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Liu P, Lin T, Fischer H, Feifel D, Ebner NC. Effects of four-week intranasal oxytocin administration on large-scale brain networks in older adults. Neuropharmacology 2024; 260:110130. [PMID: 39182569 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/27/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a crucial modulator of social cognition and behavior. Previous work primarily examined effects of acute intranasal oxytocin administration (IN-OT) in younger males on isolated brain regions. Not well understood are (i) chronic IN-OT effects, (ii) in older adults, (iii) on large-scale brain networks, representative of OT's wider-ranging brain mechanisms. To address these research gaps, 60 generally healthy older adults (mean age = 70.12 years, range = 55-83) were randomly assigned to self-administer either IN-OT or placebo twice daily via nasal spray over four weeks. Chronic IN-OT reduced resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) of both the right insula and the left middle cingulate cortex with the salience network but enhanced rs-FC of the left medial prefrontal cortex with the default mode network as well as the left thalamus with the basal ganglia-thalamus network. No significant chronic IN-OT effects were observed for between-network rs-FC. However, chronic IN-OT increased selective rs-FC of the basal ganglia-thalamus network with the salience network and the default mode network, indicative of more specialized, efficient communication between these networks. Directly comparing chronic vs. acute IN-OT, reduced rs-FC of the right insula with the salience network and between the default mode network and the basal ganglia-thalamus network, and greater selective rs-FC of the salience network with the default mode network and the basal ganglia-thalamus network, were more pronounced after chronic than acute IN-OT. Our results delineate the modulatory role of IN-OT on large-scale brain networks among older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiwei Liu
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Tian Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Håkan Fischer
- Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden; Stockholm University Brain Imaging Centre (SUBIC), Stockholm University, Stockholm, SE-106 91, Sweden; Aging Research Centre, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Feifel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Natalie C Ebner
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA; Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA; Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
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Ren S, Wang S, Lv S, Gao J, Mao Y, Liu Y, Xie Q, Zhang T, Zhao L, Shi J. The nociceptive inputs of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus in formalin stimulated mice. Neurosci Lett 2024; 841:137948. [PMID: 39179131 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2024.137948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 08/03/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
The paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) is an important neuroendocrine center involved in pain regulation, but the nociceptive afferent routes for the nucleus are still unclear. We examined the profile of PVH receiving injurious information by a combination of retrograde tracing with Fluoro-Gold (FG) and FOS expression induced by formalin stimuli. The result showed that formalin injection induced significantly increased expression of FOS in the PVH, among which oxytocin containing neurons are one neuronal phenotype. Immunofluorescent staining of FG and FOS revealed that double labeled neurons were strikingly distributed in the area 2 of the cingulate cortex (Cg2), the lateral septal nucleus (LS), the periaqueductal gray (PAG), the posterior hypothalamic area (PH), and the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB). In the five regions, LPB had the biggest number and the highest ratio of FOS expression in FG labeled neurons, with main subnuclei distribution in the external, superior, dorsal, and central parts. Further immunofluorescent triple staining disclosed that about one third of FG and FOS double labeled neurons in the LPB were immunoreactive for calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP). In conclusion, the present study demonstrates the nociceptive input profile of the PVH area under inflammatory pain and suggests that neurons in the LPB may play essential roles in transmitting noxious information to the PVH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Ren
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China; Medical School of Yan'an University, Yan'an 716000, China
| | - Shumin Wang
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China; Medical School of Yan'an University, Yan'an 716000, China
| | - Siting Lv
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China; Medical School of Yan'an University, Yan'an 716000, China
| | - Jiaying Gao
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China; Student Brigade, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Yajie Mao
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China; Student Brigade, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Yuankun Liu
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China; Medical School of Yan'an University, Yan'an 716000, China
| | - Qiongyao Xie
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China; Student Brigade, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Lin Zhao
- Medical School of Yan'an University, Yan'an 716000, China.
