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Fritch HA, Spets DS, Slotnick SD. Functional connectivity with the anterior and posterior hippocampus during spatial memory. Hippocampus 2020; 31:658-668. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haley A. Fritch
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Boston College Chestnut Hill Massachusetts USA
| | - Dylan S. Spets
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Boston College Chestnut Hill Massachusetts USA
| | - Scott D. Slotnick
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Boston College Chestnut Hill Massachusetts USA
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Nakatani H, Nonaka Y, Muto S, Asano M, Fujimura T, Nakai T, Okanoya K. Trait Respect Is Linked to Reduced Gray Matter Volume in the Anterior Temporal Lobe. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:344. [PMID: 33192378 PMCID: PMC7477334 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Respect is a positive other-oriented social emotion upon the recognition of excellence in others. We previously reported that respect-related brain activity in the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL). Since brain activity and structure are often involved in common cognitive functions, we investigated the morphological properties of the left ATL using voxel-based morphometry analysis. We found an association of trait respect with reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in part of the left ATL. Moreover, since the ATL is involved in general conceptual knowledge, we investigated the relationships between other social emotions with similar properties as respect and the GMV of the left ATL. We observed an association of reduced GMV with empathic concern, which is an other-oriented and affective aspect of trait empathy. Our findings indicated an association of the left ATL with other-oriented and affective aspect of social emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hironori Nakatani
- Department of Information Media Technology, School of Information and Telecommunication Engineering, Tokai University, Tokyo, Japan.,Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Yulri Nonaka
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sera Muto
- Center for Institutional Research, Educational Development, and Learning Support, Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michiko Asano
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomomi Fujimura
- Human Informatics Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Tomoya Nakai
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Suita, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
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53
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James CE, Altenmüller E, Kliegel M, Krüger THC, Van De Ville D, Worschech F, Abdili L, Scholz DS, Jünemann K, Hering A, Grouiller F, Sinke C, Marie D. Train the brain with music (TBM): brain plasticity and cognitive benefits induced by musical training in elderly people in Germany and Switzerland, a study protocol for an RCT comparing musical instrumental practice to sensitization to music. BMC Geriatr 2020; 20:418. [PMID: 33087078 PMCID: PMC7576734 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-020-01761-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent data suggest that musical practice prevents age-related cognitive decline. But experimental evidence remains sparse and no concise information on the neurophysiological bases exists, although cognitive decline represents a major impediment to healthy aging. A challenge in the field of aging is developing training regimens that stimulate neuroplasticity and delay or reverse symptoms of cognitive and cerebral decline. To be successful, these regimens should be easily integrated in daily life and intrinsically motivating. This study combines for the first-time protocolled music practice in elderly with cutting-edge neuroimaging and behavioral approaches, comparing two types of musical education. METHODS We conduct a two-site Hannover-Geneva randomized intervention study in altogether 155 retired healthy elderly (64-78) years, (63 in Geneva, 92 in Hannover), offering either piano instruction (experimental group) or musical listening awareness (control group). Over 12 months all participants receive weekly training for 1 hour, and exercise at home for ~ 30 min daily. Both groups study different music styles. Participants are tested at 4 time points (0, 6, and 12 months & post-training (18 months)) on cognitive and perceptual-motor aptitudes as well as via wide-ranging functional and structural neuroimaging and blood sampling. DISCUSSION We aim to demonstrate positive transfer effects for faculties traditionally described to decline with age, particularly in the piano group: executive functions, working memory, processing speed, abstract thinking and fine motor skills. Benefits in both groups may show for verbal memory, hearing in noise and subjective well-being. In association with these behavioral benefits we anticipate functional and structural brain plasticity in temporal (medial and lateral), prefrontal and parietal areas and the basal ganglia. We intend exhibiting for the first time that musical activities can provoke important societal impacts by diminishing cognitive and perceptual-motor decline supported by functional and structural brain plasticity. TRIAL REGISTRATION The Ethikkomission of the Leibniz Universität Hannover approved the protocol on 14.08.17 (no. 3604-2017), the neuroimaging part and blood sampling was approved by the Hannover Medical School on 07.03.18. The full protocol was approved by the Commission cantonale d'éthique de la recherche de Genève (no. 2016-02224) on 27.02.18 and registered at clinicaltrials.gov on 17.09.18 ( NCT03674931 , no. 81185).
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara E James
- Geneva School of Health Sciences, Geneva Musical Minds Lab (GEMMI Lab), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland HES-SO, Avenue de Champel 47, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland. .,Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Eckart Altenmüller
- Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medecine, Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media, Neues Haus 1, 30175, Hannover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Matthias Kliegel
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Switzerland, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve 28, 1205, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Tillmann H C Krüger
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Section of Clinical Psychology & Sexual Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Centre of Mental Health, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dimitri Van De Ville
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Route Cantonale, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Faculty of Medecine of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines 9, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Florian Worschech
- Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medecine, Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media, Neues Haus 1, 30175, Hannover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Laura Abdili
- Geneva School of Health Sciences, Geneva Musical Minds Lab (GEMMI Lab), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland HES-SO, Avenue de Champel 47, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Daniel S Scholz
- Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medecine, Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media, Neues Haus 1, 30175, Hannover, Germany.,Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Kristin Jünemann
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Section of Clinical Psychology & Sexual Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Centre of Mental Health, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alexandra Hering
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve 40, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Switzerland, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve 28, 1205, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Frédéric Grouiller
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland. Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christopher Sinke
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Section of Clinical Psychology & Sexual Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Centre of Mental Health, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Damien Marie
- Geneva School of Health Sciences, Geneva Musical Minds Lab (GEMMI Lab), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland HES-SO, Avenue de Champel 47, 1206, Geneva, Switzerland
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54
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Clemenson GD, Wang L, Mao Z, Stark SM, Stark CEL. Exploring the Spatial Relationships Between Real and Virtual Experiences: What Transfers and What Doesn't. FRONTIERS IN VIRTUAL REALITY 2020; 1:572122. [PMID: 37885756 PMCID: PMC10602022 DOI: 10.3389/frvir.2020.572122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Virtual environments are commonly used to assess spatial cognition in humans. For the past few decades, researchers have used virtual environments to investigate how people navigate, learn, and remember their surrounding environment. In combination with tools such as electroencephalogram, neuroimaging, and electrophysiology, these virtual environments have proven invaluable in their ability to help elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms of spatial learning and memory in humans. However, a critical assumption that is made whenever using virtual experiences is that the spatial abilities used in the navigation of these virtual environments accurately represents the spatial abilities used in the real-world. The aim of the current study is to investigate the spatial relationships between real and virtual environments to better understand how well the virtual experiences parallel the same experiences in the real-world. Here, we performed three independent experiments to examine whether spatial information about object location, environment layout, and navigation strategy transfers between parallel real-world and virtual-world experiences. We show that while general spatial information does transfer between real and virtual environments, there are several limitations of the virtual experience. Compared to the real-world, the use of information in the virtual-world is less flexible, especially when testing spatial memory from a novel location, and the way in which we navigate these experiences are different as the perceptual and proprioceptive feedback gained from the real-world experience can influence navigation strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory D. Clemenson
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Lulian Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Zeqian Mao
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Shauna M. Stark
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Craig E. L. Stark
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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55
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Rosenblau G, O'Connell G, Heekeren HR, Dziobek I. Neurobiological mechanisms of social cognition treatment in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder. Psychol Med 2020; 50:2374-2384. [PMID: 31551097 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719002472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The promise of precision medicine for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) hinges on developing neuroscience-informed individualized interventions. Taking an important step in this direction, we investigated neuroplasticity in response to an ecologically-valid, computer-based social-cognitive training (SCOTT). METHODS In an active control group design, 48 adults with ASD were randomly assigned to a 3-month SCOTT or non-social computer training. Participants completed behavioral tasks, a functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging session before and after the training period. RESULTS The SCOTT group showed social-cognitive improvements on close and distant generalization tasks. The improvements scaled with reductions in functional activity and increases in cortical thickness in prefrontal regions. CONCLUSION In sum, we provide evidence for the sensitivity of neuroscientific methods to reflect training-induced social-cognitive improvements in adults with ASD. These results encourage the use of neuroimaging data to describe and quantify treatment-related changes more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Rosenblau
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, The George Washington University and Children's National Health System, 2115 G St NW, Washington, DC20052, USA
| | - Garret O'Connell
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
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56
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Ho A, Khan Y, Fischberg G, Mahato D. Clinical Application of Brain Plasticity in Neurosurgery. World Neurosurg 2020; 146:31-39. [PMID: 32916359 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Brain plasticity is an ongoing process of reorganization not only on the macroscopic level but also from underlying changes at the cellular and molecular levels of neurons. This evolution has not yet been fully understood. The objective of this paper is to review and understand neuroplasticity through the review of literature, imaging, and intraoperative evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Ho
- Department of Neurosurgery, Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs, California, USA
| | - Yasir Khan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs, California, USA
| | - Glenn Fischberg
- Department of Neurosurgery, Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs, California, USA
| | - Deependra Mahato
- Department of Neurosurgery, Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs, California, USA.
