Li Wenjie

It has been well documented that the auditory system in the superior temporal cortex is responsible for processing basic auditory sound features, such as sound frequency and intensity, while the prefrontal cortex is involved in higher-order auditory functions, such as language processing and auditory episodic memory. The temporal auditory cortex has vast forward anatomical projections to the prefrontal auditory cortex, connecting with the lateral, medial, and orbital parts of the prefrontal cortex. The connections between the auditory cortex and the prefrontal cortex thus help in localizing, recognizing, and comprehending external auditory inputs. In addition, the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is believed to be a core region of episodic memory retrieval and is one of the most important regions in the default mode network (DMN). However, previous neural evidence with regard to the comparison between basic auditory processing and auditory episodic memory retrieval mainly comes from fMRI studies. The specific neural networks and the corresponding critical frequency bands of neuronal oscillations underlying the two auditory functions remain unclear. In the present study, we reported results of direct cortical stimulations during stereo-electro-encephalography (SEEG) recording in a patient with drug-resistant epilepsy. Electrodes covered the superior temporal gyrus, the operculum and the insula cortex of bilateral hemispheres, the prefrontal cortex, the parietal lobe, the anterior and middle cingulate cortex, and the amygdala of the left hemisphere. Two types of auditory hallucinations were evoked with direct cortical stimulations, which were consistent with the habitual seizures. The noise hallucinations, i.e., “I could hear buzzing noises in my head,” were evoked with the stimulation of the superior temporal gyrus. The episodic memory hallucinations “I could hear a young woman who was dressed in a red skirt saying: What is the matter with you?,” were evoked with the stimulation of MPFC. The patient described how she had met this young woman when she was young and that the woman said the same sentence to her. Furthermore, by analyzing the high gamma power (HGP) induced by direct electrical stimulation, two dissociable neural networks underlying the two types of auditory hallucinations were localized. Taken together, the present results confirm the hierarchical processing of auditory information by showing the different involvements of the primary auditory cortex vs. the prefrontal cortex in the two types of auditory hallucinations.

BackgroundThe neural activity and functional networks of emotion-based cognitive reappraisal have been widely investigated using electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging. However, single-mode neuroimaging techniques are limited in exploring the regulation process with high temporal and spatial resolution.ObjectivesWe proposed a source localization method with multimodal integration of EEG and fMRI and tested it in the source-level functional network analysis of emotion cognitive reappraisal.MethodsEEG and fMRI data were simultaneously recorded when 15 subjects were performing the emotional cognitive reappraisal task. Fused priori weighted minimum norm estimation with sliding windows was proposed to trace the dynamics of EEG source activities, and the phase lag index was used to construct the functional brain network associated with the process of downregulating negative affect using the reappraisal strategy.ResultsThe functional networks were constructed with the measure of PLI, in which the important regions were indicated. In the gamma band source-level network analysis, the cuneus, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, the superior parietal cortex, the postcentral gyrus, and the pars opercularis were identified as important regions in reappraisal with high betweenness centrality.ConclusionThe proposed multimodal integration method for source localization identified the key cortices involved in emotion regulation, and the network analysis demonstrated the important brain regions involved in the cognitive control of reappraisal. It shows promise in the utility in the clinical setting for affective disorders.

In recent decades, more and more research has been conducted on the competencies of educators in improving the role of technology in academic activities. These competencies are based on a clear platform of technological knowledge, together with the recognized aspects of vast pedagogical knowledge and rich content knowledge. In such a modern era, the knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge is quite vital in getting the educators ready to turn into qualified educators to cope with the difficulties of the 21st-century. Moreover, it is considered that self-regulation is a significant factor in English as a Foreign Language educators’ learning and professional development. In line with the literature, nurturing and boosting self-regulated learning capabilities assist individuals to gain complicated knowledge and manage challenging problems in the process of teaching. Consequently, this review makes an effort to inspect teachers’ TPACK growth by enhancing their SRL capabilities in the process of technology-based instruction. In a nutshell, the implications of the present review were presented together with suggestions.