| | - Juan Shi
- Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K. K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
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Yu J, Xu Q, Ma L, Huang Y, Zhu W, Liang Y, Wang Y, Tang W, Zhu C, Jiang X. Convergent functional change of frontoparietal network in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a voxel-based meta-analysis. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1401623. [PMID: 39041046 PMCID: PMC11260709 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1401623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic psychiatric illness with complex clinical manifestations. Cognitive dysfunction may underlie OC symptoms. The frontoparietal network (FPN) is a key region involved in cognitive control. However, the findings of impaired FPN regions have been inconsistent. We employed meta-analysis to identify the fMRI-specific abnormalities of the FPN in OCD. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost were searched to screen resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies exploring dysfunction in the FPN of OCD patients using three indicators: the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation/fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF/fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC). We compared all patients with OCD and control group in a primary analysis, and divided the studies by medication in secondary meta-analyses with the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) algorithm. Results A total of 31 eligible studies with 1359 OCD patients (756 men) and 1360 healthy controls (733 men) were included in the primary meta-analysis. We concluded specific changes in brain regions of FPN, mainly in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC, BA9), left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG, BA47), left superior temporal gyrus (STG, BA38), right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC, BA29), right inferior parietal lobule (IPL, BA40) and bilateral caudate. Additionally, altered connectivity within- and between-FPN were observed in the bilateral DLPFC, right cingulate gyrus and right thalamus. The secondary analyses showed improved convergence relative to the primary analysis. Conclusion OCD patients showed dysfunction FPN, including impaired local important nodal brain regions and hypoconnectivity within the FPN (mainly in the bilateral DLPFC), during the resting state. Moreover, FPN appears to interact with the salience network (SN) and default mode network (DMN) through pivotal brain regions. Consistent with the hypothesis of fronto-striatal circuit dysfunction, especially in the dorsal cognitive circuit, these findings provide strong evidence for integrating two pathophysiological models of OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianping Yu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qianwen Xu
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lisha Ma
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yueqi Huang
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenjing Zhu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yan Liang
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yunzhan Wang
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenxin Tang
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoying Jiang
- Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Inguscio BMS, Rossi D, Giliberto G, Vozzi A, Borghini G, Babiloni F, Greco A, Attanasio G, Cartocci G. Bridging the Gap between Psychophysiological and Audiological Factors in the Assessment of Tinnitus: An EEG Investigation in the Beta Band. Brain Sci 2024; 14:570. [PMID: 38928570 PMCID: PMC11202302 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite substantial progress in investigating its psychophysical complexity, tinnitus remains a scientific and clinical enigma. The present study, through an ecological and multidisciplinary approach, aims to identify associations between electroencephalographic (EEG) and psycho-audiological variables. METHODS EEG beta activity, often related to stress and anxiety, was acquired from 12 tinnitus patients (TIN group) and 7 controls (CONT group) during an audio cognitive task and at rest. We also investigated psychological (SCL-90-R; STAI-Y; BFI-10) and audiological (THI; TQ12-I; Hyperacusis) variables using non-parametric statistics to assess differences and relationships between and within groups. RESULTS In the TIN group, frontal beta activity positively correlated with hyperacusis, parietal activity, and trait anxiety; the latter is also associated with depression in CONT. Significant differences in paranoid ideation and openness were found between groups. CONCLUSIONS The connection between anxiety trait, beta activity in the fronto-parietal cortices and hyperacusis provides insights into brain functioning in tinnitus patients, offering quantitative descriptions for clinicians and new multidisciplinary treatment hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Maria Serena Inguscio
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (B.M.S.I.); (D.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (F.B.)
- BrainSigns Srl, 00198 Rome, Italy;
| | - Dario Rossi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (B.M.S.I.); (D.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (F.B.)
- BrainSigns Srl, 00198 Rome, Italy;
| | - Giovanna Giliberto
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (B.M.S.I.); (D.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (F.B.)
| | | | - Gianluca Borghini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (B.M.S.I.); (D.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (F.B.)
- BrainSigns Srl, 00198 Rome, Italy;
| | - Fabio Babiloni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (B.M.S.I.); (D.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (F.B.)
- BrainSigns Srl, 00198 Rome, Italy;
- Department of Computer Science, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | | | - Giulia Cartocci
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy; (B.M.S.I.); (D.R.); (G.G.); (G.B.); (F.B.)
