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Li Y, Qiao L, Sun J, Wei D, Li W, Qiu J, Zhang Q, Shi H. Gender-specific neuroanatomical basis of behavioral inhibition/approach systems (BIS/BAS) in a large sample of young adults: A voxel-based morphometric investigation. Behav Brain Res 2014; 274:400-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.08.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2014] [Revised: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Kong X, Wei D, Li W, Cun L, Xue S, Zhang Q, Qiu J. Neuroticism and extraversion mediate the association between loneliness and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Exp Brain Res 2014; 233:157-64. [PMID: 25234401 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-014-4097-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Loneliness is an unpleasant and distressing feeling that a person experiences when he/she perceives that his/her social relationships are lacking in someway, either quantitatively or qualitatively; this can be linked to anxiety, depression, and suicide risk. Previous studies have found that certain personality traits (which are temporally stable and heritable) are predictors of loneliness. However, little empirical evidence is available on the brain structures associated with loneliness, as well as how personality traits impact the relationship between loneliness and brain structure. Thus, the current study used voxel-based morphometry to identify the brain structures underlying individual differences in loneliness (as measured by the UCLA Loneliness Scale) in a large sample, and then, applied multiple mediation analyses to explore the nature of the influence of personality traits on the relationship between loneliness and brain structure. The results showed that lonely individuals had greater regional gray matter volume in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which might reflect immature functioning in terms of emotional regulation. More importantly, we found that neuroticism and extraversion partially mediated the relationship between the left DLPFC and loneliness. In summary, through morphometric and multiple mediation analyses, this paper further validates the influence of both neuroticism and extraversion on loneliness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Kong
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, SWU, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China
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Improving Cognitive Function from Children to Old Age: A Systematic Review of Recent Smart Ageing Intervention Studies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1155/2014/235479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background. Cognitive functions are important for daily life at any age. One purpose of Smart Ageing is to investigate how to improve cognitive functions. This systematic review evaluates beneficial effects of the intervention on cognitive functions.
Method. We conducted a systematic review of intervention studies of improvements of cognitive functions published or in press before December 2013. Because of the heterogeneity of the intervention programs, a systematic and critical review of the interventions and outcomes was conducted instead of a meta-analysis. Results. We identified nine completed and published studies, which were divided into four categories: cognitive training using video game, cognitive training using PC, cognitive training using paper and pencil, and exercise training. Review results showed that various intervention programs can improve cognitive functions such as executive functions, working memory, episodic memory, processing speed, and general cognitive ability/IQ. Conclusions. The systematic review demonstrated that some intervention programs can be effective for improving various aspects of cognitive functioning at any age. Some limitations to this review include its small sample size and heterogeneity of programs and cognitive function measures, in addition to unresolved issues such as transfer of everyday skills and effectiveness for nonhealthy people.
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Kotozaki Y, Takeuchi H, Sekiguchi A, Yamamoto Y, Shinada T, Araki T, Takahashi K, Taki Y, Ogino T, Kiguchi M, Kawashima R. Biofeedback-based training for stress management in daily hassles: an intervention study. Brain Behav 2014; 4:566-79. [PMID: 25161823 PMCID: PMC4128038 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 05/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The day-to-day causes of stress are called daily hassles. Daily hassles are correlated with ill health. Biofeedback (BF) is one of the tools used for acquiring stress-coping skills. However, the anatomical correlates of the effects of BF with long training periods remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate this. METHODS PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED RANDOMLY TO TWO GROUPS: the intervention group and the control group. Participants in the intervention group performed a biofeedback training (BFT) task (a combination task for heart rate and cerebral blood flow control) every day, for about 5 min once a day. The study outcomes included MRI, psychological tests (e.g., Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and Brief Job Stress Questionnaire), and a stress marker (salivary cortisol levels) before (day 0) and after (day 28) the intervention. RESULTS We observed significant improvements in the psychological test scores and salivary cortisol levels in the intervention group compared to the control group. Furthermore, voxel-based morphometric analysis revealed that compared to the control group, the intervention group had significantly increased regional gray matter (GM) volume in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, which is an anatomical cluster that includes mainly the left hippocampus, and the left subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. The GM regions are associated with the stress response, and, in general, these regions seem to be the most sensitive to the detrimental effects of stress. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that our BFT is effective against the GM structures vulnerable to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Kotozaki
- Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Hikaru Takeuchi
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sekiguchi
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
- Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Yuki Yamamoto
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Takamitsu Shinada
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Araki
- Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Kei Takahashi
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Taki
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
- Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
| | | | | | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku UniversitySendai, Japan
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Takeuchi H, Taki Y, Sassa Y, Hashizume H, Sekiguchi A, Fukushima A, Kawashima R. Regional gray matter volume is associated with empathizing and systemizing in young adults. PLoS One 2014; 9:e84782. [PMID: 24409308 PMCID: PMC3883687 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathizing is defined as the drive to identify the mental states of others for predicting their behavior and responding with an appropriate emotion. Systemizing is defined as the drive to analyze a system in terms of the rules that govern the system in order to predict its behavior. Using voxel-based morphometry and questionnaires in a large sample of normal, right-handed young adults, we investigated the regional gray matter volume (rGMV) correlates of empathizing and systemizing and additionally those of the D score, which is the difference between systemizing and empathizing, to reveal the comprehensive picture of those correlates. Negative rGMV correlates of empathizing and positive rGMV correlates of the D score (formed by the negative correlation between rGMV and empathizing), were found primarily in nodes in the default mode network, mirror neuron system, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the lateral part of the prefrontal cortex together with other areas. Positive rGMV correlates of systemizing and of the D score (formed by the positive correlation between rGMV and systemizing) were found primarily in nodes in the external attention system, middle cingulate cortex, and other regions. Negative rGMV correlates of systemizing were found in an area close to the left posterior insula and putamen. These findings reconcile some previously inconsistent findings, provide other new findings and suggest that these areas contribute to empathizing-systemizing. Furthermore, the negative/positive rGMV correlates of empathizing and positive/negative rGMV correlates of systemizing overlapped substantially. This may be in line with the notion that empathizing and systemizing compete neurally in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikaru Takeuchi
- Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Taki
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuko Sassa
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Hashizume
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sekiguchi
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ai Fukushima
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Smart Ageing International Research Center, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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