1
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Janet R, Smallwood J, Hutcherson CA, Plassmann H, Mckeown B, Tusche A. Body mass index-dependent shifts along large-scale gradients in human cortical organization explain dietary regulatory success. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2314224121. [PMID: 38648482 PMCID: PMC11067012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2314224121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Making healthy dietary choices is essential for keeping weight within a normal range. Yet many people struggle with dietary self-control despite good intentions. What distinguishes neural processing in those who succeed or fail to implement healthy eating goals? Does this vary by weight status? To examine these questions, we utilized an analytical framework of gradients that characterize systematic spatial patterns of large-scale neural activity, which have the advantage of considering the entire suite of processes subserving self-control and potential regulatory tactics at the whole-brain level. Using an established laboratory food task capturing brain responses in natural and regulatory conditions (N = 123), we demonstrate that regulatory changes of dietary brain states in the gradient space predict individual differences in dietary success. Better regulators required smaller shifts in brain states to achieve larger goal-consistent changes in dietary behaviors, pointing toward efficient network organization. This pattern was most pronounced in individuals with lower weight status (low-BMI, body mass index) but absent in high-BMI individuals. Consistent with prior work, regulatory goals increased activity in frontoparietal brain circuits. However, this shift in brain states alone did not predict variance in dietary success. Instead, regulatory success emerged from combined changes along multiple gradients, showcasing the interplay of different large-scale brain networks subserving dietary control and possible regulatory strategies. Our results provide insights into how the brain might solve the problem of dietary control: Dietary success may be easier for people who adopt modes of large-scale brain activation that do not require significant reconfigurations across contexts and goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi Janet
- Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ONK7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Jonathan Smallwood
- Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ONK7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Cendri A. Hutcherson
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 2E5, Canada
- Department of Marketing, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, ONM5S 3E6, Canada
| | - Hilke Plassmann
- Marketing Area, INSEAD, FontainebleauF-77300, France
- Control-Interoception-Attention Team, Paris Brain Institute (ICM), Sorbonne University, Paris75013, France
| | - Bronte Mckeown
- Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ONK7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Anita Tusche
- Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ONK7L 3N6, Canada
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
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2
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Chaieb L, Fell J. Insights into the time course of mind wandering during task execution. Brain Res 2024; 1822:148618. [PMID: 37820849 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148618] [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: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Our minds tend to wander, sometimes with little control. Despite this phenomenon, that can affect our ability to perform everyday tasks gaining much interest, relatively little is understood about the actual time course of MW across an experimental task. With this in mind, we collated data from two previously reported studies investigating the effect of auditory beat stimulation on MW. Taking experience sampling probes intermittently dispersed throughout a sustained-attention-to-response task (SART), we re-evaluated responses to theta monaural beat stimulation, as well as to two control conditions (silence (headphones only) and a sine wave control tone). The experience sampling probes were binned into shorter intervals of approximately five minutes duration, chronologically as they appeared within the paradigm. Experience sampling probes assayed whether MW had occurred, with or without meta-awareness, and lastly in which temporal orientation (past/present/future). By applying this somewhat temporally better resolved approach, we were able to examine the time course of attentional fluctuations related to MW during the execution of the SART, as well as interactions arising from the auditory beat stimulation. As anticipated, MW increased during task execution, most prominently at the beginning of the experiment. We also observed that levels of meta-awareness declined over time. Moreover, the temporal evolution of meta-awareness and past-orientation appeared to depend on the stimulation condition. These data demonstrate that time-on-task is a crucial factor in measuring MW, during the performance of an attentional task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Chaieb
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Juergen Fell
- Department of Epileptology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
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3
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Mckeown B, Strawson WH, Zhang M, Turnbull A, Konu D, Karapanagiotidis T, Wang HT, Leech R, Xu T, Hardikar S, Bernhardt B, Margulies D, Jefferies E, Wammes J, Smallwood J. Experience sampling reveals the role that covert goal states play in task-relevant behavior. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21710. [PMID: 38066069 PMCID: PMC10709616 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48857-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive neuroscience has gained insight into covert states using experience sampling. Traditionally, this approach has focused on off-task states. However, task-relevant states are also maintained via covert processes. Our study examined whether experience sampling can also provide insights into covert goal-relevant states that support task performance. To address this question, we developed a neural state space, using dimensions of brain function variation, that allows neural correlates of overt and covert states to be examined in a common analytic space. We use this to describe brain activity during task performance, its relation to covert states identified via experience sampling, and links between individual variation in overt and covert states and task performance. Our study established deliberate task focus was linked to faster target detection, and brain states underlying this experience-and target detection-were associated with activity patterns emphasizing the fronto-parietal network. In contrast, brain states underlying off-task experiences-and vigilance periods-were linked to activity patterns emphasizing the default mode network. Our study shows experience sampling can not only describe covert states that are unrelated to the task at hand, but can also be used to highlight the role fronto-parietal regions play in the maintenance of covert task-relevant states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brontë Mckeown
- Psychology Department, Queen's University, Kingston, K7L 3N6, Canada.
