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Taubert J, Wardle SG, Patterson A, Baker CI. Beyond faces: the contribution of the amygdala to visual processing in the macaque brain. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae245. [PMID: 38864574 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae245] [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: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is present in a diverse range of vertebrate species, such as lizards, rodents, and primates; however, its structure and connectivity differs across species. The increased connections to visual sensory areas in primate species suggests that understanding the visual selectivity of the amygdala in detail is critical to revealing the principles underlying its function in primate cognition. Therefore, we designed a high-resolution, contrast-agent enhanced, event-related fMRI experiment, and scanned 3 adult rhesus macaques, while they viewed 96 naturalistic stimuli. Half of these stimuli were social (defined by the presence of a conspecific), the other half were nonsocial. We also nested manipulations of emotional valence (positive, neutral, and negative) and visual category (faces, nonfaces, animate, and inanimate) within the stimulus set. The results reveal widespread effects of emotional valence, with the amygdala responding more on average to inanimate objects and animals than faces, bodies, or social agents in this experimental context. These findings suggest that the amygdala makes a contribution to primate vision that goes beyond an auxiliary role in face or social perception. Furthermore, the results highlight the importance of stimulus selection and experimental design when probing the function of the amygdala and other visually responsive brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Taubert
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
- School of Psychology, Level 3, McElwain Building (24A), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Susan G Wardle
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Amanda Patterson
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
| | - Chris I Baker
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA
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Laurent MA, Audurier P, De Castro V, Gao X, Durand JB, Jonas J, Rossion B, Cottereau BR. Towards an optimization of functional localizers in non-human primate neuroimaging with (fMRI) frequency-tagging. Neuroimage 2023; 270:119959. [PMID: 36822249 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-human primate (NHP) neuroimaging can provide essential insights into the neural basis of human cognitive functions. While functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) localizers can play an essential role in reaching this objective (Russ et al., 2021), they often differ substantially across species in terms of paradigms, measured signals, and data analysis, biasing the comparisons. Here we introduce a functional frequency-tagging face localizer for NHP imaging, successfully developed in humans and outperforming standard face localizers (Gao et al., 2018). FMRI recordings were performed in two awake macaques. Within a rapid 6 Hz stream of natural non-face objects images, human or monkey face stimuli were presented in bursts every 9 s. We also included control conditions with phase-scrambled versions of all images. As in humans, face-selective activity was objectively identified and quantified at the peak of the face-stimulation frequency (0.111 Hz) and its second harmonic (0.222 Hz) in the Fourier domain. Focal activations with a high signal-to-noise ratio were observed in regions previously described as face-selective, mainly in the STS (clusters PL, ML, MF; also, AL, AF), both for human and monkey faces. Robust face-selective activations were also found in the prefrontal cortex of one monkey (PVL and PO clusters). Face-selective neural activity was highly reliable and excluded all contributions from low-level visual cues contained in the amplitude spectrum of the stimuli. These observations indicate that fMRI frequency-tagging provides a highly valuable approach to objectively compare human and monkey visual recognition systems within the same framework.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Pauline Audurier
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, CNRS, 31052 Toulouse, France
| | - Vanessa De Castro
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, CNRS, 31052 Toulouse, France
| | - Xiaoqing Gao
- Center for Psychological Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou City, China
| | - Jean-Baptiste Durand
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, CNRS, 31052 Toulouse, France
| | - Jacques Jonas
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000 Nancy, France; Universite de Lorraine, CHRU-Nancy, Service de neurologie, F-54000, France
| | - Bruno Rossion
- Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRAN, F-54000 Nancy, France
| | - Benoit R Cottereau
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, CNRS, 31052 Toulouse, France.
