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Ullsperger M. Beyond peaks and troughs: Multiplexed performance monitoring signals in the EEG. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14553. [PMID: 38415791 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14553] [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: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
With the discovery of event-related potentials elicited by errors more than 30 years ago, a new avenue of research on performance monitoring, cognitive control, and decision making emerged. Since then, the field has developed and expanded fulminantly. After a brief overview on the EEG correlates of performance monitoring, this article reviews recent advancements based on single-trial analyses using independent component analysis, multiple regression, and multivariate pattern classification. Given the close interconnection between performance monitoring and reinforcement learning, computational modeling and model-based EEG analyses have made a particularly strong impact. The reviewed findings demonstrate that error- and feedback-related EEG dynamics represent variables reflecting how performance-monitoring signals are weighted and transformed into an adaptation signal that guides future decisions and actions. The model-based single-trial analysis approach goes far beyond conventional peak-and-trough analyses of event-related potentials and enables testing mechanistic theories of performance monitoring, cognitive control, and decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Ullsperger
- Department of Neuropsychology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Intervention and Research on adaptive and maladaptive brain Circuits underlying mental health (C-I-R-C), Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, Germany
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2
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Heij J, van der Zwaag W, Knapen T, Caan MWA, Forstman B, Veltman DJ, van Wingen G, Aghajani M. Quantitative MRI at 7-Tesla reveals novel frontocortical myeloarchitecture anomalies in major depressive disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:262. [PMID: 38902245 PMCID: PMC11190139 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02976-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Whereas meta-analytical data highlight abnormal frontocortical macrostructure (thickness/surface area/volume) in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), the underlying microstructural processes remain uncharted, due to the use of conventional MRI scanners and acquisition techniques. We uniquely combined Ultra-High Field MRI at 7.0 Tesla with Quantitative Imaging to map intracortical myelin (proxied by longitudinal relaxation time T1) and iron concentration (proxied by transverse relaxation time T2*), microstructural processes deemed particularly germane to cortical macrostructure. Informed by meta-analytical evidence, we focused specifically on orbitofrontal and rostral anterior cingulate cortices among adult MDD patients (N = 48) and matched healthy controls (HC; N = 10). Analyses probed the association of MDD diagnosis and clinical profile (severity, medication use, comorbid anxiety disorders, childhood trauma) with aforementioned microstructural properties. MDD diagnosis (p's < 0.05, Cohen's D = 0.55-0.66) and symptom severity (p's < 0.01, r = 0.271-0.267) both related to decreased intracortical myelination (higher T1 values) within the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, a region tightly coupled to processing negative affect and feelings of sadness in MDD. No relations were found with local iron concentrations. These findings allow uniquely fine-grained insights on frontocortical microstructure in MDD, and cautiously point to intracortical demyelination as a possible driver of macroscale cortical disintegrity in MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurjen Heij
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, NIN, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wietske van der Zwaag
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, NIN, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tomas Knapen
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, NIN, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthan W A Caan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Birte Forstman
- Department of Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dick J Veltman
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Guido van Wingen
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Moji Aghajani
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Section Forensic Family & Youth Care, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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3
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Seamans JK, White S, Morningstar M, Emberly E, Linsenbardt D, Ma B, Czachowski CL, Lapish CC. Neural basis of cognitive control signals in anterior cingulate cortex during delay discounting. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.07.597894. [PMID: 38895238 PMCID: PMC11185781 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.07.597894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive control involves allocating cognitive effort according to internal needs and task demands and the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) is hypothesized to play a central role in this process. We investigated the neural basis of cognitive control in the ACC of rats performing an adjusting-amount delay discounting task. Decision-making in this this task can be guided by using either a lever-value tracking strategy, requiring a 'resource-based' form of cognitive effort or a lever-biased strategy requiring a 'resistance-based' form of cognitive effort. We found that ACC ensembles always tightly tracked lever value on each trial, indicative of a resource-based control signal. These signals were prevalent in the neural recordings and were influenced by the delay. A shorter delay was associated with devaluing of the immediate option and a longer delay was associated with overvaluing of the immediate option. In addition, ACC theta (6-12Hz) oscillations were observed at the choice point of rats exhibiting a resistance-based strategy. These data provide candidates of neural activity patterns in the ACC that underlie the use of 'resource-based' and 'resistance-based' cognitive effort. Furthermore, these data illustrate how strategies can be engaged under different conditions in individual subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy K. Seamans
- Dept of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, UBC, Vancouver BC, V6T2B5
| | - Shelby White
- Stark Neuroscience Institute, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Indianapolis, 46202, USA
| | | | - Eldon Emberly
- Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6
| | - David Linsenbardt
- University of New Mexico, Department of Neurosciences, Albuquerque, 87131, USA
| | - Baofeng Ma
- Stark Neuroscience Institute, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Indianapolis, 46202, USA
| | - Cristine L. Czachowski
- Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, Psychology Department, Indianapolis, 46202, USA
| | - Christopher C. Lapish
- Stark Neuroscience Institute, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology, Indianapolis, 46202, USA
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Clement MK, Pimentel CS, McGaughy JA. Dopaminergic lesions of the anterior cingulate cortex of rats increase vulnerability to salient distractors. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:3353-3375. [PMID: 38654478 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16352] [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: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been shown to be critical to many aspects of executive function including filtering irrelevant information, updating response contingencies when reinforcement contingencies change and stabilizing task sets. Nonspecific lesions to this region in rats produce a vulnerability to distractors that have gained salience through prior associations with reinforcement. These lesions also exacerbate cognitive fatigue in tests of sustained attention but do not produce global attentional impairments nor do they produce distractibility to novel distractors that do not have a prior association with reinforcement. To determine the neurochemical basis of these cognitive impairments, dopaminergically selective lesions of the ACC were made in both male and female Long-Evans, hooded rats prior to assessment in two attentional tasks. Dopaminergic lesions of the ACC increase the vulnerability of subjects to previously reinforced distractors and impede formation of an attentional set. Lesioned rats were not more susceptible to the effects of novel, irrelevant stimuli in a test of sustained attention as has been previously shown. Additionally, the effects of dopaminergic lesions were found to differ based on sex. Lesioned female, but not male, rats were more vulnerable than sham-lesioned females to the effects of prolonged testing and the removal of reinforcement during a test of sustained attention. Together, these data support the hypothesis that dopamine in the ACC is critical to filtering distractors whose salience has been gained through reinforcement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison K Clement
- Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Cynthia S Pimentel
- Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
| | - Jill A McGaughy
- Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States
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5
