arXiv subjects

Xiaoli Guo

Publications and source records attributed to Xiaoli Guo.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Who Is in Mind Matters: Attachment Representations in Early Childhood Synchronize Child-Adult Interacting Brains

Human attachment is distinguished by enduring internalized representations that shapes neurodevelopment and social-emotional functioning. However, as unobservable inner processes mixed with social cues and partner-specific factors, the neurocognitive mechanisms of these representations during real-time interaction remain unclear. Using a novel Remote Partner-Belief Manipulation paradigm in 40 child-mother-stranger trios, we experimentally isolated attachment representations in 3-4-year-olds by manipulating children's partner-belief during remote cooperation. The inner processes were captured from synchrony between partners' EEG, showing that children's mother-partner belief, regardless of the actual partner, significantly enhanced interbrain synchrony. This partner-belief modulation concentrated on children's P4 channel (overlaying the attachment-designated right temporoparietal junction), where synchrony strength correlated to attachment security and children's response acceleration due to mother-partner belief. These findings established attachment representations as an independent, endogenous driver of interbrain synchrony, potentially via children's heightened attention towards their attachment figure, implying the role of symbolic attachment activation when separation.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2026

The immediate effect of kangaroo mother care on Mother-infant inter-brain synchrony and infant brain function

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an intervention involving skin-to-skin contact that promotes physiological stability and supports long-term neurodevelopment in preterm infants. However, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the immediate effects of the first KMC on infants' brain function, mother-infant inter-brain synchrony, as well as their associations. Fifty-eight preterm infants (gestational age < 32 weeks or birth weight < 1500 g) and their mothers underwent synchronous dual-electroencephalography recording before and during the first KMC session. Infant brain function was assessed via power spectrum energy and graph theory-based network metrics, and mother-infant inter-brain synchrony was quantified using phase-locking value (PLV), from which inter-brain density and inter-brain strength were calculated. Correlation analyses were performed between infant intra-brain metrics and inter-brain synchrony indicators.During the first KMC, preterm infants showed enhanced theta, alpha, and beta power alongside reduced relative delta power, while brain network topological metrics remained stable. Concurrently, mother-infant inter-brain synchrony was significantly enhanced across all frequency bands, as evidenced by increased inter-brain density and strength (all p < .001). Furthermore, in the alpha band, inter-brain strength correlated positively with infant local efficiency and clustering coefficient, and in the beta band, it was positively correlated with infant small-worldness. The first KMC session can immediately enhance both preterm infant single-brain activity and mother-infant inter-brain synchrony. The strength of inter-brain synchrony is associated with the infant's intra-brain network organization, suggesting that KMC may promote intra-brain development in preterm infants via enhancing mother-infant inter-brain synchrony.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2025

The Prevalence of Misreporting and Misinterpreting Correlation Coefficients in Biomedical Literature

Correlation coefficient is widely used in biomedical and biological literature, yet its frequent misuse and misinterpretation undermine the credibility and reproducibility of the scientific findings. We systematically reviewed 1326 records of correlation analyses across 310 articles published in Science, Nature, and Nature Neuroscience in 2022. Our analysis revealed a troubling pattern of poor statistical reporting and inferring: 58.71% (95% CI: [53.23%, 64.19%], 182/310) of studies did not explicitly report sample sizes, and 98.06% (95% CI: [96.53%, 99.60%], 304/310) failed to provide confidence intervals for correlation coefficients. Among 177 articles inferring correlation strength, 45.25% (95% CI: [38.42%, 53.10%], 81/177) relied solely on point estimates, while 53.63% (95% CI: [46.90%, 61.58%], 96/177) drew conclusions based on null hypothesis significance testing. This widespread omission and misuse highlight a systematic gap in both statistic literacy and editorial standards. We advocate clear reporting guidelines mandating effect sizes and confidence intervals in correlation analyses to enhance the transparency, rigor, and reproducibility of quantitative life sciences research.

stat.ME↗

arXiv2024

Theta and/or alpha? Neural oscillational substrates for dynamic inter-brain synchrony during mother-child cooperation

Mother-child interaction is a highly dynamic process neurally characterized by inter-brain synchrony (IBS) at {\theta} and/or {\alpha} rhythms. However, their establishment, dynamic changes, and roles in mother-child interactions remain unknown. Through dynamic analysis of dual-EEG from 40 mother-child dyads during turn-taking cooperation, we uncover that {\theta}-IBS and {\alpha}-IBS alternated with interactive behaviors, with EEG frequency-shift as a prerequisite for IBS transitions. When mothers attempt to track their children's attention and/or predict their intentions, they will adjust their EEG frequencies to align with their children's {\theta} oscillations, leading to a higher occurrence of the {\theta}-IBS state. Conversely, the {\alpha}-IBS state, accompanied by the EEG frequency-shift to the {\alpha} range, is more prominent during mother-led interactions. Further exploratory analysis reveals greater presence and stability of the {\theta}-IBS state during cooperative than non-cooperative conditions, particularly in dyads with stronger emotional attachments and more frequent interactions in their daily lives. Our findings shed light on the neural oscillational substrates underlying the IBS dynamics during mother-child interactions.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2023

Inter-brain substrates of role switching during mother-child interaction

Mother-child interaction is highly dynamic and reciprocal. Switching roles in these back-and-forth interactions serves as a crucial feature of reciprocal behaviors while the underlying neural entrainment is still not well-studied. Here, we designed a role-controlled cooperative task with dual EEG recording to study how differently two brains interact when mothers and children hold different roles. When children were actors and mothers were observers, mother-child inter-brain synchrony emerged within the theta oscillations and the frontal lobe, which highly correlated with children's attachment to their mothers. When their roles were reversed, this synchrony was shifted to the alpha oscillations and the central area and associated with mothers' perception of their relationship with their children. The results suggested an observer-actor neural alignment within the actor's oscillations, which was modulated by the actor-toward-observer emotional bonding. Our findings contribute to the understanding of how inter-brain synchrony is established and dynamically changed during mother-child reciprocal interaction.

q-bio.NC↗

arXiv2019

Gamma band oscillations reflect sensory and affective dimensions of pain

Pain is a multidimensional process, which can be modulated by emotions, however, the mechanisms underlying this modulation are unknown. We used pictures with different emotional valence (negative, positive, neutral) as primes and applied electrical painful stimuli as targets to healthy participants. We assessed pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings and recorded electroencephalograms (EEG). We found that pain unpleasantness, and not pain intensity ratings were modulated by emotion, with increased ratings for negative and decreased for positive pictures. We also found two consecutive gamma band oscillations (GBOs) related to pain processing from time frequency analyses of the EEG signals. An early GBO had a cortical distribution contralateral to the painful stimulus, and its amplitude was positively correlated with intensity and unpleasantness ratings, but not with prime valence. The late GBO had a centroparietal distribution and its amplitude was larger for negative compared to neutral and positive pictures. The emotional modulation effect (negative versus positive) of the late GBO amplitude was positively correlated with pain unpleasantness. The early GBO might reflect the overall pain perception, possibly involving the thalamocortical circuit, while the late GBO might be related to the affective dimension of pain and top-down related processes.

q-bio.NC↗