| | - Will H Strawson
- Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RH, UK
| | - Meichao Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioural Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Adam Turnbull
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Delali Konu
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | | | - Hao-Ting Wang
- Centre de Recherche de l'institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montreal, QC, H3W 1W5, Canada
| | - Robert Leech
- Centre for Neuroimaging Science, King's College, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Ting Xu
- Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, 10022, USA
| | - Samyogita Hardikar
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Daniel Margulies
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center (UMR 8002, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Paris, 75006, Paris, France
| | | | - Jeffrey Wammes
- Psychology Department, Queen's University, Kingston, K7L 3N6, Canada
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4
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Kucyi A, Kam JWY, Andrews-Hanna JR, Christoff K, Whitfield-Gabrieli S. Recent advances in the neuroscience of spontaneous and off-task thought: implications for mental health. NATURE MENTAL HEALTH 2023; 1:827-840. [PMID: 37974566 PMCID: PMC10653280 DOI: 10.1038/s44220-023-00133-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
People spend a remarkable 30-50% of awake life thinking about something other than what they are currently doing. These experiences of being "off-task" can be described as spontaneous thought when mental dynamics are relatively flexible. Here we review recent neuroscience developments in this area and consider implications for mental wellbeing and illness. We provide updated overviews of the roles of the default mode network and large-scale network dynamics, and we discuss emerging candidate mechanisms involving hippocampal memory (sharp-wave ripples, replay) and neuromodulatory (noradrenergic and serotonergic) systems. We explore how distinct brain states can be associated with or give rise to adaptive and maladaptive forms of thought linked to distinguishable mental health outcomes. We conclude by outlining new directions in the neuroscience of spontaneous and off-task thought that may clarify mechanisms, lead to personalized biomarkers, and facilitate therapy developments toward the goals of better understanding and improving mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Kucyi
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University
| | - Julia W. Y. Kam
- Department of Psychology and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary
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5
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Wan B, Hong SJ, Bethlehem RAI, Floris DL, Bernhardt BC, Valk SL. Diverging asymmetry of intrinsic functional organization in autism. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4331-4341. [PMID: 37587246 PMCID: PMC10827663 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02220-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition involving atypical sensory-perceptual functions together with language and socio-cognitive deficits. Previous work has reported subtle alterations in the asymmetry of brain structure and reduced laterality of functional activation in individuals with autism relative to non-autistic individuals (NAI). However, whether functional asymmetries show altered intrinsic systematic organization in autism remains unclear. Here, we examined inter- and intra-hemispheric asymmetry of intrinsic functional gradients capturing connectome organization along three axes, stretching between sensory-default, somatomotor-visual, and default-multiple demand networks, to study system-level hemispheric imbalances in autism. We observed decreased leftward functional asymmetry of language network organization in individuals with autism, relative to NAI. Whereas language network asymmetry varied across age groups in NAI, this was not the case in autism, suggesting atypical functional laterality in autism may result from altered developmental trajectories. Finally, we observed that intra- but not inter-hemispheric features were predictive of the severity of autistic traits. Our findings illustrate how regional and patterned functional lateralization is altered in autism at the system level. Such differences may be rooted in atypical developmental trajectories of functional organization asymmetry in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Wan
- Otto Hahn Research Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
- International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication: Function, Structure, and Plasticity (IMPRS NeuroCom), Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig and Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Seok-Jun Hong
- Centre for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Department of Global Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | | | - Dorothea L Floris
- Department of Psychology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montréal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sofie L Valk
- Otto Hahn Research Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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6
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Valk SL, Kanske P, Park BY, Hong SJ, Böckler A, Trautwein FM, Bernhardt BC, Singer T. Functional and microstructural plasticity following social and interoceptive mental training. eLife 2023; 12:e85188. [PMID: 37417306 PMCID: PMC10414971 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85188] [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: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The human brain supports social cognitive functions, including Theory of Mind, empathy, and compassion, through its intrinsic hierarchical organization. However, it remains unclear how the learning and refinement of social skills shapes brain function and structure. We studied if different types of social mental training induce changes in cortical function and microstructure, investigating 332 healthy adults (197 women, 20-55 years) with repeated multimodal neuroimaging and behavioral testing. Our neuroimaging approach examined longitudinal changes in cortical functional gradients and myelin-sensitive T1 relaxometry, two complementary measures of cortical hierarchical organization. We observed marked changes in intrinsic cortical function and microstructure, which varied as a function of social training content. In particular, cortical function and microstructure changed as a result of attention-mindfulness and socio-cognitive training in regions functionally associated with attention and interoception, including insular and parietal cortices. Conversely, socio-affective and socio-cognitive training resulted in differential microstructural changes in regions classically implicated in interoceptive and emotional processing, including insular and orbitofrontal areas, but did not result in functional reorganization. Notably, longitudinal changes in cortical function and microstructure predicted behavioral change in attention, compassion and perspective-taking. Our work demonstrates functional and microstructural plasticity after the training of social-interoceptive functions, and illustrates the bidirectional relationship between brain organisation and human social skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Louise Valk
