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Harkin B, Yates A. From Cognitive Function to Treatment Efficacy in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Insights from a Multidimensional Meta-Analytic Approach. J Clin Med 2024; 13:4629. [PMID: 39200772 PMCID: PMC11355017 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13164629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 09/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Meta-analysis is a statistical tool used to combine and synthesise the results of multiple independent studies on a particular topic. To this end, researchers isolate important moderators and mediators to investigate their influence on outcomes. This paper introduces a novel approach to meta-analysis, known as multidimensional meta-analysis (mi-MA), to study memory performance in those with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Unlike traditional meta-analyses, mi-MA allows researchers to extract multiple data points (e.g., using different measures) from single studies and groups of participants, facilitating the exploration of relationships between various moderators while avoiding multicollinearity issues. Therefore, in the first instance, we outline the use of the mi-MA approach to quantify the impact of complex models of memory performance in individuals with OCD. This approach provides novel insights into the complex relationship between various factors affecting memory in people with OCD. By showcasing the effectiveness of mi-MA in analysing intricate data and modelling complex phenomena, the paper establishes it as a valuable tool for researchers exploring multifaceted phenomena, both within OCD research and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Harkin
- Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, All Saints Building, Manchester M15 6BH, UK;
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2
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Ngetich R, Villalba-García C, Soborun Y, Vékony T, Czakó A, Demetrovics Z, Németh D. Learning and memory processes in behavioural addiction: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105747. [PMID: 38870547 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105747] [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: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Similar to addictive substances, addictive behaviours such as gambling and gaming are associated with maladaptive modulation of key brain areas and functional networks implicated in learning and memory. Therefore, this review sought to understand how different learning and memory processes relate to behavioural addictions and to unravel their underlying neural mechanisms. Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically searched four databases - PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science using the agreed-upon search string. Findings suggest altered executive function-dependent learning processes and enhanced habit learning in behavioural addiction. Whereas the relationship between working memory and behavioural addiction is influenced by addiction type, working memory aspect, and task nature. Additionally, long-term memory is incoherent in individuals with addictive behaviours. Consistently, neurophysiological evidence indicates alterations in brain areas and networks implicated in learning and memory processes in behavioural addictions. Overall, the present review argues that, like substance use disorders, alteration in learning and memory processes may underlie the development and maintenance of behavioural addictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Ngetich
- Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar
| | | | - Yanisha Soborun
- Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar
| | - Teodóra Vékony
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, INSERM, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Bron, France; Department of Education and Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Atlántico Medio, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Andrea Czakó
- Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar; Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Demetrovics
- Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar, Gibraltar; Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
| | - Dezső Németh
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, INSERM, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Bron, France; Department of Education and Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Atlántico Medio, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; BML-NAP Research Group, Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University & Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
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3
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Wang C, Hei Y, Liu Y, Bajpai AK, Li Y, Guan Y, Xu F, Yao C. Systems genetics identifies methionine as a high risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1381889. [PMID: 39081851 PMCID: PMC11286400 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1381889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
As a dietary strategy, methionine restriction has been reported to promote longevity and regulate metabolic disorders. However, the role and possible regulatory mechanisms underlying methionine in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), remain unexplored. This study utilized the data from BXD recombinant inbred (RI) mice to establish a correlation between the AD phenotype in mice and methionine level. Gene enrichment analysis indicated that the genes associated with the concentration of methionine in the midbrain are involved in the dopaminergic synaptic signaling pathway. Protein interaction network analysis revealed that glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) was a key regulator of the dopaminergic synaptic pathway and its expression level was significantly correlated with the AD phenotype. Finally, in vitro experiments demonstrated that methionine deprivation could reduce the expression of Aβ and phosphorylated Tau, suggesting that lowering methionine levels in humans may be a preventive or therapeutic strategy for AD. In conclusion, our findings support that methionine is a high risk factor for AD. These findings predict potential regulatory network, theoretically supporting methionine restriction to prevent AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congmin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Yu Hei
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Yu Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Technology Innovation Center of Molecular Targeting and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Akhilesh Kumar Bajpai
- Department of Genetics, Genomics and Informatics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Yuhe Li
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Yawen Guan
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Fuyi Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Technology Innovation Center of Molecular Targeting and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Cuifang Yao
- School of Pharmacy, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
- Shandong Technology Innovation Center of Molecular Targeting and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
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4
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Chai M, Holroyd CB, Brass M, Braem S. Dynamic changes in task preparation in a multi-task environment: The task transformation paradigm. Cognition 2024; 247:105784. [PMID: 38599142 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
A key element of human flexible behavior concerns the ability to continuously predict and prepare for sudden changes in tasks or actions. Here, we tested whether people can dynamically modulate task preparation processes and decision-making strategies when the identity of a to-be-performed task becomes uncertain. To this end, we developed a new paradigm where participants need to prepare for one of nine tasks on each trial. Crucially, in some blocks, the task being prepared could suddenly shift to a different task after a longer cue-target interval, by changing either the stimulus category or categorization rule that defined the initial task. We found that participants were able to dynamically modulate task preparation in the face of this task uncertainty. A second experiment shows that these changes in behavior were not simply a function of decreasing task expectancy, but rather of increasing switch expectancy. Finally, in the third and fourth experiment, we demonstrate that these dynamic modulations can be applied in a compositional manner, depending on whether either only the stimulus category or categorization rule would be expected to change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqiao Chai
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Clay B Holroyd
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Marcel Brass
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, Haus 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Senne Braem
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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5
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Herzog N, Hartmann H, Janssen LK, Waltmann M, Fallon SJ, Deserno L, Horstmann A. Working memory gating in obesity: Insights from a case-control fMRI study. Appetite 2024; 195:107179. [PMID: 38145879 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107179] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Computational models and neurophysiological data propose that a 'gating mechanism' coordinates distractor-resistant maintenance and flexible updating of working memory contents: While maintenance of information is mainly implemented in the prefrontal cortex, updating of information is signaled by phasic increases in dopamine in the striatum. Previous literature demonstrates structural and functional alterations in these brain areas, as well as differential dopamine transmission among individuals with obesity, suggesting potential impairments in these processes. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an observational case-control fMRI study, dividing participants into groups with and without obesity based on their BMI. We probed maintenance and updating of working memory contents using a modified delayed match to sample task and investigated the effects of SNPs related to the dopaminergic system. While the task elicited the anticipated brain responses, our findings revealed no evidence for group differences in these two processes, neither at the neural level nor behaviorally. However, depending on Taq1A genotype, which affects dopamine receptor density in the striatum, participants with obesity performed worse on the task. In conclusion, this study does not support the existence of overall obesity-related differences in working memory gating. Instead, we propose that potentially subtle alterations may manifest specifically in individuals with a 'vulnerable' genotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Herzog
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Hendrik Hartmann
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Collaborative Research Centre 1052, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lieneke K Janssen
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Maria Waltmann
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Sean J Fallon
- School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Lorenz Deserno
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Annette Horstmann
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Collaborative Research Centre 1052, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Master SL, Curtis CE, Dayan P. Wagers for work: Decomposing the costs of cognitive effort. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012060. [PMID: 38683857 PMCID: PMC11081491 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Some aspects of cognition are more taxing than others. Accordingly, many people will avoid cognitively demanding tasks in favor of simpler alternatives. Which components of these tasks are costly, and how much, remains unknown. Here, we use a novel task design in which subjects request wages for completing cognitive tasks and a computational modeling procedure that decomposes their wages into the costs driving them. Using working memory as a test case, our approach revealed that gating new information into memory and protecting against interference are costly. Critically, other factors, like memory load, appeared less costly. Other key factors which may drive effort costs, such as error avoidance, had minimal influence on wage requests. Our approach is sensitive to individual differences, and could be used in psychiatric populations to understand the true underlying nature of apparent cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L. Master
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Clayton E. Curtis
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Peter Dayan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Deutschland
- University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
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Sali AW, Bejjani C, Egner T. Learning Cognitive Flexibility: Neural Substrates of Adapting Switch-Readiness to Time-varying Demands. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:377-393. [PMID: 38010299 PMCID: PMC10902878 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
An individual's readiness to switch tasks (cognitive flexibility) varies over time, in part, as the result of reinforcement learning based on the statistical structure of the world around them. Consequently, the behavioral cost associated with task-switching is smaller in contexts where switching is frequent than where it is rare, but the underlying brain mechanisms of this adaptation in cognitive flexibility are not well understood. Here, we manipulated the likelihood of switches across blocks of trials in a classic cued task-switching paradigm while participants underwent fMRI. As anticipated, behavioral switch costs decreased as the probability of switching increased, and neural switch costs were observed in lateral and medial frontoparietal cortex. To study moment-by-moment adjustments in cognitive flexibility at the neural level, we first fitted the behavioral RT data with reinforcement learning algorithms and then used the resulting trial-wise prediction error estimate as a regressor in a model-based fMRI analysis. The results revealed that lateral frontal and parietal cortex activity scaled positively with unsigned switch prediction error and that there were no brain regions encoding signed (i.e., switch- or repeat-specific) prediction error. Taken together, this study documents that adjustments in cognitive flexibility to time-varying switch demands are mediated by frontoparietal cortex tracking the likelihood of forthcoming task switches.
