Biology subjects

Yeshurun, Y.

Publications and source records attributed to Yeshurun, Y..

14 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Title: You Are What You Sync: Neural Synchronization Predicts Religious Affiliation

Existing research has found that shared neural responses to naturalistic narratives are associated with shared understanding, especially among members of the same social group. In this fMRI study, we tested whether in-group neural synchronization solely reflects explicit shared understandings, or relates to other group characteristics. To do so, we compared the neural synchronization patterns among two distinct social groups: Religious (N = 21) and Secular (N = 21). Participants were scanned while watching short video clips containing religious or neutral content and then answered questions regarding their reactions to- and interpretation of the videos. Behavioral results did not reveal group differences in responses homogeneity: neither in the engagement and agreement while watching the videos, nor in the emotions and verbal reactions elicited by it. However, neuroimaging results revealed that religious participants exhibited strikingly higher in-group synchronization than secular, both for religious and neutral narratives. Remarkably, it was possible to predict individuals religious affiliation solely based on their in-group neural synchrony, with accuracy scores of up to 92%. This pattern was consistent across all neural networks, most prominently in the Default Mode Network (DMN), Control and Attention networks. It also emerged in the Salience network and Somatomotor regions, hinting at neural processes that may foster group cohesion and identification. We propose that increased neural synchrony in the Religious group was driven mainly by greater homogenous social structure, suggesting a novel perspective for interpreting the role of neural synchrony in group dynamics.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Attention to a point in time causes a suppressive wake for subsequent time points

The Selective Tuning model proposed that attention to a visual stimulus suppresses interfering portions of the processing hierarchy. This has been shown in spatial and featural domains and the proposal extends to the temporal dimension. We investigated whether attending to a point in time leads to processing suppression of nearby time points. We presented a sequence of letters with an embedded target, and observers indicated the targets orientation. In the neutral condition, the target appeared randomly in one of the frames. In the informative condition, the target appeared in the same frame on most of the trials ( expected trials), and the expected frame varied between blocks (Experiments 1-3) or groups (Experiment 4). On the remaining trials, it appeared before or after the most-probable frame ( unexpected trials). Four different experiments were conducted to adjust the method and in the final one we found higher accuracy in expected trials than in neutral trials, indicating the allocation of temporal attention to the expected frame. When the target appeared after the expected frame, accuracy was lower than in the same neutral condition frame, suggesting an attentional suppressive wake in time (because the effect of attention cannot be observed until after stimulus onset).

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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↗

bioRxiv2023

Attachment Stimuli Trigger Widespread Synchrony across Multiple Brains

Infant stimuli elicit widespread neural and behavioral response in human adults and such massive allocation of resources attests to the evolutionary significance of the primary attachment. Here, we examined whether attachment-related cues also trigger cross-brain concordance, generating greater neural uniformity among individuals. Post-partum mothers were imaged twice in oxytocin/placebo administration design and stimuli included four ecological videos; two of infant/mother alone (Alone) and two mother-infant dyadic contexts (Social). Theory-driven analysis measured cross-brain synchrony in preregistered nodes of the parental caregiving network (PCN), which integrates subcortical structures underpinning mammalian mothering with cortical areas implicated in simulation, mentalization, and emotion regulation, and data--driven analysis assessed brain-wide concordance using whole brain parcellation. Results demonstrated widespread cross-brain synchrony in both the PCN and across the neuroaxis, from primary sensory and somatosensory areas, through insular-cingulate regions, to temporal and prefrontal cortices. The Social context yielded significantly more cross-brain concordance, with PCNs striatum, parahipporcampal gyrus, superior temporal sulcus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and prefrontal cortex displaying cross-brain synchrony only to mother-infant social cues. Moment-by-moment fluctuations in mother-infant social synchrony, ranging from episodes of gaze aversion to rhythmically-coordinated positive bouts, were tracked online by cross-brain concordance in the pre-registered ACC. Findings indicate that social attachment stimuli, representing evolutionary-salient universal cues that require no verbal narrative for immediate comprehension, trigger substantial inter-brain concordance and suggest that the mother-infant bond, an icon standing at the heart of human civilization, may function to glue brains into a unified experience and bind humans into social groups. Significance StatementInfant stimuli elicit widespread neural response in human adults, attesting to their evolutionary significance, but do they also trigger cross-brain concordance and induce neural uniformity among perceivers? We measured cross-brain synchrony to ecological mother-infant videos. We employed theory-driven analysis, measuring cross-brain concordance in the parenting network, and data-driven analysis, assessing brain-wide concordance using whole-brain parcellation. Attachment cues triggered widespread cross-brain concordance in both the parenting network and across the neuroaxis. Moment-by-moment fluctuations in behavioral synchrony were tracked online by cross-brain variability in ACC. Attachment reminders bind humans brains into a unitary experience and stimuli characterized by social synchrony enhance neural similarity among participants, describing one mechanism by which attachment bonds provide the neural template for the consolidation of social groups.

