A comparison of dual gradient-echo and spin-echo fMRI of the inferior temporal lobe

Delineating Region-Specific contributions and connectivity patterns for semantic association and categorization through ROI and Granger causality analysis

The neural mechanisms supporting semantic association and categorization are examined in this study. Semantic association involves linking concepts through shared themes, events, or scenes, while semantic categorization organizes meanings hierarchically based on defining features. Twenty-three adults participated in an fMRI study performing categorization and association judgment tasks. Results showed stronger activation in the inferior frontal gyrus during association and marginally weaker activation in the posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) during categorization. Granger causality analysis revealed bottom-up connectivity from the visual cortex to the hippocampus during semantic association, whereas semantic categorization exhibited strong reciprocal connections between the pMTG and frontal semantic control regions, together with information flow from the visual association area and hippocampus to the pars triangularis. We propose that demands on semantic retrieval, precision of semantic representation, perceptual experiences and world knowledge result in observable differences between these two semantic relations.

Social-semantic knowledge in frontotemporal dementia and after anterior temporal lobe resection

Degraded semantic memory is a prominent feature of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). It is classically associated with semantic dementia and anterior temporal lobe (ATL) atrophy, but semantic knowledge can also be compromised in behavioural variant FTD. Motivated by understanding behavioural change in FTD, recent research has focused selectively on social-semantic knowledge, with proposals that the right ATL is specialized for social concepts. Previous studies have assessed very different types of social concepts and have not compared performance with that of matched non-social concepts. Consequently, it remains unclear to what extent various social concepts are (i) concurrently impaired in FTD, (ii) distinct from general semantic memory and (iii) differentially supported by the left and right ATL. This study assessed multiple aspects of social-semantic knowledge and general conceptual knowledge across cohorts with ATL damage arising from either neurodegeneration or resection. We assembled a test battery measuring knowledge of multiple types of social concept. Performance was compared with non-social general conceptual knowledge, measured using the Cambridge Semantic Memory Test Battery and other matched non-social-semantic tests. Our trans-diagnostic approach included behavioural variant FTD, semantic dementia and 'mixed' intermediate cases to capture the FTD clinical spectrum, as well as age-matched healthy controls. People with unilateral left or right ATL resection for temporal lobe epilepsy were also recruited to assess how selective damage to the left or right ATL impacts social- and non-social-semantic knowledge. Social- and non-social-semantic deficits were severe and highly correlated in FTD. Much milder impairments were found after unilateral ATL resection, with no left versus right differences in social-semantic knowledge or general semantic processing and with only naming showing a greater deficit following left versus right damage. A principal component analysis of all behavioural measures in the FTD cohort extracted three components, interpreted as capturing (i) FTD severity, (ii) semantic memory and (iii) executive function. Social and non-social measures both loaded heavily on the same semantic memory component, and scores on this factor were uniquely associated with bilateral ATL grey matter volume but not with the degree of ATL asymmetry. Together, these findings demonstrate that both social- and non-social-semantic knowledge degrade in FTD (semantic dementia and behavioural variant FTD) following bilateral ATL atrophy. We propose that social-semantic knowledge is part of a broader conceptual system underpinned by a bilaterally implemented, functionally unitary semantic hub in the ATLs. Our results also highlight the value of a trans-diagnostic approach for investigating the neuroanatomical underpinnings of cognitive deficits in FTD.

Reconstructing Spatiotemporal Trajectories of Visual Object Memories in the Human Brain

How the human brain reconstructs, step-by-step, the core elements of past experiences is still unclear. Here, we map the spatiotemporal trajectories along which visual object memories are reconstructed during associative recall. Specifically, we inquire whether retrieval reinstates feature representations in a copy-like but reversed direction with respect to the initial perceptual experience, or alternatively, this reconstruction involves format transformations and regions beyond initial perception. Participants from two cohorts studied new associations between verbs and randomly paired object images, and subsequently recalled the objects when presented with the corresponding verb cue. We first analyze multivariate fMRI patterns to map where in the brain high- and low-level object features can be decoded during perception and retrieval, showing that retrieval is dominated by conceptual features, represented in comparatively late visual and parietal areas. A separately acquired EEG dataset is then used to track the temporal evolution of the reactivated patterns using similarity-based EEG-fMRI fusion. This fusion suggests that memory reconstruction proceeds from anterior frontotemporal to posterior occipital and parietal regions, in line with a conceptual-to-perceptual gradient but only partly following the same trajectories as during perception. Specifically, a linear regression statistically confirms that the sequential activation of ventral visual stream regions is reversed between image perception and retrieval. The fusion analysis also suggests an information relay to frontoparietal areas late during retrieval. Together, the results shed light onto the temporal dynamics of memory recall and the transformations that the information undergoes between the initial experience and its later reconstruction from memory.

The impact of bilateral versus unilateral anterior temporal lobe damage on face recognition, person knowledge and semantic memory

The functional importance of the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) has come to prominence in two active, albeit unconnected literatures-(i) face recognition and (ii) semantic memory. To generate a unified account of the ATLs, we tested the predictions from each literature and examined the effects of bilateral versus unilateral ATL damage on face recognition, person knowledge, and semantic memory. Sixteen people with bilateral ATL atrophy from semantic dementia (SD), 17 people with unilateral ATL resection for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE; left = 10, right = 7), and 14 controls completed tasks assessing perceptual face matching, person knowledge and general semantic memory. People with SD were impaired across all semantic tasks, including person knowledge. Despite commensurate total ATL damage, unilateral resection generated mild impairments, with minimal differences between left- and right-ATL resection. Face matching performance was largely preserved but slightly reduced in SD and right TLE. All groups displayed the familiarity effect in face matching; however, it was reduced in SD and right TLE and was aligned with the level of item-specific semantic knowledge in all participants. We propose a neurocognitive framework whereby the ATLs underpin a resilient bilateral representation system that supports semantic memory, person knowledge and face recognition.

Beyond human-likeness: Socialness is more influential when attributing mental states to robots

We sought to replicate and expand previous work showing that the more human-like a robot appears, the more willing people are to attribute mind-like capabilities and socially engage with it. Forty-two participants played games against a human, a humanoid robot, a mechanoid robot, and a computer algorithm while undergoing functional neuroimaging. We confirmed that the more human-like the agent, the more participants attributed a mind to them. However, exploratory analyses revealed that the perceived socialness of an agent appeared to be as, if not more, important for mind attribution. Our findings suggest top-down knowledge cues may be equally or possibly more influential than bottom-up stimulus cues when exploring mind attribution in non-human agents. While further work is now required to test this hypothesis directly, these preliminary findings hold important implications for robotic design and to understand and test the flexibility of human social cognition when people engage with artificial agents.

Default mode network shows distinct emotional and contextual responses yet common effects of retrieval demands across tasks

The default mode network (DMN) lies towards the heteromodal end of the principal gradient of intrinsic connectivity, maximally separated from the sensory-motor cortex. It supports memory-based cognition, including the capacity to retrieve conceptual and evaluative information from sensory inputs, and to generate meaningful states internally; however, the functional organisation of DMN that can support these distinct modes of retrieval remains unclear. We used fMRI to examine whether activation within subsystems of DMN differed as a function of retrieval demands, or the type of association to be retrieved, or both. In a picture association task, participants retrieved semantic associations that were either contextual or emotional in nature. Participants were asked to avoid generating episodic associations. In the generate phase, these associations were retrieved from a novel picture, while in the switch phase, participants retrieved a new association for the same image. Semantic context and emotion trials were associated with dissociable DMN subnetworks, indicating that a key dimension of DMN organisation relates to the type of association being accessed. The frontotemporal and medial temporal DMN showed a preference for emotional and semantic contextual associations, respectively. Relative to the generate phase, the switch phase recruited clusters closer to the heteromodal apex of the principal gradient-a cortical hierarchy separating unimodal and heteromodal regions. There were no differences in this effect between association types. Instead, memory switching was associated with a distinct subnetwork associated with controlled internal cognition. These findings delineate distinct patterns of DMN recruitment for different kinds of associations yet common responses across tasks that reflect retrieval demands.

