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Piretti L, Pappaianni E, Lunardelli A, Zorzenon I, Ukmar M, Pesavento V, Rumiati RI, Job R, Grecucci A. The Role of Amygdala in Self-Conscious Emotions in a Patient With Acquired Bilateral Damage. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:677. [PMID: 32733192 PMCID: PMC7360725 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Shame plays a fundamental role in the regulation of our social behavior. One intriguing question is whether amygdala might play a role in processing this emotion. In the present single-case study, we tested a patient with acquired damage of bilateral amygdalae and surrounding areas as well as healthy controls on shame processing and other social cognitive tasks. Results revealed that the patient's subjective experience of shame, but not of guilt, was more reduced than in controls, only when social standards were violated, while it was not different than controls in case of moral violations. The impairment in discriminating between normal social situations and violations also emerged. Taken together, these findings suggest that the role of the amygdala in processing shame might reflect its relevance in resolving ambiguity and uncertainty, in order to correctly detect social violations and to generate shame feelings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Piretti
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Marica De Vincenzi Onlus Foundation, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Edoardo Pappaianni
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Irene Zorzenon
- Radiology Department, Ospedali Riuniti di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Maja Ukmar
- Radiology Department, Ospedali Riuniti di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Raffaella Ida Rumiati
- Neuroscience and Society Lab, Neuroscience Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Remo Job
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Marica De Vincenzi Onlus Foundation, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Alessandro Grecucci
- Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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52
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Aquino TG, Minxha J, Dunne S, Ross IB, Mamelak AN, Rutishauser U, O'Doherty JP. Value-Related Neuronal Responses in the Human Amygdala during Observational Learning. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4761-4772. [PMID: 32376780 PMCID: PMC7294800 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2897-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The amygdala plays an important role in many aspects of social cognition and reward learning. Here, we aimed to determine whether human amygdala neurons are involved in the computations necessary to implement learning through observation. We performed single-neuron recordings from the amygdalae of human neurosurgical patients (male and female) while they learned about the value of stimuli through observing the outcomes experienced by another agent interacting with those stimuli. We used a detailed computational modeling approach to describe patients' behavior in the task. We found a significant proportion of amygdala neurons whose activity correlated with both expected rewards for oneself and others, and in tracking outcome values received by oneself or other agents. Additionally, a population decoding analysis suggests the presence of information for both observed and experiential outcomes in the amygdala. Encoding and decoding analyses suggested observational value coding in amygdala neurons occurred in a different subset of neurons than experiential value coding. Collectively, these findings support a key role for the human amygdala in the computations underlying the capacity for learning through observation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Single-neuron studies of the human brain provide a unique window into the computational mechanisms of cognition. In this study, epilepsy patients implanted intracranially with hybrid depth electrodes performed an observational learning (OL) task. We measured single-neuron activity in the amygdala and found a representation for observational rewards as well as observational expected reward values. Additionally, distinct subsets of amygdala neurons represented self-experienced and observational values. This study provides a rare glimpse into the role of human amygdala neurons in social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas G Aquino
- Computation and Neural Systems, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Juri Minxha
- Computation and Neural Systems, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Simon Dunne
- Computation and Neural Systems, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
| | - Ian B Ross
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA 91105
| | - Adam N Mamelak
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Pasadena, CA 90048
| | - Ueli Rutishauser
- Computation and Neural Systems, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Pasadena, CA 90048
| | - John P O'Doherty
- Computation and Neural Systems, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
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53
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Young AW, Frühholz S, Schweinberger SR. Face and Voice Perception: Understanding Commonalities and Differences. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:398-410. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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54
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Jones NP, Schlund M, Kerestes R, Ladouceur CD. Emotional Interference in Early Adolescence: Positive Reinforcement Modulates the Behavioral and Neural Effects of Negative Emotional Distracters. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:2642-2657. [PMID: 31812998 PMCID: PMC7175015 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Limited research has examined functioning within fronto-limbic systems subserving the resistance to emotional interference in adolescence despite evidence indicating that alterations in these systems are implicated in the developmental trajectories of affective disorders. This study examined the functioning of fronto-limbic systems subserving emotional interference in early adolescence and whether positive reinforcement could modulate these systems to promote resistance to emotional distraction. Fifty healthy early adolescents (10-13 years old) completed an emotional delayed working memory (WM) paradigm in which no distractors (fixation crosshair) and emotional distracters (neutral and negative images) were presented with and without positive reinforcement for correct responses. WM accuracy decreased with negative distracters relative to neutral distracters and no distracters, and activation increased in amygdala and prefrontal cortical (PFC) regions (ventrolateral, dorsomedial, ventromedial, and subgenual anterior cingulate) with negative distracters compared with those with no distracters. Reinforcement improved performance and reduced activation in the amygdala, dorsomedial PFC, and ventrolateral PFC. Decreases in amygdala activation to negative distracters due to reinforcement mediated observed decreases in reaction times. These findings demonstrate that healthy adolescents recruit similar fronto-limbic systems subserving emotional interference as adults and that positive reinforcement can modulate fronto-limbic systems to promote resistance to emotional distraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil P Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Michael Schlund