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57
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Zhang B, Naya Y. Medial Prefrontal Cortex Represents the Object-Based Cognitive Map When Remembering an Egocentric Target Location. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5356-5371. [PMID: 32483594 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
A cognitive map, representing an environment around oneself, is necessary for spatial navigation. However, compared with its constituent elements such as individual landmarks, neural substrates of coherent spatial information, which consists in a relationship among the individual elements, remain largely unknown. The present study investigated how the brain codes map-like representations in a virtual environment specified by the relative positions of three objects. Representational similarity analysis revealed an object-based spatial representation in the hippocampus (HPC) when participants located themselves within the environment, while the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) represented it when they recollected a target object's location relative to their self-body. During recollection, task-dependent functional connectivity increased between the two areas implying exchange of self-location and target location signals between the HPC and mPFC. Together, the object-based cognitive map, whose coherent spatial information could be formed by objects, may be recruited in the HPC and mPFC for complementary functions during navigation, which may generalize to other aspects of cognition, such as navigating social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100805, China
| | - Yuji Naya
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100805, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100805, China.,Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100805, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100805, China
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58
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Reinhardt VP, Iosif AM, Libero L, Heath B, Rogers SJ, Ferrer E, Nordahl C, Ghetti S, Amaral D, Solomon M. Understanding Hippocampal Development in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020; 59:1069-1079. [PMID: 31449875 PMCID: PMC9940822 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2019.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We examined growth trajectories of hippocampal volume (HV) in early childhood in a longitudinal cohort of male and female participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) individuals, and investigated HV in those with large brains. Relations between factors potentially associated with hippocampal size and growth were investigated. METHOD Participants received 1 to 3 structural magnetic resonance imaging scans between ages 25 and 80 months (unique participants: ASD, n =200; TD, n =110; total longitudinal scans, n = 593). HV growth during this period was examined using mixed-effects linear models. Associations between early HV and growth rates, and IQ and adaptive functioning, were evaluated. RESULTS After accounting for cerebral hemisphere volume, male participants exhibited larger left and right HV than female participants. Hippocampal growth rates did not differ by sex. In children with larger hemisphere volumes, male and female participants with ASD had relatively larger HV than TD participants of similar hemisphere volume. This effect was present in a broader group than only those with disproportionate megalencephaly (male participants with large cerebral volumes relative to body size). Right hippocampi were larger than left hippocampi in both groups and sexes. Right versus left volume differences were greater for ASD. After adjusting for hemisphere volume, male participants with ASD showed a significant positive association between right hippocampal growth and adaptive behavior. CONCLUSION HV was relatively greater in ASD in analyses adjusting for hemisphere volume, whereas only subtle differences were observed in HV and growth between participants with ASD and TD participants in unadjusted analyses, suggesting that ASD involves atypical coupling between HV and brain size.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - David Amaral
- University of California, Davis; MIND Institute, Davis, California
| | - Marjorie Solomon
- University of California, Davis; MIND Institute, Davis, California; UC Davis Imaging Research Center, Davis, California.
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59
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Snytte J, Elshiekh A, Subramaniapillai S, Manning L, Pasvanis S, Devenyi GA, Olsen RK, Rajah MN. The ratio of posterior–anterior medial temporal lobe volumes predicts source memory performance in healthy young adults. Hippocampus 2020; 30:1209-1227. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Snytte
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Abdelhalim Elshiekh
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | | | - Lyssa Manning
- Massachusetts General Hospital Boston Massachusetts USA
| | - Stamatoula Pasvanis
- Cerebral Imaging Centre Douglas Mental Health University Institute Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Gabriel A. Devenyi
- Cerebral Imaging Centre Douglas Mental Health University Institute Montreal Quebec Canada
- Department of Psychiatry McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Rosanna K. Olsen
- Department of Psychology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- Rotman Research Institute Baycrest Health Sciences Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Maria Natasha Rajah
- Cerebral Imaging Centre Douglas Mental Health University Institute Montreal Quebec Canada
- Department of Psychiatry McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
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60
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Does hippocampal volume explain performance differences on hippocampal-dependant tasks? Neuroimage 2020; 221:117211. [PMID: 32739555 PMCID: PMC7762813 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence is mixed about whether hippocampal volume affects cognitive task performance. This is particularly the case concerning individual differences in healthy people. We collected structural MRI data from 217 healthy people. They also had widely-varying performance on cognitive tasks linked to the hippocampus. In-depth analyses showed little evidence hippocampal volume affected task performance.
Marked disparities exist across healthy individuals in their ability to imagine scenes, recall autobiographical memories, think about the future and navigate in the world. The importance of the hippocampus in supporting these critical cognitive functions has prompted the question of whether differences in hippocampal grey matter volume could be one source of performance variability. Evidence to date has been somewhat mixed. In this study we sought to mitigate issues that commonly affect these types of studies. Data were collected from a large sample of 217 young, healthy adult participants, including whole brain structural MRI data (0.8 mm isotropic voxels) and widely-varying performance on scene imagination, autobiographical memory, future thinking and navigation tasks. We found little evidence that hippocampal grey matter volume was related to task performance in this healthy sample. This was the case using different analysis methods (voxel-based morphometry, partial correlations), when whole brain or hippocampal regions of interest were examined, when comparing different sub-groups (divided by gender, task performance, self-reported ability), and when using latent variables derived from across the cognitive tasks. Hippocampal grey matter volume may not, therefore, significantly influence performance on tasks known to require the hippocampus in healthy people. Perhaps only in extreme situations, as in the case of licensed London taxi drivers, are measurable ability-related hippocampus volume changes consistently exhibited.
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61
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Abstract
While in the past much of our knowledge about memory representations in the brain has relied on loss-of-function studies in which whole brain regions were temporarily inactivated or permanently lesioned, the recent development of new methods has ushered in a new era of downright "engram excitement." Animal research is now able to specifically label, track, and manipulate engram cells in the brain. While early studies have mostly focused on single brain regions like the hippocampus, recently more and more evidence for brain-wide distributed engram networks is emerging. Memory research in humans has also picked up pace, fueled by promising magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based methods like diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) and brain decoding. In this review, we will outline recent advancements in engram research, with a focus on human data and neocortical representations. We will illustrate the available noninvasive methods for the detection of engrams in different neocortical regions like the medial prefrontal cortex and the posterior parietal cortex and discuss evidence for systems consolidation and parallel memory encoding. Finally, we will explore how reactivation and prior knowledge can lead to and enhance engram formation in the neocortex.