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Alejandro RJ, Holroyd CB. Hierarchical control over foraging behavior by anterior cingulate cortex. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 160:105623. [PMID: 38490499 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105623] [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: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Foraging is a natural behavior that involves making sequential decisions to maximize rewards while minimizing the costs incurred when doing so. The prevalence of foraging across species suggests that a common brain computation underlies its implementation. Although anterior cingulate cortex is believed to contribute to foraging behavior, its specific role has been contentious, with predominant theories arguing either that it encodes environmental value or choice difficulty. Additionally, recent attempts to characterize foraging have taken place within the reinforcement learning framework, with increasingly complex models scaling with task complexity. Here we review reinforcement learning foraging models, highlighting the hierarchical structure of many foraging problems. We extend this literature by proposing that ACC guides foraging according to principles of model-based hierarchical reinforcement learning. This idea holds that ACC function is organized hierarchically along a rostral-caudal gradient, with rostral structures monitoring the status and completion of high-level task goals (like finding food), and midcingulate structures overseeing the execution of task options (subgoals, like harvesting fruit) and lower-level actions (such as grabbing an apple).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clay B Holroyd
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Brilliant, Yaar-Soffer Y, Herrmann CS, Henkin Y, Kral A. Theta and alpha oscillatory signatures of auditory sensory and cognitive loads during complex listening. Neuroimage 2024; 289:120546. [PMID: 38387743 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120546] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The neuronal signatures of sensory and cognitive load provide access to brain activities related to complex listening situations. Sensory and cognitive loads are typically reflected in measures like response time (RT) and event-related potentials (ERPs) components. It's, however, strenuous to distinguish the underlying brain processes solely from these measures. In this study, along with RT- and ERP-analysis, we performed time-frequency analysis and source localization of oscillatory activity in participants performing two different auditory tasks with varying degrees of complexity and related them to sensory and cognitive load. We studied neuronal oscillatory activity in both periods before the behavioral response (pre-response) and after it (post-response). Robust oscillatory activities were found in both periods and were differentially affected by sensory and cognitive load. Oscillatory activity under sensory load was characterized by decrease in pre-response (early) theta activity and increased alpha activity. Oscillatory activity under cognitive load was characterized by increased theta activity, mainly in post-response (late) time. Furthermore, source localization revealed specific brain regions responsible for processing these loads, such as temporal and frontal lobe, cingulate cortex and precuneus. The results provide evidence that in complex listening situations, the brain processes sensory and cognitive loads differently. These neural processes have specific oscillatory signatures and are long lasting, extending beyond the behavioral response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brilliant
- Department of Experimental Otology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
| | - Y Yaar-Soffer
- Department of Communication Disorder, Tel Aviv University, 5262657 Tel Aviv, Israel; Hearing, Speech and Language Center, Sheba Medical Center, 5265601 Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - C S Herrmann
- Experimental Psychology Division, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Y Henkin
- Department of Communication Disorder, Tel Aviv University, 5262657 Tel Aviv, Israel; Hearing, Speech and Language Center, Sheba Medical Center, 5265601 Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - A Kral
- Department of Experimental Otology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
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Simoens J, Verguts T, Braem S. Learning environment-specific learning rates. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011978. [PMID: 38517916 PMCID: PMC10990245 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
People often have to switch back and forth between different environments that come with different problems and volatilities. While volatile environments require fast learning (i.e., high learning rates), stable environments call for lower learning rates. Previous studies have shown that people adapt their learning rates, but it remains unclear whether they can also learn about environment-specific learning rates, and instantaneously retrieve them when revisiting environments. Here, using optimality simulations and hierarchical Bayesian analyses across three experiments, we show that people can learn to use different learning rates when switching back and forth between two different environments. We even observe a signature of these environment-specific learning rates when the volatility of both environments is suddenly the same. We conclude that humans can flexibly adapt and learn to associate different learning rates to different environments, offering important insights for developing theories of meta-learning and context-specific control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Simoens
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Tom Verguts
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Senne Braem
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
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Wientjes S, Holroyd CB. The successor representation subserves hierarchical abstraction for goal-directed behavior. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011312. [PMID: 38377074 PMCID: PMC10906840 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Humans have the ability to craft abstract, temporally extended and hierarchically organized plans. For instance, when considering how to make spaghetti for dinner, we typically concern ourselves with useful "subgoals" in the task, such as cutting onions, boiling pasta, and cooking a sauce, rather than particulars such as how many cuts to make to the onion, or exactly which muscles to contract. A core question is how such decomposition of a more abstract task into logical subtasks happens in the first place. Previous research has shown that humans are sensitive to a form of higher-order statistical learning named "community structure". Community structure is a common feature of abstract tasks characterized by a logical ordering of subtasks. This structure can be captured by a model where humans learn predictions of upcoming events multiple steps into the future, discounting predictions of events further away in time. One such model is the "successor representation", which has been argued to be useful for hierarchical abstraction. As of yet, no study has convincingly shown that this hierarchical abstraction can be put to use for goal-directed behavior. Here, we investigate whether participants utilize learned community structure to craft hierarchically informed action plans for goal-directed behavior. Participants were asked to search for paintings in a virtual museum, where the paintings were grouped together in "wings" representing community structure in the museum. We find that participants' choices accord with the hierarchical structure of the museum and that their response times are best predicted by a successor representation. The degree to which the response times reflect the community structure of the museum correlates with several measures of performance, including the ability to craft temporally abstract action plans. These results suggest that successor representation learning subserves hierarchical abstractions relevant for goal-directed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Wientjes
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Clay B. Holroyd
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Proskurin M, Manakov M, Karpova A. ACC neural ensemble dynamics are structured by strategy prevalence. eLife 2023; 12:e84897. [PMID: 37991007 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84897] [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: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Medial frontal cortical areas are thought to play a critical role in the brain's ability to flexibly deploy strategies that are effective in complex settings, yet the underlying circuit computations remain unclear. Here, by examining neural ensemble activity in male rats that sample different strategies in a self-guided search for latent task structure, we observe robust tracking during strategy execution of a summary statistic for that strategy in recent behavioral history by the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), especially by an area homologous to primate area 32D. Using the simplest summary statistic - strategy prevalence in the last 20 choices - we find that its encoding in the ACC during strategy execution is wide-scale, independent of reward delivery, and persists through a substantial ensemble reorganization that accompanies changes in global context. We further demonstrate that the tracking of reward by the ACC ensemble is also strategy-specific, but that reward prevalence is insufficient to explain the observed activity modulation during strategy execution. Our findings argue that ACC ensemble dynamics is structured by a summary statistic of recent behavioral choices, raising the possibility that ACC plays a role in estimating - through statistical learning - which actions promote the occurrence of events in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Proskurin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, United States
| | - Maxim Manakov
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University Medical School, Baltimore, United States
| | - Alla Karpova
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
