs1816072) and find that those who are homozygous major have greater amygdala sensitivity to familiarity. The amygdala sensitivity is also found to mediate the gene-behavior relationship. Our findings suggest that genetic variants in the GABAergic neural pathways explain individual differences in familiarity bias accounting for why some of us often take the path more followed. Given the role of amygdala in fear and anxiety response and the inhibitory property of the GABAergic system, our results support the uncertainty reduction hypothesis.

中山大學附屬第五醫院精神心理科成立於2002年，為珠海最具特色的心理及性諮詢科。目前年門診量超萬人次，為珠海精神衛生系統最具影響力的科室之一。是珠中江地區所有綜合醫院中唯一擁有住院部的精神科，精神科專業國家住院醫師規培基地和全科醫生規培基地。現有醫生9人，護士11名，心理治療師2名。

技術優勢及診治特色：科室核心團隊均為中山大學精神衛生專業碩士研究生畢業，具有良好的專業素養，出色而精准的精神疾病診療技能。科室心理治療師經過系統的本科、碩士研究生的專業系統的學習，臨床工作後仍不斷尋求國內外專家的督導，具有豐富的臨床實操經驗。科室對精神心理問題的解決依託最新醫學模式“社會-心理-生物醫學模式”，強調疾病中社會和心理因素的重要性，認為“心理+藥物”聯合治療為疾病治療最佳手段。

儀器設備：科室擁有心理疾病治療的多種物理治療設備，處於珠海領先位置。包括生物回饋儀、無線團體音樂鬆弛系統、心理測量系統、沙盤遊戲治療。

教學：科室自開科以來，為珠海培養了大批優秀心理諮詢師，很多諮詢師都獨自開辦公司，為珠海人民服務；承擔住院醫師規範化培訓精神科培訓任務；承擔中山大學及珠海北京理工大學“養生與治未病之大學生心理健康”及“健康教育之大學生心理健康”選修課的授課。

業務領域：各種精神疾病診治、心理諮詢與治療、心理測量、聯絡會診、臨床教學與研究、企業員工培訓六個部分。

Background and Objective: Internet dependence is common among university students and have a number of negative outcomes. This study compared Internet dependence among Chinese university students between Macao, Hong Kong and mainland China and explore the associations between Internet dependence and quality of life (QOL).

Method: A total of 2,312 university students from Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China participated in this study. Basic socio-demographic and clinical data were collected with standardized data collection form. Young’s Internet Addiction Scale (IAT) was used.

Result: Prevalence of Internet dependence 32.2% in the whole sample, with 38.3% in Macao, 39.5% in Hong Kong, and 22.8% in mainland China. Multivariate analyses revealed that Internet dependence was more common in Macao and Hong Kong than in mainland China. Students with low GPA, depression and history of violent behaviors were vulnerable to have Internet dependence. Internet dependence was negatively associated with QOL.

Conclusion: Internet dependence was common among Chinese university students. Considering their negative impact on students’ daily life and QOL, health education and regular screening on Internet dependence are warranted for this population.

In this study, fused electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) techniques were utilized to examine the relationship between the ERP (event-related potential) component P300 and fNIRS hemodynamic signals for high-accuracy deception detection. During the performance of a modified concealed information test (CIT) task, a series of Chinese names were presented, which served as the target, irrelevant, or the probe stimuli for both the guilty and innocent groups.  For participants in the guilty group, the probe stimulus was their individual name, whereas for the innocent group, the probe stimulus was one irrelevant name. In particular, data from concurrent fNIRS and ERP recordings were carefully inspected for participants from the two groups. Interestingly, we discovered that for the guilty group, the probe stimulus elicited significantly higher P300 amplitude at parietal site and also evoked significantly stronger oxyhemoglobin (HbO) concentration changes in the bilateral superior frontal gyrus and bilateral middle frontal gyrus than the irrelevant stimuli. However, this is not the case for the innocent group, in which participants exhibited no significant differences in both ERP and fNIRS measures between the probe and irrelevant stimuli. More importantly, our findings also demonstrated that the combined ERP and fNIRS feature was able to differentiate the guilty and innocent groups with enhanced sensitivity, in which AUC (the area under Receiver Operating Characteristic curve) is 0.94 for deception detection based on the combined indicator, much higher than that based on the ERP component P300 only (0.85) or HbO measure only (0.84).

Speech and auditory perception among Cantonese-English bilingual Macau children with autism spectrum disorder

Using ERPs (event-related potentials) measurement with an oddball paradigm, the current study examined and compared the neural responses by Chinese-English bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing controls in the perception of lexical tones in Chinese, pure auditory tones, and lexical stress in English through three experiments. Participants were 16 children with ASD and 16 typically developing children. There were three main findings: a). ASD group showed reduced (mis-match negativity) MMN at Fz as compared to controls in lexical tone perception; b). Two groups showed similar MMN in pure auditory tone task; c). ASD group showed weaker MMN in left hemisphere but stronger MMN in right hemisphere than the control group. In conclusion, compared to typically developing Cantonese-English bilingual Macau children, those with ASD were less sensitive to variations of lexical tone in L1 Chinese and lexical stress in L2 English, but did not show advantage in perceiving auditory pure tones.

The recent surge of research in artificial intelligence has revolutionized almost every sector of contemporary sciences, especially brain science. One of the most intriguing question is to what extent the design of modern deep neural networks (DNN) follows the principles of perceptual processing in the human brain. Here, I will present two different studies that systematically compare state-of-the-art DNNs and the human visual system. In the first study, we employ 7 Tesla magnetic resonance scanner to acquire high-resolution (0.8 mm isotropic) functional images in human ventral temporal cortex. We find that, unlike DNNs that emphasize positional invariance in object recognition, high-level temporal cortex still preserves precision retinotopic maps of objects. In the second study, we take advantage of adversarial images, a set of special images that can “fool” DNNs but not human vision, and find that one key caveat of current DNNs is the inconsistency between neural representations and outcome perception. Taken together, these studies reveal the limits and scope of the current DNNs and propose new directions in which artificial visual systems can be improved.