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Chung CF, Dugré JR, Potvin S. Dysconnectivity of the Nucleus Accumbens and Amygdala in Youths with Thought Problems: A Dimensional Approach. Brain Connect 2024; 14:226-238. [PMID: 38526373 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2023.0082] [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] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Youths with thought problems (TP) are at risk to develop psychosis and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Yet, the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning TP are still unclear. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown that striatal and limbic alterations are associated with psychosis-like and obsessive-like symptoms in individuals at clinical risk for psychosis, schizophrenia, and OCD. More specifically, nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and amygdala are mainly involved in these associations. The current study aims to investigate the neural correlates of TP in youth populations using a dimensional approach and explore potential cognitive functions and neurotransmitters associated with it. Methods: Seed-to-voxels functional connectivity analyses using NAcc and amygdala as regions-of-interest were conducted with resting-state fMRI data obtained from 1360 young individuals, and potential confounders related to TP such as anxiety and cognitive functions were included as covariates in multiple regression analyses. Replicability was tested in using an adult cohort. In addition, functional decoding and neurochemical correlation analyses were performed to identify the associated cognitive functions and neurotransmitters. Results: The altered functional connectivities between the right NAcc and posterior parahippocampal gyrus, between the right amygdala and lateral prefrontal cortex, and between the left amygdala and the secondary visual area were the best predictors of TP in multiple regression model. These functional connections are mainly involved in social cognition and reward processing. Conclusions: The results show that alterations in the functional connectivity of the NAcc and the amygdala in neural pathways involved in social cognition and reward processing are associated with severity of TP in youths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Fang Chung
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut, Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Faculty of medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jules R Dugré
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Stéphane Potvin
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut, Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Faculty of medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
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Carragher M, Mok Z, Steel G, Conroy P, Pettigrove K, Rose ML, Togher L. Towards efficient, ecological assessment of interaction: A scoping review of co-constructed communication. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2024; 59:831-875. [PMID: 37864388 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The complexity of communication presents challenges for clinical assessment, outcome measurement and intervention for people with acquired brain injury. For the purposes of assessment or treatment, this complexity is usually managed by isolating specific linguistic functions or speech acts from the interactional context. Separating linguistic functions from their interactional context can lead to discourse being viewed as a static entity comprised of discrete features, rather than as a dynamic process of co-constructing meaning. The ecological validity of discourse assessments which rely on the deconstruction of linguistic functions is unclear. Previous studies have reported assessment tasks that preserve some of the dialogic features of communication, but as yet, these tasks have not been identified as a distinct genre of assessment. We suggest the term 'co-constructed communication' to describe tasks which are specifically designed to capture the dynamic, jointly produced nature of communication within a replicable assessment task. AIMS To identify and summarize how co-constructed communication has been assessed with individuals with non-progressive acquired communication disability regarding task design, measures and psychometric robustness. METHODS A scoping review methodology was used to identity relevant studies. Systematic database searches were conducted on studies published before July 2021. Studies in the yield were assessed against eligibility criteria, with 37 studies identified as eligible for inclusion. MAIN CONTRIBUTION This is the first time that co-constructed communication has been defined as a genre of discourse assessment for stroke and traumatic brain injury populations. Co-constructed communication has been assessed for 144 individuals with aphasia and 111 with cognitive-communication disability. Five categories of co-constructed communication tasks were identified, ranging in complexity. Variability exists in how these assessment tasks are labelled and measured. Assessment measures require further psychometric profiling, specifically regarding test-retest reliability and validity. CONCLUSIONS Co-constructed communication is a discourse genre which offers researchers and clinicians a replicable method to assess language and communication in an experimentally rigorous way, within an ecologically valid context, bridging the gap between experimental and ecological assessment approaches. