Network convergence zones in the anterior midcingulate cortex

Emotion processing in youths with conduct problems: an fMRI meta-analysis

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies consistently indicate differences in emotion processing in youth with conduct problems. However, no prior meta-analysis has investigated emotion-specific responses associated with conduct problems. This meta-analysis aimed to generate an up-to-date assessment of socio-affective neural responding among youths with conduct problems. A systematic literature search was conducted in youths (ages 10-21) with conduct problems. Task-specific seed-based d mapping analyses examined responses to threatening images, fearful and angry facial expressions, and empathic pain stimuli from 23 fMRI studies, which included 606 youths with conduct problems and 459 comparison youths. Whole-brain analyses revealed youths with conduct problems relative to typically developing youths, when viewing angry facial expressions, had reduced activity in left supplementary motor area and superior frontal gyrus. Additional region of interest analyses of responses to negative images and fearful facial expressions showed reduced activation in right amygdala across youths with conduct problems. Youths with callous-unemotional traits also exhibited reduced activation in left fusiform gyrus, superior parietal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus when viewing fearful facial expressions. Consistent with the behavioral profile of conduct problems, these findings suggest the most consistent dysfunction is found in regions associated with empathic responding and social learning, including the amygdala and temporal cortex. Youth with callous-unemotional traits also show reduced activation in the fusiform gyrus, consistent with reduced attention or facial processing. These findings highlight the potential role of empathic responding, social learning, and facial processing along with the associated brain regions as potential targets for interventions.

Emotion regulation and the salience network: a hypothetical integrative model of fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and other symptoms, and has a substantial socioeconomic impact. Current biomedical and psychosocial treatments are unsatisfactory for many patients, and treatment progress has been hindered by the lack of a clear understanding of the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia. We present here a model of fibromyalgia that integrates current psychosocial and neurophysiological observations. We propose that an imbalance in emotion regulation, reflected by an overactive 'threat' system and underactive 'soothing' system, might keep the 'salience network' (also known as the midcingulo-insular network) in continuous alert mode, and this hyperactivation, in conjunction with other mechanisms, contributes to fibromyalgia. This proposed integrative model, which we term the Fibromyalgia: Imbalance of Threat and Soothing Systems (FITSS) model, should be viewed as a working hypothesis with limited supporting evidence available. We hope, however, that this model will shed new light on existing psychosocial and biological observations, and inspire future research to address the many gaps in our knowledge about fibromyalgia, ultimately stimulating the development of novel therapeutic interventions.

Pubertal development underlies optimization of inhibitory control through specialization of ventrolateral prefrontal cortex

Inhibitory control improves into young adulthood after specialization of relevant brain systems during adolescence. However, the biological mechanisms supporting this unique transition are not well understood. Given that adolescence is defined by puberty, we examined relative contributions of chronological age and pubertal maturation to inhibitory control development. 105 8-19-year-olds completed 1-5 longitudinal visits (227 visits total) in which pubertal development was assessed via self-reported Tanner stage and inhibitory control was assessed with an in-scanner antisaccade task. As expected, percentage and latency of correct antisaccade responses improved with age and pubertal stage. When controlling for pubertal stage, chronological age was distinctly associated with correct response rate. In contrast, pubertal stage was uniquely associated with antisaccade latency even when controlling for age. Chronological age was associated with fMRI task activation in several regions including the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, while puberty was associated with right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activation. Furthermore, task-related connectivity between VLPFC and cingulate was associated with both pubertal stage and response latency. These results suggest that while age-related developmental processes may support maturation of brain systems underlying the ability to inhibit a response, puberty may play a larger role in the effectiveness of generating cognitive control responses.

Aberrant stability of brain functional architecture in cirrhotic patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy

To investigate the stability changes of brain functional architecture and the relationship between stability change and cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients. Fifty-one cirrhotic patients (21 with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and 30 without MHE (NHE)) and 29 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and neurocognitive assessment using the Psychometric Hepatic Encephalopathy Score (PHES). Voxel-wise functional connectivity density (FCD) was calculated as the sum of connectivity strength between one voxel and others within the entire brain. The sliding window correlation approach was subsequently utilized to calculate the FCD dynamics over time. Functional stability (FS) is measured as the concordance of dynamic FCD. From HCs to the NHE and MHE groups, a stepwise reduction of FS was found in the right supramarginal gyrus (RSMG), right middle cingulate cortex, left superior frontal gyrus, and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (BPCC), whereas a progressive increment of FS was observed in the left middle occipital gyrus (LMOG) and right temporal pole (RTP). The mean FS values in RSMG/LMOG/RTP (r = 0.470 and P = 0.001; r = -0.458 and P = 0.001; and r = -0.384 and P = 0.005, respectively) showed a correlation with PHES in cirrhotic patients. The FS index in RSMG/LMOG/BPCC/RTP showed moderate discrimination potential between the NHE and MHE groups. Changes in FS may be linked to neuropathological bias of cognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients and could serve as potential biomarkers for MHE diagnosis and monitoring the progression of hepatic encephalopathy.