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62
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Neural correlates of motor expertise: Extensive motor training and cortical changes. Brain Res 2020; 1739:146323. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.146323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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63
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Zimmerman B, Kundu P, Liu Z, Urbanski HF, Kroenke CD, Kohama SG, Bethea CL, Raber J. Longitudinal Effects of Immediate and Delayed Estradiol on Cognitive Performance in a Spatial Maze and Hippocampal Volume in Menopausal Macaques Under an Obesogenic Diet. Front Neurol 2020; 11:539. [PMID: 32670182 PMCID: PMC7326936 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The consumption of a diet high in fat and refined sugars has several health risks, including the development of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. For women, menopause carries additional health risks that may interact with a high-fat diet in negative ways. Some symptoms of menopause, including cognitive impairments, can be modulated by hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but the hormonal formulation and the timing of the treatment relative to the onset of menopause are critical factors determining its efficacy. Little is known about how obesogenic, high-fat, high-sugar diets interact with HRT in menopause to affect cognition and neurodegeneration. Given the high prevalence of the consumption of an obesogenic Western-style diet, understanding how the effects of HRT are modulated by an obesogenic diet is critical for developing optimized therapeutic strategies for peri- and post-menopausal women. In this study, we investigated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the effects of either immediate or delayed estradiol hormone therapy on cognition and neuroanatomy following ovo-hysterectomy (OvH) of aged, female rhesus macaques on an obesogenic diet. The macaques were followed for 2.5 years after ovo-hysterectomy, with four time points at which anatomical MRIs were acquired. Analysis of hippocampal volumes revealed an interaction between time point and treatment; hippocampal volumes in the delayed estrogen group, but not the immediate estrogen group, increased over time compared to those in untreated controls. Performance on a hippocampal-dependent spatial maze task showed improved performance in estrogen treated animals compared to OvH macaques given placebo. These results indicate that HRT may contribute to beneficial cognitive outcomes after menopause under an obesogenic diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Zimmerman
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States.,Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Payel Kundu
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Zheng Liu
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States.,Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, United States
| | - Henryk F Urbanski
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States.,Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, United States
| | - Christopher D Kroenke
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States.,Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States.,Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, United States
| | - Steven G Kohama
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, United States
| | - Cynthia L Bethea
- Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, United States.,Division of Reproductive and Developmental Science, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, United States.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Jacob Raber
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States.,Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, OR, United States.,Departments of Neurology and Radiation Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
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64
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Franz Joseph Gall: Naturalist of the Mind, Visionary of the Brain. Cogn Behav Neurol 2020. [DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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65
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Ruotolo F, Sbordone FL, van der Ham IJ. The Relationship between Emotionally Laden Landmarks, Spatial Abilities, and Personality Traits: An Exploratory Study. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E326. [PMID: 32471259 PMCID: PMC7349690 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10060326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Separate research lines have shown that the way we process spatial information is influenced by individual factors, such as personality traits and basic spatial abilities. Alongside, recent studies suggest that environmental landmarks can be represented differently depending on their emotional content. However, to our knowledge, no study has addressed so far the issue of whether there is a relationship between individual factors and the way we represent and use spatial information that conveys emotional content. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to (i) investigate the relationship between personality traits and the use of spatial strategies in relation to emotional stimuli; (ii) investigate if a different pattern emerges according to a body- or object-based spatial encodings. After watching movies of routes characterized by positive, negative, or neutral landmarks, participants performed a "route continuation" (RC, i.e., left/right decision) and a "distance comparison" task (DC, i.e., what was the landmark closest to X?). Furthermore, participants performed a mental rotation task (MR), the Corsi block tapping (CBT), and the Bergen right-left discrimination tests (B-RL). Personality traits were assessed through the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI). Results showed that a better performance at the RC task was associated with higher scores at CBT tasks in the positive condition and at B-RL test and agreeableness scale from TIPI in both positive and neutral conditions. Instead, the MR task positively correlated with the DC task in all conditions. In sum, individuals' spatial abilities, personality traits, and task requests influenced the way emotionally laden landmarks were memorized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Ruotolo
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, Department of Psychology, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Viale Ellittico, 81100 Caserta, Italy;
| | - Filomena L. Sbordone
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, Department of Psychology, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Viale Ellittico, 81100 Caserta, Italy;
| | - Ineke J.M. van der Ham
- Department of Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Leiden University, Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands;
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66
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Pajkert A, Ploner CJ, Lehmann TN, Witte VA, Oltmanns F, Sommer W, Holtkamp M, Heekeren HR, Finke C. Early volumetric changes of hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex following medial temporal lobe resection. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:4375-4384. [PMID: 32421911 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that cognitive demands and physical exercise stimulate adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and hippocampus. Recent observations in healthy humans and patients with mild cognitive impairment moreover suggest that training-induced increases in hippocampal volume may be associated with improved memory performance. The corresponding plasticity processes in hippocampal volume may occur on timescales of months to years. For patients with focal lesions in this region, previous functional imaging studies suggest that increased recruitment of the contralateral hippocampus and extratemporal regions may be an important part of the reorganization of episodic memory. However, it is currently unclear whether focal damage to the medial temporal lobe (MTL) induces gray matter (GM) volume changes in the intact contralateral hippocampus and in connected network regions on a shorter timescale. We therefore investigated whether unilateral resection of the MTL, including the hippocampus, induces measurable volumetric changes in the contralateral hippocampus and in the default mode network (DMN). We recruited 31 patients with unilateral left (N = 19) or right (N = 12) hippocampal sclerosis undergoing MTL resection for treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Structural MRI was acquired immediately before and 3 months after surgery. Longitudinal voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis revealed a significant increase of right hippocampal volume following resection of the left anterior MTL. Furthermore, this patient group showed GM volume increases in the DMN. These results demonstrate significant structural plasticity of the contralateral hippocampus, even in patients with a long-standing unilateral hippocampal dysfunction and structural reorganization processes extending to distant, but functionally connected brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Pajkert
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph J Ploner
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Veronica A Witte
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Werner Sommer
- Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Holtkamp
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Epilepsy-Center Berlin-Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carsten Finke
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind & Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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67
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Fritch HA, MacEvoy SP, Thakral PP, Jeye BM, Ross RS, Slotnick SD. The anterior hippocampus is associated with spatial memory encoding. Brain Res 2020; 1732:146696. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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68
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Hodgetts CJ, Stefani M, Williams AN, Kolarik BS, Yonelinas AP, Ekstrom AD, Lawrence AD, Zhang J, Graham KS. The role of the fornix in human navigational learning. Cortex 2020; 124:97-110. [PMID: 31855730 PMCID: PMC7061322 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Experiments on rodents have demonstrated that transecting the white matter fibre pathway linking the hippocampus with an array of cortical and subcortical structures - the fornix - impairs flexible navigational learning in the Morris Water Maze (MWM), as well as similar spatial learning tasks. While diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) studies in humans have linked inter-individual differences in fornix microstructure to episodic memory abilities, its role in human spatial learning is currently unknown. We used high-angular resolution diffusion MRI combined with constrained spherical deconvolution-based tractography, to ask whether inter-individual differences in fornix microstructure in healthy young adults would be associated with spatial learning in a virtual reality navigation task. To efficiently capture individual learning across trials, we adopted a novel curve fitting approach to estimate a single index of learning rate. We found a statistically significant correlation between learning rate and the microstructure (mean diffusivity) of the fornix, but not that of a comparison tract linking occipital and anterior temporal cortices (the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, ILF). Further, this correlation remained significant when controlling for both hippocampal volume and participant gender. These findings extend previous animal studies by demonstrating the functional relevance of the fornix for human spatial learning in a virtual reality environment, and highlight the importance of a distributed neuroanatomical network, underpinned by key white matter pathways, such as the fornix, in complex spatial behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl J Hodgetts
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK; Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff Wales, UK.
| | - Martina Stefani
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff Wales, UK
| | - Angharad N Williams
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff Wales, UK
| | - Branden S Kolarik
- Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory, University of California, Irvine, USA
| | - Andrew P Yonelinas
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Arne D Ekstrom
- Department of Psychology, The University of Arizona, AZ USA
| | - Andrew D Lawrence
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff Wales, UK
| | - Jiaxiang Zhang
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff Wales, UK
| | - Kim S Graham
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff Wales, UK
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69
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Schizophrenia-like reduced sensorimotor gating in intact inbred and outbred rats is associated with decreased medial prefrontal cortex activity and volume. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1975-1984. [PMID: 30986819 PMCID: PMC6784988 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0392-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle response is a measure of sensorimotor gating that is impaired in schizophrenia and in many other clinical conditions. Rat models using pharmacological or surgical strategies reveal that PPI is modulated by the cortico-striatal-pallido-thalamic (CSPT) circuit. Here, we explore whether spontaneous variation in PPI in intact inbred and outbred rats is associated with functional and structural differences in the CSPT circuit. Inbred Roman High-(RHA) and Low-avoidance (RLA) and outbred heterogeneous stock (HS) rats were assessed for PPI, brain activity, and brain volume. Brain activity was assessed by c-Fos expression and brain volume by magnetic resonance imaging. Relevant structures of the CSPT circuit were evaluated, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), cingulate cortex, hippocampus (HPC), amygdala, nucleus accumbens (NAc), and dorsal striatum. RHA showed lower PPI than RLA rats, while HS rats were stratified by their PPI levels in three groups. Reduced PPI was accompanied by decreased mPFC activity in Roman and HS rats and increased NAc shell activity in HS rats. Low PPI was also associated with decreased mPFC and HPC volumes in Roman and HS rats. This study reports a consistent relationship between decreased function and volume of the mPFC and spontaneous low-PPI levels in inbred and outbred intact rats. Moreover, our findings suggest that, apart from a hypoactive and smaller mPFC, a hyperactive NAc and smaller HPC may underlie reduced PPI levels. Our results support the notion that sensorimotor gating is modulated by forebrain structures and highlight the importance of the mPFC in its regulation.