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
| | - Rebecca Kerestes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Cecile D Ladouceur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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55
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Lee TH, Perino MT, McElwain NL, Telzer EH. Perceiving facial affective ambiguity: A behavioral and neural comparison of adolescents and adults. Emotion 2020; 20:501-506. [PMID: 30628818 PMCID: PMC6620165 DOI: 10.1037/emo0000558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The current study examined perceptual differences between adults and youth in perceiving ambiguous facial expressions. We estimated individuals' internal representation for facial expressions and compared it between age groups (adolescents: N = 108, Mage = 13.04 years, 43.52% female; adults: N = 81, Mage = 31.54, 65.43% female). We found that adolescents' perceptual representation for facial emotion is broader than that of adults', such that adolescents experience more difficulty in identifying subtle configurational differences of facial expressions. At the neural level, perceptual uncertainty in face-selective regions (e.g., fusiform face area, occipital face area) were significantly higher for adolescents than for adults, suggesting that adolescents' brains more similarly represent lower intensity emotional faces than do adults'. Our results provide evidence for age-related differences concerning psychophysical differences in perceptual representation of emotional faces at the neural and behavioral level. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael T. Perino
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
| | - Nancy L. McElwain
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, UIUC
| | - Eva H. Telzer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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56
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Olsson A, Knapska E, Lindström B. The neural and computational systems of social learning. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:197-212. [PMID: 32221497 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-020-0276-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Learning the value of stimuli and actions from others - social learning - adaptively contributes to individual survival and plays a key role in cultural evolution. We review research across species targeting the neural and computational systems of social learning in both the aversive and appetitive domains. Social learning generally follows the same principles as self-experienced value-based learning, including computations of prediction errors and is implemented in brain circuits activated across task domains together with regions processing social information. We integrate neural and computational perspectives of social learning with an understanding of behaviour of varying complexity, from basic threat avoidance to complex social learning strategies and cultural phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Olsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Ewelina Knapska
- Laboratory of Emotions' Neurobiology, Centre of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders (BRAINCITY), Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Björn Lindström
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.,Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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57
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Lin H, Müller-Bardorff M, Gathmann B, Brieke J, Mothes-Lasch M, Bruchmann M, Miltner WHR, Straube T. Stimulus arousal drives amygdalar responses to emotional expressions across sensory modalities. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1898. [PMID: 32024891 PMCID: PMC7002496 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58839-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The factors that drive amygdalar responses to emotionally significant stimuli are still a matter of debate - particularly the proneness of the amygdala to respond to negatively-valenced stimuli has been discussed controversially. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether the amygdala responds in a modality-general fashion or whether modality-specific idiosyncrasies exist. Therefore, the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study systematically investigated amygdalar responding to stimulus valence and arousal of emotional expressions across visual and auditory modalities. During scanning, participants performed a gender judgment task while prosodic and facial emotional expressions were presented. The stimuli varied in stimulus valence and arousal by including neutral, happy and angry expressions of high and low emotional intensity. Results demonstrate amygdalar activation as a function of stimulus arousal and accordingly associated emotional intensity regardless of stimulus valence. Furthermore, arousal-driven amygdalar responding did not depend on the visual and auditory modalities of emotional expressions. Thus, the current results are consistent with the notion that the amygdala codes general stimulus relevance across visual and auditory modalities irrespective of valence. In addition, whole brain analyses revealed that effects in visual and auditory areas were driven mainly by high intense emotional facial and vocal stimuli, respectively, suggesting modality-specific representations of emotional expressions in auditory and visual cortices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyan Lin
- Institute of Applied Psychology, School of Public Administration, Guangdong University of Finance, 510521, Guangzhou, China.