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Tan J, Zhang X, Wu S, Song Z, Chen S, Huang Y, Wang Y. Audio-induced medial prefrontal cortical dynamics enhances coadaptive learning in brain-machine interfaces. J Neural Eng 2023; 20:056035. [PMID: 37812934 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad017d] [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: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Objectives. Coadaptive brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) allow subjects and external devices to adapt to each other during the closed-loop control, which provides a promising solution for paralyzed individuals. Previous studies have focused on either improving sensory feedback to facilitate subject learning or developing adaptive algorithms to maintain stable decoder performance. In this work, we aim to design an efficient coadaptive BMI framework which not only facilitates the learning of subjects on new tasks with designed sensory feedback, but also improves decoders' learning ability by extracting sensory feedback-induced evaluation information.Approach. We designed dynamic audio feedback during the trial according to the subjects' performance when they were trained to learn a new behavioral task. We compared the learning performance of two groups of Sprague Dawley rats, one with and the other without the designed audio feedback to show whether this audio feedback could facilitate the subjects' learning. Compared with the traditional closed-loop in BMI systems, an additional closed-loop involving medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activity was introduced into the coadaptive framework. The neural dynamics of audio-induced mPFC activity was analyzed to investigate whether a significant neural response could be triggered. This audio-induced response was then translated into reward expectation information to guide the learning of decoders on a new task. The multiday decoding performance of the decoders with and without audio-induced reward expectation was compared to investigate whether the extracted information could accelerate decoders to learn a new task.Main results. The behavior performance comparison showed that the average days for rats to achieve 80% well-trained behavioral performance was improved by 26.4% after introducing the designed audio feedback sequence. The analysis of neural dynamics showed that a significant neural response of mPFC activity could be elicited by the audio feedback and the visualization of audio-induced neural patterns was emerged and accompanied by the behavioral improvement of subjects. The multiday decoding performance comparison showed that the decoder taking the reward expectation information could achieve faster task learning by 33.8% on average across subjects.Significance. This study demonstrates that the designed audio feedback could improve the learning of subjects and the mPFC activity induced by audio feedback can be utilized to improve the decoder's learning efficiency on new tasks. The coadaptive framework involving mPFC dynamics in the closed-loop interaction can advance the BMIs into a more adaptive and efficient system with learning ability on new tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieyuan Tan
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Shenghui Wu
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiwei Song
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuhang Chen
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Yifan Huang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiwen Wang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
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Liu J, Chen H, Cornea E, Gilmore JH, Gao W. Longitudinal developmental trajectories of functional connectivity reveal regional distribution of distinct age effects in infancy. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10367-10379. [PMID: 37585708 PMCID: PMC10545442 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad288] [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: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Prior work has shown that different functional brain networks exhibit different maturation rates, but little is known about whether and how different brain areas may differ in the exact shape of longitudinal functional connectivity growth trajectories during infancy. We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during natural sleep to characterize developmental trajectories of different regions using a longitudinal cohort of infants at 3 weeks (neonate), 1 year, and 2 years of age (n = 90; all with usable data at three time points). A novel whole brain heatmap analysis was performed with four mixed-effect models to determine the best fit of age-related changes for each functional connection: (i) growth effects: positive-linear-age, (ii) emergent effects: positive-log-age, (iii) pruning effects: negative-quadratic-age, and (iv) transient effects: positive-quadratic-age. Our results revealed that emergent (logarithmic) effects dominated developmental trajectory patterns, but significant pruning and transient effects were also observed, particularly in connections centered on inferior frontal and anterior cingulate areas that support social learning and conflict monitoring. Overall, unique global distribution patterns were observed for each growth model indicating that developmental trajectories for different connections are heterogeneous. All models showed significant effects concentrated in association areas, highlighting the dominance of higher-order social/cognitive development during the first 2 years of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle Liu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Imaging, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA 90048, United States
| | - Haitao Chen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Imaging, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA 90048, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - Emil Cornea
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States
| | - John H Gilmore
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, United States
| | - Wei Gao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Imaging, Cedars–Sinai Medical Center, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA 90048, United States
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
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Marly A, Yazdjian A, Soto-Faraco S. The role of conflict processing in multisensory perception: behavioural and electroencephalography evidence. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220346. [PMID: 37545310 PMCID: PMC10404919 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
To form coherent multisensory perceptual representations, the brain must solve a causal inference problem: to decide if two sensory cues originated from the same event and should be combined, or if they came from different events and should be processed independently. According to current models of multisensory integration, during this process, the integrated (common cause) and segregated (different causes) internal perceptual models are entertained. In the present study, we propose that the causal inference process involves competition between these alternative perceptual models that engages the brain mechanisms of conflict processing. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two experiments, measuring reaction times (RTs) and electroencephalography, using an audiovisual ventriloquist illusion paradigm with varying degrees of intersensory disparities. Consistent with our hypotheses, incongruent trials led to slower RTs and higher fronto-medial theta power, both indicative of conflict. We also predicted that intermediate disparities would yield slower RTs and higher theta power when compared to congruent stimuli and to large disparities, owing to the steeper competition between causal models. Although this prediction was only validated in the RT study, both experiments displayed the anticipated trend. In conclusion, our findings suggest a potential involvement of the conflict mechanisms in multisensory integration of spatial information. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrià Marly
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arek Yazdjian
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Soto-Faraco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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13
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Sznabel D, Land R, Kopp B, Kral A. The relation between implicit statistical learning and proactivity as revealed by EEG. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15787. [PMID: 37737452 PMCID: PMC10516964 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42116-y] [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: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental events often occur on a probabilistic basis but can sometimes be predicted based on specific cues and thus approached proactively. Incidental statistical learning enables the acquisition of knowledge about probabilistic cue-target contingencies. However, the neural mechanisms of statistical learning about contingencies (SLC), the required conditions for successful learning, and the role of implicit processes in the resultant proactive behavior are still debated. We examined changes in behavior and cortical activity during an SLC task in which subjects responded to visual targets. Unbeknown to them, there were three types of target cues associated with high-, low-, and zero target probabilities. About half of the subjects spontaneously gained explicit knowledge about the contingencies (contingency-aware group), and only they showed evidence of proactivity: shortened response times to predictable targets and enhanced event-related brain responses (cue-evoked P300 and contingent negative variation, CNV) to high probability cues. The behavioral and brain responses were strictly associated on a single-trial basis. Source reconstruction of the brain responses revealed activation of fronto-parietal brain regions associated with cognitive control, particularly the anterior cingulate cortex and precuneus. We also found neural correlates of SLC in the contingency-unaware group, but these were restricted to post-target latencies and visual association areas. Our results document a qualitative difference between explicit and implicit learning processes and suggest that in certain conditions, proactivity may require explicit knowledge about contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Sznabel
- Department of Experimental Otology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all", Hannover, Germany.
