Faculty Profiles - OHIRA, Hideki

BRAIN FUNCTIONS REGULATING REDISTRIBUTION OF NATURAL KILLER CELLS ACCOMPANYING APPRAISALS OF STRESSORS

Ohira, H

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE Vol. 19 page： S105 - S105 2012.9

ABSOLUTE VALUE AND RELATIVE VALUE IN INCENTIVE ANTICIPATION

Asako Toyama, Hideki Ohira

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY Vol. 49 page： S90 - S90 2012.9

幸福感研究の多面性社会構造、対人的側面、神経基盤

大石繁宏, 内田由紀子, 松永昌宏, 大平英樹, 石井敬子

日本心理学会大会発表論文集 Vol. 76回 page： WS18 - WS18 2012.8

Unintentional Temporal Context-Based Prediction of Emotional Faces: An Electrophysiological Study

Kimura Motohiro, Kondo Haruka, Ohira Hideki, Schroeger Erich

CEREBRAL CORTEX Vol. 22 ( 8 ) page： 1774 - 1785 2012.8

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Cerebral Cortex

The ability to extract sequential regularities embedded in the temporal context or temporal structure of sensory events and to predict upcoming events based on the extracted sequential regularities plays a central role in human cognition. In the present study, we demonstrate that, without any intention, upcoming emotional faces can be predicted based on sequential regularities, by showing that prediction error responses as reflected by visual mismatch negativity (MMN), an event-related brain potential (ERP) component, were evoked in response to emotional faces that violated a regular alternation pattern of 2 emotional faces (fearful and happy faces) under a situation where the emotional faces themselves were unrelated to the participant's task. Face-inversion and negative-bias effects in the visual MMN further indicated the involvement of holistic face representations. In addition, through successive source analyses of the visual MMN, it was revealed that the prediction error responses were composed of activations mainly in the face-responsible visual extrastriate areas and the prefrontal areas. The present results provide primary evidence for the existence of the unintentional temporal context-based prediction of biologically relevant visual stimuli as well as empirical support for the major engagement of the visual and prefrontal areas in unintentional temporal context-based prediction in vision. © 2011 The Author.

DOI： 10.1093/cercor/bhr244

Prior cognitive activity implicitly modulates subsequent emotional responses to subliminally presented emotional stimuli Reviewed

Saea Iida, Takashi Nakao, Hideki Ohira

COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE Vol. 12 ( 2 ) page： 337 - 345 2012.6

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：SPRINGER

It has been reported that engagement in several kinds of cognitive activity can successfully inhibit unpleasant emotions. In this study, we tried to replicate the previous finding that cognitive activity can modulate subsequent psychological and physiological emotional processes and to investigate whether prior cognitive activity can attenuate implicit emotional processes triggered by subliminal emotional stimuli. Sixty students were randomly divided into three groups (cognitive task group, noncognitive task group, control group). The cognitive task group was asked to engage in an n-back task, while the control group was asked to stay calm. The noncognitive task group was asked to do a handgrip-squeezing task. All participants then engaged in a version of a subliminal affective priming task where they were unconsciously exposed to affectively negative pictures. The cognitive task group showed lower negative experiences after the subliminal affective priming task and a substantial reduction in their heart rate responses, as compared with the other groups. These results provide evidence that engagement in cognitive activity can attenuate emotional processes in an automatic and unconscious manner.

DOI： 10.3758/s13415-012-0084-z

Executive functioning performance predicts subjective and physiological acute stress reactivity: Preliminary results Reviewed

Donny Hendrawan, Kaori Yamakawa, Motohiro Kimura, Hiroki Murakami, Hideki Ohira

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY Vol. 84 ( 3 ) page： 277 - 283 2012.6

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Individual differences in baseline executive functioning (EF) capacities have been shown to predict state anxiety during acute stressor exposure. However, no previous studies have clearly demonstrated the relationship between EF and physiological measures of stress. The present study investigated the efficacy of several well-known EF tests (letter fluency, Stroop test, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) in predicting both subjective and physiological stress reactivity during acute psychosocial stress exposure. Our results show that letter fluency served as the best predictor for both types of reactivity. Specifically, the higher the letter fluency score, the lower the acute stress reactivity after controlling for the baseline stress response, as indicated by lower levels of state anxiety, negative mood, salivary cortisol, and skin conductance. Moreover, the predictive power of the letter fluency test remained significant for state anxiety and cortisol indices even after further adjustments for covariates by adding the body mass index (BMI) as a covariate. Thus, good EF performance, as reflected by high letter fluency scores, may dampen acute stress responses, which suggests that EF processes are directly associated with aspects of stress regulation. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2012.03.006

Top down influence on visuo-tactile interaction modulates neural oscillatory responses Reviewed