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bioRxiv2023

Neural Synchronization as a Function of Engagement with the Narrative

We can all agree that a good story engages us, however, agreeing which story is good is far more debatable. In this study, we explored whether engagement with a narrative synchronizes listeners brain responses, by examining individual differences in engagement to the same story. To do so, we pre-registered and re-analyzed a previously collected dataset by Chang et al. (2021) of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans of 25 participants who listened to a one-hour story and answered questionnaires. We assessed the degree of their overall engagement with the story and their engagement with the main characters. The questionnaires revealed individual differences in engagement with the story, as well as different valence towards specific characters. Neuroimaging data showed that the auditory cortex, the default mode network (DMN) and language regions were involved in processing the story. Increased engagement with the story was correlated with increased neural synchronization within regions in the DMN (especially the medial prefrontal cortex), as well as regions outside the DMN such as the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex and the reward system. Interestingly, positively and negatively engaging characters elicited different patterns of neural synchronization. Finally, engagement increased functional connectivity within and between the DMN, the dorsal attention network and the control network. Taken together, these findings suggest that engagement with a narrative synchronizes listeners responses in regions involved in mentalizing, reward, working memory and attention. By examining individual differences in engagement, we revealed that these synchronization patterns are due to engagement, and not due to differences in the narratives content.

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bioRxiv2022

Real-time neurofeedback to alter interpretations of a naturalistic narrative

We explored the potential of using real-time fMRI (rt-fMRI) neurofeedback training to bias interpretations of naturalistic narrative stimuli. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two possible conditions, each corresponding to a different interpretation of an ambiguous spoken story. While participants listened to the story in the scanner, neurofeedback was used to reward neural activity corresponding to the assigned interpretation. After scanning, final interpretations were assessed. While neurofeedback did not change story interpretations on average, participants with higher levels of decoding accuracy during the neurofeedback procedure were more likely to adopt the assigned interpretation. Thus, we believe that individualized neurofeedback shaped interpretations successfully when the signal was accurate, although more work is needed to improve this method and validate the result. While naturalistic stimuli introduce a unique set of challenges in providing effective and individualized neurofeedback, we believe that this technique holds promise for individualized cognitive therapy.

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bioRxiv2021

Deeper than you think: partisan-dependent brain response

Recent political polarization has highlighted the extent to which individuals with opposing views experience ongoing events in markedly different ways. In this study, we explored the neural mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon. We conducted functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) scanning right- and left-wing participants watching political videos just before the 2019 elections in Israel. Behavioral results demonstrated significant differences between left- and right-wing participants in their interpretation of the videos content. Neuroimaging results revealed partisanship-dependent differences in both high-order regions and early-motor and somato-sensory regions, although no such differences were found with regard to neutral content. Moreover, we found that most of the political content was more potent in synchronizing participants with right-wing views, and that this synchronization was observed already in early visual and auditory cortices. These results suggest that political polarization is not limited to higher-order processes as previously thought, but rather emerges already in motor and sensory regions.

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bioRxiv2021

Fine-tuning of deep language models as a computational framework of modeling listeners' perspective during language comprehension

Computational Deep Language Models (DLMs) have been shown to be effective in predicting neural responses during natural language processing. This study introduces a novel computational framework, based on the concept of fine-tuning (Hinton, 2007), for modeling differences in interpretation of narratives based on the listeners perspective (i.e. their prior knowledge, thoughts, and beliefs). We draw on an fMRI experiment conducted by Yeshurun et al. (2017), in which two groups of listeners were listening to the same narrative but with two different perspectives (cheating versus paranoia). We collected a dedicated dataset of ~3000 stories, and used it to create two modified (fine-tuned) versions of a pre-trained DLM, each representing the perspective of a different group of listeners. Information extracted from each of the two fine-tuned models was better fitted with neural responses of the corresponding group of listeners. Furthermore, we show that the degree of difference between the listeners interpretation of the story - as measured both neurally and behaviorally - can be approximated using the distances between the representations of the story extracted from these two fine-tuned models. These models-brain associations were expressed in many language-related brain areas, as well as in several higher-order areas related to the default-mode and the mentalizing networks, therefore implying that computational fine-tuning reliably captures relevant aspects of human language comprehension across different levels of cognitive processing.

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bioRxiv2021

Reducing Synchronization to Increase Interest Improves Interpersonal Liking

Synchronization has been identified as a key aspect of achieving mutual goals and enhancing social bonding. While synchronization could be maximized by increasing the predictability of an interaction, such predictability is in tension with individuals level of interest, which is tied to the interactions complexity and novelty. In this study, we tested the interplay between synchronization and interest. We asked 104 female dyads to play the Mirror Game, in which they were instructed to move their hands as coordinately as possible, and then report how much they liked each other. Utilizing information theory and video processing tools, we found that a combination of movement synchronization and complexity explained liking almost two times better than movement synchronization alone. Moreover, we found that people initiated novel and challenging interactions, even though they paid a price - being less synchronized. Examining the interactions dynamics, we found that people who liked each other moved in a more synchronized, complex, and novel manner during most of the interaction. This suggests that in addition to synchronization, maintaining interest may be critical for positive social bonding. Thus, we propose a new framework in which balancing synchronization and interest, rather than merely maximizing synchronization, optimizes the interaction quality.

