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Qiu D, Ge Z, Mei Y, Wang W, Xiong Z, Li X, Yuan Z, Zhang P, Zhang M, Liu X, Zhang Y, Yu X, Tang H, Wang Y. Mapping brain functional networks topological characteristics in new daily persistent headache: a magnetoencephalography study. J Headache Pain 2023; 24:161. [PMID: 38053071 DOI: 10.1186/s10194-023-01695-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The brain functional network topology in new daily persistent headache (NDPH) is not well understood. In this study, we aim to assess the cortical functional network topological characteristics of NDPH using non-invasive neural signal recordings. METHODS Resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to measure power fluctuations in neuronal oscillations from distributed cortical parcels in 35 patients with NDPH and 40 healthy controls (HCs). Their structural data were collected by 3T MRI. Functional connectivity (FC) of neural networks from 1 to 80 Hz frequency ranges was analyzed with topographic patterns and calculated network topological parameters with graph theory. RESULTS In the delta (1-4 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) bands, the lateral occipital cortex and superior frontal gyrus FC were increased in NDPH groups compared to HCs. Graph theory analysis revealed that the NDPH had significantly increased global efficiency in the delta band and decreased nodal clustering coefficient (left medial orbitofrontal cortex) in the theta (4-8 Hz) band. The clinical characteristics had a significant correlation with network topological parameters. Age at onset of patients showed a positive correlation with global efficiency in the delta band. The degree of depression of patients showed a negative correlation with the nodal clustering coefficient (left medial orbitofrontal cortex) in the theta band. CONCLUSION The FC and topology of NDPH in brain networks may be altered, potentially leading to cortical hyperexcitability. Moreover, medial orbitofrontal cortex is involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of depression in patients with NDPH. Increased FC observed in the lateral occipital cortex and superior frontal gyrus during resting-state MEG could serve as one of the imaging characteristics associated with NDPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Qiu
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Zhaoli Ge
- Department of Neurology, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518000, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanliang Mei
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Zhonghua Xiong
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Xiaoshuang Li
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Ziyu Yuan
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Mantian Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Yaqing Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Xueying Yu
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Hefei Tang
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Yonggang Wang
- Department of Neurology, Headache Center, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No.119 South Fourth Ring West Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100070, China.
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Li Y, Zhao M, Cao Y, Gao Y, Wang Y, Yun B, Luo L, Liu W, Zheng C. Static and dynamic resting-state brain activity patterns of table tennis players in 7-Tesla MRI. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1202932. [PMID: 37521699 PMCID: PMC10375049 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1202932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Table tennis involves quick and accurate motor responses during training and competition. Multiple studies have reported considerably faster visuomotor responses and expertise-related intrinsic brain activity changes among table tennis players compared with matched controls. However, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we performed static and dynamic resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) analyses of 20 table tennis players and 21 control subjects using 7T ultra-high field imaging. We calculated the static and dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the two groups. The results revealed that table tennis players exhibited decreased static ALFF in the left inferior temporal gyrus (lITG) compared with the control group. Voxel-wised static functional connectivity (sFC) and dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) analyses using lITG as the seed region afforded complementary and overlapping results. The table tennis players exhibited decreased sFC in the right middle temporal gyrus and left inferior parietal gyrus. Conversely, they displayed increased dFC from the lITG to prefrontal cortex, particularly the left middle frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus-medial, and left superior frontal gyrus-dorsolateral. These findings suggest that table tennis players demonstrate altered visuomotor transformation and executive function pathways. Both pathways involve the lITG, which is a vital node in the ventral visual stream. These static and dynamic analyses provide complementary and overlapping results, which may help us better understand the neural mechanisms underlying the changes in intrinsic brain activity and network organization induced by long-term table tennis skill training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mengqi Zhao
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Yuting Cao
- Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanyan Gao
- School of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Yadan Wang
- College of Information and Electronic Technology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Bing Yun
- Department of Public Physical and Art Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Le Luo
- Hangzhou Wuyunshan Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenming Liu