Graded and sharp transitions in semantic function in left temporal lobe

Recent work has focussed on how patterns of functional change within the temporal lobe relate to whole-brain dimensions of intrinsic connectivity variation (Margulies et al., 2016). We examined two such 'connectivity gradients' reflecting the separation of (i) unimodal versus heteromodal and (ii) visual versus auditory-motor cortex, examining visually presented verbal associative and feature judgments, plus picture-based context and emotion generation. Functional responses along the first dimension sometimes showed graded change between modality-tuned and heteromodal cortex (in the verbal matching task), and other times showed sharp functional transitions, with deactivation at the extremes and activation in the middle of this gradient (internal generation). The second gradient revealed more visual than auditory-motor activation, regardless of content (associative, feature, context, emotion) or task process (matching/generation). We also uncovered subtle differences across each gradient for content type, which predominantly manifested as differences in relative magnitude of activation or deactivation.

The anterior fusiform gyrus: The ghost in the cortical face machine

Face-selective regions in the human ventral occipito-temporal cortex (VOTC) have been defined for decades mainly with functional magnetic resonance imaging. This face-selective VOTC network is traditionally divided in a posterior 'core' system thought to subtend face perception, and regions of the anterior temporal lobe as a semantic memory component of an extended general system. In between these two putative systems lies the anterior fusiform gyrus and surrounding sulci, affected by magnetic susceptibility artifacts. Here we suggest that this methodological gap overlaps with and contributes to a conceptual gap between (visual) perception and semantic memory for faces. Filling this gap with intracerebral recordings and direct electrical stimulation reveals robust face-selectivity in the anterior fusiform gyrus and a crucial role of this region, especially in the right hemisphere, in identity recognition for both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Based on these observations, we propose an integrated theoretical framework for human face (identity) recognition according to which face-selective regions in the anterior fusiform gyrus join the dots between posterior and anterior cortical face memories.

Semantic representations in inferior frontal and lateral temporal cortex during picture naming, reading, and repetition

Reading, naming, and repetition are classical neuropsychological tasks widely used in the clinic and psycholinguistic research. While reading and repetition can be accomplished by following a direct or an indirect route, pictures can be named only by means of semantic mediation. By means of fMRI multivariate pattern analysis, we evaluated whether this well-established fundamental difference at the cognitive level is associated at the brain level with a difference in the degree to which semantic representations are activated during these tasks. Semantic similarity between words was estimated based on a word association model. Twenty subjects participated in an event-related fMRI study where the three tasks were presented in pseudo-random order. Linear discriminant analysis of fMRI patterns identified a set of regions that allow to discriminate between words at a high level of word-specificity across tasks. Representational similarity analysis was used to determine whether semantic similarity was represented in these regions and whether this depended on the task performed. The similarity between neural patterns of the left Brodmann area 45 (BA45) and of the superior portion of the left supramarginal gyrus correlated with the similarity in meaning between entities during picture naming. In both regions, no significant effects were seen for repetition or reading. The semantic similarity effect during picture naming was significantly larger than the similarity effect during the two other tasks. In contrast, several regions including left anterior superior temporal gyrus and left ventral BA44/frontal operculum, among others, coded for semantic similarity in a task-independent manner. These findings provide new evidence for the dynamic, task-dependent nature of semantic representations in the left BA45 and a more task-independent nature of the representational activation in the lateral temporal cortex and ventral BA44/frontal operculum.

Segmented spin-echo echo-planar imaging improves whole-brain BOLD functional MRI in awake pigeon brains

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in awake small animals such as pigeons or songbirds opens a new window into the neural fundaments of cognitive behavior. However, high-field fMRI in the avian brain is challenging due to strong local magnetic field inhomogeneities caused by air cavities in the skull. A spoiled gradient-echo fMRI sequence has already been used to map the auditory network in songbirds, but due to susceptibility artifacts only 50% of the whole brain could be recorded. Since whole-brain fMRI coverage is vital to reveal whole-brain networks, an MRI sequence that is less susceptible to these artifacts was required. This was recently achieved in various bird species by using a rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) sequence. Weak blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) sensitivity, low temporal resolution, and heat caused by the long train of RF refocusing pulses are the main limits of RARE fMRI at high magnetic fields. To go beyond some of these limitations, we here describe the implementation of a two-segmented spin-echo echo-planar imaging (SE-EPI). The proposed sequence covers the whole brain of awake pigeons. The sequence was applied to investigate the auditory network in awake pigeons and assessed the relative merits of this method in comparison with the single-shot RARE sequence. At the same imaging resolution but with a volume acquisition of 3 s versus 4 s for RARE, the two-segmented SE-EPI provided twice the strength of BOLD activity compared with the single-shot RARE sequence, while the image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and in particular the temporal SNR were very similar for the two sequences. In addition, the activation patterns in two-segmented SE-EPI data are more symmetric and larger than single-shot RARE results. Two-segmented SE-EPI represents a valid alternative to the RARE sequence in avian fMRI research since it yields more than twice the BOLD sensitivity per unit of time with much less energy deposition and better temporal resolution, particularly for event-related experiments.

Semantic-specific and domain-general mechanisms for integration and update of contextual information

Recent research has highlighted the importance of domain-general processes and brain regions for language and semantic cognition. Yet, this has been mainly observed in executively demanding tasks, leaving open the question of the contribution of domain-general processes to natural language and semantic cognition. Using fMRI, we investigated whether neural processes reflecting context integration and context update-two key aspects of naturalistic language and semantic processing-are domain-specific versus domain-general. Thus, we compared neural responses during the integration of contextual information across semantic and non-semantic tasks. Whole-brain results revealed both shared (left posterior-dorsal inferior frontal gyrus, left posterior inferior temporal gyrus, and left dorsal angular gyrus/intraparietal sulcus) and distinct (left anterior-ventral inferior frontal gyrus, left anterior ventral angular gyrus, left posterior middle temporal gyrus for semantic control only) regions involved in context integration and update. Furthermore, data-driven functional connectivity analysis clustered domain-specific versus domain-general brain regions into distinct but interacting functional neural networks. These results provide a first characterisation of the neural processes required for context-dependent integration during language processing along the domain-specificity dimension, and at the same time, they bring new insights into the role of left posterior lateral temporal cortex and left angular gyrus for semantic cognition.

Conceptual representations in the default, control and attention networks are task-dependent and cross-modal

Conceptual knowledge is central to human cognition. Neuroimaging studies suggest that conceptual processing involves modality-specific and multimodal brain regions in a task-dependent fashion. However, it remains unclear (1) to what extent conceptual feature representations are also modulated by the task, (2) whether conceptual representations in multimodal regions are indeed cross-modal, and (3) how the conceptual system relates to the large-scale functional brain networks. To address these issues, we conducted multivariate pattern analyses on fMRI data. 40 participants performed three tasks-lexical decision, sound judgment, and action judgment-on written words. We found that (1) conceptual feature representations are strongly modulated by the task, (2) conceptual representations in several multimodal regions are cross-modal, and (3) conceptual feature retrieval involves the default, frontoparietal control, and dorsal attention networks. Conceptual representations in these large-scale networks are task-dependent and cross-modal. Our findings support theories that assume conceptual processing to rely on a flexible, multi-level architecture.