| | - Rüdiger Land
- Department of Experimental Otology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Bruno Kopp
- Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Andrej Kral
- Department of Experimental Otology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all", Hannover, Germany
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14
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Li Z, Duan R, Guo Y, Li P, Warren CM. Distinct influence of inter- versus intra-trial feedback on the brain response to subsequent feedback: Evidence from event-related potentials. Biol Psychol 2023; 181:108596. [PMID: 37268264 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108596] [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: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Substantial evidence indicates that feedback processing not only varies with the valence of feedback, but is also highly dependent on contextual factors. Even so, the influence of prior outcome history on current outcome evaluation is far from clear. To investigate this issue, we conducted two event-related potential (ERP) experiments using a modified gambling task whereby each trial was associated with two consequences. In experiment 1, two instances of feedback indicated participant performance on two dimensions of a single decision, within a trial. In experiment 2, participants made two decisions in each trial, and then received two instances of feedback. We examined the feedback-related negativity (FRN) as an index of feedback processing. When both instances of feedback were relevant to the same trial (intra-trial), the FRN to the second was affected by the valence of the immediately previous feedback: The FRN was amplified to losses following wins. This was observed in both experiment 1 and experiment 2. When two instances of feedback were relevant to two different trials (inter-trial), the effect of immediately previous feedback on the FRN was inconsistent. In experiment 1 there was no effect of feedback from the previous trial on the FRN. However, in Experiment 2 there was an effect of inter-trial feedback on the FRN that was opposite to the effect of intra-trial feedback: The FRN was amplified when losses followed losses. Taken together, the findings suggest that the neural systems involved in reward processing dynamically and continuously integrate preceding feedback for the evaluation of present feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhurong Li
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ran Duan
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yiming Guo
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Peng Li
- Brain Function and Psychological Science Research Center Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Christopher M Warren
- Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services Utah State University, USA
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15
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Schmitt JE. CHEST Meets Brain: Understanding Chronic Cough Requires Interdisciplinary Thinking. Chest 2023; 164:13-14. [PMID: 37423690 DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2023.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J Eric Schmitt
- Department of Radiology and Psychiatry, Division of Neuroradiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
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16
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Cushnie AK, Tang W, Heilbronner SR. Connecting Circuits with Networks in Addiction Neuroscience: A Salience Network Perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24109083. [PMID: 37240428 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24109083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Human neuroimaging has demonstrated the existence of large-scale functional networks in the cerebral cortex consisting of topographically distant brain regions with functionally correlated activity. The salience network (SN), which is involved in detecting salient stimuli and mediating inter-network communication, is a crucial functional network that is disrupted in addiction. Individuals with addiction display dysfunctional structural and functional connectivity of the SN. Furthermore, while there is a growing body of evidence regarding the SN, addiction, and the relationship between the two, there are still many unknowns, and there are fundamental limitations to human neuroimaging studies. At the same time, advances in molecular and systems neuroscience techniques allow researchers to manipulate neural circuits in nonhuman animals with increasing precision. Here, we describe attempts to translate human functional networks to nonhuman animals to uncover circuit-level mechanisms. To do this, we review the structural and functional connections of the salience network and its homology across species. We then describe the existing literature in which circuit-specific perturbation of the SN sheds light on how functional cortical networks operate, both within and outside the context of addiction. Finally, we highlight key outstanding opportunities for mechanistic studies of the SN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana K Cushnie
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2-164 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Wei Tang
- Department of Computer Science, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA
| | - Sarah R Heilbronner
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2-164 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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17
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Sedlinská T, Bolte L, Melsæter E, Mittner M, Csifcsák G. Transcranial direct-current stimulation enhances Pavlovian tendencies during intermittent loss of control. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1164208. [PMID: 37229391 PMCID: PMC10203223 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1164208] [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: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Pavlovian bias is an innate motivational tendency to approach rewards and remain passive in the face of punishment. The relative reliance on Pavlovian valuation has been found to increase when the perceived control over environmental reinforcers is compromised, leading to behavior resembling learned helplessness (LH). Methods Sixty healthy young adults underwent a Go-NoGo reinforcement learning task and received anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the medial prefrontal/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in our randomized, double-blind, sham- controlled study. Furthermore, we evaluated changes in cue-locked mid-frontal theta power derived from simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG). We hypothesized that active stimulation would reduce Pavlovian bias during manipulation of outcome controllability, and the effect would be accompanied by stronger mid-frontal theta activity, representing arbitration between choice strategies in favor of instrumental relative to Pavlovian valuation. Results We found a progressive decrease in Pavlovian bias during and after loss of control over feedback. Active HD-tDCS counteracted this effect while not affecting the mid-frontal theta signal. Discussion The results were at odds with our hypotheses but also with previous findings reporting LH-like patterns during and after loss of control without brain stimulation. The discrepancy may be related to different protocols for the controllability manipulation. We argue that the subjective evaluation of task controllability is crucial in mediating the balance between Pavlovian and instrumental valuation during reinforcement learning and that the medial prefrontal/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex is a key region in this respect. These findings have implications for understanding the behavioral and neural underpinnings of LH in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terezie Sedlinská
- Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- Psychiatric University Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lara Bolte
- Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Eirik Melsæter
- Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Matthias Mittner
- Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Gábor Csifcsák
- Department of Psychology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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18
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Umemoto A, Lin H, Holroyd CB. Electrophysiological measures of conflict and reward processing are associated with decisions to engage in physical effort. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14176. [PMID: 36097887 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14176] [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: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a key brain region involved in cognitive control and decision making, is suggested to mediate effort- and value-based decision making, but the specific role of ACC in this process remains debated. Here we used frontal midline theta (FMT) and the reward positivity (RewP) to examine ACC function in a value-based decision making task requiring physical effort. We investigated whether (1) FMT power is sensitive to the difficulty of the decision or to selecting effortful actions, and (2) RewP is sensitive to the subjective value of reward outcomes as a function of effort investment. On each trial, participants chose to execute a low-effort or a high-effort behavior (that required squeezing a hand-dynamometer) to obtain smaller or larger rewards, respectively, while their brainwaves were recorded. We replicated prior findings that tonic FMT increased over the course of the hour-long task, which suggests increased application of control in the face of growing fatigue. RewP amplitude also increased following execution of high-effort compared to low-effort behavior, consistent with increased valuation of reward outcomes by ACC. Although neither phasic nor tonic FMT were associated with decision difficulty or effort selection per se, an exploratory analysis revealed that the interaction of phasic FMT and expected value of choice predicted effort choice. This interaction suggests that phasic FMT increases specifically under situations of decision difficulty when participants ultimately select a high-effort choice. These results point to a unique role for ACC in motivating and persisting at effortful behavior when decision conflict is high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akina Umemoto
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hause Lin
- Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Hill/Levene Schools of Business, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Clay B Holroyd
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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19