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany.
| | - Miriam Müller-Bardorff
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Bettina Gathmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Jaqueline Brieke
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Martin Mothes-Lasch
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Maximilian Bruchmann
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany
| | - Wolfgang H R Miltner
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas Straube
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany
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58
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Scheele D, Zimbal S, Feinstein JS, Delis A, Neumann C, Mielacher C, Philipsen A, Hurlemann R. Treatment-Resistant Depression and Ketamine Response in a Patient With Bilateral Amygdala Damage. Am J Psychiatry 2019; 176:982-986. [PMID: 31787017 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.18101219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Scheele
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Sophia Zimbal
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Justin S Feinstein
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Achilles Delis
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Claudia Neumann
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Clemens Mielacher
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - Alexandra Philipsen
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
| | - René Hurlemann
- Division of Medical Psychology (Scheele, Zimbal, Mielacher, Hurlemann), Department of Anesthesiology (Delis, Neumann), and Department of Psychiatry (Philipsen, Hurlemann), University Hospital, Bonn, Germany; Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Okla. (Feinstein); and Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg Medical Campus, Bad Zwischenahn, Germany (Hurlemann)
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59
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Chen W, de Hemptinne C, Leibbrand M, Miller AM, Larson PS, Starr PA. Altered Prefrontal Theta and Gamma Activity during an Emotional Face Processing Task in Parkinson Disease. J Cogn Neurosci 2019; 31:1768-1776. [PMID: 31322465 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) often experience nonmotor symptoms including cognitive deficits, depression, and anxiety. Cognitive and affective processes are thought to be mediated by prefrontal cortico-basal ganglia circuitry. However, the topography and neurophysiology of prefrontal cortical activity during complex tasks are not well characterized. We used high-resolution electrocorticography in pFC of patients with PD and essential tremor, during implantation of deep brain stimulator leads in the awake state, to understand disease-specific changes in prefrontal activity during an emotional face processing task. We found that patients with PD had less task-related theta-alpha power and greater task-related gamma power in the dorsolateral pFC, inferior frontal cortex, and lateral OFC. These findings support a model of prefrontal neurophysiological changes in the dopamine-depleted state, in which focal areas of hyperactivity in prefrontal cortical regions may compensate for impaired long-range interactions mediated by low-frequency rhythms. These distinct neurophysiological changes suggest that nonmotor circuits undergo characteristic changes in PD.
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60
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Nordahl CW, Schumann CM. Early Variations in Amygdala Development May Signal Divergent Behavioral Outcomes. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 4:3-4. [PMID: 30616748 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2018.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Wu Nordahl
- The MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California.
| | - Cynthia M Schumann
- The MIND Institute and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California
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61
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Tashjian SM, Guassi Moreira JF, Galván A. Multivoxel Pattern Analysis Reveals a Neural Phenotype for Trust Bias in Adolescents. J Cogn Neurosci 2019; 31:1726-1741. [PMID: 31322468 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The extent to which individuals are inclined to judge unfamiliar others as trustworthy can have important implications for social functioning. Using multivariate pattern analysis, a neural phenotype of trust bias was identified in 48 human adolescents (ages 14-18 years, 26 female). Adolescents who exhibited more similar brain response to faces at the extremes of a trustworthy gradient were more likely to rate neutral faces as trustworthy. This relation between neural pattern representation and trust bias was evinced in the amygdala. Amygdala-insula connectivity dissimilarity to faces at the extremes of the trustworthy gradient was associated with greater trust bias to neutral faces, serving as a distinct circuit-level contributor to decision-making over and above of amygdala pattern similarity. These findings aid understanding of neural mechanisms contributing to individual differences in social evaluations of ambiguity.