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Pelekanos V, Premereur E, Mitchell AS. Structural Connectivity Changes After Fornix Transection in Macaques Using Probabilistic Diffusion Tractography. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1423:11-20. [PMID: 37525029 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-31978-5_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
The fornix, the limbic system's white matter tract connecting the extended hippocampal system to subcortical structures of the medial diencephalon, is strongly associated with learning and memory in humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs). Here, we sought to investigate alterations in structural connectivity across key cortical and subcortical regions after fornix transection in NHPs. We collected diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) data from three macaque monkeys that underwent bilateral fornix transection during neurosurgery and from four age- and cohort-matched control macaques that underwent surgery to implant a head-post but remained neurologically intact. dMRI data were collected from both groups at two time points, before and after the surgeries, and scans took place at around the same time for the two groups. We used probabilistic tractography and employed the number of tracking streamlines to quantify connectivity across our regions of interest (ROIs), in all dMRI sessions. In the neurologically intact monkeys, we observed high connectivity across certain ROIs, including the CA3 hippocampal subfield with the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), the anterior thalamus with the RSC, and the RSC with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). However, we found that, compared to the control group, the fornix-transected monkeys showed marked, significant, connectivity changes including increases between the anterior thalamus and the ACC and between the CA3 and the ACC, as well as decreases between the CA3 and the RSC. Our results highlight cortical and subcortical network changes after fornix transection and identify candidate indirect connectivity routes that may support memory functions after damage and/or neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elsie Premereur
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anna S Mitchell
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, Hearing and Speech, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Shahdloo M, Schüffelgen U, Papp D, Miller KL, Chiew M. Model-based dynamic off-resonance correction for improved accelerated fMRI in awake behaving nonhuman primates. Magn Reson Med 2022; 87:2922-2932. [PMID: 35081259 PMCID: PMC9306555 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Purpose To estimate dynamic off‐resonance due to vigorous body motion in accelerated fMRI of awake behaving nonhuman primates (NHPs) using the echo‐planar imaging reference navigator, in order to attenuate the effects of time‐varying off‐resonance on the reconstruction. Methods In NHP fMRI, the animal’s head is usually head‐posted, and the dynamic off‐resonance is mainly caused by motion in body parts that are distant from the brain and have low spatial frequency. Hence, off‐resonance at each frame can be approximated as a spatially linear perturbation of the off‐resonance at a reference frame, and is manifested as a relative linear shift in k‐space. Using GRAPPA operators, we estimated these shifts by comparing the navigator at each time frame with that at the reference frame. Estimated shifts were then used to correct the data at each frame. The proposed method was evaluated in phantom scans, simulations, and in vivo data. Results The proposed method is shown to successfully estimate spatially low‐order dynamic off‐resonance perturbations, including induced linear off‐resonance perturbations in phantoms, and is able to correct retrospectively corrupted data in simulations. Finally, it is shown to reduce ghosting artifacts and geometric distortions by up to 20% in simultaneous multislice in vivo acquisitions in awake‐behaving NHPs. Conclusion A method is proposed that does not need sequence modification or extra acquisitions and makes accelerated awake behaving NHP imaging more robust and reliable, reducing the gap between what is possible with NHP protocols and state‐of‐the‐art human imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mo Shahdloo
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Urs Schüffelgen
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Daniel Papp
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,NeuroPoly Lab, Electrical Engineering Department, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Karla L Miller
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mark Chiew
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Russ BE, Petkov CI, Kwok SC, Zhu Q, Belin P, Vanduffel W, Hamed SB. Common functional localizers to enhance NHP & cross-species neuroscience imaging research. Neuroimage 2021; 237:118203. [PMID: 34048898 PMCID: PMC8529529 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional localizers are invaluable as they can help define regions of interest, provide cross-study comparisons, and most importantly, allow for the aggregation and meta-analyses of data across studies and laboratories. To achieve these goals within the non-human primate (NHP) imaging community, there is a pressing need for the use of standardized and validated localizers that can be readily implemented across different groups. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the value of localizer protocols to imaging research and we describe a number of commonly used or novel localizers within NHPs, and keys to implement them across studies. As has been shown with the aggregation of resting-state imaging data in the original PRIME-DE submissions, we believe that the field is ready to apply the same initiative for task-based functional localizers in NHP imaging. By coming together to collect large datasets across research group, implementing the same functional localizers, and sharing the localizers and data via PRIME-DE, it is now possible to fully test their robustness, selectivity and specificity. To do this, we reviewed a number of common localizers and we created a repository of well-established localizer that are easily accessible and implemented through the PRIME-RE platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian E Russ
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States; Department of Psychiatry, New York University at Langone, New York City, NY, United States.
| | - Christopher I Petkov
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University Medical School, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Sze Chai Kwok
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, Affiliated Mental Health Center (ECNU), School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan, Jiangsu, China; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science at NYU Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Qi Zhu
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, INSERM, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France; Laboratory for Neuro-and Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven Medical School, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Pascal Belin
- Institut de Neurosciences de La Timone, Aix-Marseille Université et CNRS, Marseille, 13005, France
| | - Wim Vanduffel
- Laboratory for Neuro-and Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven Medical School, Leuven, 3000, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, United States; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02144, United States.
| | - Suliann Ben Hamed
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, Université de Lyon - CNRS, France.
