Linear age-correlated functional development of right inferior fronto-striato-cerebellar networks during response inhibition and anterior cingulate during error-related processes

Functional parcellation of the cingulate gyrus by electrical cortical stimulation: a synthetic literature review and future directions

BACKGROUND

The cingulate gyrus (CG), a brain structure above the corpus callosum, is recognised as part of the limbic system and plays numerous vital roles. However, its full functional capacity is yet to be understood. In recent years, emerging evidence from imaging modalities, supported by electrical cortical stimulation (ECS) findings, has improved our understanding. To our knowledge, there is a limited number of systematic reviews of the cingulate function studied by ECS. We aim to parcellate the CG by reviewing ECS studies.

DESIGN/METHODS

We searched PubMed and Embase for studies investigating CG using ECS. A total of 30 studies met the inclusion criteria. We evaluated the ECS responses across the cingulate subregions and summarised the reported findings.

RESULTS

We included 30 studies (totalling 887 patients, with a mean age of 31.8±9.8 years). The total number of electrodes implanted within the cingulate was 3028 electrode contacts; positive responses were obtained in 941 (31.1%, median percentages, 32.3%, IQR 22.2%-64.3%). The responses elicited from the CG were as follows. Simple motor (8 studies, 26.7 %), complex motor (10 studies, 33.3%), gelastic with and without mirth (7 studies, 23.3%), somatosensory (9 studies, 30%), autonomic (11 studies, 36.7 %), psychic (8 studies, 26.7%) and vestibular (3 studies, 10%). Visual and speech responses were also reported. Despite some overlap, the results indicate that the anterior cingulate cortex is responsible for most emotional, laughter and autonomic responses, while the middle cingulate cortex controls most complex motor behaviours, and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) regulates visual, among various other responses. Consistent null responses have been observed across different regions, emphasising PCC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide a segmental mapping of the functional properties of CG, helping to improve precision in the surgical planning of epilepsy.

MRI morphometry of the anterior and posterior cerebellar vermis and its relationship to sensorimotor and cognitive functions in children

INTRODUCTION

The human cerebellum emerges as a posterior brain structure integrating neural networks for sensorimotor, cognitive, and emotional processing across the lifespan. Developmental studies of the cerebellar anatomy and function are scant. We examine age-dependent MRI morphometry of the anterior cerebellar vermis, lobules I-V and posterior neocortical lobules VI-VII and their relationship to sensorimotor and cognitive functions.

METHODS

Typically developing children (TDC; n=38; age 9-15) and healthy adults (HAC; n=31; 18-40) participated in high-resolution MRI. Rigorous anatomically informed morphometry of the vermis lobules I-V and VI-VII and total brain volume (TBV) employed manual segmentation computer-assisted FreeSurfer Image Analysis Program [http://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu]. The neuropsychological scores (WASI-II) were normalized and related to volumes of anterior, posterior vermis, and TBV.

RESULTS

TBVs were age independent. Volumes of I-V and VI-VII were significantly reduced in TDC. The ratio of VI-VII to I-V (∼60%) was stable across age-groups; I-V correlated with visual-spatial-motor skills; VI-VII with verbal, visual-abstract and FSIQ.

CONCLUSIONS

In TDC neither anterior I-V nor posterior VI-VII vermis attained adult volumes. The "inverted U" developmental trajectory of gray matter peaking in adolescence does not explain this finding. The hypothesis of protracted development of oligodendrocyte/myelination is suggested as a contributor to TDC's lower cerebellar vermis volumes.

Association between emergence delirium and brain status parameters in children undergoing general anesthesia: A prospective observational study

INTRODUCTION

Emergence delirium is a common postoperative neurological complication in children after general anesthesia. There is no valid tool to predict emergence delirium. Wavelet index, pain threshold index, anxiety index, and comfort index are real-time brain status parameters extracted from the electroencephalogram, which have recently been developed. The aim is to evaluate the association between real-time brain status parameters during emergence and emergence delirium in children undergoing general anesthesia.

METHODS

One hundred and thirty patients between 3 and 6 years of age undergoing dental surgery under general anesthesia were enrolled in the study. Real-time electroencephalogram data were recorded at four different time points from end of anesthetics administration (T1), end of surgery (T2), extubation (T3), and response (eye opening, movement) to verbal stimulation (T4). Each patient was assessed for emergence delirium using the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale. Receiver operating characteristics curves and the associated areas under the curves were computed to analyze the ability of wavelet index, pain threshold index, anxiety index, and comfort index to predict emergence delirium.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixteen patients were included for final analysis. During recovery from general anesthesia, brain status parameters increased significantly from T1 (wavelet index, 59.5 ± 6.2; pain threshold index, 61.7 ± 5.3; anxiety index, 9.2 ± 2.5; comfort index, 21.6 ± 8.7) to T4 (wavelet index, 67.4 ± 9.4; pain threshold index, 73.2 ± 9.1; anxiety index, 38.6 ± 11.2; comfort index, 66.1 ± 16.5; p < .001). To predict emergence delirium, areas under the curves [95% CI] for anxiety index were 0.84 [0.75-0.93] (p < .001), and comfort index was 0.89 [0.81-0.96] (p < .001). The Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale scores of 37 patients were higher than 10 indicating emergence delirium, and the incidence of emergence delirium was 31.90%. The sensitivity and specificity of anxiety index with corresponding cutoff values in predicting emergence delirium were 73.0% and 89.9%, and the sensitivity and specificity of comfort index in predicting emergence delirium were 91.9% and 83.5%. The best cutoff values for anxiety index and comfort index to predict emergence delirium were 46.5 and 68.5, respectively. The areas under the curves [95% CI] of wavelet index to predict emergence delirium were 0.43 [0.31-0.35] (p = .27), while the areas under the curves [95% CI] of pain threshold index to predict emergence delirium were 0.49 [0.37-0.62] (p = .73).

DISCUSSION

Both anxiety index and comfort index derived from electroencephalogram wavelet analysis were associated with emergence delirium in pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia for dental surgery. Wavelet index and pain threshold index were not associated with emergence delirium during general anesthesia for dental surgery in children.

CONCLUSIONS

AnXi and CFi might be used to guide anesthesiologists to identify and intervene ED in children.

Attention control in autism: Eye-tracking findings from pre-school children in a low- and middle-income country setting

LAY ABSTRACT

The development of cognitive processes, such as attention control and learning, has been suggested to be altered in children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. However, nearly all of our understanding of the development of these cognitive processes comes from studies with school-aged or older children in high-income countries, and from research conducted in a controlled laboratory environment, thereby restricting the potential generalisability of results and away from the majority of the world's population. We need to expand our research to investigate abilities beyond these limited settings. We address shortcomings in the literature by (1) studying attention control and learning in an understudied population of children in a low- and middle-income country setting in India, (2) focusing research on a critical younger age group of children and (3) using portable eye-tracking technology that can be taken into communities and healthcare settings to increase the accessibility of research in hard-to-reach populations. Our results provide novel evidence on differences in attention control and learning responses in groups of children with and without a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. We show that learning responses in children that we assessed through a portable eye-tracking task, called the 'antisaccade task', may be specific to autism. This suggests that the methods we use may have the potential to identify and assess autism-specific traits across development, and be used in research in low-resource settings.

The right inferior frontal gyrus as pivotal node and effective regulator of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical response inhibition circuit

Background

The involvement of specific basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuits in response inhibition has been extensively mapped in animal models. However, the pivotal nodes and directed causal regulation within this inhibitory circuit in humans remains controversial.