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70
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Lee SL(T, Lew D, Wickenheisser V, Markus EJ. Interdependence between dorsal and ventral hippocampus during spatial navigation. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01410. [PMID: 31571397 PMCID: PMC6790314 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The hippocampus is linked to the formation and retrieval of episodic memories and spatial navigation. In rats, it is an elongated structure divided into dorsal (septal) and ventral (temporal) regions paralleling the respective division in the posterior and anterior hippocampus in humans. The dorsal hippocampus has been suggested to be more important for spatial processing and the ventral to processing anxiety-based behaviors. Far less is known regarding the degree to which these different regions interact during information processing. The anatomical connectivity suggests a flow of information between the dorsal and ventral regions; conversely, there are also commissural connections to the contralateral hippocampus. The current study examined the extent to which information from the dorsal hippocampus interacts with processing in the ipsilateral and contralateral ventral hippocampus following the acquisition of a spatial task. METHODS Rats were well-trained on a spatial reference version of the water maze, followed by muscimol inactivation of different hippocampal subregions in a within-animal repeated design. Various combinations of bilateral, ipsilateral, and contralateral infusions were used. RESULTS Combined dorsal and ventral inactivation produced a severe impairment in spatial performance. Inactivation of only the dorsal or ventral regions resulted in intermediate impairment with performance levels falling between controls and combined inactivation. Performance was impaired during contralateral inactivation and was almost equivalent to bilateral dorsal and ventral hippocampus inactivation, while ipsilateral inactivation resulted in little impairment. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, results indicate that for spatial processing, the hippocampus functions as a single integrated structure along the longitudinal axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang Lin (Tommy) Lee
- Behavioral Neuroscience DivisionDepartment of Psychological SciencesUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsCTUSA
| | - Dana Lew
- Behavioral Neuroscience DivisionDepartment of Psychological SciencesUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsCTUSA
| | - Victoria Wickenheisser
- Behavioral Neuroscience DivisionDepartment of Psychological SciencesUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsCTUSA
| | - Etan J. Markus
- Behavioral Neuroscience DivisionDepartment of Psychological SciencesUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsCTUSA
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71
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Cole RC, Hazeltine E, Weng TB, Wharff C, DuBose LE, Schmid P, Sigurdsson G, Magnotta VA, Pierce GL, Voss MW. Cardiorespiratory fitness and hippocampal volume predict faster episodic associative learning in older adults. Hippocampus 2019; 30:143-155. [PMID: 31461198 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Declining episodic memory is common among otherwise healthy older adults, in part due to negative effects of aging on hippocampal circuits. However, there is significant variability between individuals in severity of aging effects on the hippocampus and subsequent memory decline. Importantly, variability may be influenced by modifiable protective physiological factors such as cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). More research is needed to better understand which aspects of cognition that decline with aging benefit most from CRF. The current study evaluated the relation of CRF with learning rate on the episodic associative learning (EAL) task, a task designed specifically to target hippocampal-dependent relational binding and to evaluate learning with repeated occurrences. Results show higher CRF was associated with faster learning rate. Larger hippocampal volume was also associated with faster learning rate, though hippocampal volume did not mediate the relationship between CRF and learning rate. Furthermore, to support the distinction between learning item relations and learning higher-order sequences, which declines with aging but is largely reliant on extra-hippocampal learning systems, we found learning rate on the EAL task was not related to motor sequence learning on the alternating serial reaction time task. Motor sequence learning was also not correlated with hippocampal volume. Thus, for the first time, we show that both higher CRF and larger hippocampal volume in healthy older adults are related to enhanced rate of relational memory acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C Cole
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Eliot Hazeltine
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Timothy B Weng
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Conner Wharff
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Lyndsey E DuBose
- Department of Health and Human Physiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Phillip Schmid
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Gardar Sigurdsson
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Vincent A Magnotta
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.,Department of Radiology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Gary L Pierce
- Department of Health and Human Physiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Michelle W Voss
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
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72
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Yamamoto K, Masumoto K. Brief Report: Memory for Self-Performed Actions in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Why Does Memory of Self Decline in ASD? J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 48:3216-3222. [PMID: 29623564 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3559-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The decline in self-related memory in ASD was investigated by using encoding, forgetting, and source monitoring. Participants memorized action sentences verbally, observationally, or by enacted encoding. Then, they underwent recall, recognition, and source monitoring memory tests immediately and 1 week later. If the information were properly encoded, memory performance in the enacted encoding would be the highest (enactment effect). The result of memory tests in ASD and TD people showed that enacted encoding was superior. However, recall and source monitoring in ASD was significantly lower than in TD, which was not the case for recognition and forgetting. These results suggest that the decline in memory of self in ASD is associated with a deficit in memory reconstruction and source monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Yamamoto
- Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, 3-11, Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe, Japan.
| | - Kouhei Masumoto
- Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, 3-11, Tsurukabuto, Nada-ku, Kobe, Japan
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73
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Brunec IK, Robin J, Patai EZ, Ozubko JD, Javadi A, Barense MD, Spiers HJ, Moscovitch M. Cognitive mapping style relates to posterior-anterior hippocampal volume ratio. Hippocampus 2019; 29:748-754. [PMID: 30714271 PMCID: PMC6767592 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 01/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
As London taxi drivers acquire "the knowledge" and develop a detailed cognitive map of London, their posterior hippocampi (pHPC) gradually increase in volume, reflecting an increasing pHPC/aHPC volume ratio. In the mnemonic domain, greater pHPC/aHPC volume ratios in young adults have been found to relate to better recollection ability, indicating that the balance between pHPC and aHPC volumes might be reflective of cross-domain individual differences. Here, we examined participants' self-reported use of cognitive map-based navigational strategies in relation to their pHPC/aHPC hippocampal volume ratio. We find that greater reported cognitive map use was related to significantly greater posterior, relative to anterior, hippocampal volume in two separate samples of young adults. Further, greater reported cognitive map usage correlated with better performance on a self-initiated navigation task. Together, these data help to advance our understanding of differences between aHPC and pHPC and the greater role of pHPC in spatial mapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iva K. Brunec
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Rotman Research InstituteBaycrest Health SciencesTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Jessica Robin
- Rotman Research InstituteBaycrest Health SciencesTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Eva Zita Patai
- Institute of Behavioural NeuroscienceDepartment of Experimental Psychology University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | - Morgan D. Barense
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Rotman Research InstituteBaycrest Health SciencesTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Hugo J. Spiers
- Institute of Behavioural NeuroscienceDepartment of Experimental Psychology University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Rotman Research InstituteBaycrest Health SciencesTorontoOntarioCanada
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74
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Exel J, Mateus N, Gonçalves B, Abrantes C, Calleja-González J, Sampaio J. Entropy Measures Can Add Novel Information to Reveal How Runners' Heart Rate and Speed Are Regulated by Different Environments. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1278. [PMID: 31214084 PMCID: PMC6558111 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecological psychology suggests performer-environment relationship is the appropriate scale for examining the relationship between perception, action and cognition. Developing performance requires variation in practice in order to design the attractor-fluctuation landscape. The present study aimed to identify the effects of varying levels of familiarity and sensorimotor stimuli within the environment in runners' speed and heart rate (HR) regularity degree, and short-term memory Twelve amateur runners accomplished three 45-min running trials in their usual route, in an unusual route, and an athletics 400-m track, wearing a GPS and an HR monitor. Sample entropy (SampEn) and complexity index (CI), over speed and HR, were calculated. Pre and post-trial, participants performed the Backward Digit Span task for cognitive assessment. Higher entropies were found for the 400-m track, compared to the usual and unusual routes. Usual routes increased speed SampEn (63% of chances), but decreased HR CI when compared to unusual routes (60% of chances). Runners showed higher overall short-term memory performance after unusual routes, when compared to usual routes (85% of chances), indicating positive relation to attentional control. The contexts of practice may contribute to change predictability from single to multiple timescales. Thus, by considering that time structuring issues can help diagnosing habituation of training routes, this study brings novel information to the long-term process of training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Exel
- Creative Lab Research Community, Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Nuno Mateus
- Creative Lab Research Community, Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Bruno Gonçalves
- Creative Lab Research Community, Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Catarina Abrantes
- Geron Research Community, Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Julio Calleja-González
- Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Bilbao, Spain
| | - Jaime Sampaio
- Creative Lab Research Community, Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, CIDESD, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
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Andreasen A, Geronazzo M, Nilsson NC, Zovnercuka J, Konovalov K, Serafin S. Auditory Feedback for Navigation with Echoes in Virtual Environments: Training Procedure and Orientation Strategies. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VISUALIZATION AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS 2019; 25:1876-1886. [PMID: 30794514 DOI: 10.1109/tvcg.2019.2898787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Being able to hear objects in an environment, for example using echolocation, is a challenging task. The main goal of the current work is to use virtual environments (VEs) to train novice users to navigate using echolocation. Previous studies have shown that musicians are able to differentiate sound pulses from reflections. This paper presents design patterns for VE simulators for both training and testing procedures, while classifying users' navigation strategies in the VE. Moreover, the paper presents features that increase users' performance in VEs. We report the findings of two user studies: a pilot test that helped improve the sonic interaction design, and a primary study exposing participants to a spatial orientation task during four conditions which were early reflections (RF), late reverberation (RV), early reflections-reverberation (RR) and visual stimuli (V). The latter study allowed us to identify navigation strategies among the users. Some users (10/26) reported an ability to create spatial cognitive maps during the test with auditory echoes, which may explain why this group performed better than the remaining participants in the RR condition.