Interindividual variability and consistency of language mapping paradigms for presurgical use

Most functional MRI studies of language processing have focussed on group-level inference, but for clinical use, the aim is to predict outcomes at an individual patient level. This requires being able to identify atypical activation and understand how differences relate to language outcomes. A language mapping paradigm that selectively activates left hemisphere language regions in healthy individuals allows atypical activation in a patient to be more easily identified. We investigated the interindividual variability and consistency of language activation in 12 healthy participants using three tasks-verb generation, responsive naming, and sentence comprehension-for future presurgical use. Responsive naming produced the most consistent left-lateralised activation across participants in frontal and temporal regions that postsurgical voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping studies suggest are most critical for language outcomes. Studies with a long-term clinical aim of predicting language outcomes in neurosurgical patients and stroke patients should first establish paradigm validity at an individual level in healthy participants.

A network-level test of the role of the co-activated default mode network in episodic recall and social cognition

Resting-state network research is extremely influential, yet the functions of many networks remain unknown. In part, this is due to typical (e.g., univariate) analyses independently testing the function of individual regions and not examining the full set of regions that form a network whilst co-activated. Connectivity is dynamic and the function of a region may change based on its current connections. Therefore, determining the function of a network requires assessment at this network-level. Yet popular theories implicating the default mode network (DMN) in episodic memory and social cognition, rest principally upon analyses performed at the level of individual brain regions. Here we use independent component analysis to formally test the role of the DMN in episodic and social processing at the network level. As well as an episodic retrieval task, two independent datasets were employed to assess DMN function across the breadth of social cognition; a person knowledge judgement and a theory of mind task. Each task dataset was separated into networks of co-activated regions. In each, the co-activated DMN, was identified through comparison to an a priori template and its relation to the task model assessed. This co-activated DMN did not show greater activity in episodic or social tasks than high-level baseline conditions. Thus, no evidence was found to support hypotheses that the co-activated DMN is involved in explicit episodic or social tasks at a network-level. The networks associated with these processes are described. Implications for prior univariate findings and the functional significance of the co-activated DMN are considered.

Using in vivo functional and structural connectivity to predict chronic stroke aphasia deficits

Focal brain damage caused by stroke can result in aphasia and advances in cognitive neuroscience suggest that impairment may be associated with network-level disorder rather than just circumscribed cortical damage. Several studies have shown meaningful relationships between brain-behaviour using lesions; however, only a handful of studies have incorporated in vivo structural and functional connectivity. Patients with chronic post-stroke aphasia were assessed with structural (n = 68) and functional (n = 39) MRI to assess whether predicting performance can be improved with multiple modalities and if additional variance can be explained compared to lesion models alone. These neural measurements were used to construct models to predict four key language-cognitive factors: (i) phonology; (ii) semantics; (iii) executive function; and (iv) fluency. Our results showed that each factor (except executive ability) could be significantly related to each neural measurement alone; however, structural and functional connectivity models did not explain additional variance above the lesion models. We did find evidence that the structural and functional predictors may be linked to the core lesion sites. First, the predictive functional connectivity features were found to be located within functional resting-state networks identified in healthy controls, suggesting that the result might reflect functionally specific reorganization (damage to a node within a network can result in disruption to the entire network). Second, predictive structural connectivity features were located within core lesion sites, suggesting that multimodal information may be redundant in prediction modelling. In addition, we observed that the optimum sparsity within the regularized regression models differed for each behavioural component and across different imaging features, suggesting that future studies should consider optimizing hyperparameters related to sparsity per target. Together, the results indicate that the observed network-level disruption was predicted by the lesion alone and does not significantly improve model performance in predicting the profile of language impairment.

Age-related reorganization of functional network architecture in semantic cognition

Cognitive aging is associated with widespread neural reorganization processes in the human brain. However, the behavioral impact of such reorganization is not well understood. The current neuroimaging study investigated age differences in the functional network architecture during semantic word retrieval in young and older adults. Combining task-based functional connectivity, graph theory and cognitive measures of fluid and crystallized intelligence, our findings show age-accompanied large-scale network reorganization even when older adults have intact word retrieval abilities. In particular, functional networks of older adults were characterized by reduced decoupling between systems, reduced segregation and efficiency, and a larger number of hub regions relative to young adults. Exploring the predictive utility of these age-related changes in network topology revealed high, albeit less efficient, performance for older adults whose brain graphs showed stronger dedifferentiation and reduced distinctiveness. Our results extend theoretical accounts on neurocognitive aging by revealing the compensational potential of the commonly reported pattern of network dedifferentiation when older adults can rely on their prior knowledge for successful task processing. However, we also demonstrate the limitations of such compensatory reorganization and show that a youth-like network architecture in terms of balanced integration and segregation is associated with more economical processing.

Decoding semantic representations in mind and brain

A key goal for cognitive neuroscience is to understand the neurocognitive systems that support semantic memory. Recent multivariate analyses of neuroimaging data have contributed greatly to this effort, but the rapid development of these novel approaches has made it difficult to track the diversity of findings and to understand how and why they sometimes lead to contradictory conclusions. We address this challenge by reviewing cognitive theories of semantic representation and their neural instantiation. We then consider contemporary approaches to neural decoding and assess which types of representation each can possibly detect. The analysis suggests why the results are heterogeneous and identifies crucial links between cognitive theory, data collection, and analysis that can help to better connect neuroimaging to mechanistic theories of semantic cognition.

Distinct but cooperating brain networks supporting semantic cognition

Semantic cognition is a complex multifaceted brain function involving multiple processes including sensory, semantic, and domain-general cognitive systems. However, it remains unclear how these systems cooperate with each other to achieve effective semantic cognition. Here, we used independent component analysis (ICA) to investigate the functional brain networks that support semantic cognition. We used a semantic judgment task and a pattern-matching control task, each with 2 levels of difficulty, to disentangle task-specific networks from domain-general networks. ICA revealed 2 task-specific networks (the left-lateralized semantic network [SN] and a bilateral, extended semantic network [ESN]) and domain-general networks including the frontoparietal network (FPN) and default mode network (DMN). SN was coupled with the ESN and FPN but decoupled from the DMN, whereas the ESN was synchronized with the FPN alone and did not show a decoupling with the DMN. The degree of decoupling between the SN and DMN was associated with semantic task performance, with the strongest decoupling for the poorest performing participants. Our findings suggest that human higher cognition is achieved by the multiple brain networks, serving distinct and shared cognitive functions depending on task demands, and that the neural dynamics between these networks may be crucial for efficient semantic cognition.

Intracerebral Electrophysiological Recordings to Understand the Neural Basis of Human Face Recognition

Understanding how the human brain recognizes faces is a primary scientific goal in cognitive neuroscience. Given the limitations of the monkey model of human face recognition, a key approach in this endeavor is the recording of electrophysiological activity with electrodes implanted inside the brain of human epileptic patients. However, this approach faces a number of challenges that must be overcome for meaningful scientific knowledge to emerge. Here we synthesize a 10 year research program combining the recording of intracerebral activity (StereoElectroEncephaloGraphy, SEEG) in the ventral occipito-temporal cortex (VOTC) of large samples of participants and fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS), to objectively define, quantify, and characterize the neural basis of human face recognition. These large-scale studies reconcile the wide distribution of neural face recognition activity with its (right) hemispheric and regional specialization and extend face-selectivity to anterior regions of the VOTC, including the ventral anterior temporal lobe (VATL) typically affected by magnetic susceptibility artifacts in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Clear spatial dissociations in category-selectivity between faces and other meaningful stimuli such as landmarks (houses, medial VOTC regions) or written words (left lateralized VOTC) are found, confirming and extending neuroimaging observations while supporting the validity of the clinical population tested to inform about normal brain function. The recognition of face identity - arguably the ultimate form of recognition for the human brain - beyond mere differences in physical features is essentially supported by selective populations of neurons in the right inferior occipital gyrus and the lateral portion of the middle and anterior fusiform gyrus. In addition, low-frequency and high-frequency broadband iEEG signals of face recognition appear to be largely concordant in the human association cortex. We conclude by outlining the challenges of this research program to understand the neural basis of human face recognition in the next 10 years.