Objective

The main aim of the present study was to determine the causal information flow and critical nodes in the basal ganglia-thalamocortical inhibitory circuits and also to examine whether these are modulated by biological factors (i.e. sex) and behavioral performance.

Methods

Here, we capitalize on the recent progress in robust and biologically plausible directed causal modeling (DCM-PEB) and a large response inhibition dataset (n = 250) acquired with concomitant functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine key nodes, their causal regulation and modulation via biological variables (sex) and inhibitory performance in the inhibitory circuit encompassing the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), caudate nucleus (rCau), globus pallidum (rGP), and thalamus (rThal).

Results

The entire neural circuit exhibited high intrinsic connectivity and response inhibition critically increased causal projections from the rIFG to both rCau and rThal. Direct comparison further demonstrated that response inhibition induced an increasing rIFG inflow and increased the causal regulation of this region over the rCau and rThal. In addition, sex and performance influenced the functional architecture of the regulatory circuits such that women displayed increased rThal self-inhibition and decreased rThal to GP modulation, while better inhibitory performance was associated with stronger rThal to rIFG communication. Furthermore, control analyses did not reveal a similar key communication in a left lateralized model.

Conclusions

Together, these findings indicate a pivotal role of the rIFG as input and causal regulator of subcortical response inhibition nodes.

Differential effects of mindfulness meditation and cognitive training on cool and hot inhibitory control in children and adolescents

Inhibitory control (IC) can occur either in a neutral context (cool) or in social contexts involving emotions (hot). Cool and hot IC have specific developmental trajectories; cool IC develops linearly from childhood to adulthood, whereas hot IC follows a quadratic trajectory. Some activities can improve the IC, such as cognitive training (CT) and mindfulness meditation (MM). The aim of our study was to compare the effects of 5 weeks of computerized MM versus CT on IC performance in 66 children (9-10 years old) and 63 adolescents (16-17 years old) by specifically analyzing cool and hot dimensions in the same participants and from a developmental perspective. We fit a linear mixed-effect model on the Stroop interference score with time (pretest vs. posttest) and type of conflict (cool vs. hot) as within-participant factors and intervention group (CT vs. MM) and age group (child vs. adolescent) as between-participant factors. The findings revealed that children but not adolescents benefitted from interventions. More specifically, CT improved cool IC but not hot IC, whereas MM practice improved hot IC but not cool IC. This study supports the benefits of MM at a young age. Theoretical issues linking MM programs to emotional competence grounded in hot IC skills are considered in academic settings.

Differences in brain functional networks for audiovisual integration during reading between children and adults

Building robust letter-to-sound correspondences is a prerequisite for developing reading capacity. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the development of audiovisual integration for reading are largely unknown. This study used functional magnetic resonance imaging in a lexical decision task to investigate functional brain networks that support audiovisual integration during reading in developing child readers (10-12 years old) and skilled adult readers (20-28 years old). The results revealed enhanced connectivity in a prefrontal-superior temporal network (including the right medial frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, and left superior temporal gyrus) in adults relative to children, reflecting the development of attentional modulation of audiovisual integration involved in reading processing. Furthermore, the connectivity strength of this brain network was correlated with reading accuracy. Collectively, this study, for the first time, elucidates the differences in brain networks of audiovisual integration for reading between children and adults, promoting the understanding of the neurodevelopment of multisensory integration in high-level human cognition.

Defining brain-based OCD patient profiles using task-based fMRI and unsupervised machine learning

While much research has highlighted phenotypic heterogeneity in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), less work has focused on heterogeneity in neural activity. Conventional neuroimaging approaches rely on group averages that assume homogenous patient populations. If subgroups are present, these approaches can increase variability and can lead to discrepancies in the literature. They can also obscure differences between various subgroups. To address this issue, we used unsupervised machine learning to identify subgroup clusters of patients with OCD who were assessed by task-based fMRI. We predominantly focused on activation of cognitive control and performance monitoring neurocircuits, including three large-scale brain networks that have been implicated in OCD (the frontoparietal network, cingulo-opercular network, and default mode network). Participants were patients with OCD (n = 128) that included both adults (ages 24-45) and adolescents (ages 12-17), as well as unaffected controls (n = 64). Neural assessments included tests of cognitive interference and error processing. We found three patient clusters, reflecting a "normative" cluster that shared a brain activation pattern with unaffected controls (65.9% of clinical participants), as well as an "interference hyperactivity" cluster (15.2% of clinical participants) and an "error hyperactivity" cluster (18.9% of clinical participants). We also related these clusters to demographic and clinical correlates. After post-hoc correction for false discovery rates, the interference hyperactivity cluster showed significantly longer reaction times than the other patient clusters, but no other between-cluster differences in covariates were detected. These findings increase precision in patient characterization, reframe prior neurobehavioral research in OCD, and provide a starting point for neuroimaging-guided treatment selection.

Inhibitory Control Development: A Network Neuroscience Perspective

As one of the core executive functions, inhibition plays an important role in human life through development. Inhibitory control is defined as the ability to suppress actions when they are unlikely to accomplish valuable results. Contemporary neuroscience has investigated the underlying neural mechanisms of inhibitory control. The controversy started to arise, which resulted in two schools of thought: a modulatory and a network account of inhibitory control. In this systematic review, we survey developmental mechanisms in inhibitory control as well as neurodevelopmental diseases related to inhibitory dysfunctions. This evidence stands against the modulatory perspective of inhibitory control: the development of inhibitory control does not depend on a dedicated region such as the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) but relies on a more broadly distributed network.

Neural correlates of N-back task performance and proposal for corresponding neuromodulation targets in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders

AIM

Working memory (WM) deficit represents the most common cognitive impairment in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, making the identification of its neural substrates a crucial step towards the conceptualization of restorative interventions. We present a meta-analysis focusing on neural activations associated with the most commonly used task to measure WM, the N-back task, in patients with schizophrenia, depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Showing qualitative similarities and differences in WM processing between patients and healthy controls, we propose possible targets for cognitive enhancement approaches.

METHODS

Selected studies, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, were analyzed through the activation likelihood estimate statistical framework, with subsequent generation of disorder-specific N-back activation maps.

RESULTS

Despite similar WM deficits shared across all disorders, results highlighted different brain activation patterns for each disorder compared with healthy controls. In general, results showed brain activity in frontal, parietal, subcortical, and cerebellar regions; however, reduced engagement of specific nodes of the fronto-parietal network emerged in patients compared with healthy controls. In particular, neither bipolar nor depressive disorders showed detectable activations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, while their parietal activation patterns were lateralized to the left and right hemispheres, respectively. On the other hand, patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder showed a lack of activation in the left parietal lobe, whereas patients with schizophrenia showed lower activity over the left prefrontal cortex.

CONCLUSION

These results, together with biophysical modeling, were then used to discuss the design of future disorder-specific cognitive enhancement interventions based on noninvasive brain stimulation.

