Genetic influences on functional connectivity associated with feedback processing and prediction error: Phase coupling of theta-band oscillations in twins

Abnormal negative feedback processing in individuals with autistic traits in the Iowa gambling task: Evidence from behavior and event-related potentials

Value-based decision making plays an important role in social interaction. Previous studies have reported that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit deficits in terms of decision making. However, it is still unknown clearly whether individuals with high autistic traits within nonclinical populations employ abnormal neural substrates in value-based decision-making. To explore this issue, we investigated value-based decision making and its neural substrates in individuals with high and low autistic traits within a typically developing population who completed the revised Iowa gambling task (IGT) based on measurements of event-related potentials (ERPs). The IGT net scores were significantly lower in the group with high autistic traits than the group with low autistic traits in the fifth and sixth blocks. The ERP results showed that the feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitude in individuals with high autistic traits allowed slight discrimination between positive and negative feedback in the low-risk option. The event-related spectral perturbations (ERSPs) and inter-trial coherence (ITC) of the theta-band frequency were also lower in the group with high autistic traits than the group with low autistic traits in the loss low-risk option. The results obtained in this study indicate that individuals with high autistic traits exhibit an unusual negative feedback process and relevant neural substrate. The FRN amplitude and theta-band oscillation may comprise a neural index of abnormal decision-making processes in individuals with high autistic traits. This study of a small sample may be considered an important step toward a more comprehensive understanding of the autism "spectrum" within a nonclinical population based on cognitive neuroscience.

Neuropsychophysiological Measures of Alcohol Dependence: Can We Use EEG in the Clinical Assessment?

Addiction management is complex, and it requires a bio-psycho-social perspective, that ought to consider the multiple etiological and developmental factors. Because of this, a large amount of resources has been allocated to assess the vulnerability to dependence, i.e., to identify the processes underlying the transition from substance use to dependence, as well as its course, in order to determine the key points in its prevention, treatment, and recovery. Consequently, knowledge \from neuroscience must be taken into account, which is why different initiatives have emerged with this objective, such as the "Research Domain Criteria" (RDoC), and the "Addiction Neuroclinical Assessment" (ANA). Particularly, neuropsychophysiological measures could be used as markers of cognitive and behavioral attributes or traits in alcohol dependence, and even trace clinical change. In this way, the aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview following ANA clinical framework, to the most robust findings in neuropsychophysiological changes in alcohol dependence, that underlie the main cognitive domains implicated in addiction: incentive salience, negative emotionality, and executive functioning. The most consistent results have been found in event-related potential (ERP) analysis, especially in the P3 component, that could show a wide clinical utility, mainly for the executive functions. The review also shows the usefulness of other components, implicated in affective and substance-related processing (P1, N1, or the late positive potential LPP), as well as event-related oscillations, such as theta power, with a possible use as vulnerability or clinical marker in alcohol dependence. Finally, new tools emerging from psychophysiology research, based on functional connectivity or brain graph analysis could help toward a better understanding of altered circuits in alcohol dependence, as well as communication efficiency and effort during mental operations. This review concludes with an examination of these tools as possible markers in the clinical field and discusses methodological differences, the need for more replicability studies and incipient lines of work. It also uses consistent findings in psychophysiology to draw possible treatment targets and cognitive profiles in alcohol dependence.

Testing the effects of adolescent alcohol use on adult conflict-related theta dynamics

OBJECTIVE

Adolescent alcohol use (AAU) is associated with brain anomalies, but less is known about long-term neurocognitive effects. Despite theoretical models linking AAU to diminished cognitive control, empirical work testing this relationship with specific cognitive control neural correlates (e.g., prefrontal theta-band EEG dynamics) remains scarce. A longitudinal twin design was used to test the hypothesis that greater AAU is associated with reduced conflict-related EEG theta-band dynamics in adulthood, and to examine the genetic/environmental etiology of this association.

METHODS

In a large (N=718) population-based prospective twin sample, AAU was assessed at ages 11/14/17. Twins completed a flanker task at age 29 to elicit EEG theta-band medial frontal cortex (MFC) power and medial-dorsal prefrontal cortex (MFC-dPFC) connectivity. Two complementary analytic methods (cotwin control analysis; biometric modeling) were used to disentangle the genetic/shared environmental risk towards AAU from possible alcohol exposure effects on theta dynamics.

RESULTS

AAU was negatively associated with adult cognitive control-related theta-band MFC power and MFC-dPFC functional connectivity. Genetic influences primarily underlie these associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide strong evidence that genetic factors underlie the comorbidity between AAU and diminished cognitive control-related theta dynamics in adulthood.

SIGNIFICANCE

Conflict-related theta-band dynamics appear to be candidate brain-based endophenotypes/mechanisms for AAU.