Bipartite functional fractionation within the neural system for social cognition supports the psychological continuity of self versus other

Research of social neuroscience establishes that regions in the brain's default-mode network (DN) and semantic network (SN) are engaged by socio-cognitive tasks. Research of the human connectome shows that DN and SN regions are both situated at the transmodal end of a cortical gradient but differ in their loci along this gradient. Here we integrated these 2 bodies of research, used the psychological continuity of self versus other as a "test-case," and used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether these 2 networks would encode social concepts differently. We found a robust dissociation between the DN and SN-while both networks contained sufficient information for decoding broad-stroke distinction of social categories, the DN carried more generalizable information for cross-classifying across social distance and emotive valence than did the SN. We also found that the overarching distinction of self versus other was a principal divider of the representational space while social distance was an auxiliary factor (subdivision, nested within the principal dimension), and this representational landscape was more manifested in the DN than in the SN. Taken together, our findings demonstrate how insights from connectome research can benefit social neuroscience and have implications for clarifying the 2 networks' differential contributions to social cognition.

Sincere praise and flattery: reward value and association with the praise-seeking trait

Sincere praise reliably conveys positive or negative feedback, while flattery always conveys positive but unreliable feedback. These two praise types have not been compared in terms of communication effectiveness and individual preferences using neuroimaging. Through functional magnetic resonance imaging, we measured brain activity when healthy young participants received sincere praise or flattery after performing a visual search task. Higher activation was observed in the right nucleus accumbens during sincere praise than during flattery, and praise reliability correlated with posterior cingulate cortex activity, implying a rewarding effect of sincere praise. In line with this, sincere praise uniquely activated several cortical areas potentially involved in concern regarding others' evaluations. A high praise-seeking tendency was associated with lower activation of the inferior parietal sulcus during sincere praise compared to flattery after poor task performance, potentially reflecting suppression of negative feedback to maintain self-esteem. In summary, the neural dynamics of the rewarding and socio-emotional effects of praise differed.

The convergence and divergence of episodic and semantic functions across lateral parietal cortex

Decades of research have highlighted the importance of lateral parietal cortex (LPC) across a myriad of cognitive domains. Yet, the underlying function of LPC remains unclear. Two domains that have emphasized LPC involvement are semantic memory and episodic memory retrieval. From each domain, sophisticated functional models have been proposed, as well as the more domain-general assumption that LPC is engaged by any form of internally directed cognition (episodic/semantic retrieval being examples). Here we used a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging, functional connectivity, and diffusion tensor imaging white-matter connectivity to show that (i) ventral LPC (angular gyrus [AG]) was positively engaged during episodic retrieval but disengaged during semantic memory retrieval and (ii) activity negatively varied with task difficulty in the semantic task whereas episodic activation was independent of difficulty. In contrast, dorsal LPC (intraparietal sulcus) showed domain general activation that was positively correlated with task difficulty. Finally, (iii) a dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior gradient of functional and structural connectivity was found across the AG (e.g. mid-AG connected with episodic retrieval). We propose a unifying model in which LPC as a whole might share a common underlying neurocomputation (multimodal buffering) with variations in the emergent cognitive functions across subregions arising from differences in the underlying connectivity.

Parallel transmit (pTx) with online pulse design for task-based fMRI at 7 T

PURPOSE

Parallel transmission (pTx) is an approach to improve image uniformity for ultra-high field imaging. In this study, we modified an echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence to design subject-specific pTx pulses online. We compared its performance against EPI with conventional circularly polarised (CP) pulses.

METHODS

We compared the pTx-EPI and CP-EPI sequences in a short EPI acquisition protocol and for two different functional paradigms in six healthy volunteers (2 female, aged 23-36 years, mean age 29.2 years). We chose two paradigms that are typically affected by signal dropout at 7 T: a visual objects localiser to determine face/scene selective brain regions and a semantic-processing task.

RESULTS

Across all subjects, pTx-EPI improved whole-brain mean temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) by 11.0% compared to CP-EPI. We also compared the ability of pTx-EPI and CP-EPI to detect functional activation for three contrasts over the two paradigms: face > object and scene > object for the visual objects localiser and semantic association > pattern matching for the semantic-processing paradigm. Across all three contrasts, pTx-EPI showed higher median z-scores and detected more active voxels in relevant areas, as determined from previous 3 T studies.

CONCLUSION

We have demonstrated a workflow for EPI acquisitions with online per-subject pulse calculations. We saw improved performance in both tSNR and functional acquisitions from pTx-EPI. Thus, we believe that online calculation pTx-EPI is robust enough for future fMRI studies, especially where activation is expected in brain areas liable to significant signal dropout.

Non-invasive brain stimulation modulates GABAergic activity in neurofibromatosis 1

Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a single-gene disorder associated with cognitive phenotypes common to neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism. GABAergic dysregulation underlies working memory impairments seen in NF1. This mechanistic experimental study investigates whether application of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) can modulate GABA and working memory in NF1. Thirty-one NF1 adolescents 11-18 years, were recruited to this single-blind sham-controlled cross-over randomized trial. AtDCS or sham stimulation was applied to the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) and MR Spectroscopy was collected before and after intervention in the left DLPFC and occipital cortex. Task-related functional MRI was collected before, during, and after stimulation. Higher baseline GABA+ in the left DLPFC was associated with faster response times on baseline working memory measures. AtDCS was seen to significantly reduced GABA+ and increase brain activation in the left DLPFC as compared to sham stimulation. Task performance was worse in the aTDCS group during stimulation but no group differences in behavioural outcomes were observed at the end of stimulation. Although our study suggests aTDCS modulates inhibitory activity in the DLPFC, further work is needed to determine whether repeated sessions of atDCS and strategies such as alternating current stimulation offer a better therapeutic approach.

Neurochemical profiles of the anterior temporal lobe predict response of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on semantic processing

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive technique used to modulate cortical excitability in the human brain. However, one major challenge with rTMS is that the responses to stimulation are highly variable across individuals. The underlying reasons why responses to rTMS are highly variable between individuals still remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether the response to continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) - an effective rTMS protocol for decreasing cortical excitability - is related to individual differences in glutamate and GABA neurotransmission. We acquired resting-state magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during semantic processing. Then, we applied cTBS over the anterior temporal lobe (ATL), a hub for semantic representation, to explore the relationship between the baseline neurochemical profiles in this region and the response to cTBS. We found that the baseline excitation-inhibition balance (glutamate + glutamine/GABA ratio) in the ATL was associated with individual cTBS responsiveness during semantic processing. Specifically, individuals with lower excitation-inhibition balance showed stronger inhibitory effect - poorer semantic performance. Our results revealed that non-responders (subjects who did not show an inhibitory effect of cTBS on subsequent semantic performance) had higher excitatory-inhibitory balance in the ATL, which led to up-regulated task-induced regional activity as well as increased ATL-connectivity with other semantic regions compared to responders. These results disclose that the baseline neurochemical state of a cortical region can be a significant factor in predicting responses to cTBS.