- Otto Hahn Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
- INM-7, FZ JülichJülichGermany
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität DresdenDresdenGermany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
| | - Bo-yong Park
- Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Lab, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
- Department of Data Science, Inha UniversityIncheonRepublic of Korea
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic ScienceSuwonRepublic of Korea
| | - Seok-Jun Hong
- Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic ScienceSuwonRepublic of Korea
- Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind InstituteNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan UniversitySuwonRepublic of Korea
| | - Anne Böckler
- Department of Psychology, Wurzburg UniversityWurzburgGermany
| | - Fynn-Mathis Trautwein
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Lab, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill UniversityMontrealCanada
| | - Tania Singer
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Max Planck SocietyBerlinGermany
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7
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Wan B, Bayrak Ş, Ting Xu T, Schaare HL, Bethlehem RAI, Bernhardt BC, Valk SL. Heritability and cross-species comparisons of human cortical functional organization asymmetry. eLife 2022; 11:77215. [PMID: 35904242 PMCID: PMC9381036 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The human cerebral cortex is symmetrically organized along large-scale axes but also presents inter-hemispheric differences in structure and function. The quantified contralateral homologous difference, that is asymmetry, is a key feature of the human brain left-right axis supporting functional processes, such as language. Here, we assessed whether the asymmetry of cortical functional organization is heritable and phylogenetically conserved between humans and macaques. Our findings indicate asymmetric organization along an axis describing a functional trajectory from perceptual/action to abstract cognition. Whereas language network showed leftward asymmetric organization, frontoparietal network showed rightward asymmetric organization in humans. These asymmetries were heritable in humans and showed a similar spatial distribution with macaques, in the case of intra-hemispheric asymmetry of functional hierarchy. This suggests (phylo)genetic conservation. However, both language and frontoparietal networks showed a qualitatively larger asymmetry in humans relative to macaques. Overall, our findings suggest a genetic basis for asymmetry in intrinsic functional organization, linked to higher order cognitive functions uniquely developed in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Wan
- Otto Hahn Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Şeyma Bayrak
- Otto Hahn Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ting Ting Xu
- Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, United States
| | - H Lina Schaare
- Otto Hahn Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | - Sofie Louise Valk
- Otto Hahn Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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8
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Spontaneous mind-wandering tendencies linked to cognitive flexibility in young adults. Conscious Cogn 2022; 102:103335. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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9
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Valk SL, Xu T, Paquola C, Park BY, Bethlehem RAI, Vos de Wael R, Royer J, Masouleh SK, Bayrak Ş, Kochunov P, Yeo BTT, Margulies D, Smallwood J, Eickhoff SB, Bernhardt BC. Genetic and phylogenetic uncoupling of structure and function in human transmodal cortex. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2341. [PMID: 35534454 PMCID: PMC9085871 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29886-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain structure scaffolds intrinsic function, supporting cognition and ultimately behavioral flexibility. However, it remains unclear how a static, genetically controlled architecture supports flexible cognition and behavior. Here, we synthesize genetic, phylogenetic and cognitive analyses to understand how the macroscale organization of structure-function coupling across the cortex can inform its role in cognition. In humans, structure-function coupling was highest in regions of unimodal cortex and lowest in transmodal cortex, a pattern that was mirrored by a reduced alignment with heritable connectivity profiles. Structure-function uncoupling in macaques had a similar spatial distribution, but we observed an increased coupling between structure and function in association cortices relative to humans. Meta-analysis suggested regions with the least genetic control (low heritable correspondence and different across primates) are linked to social-cognition and autobiographical memory. Our findings suggest that genetic and evolutionary uncoupling of structure and function in different transmodal systems may support the emergence of complex forms of cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie L. Valk
- grid.419524.f0000 0001 0041 5028Otto Hahn Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany ,grid.8385.60000 0001 2297 375XInstitute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, FZ Jülich, Jülich, Germany ,grid.411327.20000 0001 2176 9917Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Ting Xu
- grid.428122.f0000 0004 7592 9033Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY USA
| | - Casey Paquola
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Lab, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada ,grid.8385.60000 0001 2297 375XInstitute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Structural and functional organisation of the brain (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany, FZ Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Bo-yong Park