Anterior insula as a gatekeeper of executive control

Executive control is a complex high-level cognitive function that relies on distributed brain circuitry. We propose that the anterior insular cortex plays an under-appreciated role in executive processes, acting as a gatekeeper to other brain regions and networks by virtue of primacy of action and effective connectivity. The flexible functional profile of the anterior insular subdivision renders it a key hub within the broader midcingulo-insular 'salience network', allowing it to orchestrate and drive activity of other major functional brain networks including the medial frontoparietal 'default mode network' and lateral frontoparietal 'central executive network'. The microanatomy and large-scale connectivity of the insular cortex positions it to play a critical role in triaging and integrating internal and external multisensory stimuli in the service of initiating higher-order control functions. Multiple lines of evidence scaffold the novel hypothesis that, as a key hub for integration and a lever of network switching, the anterior insula serves as a critical gatekeeper to executive control.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Information Processing in the Human Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is a key node in the human salience network. It has been ascribed motor, pain-processing and affective functions. However, the dynamics of information flow in this complex region and how it responds to inputs remain unclear and are difficult to study using non-invasive electrophysiology. The area is targeted by neurosurgery to treat neuropathic pain. During deep brain stimulation surgery, we recorded local field potentials from this region in humans during a decision-making task requiring motor output. We investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of information flow within the dACC. We demonstrate the existence of a distributed network within the anterior cingulate cortex where discrete nodes demonstrate directed communication following inputs. We show that this network anticipates and responds to the valence of feedback to actions. We further show that these network dynamics adapt following learning. Our results provide evidence for the integration of learning and the response to feedback in a key cognitive region.

Social Acts and Anticipation of Social Feedback

Socialization happens so regularly in humans that it can be perceived as an effortless activity. However, it reflects a sophisticated behavior, pervaded by anticipation and emotion. The fast-paced social interplay, strongly mediated by facial expressions, can be considered one of the most frequent high-order motor acts within the human behavioral repertoire. The ability to adequately process social feedback is critical for appropriate socialization and affects well-being. The social difficulties often observed in psychiatric patients highlight the link between mental health and successful socialization and the importance of characterizing the behavioral and neural mechanisms of social interaction. This chapter will present some cross-species evidence on the cortical regions engaged during social interactions including facial expressions, and the impact of induced or perceived social stress on the experience of social interactions.

Resting state network functional connectivity abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus: correlations with neuropsychiatric impairment

Neuropsychiatric manifestations are highly prevalent in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-patients. We aimed to unravel the substrates of these manifestations by investigating abnormalities of resting state (RS) functional connectivity (FC) and their correlations with neuropsychiatric variables in SLE-patients. Thirty-two SLE-patients and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) underwent brain 3T RS fMRI. Neuropsychological assessment was performed for all SLE-patients. The main large-scale cognitive and psychiatric functional networks were derived and between-group comparisons and correlations with neuropsychological measures were performed. Compared to HC, SLE-patients exhibited increased RS FC in the right middle cingulate cortex and decreased RS FC in the left precuneus within default-mode network (DMN). They also showed increased RS FC in the left cerebellar crus I and left posterior cingulate cortex, and decreased RS FC in the left angular gyrus within working-memory networks (WMN). Compared to HC, SLE-patients exhibited increased RS FC in the left insular cortex and decreased RS FC in the right anterior cingulate cortex within salience network (SN), as well as decreased RS FC in the right middle frontal gyrus within executive-control network (ECN). Correlation analysis indicated a maladaptive role for left angular gyrus and cerebellar RS FC abnormalities in WMN, affecting memory and executive functions; and for precuneus and insular abnormalities in DMN and SN for psychiatric symptoms. Cingulate cortex modifications within DMN and SN correlated with better memory and global cognitive performance. Significant RS FC alterations in relevant cognitive and psychiatric networks occur in SLE-patients and participate in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Brain Mechanisms Supporting Flexible Cognition and Behavior in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Cognitive flexibility enables appropriate responses to a changing environment and is associated with positive life outcomes. Adolescence, with its increased focus on transitioning to independent living, presents particular challenges for youths with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who often struggle to behave in a flexible way when faced with challenges. This review focuses on brain mechanisms underlying the development of flexible cognition during adolescence and how these neural systems are affected in ASD. Neuroimaging studies of task switching and set-shifting provide evidence for atypical lateral frontoparietal and midcingulo-insular network activation during cognitive flexibility task performance in individuals with ASD. Recent work also examines how intrinsic brain network dynamics support flexible cognition. These dynamic functional connectivity studies provide evidence for alterations in the number of transitions between brain states, as well as hypervariability of functional connections in adolescents with ASD. Future directions for the field include addressing issues related to measurement of cognitive flexibility using a combination of metrics with ecological and construct validity. Heterogeneity of executive function ability in ASD must also be parsed to determine which individuals will benefit most from targeted training to improve flexibility. The influence of pubertal hormones on brain network development and cognitive maturation in adolescents with ASD is another area requiring further exploration. Finally, the intriguing possibility that bilingualism might be associated with preserved cognitive flexibility in ASD should be further examined. Addressing these open questions will be critical for future translational neuroscience investigations of cognitive and behavioral flexibility in adolescents with ASD.