Direct Neural Evidence for the Contrastive Roles of the Complementary Learning Systems in Adult Acquisition of Native Vocabulary

The Complementary Learning Systems (CLS) theory provides a powerful framework for considering the acquisition, consolidation, and generalization of new knowledge. We tested this proposed neural division of labor in adults through an investigation of the consolidation and long-term retention of newly learned native vocabulary with post-learning functional neuroimaging. Newly learned items were compared with two conditions: 1) previously known items to highlight the similarities and differences with established vocabulary and 2) unknown/untrained items to provide a control for non-specific perceptual and motor speech output. Consistent with the CLS, retrieval of newly learned items was supported by a combination of regions associated with episodic memory (including left hippocampus) and the language-semantic areas that support established vocabulary (left inferior frontal gyrus and left anterior temporal lobe). Furthermore, there was a shifting division of labor across these two networks in line with the items' consolidation status; faster naming was associated with more activation of language-semantic areas and lesser activation of episodic memory regions. Hippocampal activity during naming predicted more than half the variation in naming retention 6 months later.

The role of the ventrolateral anterior temporal lobes in social cognition

A key challenge for neurobiological models of social cognition is to elucidate whether brain regions are specialised for that domain. In recent years, discussion surrounding the role of anterior temporal regions epitomises such debates; some argue the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) is part of a domain‐specific network for social processing, while others claim it comprises a domain‐general hub for semantic representation. In the present study, we used ATL‐optimised fMRI to map the contribution of different ATL structures to a variety of paradigms frequently used to probe a crucial social ability, namely ‘theory of mind’ (ToM). Using multiple tasks enables a clearer attribution of activation to ToM as opposed to idiosyncratic features of stimuli. Further, we directly explored whether these same structures are also activated by a non‐social task probing semantic representations. We revealed that common to all of the tasks was activation of a key ventrolateral ATL region that is often invisible to standard fMRI. This constitutes novel evidence in support of the view that the ventrolateral ATL contributes to social cognition via a domain‐general role in semantic processing and against claims of a specialised social function.

Subregions of DLPFC Display Graded yet Distinct Structural and Functional Connectivity

The human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; approximately corresponding to Brodmann areas 9 and 46) has demonstrable roles in diverse executive functions such as working memory, cognitive flexibility, planning, inhibition, and abstract reasoning. However, it remains unclear whether this is the result of one functionally homogeneous region or whether there are functional subdivisions within the DLPFC. Here, we divided the DLPFC into seven areas along rostral-caudal and dorsal-ventral axes anatomically and explored their respective patterns of structural and functional connectivity. In vivo probabilistic tractography (11 females and 13 males) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; 57 females and 21 males) were employed to map out the patterns of connectivity from each DLPFC subregion. Structural connectivity demonstrated graded intraregional connectivity within the DLPFC. The patterns of structural connectivity between the DLPFC subregions and other cortical areas revealed that the dorsal-rostral subregions connections were restricted to other frontal and limbic areas, whereas the ventral-caudal region was widely connected to frontal, parietal, and limbic cortex. Functional connectivity analyses demonstrated that subregions of DLPFC were strongly interconnected to each other. The dorsal subregions were associated with the default mode network (DMN), while middle dorsal-rostral subregions were linked with the multiple demand network (MDN). The ventral-caudal subregion showed increased functional coupling with both DMN and MDN. Our results suggest that the connectivity of the DLPFC may be subdivided along a dorsorostral-ventrocaudal axis with differing (albeit graded) patterns of connectivity reflecting the integrative executive function of the DLPFC.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Research has shown that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) plays a role in various executive functions. By dividing the DLPFC into seven areas along rostral-caudal and dorsal-ventral axes anatomically, we explored their patterns of structural and functional connectivity. The patterns of connectivity within DLPFC subregions demonstrated graded intraregional connectivity. There were distinctive patterns of connectivity with other cortical areas in dorsal-rostral and ventral-caudal DLPFC subregions. Divisions across DLPFC subregions seem to align with their structural and functional connectivity. Our results suggest that DLPFC may be subdivided by the diagonal axis of the dorsal-ventral axis and rostral-caudal axis, supporting the framework of a functional organization along the anterior-posterior axis in the lateral PFC.

Multiple dimensions underlying the functional organization of the language network

Understanding the different neural networks that support human language is an ongoing challenge for cognitive neuroscience. Which divisions are capable of distinguishing the functional significance of regions across the language network? A key separation between semantic cognition and phonological processing was highlighted in early meta-analyses, yet these seminal works did not formally test this proposition. Moreover, organization by domain is not the only possibility. Regions may be organized by the type of process performed, as in the separation between representation and control processes proposed within the Controlled Semantic Cognition framework. The importance of these factors was assessed in a series of activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses that investigated which regions of the language network are consistently recruited for semantic and phonological domains, and for representation and control processes. Whilst semantic and phonological processing consistently recruit many overlapping regions, they can be dissociated (by differential involvement of bilateral anterior temporal lobes, precentral gyrus and superior temporal gyri) only when using both formal analysis methods and sufficient data. Both semantic and phonological regions are further dissociable into control and representation regions, highlighting this as an additional, distinct dimension on which the language network is functionally organized. Furthermore, some of these control regions overlap with multiple-demand network regions critical for control beyond the language domain, suggesting the relative level of domain-specificity is also informative. Multiple, distinct dimensions are critical to understand the role of language regions. Here we present a proposal as to the core principles underpinning the functional organization of the language network.

Functional Activities Detected in the Olfactory Bulb and Associated Olfactory Regions in the Human Brain Using T2-Prepared BOLD Functional MRI at 7T

Olfaction is a fundamental sense that plays a vital role in daily life in humans, and can be altered in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using conventional echo-planar-imaging (EPI) based sequences can be challenging in brain regions important for olfactory processing, such as the olfactory bulb (OB) and orbitofrontal cortex, mainly due to the signal dropout and distortion artifacts caused by large susceptibility effects from the sinonasal cavity and temporal bone. To date, few studies have demonstrated successful fMRI in the OB in humans. T2-prepared (T2prep) BOLD fMRI is an alternative approach developed especially for performing fMRI in regions affected by large susceptibility artifacts. The purpose of this technical study is to evaluate T2prep BOLD fMRI for olfactory functional experiments in humans. Olfactory fMRI scans were performed on 7T in 14 healthy participants. T2prep BOLD showed greater sensitivity than GRE EPI BOLD in the OB, orbitofrontal cortex and the temporal pole. Functional activation was detected using T2prep BOLD in the OB and associated olfactory regions. Habituation effects and a bi-phasic pattern of fMRI signal changes during olfactory stimulation were observed in all regions. Both positively and negatively activated regions were observed during olfactory stimulation. These signal characteristics are generally consistent with literature and showed a good intra-subject reproducibility comparable to previous human BOLD fMRI studies. In conclusion, the methodology demonstrated in this study holds promise for future olfactory fMRI studies in the OB and other brain regions that suffer from large susceptibility artifacts.

