OxCIN Global Scholars + WIP
Arijit Bhattacharya, Betina Ip
Wednesday, 20 May 2026, 12pm to 1pm
Hybrid via Teams and in the Cowey Room, WIN Annexe
Hosted by Pin-Chun Chen, Camille Lasbareilles
Join via Teams
Trait-Sensitive Dynamics of Music-Evoked Emotions: Integrating Behavioural Statistical Modelling and In-Vivo Functional MR Spectroscopy
Presented by Arijit Bhattacharya
Abstract: Music is a powerful naturalistic stimulus for evoking and modulating emotions, providing a unique model to investigate the dynamic relationship between subjective affective experience and its neurochemical substrates. This ongoing study employs a multimodal design integrating a behavioural emotion-tracking paradigm with functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fMRS) to characterise music-evoked emotional processes across psychological and neurochemical levels. In the behavioural experiment, participants complete validated questionnaires assessing trait-related factors such as mood, anxiety, and musicality, followed by continuous real-time emotion ratings during music listening using an MR-compatible joystick. Statistical modelling of these data reveals inter-individual variability in valence and arousal trajectories, partial correspondence between structural musical features and perceived emotions, and sequential priming effects across musical excerpts, highlighting the influence of trait-dependent top-down modulation on dynamic affective responses. In the neuroimaging experiment, functional H¹-MRS (SVS-PRESS) is used to track task-related fluctuations in key metabolites, including glutamate, glutamine, GABA, and N-acetylaspartate, within predefined regions of interest while participants perform the same music-emotion task inside the scanner. Preliminary findings suggest condition-dependent neurochemical modulation (Glutamate & GABA), with emerging evidence that individual differences in emotional responsiveness are paralleled by trait-linked variations in metabolite dynamics. Ongoing multivariate analyses aim to further characterise the relationship between neurochemical fluctuations and moment-to-moment emotional trajectories. Together, these findings demonstrate that music provides a robust experimental framework for linking behavioural affective dynamics with their underlying neurochemical mechanisms, advancing our understanding of the neurobiology of emotion.
Ocular Plasticity with patching Intervention and esketamine
Presented by Betina Ip
Abstract: Some people have amblyopia (also known as “lazy eye”), which is a neurodevelopmental condition resulting in reduced vision in one eye. This is acquired when the visual system in the brain receives unequal input through each eye during early childhood. The visual deficits in amblyopia may be a consequence of abnormal suppressive interactions in the visual cortex by the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.
Studies have demonstrated that short-term monocular deprivation (i.e. patching one eye) decreases GABAergic inhibition, reflecting plasticity in the adult visual system (Lunghi et al, 2015). Animal models have provided evidence that this plasticity can also be restored pharmacologically, with antidepressants fluoxetine (Maya Vetencourt et al, 2018) and esketamine (Grieco et al, 2022) reducing interocular inhibition and enhancing plasticity in the adult visual cortex. Few adult human studies have explored the combined effect of patching and a pharmacological intervention on visual function, and have not investigated any underlying changes in GABA.
The aim of this study is to determine whether a single dose of esketamine increases the effects of eye patching on visual function compared to placebo. Twenty-two healthy adults with normal vision will be recruited for a crossover study. Participants will first perform some vision tests, then have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to measure the concentration of GABA and excitatory transmitter glutamate. After baseline scans, the participant will be temporarily brought out of the scanner and either esketamine or placebo will be administered and an eye patch applied to the participant's dominant eye. The participant will then be moved back to the scanner for additional scanning. At the end of the scan the vision tests will be repeated.
By comparing the effects of esketamine on visual function and GABA concentration with placebo, it will be possible to determine whether plasticity is increased and when this happens. If adult plasticity can be increased, this could provide a method to improve amblyopia.