Neurobehavioral maturation of motor response inhibition in adolescence - A narrative review

Immature motor response inhibition in adolescence is considered contributory to adolescent risk-taking and externalizing behaviors. We review studies reporting age-related variations in motor response inhibition and MRI measurements from typically-developing adolescents. Reviewed studies measured response inhibition using one of three tasks-the Stop Signal Task, Go/No-Go, and Antisaccade Task. Task reliability appears to be particularly strong for the SST. Across tasks and study designs, results indicate that inhibitory control improves markedly through early adolescence. The trajectory of change in later adolescence and into young adulthood (i.e., linear or plateauing) varies depending on the task design. Neuroimaging studies identify adult-like response inhibition networks that are involved in behavioral development. The pros and cons of each task are discussed, including recommendations to guide future studies. Ongoing studies in large longitudinal datasets offer opportunities for further exploration of the shape of change in response inhibition, related neural regions, and associations with other affective and cognitive processes to identify potential impacts of motor response inhibition immaturities or individual differences on adolescent risk-taking behaviors.

Neural Correlates of Numerical Estimation: The Role of Strategy Use

Introduction: Computation estimation is the ability to provide an approximate answer to a complex arithmetic problem without calculating it exactly. Despite its importance in daily life, the neuronal network underlying computation estimation is largely unknown. Methods: We looked at the neuronal correlates of two computational estimation strategies: approximated calculation and sense of magnitude (SOM)–intuitive representation of magnitude, without calculation. During an fMRI scan, thirty-one college students judged whether the result of a two-digit multiplication problem was larger or smaller than a given reference number. In two different blocks, they were asked to use a specific strategy (AC or SOM). Results: The two strategies activated brain regions related to calculation, numerical cognition, decision-making, and working memory. AC more than SOM elicited activations in multiple, domain-specific brain regions in the parietal lobule, including the left SMG (BA 40), the bilateral superior parietal lobule (BA 7), and the right inferior parietal lobule (BA 7). The activation level of the IFG was positively correlated to individual accuracy, indicating that the IFG has an essential role in both strategies. Conclusions: These finding suggest that the analogic code of magnitude is more involved in the AC than the SOM strategy.

Neural correlates of unpredictable Stop and non‐Stop cues in overt and imagined execution

The ability to inhibit incorrect behaviors is crucial for survival. In real contexts, cues that require stopping usually appear intermixed with indications to continue the ongoing action. However, in the classical Stop‐signal task (SST), the unpredictable stimuli are always signals that require inhibition. To understand the neural mechanisms activated by low‐probability nonstop cues, we recorded the electroencephalography from 23 young volunteers while they performed a modified SST where the unpredictable stimuli could be either Stop or confirmatory Go signals (CGo). To isolate the influence of motor output, the SST was performed during overt and covert execution. We found that, paradoxically, CGo stimuli activated motor inhibition processes, and evoked patterns of brain activity similar to those obtained after Stop signals (N2/P3 event‐related potentials and midfrontal theta power increase), though in lesser magnitude. These patterns were also observed during the imagined performance. Finally, applying machine learning procedures, we found that the brain activity evoked after CGo versus Stop signals can be classified above chance during both, overt and imagined execution. Our results provide evidence that unpredictable signals cause motor inhibition even when they require to continue an ongoing action.

This study advances our understanding of the neural correlates of inhibition by using a modified Stop‐signal task where Stop signals were intermixed with cues to continue the ongoing action (CGo signals). CGo signals produced motor inhibition and EEG activity similar to Stop signals (both during overt and imagined performance). The neural activity related to CGo vs Stop signals could be decoded using a machine learning algorithm, indicating that Stop signals evoke a specific pattern of EEG activity.

The motor inhibitory network in patients with asymmetrical Parkinson's disease: An fMRI study

Recent imaging studies with the stop-signal task in healthy individuals indicate that the subthalamic nucleus, the pre-supplementary motor area and the inferior frontal gyrus are key components of the right hemisphere “inhibitory network”. Limited information is available regarding neural substrates of inhibitory processing in patients with asymmetric Parkinson’s disease. The aim of the current fMRI study was to identify the neural changes underlying deficient inhibitory processing on the stop-signal task in patients with predominantly left-sided Parkinson’s disease. Fourteen patients and 23 healthy controls performed a stop-signal task with the left and right hands. Behaviorally, patients showed delayed response inhibition with either hand compared to controls. We found small imaging differences for the right hand, however for the more affected left hand when behavior was successfully inhibited we found reduced activation of the inferior frontal gyrus bilaterally and the insula. Using the stop-signal delay as regressor, contralateral underactivation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal and anterior putamen were found in patients. This finding indicates dysfunction of the right inhibitory network in left-sided Parkinson’s disease. Functional connectivity analysis of the left subthalamic nucleus showed a significant increase of connectivity with bilateral insula. In contrast, the right subthalamic nucleus showed increased connectivity with visuomotor and sensorimotor regions of the cerebellum. We conclude that altered inhibitory control in left-sided Parkinson’s disease is associated with reduced activation in regions dedicated to inhibition in healthy controls, which requires engagement of additional regions, not observed in controls, to successfully stop ongoing actions.

Correlations between facial emotion processing and biochemical abnormalities in untreated adolescent patients with major depressive disorder: A proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study

BACKGROUND

Studies show that disturbances of the fronto-striato-thalamic-cerebellar circuit could be correlated to facial emotion processing (FEP) biases in major depressive disorder (MDD). Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism of natural metabolism-emotion relationships in adolescent MDD remains unclear.

METHODS

Thirty-seven adolescent patients with MDD and 30 healthy controls completed FEP tasks using the Chinese Facial Affective Picture System (CAFPS). Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS) was also used to obtain ratios of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) /creatine (Cr) and choline (Cho) /Cr ratios in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), putamen, thalamus and cerebellum. Correlations between abnormal neurometabolic ratios and FEP were also computed.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the MDD group had significantly lower accuracy and perception intensity of happiness, and significantly higher accuracy of disgust and perception intensity of sad and fearful faces in FEP tasks. Compared to healthy controls, adolescent patients with MDD showed significantly lower NAA/Cr ratios in the left PFC, higher NAA/Cr ratios in the right thalamus, and higher Cho/Cr ratios in the right putamen, although there were no significant differences in metabolites in the ACC and cerebellum between two groups. In the MDD group, NAA/Cr ratios of the right thalamus were negatively correlated with happy reaction time and positively correlated with sad, anger, and fear intensity; Cho/Cr ratios in the right putamen were positively correlated with fear reaction time.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that FEP bias may exist in adolescents with MDD, while the impairment of FEP may be associated with abnormal metabolites in the fronto-striato-thalamic circuit.

The development of selective stopping: Qualitative and quantitative changes from childhood to early adulthood

Although progress has been made in elucidating the behavioral and neural development of global stopping across the lifespan, little is known about the development of selective stopping. This more complex form of inhibitory control is required in real-world situations where ongoing responses must be inhibited to certain stimuli but not others, and can be assessed in laboratory settings using a stimulus selective stopping task. Here we used this task to investigate the qualitative and quantitative developmental changes in selective stopping in a large-scale cross-sectional study with three different age groups (children, preadolescents, and young adults). We found that the ability to stop a response selectively to some stimuli (i.e., use a selective strategy) rather than non-selectively to all presented stimuli (i.e., use a global, non-selective strategy) is fully mature by early preadolescence, and remains stable afterwards at least until young adulthood. By contrast, the efficiency or speed of stopping (indexed by a shorter stop-signal reaction time or SSRT) continues to mature throughout adolescence until young adulthood, both for global and selective implementations of stopping. We also provide some preliminary findings regarding which other task variables beyond the strategy and SSRT predicted age group status. Premature responding (an index of "waiting impulsivity") and post-ignore slowing (an index of cognitive control) were among the most relevant predictors in discriminating between developmental age groups. Although present results need to be confirmed and extended in longitudinal studies, they provide new insights into the development of a relevant form of inhibitory control.