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Yacoub E, Grier MD, Auerbach EJ, Lagore RL, Harel N, Adriany G, Zilverstand A, Hayden BY, Heilbronner SR, Uğurbil K, Zimmermann J. Ultra-high field (10.5 T) resting state fMRI in the macaque. Neuroimage 2020; 223:117349. [PMID: 32898683 PMCID: PMC7745777 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Resting state functional connectivity refers to the temporal correlations between spontaneous hemodynamic signals obtained using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This technique has demonstrated that the structure and dynamics of identifiable networks are altered in psychiatric and neurological disease states. Thus, resting state network organizations can be used as a diagnostic, or prognostic recovery indicator. However, much about the physiological basis of this technique is unknown. Thus, providing a translational bridge to an optimal animal model, the macaque, in which invasive circuit manipulations are possible, is of utmost importance. Current approaches to resting state measurements in macaques face unique challenges associated with signal-to-noise, the need for contrast agents limiting translatability, and within-subject designs. These limitations can, in principle, be overcome through ultra-high magnetic fields. However, imaging at magnetic fields above 7T has yet to be adapted for fMRI in macaques. Here, we demonstrate that the combination of high channel count transmitter and receiver arrays, optimized pulse sequences, and careful anesthesia regimens, allows for detailed single-subject resting state analysis at high resolutions using a 10.5 Tesla scanner. In this study, we uncover thirty spatially detailed resting state components that are highly robust across individual macaques and closely resemble the quality and findings of connectomes from large human datasets. This detailed map of the rsfMRI 'macaque connectome' will be the basis for future neurobiological circuit manipulation work, providing valuable biological insights into human connectomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Essa Yacoub
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Neuroengineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Mark D Grier
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Edward J Auerbach
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Russell L Lagore
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Noam Harel
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Gregor Adriany
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Neuroengineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Anna Zilverstand
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Benjamin Y Hayden
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Neuroengineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Sarah R Heilbronner
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Neuroengineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Kamil Uğurbil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Neuroengineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Jan Zimmermann
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Center for Neuroengineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States.
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Pelekanos V, Premereur E, Mitchell DJ, Chakraborty S, Mason S, Lee ACH, Mitchell AS. Corticocortical and Thalamocortical Changes in Functional Connectivity and White Matter Structural Integrity after Reward-Guided Learning of Visuospatial Discriminations in Rhesus Monkeys. J Neurosci 2020; 40:7887-7901. [PMID: 32900835 PMCID: PMC7548693 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0364-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The frontal cortex and temporal lobes together regulate complex learning and memory capabilities. Here, we collected resting-state functional and diffusion-weighted MRI data before and after male rhesus macaque monkeys received extensive training to learn novel visuospatial discriminations (reward-guided learning). We found functional connectivity changes in orbitofrontal, ventromedial prefrontal, inferotemporal, entorhinal, retrosplenial, and anterior cingulate cortices, the subicular complex, and the dorsal, medial thalamus. These corticocortical and thalamocortical changes in functional connectivity were accompanied by related white matter structural alterations in the uncinate fasciculus, fornix, and ventral prefrontal tract: tracts that connect (sub)cortical networks and are implicated in learning and memory processes in monkeys and humans. After the well-trained monkeys received fornix transection, they were impaired in learning new visuospatial discriminations. In addition, the functional connectivity profile that was observed after the training was altered. These changes were accompanied by white matter changes in the ventral prefrontal tract, although the integrity of the uncinate fasciculus remained unchanged. Our experiments highlight the importance of different communication relayed among corticocortical and thalamocortical circuitry for the ability to learn new visuospatial associations (learning-to-learn) and to make reward-guided decisions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Frontal neural networks and the temporal lobes contribute to reward-guided learning in mammals. Here, we provide novel insight by showing that specific corticocortical and thalamocortical functional connectivity is altered after rhesus monkeys received extensive training to learn novel visuospatial discriminations. Contiguous white matter fiber pathways linking these gray matter structures, namely, the uncinate fasciculus, fornix, and ventral prefrontal tract, showed structural changes after completing training in the visuospatial task. Additionally, different patterns of functional and structural connectivity are reported after removal of subcortical connections within the extended hippocampal system, via fornix transection. These results highlight the importance of both corticocortical and thalamocortical interactions in reward-guided learning in the normal brain and identify brain structures important for memory capabilities after injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassilis Pelekanos
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
| | - Elsie Premereur
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Daniel J Mitchell
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Subhojit Chakraborty
- Department of Neuroinflammation, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart Mason
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
| | - Andy C H Lee
- Department of Psychology (Scarborough), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre, Toronto, Ontario M6A 2E1, Canada
| | - Anna S Mitchell
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SR, United Kingdom
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