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Lab, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada ,grid.202119.90000 0001 2364 8385Department of Data Science, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea ,grid.410720.00000 0004 1784 4496Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, Institute for Basic Science, Suwon, South Korea
| | | | - Reinder Vos de Wael
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Lab, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - Jessica Royer
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Lab, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - Shahrzad Kharabian Masouleh
- grid.8385.60000 0001 2297 375XInstitute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, FZ Jülich, Jülich, Germany ,grid.411327.20000 0001 2176 9917Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Şeyma Bayrak
- grid.419524.f0000 0001 0041 5028Otto Hahn Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter Kochunov
- grid.411024.20000 0001 2175 4264Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - B. T. Thomas Yeo
- grid.4280.e0000 0001 2180 6431Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore ,grid.4280.e0000 0001 2180 6431Centre for Sleep and Cognition (CSC) & Centre for Translational Magnetic Resonance Research (TMR), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore ,grid.4280.e0000 0001 2180 6431N.1 Institute for Health & Institute for Digital Medicine (WisDM), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore ,grid.32224.350000 0004 0386 9924Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA USA ,grid.4280.e0000 0001 2180 6431Integrative Sciences and Engineering Programme (ISEP), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Daniel Margulies
- grid.425274.20000 0004 0620 5939Neuroanatomy and Connectivity Lab, Institut de Cerveau et de la Moelle epiniere, Paris, France
| | - Jonathan Smallwood
- grid.410356.50000 0004 1936 8331Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON Canada
| | - Simon B. Eickhoff
- grid.8385.60000 0001 2297 375XInstitute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, FZ Jülich, Jülich, Germany ,grid.411327.20000 0001 2176 9917Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Boris C. Bernhardt
- grid.14709.3b0000 0004 1936 8649Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Lab, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
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10
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Caciagli L, Paquola C, He X, Vollmar C, Centeno M, Wandschneider B, Braun U, Trimmel K, Vos SB, Sidhu MK, Thompson PJ, Baxendale S, Winston GP, Duncan JS, Bassett DS, Koepp MJ, Bernhardt BC. Disorganization of language and working memory systems in frontal versus temporal lobe epilepsy. Brain 2022; 146:935-953. [PMID: 35511160 PMCID: PMC9976988 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is a common comorbidity of epilepsy and adversely impacts people with both frontal lobe (FLE) and temporal lobe (TLE) epilepsy. While its neural substrates have been investigated extensively in TLE, functional imaging studies in FLE are scarce. In this study, we profiled the neural processes underlying cognitive impairment in FLE and directly compared FLE and TLE to establish commonalities and differences. We investigated 172 adult participants (56 with FLE, 64 with TLE and 52 controls) using neuropsychological tests and four functional MRI tasks probing expressive language (verbal fluency, verb generation) and working memory (verbal and visuo-spatial). Patient groups were comparable in disease duration and anti-seizure medication load. We devised a multiscale approach to map brain activation and deactivation during cognition and track reorganization in FLE and TLE. Voxel-based analyses were complemented with profiling of task effects across established motifs of functional brain organization: (i) canonical resting-state functional systems; and (ii) the principal functional connectivity gradient, which encodes a continuous transition of regional connectivity profiles, anchoring lower-level sensory and transmodal brain areas at the opposite ends of a spectrum. We show that cognitive impairment in FLE is associated with reduced activation across attentional and executive systems, as well as reduced deactivation of the default mode system, indicative of a large-scale disorganization of task-related recruitment. The imaging signatures of dysfunction in FLE are broadly similar to those in TLE, but some patterns are syndrome-specific: altered default-mode deactivation is more prominent in FLE, while impaired recruitment of posterior language areas during a task with semantic demands is more marked in TLE. Functional abnormalities in FLE and TLE appear overall modulated by disease load. On balance, our study elucidates neural processes underlying language and working memory impairment in FLE, identifies shared and syndrome-specific alterations in the two most common focal epilepsies and sheds light on system behaviour that may be amenable to future remediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Caciagli
- Correspondence to: Lorenzo Caciagli, MD, PhD Department of Bioengineering University of Pennsylvania, 240 Skirkanich Hall 210 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA E-mail: ;
| | - Casey Paquola
- Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Xiaosong He
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Christian Vollmar
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK,Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Maria Centeno
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK,Epilepsy Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Britta Wandschneider
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK
| | - Urs Braun
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Karin Trimmel
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK,Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sjoerd B Vos
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK,Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, UK,Neuroradiological Academic Unit, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Meneka K Sidhu
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK
| | - Pamela J Thompson
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK
| | - Sallie Baxendale
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK
| | - Gavin P Winston
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK,Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - John S Duncan
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK,MRI Unit, Epilepsy Society,Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire SL9 0RJ, UK
| | - Dani S Bassett
- Correspondence may also be addressed to: Dani S. Bassett, PhD E-mail:
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11