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Plateau V, Baufreton J, Le Bon-Jégo M. Age-Dependent Modulation of Layer V Pyramidal Neuron Excitability in the Mouse Primary Motor Cortex by D1 Receptor Agonists and Antagonists. Neuroscience 2024; 536:21-35. [PMID: 37952579 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.11.006] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
The primary motor cortex (M1) receives dopaminergic (DAergic) projections from the midbrain which play a key role in modulating motor and cognitive processes, such as motor skill learning. However, little is known at the level of individual neurons about how dopamine (DA) and its receptors modulate the intrinsic properties of the different neuronal subpopulations in M1 and if this modulation depends on age. Using immunohistochemistry, we first mapped the cells expressing the DA D1 receptor across the different layers in M1, and quantified the number of pyramidal neurons (PNs) expressing the D1 receptor in the different layers, in young and adult mice. This work reveals that the spatial distribution and the molecular profile of D1 receptor-expressing neurons (D1+) across M1 layers do not change with age. Then, combining whole-cell patch-clamp recordings and pharmacology, we explored ex vivo in young and adult mice the impact of activation or blockade of D1 receptors on D1+ PN intrinsic properties. While the bath application of the D1 receptor agonist induced an increase in the excitability of layer V PNs both in young and adult, we identified a distinct modulation of intrinsic electrical properties of layer V D1+ PNs by D1 receptor antagonist depending on the age of the animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Plateau
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, 33076 Bordeaux, France; CNRS UMR 5293, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, 33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - Jérôme Baufreton
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, 33076 Bordeaux, France; CNRS UMR 5293, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, 33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - Morgane Le Bon-Jégo
- Université de Bordeaux, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, 33076 Bordeaux, France; CNRS UMR 5293, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, 33076 Bordeaux, France.
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Skrotzki C, Stone C, Kandasamy K, Yang L. Event Segmentation Enhances Older Adults' Reactive Cognitive Control Bias. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2024; 31:187-201. [PMID: 36242587 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2022.2134548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined the effect of event segmentation on cognitive control mode use in a sample of older adults (N = 30; Mage = 73, SDage = 4.75) using a modified AX-Continuous Performance Test (AX-CPT). This task included a perceptual event boundary between each cue and its forthcoming probe by means of a spatial shift across the left and right side of the display. Past research showed that young adults' existing proactive control bias could be enhanced in an event segmented AX-CPT relative to their performance on a standard AX-CPT. For older adults who adopt reactive control by default, the event boundary was expected to impede cue-reactivation during probe presentation, and thus further enhance their existing reactive control bias. To examine this, older adults were tested with a standard and an event segmented AX-CPT in two blocks, with error rates revealing a shift toward greater reactive control use in the event segmented relative to the standard AX-CPT. Findings supported our hypothesis that placing a spatial event boundary between each cue and forthcoming probe would further enhance older adults' reactive control bias. This study contributes to the sparse but growing literature on the effects of task-specific manipulations on cognitive control use. The results are discussed in light of the dual mechanisms of control framework and the event horizon model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Charles Stone
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Kesaan Kandasamy
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
| | - Lixia Yang
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
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10
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Dadario NB, Sughrue ME. The functional role of the precuneus. Brain 2023; 146:3598-3607. [PMID: 37254740 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advancements in computational approaches and neuroimaging techniques have refined our understanding of the precuneus. While previously believed to be largely a visual processing region, the importance of the precuneus in complex cognitive functions has been previously less familiar due to a lack of focal lesions in this deeply seated region, but also a poor understanding of its true underlying anatomy. Fortunately, recent studies have revealed significant information on the structural and functional connectivity of this region, and this data has provided a more detailed mechanistic understanding of the importance of the precuneus in healthy and pathologic states. Through improved resting-state functional MRI analyses, it has become clear that the function of the precuneus can be better understood based on its functional association with large scale brain networks. Dual default mode network systems have been well explained in recent years in supporting episodic memory and theory of mind; however, a novel 'para-cingulate' network, which is a subnetwork of the larger central executive network, with likely significant roles in self-referential processes and related psychiatric symptoms is introduced here and requires further clarification. Importantly, detailed anatomic studies on the precuneus structural connectivity inside and beyond the cingulate cortex has demonstrated the presence of large structural white matter connections, which provide an additional layer of meaning to the structural-functional significance of this region and its association with large scale brain networks. Together, the structural-functional connectivity of the precuneus has provided central elements which can model various neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas B Dadario
- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 07102, USA
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Malik H, Usman M, Arif M, Ahmed Z, Ali G, Rauf K, Sewell RDE. Diosgenin normalization of disrupted behavioral and central neurochemical activity after single prolonged stress. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1232088. [PMID: 37663254 PMCID: PMC10468593 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1232088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic mental illness triggered by traumatic experiences such as wars, natural disasters, or catastrophes, and it is characterized by anxiety, depression and cognitive impairment. Diosgenin is a steroidal sapogenin with known neuroprotective and antioxidant properties. This study aimed to assess the pharmacological potential of diosgenin in a single prolonged stress (SPS) model of PTSD, plus other behavioral models along with any consequent alterations in brain neurochemistry in male mice. Methodology: SPS was induced by restraining animals for 2 h, followed by 20 min of forced swim, recuperation for 15 min, and finally, exposure to ether to induce anesthesia. The SPS-exposed animals were treated with diosgenin (20, 40, and 60 mg/kg) and compared with the positive controls, fluoxetine or donepezil, then they were observed for any changes in anxiety/depression-like behaviors, and cognitive impairment. After behavioral screening, postmortem serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, vitamin C, adenosine and its metabolites inosine and hypoxanthine were quantified in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatum by high-performance liquid chromatography. Additionally, animal serum was screened for changes in corticosterone levels. Results: The results showed that diosgenin reversed anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, and ameliorated cognitive impairment in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, diosgenin restored monoamine and vitamin C levels dose-dependently and modulated adenosine and its metabolites in the brain regions. Diosgenin also reinstated otherwise increased serum corticosterone levels in SPS mice. Conclusion: The findings suggest that diosgenin may be a potential candidate for improving symptoms of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hurmat Malik
- Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Usman
- Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Mehreen Arif
- Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Zainab Ahmed
- Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Gowhar Ali
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Khalid Rauf
- Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad, Pakistan
| | - Robert D. E. Sewell
- Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Moss ME, Mayr U. What's so hard about hierarchical control? Pinpointing processing constraints within cue-based and serial-order control structures. Cogn Psychol 2023; 144:101582. [PMID: 37352807 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2023.101582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Most task spaces require a hierarchical structure, where decisions on one level are contingent on previous decisions made on one or more higher levels. While it is a truism that increasing the number of hierarchical levels makes it harder to solve a given task, the exact nature of this "number-of-levels" effect is not clear. On the one hand, processing costs might be strictly "local," incurred only when higher-level settings need to be updated, while otherwise lower-level decisions are insulated from the presence of higher-level settings (local updating costs with ballistic control). On the other hand, maintaining and integrating more complex hierarchical structures could require overall greater representational resources, negatively affecting each individual decision within the represented task space (global integration/maintenance costs). Further, navigation through hierarchical structures can be guided either through prompts in the environment (cue-based), or through sequential plans (serial-order based), with potentially distinct maintenance and updating demands. In two experiments, we assessed performance as a function of hierarchical level and format (serial-order vs. cue-based). Model comparisons showed that the pattern of costs in the serial-order format was consistent with a global maintenance/integration account. In contrast, in the cue-based format, costs arose at updating points and when one additional relevant level beyond the current decision was relevant, while additional levels produced no further costs. This overall constellation of costs can be explained by assuming that each decision requires checking the immediately relevant higher-level context for that decision. For cue-based control, this context involves the "next-level-up" rule, whereas in the serial-order format, each trial requires updating of the current position within the sequence, which in turn requires integration across all relevant hierarchical levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ulrich Mayr
- University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States.