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Sherif MA, Fotros A, Greenberg BD, McLaughlin NCR. Understanding cingulotomy's therapeutic effect in OCD through computer models. Front Integr Neurosci 2023; 16:889831. [PMID: 36704759 PMCID: PMC9871832 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.889831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cingulotomy is therapeutic in OCD, but what are the possible mechanisms? Computer models that formalize cortical OCD abnormalities and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) function can help answer this. At the neural dynamics level, cortical dynamics in OCD have been modeled using attractor networks, where activity patterns resistant to change denote the inability to switch to new patterns, which can reflect inflexible thinking patterns or behaviors. From that perspective, cingulotomy might reduce the influence of difficult-to-escape ACC attractor dynamics on other cortical areas. At the functional level, computer formulations based on model-free reinforcement learning (RL) have been used to describe the multitude of phenomena ACC is involved in, such as tracking the timing of expected outcomes and estimating the cost of exerting cognitive control and effort. Different elements of model-free RL models of ACC could be affected by the inflexible cortical dynamics, making it challenging to update their values. An agent can also use a world model, a representation of how the states of the world change, to plan its actions, through model-based RL. OCD has been hypothesized to be driven by reduced certainty of how the brain's world model describes changes. Cingulotomy might improve such uncertainties about the world and one's actions, making it possible to trust the outcomes of these actions more and thus reduce the urge to collect more sensory information in the form of compulsions. Connecting the neural dynamics models with the functional formulations can provide new ways of understanding the role of ACC in OCD, with potential therapeutic insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A. Sherif
- Department of Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Department of Psychiatry Lifespan Health System, Providence, RI, United States,*Correspondence: Mohamed A. Sherif,
| | - Aryandokht Fotros
- Department of Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Department of Psychiatry Lifespan Health System, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Benjamin D. Greenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States,United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Nicole C. R. McLaughlin
- Department of Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States
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20
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Salihu AT, Hill KD, Jaberzadeh S. Neural mechanisms underlying state mental fatigue: a systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Rev Neurosci 2022; 33:889-917. [PMID: 35700454 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2022-0023] [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: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Sustained performance of cognitive tasks could lead to the development of state mental fatigue characterized by subjective sensation of mental weariness and decrease in cognitive performance. In addition to the occupational hazards associated with mental fatigue, it can also affect physical performance reducing endurance, balance, and sport-specific technical skills. Similarly, mental fatigue is a common symptom in certain chronic health conditions such as multiple sclerosis affecting quality of life of the patients. Despite its widely acknowledged negative impact, the neural mechanisms underlining this phenomenon are still not fully understood. We conducted a systematic review and activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies investigating the effect of mental fatigue due to time-on-task (TOT) on brain activity to elucidate the possible underlying mechanisms. Studies were included if they examined change in brain activity induced by experimental mental fatigue (TOT effect) or investigated the relationship between brain activity and subjective mental fatigue due to TOT. A total of 33 studies met the review's inclusion criteria, 13 of which were included in meta-analyses. Results of the meta-analyses revealed a decrease in activity with TOT in brain areas that constitute the cognitive control network. Additionally, an increased activity with TOT, as well as negative relationship with subjective mental fatigue was found in parts of the default mode network of the brain. The changes in cognitive control and the default mode networks of the brain due to state mental fatigue observed in this study were discussed in relation to the existing theories of mental fatigue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abubakar Tijjani Salihu
- Monash Neuromodulation Research Unit, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Keith D Hill
- Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Frankston, Australia
| | - Shapour Jaberzadeh
- Monash Neuromodulation Research Unit, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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21
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Liu M, Dong W, Wu Y, Verbeke P, Verguts T, Chen Q. Modulating hierarchical learning by high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation at theta frequency. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4421-4431. [PMID: 36089836 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac352] [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: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable evidence highlights the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as a key region for hierarchical (i.e. multilevel) learning. In a previous electroencephalography (EEG) study, we found that the low-level prediction errors were encoded by frontal theta oscillations (4-7 Hz), centered on right DLPFC (rDLPFC). However, the causal relationship between frontal theta oscillations and hierarchical learning remains poorly understood. To investigate this question, in the current study, participants received theta (6 Hz) and sham high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) over the rDLPFC while performing the probabilistic reversal learning task. Behaviorally, theta tACS induced a significant reduction in accuracy for the stable environment, but not for the volatile environment, relative to the sham condition. Computationally, we implemented a combination of a hierarchical Bayesian learning and a decision model. Theta tACS induced a significant increase in low-level (i.e. probability-level) learning rate and uncertainty of low-level estimation relative to sham condition. Instead, the temperature parameter of the decision model, which represents (inverse) decision noise, was not significantly altered due to theta stimulation. These results indicate that theta frequency may modulate the (low-level) learning rate. Furthermore, environmental features (e.g. its stability) may determine whether learning is optimized as a result.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Wenshan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Yiling Wu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Pieter Verbeke
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tom Verguts
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Qi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510631, China.,School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
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22
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Safavi S, Dayan P. Multistability, perceptual value, and internal foraging. Neuron 2022; 110:3076-3090. [PMID: 36041434 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Substantial experimental, theoretical, and computational insights into sensory processing have been derived from the phenomena of perceptual multistability-when two or more percepts alternate or switch in response to a single sensory input. Here, we review a range of findings suggesting that alternations can be seen as internal choices by the brain responding to values. We discuss how elements of external, experimenter-controlled values and internal, uncertainty- and aesthetics-dependent values influence multistability. We then consider the implications for the involvement in switching of regions, such as the anterior cingulate cortex, which are more conventionally tied to value-dependent operations such as cognitive control and foraging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shervin Safavi
- University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Peter Dayan
- University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany
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23
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Formica S, González-García C, Senoussi M, Marinazzo D, Brass M. Theta-phase connectivity between medial prefrontal and posterior areas underlies novel instructions implementation. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0225-22.2022. [PMID: 35868857 PMCID: PMC9374157 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0225-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Implementing novel instructions is a complex and uniquely human cognitive ability, that requires the rapid and flexible conversion of symbolic content into a format that enables the execution of the instructed behavior. Preparing to implement novel instructions, as opposed to their mere maintenance, involves the activation of the instructed motor plans, and the binding of the action information to the specific context in which this should be executed. Recent evidence and prominent computational models suggest that this efficient configuration of the system might involve a central role of frontal theta oscillations in establishing top-down long-range synchronization between distant and task-relevant brain areas. In the present EEG study (human subjects, 30 females, 4 males), we demonstrate that proactively preparing for the implementation of novels instructions, as opposed to their maintenance, involves a strengthened degree of connectivity in the theta frequency range between medial prefrontal and motor/visual areas. Moreover, we replicated previous results showing oscillatory features associated specifically with implementation demands, and extended on them demonstrating the role of theta oscillations in mediating the effect of task demands on behavioral performance. Taken together, these findings support our hypothesis that the modulation of connectivity patterns between frontal and task-relevant posterior brain areas is a core factor in the emergence of a behavior-guiding format from novel instructions.Significance statementEveryday life requires the use and manipulation of currently available information to guide behavior and reach specific goals. In the present study we investigate how the same instructed content elicits different neural activity depending on the task being performed. Crucially, connectivity between medial prefrontal cortex and posterior brain areas is strengthened when novel instructions have to be implemented, rather than simply maintained. This finding suggests that theta oscillations play a role in setting up a dynamic and flexible network of task-relevant regions optimized for the execution of the instructed behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Formica