Age-Dependent Contribution of Domain-General Networks to Semantic Cognition

Aging is characterized by a decline of cognitive control. In semantic cognition, this leads to the paradox that older adults usually show poorer task performance than young adults despite their greater semantic knowledge. So far, the underlying neural changes of these behavioral differences are poorly understood. In the current neuroimaging study, we investigated the interaction of domain-specific and domain-general networks during verbal semantic fluency in young and older adults. Across age groups, task processing was characterized by a strong positive integration within the multiple-demand as well as between the multiple-demand and the default mode network during semantic fluency. However, the behavioral relevance of strengthened connectivity differed between groups: While within-network functional connectivity in both networks predicted greater efficiency in semantic fluency in young adults, it was associated with slower performance in older adults. Moreover, only young adults profited from connectivity between networks for their semantic memory performance. Our results suggest that the functional coupling of usually anticorrelated networks is critical for successful task processing, independent of age, when access to semantic memory is required. Furthermore, our findings lend novel support to the notion of reduced efficiency in the aging brain due to neural dedifferentiation in semantic cognition.

The immediate impact of transcranial magnetic stimulation on brain structure: Short-term neuroplasticity following one session of cTBS

Recent evidence demonstrates that activation-dependent neuroplasticity on a structural level can occur in a short time (2 hour or less) in the human brain. However, the exact time scale of structural plasticity in the human brain remains unclear. Using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), we investigated changes in grey matter (GM) after one session of continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) delivered to the anterior temporal lobe (ATL). Twenty-five participants received cTBS over the left ATL or the occipital pole as a control site outside of the scanner, followed by structural and functional imaging. During functional imaging, participants performed a semantic association task and a number judgment task as a control task. VBM results revealed decreased GM in the left ATL and right cerebellum after the ATL stimulation compared to the control stimulation. In addition, cTBS over the left ATL induced slower semantic reaction times, reduced regional activity at the target site, and altered functional connectivity between the left and right ATL during semantic processing. Furthermore, the decreased ATL GM density was associated with the interhemispheric ATL-connectivity changes after the ATL stimulation. These results demonstrate that structural alterations caused by one session of cTBS are mirrored in the functional reorganizations in the semantic representation system, showing the rapid dynamics of cortical plasticity. Our findings support fast adapting neuronal plasticity such as synaptic morphology changes. Our results suggest that TBS is able to produce powerful changes in regional synaptic activity in the adult human brain.

Task-Dependent Functional and Effective Connectivity during Conceptual Processing

Conceptual knowledge is central to cognition. Previous neuroimaging research indicates that conceptual processing involves both modality-specific perceptual-motor areas and multimodal convergence zones. For example, our previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study revealed that both modality-specific and multimodal regions respond to sound and action features of concepts in a task-dependent fashion (Kuhnke P, Kiefer M, Hartwigsen G. 2020b. Task-dependent recruitment of modality-specific and multimodal regions during conceptual processing. Cereb Cortex. 30:3938–3959.). However, it remains unknown whether and how modality-specific and multimodal areas interact during conceptual tasks. Here, we asked 1) whether multimodal and modality-specific areas are functionally coupled during conceptual processing, 2) whether their coupling depends on the task, 3) whether information flows top-down, bottom-up or both, and 4) whether their coupling is behaviorally relevant. We combined psychophysiological interaction analyses with dynamic causal modeling on the fMRI data of our previous study. We found that functional coupling between multimodal and modality-specific areas strongly depended on the task, involved both top-down and bottom-up information flow, and predicted conceptually guided behavior. Notably, we also found coupling between different modality-specific areas and between different multimodal areas. These results suggest that functional coupling in the conceptual system is extensive, reciprocal, task-dependent, and behaviorally relevant. We propose a new model of the conceptual system that incorporates task-dependent functional interactions between modality-specific and multimodal areas.

The neural bases of resilient semantic system: evidence of variable neuro-displacement in cognitive systems

The purpose of this study was to explore an important research goal in cognitive and clinical neuroscience: What are the neurocomputational mechanisms that make cognitive systems "well engineered" and thus resilient across a range of performance demands and to mild levels of perturbation or even damage? A new hypothesis called 'variable neuro-displacement' suggests that cognitive systems are formed with dynamic, spare processing capacity, which balances energy consumption against performance requirements and can be resilient to changes in performance demands. Here, we tested this hypothesis by investigating the neural dynamics of the semantic system by manipulating performance demand. The performance demand was manipulated with two levels of task difficulty (easy vs. hard) in two different ways (stimulus type and response timing). We found that the demanding semantic processing increased regional activity in both the domain-specific semantic representational system (anterior temporal lobe) and the parallel executive control networks (prefrontal, posterior temporal, and parietal regions). Functional connectivity between these regions was also increased during demanding semantic processing and these increases were related to better semantic task performance. Our results suggest that semantic cognition is made resilient by flexible, dynamic changes including increased regional activity and functional connectivity across both domain-specific and domain-general systems. It reveals the intrinsic resilience-related mechanisms of semantic cognition, mimicking alterations caused by perturbation or brain damage. Our findings provide a strong implication that the intrinsic mechanisms of a well-engineered semantic system might be attributed to the compensatory functional alterations in the impaired brain.

Reverse-engineering the cortical architecture for controlled semantic cognition

We employ a reverse-engineering approach to illuminate the neurocomputational building blocks that combine to support controlled semantic cognition: the storage and context-appropriate use of conceptual knowledge. By systematically varying the structure of a computational model and assessing the functional consequences, we identified the architectural properties that best promote some core functions of the semantic system. Semantic cognition presents a challenging test case, as the brain must achieve two seemingly contradictory functions: abstracting context-invariant conceptual representations across time and modalities, while producing specific context-sensitive behaviours appropriate for the immediate task. These functions were best achieved in models possessing a single, deep multimodal hub with sparse connections from modality-specific regions, and control systems acting on peripheral rather than deep network layers. The reverse-engineered model provides a unifying account of core findings in the cognitive neuroscience of controlled semantic cognition, including evidence from anatomy, neuropsychology and functional brain imaging.

A Heteromodal Word-Meaning Binding Site in the Visual Word Form Area under Top-Down Frontoparietal Control

The integral capacity of human language together with semantic memory drives the linkage of words and their meaning, which theoretically is subject to cognitive control. However, it remains unknown whether, across different language modalities and input/output formats, there is a shared system in the human brain for word-meaning binding and how this system interacts with cognitive control. Here, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment based on a large cohort of subjects (50 females, 50 males) to comprehensively measure the brain responses evoked by semantic processing in spoken and written word comprehension and production tasks (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). We found that heteromodal word input and output tasks involved distributed brain regions within a frontal-parietal-temporal network and focally coactivated the anterior lateral visual word form area (VWFA), which is located in the basal occipitotemporal area. Directed connectivity analysis revealed that the VWFA was invariably under significant top-down modulation of the frontoparietal control network and interacts with regions related to attention and semantic representation. This study reveals that the VWFA is a key site subserving general semantic processes linking words and meaning, challenging the predominant emphasis on this area's specific role in reading or more general visual processes. Our findings also suggest that the dynamics between semantic memory and cognitive control mechanisms during word processing are largely independent of the modalities of input or output.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Binding words and their meaning into a coherent whole during retrieval requires accessing semantic memory and cognitive control, allowing our thoughts to be expressed and comprehended through mind-external tokens in multiple modalities, such as written or spoken forms. However, it is still unknown whether multimodal language comprehension and production share a common word-meaning binding system in human brains and how this system is connected to a cognitive control mechanism. By systematically measuring brain activity evoked by spoken and written verbal input and output tasks tagging word-meaning binding processes, we demonstrate a general word-meaning binding site within the visual word form area (VWFA) and how this site is modulated by the frontal-parietal control network.