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62
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Wang S, Chandravadia N, Mamelak AN, Rutishauser U. Simultaneous Eye Tracking and Single-Neuron Recordings in Human Epilepsy Patients. J Vis Exp 2019. [PMID: 31259902 DOI: 10.3791/59117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracranial recordings from patients with intractable epilepsy provide a unique opportunity to study the activity of individual human neurons during active behavior. An important tool for quantifying behavior is eye tracking, which is an indispensable tool for studying visual attention. However, eye tracking is challenging to use concurrently with invasive electrophysiology and this approach has consequently been little used. Here, we present a proven experimental protocol to conduct single-neuron recordings with simultaneous eye tracking in humans. We describe how the systems are connected and the optimal settings to record neurons and eye movements. To illustrate the utility of this method, we summarize results that were made possible by this setup. This data shows how using eye tracking in a memory-guided visual search task allowed us to describe a new class of neurons called target neurons, whose response was reflective of top-down attention to the current search target. Lastly, we discuss the significance and solutions to potential problems of this setup. Together, our protocol and results suggest that single-neuron recordings with simultaneous eye tracking in humans are an effective method to study human brain function. It provides a key missing link between animal neurophysiology and human cognitive neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University;
| | - Nand Chandravadia
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
| | - Adam N Mamelak
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center;
| | - Ueli Rutishauser
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology;
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63
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Domínguez-Borràs J, Guex R, Méndez-Bértolo C, Legendre G, Spinelli L, Moratti S, Frühholz S, Mégevand P, Arnal L, Strange B, Seeck M, Vuilleumier P. Human amygdala response to unisensory and multisensory emotion input: No evidence for superadditivity from intracranial recordings. Neuropsychologia 2019; 131:9-24. [PMID: 31158367 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The amygdala is crucially implicated in processing emotional information from various sensory modalities. However, there is dearth of knowledge concerning the integration and relative time-course of its responses across different channels, i.e., for auditory, visual, and audiovisual input. Functional neuroimaging data in humans point to a possible role of this region in the multimodal integration of emotional signals, but direct evidence for anatomical and temporal overlap of unisensory and multisensory-evoked responses in amygdala is still lacking. We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) and oscillatory activity from 9 amygdalae using intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) in patients prior to epilepsy surgery, and compared electrophysiological responses to fearful, happy, or neutral stimuli presented either in voices alone, faces alone, or voices and faces simultaneously delivered. Results showed differential amygdala responses to fearful stimuli, in comparison to neutral, reaching significance 100-200 ms post-onset for auditory, visual and audiovisual stimuli. At later latencies, ∼400 ms post-onset, amygdala response to audiovisual information was also amplified in comparison to auditory or visual stimuli alone. Importantly, however, we found no evidence for either super- or subadditivity effects in any of the bimodal responses. These results suggest, first, that emotion processing in amygdala occurs at globally similar early stages of perceptual processing for auditory, visual, and audiovisual inputs; second, that overall larger responses to multisensory information occur at later stages only; and third, that the underlying mechanisms of this multisensory gain may reflect a purely additive response to concomitant visual and auditory inputs. Our findings provide novel insights on emotion processing across the sensory pathways, and their convergence within the limbic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Domínguez-Borràs
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland; Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Raphaël Guex
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland; Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | | | - Guillaume Legendre
- Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Basic Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Laurent Spinelli
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Stephan Moratti
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain; Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.