Disentangling age and schooling effects on inhibitory control development: An fNIRS investigation

Children show marked improvements in executive functioning (EF) between 4 and 7 years of age. In many societies, this time period coincides with the start of formal school education, in which children are required to follow rules in a structured environment, drawing heavily on EF processes such as inhibitory control. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal development of two aspects of inhibitory control, namely response inhibition and response monitoring and their neural correlates. Specifically, we examined how their longitudinal development may differ by schooling experience, and their potential significance in predicting academic outcomes. Longitudinal data were collected in two groups of children at their homes. At T1, all children were roughly 4.5 years of age and neither group had attended formal schooling. One year later at T2, one group (P1, n = 40) had completed one full year of schooling while the other group (KG, n = 40) had stayed in kindergarten. Behavioural and brain activation data (measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy, fNIRS) in response to a Go/No-Go task and measures of academic achievement were collected. We found that P1 children, compared to KG children, showed a greater change over time in activation related to response monitoring in the bilateral frontal cortex. The change in left frontal activation difference showed a small positive association with math performance. Overall, the school environment is important in shaping the development of the brain functions underlying the monitoring of one own's performance.

Brain Activity During Antisaccades to Faces in Adolescence

Cognitive control and social perception both change during adolescence, but little is known of the interaction of these 2 processes. We aimed to characterize developmental changes in brain activity related to the influence of a social stimulus on cognitive control and more specifically on inhibitory control. Children (age 8-11, n = 19), adolescents (age 12-17, n = 20), and adults (age 24-40, n = 19) performed an antisaccade task with either faces or cars as visual stimuli, during functional magnetic resonance brain imaging. We replicate the finding of the engagement of the core oculomotor and face perception brain regions in all age-groups, with increased involvement of frontoparietal oculomotor regions and fusiform face regions with age. The antisaccade-related activity was modulated by stimulus category significantly only in adolescents. This interaction was observed mainly in occipitotemporal regions as well as in supplementary motor cortex and postcentral gyrus. These results indicate a special treatment of social stimuli during adolescence.

Self-regulation in the pre-adolescent brain

Self-regulation refers to the ability to monitor and modulate emotions, behavior, and cognition, which in turn allows us to achieve goals and adapt to ever changing circumstances. This trait develops from early infancy well into adulthood, and features both low-level executive functions such as reactive inhibition, as well as higher level executive functions such as proactive inhibition. Development of self-regulation is linked to brain maturation in adolescence and adulthood. However, how self-regulation in daily life relates to brain functioning in pre-adolescent children is not known. To this aim, we have analyzed data from 640 children aged 8–11, who performed a stop-signal anticipation task combined with functional magnetic resonance imaging, in addition to questionnaire data on self-regulation. We find that pre-adolescent boys and girls who display higher levels of self-regulation, are better able to employ proactive inhibitory control strategies, exhibit stronger frontal activation and more functional coupling between cortical and subcortical areas of the brain. Furthermore, we demonstrate that pre-adolescent children show significant activation in areas of the brain that were previously only associated with reactive and proactive inhibition in adults and adolescents. Thus, already in pre-adolescent children, frontal-striatal brain areas are active during self-regulatory behavior.

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Children with higher levels of self-regulation employ more proactive inhibition.

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During proactive inhibition, children aged 8–11 show activation in frontal-cortical areas.

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Children higher in self-regulation exhibit more cortical-subcortical coupling.

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Children aged 8–11 show similar brain activation as adults during inhibition.

Neurotherapeutics for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Review

This review focuses on the evidence for neurotherapeutics for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). EEG-neurofeedback has been tested for about 45 years, with the latest meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials (RCT) showing small/medium effects compared to non-active controls only. Three small studies piloted neurofeedback of frontal activations in ADHD using functional magnetic resonance imaging or near-infrared spectroscopy, finding no superior effects over control conditions. Brain stimulation has been applied to ADHD using mostly repetitive transcranial magnetic and direct current stimulation (rTMS/tDCS). rTMS has shown mostly negative findings on improving cognition or symptoms. Meta-analyses of tDCS studies targeting mostly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex show small effects on cognitive improvements with only two out of three studies showing clinical improvements. Trigeminal nerve stimulation has been shown to improve ADHD symptoms with medium effect in one RCT. Modern neurotherapeutics are attractive due to their relative safety and potential neuroplastic effects. However, they need to be thoroughly tested for clinical and cognitive efficacy across settings and beyond core symptoms and for their potential for individualised treatment.

Sleep Enhances Consolidation of Memory Traces for Complex Problem-Solving Skills

Sleep consolidates memory for procedural motor skills, reflected by sleep-dependent changes in the hippocampal-striatal-cortical network. Other forms of procedural skills require the acquisition of a novel strategy to solve a problem, which recruit overlapping brain regions and specialized areas including the caudate and prefrontal cortex. Sleep preferentially benefits strategy and problem-solving skills over the accompanying motor execution movements. However, it is unclear how acquiring new strategies benefit from sleep. Here, participants performed a task requiring the execution of a sequence of movements to learn a novel cognitive strategy. Participants performed this task while undergoing fMRI before and after an interval of either a full night sleep, a daytime nap, or wakefulness. Participants also performed a motor control task, which precluded the opportunity to learn the strategy. In this way, we subtracted motor execution-related brain activations from activations specific to the strategy. The sleep and nap groups experienced greater behavioral performance improvements compared to the wake group on the strategy-based task. Following sleep, we observed enhanced activation of the caudate in addition to other regions in the hippocampal-striatal-cortical network, compared to wakefulness. This study demonstrates that sleep is a privileged time to enhance newly acquired cognitive strategies needed to solve problems.

The Relationship Between Childhood Stress and Distinct Stages of Dynamic Behavior Monitoring in Adults: Neural and Behavioral Correlates

Childhood adversity is a major risk factor for emotional and cognitive disorders later in adulthood. Behavior monitoring, one of the most important components of cognitive control, plays a crucial role in flexible interaction with the environment. Here, we test a novel conceptual model discriminating between two distinct dimensions of childhood adversity (i.e., deprivation and threat) and examine their relations to dynamic stages of behavior monitoring. Sixty young healthy adults participated in this study using event-related potentials (ERPs) and the dynamic stages of behavior monitoring including response inhibition, error detection, and post-error adjustments were investigated in a classical Go/NoGo task. Multiple regression analyses revealed that participants with higher severity of childhood adversity recruited more controlled attention, as indicated by larger (more negative) conflict detection-related NoGo-N2 amplitudes and larger (more negative) error detection-related ERN amplitudes. Higher severity of childhood abuse (an indicator of threat) was related to smaller (less positive) error appraisal-related Pe amplitudes on the neural level and subsequently lower post-error accuracy on the behavioral level. These results suggested that prefrontal-supported controlled attention is influenced by universal adversity in childhood while the error-related behavioral adjustment is mainly affected by childhood abuse, indicating the dimensions of deprivation and threat are at least partially distinct.

Right inferior frontal gyrus implements motor inhibitory control via beta-band oscillations in humans

Motor inhibitory control implemented as response inhibition is an essential cognitive function required to dynamically adapt to rapidly changing environments. Despite over a decade of research on the neural mechanisms of response inhibition, it remains unclear, how exactly response inhibition is initiated and implemented. Using a multimodal MEG/fMRI approach in 59 subjects, our results reliably reveal that response inhibition is initiated by the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) as a form of attention-independent top-down control that involves the modulation of beta-band activity. Furthermore, stopping performance was predicted by beta-band power, and beta-band connectivity was directed from rIFG to pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), indicating rIFG's dominance over pre-SMA. Thus, these results strongly support the hypothesis that rIFG initiates stopping, implemented by beta-band oscillations with potential to open up new ways of spatially localized oscillation-based interventions.