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76
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Involvement of hippocampal subfields and anterior-posterior subregions in encoding and retrieval of item, spatial, and associative memories: Longitudinal versus transverse axis. Neuroimage 2019; 191:568-586. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.01.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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77
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Wang W, Tang S, Li C, Chen J, Li H, Su Y, Ning B. Specific Brain Morphometric Changes in Spinal Cord Injury: A Voxel-Based Meta-Analysis of White and Gray Matter Volume. J Neurotrauma 2019; 36:2348-2357. [PMID: 30794041 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The objective of the study was to investigate degenerative changes of white matter volume (WMV) and gray matter volume (GMV) in individuals after a spinal cord injury (SCI). Published studies of whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) published between January 1, 2006 and March 1, 2018 comparing SCI patients with controls were collected by searching PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases. Voxel-wise meta-analyses of GMV and WMV differences between SCI patients and controls were performed separately using seed-based d mapping. Twelve studies with 12 GMV data sets and 9 WMV data sets yielded a total of 466 individuals (190 SCI patients and 276 controls) who were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with controls, SCI patients showed GMV atrophy in sensorimotor system regions including the bilateral sensorimotor cortex (S1 and M1), the supplementary motor area (SMA), paracentral gyrus, thalamus, and basal ganglia, as well as WMV loss in the corticospinal tract.GMV aberrancies were also demonstrated in brain regions responsible for cognition and emotion, such as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the left insula. Additionally, GMV in both the bilateral S1 and the left SMA was positively correlated with the time span after the injury. In conclusion, anatomical atrophy in cortical-thalamic-spinal pathways suggested that SCIs may result in degenerative changes of the sensorimotor system. Further, OFC and insula GMV abnormalities may explain symptoms such as neuropathic pain and potential cognitive-emotional impairments in chronic SCI patients. These findings indicate that anatomical brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols could be neuroimaging biomarkers for interventional studies and treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhao Wang
- 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.,2Department of Orthopedics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shi Tang
- 3Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Cong Li
- 4Department of Pediatrics, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jianan Chen
- 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Hongfei Li
- 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yanlin Su
- 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Bin Ning
- 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Jinan Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
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Abstract
Research on human navigation has indicated that males and females differ in self-reported navigation strategy as well as objective measures of navigation efficiency. In two experiments, we investigated sex differences in navigation strategy and efficiency using an objective measure of strategy, the dual-solution paradigm (DSP; Marchette, Bakker, & Shelton, 2011). Although navigation by shortcuts and learned routes were the primary strategies used in both experiments, as in previous research on the DSP, individuals also utilized route reversals and sometimes found the goal location as a result of wandering. Importantly, sex differences were found in measures of both route selection and navigation efficiency. In particular, males were more likely to take shortcuts and reached their goal location faster than females, while females were more likely to follow learned routes and wander. Self-report measures of strategy were only weakly correlated with objective measures of strategy, casting doubt on their usefulness. This research indicates that the sex difference in navigation efficiency is large, and only partially related to an individual's navigation strategy as measured by the dual-solution paradigm.
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Clemenson GD, Henningfield CM, Stark CEL. Improving Hippocampal Memory Through the Experience of a Rich Minecraft Environment. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:57. [PMID: 30949036 PMCID: PMC6437107 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well known that the brain changes in response to the surrounding environment. The hippocampus has been shown to be particularly susceptible to environmental enrichment, with effects ranging from the generation of new hippocampal neurons and synapses to an increased expression of neurotrophic factors. While many of these changes in the hippocampus are well documented in animals, our understanding of how environmental enrichment can apply to humans is more ambiguous. In animals, spatial exploration has been shown to be a clear way to elicit the effects of environmental enrichment and considering the role of the hippocampus in spatial navigation, which has been shown in both animal models and humans, it suggests a viable avenue for translation of environmental enrichment to humans. Here, we test the hypothesis that the spatial exploration of a virtual video game environment, can impact the hippocampus and lead to an improvement in hippocampal-dependent memory. Using the video game Minecraft, we tested four groups of participants, each playing on custom servers and focusing on different aspects of Minecraft to test the effects of both building and exploration over the course of 2 weeks. We found an improvement in hippocampus-associated memory from pre-test to post-test and that the degree of improvement was tied to both the amount of exploration of the Minecraft world and the complexity of the structures built within Minecraft. Thus, the number of enrichment participants engaged in while playing Minecraft was directly correlated with improvements in hippocampal-dependent memory outside of the game.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory D Clemenson
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Caden M Henningfield
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Craig E L Stark
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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80
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Everyday taxi drivers: Do better navigators have larger hippocampi? Cortex 2019; 115:280-293. [PMID: 30884282 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Work with non-human animals and human navigation experts (London taxi drivers) suggests that the size of the hippocampus, particularly the right posterior hippocampus in humans, relates to navigation expertise. Similar observations, sometimes implicating other sections of the hippocampus, have been made for aging populations and for people with neurodegenerative diseases that affect the hippocampus. These data support the hypothesis that hippocampal volume relates to navigation ability. However, the support for this hypothesis is mixed in healthy, young adults, who range widely in their navigation ability. Here, we administered a naturalistic navigation task that measures cognitive map accuracy to a sample of 90 healthy, young adults who also had MRI scans. Using a sequential analysis design with a registered analysis plan, we did not find that navigation ability related to hippocampal volume (total, right only, right posterior only). We conclude that navigation ability in a typical population does not correlate with variations in hippocampal size, and consider possible explanations for this null result.