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Ekmark-Lewén S, Aniszewska A, Molisak A, Gumucio A, Lindström V, Kahle P, Nordström E, Möller C, Fälting J, Lannfelt L, Bergström J, Ingelsson M. Reduction of brain stem pathology and transient amelioration of early cognitive symptoms in transgenic mice treated with a monoclonal antibody against α-synuclein oligomers/protofibrils. AGING BRAIN 2023; 4:100086. [PMID: 37559953 PMCID: PMC10407822 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbas.2023.100086] [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: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy against alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is a promising novel treatment strategy for Parkinson's disease (PD) and related α-synucleinopathies. We have previously shown that systemic treatment with the monoclonal oligomer/protofibril-selective antibody mAb47 targeting cytotoxic α-syn leads to reduced central nervous system levels of such species as well as an indication of reduced late-stage symptoms in aged (Thy-1)-h[A30P] α-syn transgenic mice. Here, we performed an early-onset long-term treatment study with this antibody to evaluate effects on brain pathology and behavioral outcomes in the same mouse model. Compared to the placebo group, the treatment strongly reduced phosphorylated α-syn (pS129 α-syn) pathology in the upper brain stem. Moreover, a preserved recognition memory and risk assessment behavior could be seen in antibody-treated mice at six months of age, even although these effects were no longer significant at eleven months of age. Importantly, no evidence of inflammatory responses or other potential toxic effects was seen with the treatment. Taken together, this study supports the strategy to target α-syn oligomers/protofibrils with monoclonal antibodies to counteract early symptoms and slow down the progression of PD and other α-synucleinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Ekmark-Lewén
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Molecular Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - A. Aniszewska
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Molecular Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - A. Molisak
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Molecular Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - A. Gumucio
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Molecular Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - V. Lindström
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Molecular Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - P.J. Kahle
- Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - L. Lannfelt
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Molecular Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- BioArctic AB, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J. Bergström
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Molecular Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - M. Ingelsson
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Molecular Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Departments of Medicine and Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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14
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Fallon SJ, Plant O, Tabi YA, Manohar SG, Husain M. Effects of cholinesterase inhibition on attention and working memory in Lewy body dementias. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad207. [PMID: 37545547 PMCID: PMC10404008 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cholinesterase inhibitors are frequently used to treat cognitive symptoms in Lewy body dementias (Parkinson's disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies). However, the selectivity of their effects remains unclear. In a novel rivastigmine withdrawal design, Parkinson's disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies patients were tested twice: once when taking rivastigmine as usual and once when they had missed one dose. In each session, they performed a suite of tasks (sustained attention, simple short-term recall, distractor resistance and manipulating the focus of attention) that allowed us to investigate the cognitive mechanisms through which rivastigmine affects attentional control. Consistent with previous literature, rivastigmine withdrawal significantly impaired attentional efficacy (quicker response latencies without a change in accuracy). However, it had no effects on cognitive control as assessed by the ability to withhold a response (inhibitory control). Worse short-term memory performance was also observed when patients were OFF rivastigmine, but these effects were delay and load independent, likely due to impaired visual attention. In contrast to previous studies that have examined the effects of dopamine withdrawal, cognitively complex tasks requiring control over the contents of working memory (ignoring, updating or shifting the focus of attention) were not significantly impaired by rivastigmine withdrawal. Cumulatively, these data support that the conclusion that cholinesterase inhibition has relatively specific and circumscribed-rather than global-effects on attention that may also affect performance on simple short-term memory tasks, but not when cognitive control over working memory is required. The results also indicate that the withdrawal of a single dose of rivastigmine is sufficient to reveal these impairments, demonstrating that cholinergic withdrawal can be an informative clinical as well as an investigative tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean James Fallon
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Olivia Plant
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Younes A Tabi
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Sanjay G Manohar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Masud Husain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
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15
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Lepreux G, Shinn GE, Wei G, Suko A, Concepcion G, Sirohi S, Soon Go B, Bruchas MR, Walker BM. Recapitulating phenotypes of alcohol dependence via overexpression of Oprk1 in the ventral tegmental area of non-dependent TH::Cre rats. Neuropharmacology 2023; 228:109457. [PMID: 36764577 PMCID: PMC10034863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
The dynorphin (DYN)/kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) system is involved in dysphoria and negative emotional states. Dysregulation of KOR function promotes maladaptive behavioral regulation during withdrawal associated with alcohol dependence. Mesolimbic dopaminergic (DA) projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) innervate the extended amygdala circuitry and presynaptic KORs attenuate DA in these regions leading to an excessive alcohol consumption and negative affective-like behavior, whereas mesocortical KOR-regulated DA projections have been implicated in executive function and decision-making. Thus, the neuroadaptations occurring in DYN/KOR systems are important aspects to consider for the development of personalized therapeutic solutions. Herein, we study the contribution of the VTA DA neuron Oprk1 (KOR gene) in excessive alcohol consumption, negative emotional state, and executive function. To do so, Oprk1 mRNA expression and KOR function were characterized to confirm alcohol dependence-induced dysregulation in the VTA. Then, a transgenic Cre-Lox rat model (male and female TH::Cre rats) was used to allow for conditional and inducible overexpression of Oprk1 in VTA DA neurons. The effect of this overexpression was evaluated on operant alcohol self-administration, negative emotional states, and executive function. We found that VTA Oprk1 overexpression recapitulates some phenotypes of alcohol dependence including escalated alcohol self-administration and depressive-like behavior. However, working memory performance was not impacted following VTA Oprk1 overexpression in TH::Cre rats. This supports the hypothesis that dysregulated KOR signaling within the mesolimbic DA system is an important contributor to symptoms of alcohol dependence and shows that understanding Oprk1-mediated contributions to alcohol use disorder (AUD) should be an important future goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetan Lepreux
- Laboratory of Alcoholism and Addictions Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Grace E Shinn
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Gengze Wei
- Laboratory of Alcoholism and Addictions Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Azra Suko
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - George Concepcion
- Laboratory of Alcoholism and Addictions Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Sunil Sirohi
- Division of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Bok Soon Go
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea
| | - Michael R Bruchas
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Seattle, WA, USA; Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain and Emotion, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Brendan M Walker
- Laboratory of Alcoholism and Addictions Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Tampa, FL, USA; Department of Molecular Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA; USF Health Neuroscience Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
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16
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Sayalı C, Barrett FS. The costs and benefits of psychedelics on cognition and mood. Neuron 2023; 111:614-630. [PMID: 36681076 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.12.031] [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: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Anecdotal evidence has indicated that psychedelic substances may acutely enhance creative task performance, although empirical support for this claim is mixed at best. Clinical research has shown that psychedelics might have enduring effects on mood and well-being. However, there is no neurocognitive framework that ties acute changes in cognition to long-term effects in mood. In this review, we operationalize creativity within an emerging cognitive control framework and assess the current empirical evidence of the effects of psychedelics on creativity. Next, we leverage insights about the mechanisms and computations by which other psychoactive drugs act to enhance versus impair cognition, in particular to those that act on catecholamines, the neurophysiological consequences of which are relatively well understood. Finally, we use the same framework to link the suggested psychedelic-induced improvements in creativity with enduring psychedelic-induced improvements in mood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ceyda Sayalı
- Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
| | - Frederick S Barrett
- Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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17
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Schwarze SA, Laube C, Khosravani N, Lindenberger U, Bunge SA, Fandakova Y. Does prefrontal connectivity during task switching help or hinder children's performance? Dev Cogn Neurosci 2023; 60:101217. [PMID: 36807013 PMCID: PMC9969289 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to flexibly switch between tasks is key for goal-directed behavior and continues to improve across childhood. Children's task switching difficulties are thought to reflect less efficient engagement of sustained and transient control processes, resulting in lower performance on blocks that intermix tasks (sustained demand) and trials that require a task switch (transient demand). Sustained and transient control processes are associated with frontoparietal regions, which develop throughout childhood and may contribute to task switching development. We examined age differences in the modulation of frontoparietal regions by sustained and transient control demands in children (8-11 years) and adults. Children showed greater performance costs than adults, especially under sustained demand, along with less upregulation of sustained and transient control activation in frontoparietal regions. Compared to adults, children showed increased connectivity between the inferior frontal junction (IFJ) and lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) from single to mixed blocks. For children whose sustained activation was less adult-like, increased IFJ-lPFC connectivity was associated with better performance. Children with more adult-like sustained activation showed the inverse effect. These results suggest that individual differences in task switching in later childhood at least partly depend on the recruitment of frontoparietal regions in an adult-like manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina A. Schwarze
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany,Correspondence to: Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Corinna Laube
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany,Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Jägerstraße 32, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Neda Khosravani
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, 10-12 Russell Square, WC1B 5EH London, UK
| | - Silvia A. Bunge
- Department of Psychology and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA
| | - Yana Fandakova
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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18