Brain activation patterns in medicated versus medication-naïve adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder during fMRI tasks of motor inhibition and cognitive switching

Background

Adult-attention-deficit-hyperactive-disorder (ADHD) is often unrecognized condition. FMRI examination along with neuropsychological testing might strengthen the diagnosis. We hypothesized that ADHD-adults with and without medication would show different fMRI pattern compared to healthy controls while testing tasks of motor inhibition and cognitive switching.

Methods

45 subjects in three age-matched groups: (1) controls, (2) ADHD-adults under medication (ADHD+) and (3) medication-naïve adults with ADHD (ADHD−) underwent fMRI and neuropsychological testing. Group analysis and population-based statistics were performed.

Results

DTVP-A, intellectual ability as well as attention capability, visual-perceptual and visual-motor abilities showed no significant differences between the groups. However, fMRI revealed statistically significant differences between the ADHD+, ADHD− and control groups on tasks of motor inhibition and cognitive switching on adults in bilateral fronto-striatal brain regions, inferior fronto-frontal, fronto-cingulate and fronto-parietal networks as well as in the parietal lobe (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

fMRI offers the potential to differentiate between the ADHD+, ADHD− and control groups. FMRI possibly opens a new window for monitoring the therapeutic effect of ADHD medication.

Trial registration

NCT02578342, registered at August 2015 to clinical trial registry (https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT02578342).

Inhibition-directed multimodal imaging fusion patterns in adults with ADHD and its potential underlying "gene-brain-cognition" relationship

Aims

Inhibition deficits have been suggested to be a core cognitive impairment in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Exploring imaging patterns and the potential genetic components associated with inhibition deficits would definitely promote our understanding of the neuropathological mechanism of ADHD. This study aims to investigate the multimodal imaging fusion features related to inhibition deficits in adults with ADHD (aADHD) and to make an exploratory analysis of the role of inhibition‐related gene, NOS1, on those brain alterations.

Methods

Specifically, multisite canonical correlation analysis with reference plus joint independent component analysis (MCCAR + jICA) was conducted to identify the joint co‐varying gray matter volume (GMV) and the functional connectivity (FC) features related to inhibition in 69 aADHD and 44 healthy controls. Then, mediation analysis was employed to detect the relationship among inhibition‐related imaging features, NOS1 ex1f‐VNTR genotypes, and inhibition.

Results

Inhibition‐directed multimodal imaging fusion patterns of aADHD were reduced GMV and FC in inhibition network and increased GMV and FC in default mode network. The results showed a significant indirect effect of NOS1 ex1f‐VNTR on inhibition via FC component [effect size = −0.54 (SE = 0.29), 95% CI = −1.16 to −0.01]. In addition, the results indicated a significant indirect effect of GMV on the inhibition via FC component [effect size = 0.43 (SE = 0.23), 95% CI = 0.12 to 1.00].

Conclusion

The findings suggested that reduced GMV and FC in inhibition network and increased GMV and FC in default mode network were jointly responsible for inhibition deficits in aADHD. Both the NOS1 ex1f‐VNTR genotypes and GMV might influence the inhibition through the mediation effect of the aforementioned FC (NOS1/GMV^→FC→Inhibition).

Resting State Functional Connectivity Associated With Sahaja Yoga Meditation

Neuroscience research has shown that meditation practices have effects on brain structure and function. However, few studies have combined information on the effects on structure and function in the same sample. Long-term daily meditation practice produces repeated activity of specific brain networks over years of practice, which may induce lasting structural and functional connectivity (FC) changes within relevant circuits. The aim of our study was therefore to identify differences in FC during the resting state between 23 Sahaja Yoga Meditation experts and 23 healthy participants without meditation experience. Seed-based FC analysis was performed departing from voxels that had shown structural differences between these same participants. The contrast of connectivity maps yielded that meditators showed increased FC between the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex but reduced FC between the left insula and the bilateral mid-cingulate as well as between the right angular gyrus and the bilateral precuneus/cuneus cortices. It thus appears that long-term meditation practice increases direct FC between ventral and dorsal frontal regions within brain networks related to attention and cognitive control and decreases FC between regions of these networks and areas of the default mode network.

Electrophysiological Examination of Feedback-Based Learning in 8-11-Year-Old Children

The study aimed at evaluating the extent to which the feedback related negativity (FRN), an ERP component associated with feedback processing, is related to learning in school-age children. Eighty typically developing children between the ages of 8 and 11 years completed a declarative learning task while their EEG was recorded. The study evaluated the predictive value of the FRN on learning retention as measured by accuracy on a follow-up test a day after the session. The FRN elicited by positive feedback was found to be predictive of learning retention in children. The relationship between the FRN and learning was moderated by age. The P3a was also found to be associated with learning, such that larger P3a to negative feedback was associated with better learning retention in children.

Differential predictors for alcohol use in adolescents as a function of familial risk

Traditional models of future alcohol use in adolescents have used variable-centered approaches, predicting alcohol use from a set of variables across entire samples or populations. Following the proposition that predictive factors may vary in adolescents as a function of family history, we used a two-pronged approach by first defining clusters of familial risk, followed by prediction analyses within each cluster. Thus, for the first time in adolescents, we tested whether adolescents with a family history of drug abuse exhibit a set of predictors different from adolescents without a family history. We apply this approach to a genetic risk score and individual differences in personality, cognition, behavior (risk-taking and discounting) substance use behavior at age 14, life events, and functional brain imaging, to predict scores on the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) at age 14 and 16 in a sample of adolescents (N = 1659 at baseline, N = 1327 at follow-up) from the IMAGEN cohort, a longitudinal community-based cohort of adolescents. In the absence of familial risk (n = 616), individual differences in baseline drinking, personality measures (extraversion, negative thinking), discounting behaviors, life events, and ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation were significantly associated with future AUDIT scores, while the overall model explained 22% of the variance in future AUDIT. In the presence of familial risk (n = 711), drinking behavior at age 14, personality measures (extraversion, impulsivity), behavioral risk-taking, and life events were significantly associated with future AUDIT scores, explaining 20.1% of the overall variance. Results suggest that individual differences in personality, cognition, life events, brain function, and drinking behavior contribute differentially to the prediction of future alcohol misuse. This approach may inform more individualized preventive interventions.

Cerebellar-Subcortical-Cortical Systems as Modulators of Cognitive Functions

Over the past few decades, research has established that the cerebellum is involved in executive functions; however, its specific role remains unclear. There are numerous theories of cerebellar function and numerous cognitive processes falling under the umbrella of executive function, making investigations of the cerebellum's role in executive functioning challenging. In this review, we explored the role of the cerebellum in executive functioning through clinical and cognitive neuroscience frameworks. We reviewed the neuroanatomical systems and theoretical models of cerebellar functions and the multifaceted nature of executive functions. Using attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cerebellar tumor as clinical developmental models of cerebellar dysfunction, and the functional magnetic resonance imaging literature, we reviewed evidence for cerebellar involvement in specific components of executive function in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. There is evidence for posterior cerebellar contributions to working memory, planning, inhibition, and flexibility, but the heterogeneous literature that largely was not designed to study the cerebellum makes it difficult to determine specific functions of the cerebellum or cerebellar regions. In addition, while it is clear that cerebellar insult in childhood affects executive function performance later in life, more work is needed to elucidate the mechanisms by which executive dysfunction occurs and its developmental course. The limitations of the current literature are discussed and potential directions for future research are provided.