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bioRxiv2020

STORM-Net: Simple and Timely Optode Registration Method for Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

We introduce a robust video-based method for estimating the positions of fNIRS optodes on the scalp. The method is fast, requires no special hardware, and is intuitive to use with developmental populations. Co-registration is a crucial step for reliable analysis of FNIRS data, yet it still remains an open problem when considering these populations. Existing methods pose motion constraints, require expert annotation, or are only applicable in laboratory conditions. Using novel computer-vision technologies, we implement a fully-automatic appearance-based method that estimates the registration parameters of a mounted cap to the scalp from a raw video of the subject. We validate our method on 10 adult subjects and demonstrate its usability with infants. We compare our method to the standard 3D digitizer, and to other photogrammetry based approaches. We show our method achieves comparable accuracy to current appearance-based methods, while being orders of magnitude faster. Our fast registration facilitates more spatially precise fNIRS analysis with developmental populations even in unconventional environments. The method is implemented as a open-source toolbox at https://github.com/yoterel/STORM-Net.

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bioRxiv2020

Narratives: fMRI data for evaluating models of naturalistic language comprehension

The "Narratives" collection aggregates a variety of functional MRI datasets collected while human subjects listened to naturalistic spoken stories. The current release includes 345 subjects, 891 functional scans, and 27 diverse stories of varying duration totaling ~4.6 hours of unique stimuli (~43,000 words). This data collection is well-suited for naturalistic neuroimaging analysis, and is intended to serve as a benchmark for models of language and narrative comprehension. We provide standardized MRI data accompanied by rich metadata, preprocessed versions of the data ready for immediate use, and the spoken story stimuli with time-stamped phoneme- and word-level transcripts. All code and data are publicly available with full provenance in keeping with current best practices in transparent and reproducible neuroimaging.

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bioRxiv2020

Mother Brain is Wired for Social Moments

Reorganization of the maternal brain, primed by oxytocin surge during childbirth, triggers the species-typical maternal social behavior. These brief social moments carry profound effects on the infants social brain and likely have a distinct signature in the maternal brain. Utilizing a double-blind, oxytocin/placebo administration crossover design, we imaged mothers twice while observing three naturalistic maternal-infant contexts in the home ecology; "unavailable", "unresponsive", and "social", when mothers engaged in synchronous pick-a-boo play. We found four processes by which mothers brain registers social moments. Salience - social moments increased activations throughout the maternal brain network; Brain-behavior coupling - caregiving behavior linked with socially-driven neural response; Oxytocin sensitivity - administration impacted neural response mainly to the social context; and Temporal engrams-consistent temporal patterns in insula and TP characterized response to social play. Findings describe how mothers brain compiles and amplifies these precious social moments to generate dyad-specific brain-behavior patterns that initiate the cross-generational transmission of human sociality.

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bioRxiv2020

Relating the past with the present: Information integration and segregation during ongoing narrative processing

This study examined how the brain dynamically updates event representations by integrating new information over multiple minutes while segregating irrelevant input. A professional writer custom-designed a narrative with two independent storylines, interleaving across minute-long segments (ABAB). In the last (C) part, characters from the two storylines meet and their shared history is revealed. Part C is designed to induce the spontaneous recall of past events, upon the recurrence of narrative motifs from A/B, and to shed new light on them. Our fMRI results showed storyline-specific neural patterns, which were reinstated (i.e. became more active) during storyline transitions. This effect increased along the processing timescale hierarchy, peaking in the default mode network. Similarly, the neural reinstatement of motifs was found during part C. Furthermore, participants showing stronger motif reinstatement performed better in integrating A/B and C events, demonstrating the role of memory reactivation in information integration over intervening irrelevant events.

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bioRxiv2017

The butterfly effect: amplification of local changes along the temporal processing hierarchy

Changing just a few words in a story can induce a substantial change in the overall narrative. How does the brain accumulate and process local and sparse changes, creating a unique situation model of the story, over the course of a real-life narrative? Recently, we mapped a hierarchy of processing timescales in the brain: from early sensory areas that integrate information over 10s-100s ms, to high-order areas that integrate information over many seconds to minutes. Based on this hierarchy, we hypothesize that early sensory areas would be sensitive to local changes in word use, but that there will be increasingly divergent neural responses along the processing hierarchy as higher-order areas accumulate and amplify these local changes. To test this hypothesis, we created two structurally related but interpretively distinct narratives by changing some individual words. We found that the neural response distance between the stories was amplified as story information is transferred from low-level regions (e.g. early auditory cortex) to high-level regions (e.g precuneus and prefrontal cortex) and that the neural difference between stories is highly correlated with an areas ability to integrate information over time. Our results suggest a neural mechanism by which two similar situations become easy to distinguish.

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