Noriaki Kanayama, Luigi Tame, Hideki Ohira, Francesco Pavani

NEUROIMAGE Vol. 59 ( 4 ) page： 3406 - 3417 2012.2

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Multisensory integration involves bottom-up as well as top-down processes. We investigated the influences of top-down control on the neural responses to multisensory stimulation using EEG recording and time-frequency analyses. Participants were stimulated at the index or thumb of the left hand, using tactile vibrators mounted on a foam cube. Simultaneously they received a visual distractor from a light emitting diode adjacent to the active vibrator (spatially congruent trial) or adjacent to the inactive vibrator (spatially incongruent trial). The task was to respond to the elevation of the tactile stimulus (upper or lower), while ignoring the simultaneous visual distractor. To manipulate top-down control on this multisensory stimulation, the proportion of spatially congruent (vs. incongruent) trials was changed across blocks. Our results reveal that the behavioral cost of responding to incongruent than congruent trials (i.e., the crossmodal congruency effect) was modulated by the proportion of congruent trials. Most importantly, the EEG gamma band response and the gamma-theta coupling were also affected by this modulation of top-down control, whereas the late theta band response related to the congruency effect was not. These findings suggest that gamma band response is more than a marker of multisensory binding, being also sensitive to the correspondence between expected and actual multisensory stimulation. By contrast, theta band response was affected by congruency but appears to be largely immune to stimulation expectancy. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOI： 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.11.076

Japanese and emotion: From the perspective of justice

Other Link： http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5576-4791

The Structure of Mindful Brain Reviewed

Murakami, H., Nakao, T., Matsunaga, M., Kasuya, Y., Shinoda, J., Yamada, J., & Ohira, H.

PLoS ONE Vol. 7 ( 9 ) page： e46377 2012

認知課題遂行の後作用 : 認知機能への影響(日本基礎心理学会第30回大会,大会発表要旨)

飯田沙依亜, 大平英樹, 舟橋厚

基礎心理学研究 Vol. 30 ( 2 ) page： 227 2012

Ohira Hideki

JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON EMOTIONS Vol. 20 ( 1 ) page： 33 - 35 2012

感情価の異なる文に組み込まれた中立語の再認について(日本基礎心理学会第30回大会,大会発表要旨)

遠山朝子, 勝原摩耶, 櫻井芳雄, 蘆田宏, 大平英樹

基礎心理学研究 Vol. 30 ( 2 ) page： 227 2012

Distinction between externally vs. internally guided decision-making: operational differences, meta-analytical comparisons and their theoretical implications Reviewed

Takashi Nakao, Hideki Ohira, Georg Northoff

FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE Vol. 6 ( MAR ) 2012

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：FRONTIERS MEDIA SA

Most experimental studies of decision-making have specifically examined situations in which a single less-predictable correct answer exists (externally guided decision-making under uncertainty). Along with such externally guided decision-making, there are instances of decision-making in which no correct answer based on external circumstances is available for the subject (internally guided decision-making). Such decisions are usually made in the context of moral decision-making as well as in preference judgment, where the answer depends on the subject's own, i.e., internal, preferences rather than on external, i.e., circumstantial, criteria. The neuronal and psychological mechanisms that allow guidance of decisions based on more internally oriented criteria in the absence of external ones remain unclear. This study was undertaken to compare decision-making of these two kinds empirically and theoretically. First, we reviewed studies of decision-making to clarify experimental operational differences between externally guided and internally guided decision-making. Second, using multi-level kernel density analysis, a whole-brain-based quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies was performed. Our meta-analysis revealed that the neural network used predominantly for internally guided decision-making differs from that for externally guided decision-making under uncertainty. This result suggests that studying only externally guided decision-making under uncertainty is insufficient to account for decision-making processes in the brain. Finally, based on the review and results of the meta-analysis, we discuss the differences and relations between decision-making of these two types in terms of their operational, neuronal, and theoretical characteristics.

DOI： 10.3389/fnins.2012.00031

4. μ-オピオイド受容体遺伝子多型と血中サイトカイン,健康感との関連(一般演題,第63回日本心身医学会中部地方会演題抄録)

松永昌宏, 金子宏, 川西陽子, 舌津高秋, 坪井宏仁, 山本絋子, 大平英樹, 春日井邦夫, 米田政志

心身医学 Vol. 52 ( 2 ) page： 156 2012

Psychological and physiological responses to odor-evoked autobiographic memory

Matsunaga M., Isowa T., Yamakawa K., Kawanishi Y., Tsuboi H., Kaneko H., Sadato N., Oshida A., Katayama A., Kashiwagi M., Ohira H.