Effects of transcranial stimulation in developmental neurocognitive disorders: A critical appraisal

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been highlighted as a powerful tool to promote neuroplasticity, and an attractive approach to support cognitive remediation. Here we provide a systematic review of 26 papers using NIBS to ameliorate cognitive dysfunctions in three prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Developmental Dyslexia and Developmental Dyscalculia. An overview of the state of research shows a predominance of studies using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) techniques, and an unequal distribution among clinical conditions. Regarding the utility of NIBS, the results are promising but also ambiguous. Twenty-three papers reported beneficial effects, but many of these effects were found only once or were only partially replicated and some studies even reported detrimental effects. Furthermore, most studies differed in at least one core aspect, the NIBS applied, the questionnaires and cognitive tests conducted, or the age group investigated, and sample sizes were mostly small. Hence, further studies are needed to rigorously examine the potential of NIBS in the remediation of cognitive functions. Finally, we discuss potential caveats and future directions. We reason that if adequately addressing these challenges NIBS can be feasible, with potential benefits in treating neurodevelopmental disorders.

Functional Connectivity Predicts Individual Development of Inhibitory Control during Adolescence

Derailment of inhibitory control (IC) underlies numerous psychiatric and behavioral disorders, many of which emerge during adolescence. Identifying reliable predictive biomarkers that place the adolescents at elevated risk for future IC deficits can help guide early interventions, yet the scarcity of longitudinal research has hindered the progress. Here, using a large-scale longitudinal dataset in which the same subjects performed a stop signal task during functional magnetic resonance imaging at ages 14 and 19, we tracked their IC development individually and tried to find the brain features predicting their development by constructing prediction models using 14-year-olds' functional connections within a network or between a pair of networks. The participants had distinct between-subject trajectories in their IC development. Of the candidate connections used for prediction, ventral attention-subcortical network interconnections could predict the individual development of IC and formed a prediction model that generalized to previously unseen individuals. Furthermore, we found that connectivity between these two networks was related to substance abuse problems, an IC-deficit related problematic behavior, within 5 years. Our study reveals individual differences in IC development from mid- to late-adolescence and highlights the importance of ventral attention-subcortical network interconnections in predicting future IC development and substance abuse in adolescents.

Development of lateral pulvinar resting state functional connectivity and its role in attention

OBJECTIVE

The lateral pulvinar nucleus (LPN) has a well-established role in visual attention. Oscillatory activity of the LPN is critical for cortico-cortical communication within and among occipital and temporal visual processing regions. However, the functional development of the LPN and its role in attention deficits is not understood. This study examined the development of thalamic functional connectivity and its relation to attention abilities.

METHOD

Resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging images from 950 participants (ages 8-21) in the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC) were used to examine age effects. Follow-up General Linear Models were performed to examine brain-behavior effects with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptom ratings and D-prime scores from the Penn Continuous Performance Task, a behavioral measure of selective attention.

RESULTS

LPN functional connectivity with ventral visual stream regions of the occipital and temporal cortices decreased with age, while LPN functional connectivity with the supplementary motor area increased with age. Weaker LPN connectivity in the inferior parietal lobule, supramarginal gyrus, posterior insula, and inferior frontal gyrus was associated with more ADHD symptoms; stronger pulvinar-cerebellar connectivity was also associated with more ADHD symptoms. Better D-prime scores were associated with greater connectivity between the pulvinar and superior parietal gyrus; better D-prime scores were associated with weaker pulvinar connectivity with striatal, middle temporal gyrus, and medial prefrontal cortex regions.

CONCLUSION

These findings implicate the LPN in the development of the ventral visual processing stream between late childhood and early adulthood and suggest that LPN connectivity with higher order attention networks is important for attention abilities.

Error-signaling in the developing brain

While learning from mistakes is a lifelong process, the rate at which an individual makes errors on any given task decreases through late adolescence. Previous fMRI adult work indicates that several control brain networks are reliably active when participants make errors across multiple tasks. Less is known about the consistency and localization of error processing in the child brain because previous research has used single tasks. The current analysis pooled data across three studies to examine error-related task activation (two tasks per study, three tasks in total) for a group of 232 children aged 8-17 years. We found that, consistent with the adult literature, the majority of applied cingulo-opercular brain regions, including medial superior frontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate, and bilateral anterior insula, showed consistent error processing engagement in children across multiple tasks. Error-related activity in many of these cingulo-opercular regions correlated with task performance. However, unlike in the adult literature, we found a lack of error-related activation across tasks in dorsolateral frontal areas, and we also did not find any task-consistent relations with age in these regions. Our findings suggest that the task-general error processing signal in the developing brain is fairly robust and similar to adults, with the exception of lateral frontal cortex.

Neural Correlates of Adolescent Irritability and Its Comorbidity With Psychiatric Disorders

OBJECTIVE

Irritable mood, a common and impairing symptom in psychopathology, has been proposed to underlie the developmental link between oppositional problems in youth and depression in adulthood. We examined the neural correlates of adolescent irritability in IMAGEN, a sample of 2,024 14-year-old adolescents from 5 European countries.

METHOD

The Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) was used to assess attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, major depressive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Three items from the DAWBA, selected as close matches to the Affective Reactivity Index, were used to assess irritability. Structural magnetic resonance imaging was examined using whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis, and functional magnetic resonance imaging was examined during a stop signal task of inhibitory control. Imaging data were included in structural equation models to examine the direct and indirect associations between irritable mood and comorbid DSM diagnoses.

RESULTS

Whole-brain voxelwise analysis showed that adolescent irritable mood was associated with less gray matter volume and less neural activation underlying inhibitory control in frontal and temporal cortical areas (cluster-correction at p < .05). Structural equation models suggested that part of the observed smaller gray matter volume was exclusively driven by irritability separate from direct relationships between generalized anxiety disorder (or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, major depressive disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder) and gray matter volume.

CONCLUSION

This study identifies adolescent irritability as an independent construct and points to a neurobiological correlate to irritability that is an important contributing feature to many psychopathological disorders.

A Lifespan Model of Interference Resolution and Inhibitory Control: Risk for Depression and Changes with Illness Progression

The cognitive processes involved in inhibitory control accuracy (IC) and interference resolution speed (IR) or broadly - inhibition - are discussed in this review, and both are described within the context of a lifespan model of mood disorders. Inhibitory control (IC) is a binary outcome (success or no for response selection and inhibition of unwanted responses) for any given event that is influenced to an extent by IR. IR refers to the process of inhibition, which can be manipulated by task design in earlier and later stages through use of distractors and timing, and manipulation of individual differences in response proclivity. We describe the development of these two processes across the lifespan, noting factors that influence this development (e.g., environment, adversity and stress) as well as inherent difficulties in assessing IC/IR prior to adulthood (e.g., cross-informant reports). We use mood disorders as an illustrative example of how this multidimensional construct can be informative to state, trait, vulnerability and neuroprogression of disease. We present aggregated data across numerous studies and methodologies to examine the lifelong development and degradation of this subconstruct of executive function, particularly in mood disorders. We highlight the challenges in identifying and measuring IC/IR in late life, including specificity to complex, comorbid disease processes. Finally, we discuss some potential avenues for treatment and accommodation of these difficulties across the lifespan, including newer treatments using cognitive remediation training and neuromodulation.