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, Belgium
| | - Carlos González-García
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, Belgium
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, 18071, Spain
| | - Mehdi Senoussi
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, Belgium
| | | | - Marcel Brass
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, 9000, Belgium
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24
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Hassall CD, Hunt LT, Holroyd CB. Task-level value affects trial-level reward processing. Neuroimage 2022; 260:119456. [PMID: 35809889 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119456] [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: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite disagreement about how anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) supports decision making, a recent hypothesis suggests that activity in this region is best understood in the context of a task or series of tasks. One important task-level variable is average reward because it is both a known driver of effortful behaviour and an important determiner of the tasks in which we choose to engage. Here we asked how average task value affects reward-related ACC activity. To answer this question, we measured a reward-related signal said to be generated in ACC called the reward positivity (RewP) while participants gambled in three tasks of differing average value. The RewP was reduced in the high-value task, an effect that was not explainable by either reward magnitude or outcome expectancy. This result suggests that ACC does not evaluate outcomes and cues in isolation, but in the context of the value of the current task.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Clay B Holroyd
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
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25
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Freezing revisited: coordinated autonomic and central optimization of threat coping. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:568-580. [PMID: 35760906 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00608-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Animals have sophisticated mechanisms for coping with danger. Freezing is a unique state that, upon threat detection, allows evidence to be gathered, response possibilities to be previsioned and preparations to be made for worst-case fight or flight. We propose that - rather than reflecting a passive fear state - the particular somatic and cognitive characteristics of freezing help to conceal overt responses, while optimizing sensory processing and action preparation. Critical for these functions are the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and acetylcholine, which modulate neural information processing and also control the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. However, the interactions between autonomic systems and the brain during freezing, and the way in which they jointly coordinate responses, remain incompletely explored. We review the joint actions of these systems and offer a novel computational framework to describe their temporally harmonized integration. This reconceptualization of freezing has implications for its role in decision-making under threat and for psychopathology.
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26
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Medalla M, Chang W, Ibañez S, Guillamon-Vivancos T, Nittmann M, Kapitonava A, Busch SE, Moore TL, Rosene DL, Luebke JI. Layer-specific pyramidal neuron properties underlie diverse anterior cingulate cortical motor and limbic networks. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:2170-2196. [PMID: 34613380 PMCID: PMC9113240 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The laminar cellular and circuit mechanisms by which the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) exerts flexible control of motor and affective information for goal-directed behavior have not been elucidated. Using multimodal tract-tracing, in vitro patch-clamp recording and computational approaches in rhesus monkeys (M. mulatta), we provide evidence that specialized motor and affective network dynamics can be conferred by layer-specific biophysical and structural properties of ACC pyramidal neurons targeting two key downstream structures -the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and the amygdala (AMY). AMY-targeting neurons exhibited significant laminar differences, with L5 more excitable (higher input resistance and action potential firing rates) than L3 neurons. Between-pathway differences were found within L5, with AMY-targeting neurons exhibiting greater excitability, apical dendritic complexity, spine densities, and diversity of inhibitory inputs than PMd-targeting neurons. Simulations using a pyramidal-interneuron network model predict that these layer- and pathway-specific single-cell differences contribute to distinct network oscillatory dynamics. L5 AMY-targeting networks are more tuned to slow oscillations well-suited for affective and contextual processing timescales, while PMd-targeting networks showed strong beta/gamma synchrony implicated in rapid sensorimotor processing. These findings are fundamental to our broad understanding of how layer-specific cellular and circuit properties can drive diverse laminar activity found in flexible behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Medalla
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Wayne Chang
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Sara Ibañez
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Teresa Guillamon-Vivancos
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Mathias Nittmann
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Anastasia Kapitonava
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Silas E Busch
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Tara L Moore
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Douglas L Rosene
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jennifer I Luebke
- Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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27
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Lin J, Chen Y, Xie J, Mo L. Altered Brain Connectivity Patterns of Individual Differences in Insightful Problem Solving. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:905806. [PMID: 35645749 PMCID: PMC9130958 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.905806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Insightful problem solving (IPS) attracts widespread attention in creative thinking domains. However, the neural underpinnings of individual differences in IPS are still unclear. The purpose of this research was to investigate inherent full-brain connectivity patterns at voxel-level in IPS. Sixty-two healthy participants were enrolled in the study. We used a voxelwise full-brain network measurement, degree centrality (DC), to depict the characteristics of cerebral network involved in individual differences in IPS. For each participant, we employed a chunk decomposition paradigm, using Mandarin characters as stimuli, to estimate the individual differences in IPS. Results showed that DC in the inferior frontal gyrus, and the middle frontal gyrus/precentral gyrus positively correlated with IPS, while the anterior cingulate cortex, and the brainstern/cerebellum/thalamus exhibited negative correlations with IPS. Using each cluster above as a seed, we performed seed-based functional connectivity analysis further. Results showed that IPS was mainly involved in the default mode network, containing the key regions of precuneus and medial prefrontal cortex. All in all, this research may shed new lights on understanding the neural underpinnings of individual differences in IPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiabao Lin
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Yajue Chen
- School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiushu Xie
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lei Mo
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Lei Mo,
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28
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Motivational and Cognitive Control: From motor inhibition to social decision making. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 136:104600. [PMID: 35248675 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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29
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Holroyd CB. Interbrain synchrony: on wavy ground. Trends Neurosci 2022; 45:346-357. [PMID: 35236639 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
In recent years the study of dynamic, between-brain coupling mechanisms has taken social neuroscience by storm. In particular, interbrain synchrony (IBS) is a putative neural mechanism said to promote social interactions by enabling the functional integration of multiple brains. In this article, I argue that this research is beset with three pervasive and interrelated problems. First, the field lacks a widely accepted definition of IBS. Second, IBS wants for theories that can guide the design and interpretation of experiments. Third, a potpourri of tasks and empirical methods permits undue flexibility when testing the hypothesis. These factors synergistically undermine IBS as a theoretical construct. I finish by recommending measures that can address these issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clay B Holroyd
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
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30
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Theta oscillations shift towards optimal frequency for cognitive control. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:1000-1013. [PMID: 35449299 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01335-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control allows to flexibly guide behaviour in a complex and ever-changing environment. It is supported by theta band (4-7 Hz) neural oscillations that coordinate distant neural populations. However, little is known about the precise neural mechanisms permitting such flexible control. Most research has focused on theta amplitude, showing that it increases when control is needed, but a second essential aspect of theta oscillations, their peak frequency, has mostly been overlooked. Here, using computational modelling and behavioural and electrophysiological recordings, in three independent datasets, we show that theta oscillations adaptively shift towards optimal frequency depending on task demands. We provide evidence that theta frequency balances reliable set-up of task representation and gating of task-relevant sensory and motor information and that this frequency shift predicts behavioural performance. Our study presents a mechanism supporting flexible control and calls for a reevaluation of the mechanistic role of theta oscillations in adaptive behaviour.