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Daws RE, Timmermann C, Giribaldi B, Sexton JD, Wall MB, Erritzoe D, Roseman L, Nutt D, Carhart-Harris R. Increased global integration in the brain after psilocybin therapy for depression. Nat Med 2022; 28:844-851. [DOI: 10.1038/s41591-022-01744-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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12
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Kuburi S, Di Passa AM, Tassone VK, Mahmood R, Lalovic A, Ladha KS, Dunlop K, Rizvi S, Demchenko I, Bhat V. Neuroimaging Correlates of Treatment Response with Psychedelics in Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review. CHRONIC STRESS 2022; 6:24705470221115342. [PMID: 35936944 PMCID: PMC9350516 DOI: 10.1177/24705470221115342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Preliminary evidence supports the use of psychedelics for major depressive
disorder (MDD). However, less attention has been given to the neural mechanisms
behind their effects. We conducted a systematic review examining the
neuroimaging correlates of antidepressant response following psychedelic
interventions for MDD. Through MEDLINE, Embase, and APA PsycINFO, 187 records
were identified and 42 articles were screened. Six published studies and one
conference abstract were included. Five ongoing trials were included from
subjective outcomesTrials.gov. Our search covered several psychedelics, though
included studies were specific to psilocybin, ayahuasca, and lysergic acid
diethylamide. Three psilocybin studies noted amygdala activity and functional
connectivity (FC) alterations that correlated with treatment response. Two
psilocybin studies reported that FC changes in the medial and ventromedial
prefrontal cortices correlated with treatment response. Two trials from a single
study reported global decreases in brain network modularity which correlated
with antidepressant response. One ayahuasca study reported increased activity in
the limbic regions following treatment. Preliminary evidence suggests that the
default mode and limbic networks may be a target for future research on the
neural mechanisms of psychedelics. More data is required to corroborate these
initial findings as the evidence summarized in this review is based on four
datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Kuburi
- Interventional Psychiatry Program, Mental Health and Addictions Service, St. Michael’s Hospital, 193 Yonge Street 6-013, M5B 1M8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anne-Marie Di Passa
- Interventional Psychiatry Program, Mental Health and Addictions Service, St. Michael’s Hospital, 193 Yonge Street 6-013, M5B 1M8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vanessa K. Tassone
- Interventional Psychiatry Program, Mental Health and Addictions Service, St. Michael’s Hospital, 193 Yonge Street 6-013, M5B 1M8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Raesham Mahmood
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Medical Sciences Building, M5S 1A8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aleksandra Lalovic
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, M5T 1R8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, 209 Victoria Street, M5B 1T8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karim S. Ladha
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, 209 Victoria Street, M5B 1T8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, M5T 1R8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia, St. Michael's Hospital, 193 Yonge Street 6-013, M5B 1M8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Katharine Dunlop
- Interventional Psychiatry Program, Mental Health and Addictions Service, St. Michael’s Hospital, 193 Yonge Street 6-013, M5B 1M8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, M5T 1R8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Center for Depression and Suicide Studies, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 30 Bond Street, M5B 1W8, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Keenan Research Center for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, 30 Bond Street, M5B 1W8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sakina Rizvi
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, M5T 1R8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, 209 Victoria Street, M5B 1T8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ilya Demchenko
- Interventional Psychiatry Program, Mental Health and Addictions Service, St. Michael’s Hospital, 193 Yonge Street 6-013, M5B 1M8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Venkat Bhat
- Interventional Psychiatry Program, Mental Health and Addictions Service, St. Michael’s Hospital, 193 Yonge Street 6-013, M5B 1M8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Medical Sciences Building, M5S 1A8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 250 College Street, M5T 1R8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, 209 Victoria Street, M5B 1T8, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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13
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The impact of social isolation and changes in work patterns on ongoing thought during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2102565118. [PMID: 34599096 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2102565118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns in countries across the world, changing the lives of billions of people. The United Kingdom's first national lockdown, for example, restricted people's ability to socialize and work. The current study examined how changes to socializing and working during this lockdown impacted ongoing thought patterns in daily life. We compared the prevalence of thought patterns between two independent real-world, experience-sampling cohorts, collected before and during lockdown. In both samples, young (18 to 35 y) and older (55+ y) participants completed experience-sampling measures five times daily for 7 d. Dimension reduction was applied to these data to identify common "patterns of thought." Linear mixed modeling compared the prevalence of each thought pattern 1) before and during lockdown, 2) in different age groups, and 3) across different social and activity contexts. During lockdown, when people were alone, social thinking was reduced, but on the rare occasions when social interactions were possible, we observed a greater increase in social thinking than prelockdown. Furthermore, lockdown was associated with a reduction in future-directed problem solving, but this thought pattern was reinstated when individuals engaged in work. Therefore, our study suggests that the lockdown led to significant changes in ongoing thought patterns in daily life and that these changes were associated with changes to our daily routine that occurred during lockdown.