| | - Sascha Frühholz
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Pierre Mégevand
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Basic Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Luc Arnal
- Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Basic Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Bryan Strange
- Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Centre for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain; Department of Neuroimaging, Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre, Reina Sofia-CIEN Foundation, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Margitta Seeck
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Basic Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
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64
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Wang S. Brief Report: Atypical Visual Exploration in Autism Spectrum Disorder Cannot be Attributed to the Amygdala. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:2605-2611. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04009-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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65
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Kryza-Lacombe M, Brotman MA, Reynolds RC, Towbin K, Pine DS, Leibenluft E, Wiggins JL. Neural mechanisms of face emotion processing in youths and adults with bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord 2019; 21:309-320. [PMID: 30851221 PMCID: PMC6597279 DOI: 10.1111/bdi.12768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Little is known about potential differences in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD) across development. The present study aimed to characterize age-related neural mechanisms of BD. METHODS Youths and adults with and without BD (N = 108, age range = 9.8-55.9 years) completed an emotional face labeling task during fMRI acquisition. We leveraged three different fMRI analytic tools to identify age-related neural mechanisms of BD, investigating (a) change in neural responses over the course of the task, (b) neural activation averaged across the entire task, and (c) amygdala functional connectivity. RESULTS We found converging Age Group × Diagnosis patterns across all three analytic methods. Compared to healthy youths vs adults, youths vs adults with BD show an altered pattern in response to repeated presentation of emotional faces in medial prefrontal, amygdala, and temporoparietal regions, as well as amygdala-temporoparietal connectivity. Specifically, medial prefrontal and lingual activation decreases over the course of repeated emotional face presentations in healthy youths vs adults but increases in youths with BD compared to adults with BD. Moreover, youths vs adults with BD show less medial prefrontal activation and amygdala-temporoparietal junction connectivity averaged over the task, but this difference is not found for healthy youths vs adults. CONCLUSION Although longitudinal confirmation and replication will be necessary, these findings suggest that neural development may be aberrant in BD and that some neural mechanisms mediating BD may differ in adults vs children with the illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Kryza-Lacombe
- San Diego State University/University of California, San
Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
| | - Melissa A. Brotman
- Emotion Development Branch, National Institute of Mental
Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Richard C. Reynolds
- Scientific and Statistical Computing Core, National
Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Kenneth Towbin
- Emotion Development Branch, National Institute of Mental
Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Daniel S. Pine
- Emotion Development Branch, National Institute of Mental
Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Ellen Leibenluft
- Emotion Development Branch, National Institute of Mental
Health, National Institutes of Health
| | - Jillian Lee Wiggins
- San Diego State University/University of California, San
Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology,Department of Psychology, San Diego State University
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66
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Rutishauser U. Testing Models of Human Declarative Memory at the Single-Neuron Level. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 23:510-524. [PMID: 31031021 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.03.006] [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] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering the mechanisms of declarative memory is a major goal of neuroscience. While much theoretical progress has been made, it has proven difficult to experimentally verify key predictions of some foundational models of memory. Recently, single-neuron recordings in human patients have started to provide direct experimental verification of some theories, including mnemonic evidence accumulation, balance-of-evidence for confidence judgments, sparse coding, contextual reinstatement, and the ventral tegmental area (VTA)-hippocampus loop model. Here, we summarize the cell types that have been described in the medial temporal lobe and posterior parietal cortex, discuss their properties, and reflect on how these findings inform theoretical work. This body of work exemplifies the scientific power of a synergistic combination of modeling and human single-neuron recordings to advance cognitive neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ueli Rutishauser
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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67