Semantic Knowledge of Famous People and Places Is Represented in Hippocampus and Distinct Cortical Networks

Studies have found that anterior temporal lobe (ATL) is critical for detailed knowledge of object categories, suggesting that it has an important role in semantic memory. However, in addition to information about entities, such as people and objects, semantic memory also encompasses information about places. We tested predictions stemming from the PMAT model, which proposes there are distinct systems that support different kinds of semantic knowledge: an anterior temporal (AT) network, which represents information about entities; and a posterior medial (PM) network, which represents information about places. We used representational similarity analysis to test for activation of semantic features when human participants viewed pictures of famous people and places, while controlling for visual similarity. We used machine learning techniques to quantify the semantic similarity of items based on encyclopedic knowledge in the Wikipedia page for each item and found that these similarity models accurately predict human similarity judgments. We found that regions within the AT network, including ATL and inferior frontal gyrus, represented detailed semantic knowledge of people. In contrast, semantic knowledge of places was represented within PM network areas, including precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, angular gyrus, and parahippocampal cortex. Finally, we found that hippocampus, which has been proposed to serve as an interface between the AT and PM networks, represented fine-grained semantic similarity for both individual people and places. Our results provide evidence that semantic knowledge of people and places is represented separately in AT and PM areas, whereas hippocampus represents semantic knowledge of both categories.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans acquire detailed semantic knowledge about people (e.g., their occupation and personality) and places (e.g., their cultural or historical significance). While research has demonstrated that brain regions preferentially respond to pictures of people and places, less is known about whether these regions preferentially represent semantic knowledge about specific people and places. We used machine learning techniques to develop a model of semantic similarity based on information available from Wikipedia, validating the model against similarity ratings from human participants. Using our computational model, we found that semantic knowledge about people and places is represented in distinct anterior temporal and posterior medial brain networks, respectively. We further found that hippocampus, an important memory center, represented semantic knowledge for both types of stimuli.

The Graded Change in Connectivity across the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Reveals Distinct Subregions

The functional heterogeneity of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) suggests it may include distinct functional subregions. To date these have not been well elucidated. Regions with differentiable connectivity (and as a result likely dissociable functions) may be identified using emergent data-driven approaches. However, prior parcellations of the vmPFC have only considered hard splits between distinct regions, although both hard and graded connectivity changes may exist. Here we determine the full pattern of change in structural and functional connectivity across the vmPFC for the first time and extract core distinct regions. Both structural and functional connectivity varied along a dorsomedial to ventrolateral axis from relatively dorsal medial wall regions to relatively lateral basal orbitofrontal cortex. The pattern of connectivity shifted from default mode network to sensorimotor and multimodal semantic connections. This finding extends the classical distinction between primate medial and orbital regions by demonstrating a similar gradient in humans for the first time. Additionally, core distinct regions in the medial wall and orbitofrontal cortex were identified that may show greater correspondence to functional differences than prior hard parcellations. The possible functional roles of the orbitofrontal cortex and medial wall are discussed.

Differential contributions of left-hemispheric language regions to basic semantic composition

Semantic composition, the ability to combine single words to form complex meanings, is a core feature of human language. Despite growing interest in the basis of semantic composition, the neural correlates and the interaction of regions within this network remain a matter of debate. We designed a well-controlled two-word fMRI paradigm in which phrases only differed along the semantic dimension while keeping syntactic information alike. Healthy participants listened to meaningful ("fresh apple"), anomalous ("awake apple") and pseudoword phrases ("awake gufel") while performing an implicit and an explicit semantic task. We identified neural signatures for distinct processes during basic semantic composition. When lexical information is kept constant across conditions and the evaluation of phrasal plausibility is examined (meaningful vs. anomalous phrases), a small set of mostly left-hemispheric semantic regions, including the anterior part of the left angular gyrus, is found active. Conversely, when the load of lexical information-independently of phrasal plausibility-is varied (meaningful or anomalous vs. pseudoword phrases), conceptual combination involves a wide-spread left-hemispheric network comprising executive semantic control regions and general conceptual representation regions. Within this network, the functional coupling between the left anterior inferior frontal gyrus, the bilateral pre-supplementary motor area and the posterior angular gyrus specifically increases for meaningful phrases relative to pseudoword phrases. Stronger effects in the explicit task further suggest task-dependent neural recruitment. Overall, we provide a separation between distinct nodes of the semantic network, whose functional contributions depend on the type of compositional process under analysis.

The neural correlates of semantic control revisited

Semantic control, the ability to selectively access and manipulate meaningful information on the basis of context demands, is a critical component of semantic cognition. The precise neural correlates of semantic control are disputed, with particular debate surrounding parietal involvement, the spatial extent of the posterior temporal contribution and network lateralisation. Here semantic control is revisited, utilising improved analysis techniques and a decade of additional data to refine our understanding of the network. A meta-analysis of 925 peaks over 126 contrasts illuminated a left-focused network consisting of inferior frontal gyrus, posterior middle temporal gyrus, posterior inferior temporal gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. This extended the temporal region implicated, and found no parietal involvement. Although left-lateralised overall, relative lateralisation varied across the implicated regions. Supporting analyses confirmed the multimodal nature of the semantic control network and situated it within the wider set of regions implicated in semantic cognition.

Multimodal comprehension in left hemisphere stroke patients

Hand gestures, imagistically related to the content of speech, are ubiquitous in face-to-face communication. Here we investigated people with aphasia's (PWA) processing of speech accompanied by gestures using lesion-symptom mapping. Twenty-nine PWA and 15 matched controls were shown a picture of an object/action and then a video-clip of a speaker producing speech and/or gestures in one of the following combinations: speech-only, gesture-only, congruent speech-gesture, and incongruent speech-gesture. Participants' task was to indicate, in different blocks, whether the picture and the word matched (speech task), or whether the picture and the gesture matched (gesture task). Multivariate lesion analysis with Support Vector Regression Lesion-Symptom Mapping (SVR-LSM) showed that benefit for congruent speech-gesture was associated with 1) lesioned voxels in anterior fronto-temporal regions including inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and sparing of posterior temporal cortex and lateral temporal-occipital regions (pTC/LTO) for the speech task, and 2) conversely, lesions to pTC/LTO and sparing of anterior regions for the gesture task. The two tasks did not share overlapping voxels. Costs from incongruent speech-gesture pairings were associated with lesioned voxels in these same anterior (for the speech task) and posterior (for the gesture task) regions, but crucially, also shared voxels in superior temporal gyrus (STG) and middle temporal gyrus (MTG), including the anterior temporal lobe. These results suggest that IFG and pTC/LTO contribute to extracting semantic information from speech and gesture, respectively; however, they are not causally involved in integrating information from the two modalities. In contrast, regions in anterior STG/MTG are associated with performance in both tasks and may thus be critical to speech-gesture integration. These conclusions are further supported by associations between performance in the experimental tasks and performance in tests assessing lexical-semantic processing and gesture recognition.

Neural modelling of the semantic predictability gain under challenging listening conditions

When speech intelligibility is reduced, listeners exploit constraints posed by semantic context to facilitate comprehension. The left angular gyrus (AG) has been argued to drive this semantic predictability gain. Taking a network perspective, we ask how the connectivity within language-specific and domain-general networks flexibly adapts to the predictability and intelligibility of speech. During continuous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), participants repeated sentences, which varied in semantic predictability of the final word and in acoustic intelligibility. At the neural level, highly predictable sentences led to stronger activation of left-hemispheric semantic regions including subregions of the AG (PGa, PGp) and posterior middle temporal gyrus when speech became more intelligible. The behavioural predictability gain of single participants mapped onto the same regions but was complemented by increased activity in frontal and medial regions. Effective connectivity from PGa to PGp increased for more intelligible sentences. In contrast, inhibitory influence from pre-supplementary motor area to left insula was strongest when predictability and intelligibility of sentences were either lowest or highest. This interactive effect was negatively correlated with the behavioural predictability gain. Together, these results suggest that successful comprehension in noisy listening conditions relies on an interplay of semantic regions and concurrent inhibition of cognitive control regions when semantic cues are available.