- Department of Sport Science, College of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chanying Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Cappello EM, Lettieri G, Malizia AP, d'Arcangelo S, Handjaras G, Lattanzi N, Ricciardi E, Cecchetti L. The Contribution of Shape Features and Demographic Variables to Disembedding Abilities. Front Psychol 2022; 13:798871. [PMID: 35422741 PMCID: PMC9004388 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.798871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans naturally perceive visual patterns in a global manner and are remarkably capable of extracting object shapes based on properties such as proximity, closure, symmetry, and good continuation. Notwithstanding the role of these properties in perceptual grouping, studies highlighted differences in disembedding performance across individuals, which are summarized by the field dependence dimension. Evidence suggests that age and educational attainment explain part of this variability, whereas the role of sex is still highly debated. Also, which stimulus features primarily influence inter-individual variations in perceptual grouping has still to be fully determined. Building upon these premises, we assessed the role of age, education level, and sex on performance at the Leuven Embedded Figure Test—a proxy of disembedding abilities—in 391 cisgender individuals. We also investigated to what extent shape symmetry, closure, complexity, and continuation relate to task accuracy. Overall, target asymmetry, closure, and good continuation with the embedding context increase task difficulty. Simpler shapes are more difficult to detect than those with more lines, yet context complexity impairs the recognition of complex targets (i.e., those with 6 lines or more) to a greater extent. Concerning demographic data, we confirm that age and educational attainment are significantly associated with disembedding abilities and reveal a perceptual advantage in males. In summary, our study further highlights the role of shape properties in disembedding performance and unveils sex differences not reported so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Morgana Cappello
- Social and Affective Neuroscience (SANe) group, MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Giada Lettieri
- Social and Affective Neuroscience (SANe) group, MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | | | - Sonia d'Arcangelo
- Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center SpA, Neuroscience Lab, Torino, Italy
| | - Giacomo Handjaras
- Social and Affective Neuroscience (SANe) group, MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Nicola Lattanzi
- Laboratory for the Analysis of CompleX Economic Systems, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Emiliano Ricciardi
- Molecular Mind Laboratory, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
| | - Luca Cecchetti
- Social and Affective Neuroscience (SANe) group, MoMiLab, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Lucca, Italy
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Sheng X, Chen H, Shao P, Qin R, Zhao H, Xu Y, Bai F. Brain Structural Network Compensation Is Associated With Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease Pathology. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:630278. [PMID: 33716654 PMCID: PMC7947929 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.630278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Structural network alterations in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are related to worse cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to quantify the alterations in gray matter associated with impaired cognition and their pathological biomarkers in AD-spectrum patients. METHODS We extracted gray matter networks from 3D-T1 magnetic resonance imaging scans, and a graph theory analysis was used to explore alterations in the network metrics in 34 healthy controls, 70 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, and 40 AD patients. Spearman correlation analysis was computed to investigate the relationships among network properties, neuropsychological performance, and cerebrospinal fluid pathological biomarkers (i.e., Aβ, t-tau, and p-tau) in these subjects. RESULTS AD-spectrum individuals demonstrated higher nodal properties and edge properties associated with impaired memory function, and lower amyloid-β or higher tau levels than the controls. Furthermore, these compensations at the brain regional level in AD-spectrum patients were mainly in the medial temporal lobe; however, the compensation at the whole-brain network level gradually extended from the frontal lobe to become widely distributed throughout the cortex with the progression of AD. CONCLUSION The findings provide insight into the alterations in the gray matter network related to impaired cognition and pathological biomarkers in the progression of AD. The possibility of compensation was detected in the structural networks in AD-spectrum patients; the compensatory patterns at regional and whole-brain levels were different and the clinical significance was highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoning Sheng
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haifeng Chen
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Pengfei Shao
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ruomeng Qin
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Xu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
| | - Feng Bai
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical School and The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Institute of Brain Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Province Stroke Center for Diagnosis and Therapy, Nanjing, China
- Nanjing Neuropsychiatry Clinic Medical Center, Nanjing, China
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Takeuchi H, Taki Y, Nouchi R, Yokoyama R, Kotozaki Y, Nakagawa S, Sekiguchi A, Iizuka K, Hanawa S, Araki T, Miyauchi CM, Sakaki K, Sassa Y, Nozawa T, Ikeda S, Yokota S, Magistro D, Kawashima R. General Intelligence Is Associated with Working Memory-Related Functional Connectivity Change: Evidence from a Large-Sample Study. Brain Connect 2021; 11:89-102. [PMID: 33317391 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2020.0769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Purpose: Psychometric intelligence is closely related to working memory (WM) and the associated brain activity. We aimed to clarify the associations between psychometric intelligence and WM-induced functional connectivity changes. Materials and Methods: Here we determined the associations between psychometric intelligence measured by nonverbal reasoning (using the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices) and WM-induced changes in functional connectivity during the N-back paradigm, in a large cohort of 1221 young adults. Results: We observed that the measures of general intelligence showed a significant positive correlation with WM-induced changes in the functional connectivity with the key nodes of the frontoparietal network, such as the bilateral premotor cortices and the presupplementary motor area. Those significant correlations were observed for (1) areas showing a WM-induced increase of the functional connectivity with the abovementioned key nodes, such as the lateral parietal cortex; (2) areas showing a WM-induced decrease of the functional connectivity with the abovementioned key nodes (2-a) such as left perisylvian areas and cuneus, the fusiform gyrus, and the lingual gyrus, which play key roles in language processing, (2-b) hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus, which play key roles in memory processing, and (2-c) the key node of the default mode network such as the medial prefrontal cortex; as well as (3) the border areas between (1) and (2). Conclusion: Psychometric intelligence is associated with WM-induced changes in functional connectivity, influencing the way in which WM key nodes dynamically modulate the interaction with other brain nodes in response to WM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikaru Takeuchi