- BrainSigns Srl, 00198 Rome, Italy;
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Elbasheir A, Katrinli S, Kearney BE, Lanius RA, Harnett NG, Carter SE, Ely TD, Bradley B, Gillespie CF, Stevens JS, Lori A, van Rooij SJH, Powers A, Jovanovic T, Smith AK, Fani N. Racial Discrimination, Neural Connectivity, and Epigenetic Aging Among Black Women. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2416588. [PMID: 38869898 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.16588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Racial discrimination increases the risk of adverse brain health outcomes, potentially via neuroplastic changes in emotion processing networks. The involvement of deep brain regions (brainstem and midbrain) in these responses is unknown. Potential associations of racial discrimination with alterations in deep brain functional connectivity and accelerated epigenetic aging, a process that substantially increases vulnerability to health problems, are also unknown. Objective To examine associations of racial discrimination with brainstem and midbrain resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and DNA methylation age acceleration (DMAA) among Black women in the US. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study was conducted between January 1, 2012, and February 28, 2015, and included a community-based sample of Black women (aged ≥18 years) recruited as part of the Grady Trauma Project. Self-reported racial discrimination was examined in association with seed-to-voxel brain connectivity, including the locus coeruleus (LC), periaqueductal gray (PAG), and superior colliculus (SC); an index of DMAA (Horvath clock) was also evaluated. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma exposure, and age were used as covariates in statistical models to isolate racial discrimination-related variance. Data analysis was conducted between January 10 and October 30, 2023. Exposure Varying levels of racial discrimination exposure, other trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Main Outcomes and Measures Racial discrimination frequency was assessed with the Experiences of Discrimination Scale, other trauma exposure was evaluated with the Traumatic Events Inventory, and current PTSD was evaluated with the PTSD Symptom Scale. Seed-to-voxel functional connectivity analyses were conducted with LC, PAG, and SC seeds. To assess DMAA, the Methylation EPIC BeadChip assay (Illumina) was conducted with whole-blood samples from a subset of 49 participants. Results This study included 90 Black women, with a mean (SD) age of 38.5 (11.3) years. Greater racial discrimination was associated with greater left LC RSFC to the bilateral precuneus (a region within the default mode network implicated in rumination and reliving of past events; cluster size k = 228; t85 = 4.78; P < .001, false discovery rate-corrected). Significant indirect effects were observed for the left LC-precuneus RSFC on the association between racial discrimination and DMAA (β [SE] = 0.45 [0.16]; 95% CI, 0.12-0.77). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, more frequent racial discrimination was associated with proportionately greater RSFC of the LC to the precuneus, and these connectivity alterations were associated with DMAA. These findings suggest that racial discrimination contributes to accelerated biological aging via altered connectivity between the LC and default mode network, increasing vulnerability for brain health problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziz Elbasheir
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Seyma Katrinli
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Breanne E Kearney
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathaniel G Harnett
- Division of Depression and Anxiety, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Timothy D Ely
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Bekh Bradley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Charles F Gillespie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sanne J H van Rooij
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Abigail Powers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Negar Fani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
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Leonards CA, Harrison BJ, Jamieson AJ, Agathos J, Steward T, Davey CG. Altered task-related decoupling of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex in depression. Neuroimage Clin 2024; 41:103564. [PMID: 38218081 PMCID: PMC10821626 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Dysfunctional activity of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) - an extensively connected hub region of the default mode network - has been broadly linked to cognitive and affective impairments in depression. However, the nature of aberrant task-related rACC suppression in depression is incompletely understood. In this study, we sought to characterize functional connectivity of rACC activity suppression ('deactivation') - an essential feature of rACC function - during external task engagement in depression. Specifically, we aimed to explore neural patterns of functional decoupling and coupling with the rACC during its task-driven suppression. We enrolled 81 15- to 25-year-old young people with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder (MDD) before they commenced a 12-week clinical trial that assessed the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy plus either fluoxetine or placebo. Ninety-four matched healthy controls were also recruited. Participants completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging face matching task known to elicit rACC suppression. To identify brain regions associated with the rACC during its task-driven suppression, we employed a seed-based functional connectivity analysis. We found MDD participants, compared to controls, showed significantly reduced 'decoupling' of the rACC with extended task-specific regions during task performance. Specifically, less decoupling was observed in the occipital and fusiform gyrus, dorsal ACC, medial prefrontal cortex, cuneus, amygdala, thalamus, and hippocampus. Notably, impaired decoupling was apparent in participants who did not remit to treatment, but not treatment remitters. Further, we found MDD participants showed significant increased coupling with the anterior insula cortex during task engagement. Our findings indicate that aberrant task-related rACC suppression is associated with disruptions in adaptive neural communication and dynamic switching between internal and external cognitive modes that may underpin maladaptive cognitions and biased emotional processing in depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine A Leonards
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ben J Harrison