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81
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Amici F, Sánchez-Amaro A, Sebastián-Enesco C, Cacchione T, Allritz M, Salazar-Bonet J, Rossano F. The word order of languages predicts native speakers' working memory. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1124. [PMID: 30718704 PMCID: PMC6362290 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37654-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between language and thought is controversial. One hypothesis is that language fosters habits of processing information that are retained even in non-linguistic domains. In left-branching (LB) languages, modifiers usually precede the head, and real-time sentence comprehension may more heavily rely on retaining initial information in working memory. Here we presented a battery of working memory and short-term memory tasks to adult native speakers of four LB and four right-branching (RB) languages from Africa, Asia and Europe. In working memory tasks, LB speakers were better than RB speakers at recalling initial stimuli, but worse at recalling final stimuli. Our results show that the practice of parsing sentences in specific directions due to the syntax and word order of our native language not only predicts the way we remember words, but also other non-linguistic stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Amici
- Junior Research Group "Primate Kin Selection", Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- University of Leipzig Faculty of Life Science, Institute of Biology, Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Talstrasse 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Alex Sánchez-Amaro
- Department of Comparative and Developmental Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0515, USA
| | - Carla Sebastián-Enesco
- William James Center for Research, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Trix Cacchione
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
- Pedagogische Hochschule, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, Bahnhofstrasse 6, 5210, Windisch, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Allritz
- Department of Comparative and Developmental Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Juan Salazar-Bonet
- Department of International Programs, Florida State University, C/ Blanquerías 2, 46003, Valencia, Spain
| | - Federico Rossano
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0515, USA
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82
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Forsberg L, Sigurdsson S, Launer LJ, Gudnason V, Ullén F. Structural covariability hubs in old age. Neuroimage 2019; 189:307-315. [PMID: 30669008 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies have shown that inter-individual differences in grey matter, as measured by voxel-based morphometry, are coordinated between voxels. This has been done by studying covariance maps based on a limited number of seed regions. Here, we used GPU-based (Graphics Processing Unit) accelerated computing to calculate, for the first time, the aggregated map of the total structural topographical organisation in the brain on voxel level in a large sample of 960 healthy individuals in the age range 68-83 years. This map describes for each voxel the number of significant correlations with all other grey matter voxels in the brain. Voxels that correlate significantly with many other voxels are called hubs. A majority of these hubs were found in the basal ganglia, the thalamus, the brainstem, and the cerebellum; subcortical regions that have been preserved through vertebrate evolution, interact with large portions of the neocortex and play fundamental roles for the control of a wide range of behaviours. No significant difference in the level of covariability could be found with increasing age or between men and women in these hubs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Forsberg
- The Icelandic Heart Association, IS-201, Kopavogur, Iceland; Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, S-17177, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | | | - Lenore J Launer
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute of Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Vilmundur Gudnason
- The Icelandic Heart Association, IS-201, Kopavogur, Iceland; The University of Iceland, IS-101, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Fredrik Ullén
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, S-17177, Stockholm, Sweden
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83
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Robinson ESJ. Translational new approaches for investigating mood disorders in rodents and what they may reveal about the underlying neurobiology of major depressive disorder. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0036. [PMID: 29352034 PMCID: PMC5790833 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Mood disorders represent one of society's most costly and challenging health burdens. The drug treatments used today were initially discovered serendipitously in the 1950s. Animal models were then developed based on the ability of these drugs to alter specific behaviours. These models have played a major role in the development of the second generation of antidepressants. However, their use has been heavily criticized, particularly in relation to whether they recapitulate similar underlying biology to the psychiatric disorder they are proposed to represent. This article considers our work in the field of affective bias and the development of a translational research programme to try to develop and validate better animal models. We discuss whether the new data that have arisen from these studies support an alternative perspective on the underlying neurobiological processes that lead to major depressive disorder (MDD). Specifically, this article will consider whether a neuropsychological mechanism involving affective biases plays a causal role in the development of MDD and its associated emotional and behavioural symptoms. These animal studies also raise the possibility that neuropsychological mechanisms involving affective biases are a precursor to, rather than a consequence of, the neurotrophic changes linked to MDD. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Of mice and mental health: facilitating dialogue between basic and clinical neuroscientists’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma S J Robinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
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84
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85
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Ledreux A, Håkansson K, Carlsson R, Kidane M, Columbo L, Terjestam Y, Ryan E, Tusch E, Winblad B, Daffner K, Granholm AC, Mohammed AKH. Differential Effects of Physical Exercise, Cognitive Training, and Mindfulness Practice on Serum BDNF Levels in Healthy Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Intervention Study. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 71:1245-1261. [PMID: 31498125 PMCID: PMC10896591 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have indicated that an active lifestyle is associated with better brain health and a longer life, compared to a more sedentary lifestyle. These studies, both on human and animal subjects, have typically focused on a single activity, usually physical exercise, but other activities have received an increasing interest. One proposed mechanism is that physical exercise increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain. For the first time, the long-term effects on serum BDNF levels were compared in persons who engaged in either physical exercise training, cognitive training, or mindfulness practice during 5 weeks, and compared with an active control group. Two cohorts of healthy older individuals, one from the Boston area in the US and one from the Växjö area in Sweden, participated. A total of 146 participants were randomly assigned to one of the four groups. All interventions were structurally similar, using interactive, computer-based software that directed participants to carry out specified activities for 35 minutes/day, 5 days per week for 5 weeks. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and soon after the completion of the 5-week long intervention program, and serum BDNF levels were measured using a commercially available ELISA. Only the group that underwent cognitive training increased their serum BDNF levels after 5 weeks of training (F1,74 = 4.22, p = 0.044, partial η2 = 0.054), corresponding to an average 10% increase. These results strongly suggest that cognitive training can exert beneficial effects on brain health in an older adult population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélie Ledreux
- Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Krister Håkansson
- Theme Aging, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Roger Carlsson
- Department of Psychology, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden
| | - Mhretab Kidane
- Department of Computer Science and Media Technology, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden
| | - Laura Columbo
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | | | - Eliza Ryan
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Erich Tusch
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bengt Winblad
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kirk Daffner
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ann-Charlotte Granholm
- Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Abdul Kadir H Mohammed
- Department of Psychology, Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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86
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Pedersen WS, Muftuler LT, Larson CL. Conservatism and the neural circuitry of threat: economic conservatism predicts greater amygdala-BNST connectivity during periods of threat vs safety. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 13:43-51. [PMID: 29126127 PMCID: PMC5793824 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Political conservatism is associated with an increased negativity bias, including increased attention and reactivity toward negative and threatening stimuli. Although the human amygdala has been implicated in the response to threatening stimuli, no studies to date have investigated whether conservatism is associated with altered amygdala function toward threat. Furthermore, although an influential theory posits that connectivity between the amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is important in initiating the response to sustained or uncertain threat, whether individual differences in conservatism modulate this connectivity is unknown. To test whether conservatism is associated with increased reactivity in neural threat circuitry, we measured participants’ self-reported social and economic conservatism and asked them to complete high-resolution fMRI scans while under threat of an unpredictable shock and while safe. We found that economic conservatism predicted greater connectivity between the BNST and a cluster of voxels in the left amygdala during threat vs safety. These results suggest that increased amygdala–BNST connectivity during threat may be a key neural correlate of the enhanced negativity bias found in conservatism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walker S Pedersen
- Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - L Tugan Muftuler
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Christine L Larson
- Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
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87