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Ye X, Peng L, Sun N, He L, Yang X, Zhou Y, Xiong J, Shen Y, Sun R, Liang F. Hotspots and trends in fNIRS disease research: A bibliometric analysis. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1097002. [PMID: 36937686 PMCID: PMC10017540 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1097002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To summarize the general information and hotspots of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based clinical disease research over the past 10 years and provide some references for future research. Methods The related literature published between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2022 was retrieved from the Web of Science core database (WoS). Bibliometric visualization analysis of countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, keywords and references were conducted by using CiteSpace 6.1.R3. Results A total of 467 articles were included, and the annual number of articles published over nearly a decade showed an upward trend year-by-year. These articles mainly come from 39 countries/regions and 280 institutions. The representative country and institution were the USA and the University of Tubingen. We identified 266 authors, among which Andreas J Fallgatter and Ann-Christine Ehlis were the influential authors. Neuroimage was the most co-cited journal. The major topics in fNIRS disease research included activation, prefrontal cortex, working memory, cortex, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In recent years, the Frontier topics were executive function, functional connectivity, performance, diagnosis, Alzheimer's disease, children, and adolescents. Based on the burst of co-cited references, gait research has received much attention. Conclusion This study conducted a comprehensive, objective, and visual analysis of publications, and revealed the status of relevant studies, hot topics, and trends concerning fNIRS disease research from 2011 to 2022. It is hoped that this work would help researchers to identify new perspectives on potential collaborators, important topics, and research Frontiers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyin Ye
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Peng
- Department of Ultrasound, The First People’s Hospital of Longquanyi District, Chengdu, China
| | - Ning Sun
- Rehabilitation Medicine Center and Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lian He
- Department of Ultrasound, The First People’s Hospital of Longquanyi District, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiuqiong Yang
- Department of Ultrasound, The First People’s Hospital of Longquanyi District, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuanfang Zhou
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Jian Xiong
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuquan Shen
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First People’s Hospital of Longquanyi District, Chengdu, China
| | - Ruirui Sun
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Ruirui Sun,
| | - Fanrong Liang
- Acupuncture and Tuina School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Fanrong Liang,
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Updating, Fast and Slow: Items, but Not Item-Context Bindings, are Quickly Updated Into Working Memory as Part of Response Selection. J Cogn 2023; 6:11. [PMID: 36721798 PMCID: PMC9854283 DOI: 10.5334/joc.257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
It is commonly held that attending to items facilitates their encoding into working memory (WM). This implies that the content of WM is updated with new input as a consequence of directing attention to it. On the other hand, abundant research shows that WM updating is rather slow and effortful, suggesting that shielding WM representation against incoming input, rather than its updating, is the default. To resolve this discrepancy, we suggest that while updating item-to-context associations is costly, updating a single item is fast and is automatically carried out as part of directing attention to items, for example as part of response selection. Participants performed a choice-RT task, in which stimuli appeared within frames, and needed to update their WM with the most recent red item that appeared in each frame. The need for updating was manipulated, so that some trials required updating and others did not. Experiment 1 (N = 25) showed that updating was slower than not updating with a set-size of two items, that required item-context binding, but faster when the set-size only involved one item. Experiment 2 (N = 28) replicated this finding. Experiment 3 (N = 20) showed that the slower no-update RTs are due to the removal of erroneously updated information. In contrast to previous findings, these results suggest that updating can be effortless and obligatory.
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20
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The brain responses to the gating opening mechanism on perceptual and conceptual mismatches in the 1-back matching task. Neuroreport 2022; 33:771-776. [PMID: 36250431 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Although working memory performance is predicted by the gating mechanism, which is part of attentional control, the attentional control effect on domain-specific matching processes in the 1-back task, is lack of neural evidence. METHOD This study adopted event-related potential (ERP) technique, and employed both perceptual and conceptual matching conditions in a digital 1-back task, requiring to judge whether the current number was perceptually or quantitatively identical to the prior one. Three types of number pairs were adopted: shape/value match (S + V +, e.g., '3 3' or ' '), shape mismatch/value match (S - V + , e.g., '3 ' or ' 5') and shape/value mismatch (S - V - , e.g., '3 5' or ' '). MAIN RESULTS The ERP results showed that both S - V + and S - V - elicited similar larger P2 amplitudes and longer N2 and P3 latencies than S + V + in both conditions, reflecting the gate opening for perceptual input. Moreover, a task-relevance effect on P3 amplitudes was observed, with a deflection for S - V - in the conceptual matching condition and for S - V + and S - V - in the perceptual matching condition, suggesting that the gating opening mechanism enabled the retrieval of relevant information. CONCLUSION Hence, the matching effect on P3 supported the gating opening mechanism on the matching subprocess underlying the N-back task.
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21
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Edemann-Callesen H, Glienke M, Akinola EO, Lieser MK, Habelt B, Hadar R, Bernhardt N, Winter C. Former Training Relieves the Later Development of Behavioral Inflexibility in an Animal Model Overexpressing the Dopamine Transporter. Mol Neurobiol 2022; 59:7182-7193. [PMID: 36125729 PMCID: PMC9616742 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-03029-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A range of dopamine-dominating neuropsychiatric disorders present with cognitive deficits. In accordance, the dopamine transporter overexpressing rat model (DAT-tg rat) displays cognitive deficits by means of behavioral inflexibility and learning disabilities. It remains to be investigated when cognitive deficits emerge, due to the inherent DA irregularities, during the life course of the DAT-tg rat and what may relieve symptoms. The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess cognitive abilities in three cohorts of DAT-tg rats. In the first cohort, the development of cognitive deficits was assessed by repeatedly testing animals in the MWM at postnatal day (PND) 35, 60, and 90. In the second and third cohort, pharmacological interventions and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) were tested in adult animals to understand what drives, and thus relieves, the deficits. Minor differences were observed between DAT-tg rats and control rats at PND 35 and 60, whereas cognitive deficits fully emerged at PND 90. A high dosage of methylphenidate diminished both behavioral inflexibility and improved learning abilities in adult rats. Interestingly, rats subjected early in life to the MWM also displayed improved behavioral flexibility as compared to rats naïve to the paradigm. Cognitive deficits gradually develop over time and fully emerge in adulthood. Pharmacological modulation of the ubiquitous DAT overexpression overall improves deficits in adult rats, whereas early training decreases later development of behavioral inflexibility. Thus, former training may constitute a preventive avenue that alters some aspects of cognitive deficits resulting from inherent DA abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette Edemann-Callesen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maximilian Glienke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Esther Olubukola Akinola
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maike Kristin Lieser
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Bettina Habelt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ravit Hadar
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nadine Bernhardt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Christine Winter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
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22
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Mayeli A, Wilson JD, Donati FL, LaGoy AD, Ferrarelli F. Sleep spindle alterations relate to working memory deficits in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis. Sleep 2022; 45:zsac193. [PMID: 35981865 PMCID: PMC9644126 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsac193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep spindles are waxing and waning EEG waves exemplifying the main fast oscillatory activity occurring during NREM sleep. Several recent studies have established that sleep spindle abnormalities are present in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, including in early-course and first-episode patients, and those spindle deficits are associated with some of the cognitive impairments commonly observed in these patients. Cognitive deficits are often observed before the onset of psychosis and seem to predict poor functional outcomes in individuals at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR). Yet, the presence of spindle abnormalities and their relationship with cognitive dysfunction has not been investigated in CHR. METHODS In this study, overnight high-density (hd)-EEG recordings were collected in 24 CHR and 24 healthy control (HC) subjects. Spindle density, duration, amplitude, and frequency were computed and compared between CHR and HC. Furthermore, WM was assessed for both HC and CHR, and its relationship with spindle parameters was examined. RESULTS CHR had reduced spindle duration in centro-parietal and prefrontal regions, with the largest decrease in the right prefrontal area. Moderation analysis showed that the relation between spindle duration and spindle frequency was altered in CHR relative to HC. Furthermore, CHR had reduced WM performance compared to HC, which was predicted by spindle frequency, whereas in HC spindle frequency, duration, and density all predicted working memory performance. CONCLUSION Altogether, these findings indicate that sleep spindles are altered in CHR individuals, and spindle alterations are associated with their cognitive deficits, thus representing a sleep-specific putative neurophysiological biomarker of cognitive dysfunction in psychosis risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Mayeli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - James D Wilson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Alice D LaGoy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Fabio Ferrarelli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Task cues are quickly updated into working memory as part of their processing: The multiple-cue task-switching paradigm. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 30:643-651. [PMID: 36138283 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02186-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Goal-directed behavior requires maintaining the relevant goal in working memory (WM) and using it to guide behavior. The contents of WM should be regulated, so only relevant goals, but not irrelevant ones, are maintained. Computational models suggest that a gate, which is closed by default, separates WM from perceptual input. Transient opening of the gate enables WM updating. Indeed, previous studies show that updating WM with relevant information is controlled, effortful, and slow. In contrast to the above, here we show that WM updating with goal information is faster and more accurate than not updating. A multiple-cue task-switching paradigm is introduced. Participants were presented with a sequence of task cues, followed by a single probe. They needed to respond to each cue using its corresponding key. The cues were presented in red or blue. When the probe appeared, participants had to judge it using the task cued by the most recent red (but not blue) cue. Accordingly, they had to update their WM when the cue appeared in red, but not when it was blue (the color mapping was counterbalanced in Experiment 2). In two experiments, we show that performance in update trials was faster and more accurate than in no-update trials, suggesting that updating, rather than not-updating, is the default mode of operation.