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Hellbernd N, Sammler D. Neural bases of social communicative intentions in speech. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 13:604-615. [PMID: 29771359 PMCID: PMC6022564 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Our ability to understand others’ communicative intentions in speech is key to successful social interaction. Indeed, misunderstanding an ‘excuse me’ as apology, while meant as criticism, may have important consequences. Recent behavioural studies have provided evidence that prosody, that is, vocal tone, is an important indicator for speakers’ intentions. Using a novel audio-morphing paradigm, the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined the neurocognitive mechanisms that allow listeners to ‘read’ speakers’ intents from vocal prosodic patterns. Participants categorized prosodic expressions that gradually varied in their acoustics between criticism, doubt, and suggestion. Categorizing typical exemplars of the three intentions induced activations along the ventral auditory stream, complemented by amygdala and mentalizing system. These findings likely depict the stepwise conversion of external perceptual information into abstract prosodic categories and internal social semantic concepts, including the speaker’s mental state. Ambiguous tokens, in turn, involved cingulo-opercular areas known to assist decision-making in case of conflicting cues. Auditory and decision-making processes were flexibly coupled with the amygdala, depending on prosodic typicality, indicating enhanced categorization efficiency of overtly relevant, meaningful prosodic signals. Altogether, the results point to a model in which auditory prosodic categorization and socio-inferential conceptualization cooperate to translate perceived vocal tone into a coherent representation of the speaker’s intent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nele Hellbernd
- Otto Hahn Group Neural Bases of Intonation in Speech and Music, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniela Sammler
- Otto Hahn Group Neural Bases of Intonation in Speech and Music, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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68
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Chang J, Yu R. Alternations in functional connectivity of amygdalar subregions under acute social stress. Neurobiol Stress 2018; 9:264-270. [PMID: 30450390 PMCID: PMC6234264 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Revised: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala has long been considered a vital region involved in acute and chronic stress responses. Extensive evidences from animal and human studies suggest that the functional connectivity of amygdalar subnuclei (basolateral amygdala (BLA), centromedial amygdala (CMA) and superficial amygdala (SFA)) undergo specific alterations in stress-related psychopathology. However, whether and how intrinsic functional connectivity within the amygdalar subcomponents is differently altered in the aftermath of an acute stressor remains unknown. In the present study, using a within-subject design, we examined the impact of acute psychological social stress on the functional connectivity of amygdalar subregions at rest. Results showed that stress mainly affected the connectivity pattern of CMA. In particular, in the stress condition compared with the control, the connectivity of CMA to left posterior cingulate cortex and right thalamus was decreased under stress, while the connectivity of CMA to left caudate connectivity was increased at rest post-stressor. The findings suggest that healthy individuals may adapt to threatening surroundings by reducing threatening information input, and shifting to well-learned procedural behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Chang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rongjun Yu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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69
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Carlson AA, Rutishauser U, Mamelak AN. Safety and Utility of Hybrid Depth Electrodes for Seizure Localization and Single-Unit Neuronal Recording. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 2018; 96:311-319. [PMID: 30326475 DOI: 10.1159/000493548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Invasive electrode monitoring provides more precise localization of epileptogenic foci in patients with medically refractory epilepsy. The use of hybrid depth electrodes that include microwires for simultaneous single-neuron monitoring is becoming more widespread. OBJECTIVE To determine the safety and utility of hybrid depth electrodes for intracranial monitoring of medically refractory epilepsy. METHODS We reviewed the medical charts of 53 cases of medically refractory epilepsy operated on from 2006 to 2017, where both non-hybrid and hybrid microwire depth electrodes were used for intracranial monitoring. We assessed the localization accuracy and complications that arose to assess the relative safety and utility of hybrid depth electrodes compared with standard electrodes. RESULTS A total of 555 electrodes were implanted in 52 patients. The overall per-electrode complication rate was 2.3%, with a per-case complication rate of 20.8%. There were no infections or deaths. Serious or hemorrhagic complications occurred in 2 patients (0.4% per-electrode risk). Complications did not correlate with the use of any particular electrode type, and hybrids were equally as reliable as standard electrodes in localizing seizure onset zones. CONCLUSIONS Hybrid depth electrodes appear to be as safe and effective as standard depth electrodes for intracranial monitoring and provide unique opportunities to study the human brain at single-neuron resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- April A Carlson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ueli Rutishauser
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Adam N Mamelak
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California,
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70