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on this subject Standardized assessments of language skills and monologue offer reliable, replicable ways to measure language. However, isolating language from an interactional context fundamentally changes the behaviour under study. This raises questions about the ecological validity of the measures we routinely use to determine diagnoses, guide treatment planning and measure the success of treatment. What this study adds to the existing knowledge This review highlights studies that conceptualize, and often quantify, interaction by combining experimental rigour and aspects of everyday dialogue. This is the first time this genre of discourse assessment has been identified. We propose the term 'co-constructed communication' to describe this genre and provide an operational definition for the term. What are the practical and clinical implications of this study? Co-constructed communication assessment tasks require refinement, particularly regarding aspects of psychometric robustness. In the future, these tasks offer pragmatic, meaningful ways to capture the effect and impact of aphasia and cognitive-communication disability within interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcella Carragher
- Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Zaneta Mok
- School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Speech Pathology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Gillian Steel
- Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Paul Conroy
- School of Health Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Kathryn Pettigrove
- Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Miranda L Rose
- Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Leanne Togher
- Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Bovet V, Knutsen D, Fossard M. Direct and indirect linguistic measures of common ground in dialogue studies involving a matching task: A systematic review. Psychon Bull Rev 2024; 31:122-136. [PMID: 37582917 PMCID: PMC10867054 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02359-2] [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] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
During dialogue, speakers attempt to adapt messages to their addressee appropriately by taking into consideration their common ground (i.e., all the information mutually known by the conversational partners) to ensure successful communication. Knowing and remembering what information is part of the common ground shared with a given partner and using it during dialogue are crucial skills for social interaction. It is therefore important to better understand how we can measure the use of common ground and to identify the potential associated psychological processes. In this context, a systematic review of the literature was performed to list the linguistic measures of common ground found in dialogue studies involving a matching task and to explore any evidence of cognitive and social mechanisms underlying common ground use in this specific experimental setting, particularly in normal aging and in neuropsychological studies. Out of the 23 articles included in this review, we found seven different linguistic measures of common ground that were classified as either a direct measure of common ground (i.e., measures directly performed on the referential content) or an indirect measure of common ground (i.e., measures assessing the general form of the discourse). This review supports the idea that both types of measures should systematically be used while assessing common ground because they may reflect different concepts underpinned by distinct psychological processes. Given the lack of evidence for the implication of other cognitive and social functions in common ground use in studies involving matching tasks, future research is warranted, particularly in the clinical field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Bovet
- Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines, Institut des Sciences logopédiques, University of Neuchâtel, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
| | - Dominique Knutsen
- UMR 9193, CNRS, SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, University of Lille, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Marion Fossard
- Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines, Institut des Sciences logopédiques, University of Neuchâtel, CH-2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Beadle JN, Heller A, Rosenbaum RS, Davidson PSR, Tranel D, Duff M. Amygdala but not hippocampal damage associated with smaller social network size. Neuropsychologia 2022; 174:108311. [PMID: 35810880 PMCID: PMC9887793 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Social network size has been associated with complex socio-cognitive processes (e.g., memory, perspective taking). Supporting this idea, recent neuroimaging studies in healthy adults have reported a relationship between social network size and brain volumes in regions related to memory and social cognition (e.g., hippocampus, amygdala). Lesion-deficit studies in neurological patients are rare and have been inconclusive due to differences in participant sampling and measurement. The present study uses a multiple case study approach. We investigated patients with focal damage to the hippocampus and/or amygdala (two neural structures thought to be critical for social networks), and examined the patients' social network size, loneliness, and life satisfaction relative to a non-injured comparison group. Patients with amygdalar damage had smaller social networks and reported higher levels of loneliness and lower life satisfaction, on average, than comparison participants. Patients with damage to the hippocampus reported more friends than the comparison participants, but did not differ in their ratings of loneliness or life satisfaction. This lesion study offers new evidence that the amygdala is critical for social networks, life satisfaction, and reduced loneliness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle N Beadle
- Department of Gerontology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA.