The IMAGEN study: a decade of imaging genetics in adolescents

Imaging genetics offers the possibility of detecting associations between genotype and brain structure as well as function, with effect sizes potentially exceeding correlations between genotype and behavior. However, study results are often limited due to small sample sizes and methodological differences, thus reducing the reliability of findings. The IMAGEN cohort with 2000 young adolescents assessed from the age of 14 onwards tries to eliminate some of these limitations by offering a longitudinal approach and sufficient sample size for analyzing gene-environment interactions on brain structure and function. Here, we give a systematic review of IMAGEN publications since the start of the consortium. We then focus on the specific phenotype 'drug use' to illustrate the potential of the IMAGEN approach. We describe findings with respect to frontocortical, limbic and striatal brain volume, functional activation elicited by reward anticipation, behavioral inhibition, and affective faces, and their respective associations with drug intake. In addition to describing its strengths, we also discuss limitations of the IMAGEN study. Because of the longitudinal design and related attrition, analyses are underpowered for (epi-) genome-wide approaches due to the limited sample size. Estimating the generalizability of results requires replications in independent samples. However, such densely phenotyped longitudinal studies are still rare and alternative internal cross-validation methods (e.g., leave-one out, split-half) are also warranted. In conclusion, the IMAGEN cohort is a unique, very well characterized longitudinal sample, which helped to elucidate neurobiological mechanisms involved in complex behavior and offers the possibility to further disentangle genotype × phenotype interactions.

Efficacy of inhibitory control depends on procrastination and deceleration in saccade planning

A goal-directed flexible behavior warrants our ability to timely inhibit impending movements deemed inappropriate due to an abrupt change in the context. Race model of countermanding rapid saccadic eye movement posits a competition between a preparatory GO process and an inhibitory STOP process rising to reach a fixed threshold. Stop-signal response time (SSRT), which is the average time STOP takes to rise to the threshold, is widely used as a metric to assess the ability to revoke a movement. A reliable estimation of SSRT critically depends on the assumption of independence between GO and STOP process, which has been violated in many studies. In addition, the physiological correlate of stochastic rise of STOP process to a threshold remains unsubstantiated thus far. Here, we introduce a method to estimate the efficacy of inhibitory control on the premise of an alternative model that assumes deceleration of GO process following the stop-signal onset. The average reaction time increased exponentially with the increase in the maximum duration available to attenuate GO process by the stop-signal. Our method estimates saccade procrastination in anticipation of the stop-signal, and the rate of increase in attenuation on GO process. Unlike SSRT, these new metrics are independent of how the stopping performance varies with the delay between go- and stop-signal onsets. We reckon that these metrics together qualify to be considered as an efficient alternative to SSRT for the estimation of individuals' ability to countermand saccades, especially in cases when the assumptions of race model are no longer valid.

Anxious arousal alters prefrontal cortical control of stopping

Anxiety heightens vigilance and stimulus-driven attention to the environment, which may in turn disrupt cognitive control processes such as response inhibition. How this unfolds at the neural level is unclear. Previous evidence implicates the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) as an important cortical node in both stimulus-driven attention and inhibitory control. Here we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate the neural mechanisms involved in the relationship between threat-induced anxiety and stopping during a stop-signal task, where a visual go signal was occasionally followed by an auditory stop signal. Healthy individuals (N = 18) performed the task during the threat of unpredictable shocks and safety to modulate anxious arousal. Behaviorally, we observed that stopping was impaired during threat (i.e. slower estimated stop-signal reaction times), indicating that anxious arousal weakens inhibitory control. MEG source analyses revealed that bilateral IFG and right dorsal prefrontal cortex showed increased beta-band activity (14-30 Hz) to the stop signal that varied as a function of successful stopping during nonanxious (safe) conditions only. Moreover, peak beta-band responses from right IFG were inversely correlated with stopping efficiency during nonanxious conditions. These findings support theoretical claims that beta oscillations function to maintain the current sensorimotor state, and that the lack of differential beta-band activity in prefrontal cortices underlies anxiety-related deficits in inhibitory control. We specifically argue that altered right IFG functioning might directly link impaired cognitive control to heightened stimulus-driven responding in anxiety states.

Functional neural network configuration in late childhood varies by age and cognitive state

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fMRI data from 60 children aged 9–12 during resting and tasks involving decision making, visual perception, and working memory were examined.

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At rest, the child brain exhibited network organization similar to adults though the degree of similarity was age- and network-dependent.

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During tasks, brain network configurations showed task-induced and age-related changes in integration.

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Frontoparietal network showed flexible connectivity pattern across states while networks for sensory and motor processing remained stable.

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Findings demonstrate that network connectivity characteristics may serve as markers for neural and cognitive maturation.

Late childhood and early adolescence is characterized by substantial brain maturation which contributes to both adult-like and age-dependent resting-state network connectivity patterns. However, it remains unclear whether these functional network characteristics in children are subject to differential modulation by distinct cognitive demands as previously found in adults. We conducted network analyses on fMRI data from 60 children (aged 9–12) during resting and during three distinct tasks involving decision making, visual perception, and spatial working memory. Graph measures of network architecture, functional integration, and flexibility were calculated for each of the four states. During resting state, the children’s network architecture was similar to that in young adults (N = 60, aged 20–23) but the degree of similarity was age- and network-dependent. During the task states, the children's whole-brain network exhibited enhanced integration in response to increased cognitive demand. Additionally, the frontoparietal network showed flexibility in connectivity patterns across states while networks implicated in motor and visual processing remained relatively stable. Exploratory analyses suggest different relationships between behavioral performance and connectivity profiles for the working memory and perceptual tasks. Together, our findings demonstrate state- and age-dependent features in functional network connectivity during late childhood, potentially providing markers for brain and cognitive development.

Spatial migration of human reward processing with functional development: Evidence from quantitative meta-analyses

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown notable age‐dependent differences in reward processing. We analyzed data from a total of 554 children, 1,059 adolescents, and 1,831 adults from 70 articles. Quantitative meta‐analyses results show that adults engage an extended set of regions that include anterior and posterior cingulate gyri, insula, basal ganglia, and thalamus. Adolescents engage the posterior cingulate and middle frontal gyri as well as the insula and amygdala, whereas children show concordance in right insula and striatal regions almost exclusively. Our data support the notion of reorganization of function over childhood and adolescence and may inform current hypotheses relating to decision‐making across age.

Developmental maturation of inhibitory control circuitry in a high-risk sample: A longitudinal fMRI study

Background

The goal of this work was to characterize the maturation of inhibitory control brain function from childhood to early adulthood using longitudinal data collected in two cohorts.

Methods

Functional MRI during a go/no-go task was conducted in 290 participants, with 88 % undergoing repeated scanning at 1- to 2-year intervals. One group entered the study at age 7–13 years (n = 117); the other entered at age 18–23 years (n = 173). 33.1 % of the sample had two parents with a substance use disorder (SUD), 43.8 % had one parent with an SUD, and 23.1 % had no parents with an SUD. 1162 scans were completed, covering ages 7–28, with longitudinal data from the cohorts overlapping across ages 16–21. A marginal model with sandwich estimator standard errors was used to characterize voxel-wise age-related changes in hemodynamic response associated with successful inhibitory control.