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Bernier A, Dégeilh F, Leblanc É, Daneault V, Bailey HN, Beauchamp MH. Mother-Infant Interaction and Child Brain Morphology: A Multidimensional Approach to Maternal Sensitivity. INFANCY 2018; 24:120-138. [DOI: 10.1111/infa.12270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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71
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TMS over the superior temporal sulcus affects expressivity evaluation of portraits. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 18:1188-1197. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0630-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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72
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Wang S, Mamelak AN, Adolphs R, Rutishauser U. Encoding of Target Detection during Visual Search by Single Neurons in the Human Brain. Curr Biol 2018; 28:2058-2069.e4. [PMID: 29910078 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in the primate medial temporal lobe (MTL) respond selectively to visual categories such as faces, contributing to how the brain represents stimulus meaning. However, it remains unknown whether MTL neurons continue to encode stimulus meaning when it changes flexibly as a function of variable task demands imposed by goal-directed behavior. While classically associated with long-term memory, recent lesion and neuroimaging studies show that the MTL also contributes critically to the online guidance of goal-directed behaviors such as visual search. Do such tasks modulate responses of neurons in the MTL, and if so, do their responses mirror bottom-up input from visual cortices or do they reflect more abstract goal-directed properties? To answer these questions, we performed concurrent recordings of eye movements and single neurons in the MTL and medial frontal cortex (MFC) in human neurosurgical patients performing a memory-guided visual search task. We identified a distinct population of target-selective neurons in both the MTL and MFC whose response signaled whether the currently fixated stimulus was a target or distractor. This target-selective response was invariant to visual category and predicted whether a target was detected or missed behaviorally during a given fixation. The response latencies, relative to fixation onset, of MFC target-selective neurons preceded those in the MTL by ∼200 ms, suggesting a frontal origin for the target signal. The human MTL thus represents not only fixed stimulus identity, but also task-specified stimulus relevance due to top-down goal relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, 1 Medical Center Dr, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Adam N Mamelak
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
| | - Ralph Adolphs
- Computation and Neural Systems, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
| | - Ueli Rutishauser
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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73
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Pauli WM, Nili AN, Tyszka JM. A high-resolution probabilistic in vivo atlas of human subcortical brain nuclei. Sci Data 2018; 5:180063. [PMID: 29664465 PMCID: PMC5903366 DOI: 10.1038/sdata.2018.63] [Citation(s) in RCA: 261] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging methods, including data acquisition, pre-processing and analysis, have benefited research on the contributions of subcortical brain nuclei to human cognition and behavior. At the same time, these developments have led to an increasing need for a high-resolution probabilistic in vivo anatomical atlas of subcortical nuclei. In order to address this need, we constructed high spatial resolution, three-dimensional templates, using high-accuracy diffeomorphic registration of T1- and T2- weighted structural images from 168 typical adults between 22 and 35 years old. In these templates, many tissue boundaries are clearly visible, which would otherwise be impossible to delineate in data from individual studies. The resulting delineations of subcortical nuclei complement current histology-based atlases. We further created a companion library of software tools for atlas development, to offer an open and evolving resource for the creation of a crowd-sourced in vivo probabilistic anatomical atlas of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang M Pauli
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.,Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | | | - J Michael Tyszka
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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74
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Wang S, Falvello V, Porter J, Said CP, Todorov A. Behavioral and Neural Adaptation in Approach Behavior. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:885-897. [PMID: 29393719 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
People often make approachability decisions based on perceived facial trustworthiness. However, it remains unclear how people learn trustworthiness from a population of faces and whether this learning influences their approachability decisions. Here we investigated the neural underpinning of approach behavior and tested two important hypotheses: whether the amygdala adapts to different trustworthiness ranges and whether the amygdala is modulated by task instructions and evaluative goals. We showed that participants adapted to the stimulus range of perceived trustworthiness when making approach decisions and that these decisions were further modulated by the social context. The right amygdala showed both linear response and quadratic response to trustworthiness level, as observed in prior studies. Notably, the amygdala's response to trustworthiness was not modulated by stimulus range or social context, a possible neural dynamic adaptation. Together, our data have revealed a robust behavioral adaptation to different trustworthiness ranges as well as a neural substrate underlying approach behavior based on perceived facial trustworthiness.