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14
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The think aloud paradigm reveals differences in the content, dynamics and conceptual scope of resting state thought in trait brooding. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19362. [PMID: 34593842 PMCID: PMC8484343 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98138-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Although central to well-being, functional and dysfunctional thoughts arise and unfold over time in ways that remain poorly understood. To shed light on these mechanisms, we adapted a "think aloud" paradigm to quantify the content and dynamics of individuals' thoughts at rest. Across two studies, external raters hand coded the content of each thought and computed dynamic metrics spanning duration, transition probabilities between affective states, and conceptual similarity over time. Study 1 highlighted the paradigm's high ecological validity and revealed a narrowing of conceptual scope following more negative content. Study 2 replicated Study 1's findings and examined individual difference predictors of trait brooding, a maladaptive form of rumination. Across individuals, increased trait brooding was linked to thoughts rated as more negative, past-oriented and self-focused. Longer negative and shorter positive thoughts were also apparent as brooding increased, as well as a tendency to shift away from positive conceptual states, and a stronger narrowing of conceptual scope following negative thoughts. Importantly, content and dynamics explained independent variance, accounting for a third of the variance in brooding. These results uncover a real-time cognitive signature of rumination and highlight the predictive and ecological validity of the think aloud paradigm applied to resting state cognition.
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15
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Gonzalez Alam TRDJ, Mckeown BLA, Gao Z, Bernhardt B, Vos de Wael R, Margulies DS, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. A tale of two gradients: differences between the left and right hemispheres predict semantic cognition. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:631-654. [PMID: 34510282 PMCID: PMC8844158 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02374-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Decomposition of whole-brain functional connectivity patterns reveals a principal gradient that captures the separation of sensorimotor cortex from heteromodal regions in the default mode network (DMN). Functional homotopy is strongest in sensorimotor areas, and weakest in heteromodal cortices, suggesting there may be differences between the left and right hemispheres (LH/RH) in the principal gradient, especially towards its apex. This study characterised hemispheric differences in the position of large-scale cortical networks along the principal gradient, and their functional significance. We collected resting-state fMRI and semantic, working memory and non-verbal reasoning performance in 175 + healthy volunteers. We then extracted the principal gradient of connectivity for each participant, tested which networks showed significant hemispheric differences on the gradient, and regressed participants’ behavioural efficiency in tasks outside the scanner against interhemispheric gradient differences for each network. LH showed a higher overall principal gradient value, consistent with its role in heteromodal semantic cognition. One frontotemporal control subnetwork was linked to individual differences in semantic cognition: when it was nearer heteromodal DMN on the principal gradient in LH, participants showed more efficient semantic retrieval—and this network also showed a strong hemispheric difference in response to semantic demands but not working memory load in a separate study. In contrast, when a dorsal attention subnetwork was closer to the heteromodal end of the principal gradient in RH, participants showed better visual reasoning. Lateralization of function may reflect differences in connectivity between control and heteromodal regions in LH, and attention and visual regions in RH.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zhiyao Gao
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Reinder Vos de Wael
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002, Paris, France
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16
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Konu D, Mckeown B, Turnbull A, Siu Ping Ho N, Karapanagiotidis T, Vanderwal T, McCall C, Tipper SP, Jefferies E, Smallwood J. Exploring patterns of ongoing thought under naturalistic and conventional task-based conditions. Conscious Cogn 2021; 93:103139. [PMID: 34111726 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that patterns of ongoing thought are heterogeneous, varying across situations and individuals. The current study investigated the influence of multiple tasks and affective style on ongoing patterns of thought. We used 9 different tasks and measured ongoing thought using multidimensional experience sampling. A Principal Component Analysis of the experience sampling data revealed four patterns of ongoing thought: episodic social cognition, unpleasant intrusive, concentration and self focus. Linear Mixed Modelling was used to conduct a series of exploratory analyses aimed at examining contextual distributions of these thought patterns. We found that different task contexts reliably evoke different thought patterns. Moreover, intrusive and negative thought pattern expression were influenced by individual affective style (depression level). The data establish the influence of task context and intrinsic features on ongoing thought, highlighting the importance of documenting how thought patterns emerge in cognitive tasks with different requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delali Konu
- Department of Psychology, University of York, UK.