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24
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Similarities and differences in working memory and neurometabolism of obsessive-compulsive disorder and major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord 2022; 311:556-564. [PMID: 35588910 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) both showed cognitive impairment, and the altered neurometabolic may associate with cognitive impairment. However, there are limited comparative working memory (WM) and neuroimaging studies on these two disorders. Therefore, we investigated the characteristics of WM and neurometabolic changes in patients with OCD and MDD. METHODS A total of 64 unmedicated patients (32 OCD and 32 MDD), and 33 healthy controls (HC) were included to conduct WM assessment comprising Digit Span Test (DST), 2-back task and Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT). Additionally, all subjects underwent protons magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to collect neurometabolic ratios of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and choline-containing compounds (Cho) to creatine (Cr) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and lentiform nucleus (LN). Finally, differential and correlation analysis were conducted to investigate their characteristics and relationships. RESULTS Compared with HC, both OCD and MDD patients exhibited a lower accuracy rate in the 2-back task, and only MDD patients performed worse in DST scores and longer reaction times in SCWT (all p < 0.05). Both OCD and MDD patients had lower NAA/Cr ratios in bilateral PFC (all p < 0.05). And the decreased NAA/Cr ratios in right PFC were positively correlated to DST scores in MDD group (r = 0.518, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS Both OCD and MDD showed WM impairment and neurometabolic alterations in PFC. Besides, MDD performed more severe and broader WM impairment compared to OCD. Moreover, the dysfunction of PFC may underlie the neural basis of WM impairment in MDD.
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Bègue I, Brakowski J, Seifritz E, Dagher A, Tobler PN, Kirschner M, Kaiser S. Cerebellar and cortico-striatal-midbrain contributions to reward-cognition processes and apathy within the psychosis continuum. Schizophr Res 2022; 246:85-94. [PMID: 35728420 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Negative symptoms in the psychosis continuum are linked to impairments in reward processing and cognitive function. Processes at the interface of reward processing and cognition and their relation to negative symptoms remain little studied, despite evidence suggestive of integration in mechanisms and neural circuitry. Here, we investigated brain activation during reward-dependent modulation of working memory (WM) and their relationship to negative symptoms in subclinical and early stages of the psychosis continuum. We included 27 persons with high schizotypal personality traits and 23 patients with first episode psychosis as well as 27 healthy controls. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an established 2-back WM task with two reward levels (5 CHF vs. no reward), which allowed us to assess common reward-cognition regions through whole-brain conjunction analyses and to investigate relations with clinical scores of negative symptoms. As expected for behavior, reward facilitated performance while cognitive load diminished it. At the neural level, the conjunction of high reward and high cognitive load contrasts across the psychosis continuum showed increased hemodynamic activity in the thalamus and the cerebellar vermis. During high cognitive load, more severe apathy but not diminished expression in the psychosis continuum was associated with reduced activity in right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, midbrain, posterior vermal cerebellum, caudate and lateral parietal cortex. Our results suggest that hypoactivity in the cerebellar vermis and the cortical-striatal-midbrain-circuitry in the psychosis continuum relates to apathy possibly via impaired flexible cognitive resource allocation for effective goal pursuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indrit Bègue
- Division of Adult Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
| | - Janis Brakowski
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alain Dagher
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Philippe N Tobler
- Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Kirschner
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Kaiser
- Division of Adult Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland
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Ekimova IV, Kurmazov NS, Pazi MB, Chernyshev MV, Polonik SG, Pastukhov YF. Effects of the Chaperone Inducer U133 on Sleep–Wake Cycle Temporal Characteristics and Spatial Memory. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s002209302204024x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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27
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Lin C, Zhuo S, Peng W. Ongoing pain facilitates emotional decision-making behaviors. BRAIN SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022. [DOI: 10.26599/bsa.2022.9050005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Emotion toward anticipated and actual outcomes acts as a vital signal on emotional decision-making, and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) can mimic this decision-making process. Pain can impair emotional decision-making behaviors because it captures attention and distracts from the task at hand. Alternatively, pain may facilitate emotional decision-making behaviors by prompting alertness and mobilizing cognitive resources to maximize rewards. The present study investigated the influence of ongoing pain on emotional decision-making behaviors using the IGT. Our study recruited two groups of participants and applied capsaicin (pain group) or control cream (control group) to their forearms. We then compared performances and selections between the pain and control groups. The results revealed that participants successfully learned the required adaptive selection strategy as the task progressed. The study observed a tendency toward optimal choices for both groups under the condition of frequent–small losses. However, we observed a disadvantageous preference for the control group, but not the pain group, when faced with choices with infrequent but large losses. The study implies that a distressing pain experience motivates individuals to adjust goal-directed behaviors to maximize their rewards in a task. Thus, the finding suggests that ongoing pain facilitates emotional decision-making behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chennan Lin
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Shiwei Zhuo
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
| | - Weiwei Peng
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, Guangdong, China
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28
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Tarantino V, Visalli A, Facchini S, Rossato C, Bertoldo A, Silvestri E, Cecchin D, Capizzi M, Anglani M, Baro V, Denaro L, Della Puppa A, D'Avella D, Corbetta M, Vallesi A. Impaired cognitive control in patients with brain tumors. Neuropsychologia 2022; 169:108187. [PMID: 35218790 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108187] [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: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Though the assessment of cognitive functions is proven to be a reliable prognostic indicator in patients with brain tumors, some of these functions, such as cognitive control, are still rarely investigated. The objective of this study was to examine proactive and reactive control functions in patients with focal brain tumors and to identify lesioned brain areas more at "risk" for developing impairment of these functions. To this end, a group of twenty-two patients, candidate to surgery, were tested with an AX-CPT task and a Stroop task, along with a clinical neuropsychological assessment, and their performance was compared to that of a well-matched healthy control group. Although overall accuracy and response times were similar for patients and control groups, the patient group failed more on the BX trials of the AX-CPT task and the incongruent trials of the Stroop task, specifically. Behavioral results were associated with the damaged brain areas, mostly distributed in right frontal regions, by means of a lesion-symptom mapping multivariate approach. This analysis showed that a white matter cluster in the right prefrontal area was associated with lower d'-context values on the AX-CPT, which reflect the fact that these patients rely more on later information (reactive processes) to respond to unexpected and conflicting stimuli, than on earlier contextual cues (proactive processes). Taken together, these results suggest that patients with brain tumors present an unbalance between proactive and reactive control strategies in more interfering conditions, in association with right prefrontal white matter lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza Tarantino
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Antonino Visalli
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Silvia Facchini
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Rossato
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandra Bertoldo
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Erica Silvestri
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Diego Cecchin
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | | | - Valentina Baro
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luca Denaro
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Della Puppa
- Neurosurgery, Department of NEUROFARBA, University Hospital of Careggi, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Domenico D'Avella
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Maurizio Corbetta
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) Padova, Italy
| | - Antonino Vallesi
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Aging and goal-directed cognition: Cognitive control, inhibition, and motivated cognition. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2022.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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30
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Xu J, Guan X, Wen J, Wang T, Zhang M, Xu X. Substantia nigra iron affects functional connectivity networks modifying working memory performance in younger adults. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:7959-7973. [PMID: 34779047 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Brain iron affects working memory (WM) but the impact of iron content in deep grey matter nuclei on WM networks is unknown. We aimed to test whether deep grey matter nuclei iron concentration can affect resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) within brain networks modifying WM performance. An N-back WM paradigm was applied in a hundred healthy younger adults. The participants then underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for brain network analysis and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) imaging for assessment of deep grey matter nuclei iron concentration. Higher substantia nigra (SN) iron concentration was associated with lower rsFC between SN and brain regions of the temporal/frontal lobe but with better WM performance after controlling for age, gender and education. A follow-up mediation analysis also indicated that functional connectivity may mediate the link between SN iron and WM performance. Our results suggest that high SN iron concentration may affect communication between the SN and temporal/frontal lobe and is associated with strengthened WM performance in younger adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Xu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Guan
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiaqi Wen
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Minming Zhang
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Xu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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Furman DJ, Zhang Z, Chatham CH, Good M, Badre D, Hsu M, Kayser AS. Augmenting Frontal Dopamine Tone Enhances Maintenance over Gating Processes in Working Memory. J Cogn Neurosci 2021; 33:1753-1765. [PMID: 33054556 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The contents of working memory must be maintained in the face of distraction, but updated when appropriate. To manage these competing demands of stability and flexibility, maintained representations in working memory are complemented by distinct gating mechanisms that selectively transmit information into and out of memory stores. The operations of such dopamine-dependent gating systems in the midbrain and striatum and their complementary dopamine-dependent memory maintenance operations in the cortex may therefore be dissociable. If true, selective increases in cortical dopamine tone should preferentially enhance maintenance over gating mechanisms. To test this hypothesis, tolcapone, a catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor that preferentially increases cortical dopamine tone, was administered in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject fashion to 49 participants who completed a hierarchical working memory task that varied maintenance and gating demands. Tolcapone improved performance in a condition with higher maintenance requirements and reduced gating demands, reflected in a reduction in the slope of RTs across the distribution. Resting-state fMRI data demonstrated that the degree to which tolcapone improved performance in individual participants correlated with increased connectivity between a region important for stimulus response mappings (left dorsal premotor cortex) and cortical areas implicated in visual working memory, including the intraparietal sulcus and fusiform gyrus. Together, these results provide evidence that augmenting cortical dopamine tone preferentially improves working memory maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniella J Furman