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Jonin PY, Besson G, La Joie R, Pariente J, Belliard S, Barillot C, Barbeau EJ. Superior explicit memory despite severe developmental amnesia: In-depth case study and neural correlates. Hippocampus 2018; 28:867-885. [PMID: 29995351 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The acquisition of new semantic memories is sometimes preserved in patients with hippocampal amnesia. Robust evidence for this comes from case reports of developmental amnesia suggesting that low-to-normal levels of semantic knowledge can be achieved despite compromised episodic learning. However, it is unclear whether this relative preservation of semantic memory results from normal acquisition and retrieval or from residual episodic memory, combined with effortful repetition. Furthermore, lesion studies have mainly focused on the hippocampus itself, and have seldom reported the state of structures in the extended hippocampal system. Preserved components of this system may therefore mediate residual episodic abilities, contributing to the apparent semantic preservation. We report an in-depth study of Patient KA, a 27-year-old man who had severe hypoxia at birth, in which we carefully explored his residual episodic learning abilities. We used novel speeded recognition paradigms to assess whether KA could explicitly acquire and retrieve new context-free memories. Despite a pattern of very severe amnesia, with a 44-point discrepancy between his intelligence and memory quotients, KA exhibited normal-to-superior levels of knowledge, even under strict time constraints. He also exhibited normal-to-superior recognition memory for new material, again under strict time constraints. Multimodal neuroimaging revealed an unusual pattern of selective atrophy within each component of the extended hippocampal system, contrasting with the preservation of anterior subhippocampal cortices. A cortical thickness analysis yielded a pattern of thinner but also thicker regional cortices, pointing toward specific temporal lobe reorganization following early injury. We thus report the first case of superior explicit learning and memory in a severe case of amnesia, raising important questions about how such knowledge can be acquired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Yves Jonin
- Brain and Cognition Research Center, CNRS UMR 5549, Université de Toulouse Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.,IRISA, UMR CNRS 6074, VisAGeS U1228, INSERM, INRIA, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,Neurology Department, Pontchaillou University Hospital, Rennes, France
| | - Gabriel Besson
- Brain and Cognition Research Center, CNRS UMR 5549, Université de Toulouse Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Renaud La Joie
- "Neuropsychology and Imaging of Human Memory" Research Unit, Normandy University-PSL Research University-INSERM U1077, Caen University Hospital, Caen, France
| | - Jérémie Pariente
- Toulouse Neuroimaging Center, INSERM U1214, Université de Toulouse Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Serge Belliard
- Neurology Department, Pontchaillou University Hospital, Rennes, France.,"Neuropsychology and Imaging of Human Memory" Research Unit, Normandy University-PSL Research University-INSERM U1077, Caen University Hospital, Caen, France
| | - Christian Barillot
- IRISA, UMR CNRS 6074, VisAGeS U1228, INSERM, INRIA, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Emmanuel J Barbeau
- Brain and Cognition Research Center, CNRS UMR 5549, Université de Toulouse Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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88
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Lin JJ, Umbach G, Rugg MD, Lega B. Gamma oscillations during episodic memory processing provide evidence for functional specialization in the longitudinal axis of the human hippocampus. Hippocampus 2018; 29:68-72. [PMID: 30394594 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The question of whether the anterior and posterior hippocampus serve different or complementary functional roles during episodic memory processing has been motivated by noteworthy findings in rodent experiments and from noninvasive studies in humans. Researchers have synthesized these data to postulate several models of functional specialization, However, the issue has not been explored in detail using direct brain recordings. We recently published evidence that theta power increases during episodic memory encoding occur in the posterior hippocampus in humans. In our current investigation we analyzed an expanded data set of 32 epilepsy patients undergoing stereo EEG seizure mapping surgery with electrodes precisely targeted to the anterior and posterior hippocampus simultaneously who performed an episodic memory task. Using a repeated measures design, we looked for an interaction between encoding versus retrieval differences in gamma oscillatory power and anterior versus posterior hippocampal location. Our findings are consistent with a recently articulated model (the HERNET model) favoring posterior hippocampal activation during retrieval related processing. We also tested for encoding versus retrieval differences in the preferred gamma frequency band (high versus low gamma oscillations) motivated by published rodent data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jui-Jui Lin
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Gray Umbach
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Michael D Rugg
- Center for Vital Longevity, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas
| | - Bradley Lega
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
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89
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Abstract
Twin studies have revealed political ideology to be partially heritable. Neurological research has shown that ideological differences are reflected in brain structure and response, suggesting a direct genotype-phenotype link. Social and informational environments, however, also demonstrably affect brain structure and response. This leads to a "chicken-and-egg" question: do genes produce brains with ideological predispositions, causing the preferential absorption of consonant information and thereby forming an ideology, or do social and informational environments do most of the heavy lifting, with genetic evidence the spurious artifact of outdated methodology? Or are both inextricably intertwined contributors? This article investigates the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to ideological development using a role-play experiment investigating the development of opinions on a novel political issue. The results support the view that the process is bidirectional, suggesting that, like most traits, political ideology is produced by the complex interplay of genetic and (social/informational) environmental influences.
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90
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d’Errico F, Colagè I. Cultural Exaptation and Cultural Neural Reuse: A Mechanism for the Emergence of Modern Culture and Behavior. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s13752-018-0306-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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91
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Hansen MS, Asghar MS, Wetterslev J, Pipper CB, Mårtensson J, Becerra L, Christensen A, Nybing JD, Havsteen I, Boesen M, Dahl JB. The association between areas of secondary hyperalgesia and volumes of the caudate nuclei and other pain relevant brain structures-A 3-tesla MRI study of healthy men. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201642. [PMID: 30130373 PMCID: PMC6103511 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Central sensitization plays a pivotal role in maintenance of pain and is believed to be intricately involved in several chronic pain conditions. One clinical manifestation of central sensitization is secondary hyperalgesia. The degree of secondary hyperalgesia presumably reflects individual levels of central sensitization. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between areas of secondary hyperalgesia and volumes of the caudate nuclei and other brain structures involved in pain processing. Materials and methods We recruited 121 healthy male participants; 118 were included in the final analysis. All participants underwent whole brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Prior to MRI, all participants underwent pain testing. Secondary hyperalgesia was induced by brief thermal sensitization. Additionally, we recorded heat pain detection thresholds (HPDT), pain during one minute thermal stimulation (p-TS) and results of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression score (HADS). Results We found no significant associations between the size of the area of secondary hyperalgesia and the volume of the caudate nuclei or of the following structures: primary somatosensory cortex, anterior and mid cingulate cortex, putamen, nucleus accumbens, globus pallidus, insula and the cerebellum. Likewise, we found no significant associations between the volume of the caudate nuclei and HPDTs, p-TS, PCS and HADS. Conclusions Our findings indicate that the size of the secondary hyperalgesia area is not associated with the volume of brain structures relevant for pain processing, suggesting that the propensity to develop central sensitization, assessed as secondary hyperalgesia, is not correlated to brain structure volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morten S. Hansen
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Centre of head and orthopaedics, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Radiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - Mohammad S. Asghar
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Centre of head and orthopaedics, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jørn Wetterslev
- Copenhagen Trial Unit, Centre for Clinical Intervention Research, department, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian B. Pipper
- Section of Biostatistics, Faculty of health, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johan Mårtensson
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund university, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lino Becerra
- Invicro, A Konica Minolta Company, Boston, United States of America
| | - Anders Christensen
- Department of Radiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Janus D. Nybing
- Department of Radiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Inger Havsteen
- Department of Radiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mikael Boesen
- Department of Radiology and the Parker Institute, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jørgen B. Dahl
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
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92
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Could Prolonged Usage of GPS Navigation Implemented in Augmented Reality Smart Glasses Affect Hippocampal Functional Connectivity? BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 2018:2716134. [PMID: 30009166 PMCID: PMC6020662 DOI: 10.1155/2018/2716134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Background Augmented reality (AR) glasses with GPS navigation represent the rapidly evolving technology which spares (and externalizes) navigational capacities. Regarding the expected everyday usage of this device, its impact on neuroplastic brain changes and navigation abilities should be evaluated. Aims This study aimed to assess possible changes in functional connectivity (FC) of hippocampus and other brain regions involved in spatial navigation. Methods Thirty-three healthy participants completed two resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) measurements at the baseline and after 3 months. For this period, the experimental group (n = 17) has had used AR device (Vuzix M100) with incorporated GPS guidance system during navigation in real world. Participants from the control group (n = 16) have not used any GPS device while navigating during walking. The rsfMRI FC of right and left hippocampi was analyzed using a seed-driven approach. Virtual city task was used to test navigational abilities both before and after the usage of AR device. Results We identified strong functional coupling of right and left hippocampi at the baseline (p < 0.05, FDR corrected). Mild changes in bilateral hippocampal FC (p < 0.05, FDR uncorrected) were observed in both assessed groups mainly between the bilateral hippocampi and between each hippocampus and temporal regions and cerebellum. However, the experimental group showed FC decrease after three months of using GPS navigation implemented in AR glasses in contrast to FC increase in the control group without such intervention. Importantly, no effect of intervention on navigational abilities was observed. Discussion Our observation supports the assumption that externalization of spatial navigation to technological device (GPS in AR glasses) can decrease the functional coupling between hippocampus and associated brain regions. Considering some limitations of the present study, further studies should elucidate the mechanism of the observed changes and their impact on cognitive abilities.