| | | | | | | | | | - Tamara Vanderwal
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Canada
| | - Cade McCall
- Department of Psychology, University of York, UK
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17
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Smallwood J, Turnbull A, Wang HT, Ho NS, Poerio GL, Karapanagiotidis T, Konu D, Mckeown B, Zhang M, Murphy C, Vatansever D, Bzdok D, Konishi M, Leech R, Seli P, Schooler JW, Bernhardt B, Margulies DS, Jefferies E. The neural correlates of ongoing conscious thought. iScience 2021; 24:102132. [PMID: 33665553 PMCID: PMC7907463 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A core goal in cognitive neuroscience is identifying the physical substrates of the patterns of thought that occupy our daily lives. Contemporary views suggest that the landscape of ongoing experience is heterogeneous and can be influenced by features of both the person and the context. This perspective piece considers recent work that explicitly accounts for both the heterogeneity of the experience and context dependence of patterns of ongoing thought. These studies reveal that systems linked to attention and control are important for organizing experience in response to changing environmental demands. These studies also establish a role of the default mode network beyond task-negative or purely episodic content, for example, implicating it in the level of vivid detail in experience in both task contexts and in spontaneous self-generated experiential states. Together, this work demonstrates that the landscape of ongoing thought is reflected in the activity of multiple neural systems, and it is important to distinguish between processes contributing to how the experience unfolds from those linked to how these experiences are regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Smallwood
- Department of Psychology / York Imaging Centre, University of York, York, England
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Adam Turnbull
- Department of Psychology / York Imaging Centre, University of York, York, England
- University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | - Nerissa S.P. Ho
- Department of Psychology / York Imaging Centre, University of York, York, England
| | - Giulia L. Poerio
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, England
| | | | - Delali Konu
- Department of Psychology / York Imaging Centre, University of York, York, England
| | - Brontë Mckeown
- Department of Psychology / York Imaging Centre, University of York, York, England
| | - Meichao Zhang
- Department of Psychology / York Imaging Centre, University of York, York, England
| | | | | | - Danilo Bzdok
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Mahiko Konishi
- Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives et de Psycholinguistique, Department d'Etudes Cognitives, ENS, PSL University, EHESS, CNRS, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Jonathan W. Schooler
- Department of Psychology, duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Daniel S. Margulies
- Centre Nationale de la Researche Scientifique, Institute du Cerveau et de la Moelle epiniere, Paris, France
| | - Elizabeth Jefferies
- Department of Psychology / York Imaging Centre, University of York, York, England
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18
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Kucyi A, Esterman M, Capella J, Green A, Uchida M, Biederman J, Gabrieli JDE, Valera EM, Whitfield-Gabrieli S. Prediction of stimulus-independent and task-unrelated thought from functional brain networks. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1793. [PMID: 33741956 PMCID: PMC7979817 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22027-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural substrates of “mind wandering” have been widely reported, yet experiments have varied in their contexts and their definitions of this psychological phenomenon, limiting generalizability. We aimed to develop and test the generalizability, specificity, and clinical relevance of a functional brain network-based marker for a well-defined feature of mind wandering—stimulus-independent, task-unrelated thought (SITUT). Combining functional MRI (fMRI) with online experience sampling in healthy adults, we defined a connectome-wide model of inter-regional coupling—dominated by default-frontoparietal control subnetwork interactions—that predicted trial-by-trial SITUT fluctuations within novel individuals. Model predictions generalized in an independent sample of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In three additional resting-state fMRI studies (total n = 1115), including healthy individuals and individuals with ADHD, we demonstrated further prediction of SITUT (at modest effect sizes) defined using multiple trait-level and in-scanner measures. Our findings suggest that SITUT is represented within a common pattern of brain network interactions across time scales and contexts. People spend much of their daily lives thinking about things that are unrelated to their immediate environment. Using fMRI, Kucyi et al. show that occurrence of these “stimulus-independent” thoughts can be predicted from a complex pattern of coordinated activity between distinct parts of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Kucyi
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Michael Esterman
- National Center for PTSD & Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James Capella
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Allison Green
- Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mai Uchida
- Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph Biederman
- Clinical and Research Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology and Adult ADHD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eve M Valera
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
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19
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Gonzalez-Castillo J, Kam JWY, Hoy CW, Bandettini PA. How to Interpret Resting-State fMRI: Ask Your Participants. J Neurosci 2021; 41:1130-1141. [PMID: 33568446 PMCID: PMC7888219 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1786-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) reveals brain dynamics in a task-unconstrained environment as subjects let their minds wander freely. Consequently, resting subjects navigate a rich space of cognitive and perceptual states (i.e., ongoing experience). How this ongoing experience shapes rsfMRI summary metrics (e.g., functional connectivity) is unknown, yet likely to contribute uniquely to within- and between-subject differences. Here we argue that understanding the role of ongoing experience in rsfMRI requires access to standardized, temporally resolved, scientifically validated first-person descriptions of those experiences. We suggest best practices for obtaining those descriptions via introspective methods appropriately adapted for use in fMRI research. We conclude with a set of guidelines for fusing these two data types to answer pressing questions about the etiology of rsfMRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Gonzalez-Castillo
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
| | - Julia W Y Kam
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1N4
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 4N1
| | - Colin W Hoy
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, 94720
| | - Peter A Bandettini
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
- FMRI Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
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20
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Karapanagiotidis T, Vidaurre D, Quinn AJ, Vatansever D, Poerio GL, Turnbull A, Ho NSP, Leech R, Bernhardt BC, Jefferies E, Margulies DS, Nichols TE, Woolrich MW, Smallwood J. The psychological correlates of distinct neural states occurring during wakeful rest. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21121. [PMID: 33273566 PMCID: PMC7712889 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77336-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