- University of California, San Francisco.,University of California, Berkeley
| | | | | | | | | | - Ming Hsu
- University of California, Berkeley
| | - Andrew S Kayser
- University of California, San Francisco.,University of California, Berkeley.,VA Northern California Health Care System
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32
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Neurocognitive subprocesses of working memory performance. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:1130-1152. [PMID: 34155599 PMCID: PMC8563426 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00924-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) has been defined as the active maintenance and flexible updating of goal-relevant information in a form that has limited capacity and resists interference. Complex measures of WM recruit multiple subprocesses, making it difficult to isolate specific contributions of putatively independent subsystems. The present study was designed to determine whether neurophysiological indicators of proposed subprocesses of WM predict WM performance. We recruited 200 individuals defined by care-seeking status and measured neural responses using electroencephalography (EEG), while participants performed four WM tasks. We extracted spectral and time-domain EEG features from each task to quantify each of the hypothesized WM subprocesses: maintenance (storage of content), goal maintenance, and updating. We then used EEG measures of each subprocess as predictors of task performance to evaluate their contribution to WM. Significant predictors of WM capacity included contralateral delay activity and frontal theta, features typically associated with maintenance (storage of content) processes. In contrast, significant predictors of reaction time and its variability included contingent negative variation and the P3b, features typically associated with goal maintenance and updating. Broadly, these results suggest two principal dimensions that contribute to WM performance, tonic processes during maintenance contributing to capacity, and phasic processes during stimulus processing that contribute to response speed and variability. The analyses additionally highlight that reliability of features across tasks was greater (and comparable to that of WM performance) for features associated with stimulus processing (P3b and alpha), than with maintenance (gamma, theta and cross-frequency coupling).
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33
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Blest-Hopley G, O'Neill A, Wilson R, Giampietro V, Bhattacharyya S. Disrupted parahippocampal and midbrain function underlie slower verbal learning in adolescent-onset regular cannabis use. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:1315-1331. [PMID: 31814047 PMCID: PMC8062355 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05407-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Prolonged use of cannabis, the most widely used illicit drug worldwide, has been consistently associated with impairment in memory and verbal learning. Although the neurophysiological underpinnings of these impairments have been investigated previously using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), while performing memory tasks, the results of these studies have been inconsistent and no clear picture has emerged yet. Furthermore, no previous studies have investigated trial-by-trial learning. OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate the neural underpinnings of impaired verbal learning in cannabis users as estimated over repeated learning trials. METHODS We studied 21 adolescent-onset regular cannabis users and 21 non-users using fMRI performed at least 12 h after last cannabis use, while they performed a paired associate verbal learning task that allowed us to examine trial-by-trial learning. Brain activation during repeated verbal encoding and recall conditions of the task was indexed using the blood oxygen level-dependent haemodynamic response fMRI signal. RESULTS There was a significant improvement in recall score over repeated trials indicating learning occurring across the two groups of participants. However, learning was significantly slower in cannabis users compared to non-users (p = 0.032, partial eta-squared = 0.108). While learning verbal stimuli over repeated encoding blocks, non-users displayed progressive increase in recruitment of the midbrain, parahippocampal gyrus and thalamus (p = 0.00939, partial eta-squared = 0.180). In contrast, cannabis users displayed a greater but disrupted activation pattern in these regions, which showed a stronger correlation with new word-pairs learnt over the same blocks in cannabis users than in non-users. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that disrupted medial temporal and midbrain function underlie slower learning in adolescent-onset cannabis users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Blest-Hopley
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Aisling O'Neill
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Robin Wilson
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Vincent Giampietro
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sagnik Bhattacharyya
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, Camberwell, London, UK.
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34
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Huang S, Zhang Z, Gambeta E, Xu SC, Thomas C, Godfrey N, Chen L, M'Dahoma S, Borgland SL, Zamponi GW. Dopamine Inputs from the Ventral Tegmental Area into the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Modulate Neuropathic Pain-Associated Behaviors in Mice. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107812. [PMID: 32579938 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a brain region involved in the affective components of pain and undergoes plasticity during the development of chronic pain. Dopamine (DA) is a key neuromodulator in the mesocortical circuit and modulates working memory and aversion. Although DA inputs into the mPFC are known to modulate plasticity, whether and how these inputs affect pain remains incompletely understood. By using optogenetics, we find that phasic activation of DA inputs from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) into the mPFC reduce mechanical hypersensitivity during neuropathic pain states. Mice with neuropathic pain exhibit a preference for contexts paired with photostimulation of DA terminals in the mPFC. Fiber photometry-based calcium imaging reveals that DA increases the activity of mPFC neurons projecting to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG). Together, our findings indicate an important role of mPFC DA signaling in pain modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Huang
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Zizhen Zhang
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Eder Gambeta
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Shi Chen Xu
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Catherine Thomas
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Nathan Godfrey
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Lina Chen
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Said M'Dahoma
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Stephanie L Borgland
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Gerald W Zamponi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.
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35
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Haque ZZ, Samandra R, Mansouri FA. Neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory: insights from brain stimulation studies. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:2038-2053. [PMID: 33881914 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00041.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The concept of working memory refers to a collection of cognitive abilities and processes involved in the short-term storage of task-relevant information to guide the ongoing and upcoming behavior and therefore describes an important aspect of executive control of behavior for achieving goals. Deficits in working memory and related cognitive abilities have been observed in patients with brain damage or neuropsychological disorders and therefore it is important to better understand neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory. Working memory relies on neural mechanisms that enable encoding, maintenance, and manipulation of stored information as well as integrating them with ongoing and future goals. Recently, a surge in brain stimulation studies have led to development of various noninvasive techniques for localized stimulation of prefrontal and other cortical regions in humans. These brain stimulation techniques can potentially be tailored to influence neural activities in particular brain regions and modulate cognitive functions and behavior. Combined use of brain stimulation with neuroimaging and electrophysiological recording have provided a great opportunity to monitor neural activity in various brain regions and noninvasively intervene and modulate cognitive functions in cognitive tasks. These studies have shed more light on the neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory in humans. Here, we review findings and insight from these brain stimulation studies about the contribution of brain regions, and particularly prefrontal cortex, to working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zakia Z Haque
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ranshikha Samandra
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Farshad Alizadeh Mansouri
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.,ARC Centre for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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36
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Trutti AC, Verschooren S, Forstmann BU, Boag RJ. Understanding subprocesses of working memory through the lens of model-based cognitive neuroscience. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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37
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Zhu R, Luo Y, Wang Z, You X. Within-session repeated transcranial direct current stimulation of the posterior parietal cortex enhances spatial working memory. Cogn Neurosci 2021; 13:26-37. [PMID: 33739230 DOI: 10.1080/17588928.2021.1877648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Spatial working memory (SWM) is an essential cognitive ability that supports complex tasks, but its capacity is limited. Studies using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have shown potential benefits for SWM performance. Recent studies have shown that repeated short applications of tDCS affected corticospinal excitability. Moreover, neuroimaging studies have indicated that the pattern of neural activity measured in the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) tracks SWM ability. It is unknown whether repeated tDCS can enhance SWM and whether varied tDCS protocols (single 10 min tDCS, 10 min tDCS-5 min break-10 min tDCS, 10 min tDCS-20 min break-10 min tDCS) over the right PPC have different effects on SWM. The current study investigated whether offline single-session and repeated tDCS over the right PPC affects SWM updating, as measured by spatial 2-back and 3-back tasks. The results showed that stimulating the right PPC with repeated 10 min anodal tDCS significantly improved the response speed of the spatial 2-back task relative to single-session tDCS. Repeated 10 min tDCS with a longer interval (i.e. inter-stimulation interval of 20 min) enhanced the response speed of the spatial 3-back task. Altogether these findings provide causal evidence that suggests that the right PPC plays an important role in SWM. Furthermore, repeated tDCS with longer intervals may be a promising intervention for improving SWM-related function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongjuan Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yangmei Luo
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ziyu Wang
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xuqun You
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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A probabilistic atlas of the human ventral tegmental area (VTA) based on 7 Tesla MRI data. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:1155-1167. [PMID: 33580320 PMCID: PMC8036186 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02231-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) BOLD signal is commonly localized by using neuroanatomical atlases, which can also serve for region of interest analyses. Yet, the available MRI atlases have serious limitations when it comes to imaging subcortical structures: only 7% of the 455 subcortical nuclei are captured by current atlases. This highlights the general difficulty in mapping smaller nuclei deep in the brain, which can be addressed using ultra-high field 7 Tesla (T) MRI. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a subcortical structure that plays a pivotal role in reward processing, learning and memory. Despite the significant interest in this nucleus in cognitive neuroscience, there are currently no available, anatomically precise VTA atlases derived from 7 T MRI data that cover the full region of the VTA. Here, we first provide a protocol for multimodal VTA imaging and delineation. We then provide a data description of a probabilistic VTA atlas based on in vivo 7 T MRI data.