Activitas Nervosa Superior Rediviva Vol. 53 ( 3 ) page： 114 - 120 2011.12

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Activitas Nervosa Superior Rediviva

The "Proust phenomenon" occurs when a certain smell evokes a specific memory. Recent studies have demonstrated that odor-evoked autobiographic memories are more emotional than those elicited by other sensory stimuli because of the direct neural communication between the olfactory system and the amygdala. The amygdala is known to regulate various physiological activities including the endocrine and immune systems; therefore, odor-evoked autobiographic memory may trigger various psychological and physiological responses; however, the responses elicited by this memory remains obscure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the psychological and physiological responses accompanying odor-evoked autobiographic memory. We recruited healthy male and female volunteers and investigated changes in their mood states and autonomic nervous, endocrine, and immune activities when autobiographic memory was evoked in the participants by asking them to smell an odor(s) that was nostalgic to them. The autobiographic memories associated with positive emotion resulted in increased positive mood states, such as comfort and happiness, and decreased negative mood states, such as anxiety. Furthermore, heart rate was decreased, skin-conductance level was increased, and peripheral interleukin-2 level was decreased after smelling the nostalgic odor. These psychological and physiological responses were significantly correlated. The present study suggests that odor-evoked autobiographic memory along with a positive feeling induce various physiological responses, including the autonomic nervous and immune activities. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to observe an interaction between odor-evoked autobiographic memories and immune function. © 2011 Activitas Nervosa Superior Rediviva.

Psychological and physiological responses to odor-evoked autobiographic memory

Matsunaga M., Isowa T., Yamakawa K., Kawanishi Y., Tsuboi H., Kaneko H., Sadato N., Oshida A., Katayama A., Kashiwagi M., Ohira H.

Neuroendocrinology Letters Vol. 32 ( 6 ) page： 774 - 780 2011.12

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Neuroendocrinology Letters

OBJECTIVE: The "Proust phenomenon" occurs when a certain smell evokes a specific memory. Recent studies have demonstrated that odor-evoked autobiographic memories are more emotional than those elicited by other sensory stimuli because of the direct neural communication between the olfactory system and the amygdala. The amygdala is known to regulate various physiological activities including the endocrine and immune systems; therefore, odor-evoked autobiographic memory may trigger various psychological and physiological responses; however, the responses elicited by this memory remains obscure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the psychological and physiological responses accompanying odor-evoked autobiographic memory. METHODS: We recruited healthy male and female volunteers and investigated changes in their mood states and autonomic nervous, endocrine, and immune activities when autobiographic memory was evoked in the participants by asking them to smell an odor(s) that was nostalgic to them. RESULTS: The autobiographic memories associated with positive emotion resulted in increased positive mood states, such as comfort and happiness, and decreased negative mood states, such as anxiety. Furthermore, heart rate was decreased, skin-conductance level was increased, and peripheral interleukin-2 level was decreased after smelling the nostalgic odor. These psychological and physiological responses were significantly correlated. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that odor-evoked autobiographic memory along with a positive feeling induce various physiological responses, including the autonomic nervous and immune activities. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to observe an interaction between odor-evoked autobiographic memories and immune function. © 2011 Neuroendocrinology Letters.

Implicit attenuation of subsequent emotion by cognitive activity

Iida Saea, Nakao Takashi, Ohira Hideki

COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE Vol. 11 ( 4 ) page： 476 - 484 2011.12

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience

The successful regulation of emotion relies heavily on executive function. Until very recently, however, the specific effects of executive function activity on other processes havereceived relatively little empirical attention. The link between executive function and emotional responses suggests that the activation of executive function may play an important role in the attenuation of emotional responses. We conducted twoexperiments to test the hypothesis that decrements in emotional responses following cognitive task performance might be caused, at least in part, by the activation of executive function. First, we sought to test whetherthe activation of executive function reducedemotional responsesimplicitly, without any volitional effort. Next, we sought to examine the link between prior activation of executivefunction and the attenuation of subsequent emotional responses, by comparing the effects of an executive-function-demanding task with the effects of a task that is equally effortful but does not engage executive function. We discuss our results in the context of the role of executive function in the attenuation of emotion. © Psychonomic Society, Inc. 2011.

DOI： 10.3758/s13415-011-0045-y

Beneficial roles of emotion in decision making: Functional association of brain and body

Ohira H.

Psihologijske Teme Vol. 20 ( 3 ) page： 381 - 392 2011.12

Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Psihologijske Teme

Though traditional microeconomics has supposed that human decisions are based on logical and exact computation of cost-benefit balances or efficacies, studies in behavioral economics have shown that humans sometimes make seemingly irrational decisions driven by emotions. In our everyday situations, factors related to decisions are complex and which alternative will be the most beneficial is uncertain. In such cases, emotions have been thought adaptive because they can quickly reduce negative alternatives and facilitate fast and effective decision making. Some theorists argued that one of important sources of such emotional drives affecting decision making is bodily responses that are represented in brain regions (Craig, 2009; Damasio, 1994). In this article, empirical evidence for the functional associations of the brain and body accompanying decision making will be shown as follows. (1) Heart rate responses and concentration of inflammatory cytokine (IL-6) can predict acceptance or rejection of an unfair offer in an economical negotiation game, the Ultimatum Game. Activation of the anterior insula mediates relationship between bodily states and decision making. (2) Sympathetic responses reflected by secretion of adrenaline are represented in brain regions such as the midbrain, anterior cingulate cortex, and anterior insula, and furthermore can determine exploration of decision making in a situation where an action-outcome contingency is stochastic and unstable. These findings suggest beneficial roles of emotion and bodily responses in decision making.