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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
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Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
MEG brain activities reflecting affection for visual food stimuli
Shinya Kuriki1, Takahiro Miyamura, Yoshinori Uchikawa
1Research Center for Advanced Technologies, Tokyo Denki University, Inzai, 270-1382 Chiba, Japan. skuriki@rcat.dendai.ac.jp
Summary
Researchers explored how brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- The brain's alpha rhythm is crucial for cognitive processes.
- Understanding affective responses to visual stimuli is key in neuroscience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alpha rhythm modulation in response to food images with varying affective values.
- To develop a method for discriminating affective states (liking vs. disliking food) using magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals.
Main Methods:
- Utilized MEG to record brain activity.
- Employed wavelet analysis on alpha band signals.
- Compared responses to food pictures (affective) and color-reversed pictures (non-affective).
Main Results:
- Identified significant differences in the real part of averaged phase-locked alpha rhythm amplitude between affective and non-affective stimuli.
- Demonstrated that MEG signals can differentiate responses to liked versus disliked food images.
Conclusions:
- Affective information processing of food images is reflected in the synchronized component of narrow-band alpha rhythm.
- This finding supports the use of alpha rhythm analysis in MEG for understanding food-related emotional responses.
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