Bipartite Functional Fractionation within the Default Network Supports Disparate Forms of Internally Oriented Cognition

Our understanding about the functionality of the brain's default network (DN) has significantly evolved over the past decade. Whereas traditional views define this network based on its suspension/disengagement during task-oriented behavior, contemporary accounts have characterized various situations wherein the DN actively contributes to task performance. However, it is unclear how different task-contexts drive componential regions of the DN to coalesce into a unitary network and fractionate into different subnetworks. Here we report a compendium of evidence that provides answers to these questions. Across multiple analyses, we found a striking dyadic structure within the DN in terms of the profiles of task-triggered fMRI response and effective connectivity, significantly extending beyond previous inferences based on meta-analysis and resting-state activities. In this dichotomy, one subset of DN regions prefers mental activities "interfacing with" perceptible events, while the other subset prefers activities "detached from" perceptible events. While both show a common "aversion" to sensory-motoric activities, their differential preferences manifest a subdivision that sheds light upon the taxonomy of the brain's memory systems. This dichotomy is consistent with proposals of a macroscale gradational structure spanning across the cerebrum. This gradient increases its representational complexity, from primitive sensory-motoric processing, through lexical-semantic representations, to elaborated self-generated thoughts.

Overarching Principles and Dimensions of the Functional Organization in the Inferior Parietal Cortex

The parietal cortex (PC) is implicated in a confusing myriad of different cognitive processes/tasks. Consequently, understanding the nature and organization of the core underlying neurocomputations is challenging. According to the Parietal Unified Connectivity-biased Computation model, two properties underpin PC function and organization. Firstly, PC is a multidomain, context-dependent buffer of time- and space-varying input, the function of which, over time, becomes sensitive to the statistical temporal/spatial structure of events. Secondly, over and above this core buffering computation, differences in long-range connectivity will generate graded variations in task engagement across subregions. The current study tested these hypotheses using a group independent component analysis technique with two independent functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets (task and resting state data). Three functional organizational principles were revealed: Factor 1, inferior PC was sensitive to the statistical structure of sequences for all stimulus types (pictures, sentences, numbers); Factor 2, a dorsal–ventral variation in generally task-positive versus task-negative (variable) engagement; and Factor 3, an anterior–posterior dimension in inferior PC reflecting different engagement in verbal versus visual tasks, respectively. Together, the data suggest that the core neurocomputation implemented by PC is common across domains, with graded task engagement across regions reflecting variations in the connectivity of task-specific networks that interact with PC.

Task-Dependent Recruitment of Modality-Specific and Multimodal Regions during Conceptual Processing

Conceptual knowledge is central to cognitive abilities such as word comprehension. Previous neuroimaging evidence indicates that concepts are at least partly composed of perceptual and motor features that are represented in the same modality-specific brain regions involved in actual perception and action. However, it is unclear to what extent the retrieval of perceptual-motor features and the resulting engagement of modality-specific regions depend on the concurrent task. To address this issue, we measured brain activity in 40 young and healthy participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging, while they performed three different tasks-lexical decision, sound judgment, and action judgment-on words that independently varied in their association with sounds and actions. We found neural activation for sound and action features of concepts selectively when they were task-relevant in brain regions also activated during auditory and motor tasks, respectively, as well as in higher-level, multimodal regions which were recruited during both sound and action feature retrieval. For the first time, we show that not only modality-specific perceptual-motor areas but also multimodal regions are engaged in conceptual processing in a flexible, task-dependent fashion, responding selectively to task-relevant conceptual features.

Revealing the neural networks that extract conceptual gestalts from continuously evolving or changing semantic contexts

Reading a book, understanding the news reports or any other behaviour involving the processing of meaningful stimuli requires the semantic system to have two main features: being active during an extended period of time and flexibly adapting the internal representation according to the changing environment. Despite being key features of many everyday tasks, formation and updating of the semantic “gestalt” are still poorly understood. In this fMRI study we used naturalistic stimuli and task manipulations to identify the neural network that forms and updates conceptual gestalts during time-extended integration of meaningful stimuli. Univariate and multivariate techniques allowed us to draw a distinction between networks that are crucial for the formation of a semantic gestalt (meaning integration) and those that instead are important for linking incoming cues about the current context (e.g., time and space cues) into a schema representation. Specifically, we revealed that time-extended formation of the conceptual gestalt was reflected in the neuro-computations of the anterior temporal lobe accompanied by multi-demand areas and hippocampus, with a key role of brain structures in the right hemisphere. This “semantic gestalt network” was strongly recruited when an update of the current semantic representation was required during narrative processing. A distinct fronto-parietal network, instead, was recruited for context integration, independently from the meaning associations between words (semantic coherence). Finally, in contrast with accounts positing that the default mode network (DMN) may have a crucial role in semantic cognition, our findings revealed that DMN activity was sensitive to task difficulty, but not to semantic integration. The implications of these findings for neurocognitive models of semantic cognition and the literature on narrative processing are discussed.

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fMRI revealed areas and networks for semantic integration during narrative reading.

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ATL has a key role in the formation of the conceptual gestalt.

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IFG, pMTG and dAG support the update of the conceptual gestalt.

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Left AG (mid-PGp) has a key role in context integration.

Short-term modulation of the lesioned language network

Language is sustained by large-scale networks in the human brain. Stroke often severely affects function and network dynamics. However, the adaptive potential of the brain to compensate for lesions is poorly understood. A key question is whether upregulation of the right hemisphere is adaptive for language recovery. Targeting the potential for short-term reorganization in the lesioned brain, we applied 'virtual lesions' over left anterior or posterior inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in post-stroke patients with left temporo-parietal lesions prior to functional neuroimaging. Perturbation of the posterior IFG selectively delayed phonological decisions and decreased phonological activity. The individual response delay was correlated with the upregulation of the lesion homologue, likely reflecting compensation. Moreover, stronger individual tract integrity of the right superior longitudinal fascicle was associated with lesser disruption. Our results provide evidence for functional and structural underpinnings of plasticity in the lesioned language network, and a compensatory role of the right hemisphere.

Functional connectivity reveals dissociable ventrolateral prefrontal mechanisms for the control of multilingual word retrieval

This functional magnetic resonance imaging study established that different portions of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) support reactive and proactive language control processes during multilingual word retrieval. The study also examined whether proactive language control consists in the suppression of the nontarget lexicon. Healthy multilingual volunteers participated in a task that required them to name pictures alternately in their dominant and less‐dominant languages. Two crucial variables were manipulated: the cue‐target interval (CTI) to either engage (long CTI) or prevent (short CTI) proactive control processes, and the cognate status of the to‐be‐named pictures (noncognates vs. cognates) to capture selective pre‐activation of the target language. The results of the functional connectivity analysis showed a clear segregation between functional networks related to mid‐vlPFC and anterior vlPFC during multilingual language production. Furthermore, the results revealed that multilinguals engage in proactive control to prepare the target language. This proactive modulation, enacted by anterior vlPFC, is achieved by boosting the activation of lexical representations in the target language. Finally, control processes supported by both mid‐vlPFC and the left inferior parietal lobe, were similarly engaged by reactive and proactive control, possibly exerted on phonological representations to reduce cross‐language interference.