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39
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Wang S, Zhang M, Liu S, Xu Y, Shao Z, Chen L, Li J, Yang W, Liu J, Yuan K. Impulsivity in heroin-dependent individuals: structural and functional abnormalities within frontostriatal circuits. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:2454-2463. [PMID: 33528803 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00445-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
High levels of impulsivity are a risk factor for the initiation of heroin use and a core behavioral characteristic of heroin dependence. Impulsivity also contributes to the maintenance of drug use and hinders effective therapy. Here we sought to identify neuroimaging markers of impulsivity in heroin-dependent individuals (HDI), with a focus on the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key region implicated in impulsivity and drug addiction generally. Volume and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) differences of the bilateral NAc were investigated between 21 HDI and 21 age-, gender-, nicotine-, alcohol-matched healthy controls (HC). The neuroimaging results were then correlated with the Barratt Impulsivity Scales (BIS-11). Higher motor impulsivity (t = 2.347, p = 0.0253) and larger right NAc volume (F (1,38) = 4.719, p = 0.036) was observed in HDI. The right NAc volume was positively correlated with BIS total (r = 0.6196, p = 0.0239) /motor (r = 0.5921, p = 0.0330) scores in HC and BIS motor (r = 0.5145, p = 0.0170) score in HDI. A negative correlation was found between RSFC of the right NAc-bilateral superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and motor impulsivity in HDI (left: r=-0.6537, p = 0.0013; right: r=-0.6167, p = 0.0029) and HC (left: r=-0.6490,p = 0.0164; right: r=-0.6993, p = 0.0078). We aimed to reveal novel multimodality neuroimaging biomarkers of the higher impulsivity in HDI by focusing on the NAc and corresponding functional circuits. Higher motor impulsivity was observed in HDI. Furthermore, the volume of the right NAc and the RSFC strength of right NAc-SFG could be neuroimaging biomarkers for the severity of impulsivity in HDI. These potential biomarkers could be a target for novel treatments in HDI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shicong Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Xu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziqiang Shao
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Longmao Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Li
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenhan Yang
- Department of Radiology, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Radiology, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Kai Yuan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China. .,Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
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Examining the Trainability and Transferability of Working-Memory Gating Policies. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-021-00205-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
AbstractInternal working memory (WM) gating control policies have been suggested to constitute a critical component of task-sets that can be learned and transferred to very similar task contexts (Bhandari and Badre (Cognition, 172, 33–43, 2018). Here, we attempt to expand these findings, examining whether such control policies can be also trained and transferred to other untrained cognitive control tasks, namely to task switching and AX-CPT. To this end, a context-processing WM task was used for training, allowing to manipulate either input (i.e., top-down selective entry of information into WM) or output (i.e., bottom-up selective retrieval of WM) gating control policies by employing either a context-first (CF) or context-last (CL) task structure, respectively. In this task, two contextual cues were each associated with two different stimuli. In CF condition, each trial began with a contextual cue, determining which of the two subsequent stimuli is target relevant. In contrast, in the CL condition the contextual cue appeared last, preceded by a target and non-target stimulus successively. Participants completed a task switching baseline assessment, followed by one practice and six training blocks with the WM context-processing training task. After completing training, task-switching and AX-CPT transfer blocks were administrated, respectively. As hypothesized, compared to CL training condition, CF training led to improved task-switching performance. However, contrary to our predictions, training type did not influence AX-CPT performance. Taken together, the current results provide further evidence that internal control policies are (1) inherent element of task-sets, also in task switching and (2) independent of S-R mappings. However, these results need to be cautiously interpreted due to baseline differences in task-switching performance between the conditions (overall slower RTs in the CF condition). Importantly though, our results open a new venue for the realm of cognitive enhancement, pointing here for the first time to the potential of control policies training in promoting wider transfer effects.
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Basile GA, Bramanti A, Bertino S, Cutroneo G, Bruno A, Tisano A, Paladina G, Milardi D, Anastasi G. Structural Connectivity-Based Parcellation of the Dopaminergic Midbrain in Healthy Subjects and Schizophrenic Patients. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2020; 56:E686. [PMID: 33322072 PMCID: PMC7764101 DOI: 10.3390/medicina56120686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Background and objectives: Functional deregulation of dopaminergic midbrain regions is a core feature of schizophrenia pathophysiology. Anatomical research on primates suggests that these regions may be subdivided into distinct, topographically organized functional territories according to their connectivity to the striatum. The aim of the present work was the reconstruction of dopaminergic midbrain subregions in healthy subjects and schizophrenic patients and the evaluation of their structural connectivity profiles. Materials and Methods: A hypothesis-driven connectivity-based parcellation derived from diffusion tractography was applied on 24 healthy subjects and 30 schizophrenic patients to identify distinct territories within the human dopaminergic midbrain in vivo and non-invasively. Results: We identified a tripartite subdivision of dopaminergic midbrain, including limbic, prefrontal and sensorimotor territories. No significant differences in structural features or connectivity were found between subjects and patients. Conclusions: The parcellation scheme proposed herein may help to achieve detailed characterization of structural and functional anomalies of the dopaminergic midbrain in schizophrenic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianpaolo Antonio Basile
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (S.B.); (G.C.); (G.A.)
| | - Alessia Bramanti
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino Pulejo”, 98124 Messina, Italy; (A.B.); (G.P.)
| | - Salvatore Bertino
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (S.B.); (G.C.); (G.A.)
| | - Giuseppina Cutroneo
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (S.B.); (G.C.); (G.A.)
| | - Antonio Bruno
- Psychiatry Unit, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy;
| | - Adriana Tisano
- Physical, Rehabilitation Medicine and Sport Medicine Unit, University Hospital G. Martino, 98124 Messina, Italy;
| | - Giuseppe Paladina
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino Pulejo”, 98124 Messina, Italy; (A.B.); (G.P.)
| | - Demetrio Milardi
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (S.B.); (G.C.); (G.A.)
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino Pulejo”, 98124 Messina, Italy; (A.B.); (G.P.)
| | - Giuseppe Anastasi
- Brain Mapping Lab, Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (S.B.); (G.C.); (G.A.)