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31
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Frömer R, Shenhav A. Filling the gaps: Cognitive control as a critical lens for understanding mechanisms of value-based decision-making. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104483. [PMID: 34902441 PMCID: PMC8844247 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
While often seeming to investigate rather different problems, research into value-based decision making and cognitive control have historically offered parallel insights into how people select thoughts and actions. While the former studies how people weigh costs and benefits to make a decision, the latter studies how they adjust information processing to achieve their goals. Recent work has highlighted ways in which decision-making research can inform our understanding of cognitive control. Here, we provide the complementary perspective: how cognitive control research has informed understanding of decision-making. We highlight three particular areas of research where this critical interchange has occurred: (1) how different types of goals shape the evaluation of choice options, (2) how people use control to adjust the ways they make their decisions, and (3) how people monitor decisions to inform adjustments to control at multiple levels and timescales. We show how adopting this alternate viewpoint offers new insight into the determinants of both decisions and control; provides alternative interpretations for common neuroeconomic findings; and generates fruitful directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Frömer
- Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.
| | - A Shenhav
- Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.
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32
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Key B, Zalucki O, Brown DJ. A First Principles Approach to Subjective Experience. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:756224. [PMID: 35250497 PMCID: PMC8888408 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.756224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the neural bases of subjective experience remains one of the great challenges of the natural sciences. Higher-order theories of consciousness are typically defended by assessments of neural activity in higher cortical regions during perception, often with disregard to the nature of the neural computations that these regions execute. We have sought to refocus the problem toward identification of those neural computations that are necessary for subjective experience with the goal of defining the sorts of neural architectures that can perform these operations. This approach removes reliance on behaviour and brain homologies for appraising whether non-human animals have the potential to subjectively experience sensory stimuli. Using two basic principles—first, subjective experience is dependent on complex processing executing specific neural functions and second, the structure-determines-function principle—we have reasoned that subjective experience requires a neural architecture consisting of stacked forward models that predict the output of neural processing from inputs. Given that forward models are dependent on appropriately connected processing modules that generate prediction, error detection and feedback control, we define a minimal neural architecture that is necessary (but not sufficient) for subjective experience. We refer to this framework as the hierarchical forward models algorithm. Accordingly, we postulate that any animal lacking this neural architecture will be incapable of subjective experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Key
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- *Correspondence: Brian Key,
| | - Oressia Zalucki
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Deborah J. Brown
- School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Deborah J. Brown,
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33
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Fine JM, Hayden BY. The whole prefrontal cortex is premotor cortex. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200524. [PMID: 34957853 PMCID: PMC8710885 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose that the entirety of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can be seen as fundamentally premotor in nature. By this, we mean that the PFC consists of an action abstraction hierarchy whose core function is the potentiation and depotentiation of possible action plans at different levels of granularity. We argue that the apex of the hierarchy should revolve around the process of goal-selection, which we posit is inherently a form of optimization over action abstraction. Anatomical and functional evidence supports the idea that this hierarchy originates on the orbital surface of the brain and extends dorsally to motor cortex. Accordingly, our viewpoint positions the orbitofrontal cortex in a key role in the optimization of goal-selection policies, and suggests that its other proposed roles are aspects of this more general function. Our proposed perspective will reframe outstanding questions, open up new areas of inquiry and align theories of prefrontal function with evolutionary principles. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M. Fine
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Benjamin Y. Hayden
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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34
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Pawluski JL, Hoekzema E, Leuner B, Lonstein JS. Less can be more: Fine tuning the maternal brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 133:104475. [PMID: 34864004 PMCID: PMC8807930 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
PAWLUSKI, J.L., Hoekzema, E., Leuner, B., and Lonstein, J.S. Less can be more: Fine tuning the maternal brain. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV (129) XXX-XXX, 2022. Plasticity in the female brain across the lifespan has recently become a growing field of scientific inquiry. This has led to the understanding that the transition to motherhood is marked by some of the most significant changes in brain plasticity in the adult female brain. Perhaps unexpectedly, plasticity occurring in the maternal brain often involves a decrease in brain volume, neurogenesis and glial cell density that presumably optimizes caregiving and other postpartum behaviors. This review summarizes what we know of the 'fine-tuning' of the female brain that accompanies motherhood and highlights the implications of these changes for maternal neurobehavioral health. The first part of the review summarizes structural and functional brain changes in humans during pregnancy and postpartum period with the remainder of the review focusing on neural and glial plasticity during the peripartum period in animal models. The aim of this review is to provide a clear understanding of when 'less is more' in maternal brain plasticity and where future research can focus to improve our understanding of the unique brain plasticity occurring during matrescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi L. Pawluski
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), UMR_S 1085, F-35000, Rennes, France.,Corresponding author: Jodi L. Pawluski, University of Rennes 1, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), UMR_S 1085, F-35000, Rennes, France.
| | - Elseline Hoekzema
- Brain and Development Laboratory, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Hoekzema Lab, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Benedetta Leuner
- The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology & Department of Neuroscience Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Joseph S. Lonstein
- Neuroscience Program & Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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35
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Senoussi M, Verbeke P, Verguts T. Time-Based Binding as a Solution to and a Limitation for Flexible Cognition. Front Psychol 2022; 12:798061. [PMID: 35140662 PMCID: PMC8818715 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.798061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Why can't we keep as many items as we want in working memory? It has long been debated whether this resource limitation is a bug (a downside of our fallible biological system) or instead a feature (an optimal response to a computational problem). We propose that the resource limitation is a consequence of a useful feature. Specifically, we propose that flexible cognition requires time-based binding, and time-based binding necessarily limits the number of (bound) memoranda that can be stored simultaneously. Time-based binding is most naturally instantiated via neural oscillations, for which there exists ample experimental evidence. We report simulations that illustrate this theory and that relate it to empirical data. We also compare the theory to several other (feature and bug) resource theories.