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Taki
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Division of Medical Neuroimaging Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Rui Nouchi
- Creative Interdisciplinary Research Division, Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Human and Social Response Research Division, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Department of Advanced Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | | | - Yuka Kotozaki
- Division of Clinical research, Medical-Industry Translational Research Center, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Seishu Nakagawa
- Department of Human Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Division of Psychiatry, Tohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sekiguchi
- Division of Medical Neuroimaging Analysis, Department of Community Medical Supports, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kunio Iizuka
- Department of Psychiatry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Sugiko Hanawa
- Department of Human Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Araki
- Department of Advanced Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Carlos Makoto Miyauchi
- Department of Human Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Kohei Sakaki
- Department of Advanced Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yuko Sassa
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Takayuki Nozawa
- Research Center for the Earth Inclusive Sensing Empathizing with Silent Voices, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeyuki Ikeda
- Department of Ubiquitous Sensing, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Susumu Yokota
- Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Daniele Magistro
- Department of Sport Science, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Division of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Department of Advanced Brain Science, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.,Department of Ubiquitous Sensing, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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Contextual experience modifies functional connectome indices of topological strength and efficiency. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19843. [PMID: 33199790 PMCID: PMC7670469 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76935-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Stimuli presented at short temporal delays before functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can have a robust impact on the organization of synchronous activity in resting state networks. This presents an opportunity to investigate how sensory, affective and cognitive stimuli alter functional connectivity in rodent models. In the present study we assessed the effect on functional connectivity of a familiar contextual stimulus presented 10 min prior to sedation for imaging. A subset of animals were co-presented with an unfamiliar social stimulus in the same environment to further investigate the effect of familiarity on network topology. Rats were imaged at 11.1 T and graph theory analysis was applied to matrices generated from seed-based functional connectivity data sets with 144 brain regions (nodes) and 10,152 pairwise correlations (after excluding 144 diagonal edges). Our results show substantial changes in network topology in response to the familiar (context). Presentation of the familiar context, both in the absence and presence of the social stimulus, strongly reduced network strength, global efficiency, and altered the location of the highest eigenvector centrality nodes from cortex to the hypothalamus. We did not observe changes in modular organization, nodal cartographic assignments, assortative mixing, rich club organization, and network resilience. We propose that experiential factors, perhaps involving associative or episodic memory, can exert a dramatic effect on functional network strength and efficiency when presented at a short temporal delay before imaging.
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Wagner J, Lo Monaco S, Contò F, Parrott D, Battelli L, Rusconi E. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation over the posterior parietal cortex on novice X-ray screening performance. Cortex 2020; 132:1-14. [PMID: 32911230 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Existing theories of visual search are generally deduced from lab-based studies involving the identification of a target object among similar distractors. The role of the right parietal cortex in visual search is well-established. However, less is known about real-world visual search tasks, such as X-ray screening, which require targets to be disembedded from their background. Research has shown variations in the cognitive abilities required for these tasks and typical lab-based visual search tasks. Thus, the findings of traditional visual search studies do not always transfer into the applied domain. Although brain imaging studies have offered insights into visual search tasks involving disembedding, highlighting an association between the left parietal cortex and disembedding performance, no causal link has yet been established. To this end, we carried out a pilot study (n = 34, between-subjects) administering non-invasive brain stimulation over the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) prior to completing a security X-ray screening task. The findings suggested that anodal left PPC tDCS enhanced novice performance in X-ray screening over that of sham stimulation, in line with brain imaging findings. However, the efficacy of tDCS is under question, with a growing number of failed replications. With this in mind, this study aims to re-test our original hypothesis by examining the effects of left-side parietal stimulation on novice X-ray screener performance and comparing them to those of sham stimulation and of stimulation on a control site (right PPC). As such, this within-subjects study comprised three sessions (2 mA left PPC, 2 mA right PPC, low-intensity sham stimulation left