When unoccupied by an explicit external task, humans engage in a wide range of different types of self-generated thinking. These are often unrelated to the immediate environment and have unique psychological features. Although contemporary perspectives on ongoing thought recognise the heterogeneity of these self-generated states, we lack both a clear understanding of how to classify the specific states, and how they can be mapped empirically. In the current study, we capitalise on advances in machine learning that allow continuous neural data to be divided into a set of distinct temporally re-occurring patterns, or states. We applied this technique to a large set of resting state data in which we also acquired retrospective descriptions of the participants' experiences during the scan. We found that two of the identified states were predictive of patterns of thinking at rest. One state highlighted a pattern of neural activity commonly seen during demanding tasks, and the time individuals spent in this state was associated with descriptions of experience focused on problem solving in the future. A second state was associated with patterns of activity that are commonly seen under less demanding conditions, and the time spent in it was linked to reports of intrusive thoughts about the past. Finally, we found that these two neural states tended to fall at either end of a neural hierarchy that is thought to reflect the brain's response to cognitive demands. Together, these results demonstrate that approaches which take advantage of time-varying changes in neural function can play an important role in understanding the repertoire of self-generated states. Moreover, they establish that important features of self-generated ongoing experience are related to variation along a similar vein to those seen when the brain responds to cognitive task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diego Vidaurre
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andrew J Quinn
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Deniz Vatansever
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Giulia L Poerio
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Adam Turnbull
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Nerissa Siu Ping Ho
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Robert Leech
- Centre for Neuroimaging Science, Kings College, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Jefferies
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), National Center for Scientific Research, Paris, 75013, France
| | - Thomas E Nichols
- Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Mark W Woolrich
- Department of Psychiatry, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Jonathan Smallwood
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
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21
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Mckeown B, Strawson WH, Wang HT, Karapanagiotidis T, Vos de Wael R, Benkarim O, Turnbull A, Margulies D, Jefferies E, McCall C, Bernhardt B, Smallwood J. The relationship between individual variation in macroscale functional gradients and distinct aspects of ongoing thought. Neuroimage 2020; 220:117072. [PMID: 32585346 PMCID: PMC7573534 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Contemporary accounts of ongoing thought recognise it as a heterogeneous and multidimensional construct, varying in both form and content. An emerging body of evidence demonstrates that distinct types of experience are associated with unique neurocognitive profiles, that can be described at the whole-brain level as interactions between multiple large-scale networks. The current study sought to explore the possibility that whole-brain functional connectivity patterns at rest may be meaningfully related to patterns of ongoing thought that occurred over this period. Participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) followed by a questionnaire retrospectively assessing the content and form of their ongoing thoughts during the scan. A non-linear dimension reduction algorithm was applied to the rs-fMRI data to identify components explaining the greatest variance in whole-brain connectivity patterns. Using these data, we examined whether specific types of thought measured at the end of the scan were predictive of individual variation along the first three low-dimensional components of functional connectivity at rest. Multivariate analyses revealed that individuals for whom the connectivity of the sensorimotor system was maximally distinct from the visual system were most likely to report thoughts related to finding solutions to problems or goals and least likely to report thoughts related to the past. These results add to an emerging literature that suggests that unique patterns of experience are associated with distinct distributed neurocognitive profiles and highlight that unimodal systems may play an important role in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brontë Mckeown
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, United Kingdom.
| | - Will H Strawson
- Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
| | - Hao-Ting Wang
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Studies, University of Sussex, United Kingdom
| | | | - Reinder Vos de Wael
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Oualid Benkarim
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Adam Turnbull
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Margulies
- Frontlab, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, UPMC UMRS 1127, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR, 7225, Paris, France
| | - Elizabeth Jefferies
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, United Kingdom
| | - Cade McCall
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, United Kingdom
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jonathan Smallwood
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, United Kingdom
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Zanesco AP, Denkova E, Jha AP. Self-reported Mind Wandering and Response Time Variability Differentiate Prestimulus Electroencephalogram Microstate Dynamics during a Sustained Attention Task. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 33:28-45. [PMID: 33054554 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Brain activity continuously and spontaneously fluctuates during tasks of sustained attention. This spontaneous activity reflects the intrinsic dynamics of neurocognitive networks, which have been suggested to differentiate moments of externally directed task focus from episodes of mind wandering. However, the contribution of specific electrophysiological brain states and their millisecond dynamics to the experience of mind wandering is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between electroencephalogram microstate temporal dynamics and self-reported mind wandering. Thirty-six participants completed a sustained attention to response task in which they were asked to respond to frequently occurring upright faces (nontargets) and withhold responses to rare inverted faces (targets). Intermittently, experience sampling probes assessed whether participants were focused on the task or whether they were mind wandering (i.e., off-task). Broadband electroencephalography was recorded and segmented into a time series of brain electric microstates based on data-driven clustering of topographic voltage patterns. The strength, prevalence, and rate of occurrence of specific microstates differentiated on- versus off-task moments in the prestimulus epochs of trials preceding probes. Similar associations were also evident between microstates and variability in response times. Together, these findings demonstrate that distinct microstates and their millisecond dynamics are sensitive to the experience of mind wandering.
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