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75
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Wang S. Face size biases emotion judgment through eye movement. Sci Rep 2018; 8:317. [PMID: 29321649 PMCID: PMC5762907 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18741-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 12/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Faces are the most commonly used stimuli to study emotions. Researchers often manipulate the emotion contents and facial features to study emotion judgment, but rarely manipulate low-level stimulus features such as face sizes. Here, I investigated whether a mere difference in face size would cause differences in emotion judgment. Subjects discriminated emotions in fear-happy morphed faces. When subjects viewed larger faces, they had an increased judgment of fear and showed a higher specificity in emotion judgment, compared to when they viewed smaller faces. Concurrent high-resolution eye tracking further provided mechanistic insights: subjects had more fixations onto the eyes when they viewed larger faces whereas they had a wider dispersion of fixations when they viewed smaller faces. The difference in eye movement was present across fixations in serial order but independent of morph level, ambiguity level, or behavioral judgment. Together, this study not only suggested a link between emotion judgment and eye movement, but also showed importance of equalizing stimulus sizes when comparing emotion judgments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA. .,Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
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76
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Clark US, Miller ER, Hegde RR. Experiences of Discrimination Are Associated With Greater Resting Amygdala Activity and Functional Connectivity. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2017; 3:367-378. [PMID: 29628069 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 11/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social discrimination, a type of psychological stressor, is associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes, yet we have little understanding of how discrimination affects neural functions in marginalized populations. By contrast, the effects of psychological stress on neural functions are well documented, with evidence of significant effects on the amygdala-a neural region that is central to psychosocial functions. Accordingly, we conducted an examination of the relation between self-reported discrimination exposure and amygdala activity in a diverse sample of adults. METHODS Seventy-four adults (43% women; 72% African American; 23% Hispanic; 32% homosexual/bisexual) completed self-report ratings of discrimination exposure. Spontaneous amygdala activity and functional connectivity were assessed during resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS Greater discrimination exposure was associated with higher levels of spontaneous amygdala activity. Increases in discrimination were also associated with stronger functional connectivity between the amygdala and several neural regions (e.g., anterior insula, putamen, caudate, anterior cingulate, medial frontal gyrus), with the most robust effects observed in the thalamus. These effects were independent of several demographic (e.g., race, ethnicity, sex) and psychological (e.g., current stress, depression, anxiety) factors. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our findings provide the first evidence that social discrimination is independently associated with elevations in intrinsic amygdala activity and functional connectivity, thus revealing clear parallels between the neural substrates of discrimination and psychological stressors of other origins. Such results should spur future investigations of amygdala-based networks as potential etiological factors linking discrimination exposure to adverse physical and mental health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uraina S Clark
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
| | - Evan R Miller
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Rachal R Hegde
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
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77
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A Neural Signature Encoding Decisions under Perceptual Ambiguity. eNeuro 2017; 4:eN-NWR-0235-17. [PMID: 29177189 PMCID: PMC5701297 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0235-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
People often make perceptual decisions with ambiguous information, but it remains unclear whether the brain has a common neural substrate that encodes various forms of perceptual ambiguity. Here, we used three types of perceptually ambiguous stimuli as well as task instructions to examine the neural basis for both stimulus-driven and task-driven perceptual ambiguity. We identified a neural signature, the late positive potential (LPP), that encoded a general form of stimulus-driven perceptual ambiguity. In addition to stimulus-driven ambiguity, the LPP was also modulated by ambiguity in task instructions. To further specify the functional role of the LPP and elucidate the relationship between stimulus ambiguity, behavioral response, and the LPP, we employed regression models and found that the LPP was specifically associated with response latency and confidence rating, suggesting that the LPP encoded decisions under perceptual ambiguity. Finally, direct behavioral ratings of stimulus and task ambiguity confirmed our neurophysiological findings, which could not be attributed to differences in eye movements either. Together, our findings argue for a common neural signature that encodes decisions under perceptual ambiguity but is subject to the modulation of task ambiguity. Our results represent an essential first step toward a complete neural understanding of human perceptual decision making.
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78
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Decision ambiguity is mediated by a late positive potential originating from cingulate cortex. Neuroimage 2017; 157:400-414. [PMID: 28606805 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2017] [Revised: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
People often make decisions in the face of ambiguous information, but it remains unclear how ambiguity is represented in the brain. We used three types of ambiguous stimuli and combined EEG and fMRI to examine the neural representation of perceptual decisions under ambiguity. We identified a late positive potential, the LPP, which differentiated levels of ambiguity, and which was specifically associated with behavioral judgments about choices that were ambiguous, rather than passive perception of ambiguous stimuli. Mediation analyses together with two further control experiments confirmed that the LPP was generated only when decisions are made (not during mere perception of ambiguous stimuli), and only when those decisions involved choices on a dimension that is ambiguous. A further control experiment showed that a stronger LPP arose in the presence of ambiguous stimuli compared to when only unambiguous stimuli were present. Source modeling suggested that the LPP originated from multiple loci in cingulate cortex, a finding we further confirmed using fMRI and fMRI-guided ERP source prediction. Taken together, our findings argue for a role of an LPP originating from cingulate cortex in encoding decisions based on task-relevant perceptual ambiguity, a process that may in turn influence confidence judgment, response conflict, and error correction.
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