Results

There was significant positive linear activation associated with age in the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital cortices. No clusters survived thresholding with negative linear, positive or negative quadratic, or positive or negative cubic contrasts.

Conclusions

These findings extend previous cross-sectional and small-scale longitudinal studies that have observed positive linear developmental trajectories of brain function during inhibitory control.

Establishing norms for error-related brain activity during the arrow Flanker task among young adults

Psychological assessments typically rely on self-report and behavioral measures. Augmenting these with neurophysiological measures of the construct in question may increase the accuracy and predictive power of these assessments. Moreover, thinking about neurophysiological measures from an assessment perspective may facilitate under-utilized research approaches (e.g., brain-based recruitment of participants). However, the lack of normative data for most neurophysiological measures has prevented the comparison of individual responses to the general population, precluding these approaches. The current work examines the distributions of two event-related potentials (ERPs) commonly used in individual differences research: the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe). Across three lab sites, 800 unselected participants between the ages of 18 and 30 performed the arrow version of a Flanker task while EEG was recorded. Percentile scores and distributions for ERPs on error trials, correct trials, and the difference (ΔERN, ΔPe; error minus correct) at Fz, Cz and Pz are reported. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile values for the ΔERN at Cz were -2.37 ​μV, -5.41 ​μV, and -8.65 ​μV, respectively. The same values for ΔPe at Cz were 7.51 ​μV, 11.18 ​μV, and 15.55 ​μV. Females displayed significantly larger ΔPe magnitudes and smaller ΔERN magnitudes than males. Additionally, normative data for behavioral performance (accuracy, post-error slowing, and reaction time) on the Flanker task is reported. Results provide a means by which ERN and Pe amplitudes of young adults elicited by the arrow Flanker task can be benchmarked, facilitating the classification of neural responses as 'large,' 'medium,' or 'small'. The ability to classify responses in this manner is a necessary step towards expanded use of these measures in assessment and research settings. These norms may not apply to ERPs elicited by other tasks, and future work should establish similar norms using other tasks.

Neurofunctional and behavioural measures associated with fMRI-neurofeedback learning in adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Neurofeedback (fMRI-NF) targeting brain areas/networks shown to be dysfunctional by previous fMRI research is a promising novel neurotherapy for ADHD. Our pioneering study in 31 adolescents with ADHD showed that fMRI-NF of the right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC) and of the left parahippocampal gyrus (lPHG) was associated with clinical improvements. Previous studies using electro-encephalography-NF have shown, however, that not all ADHD patients learn to self-regulate, and the predictors of fMRI-NF self-regulation learning are not presently known. The aim of the current study was therefore to elucidate the potential predictors of fMRI-NF learning by investigating the relationship between fMRI-NF learning and baseline inhibitory brain function during an fMRI stop task, along with clinical and cognitive measures. fMRI-NF learning capacity was calculated for each participant by correlating the number of completed fMRI-NF runs with brain activation in their respective target regions from each run (rIFC or lPHG); higher correlation values were taken as a marker of better (linear) fMRI-NF learning. Linear correlations were then conducted between baseline measures and the participants' capacity for fMRI-NF learning. Better fMRI-NF learning was related to increased activation in left inferior fronto-striatal regions during the fMRI stop task. Poorer self-regulation during fMRI-NF training was associated with enhanced activation in posterior temporo-occipital and cerebellar regions. Cognitive and clinical measures were not associated with general fMRI-NF learning across all participants. A categorical analysis showed that 48% of adolescents with ADHD successfully learned fMRI-NF and this was also not associated with any baseline clinical or cognitive measures except that faster processing speed during inhibition and attention tasks predicted learning. Taken together, the findings suggest that imaging data are more predictive of fMRI-NF self-regulation skills in ADHD than behavioural data. Stronger baseline activation in fronto-striatal cognitive control regions predicts better fMRI-NF learning in ADHD.

Neuropsychological Trajectories Associated with Adolescent Alcohol and Cannabis Use: A Prospective 14-Year Study

OBJECTIVES

Alcohol and cannabis remain the substances most widely used by adolescents. Better understanding of the dynamic relationship between trajectories of substance use in relation to neuropsychological functioning is needed. The aim of this study was to examine the different impacts of within- and between-person changes in alcohol and cannabis use on neuropsychological functioning over multiple time points.

METHODS

Hierarchical linear modeling examined the effects of alcohol and cannabis use on neuropsychological functioning over the course of 14 years in a sample of 175 adolescents (aged 12-15 years at baseline).

RESULTS

Time-specific fluctuations in alcohol use (within-person effect) predicted worse performance across time on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence Block Design subtest (B = -.05, SE = .02, p = .01). Greater mean levels of percent days of cannabis use across time (between-person effect) were associated with an increased contrast score between Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Color Word Inhibition and Color Naming conditions (B = .52, SE = .14, p < .0001) and poorer performance over time on Block Design (B = -.08, SE = .04, p = .03). Neither alcohol and/nor cannabis use over time was associated with performance in the verbal memory and processing speed domains.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater cumulative cannabis use over adolescence may be linked to poorer inhibitory control and visuospatial functioning performance, whereas more proximal increases in alcohol consumption during adolescence may drive alcohol-related performance decrements in visuospatial functioning. Results from this prospective study add to the growing body of literature on the impact of alcohol and cannabis use on cognition from adolescent to young adulthood.

The effect of task difficulty on feedback processing in children

The study evaluated the effect of task difficulty on feedback processing as measured by the feedback related event related potentials (ERPs) in 7-11-years-old children. Children completed two declarative learning tasks that differed in the number of object-name pairs they were required to learn, deeming the task with twice as many pairs as more difficult. EEG was recorded during the tasks, and event related potentials time-locked to the feedback presentation were analyzed. Additionally, Accuracy was measured in test block at the end of each task. Behaviorally, children achieved better accuracy on the easy task than on the difficult task. In line with previous findings in adults, the FRN was not found sensitive to task difficulty. However, a feedback-related P300 and a fronto-central positivity that followed the FRN were found sensitive to task difficulty such that their amplitudes were larger in the easy task. This pattern is opposite to that reported previously in adults and may reflect the effect of motivation on attention allocation in children.

Grant Report on Anxiety-CBT: Dimensional Brain Behavior Predictors of CBT Outcomes in Pediatric Anxiety

In the following grant report, we describe initial and planned work supported by our National Institute of Mental Health R01-funded, Research Domain Criteria (RDoc) informed project, “Dimensional Brain Behavior Predictors of CBT Outcomes in Pediatric Anxiety”. This project examines response to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in a large sample of anxiety-affected and low-anxious youth ages 7 to 18 years using multiple levels of analysis, including brain imaging, behavioral performance, and clinical measures. The primary goal of the project is to understand how brain-behavioral markers of anxiety-relevant constructs, namely acute threat, cognitive control, and their interaction, associate with CBT response in youth with clinically significant anxiety. A secondary goal is to determine whether child age influences how these markers predict, and/or change, across varying degrees of CBT response. Now in its fourth year, data from this project has informed the examination of (1) baseline (i.e., pre-CBT) anxiety severity as a function of brain-behavioral measures of cognitive control, and (2) clinical characteristics of youth and parents that associate with anxiety severity and/or predict response to CBT. Analysis of brain-behavioral markers before and after CBT will assess mechanisms of CBT effect, and will be conducted once the data collection in the full sample has been completed. This knowledge will help guide the treatment of clinically anxious youth by informing for whom and how does CBT work.