PPC), to investigate effects of anodal tDCS on X-ray screening performance. The pre-registered analysis did not detect any significant differences between left PPC tDCS and sham tDCS or left PPC tDCS and right PPC tDCS on novice performance (d') in X-ray screening. Further exploratory analyses detected no effects of left PPC tDCS on any other indices of performance in the X-ray security screening task (c, RTs and accuracy), or a disembedding control task (RTs and accuracy). The use of alternative stimulation techniques, with replicable behavioural effects on the parietal lobe (or a multi-technique approach), and well-powered studies with a systematic variation of stimulation parameters, could help to choose between two possible interpretations: that neither left nor right PPC are causally related to either tasks or that tDCS was ineffective. Finally, low-intensity sham stimulation (.016 mA), previously shown to outperform other sham conditions in between-subjects designs, was found to be ineffective for blinding participants in a within-subjects design. Our findings raise concerns for the current lack of optimal control conditions and add to the growing literature highlighting the need for replication in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Silvia Lo Monaco
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Federica Contò
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Danielle Parrott
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Lorella Battelli
- Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy; Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Elena Rusconi
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
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Brain Hemodynamic Intermediate Phenotype Links Vitamin B 12 to Cognitive Profile of Healthy and Mild Cognitive Impaired Subjects. Neural Plast 2019; 2019:6874805. [PMID: 31281345 PMCID: PMC6589271 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6874805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Revised: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine are implicated in pivotal neurodegenerative mechanisms and partake in elders' mental decline. Findings on the association between vitamin-related biochemistry and cognitive abilities suggest that the structural and functional properties of the brain may represent an intermediate biomarker linking vitamin concentrations to cognition. Despite this, no previous study directly investigated whether vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine levels are sufficient to explain individual neuropsychological profiles or, alternatively, whether the activity of brain regions modulated by these compounds better predicts cognition in elders. Here, we measured the relationship between vitamin blood concentrations, scores at seventeen neuropsychological tests, and brain activity of sixty-five elders spanning from normal to Mild Cognitive Impairment. We then evaluated whether task-related brain responses represent an intermediate phenotype, providing a better prediction of subjects' neuropsychological scores, as compared to the one obtained considering blood biochemistry only. We found that the hemodynamic activity of the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex was positively associated (p value < 0.05 cluster corrected) with vitamin B12 concentrations, suggesting that elders with higher B12 levels had a more pronounced recruitment of this salience network region. Crucially, the activity of this area significantly predicted subjects' visual search and attention abilities (p value = 0.0023), whereas B12 levels per se failed to do so. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between blood biochemistry and elders' cognitive abilities is revealed when brain activity is included into the equation, thus highlighting the role of brain imaging as intermediate phenotype.
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Jaquess KJ, Lo LC, Oh H, Lu C, Ginsberg A, Tan YY, Lohse KR, Miller MW, Hatfield BD, Gentili RJ. Changes in Mental Workload and Motor Performance Throughout Multiple Practice Sessions Under Various Levels of Task Difficulty. Neuroscience 2018; 393:305-318. [PMID: 30266685 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The allocation of mental workload is critical to maintain cognitive-motor performance under various demands. While mental workload has been investigated during performance, limited efforts have examined it during cognitive-motor learning, while none have concurrently manipulated task difficulty. It is reasonable to surmise that the difficulty level at which a skill is practiced would impact the rate of skill acquisition and also the rate at which mental workload is reduced during learning (relatively slowed for challenging compared to easier tasks). This study aimed to monitor mental workload by assessing cortical dynamics during a task practiced under two difficulty levels over four days while perceived task demand, performance, and electroencephalography (EEG) were collected. As expected, self-reported mental workload was reduced, greater working memory engagement via EEG theta synchrony was observed, and reduced cortical activation, as indexed by progressive EEG alpha synchrony was detected during practice. Task difficulty was positively related to the magnitude of alpha desynchrony and accompanied by elevations in the theta-alpha ratio. Counter to expectation, the absence of an interaction between task difficulty and practice days for both theta and alpha power indicates that the refinement of mental processes throughout learning occurred at a comparable rate for both levels of difficulty. Thus, the assessment of brain dynamics was sensitive to the rate of change of cognitive workload with practice, but not to the degree of difficulty. Future work should consider a broader range of task demands and additional measures of brain processes to further assess this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J Jaquess
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Li-Chuan Lo
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Hyuk Oh
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Calvin Lu
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Andrew Ginsberg
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Ying Ying Tan
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Defense Science and Technology Agency, Singapore
| | - Keith R Lohse
- Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | - Bradley D Hatfield
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Rodolphe J Gentili
- Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Robotics Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
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