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93
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Fraser MA, Shaw ME, Anstey KJ, Cherbuin N. Longitudinal Assessment of Hippocampal Atrophy in Midlife and Early Old Age: Contrasting Manual Tracing and Semi-automated Segmentation (FreeSurfer). Brain Topogr 2018; 31:949-962. [PMID: 29974288 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-018-0659-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
It is important to have accurate estimates of normal age-related brain structure changes and to understand how the choice of measurement technique may bias those estimates. We compared longitudinal change in hippocampal volume, laterality and atrophy measured by manual tracing and FreeSurfer (version 5.3) in middle age (n = 244, 47.2[1.4] years) and older age (n = 199, 67.0[1.4] years) individuals over 8 years. The proportion of overlap (Dice coefficient) between the segmented hippocampi was calculated and we hypothesised that the proportion of overlap would be higher for older individuals as a consequence of higher atrophy. Hippocampal volumes produced by FreeSurfer were larger than manually traced volumes. Both methods produced a left less than right volume laterality difference. Over time this laterality difference increased for manual tracing and decreased for FreeSurfer leading to laterality differences in left and right estimated atrophy rates. The overlap proportion between methods was not significantly different for older individuals, but was greater for the right hippocampus. Estimated middle age annualised atrophy rates were - 0.39(1.0) left, 0.07(1.01) right, - 0.17(0.88) total for manual tracing and - 0.15(0.69) left, - 0.20(0.63) right, - 0.18(0.57) total for FreeSurfer. Older age atrophy rates were - 0.43(1.32) left, - 0.15(1.41) right, - 0.30 (1.23) total for manual tracing and - 0.34(0.79) left, - 0.68(0.78) right, - 0.51(0.65) total for FreeSurfer. FreeSurfer reliably segments the hippocampus producing atrophy rates that are comparable to manual tracing with some biases that need to be considered in study design. FreeSurfer is suited for use in large longitudinal studies where it is not cost effective to use manual tracing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Fraser
- Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, Florey, Building 54, Mills Road, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
| | - Marnie E Shaw
- College of Engineering & Computer Science, Australian National University, Brian Anderson Building 115, 115 North Road, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Kaarin J Anstey
- Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, Florey, Building 54, Mills Road, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Nicolas Cherbuin
- Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, Florey, Building 54, Mills Road, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
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94
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Achieving Elusive Teacher Change through Challenging Myths about Learning: A Blended Approach. EDUCATION SCIENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/educsci8030098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The idea that success in mathematics is only available to those born as “mathematics people” has been challenged in recent years by neuroscience, showing that mathematics pathways develop in the brain through learning and practice. This paper reports on a blended professional learning model of online and in-person meetings during which 40 teachers in 8 school districts in the US learned about the new brain science, challenging the “math person” myth, as well as effective mathematics teaching methods. We refer to the combination as a Mathematical Mindset Approach. Using mixed methods, we conducted a one-year study to investigate teacher and student learning in a Mathematical Mindset network. We collected data on teacher and student beliefs, teacher instructional practice, and student learning gains on state achievement tests. The results from our quantitative analyses found statistically significant positive improvements in student beliefs, teacher’s instructional practice, and on students’ math test scores. The mindset approach particularly raised the achievement of girls, English learners, and economically disadvantaged students. Based on our qualitative analysis, we propose that the success of the intervention rests upon two central factors: (1) The different forms of PD served to eradicate the learning myths that had held up teachers and learners; and that (2) Teachers had space for identity work as mathematical learners.
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95
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Impact of video games on plasticity of the hippocampus. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:1566-1574. [PMID: 28785110 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The hippocampus is critical to healthy cognition, yet results in the current study show that action video game players have reduced grey matter within the hippocampus. A subsequent randomised longitudinal training experiment demonstrated that first-person shooting games reduce grey matter within the hippocampus in participants using non-spatial memory strategies. Conversely, participants who use hippocampus-dependent spatial strategies showed increased grey matter in the hippocampus after training. A control group that trained on 3D-platform games displayed growth in either the hippocampus or the functionally connected entorhinal cortex. A third study replicated the effect of action video game training on grey matter in the hippocampus. These results show that video games can be beneficial or detrimental to the hippocampal system depending on the navigation strategy that a person employs and the genre of the game.
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96
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Sherrill KR, Chrastil ER, Aselcioglu I, Hasselmo ME, Stern CE. Structural Differences in Hippocampal and Entorhinal Gray Matter Volume Support Individual Differences in First Person Navigational Ability. Neuroscience 2018; 380:123-131. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Revised: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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97
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Jost JT, Sapolsky RM, Nam HH. Speculations on the Evolutionary Origins of System Justification. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 16:1474704918765342. [PMID: 29911406 PMCID: PMC10481024 DOI: 10.1177/1474704918765342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
For centuries, philosophers and social theorists have wondered why people submit voluntarily to tyrannical leaders and oppressive regimes. In this article, we speculate on the evolutionary origins of system justification, that is, the ways in which people are motivated (often nonconsciously) to defend and justify existing social, economic, and political systems. After briefly recounting the logic of system justification theory and some of the most pertinent empirical evidence, we consider parallels between the social behaviors of humans and other animals concerning the acceptance versus rejection of hierarchy and dominance. Next, we summarize research in human neuroscience suggesting that specific brain regions, such as the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex, may be linked to individual differences in ideological preferences concerning (in)equality and social stability as well as the successful navigation of complex, hierarchical social systems. Finally, we consider some of the implications of a system justification perspective for the study of evolutionary psychology, political behavior, and social change.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T. Jost
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - H. Hannah Nam
- Department of Political Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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98
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Müller NCJ, Konrad BN, Kohn N, Muñoz-López M, Czisch M, Fernández G, Dresler M. Hippocampal-caudate nucleus interactions support exceptional memory performance. Brain Struct Funct 2018; 223:1379-1389. [PMID: 29138923 PMCID: PMC5869896 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1556-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Participants of the annual World Memory Championships regularly demonstrate extraordinary memory feats, such as memorising the order of 52 playing cards in 20 s or 1000 binary digits in 5 min. On a cognitive level, memory athletes use well-known mnemonic strategies, such as the method of loci. However, whether these feats are enabled solely through the use of mnemonic strategies or whether they benefit additionally from optimised neural circuits is still not fully clarified. Investigating 23 leading memory athletes, we found volumes of their right hippocampus and caudate nucleus were stronger correlated with each other compared to matched controls; both these volumes positively correlated with their position in the memory sports world ranking. Furthermore, we observed larger volumes of the right anterior hippocampus in athletes. Complementing these structural findings, on a functional level, fMRI resting state connectivity of the anterior hippocampus to both the posterior hippocampus and caudate nucleus predicted the athletes rank. While a competitive interaction between hippocampus and caudate nucleus is often observed in normal memory function, our findings suggest that a hippocampal-caudate nucleus cooperation may enable exceptional memory performance. We speculate that this cooperation reflects an integration of the two memory systems at issue-enabling optimal combination of stimulus-response learning and map-based learning when using mnemonic strategies as for example the method of loci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils C J Müller
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Boris N Konrad
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Nils Kohn
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Monica Muñoz-López
- Human Neuroanatomy Laboratory, School of Medicine and Regional Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete, Spain
| | | | - Guillén Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Dresler
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
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99
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McCormick C, Ciaramelli E, De Luca F, Maguire EA. Comparing and Contrasting the Cognitive Effects of Hippocampal and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Damage: A Review of Human Lesion Studies. Neuroscience 2018; 374:295-318. [PMID: 28827088 PMCID: PMC6053620 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.07.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are closely connected brain regions whose functions are still debated. In order to offer a fresh perspective on understanding the contributions of these two brain regions to cognition, in this review we considered cognitive tasks that usually elicit deficits in hippocampal-damaged patients (e.g., autobiographical memory retrieval), and examined the performance of vmPFC-lesioned patients on these tasks. We then took cognitive tasks where performance is typically compromised following vmPFC damage (e.g., decision making), and looked at how these are affected by hippocampal lesions. Three salient motifs emerged. First, there are surprising gaps in our knowledge about how hippocampal and vmPFC patients perform on tasks typically associated with the other group. Second, while hippocampal or vmPFC damage seems to adversely affect performance on so-called hippocampal tasks, the performance of hippocampal and vmPFC patients clearly diverges on classic vmPFC tasks. Third, although performance appears analogous on hippocampal tasks, on closer inspection, there are significant disparities between hippocampal and vmPFC patients. Based on these findings, we suggest a tentative hierarchical model to explain the functions of the hippocampus and vmPFC. We propose that the vmPFC initiates the construction of mental scenes by coordinating the curation of relevant elements from neocortical areas, which are then funneled into the hippocampus to build a scene. The vmPFC then engages in iterative re-initiation via feedback loops with neocortex and hippocampus to facilitate the flow and integration of the multiple scenes that comprise the coherent unfolding of an extended mental event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia McCormick
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Elisa Ciaramelli
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Centro studi e ricerche di Neuroscienze Cognitive, Cesena, Italy
| | - Flavia De Luca
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Centro studi e ricerche di Neuroscienze Cognitive, Cesena, Italy
| | - Eleanor A Maguire
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
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100
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Towards Homo Digitalis: Important Research Issues for Psychology and the Neurosciences at the Dawn of the Internet of Things and the Digital Society. SUSTAINABILITY 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/su10020415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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