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36
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Verbeke P, Verguts T. Using top-down modulation to optimally balance shared versus separated task representations. Neural Netw 2021; 146:256-271. [PMID: 34915411 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2021.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Human adaptive behavior requires continually learning and performing a wide variety of tasks, often with very little practice. To accomplish this, it is crucial to separate neural representations of different tasks in order to avoid interference. At the same time, sharing neural representations supports generalization and allows faster learning. Therefore, a crucial challenge is to find an optimal balance between shared versus separated representations. Typically, models of human cognition employ top-down modulatory signals to separate task representations, but there exist surprisingly little systematic computational investigations of how such modulation is best implemented. We identify and systematically evaluate two crucial features of modulatory signals. First, top-down input can be processed in an additive or multiplicative manner. Second, the modulatory signals can be adaptive (learned) or non-adaptive (random). We cross these two features, resulting in four modulation networks which are tested on a variety of input datasets and tasks with different degrees of stimulus-action mapping overlap. The multiplicative adaptive modulation network outperforms all other networks in terms of accuracy. Moreover, this network develops hidden units that optimally share representations between tasks. Specifically, different than the binary approach of currently popular latent state models, it exploits partial overlap between tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter Verbeke
- Department of experimental psychology, Ghent University, Belgium.
| | - Tom Verguts
- Department of experimental psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
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37
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Tan J, Shen X, Zhang X, Wang Y. Multivariate Encoding Analysis of Medial Prefrontal Cortex Cortical Activity during Task Learning. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2021; 2021:6699-6702. [PMID: 34892645 DOI: 10.1109/embc46164.2021.9630322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Studies have shown that medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is responsible for outcome evaluation. Some recent studies also suggest that mPFC may play an important role in goal planning and action execution when performing a task. If the information encoded in mPFC can be accurately extracted and identified, it can improve the design of brain-machine interfaces by better reconstructing subjects' motion intention guided by reward information. In this paper, we investigate whether mPFC neural signals simultaneously encode information of goal planning, action execution and outcome evaluation. Linear-nonlinear-Poisson (LNP) model is applied for encoding analysis on mPFC neural spike data when a rat is learning a two-lever-press discrimination task. We use the L2-norm of tuning parameter in LNP model to indicate the importance of the encoded information and compare the spike train prediction performance of LNP model using all information, the most significant information and reward information only. The preliminary results indicate that mPFC activity can encode simultaneously the information of goal planning, action execution and outcome evaluation and that all the relevant information could be reconstructed from mPFC spike trains on a single trial basis.
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38
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Liu M, Dong W, Qin S, Verguts T, Chen Q. Electrophysiological Signatures of Hierarchical Learning. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:626-639. [PMID: 34339505 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human perception and learning is thought to rely on a hierarchical generative model that is continuously updated via precision-weighted prediction errors (pwPEs). However, the neural basis of such cognitive process and how it unfolds during decision-making remain poorly understood. To investigate this question, we combined a hierarchical Bayesian model (i.e., Hierarchical Gaussian Filter [HGF]) with electroencephalography (EEG), while participants performed a probabilistic reversal learning task in alternatingly stable and volatile environments. Behaviorally, the HGF fitted significantly better than two control, nonhierarchical, models. Neurally, low-level and high-level pwPEs were independently encoded by the P300 component. Low-level pwPEs were reflected in the theta (4-8 Hz) frequency band, but high-level pwPEs were not. Furthermore, the expressions of high-level pwPEs were stronger for participants with better HGF fit. These results indicate that the brain employs hierarchical learning and encodes both low- and high-level learning signals separately and adaptively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenshan Dong
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, 100875 Beijing, China
| | - Tom Verguts
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Qi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,School of Psychology, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,Center for Studies of Psychological Application, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, China
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39
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Freund MC, Etzel JA, Braver TS. Neural Coding of Cognitive Control: The Representational Similarity Analysis Approach. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:622-638. [PMID: 33895065 PMCID: PMC8279005 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive control relies on distributed and potentially high-dimensional frontoparietal task representations. Yet, the classical cognitive neuroscience approach in this domain has focused on aggregating and contrasting neural measures - either via univariate or multivariate methods - along highly abstracted, 1D factors (e.g., Stroop congruency). Here, we present representational similarity analysis (RSA) as a complementary approach that can powerfully inform representational components of cognitive control theories. We review several exemplary uses of RSA in this regard. We further show that most classical paradigms, given their factorial structure, can be optimized for RSA with minimal modification. Our aim is to illustrate how RSA can be incorporated into cognitive control investigations to shed new light on old questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Freund
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Joset A Etzel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Todd S Braver
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO 63130, USA; Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St Louis, School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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40
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Shahnazian D, Senoussi M, Krebs RM, Verguts T, Holroyd CB. Neural Representations of Task Context and Temporal Order During Action Sequence Execution. Top Cogn Sci 2021; 14:223-240. [PMID: 33836116 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Routine action sequences can share a great deal of similarity in terms of their stimulus response mappings. As a consequence, their correct execution relies crucially on the ability to preserve contextual and temporal information. However, there are few empirical studies on the neural mechanism and the brain areas maintaining such information. To address this gap in the literature, we recently recorded the blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) response in a newly developed coffee-tea making task. The task involves the execution of four action sequences that each comprise six consecutive decision states, which allows for examining the maintenance of contextual and temporal information. Here, we report a reanalysis of this dataset using a data-driven approach, namely multivariate pattern analysis, that examines context-dependent neural activity across several predefined regions of interest. Results highlight involvement of the inferior-temporal gyrus and lateral prefrontal cortex in maintaining temporal and contextual information for the execution of hierarchically organized action sequences. Furthermore, temporal information seems to be more strongly encoded in areas over the left hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ruth M Krebs
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University
| | - Tom Verguts
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University
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