| | - Abi Heller
- Department of Gerontology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA
| | - R Shayna Rosenbaum
- Department of Psychology and Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) Program, York University, Canada
| | | | - Daniel Tranel
- Departments of Neurology and Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, USA
| | - Melissa Duff
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, USA
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Hengst JA, Duff MC, Jones TA. Enriching Communicative Environments: Leveraging Advances in Neuroplasticity for Improving Outcomes in Neurogenic Communication Disorders. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2019; 28:216-229. [PMID: 30453323 PMCID: PMC6437703 DOI: 10.1044/2018_ajslp-17-0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Research manipulating the complexity of housing environments for healthy and brain-damaged animals has offered strong, well-replicated evidence for the positive impacts in animal models of enriched environments on neuroplasticity and behavioral outcomes across the lifespan. This article reviews foundational work on environmental enrichment from the animal literature and considers how it relates to a line of research examining rich communicative environments among adults with aphasia, amnesia, and related cognitive-communication disorders. Method Drawing on the authors' own research and the broader literature, this article first presents a critical review of environmental complexity from the animal literature. Building on that animal research, the second section begins by defining rich communicative environments for humans (highlighting the combined effects of complexity, voluntariness, and experiential quality). It then introduces key frameworks for analyzing and designing rich communicative environments: distributed communication and functional systems along with sociocultural theories of learning and development in humans that support them. The final section provides an overview of Hengst's and Duff's basic and translational research, which has been designed to exploit the insights of sociocultural theories and research on environmental complexity. In particular, this research has aimed to enrich communicative interactions in clinical settings, to trace specific communicative resources that characterize such interactions, and to marshal rich communicative environments for therapeutic goals for individuals with aphasia and amnesia. Conclusions This article concludes by arguing that enriching and optimizing environments and experiences offers a very promising approach to rehabilitation efforts designed to enhance the reorganization of cognitive-communicative abilities after brain injury. Such interventions would require clinicians to use the principles outlined here to enrich communicative environments and to target distributed communication in functional systems (not the isolated language of individuals).
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A. Hengst
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
| | - Melissa C. Duff
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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Zamani A, Mychasiuk R, Semple BD. Determinants of social behavior deficits and recovery after pediatric traumatic brain injury. Exp Neurol 2019; 314:34-45. [PMID: 30653969 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 12/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) during early childhood is associated with a particularly high risk of developing social behavior impairments, including deficits in social cognition that manifest as reduced social interactions, with profound consequences for the individuals' quality of life. A number of pre-injury, post-injury, and injury-related factors have been identified or hypothesized to determine the extent of social behavior problems after childhood TBI. These include variables associated with the individual themselves (e.g. age, genetics, the injury severity, and extent of white matter damage), proximal environmental factors (e.g. family functioning, parental mental health), and more distal environmental factors (e.g. socioeconomic status, access to resources). In this review, we synthesize the available evidence demonstrating which of these determinants influence risk versus resilience to social behavior deficits after pediatric TBI, drawing upon the available clinical and preclinical literature. Injury-related pathology in neuroanatomical regions associated with social cognition and behaviors will also be described, with a focus on findings from magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Finally, study limitations and suggested future directions are highlighted. In summary, while no single variable can alone accurately predict the manifestation of social behavior problems after TBI during early childhood, an increased understanding of how both injury and environmental factors can influence social outcomes provides a useful framework for the development of more effective rehabilitation strategies aiming to optimize recovery for young brain-injured patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akram Zamani
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Prahran, VIC, Australia
| | - Richelle Mychasiuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Prahran, VIC, Australia; Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Bridgette D Semple
- Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, Prahran, VIC, Australia; Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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Markowitsch HJ. Memory and self-neuroscientific landscapes. ISRN NEUROSCIENCE 2013; 2013:176027. [PMID: 24967303 PMCID: PMC4045540 DOI: 10.1155/2013/176027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2013] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Relations between memory and the self are framed from a number of perspectives-developmental aspects, forms of memory, interrelations between memory and the brain, and interactions between the environment and memory. The self is seen as dividable into more rudimentary and more advanced aspects. Special emphasis is laid on memory systems and within them on episodic autobiographical memory which is seen as a pure human form of memory that is dependent on a proper ontogenetic development and shaped by the social environment, including culture. Self and episodic autobiographical memory are seen as interlocked in their development and later manifestation. Aside from content-based aspects of memory, time-based aspects are seen along two lines-the division between short-term and long-term memory and anterograde-future-oriented-and retrograde-past-oriented memory. The state dependency of episodic autobiographical is stressed and implications of it-for example, with respect to the occurrence of false memories and forensic aspects-are outlined. For the brain level, structural networks for encoding, consolidation, storage, and retrieval are discussed both by referring to patient data and to data obtained in normal participants with functional brain imaging methods. It is elaborated why descriptions from patients with functional or dissociative amnesia are particularly apt to demonstrate the facets in which memory, self, and personal temporality are interwoven.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans J. Markowitsch