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alec J Jamieson
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - James Agathos
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Trevor Steward
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Christopher G Davey
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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Orlando I, Filippini N. Aging modulates frontal lobes involvement in emotion regulation processing. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25282. [PMID: 38284857 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25282] [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: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Emotion regulation (ER) is the process by which individuals can modulate the intensity of their emotional experience and it plays a crucial role in daily life. So far, behavioral analyses seem to suggest that ER ability remains stable throughout the lifespan. However, imaging studies evaluating the neural correlates of ER performance during the aging process have shown mixed results. In this study, we used the "Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience cohort sample" to investigate: (1) ER behavioral performance and (2) the differential association between brain measures (based on both structural and functional connectivity data) and ER performance, in a group of younger/middle-aged participants (N = 159; age range: 18y < x < 58y) relative to a group of older healthy subjects (N = 136; age range: 58y < =x < 89y). Whereas we found no group-related differences either in ER behavioral data or the association between ER performance and structural data, we did observe that ER performance was differentially correlated in our two study groups to functional connectivity measures in the fronto-insular-temporal network, which has been shown to be involved in emotional processing. Group-related differences were specifically localized in a cluster of voxels within the anterior cingulate areas which revealed a reverse pattern between our study groups: in younger/middle-aged participants better ER performance was associated with increase connectivity, whereas among older participants better ER performance was related to reduced connectivity. Based on our results, we suggest that a de-differentiation mechanism, known to affect the frontal lobes brain activity and connectivity in older subjects, might explain our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Orlando
- Dept. of Psychology, Salesian Pontifical University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola Filippini
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Neurodegeneration, IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy
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Li Z, Lu H, Liu D, Yu ANC, Gendron M. Emotional event perception is related to lexical complexity and emotion knowledge. COMMUNICATIONS PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 1:45. [PMID: 39242918 PMCID: PMC11332234 DOI: 10.1038/s44271-023-00039-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
Inferring emotion is a critical skill that supports social functioning. Emotion inferences are typically studied in simplistic paradigms by asking people to categorize isolated and static cues like frowning faces. Yet emotions are complex events that unfold over time. Here, across three samples (Study 1 N = 222; Study 2 N = 261; Study 3 N = 101), we present the Emotion Segmentation Paradigm to examine inferences about complex emotional events by extending cognitive paradigms examining event perception. Participants were asked to indicate when there were changes in the emotions of target individuals within continuous streams of activity in narrative film (Study 1) and documentary clips (Study 2, preregistered, and Study 3 test-retest sample). This Emotion Segmentation Paradigm revealed robust and reliable individual differences across multiple metrics. We also tested the constructionist prediction that emotion labels constrain emotion inference, which is traditionally studied by introducing emotion labels. We demonstrate that individual differences in active emotion vocabulary (i.e., readily accessible emotion words) correlate with emotion segmentation performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimeng Li
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
| | - Hanxiao Lu
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Di Liu
- Department of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alessandra N C Yu
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maria Gendron
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
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Kirstein CF, Güntürkün O, Ocklenburg S. Ultra-high field imaging of the amygdala - A narrative review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105245. [PMID: 37230235 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala is an evolutionarily conserved core structure in emotion processing and one of the key regions of interest in affective neuroscience. Results of neuroimaging studies focusing on the amygdala are, however, often heterogeneous since it is composed of functionally and neuroanatomically distinct subnuclei. Fortunately, ultra-high-field imaging offers several advances for amygdala research, most importantly more accurate representation of functional and structural properties of subnuclei and their connectivity. Most clinical studies using ultra-high-field imaging focused on major depression, suggesting either overall rightward amygdala atrophy or distinct bilateral patterns of subnuclear atrophy and hypertrophy. Other pathologies are only sparsely covered. Connectivity analyses identified widespread networks for learning and memory, stimulus processing, cognition, and social processes. They provide evidence for distinct roles of the central, basal, and basolateral nucleus, and the extended amygdala in fear and emotion processing. Amid largely sparse and ambiguous evidence, we propose theoretical and methodological considerations that will guide ultra-high-field imaging in comprehensive investigations to help disentangle the ambiguity of the amygdala's function, structure, connectivity, and clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Fabian Kirstein
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany.
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Research Center One Health Ruhr, Research Alliance Ruhr, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ocklenburg
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany; Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Germany; Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Germany
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