- Physiological Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Universitaetsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Center of Excellence “Cognitive Interaction Technology” (CITEC), University of Bielefeld, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Hanse Institute of Advanced Science, P. O. Box 1344, 27733 Delmenhorst, Germany
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Kurczek J, Duff MC. Intact discourse cohesion and coherence following bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2012; 123:222-227. [PMID: 23102898 PMCID: PMC3541036 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2012.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2012] [Revised: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 09/08/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Discourse cohesion and coherence give communication its continuity providing the grammatical and lexical links that hold an utterance or text together and give it meaning. Researchers often link cohesion and coherence deficits to the frontal lobes by drawing attention to frontal lobe dysfunction in populations where discourse cohesion and coherence deficits are reported and through attribution of these deficits to underlying cognitive impairments putatively associated with the frontal lobes. We examined the distinct contribution of a region of the frontal lobes, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), to discourse cohesion and coherence across a range of discourse tasks. We found that bilateral vmPFC damage does not impair cohesion and coherence in spoken discourse. This study provides insights into the contribution of the major anatomical subdivisions of the frontal lobes to language use and furthers our understanding of the neural and cognitive underpinnings of discourse cohesion and coherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake Kurczek
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Iowa
| | - Melissa C. Duff
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Iowa
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa
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Gupta R, Tranel D, Duff MC. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage does not impair the development and use of common ground in social interaction: implications for cognitive theory of mind. Neuropsychologia 2011; 50:145-52. [PMID: 22120006 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2011] [Revised: 11/10/2011] [Accepted: 11/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
During conversation, interactants draw on their shared communicative context and history ("common ground") to help decide what to say next, tailoring utterances based on their knowledge of what the listener knows. The use of common ground draws on an understanding of the thoughts and feelings of others to create and update a model of what is known by the other person, employing cognitive processes such as theory of mind. We tested the hypothesis that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a neural region involved in processing and interpreting social and emotional information, would be critical for the development and use of common ground. We studied seven patients with bilateral vmPFC damage and seven age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy comparison participants, each interacting with a familiar partner. Across 24 trials, participants verbally directed their partners how to arrange a set of 12 abstract tangram cards. Our hypothesis was not supported: the vmPFC and healthy comparison groups showed similar development and use of common ground, evident in reduction in time and words used to describe the cards, similar increases in the use of definite references (e.g., the horse), and comparable use of verbal play (playful language) in their interactions. These results argue against the idea that the vmPFC is critical for the development and use of common ground in social interaction. We propose that a cognitive and neuroanatomical bifurcation in theory of mind processes may explain this outcome. The vmPFC may be important for affective theory of mind (the ability to understand another's feelings); however, the development and use of common ground in social interaction may place higher demands on the ability to understand another's knowledge, or cognitive theory of mind, which may not require the vmPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupa Gupta
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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The amygdala and decision-making. Neuropsychologia 2010; 49:760-6. [PMID: 20920513 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Revised: 09/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Decision-making is a complex process that requires the orchestration of multiple neural systems. For example, decision-making is believed to involve areas of the brain involved in emotion (e.g., amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and memory (e.g., hippocampus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). In this article, we will present findings related to the amygdala's role in decision-making, and differentiate the contributions of the amygdala from those of other structurally and functionally connected neural regions. Decades of research have shown that the amygdala is involved in associating a stimulus with its emotional value. This tradition has been extended in newer work, which has shown that the amygdala is especially important for decision-making, by triggering autonomic responses to emotional stimuli, including monetary reward and punishment. Patients with amygdala damage lack these autonomic responses to reward and punishment, and consequently, cannot utilize "somatic marker" type cues to guide future decision-making. Studies using laboratory decision-making tests have found deficient decision-making in patients with bilateral amygdala damage, which resembles their real-world difficulties with decision-making. Additionally, we have found evidence for an interaction between sex and laterality of amygdala functioning, such that unilateral damage to the right amygdala results in greater deficits in decision-making and social behavior in men, while left amygdala damage seems to be more detrimental for women. We have posited that the amygdala is part of an "impulsive," habit type system that triggers emotional responses to immediate outcomes.
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