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Tuovinen N, Stefani A, Mitterling T, Heidbreder A, Frauscher B, Gizewski ER, Poewe W, Högl B, Scherfler C. Functional connectivity and topology in patients with restless legs syndrome: a case-control resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Eur J Neurol 2020; 28:448-458. [PMID: 33032390 PMCID: PMC7820983 DOI: 10.1111/ene.14577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Background and purpose Functional connectivity studies revealed alterations within thalamic, salience, and default mode networks in restless legs syndrome patients. Methods Eighty‐two patients with restless legs syndrome (untreated, n = 30; on dopaminergic medication, n = 42; on alpha‐2‐delta ligands as mono‐ or polytherapy combined with dopaminergic medication, n = 10), and 82 individually age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls were studied with resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Connectivity of 12 resting‐state networks was investigated with independent component analysis, and network topology was studied with graph methods among 410 brain regions. Results Patients with restless legs syndrome showed significantly higher connectivity within salience (p = 0.029), executive (p = 0.001), and cerebellar (p = 0.041) networks, as well as significantly lower (p < 0.05) cerebello‐frontal communication compared to controls. In addition, they had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) clustering coefficient and local efficiency in motor and frontal regions; lower clustering coefficient in the central sulcus; and lower local efficiency in the central opercular cortex, temporal, parieto‐occipital, cuneus, and occipital regions compared to controls. Untreated patients had significantly lower (p < 0.05) cerebello‐parietal communication compared to healthy controls. Connectivity between the thalamus and frontal regions was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in patients on dopaminergic medication compared to untreated patients and controls. Conclusions Networks with higher intranetwork connectivity (i.e., salience, executive, cerebellar) and lower cerebello‐frontal connectivity in the restless legs syndrome patients, as well as lower cerebello‐parietal connectivity in untreated patients, correspond to regions associated with attention, response inhibitory control, and processing of sensory information. Intact cerebello‐parietal communication and increased thalamic connectivity to the prefrontal regions in patients on dopaminergic medication suggests a treatment effect on thalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Tuovinen
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Division of Psychiatry I, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - A Stefani
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - T Mitterling
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Neurologie 1, Kepler Universitätsklinikum GmbH, Neuromed Campus, Linz, Austria.,Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
| | - A Heidbreder
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Department of Neurology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - B Frauscher
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Analytical Neurophysiology Lab, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - E R Gizewski
- Neuroimaging Research Core Facility, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Department of Neuroradiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - W Poewe
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - B Högl
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - C Scherfler
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.,Neuroimaging Research Core Facility, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Kluen LM, Dandolo LC, Jocham G, Schwabe L. Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Enables Updating of Established Memories. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:4154-4168. [PMID: 30535262 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Updating established memories in light of new information is fundamental for memory to guide future behavior. However, little is known about the brain mechanisms by which existing memories can be updated. Here, we combined functional magnetic resonance imaging and multivariate representational similarity analysis to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the updating of consolidated memories. To this end, participants first learned face-city name pairs. Twenty-four hours later, while lying in the MRI scanner, participants were required to update some of these associations, but not others, and to encode entirely new pairs. Updating success was tested again 24 h later. Our results showed increased activity of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) specifically during the updating of existing associations that was significantly stronger than when simple retrieval or new encoding was required. The updating-related activity of the dlPFC and its functional connectivity with the hippocampus were directly linked to updating success. Furthermore, neural similarity for updated items was markedly higher in the dlPFC and this increase in dlPFC neural similarity distinguished individuals with high updating performance from those with low updating performance. Together, these findings suggest a key role of the dlPFC, presumably in interaction with the hippocampus, in the updating of established memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Marieke Kluen
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Catherine Dandolo
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Jocham
- Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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Wurm F, Ernst B, Steinhauser M. The influence of internal models on feedback-related brain activity. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:1070-1089. [PMID: 32812148 PMCID: PMC7497542 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00820-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Decision making relies on the interplay between two distinct learning mechanisms, namely habitual model-free learning and goal-directed model-based learning. Recent literature suggests that this interplay is significantly shaped by the environmental structure as represented by an internal model. We employed a modified two-stage but one-decision Markov decision task to investigate how two internal models differing in the predictability of stage transitions influence the neural correlates of feedback processing. Our results demonstrate that fronto-central theta and the feedback-related negativity (FRN), two correlates of reward prediction errors in the medial frontal cortex, are independent of the internal representations of the environmental structure. In contrast, centro-parietal delta and the P3, two correlates possibly reflecting feedback evaluation in working memory, were highly susceptible to the underlying internal model. Model-based analyses of single-trial activity showed a comparable pattern, indicating that while the computation of unsigned reward prediction errors is represented by theta and the FRN irrespective of the internal models, the P3 adapts to the internal representation of an environment. Our findings further substantiate the assumption that the feedback-locked components under investigation reflect distinct mechanisms of feedback processing and that different internal models selectively influence these mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Wurm
- Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ostenstraße 27, 85072, Eichstätt, Germany.
| | - Benjamin Ernst
- Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ostenstraße 27, 85072, Eichstätt, Germany
| | - Marco Steinhauser
- Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Ostenstraße 27, 85072, Eichstätt, Germany
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Neutral ceramidase is a marker for cognitive performance in rats and monkeys. Pharmacol Rep 2020; 73:73-84. [PMID: 32936422 PMCID: PMC7862079 DOI: 10.1007/s43440-020-00159-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Background Ceramides are lipid molecules determining cell integrity and intercellular signaling, and thus, involved in the pathogenesis of several psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. However, little is known about the role of particular enzymes of the ceramide metabolism in the mechanisms of normal behavioral plasticity. Here, we studied the contribution of neutral ceramidase (NC), one of the main enzymes mediating ceramide degradation, in the mechanisms of learning and memory in rats and non-human primates. Methods Naïve Wistar rats and black tufted-ear marmosets (Callithrix penicillata) were tested in several tests for short- and long-term memory and then divided into groups with various memory performance. The activities of NC and acid ceramidase (AC) were measured in these animals. Additionally, anxiety and depression-like behavior and brain levels of monoamines were assessed in the rats. Results We observed a predictive role of NC activity in the blood serum for superior performance of long-term object memory tasks in both species. A brain area analysis suggested that high NC activity in the ventral mesencephalon (VM) predicts better short-term memory performance in rats. High NC activity in the VM was also associated with worse long-term object memory, which might be mediated by an enhanced depression-like state and a monoaminergic imbalance. Conclusions Altogether, these data suggest a role for NC in short- and long-term memory of various mammalian species. Serum activity of NC may possess a predictive role in the assessing the performance of certain types of memory. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s43440-020-00159-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Byrne KA, Peters C, Willis HC, Phan D, Cornwall A, Worthy DA. Acute stress enhances tolerance of uncertainty during decision-making. Cognition 2020; 205:104448. [PMID: 32927385 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress has been shown to influence reward sensitivity, feedback learning, and risk-taking during decision-making, primarily through activation of the hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA). However, it is unclear how acute stress affects decision-making among choices that vary in their degree of uncertainty. To address this question, we conducted two experiments in which participants repeatedly chose between two options-a high-uncertainty option that offered highly variable rewards but was advantageous in the long-term, and a low-uncertainty option that offered smaller yet more consistent rewards. The Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Task (SECPT) was utilized to induce acute stress. Participants in Experiment 1 (N = 114) were exposed to either the SECPT or a warm-water control condition and then completed the decision-making under uncertainty task. Compared to the control condition, those exposed to the acute stress manipulation chose the high-uncertainty option that provided highly variable but larger rewards over the option that provided stable, smaller rewards. Experiment 2 (N = 95) incorporated a salivary cortisol measure. Results replicated the behavioral findings in Experiment 1 and demonstrated that the acute stress manipulation increased salivary cortisol. This work suggests that moderate acute stress is associated with tolerance of outcome variability in contexts that depend on learning to maximize rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Dana Phan
- Clemson University, United States of America
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Nir-Cohen G, Kessler Y, Egner T. Neural Substrates of Working Memory Updating. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 32:2285-2302. [PMID: 32897122 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) needs to protect current content from interference and simultaneously be amenable to rapid updating with newly relevant information. An influential model suggests these opposing requirements are met via a BG-thalamus gating mechanism that allows for selective updating of PFC WM representations. A large neuroimaging literature supports the general involvement of PFC, BG, and thalamus, as well as posterior parietal cortex, in WM. However, the specific functional contributions of these regions to key subprocesses of WM updating, namely, gate opening, content substitution, and gate closing, are still unknown, as common WM tasks conflate these processes. We therefore combined fMRI with the reference-back task, specifically designed to tease apart these subprocesses. Participants compared externally presented face stimuli to a reference face held in WM, while alternating between updating and maintaining this reference, resulting in opening versus closing the gate to WM. Gate opening and substitution processes were associated with strong BG, thalamic, and frontoparietal activation, but intriguingly, the same activity profile was observed for sensory cortex supporting task stimulus processing (i.e., the fusiform face area). In contrast, gate closing was not reliably associated with any of these regions. These findings provide new support for the involvement of the BG in gate opening, as suggested by the gating model, but qualify the model's assumptions by demonstrating that gate closing does not seem to depend on the BG and that gate opening also involves task-relevant sensory cortex.
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Task context load induces reactive cognitive control: An fMRI study on cortical and brain stem activity. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 19:945-965. [PMID: 30659515 PMCID: PMC6711881 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-019-00691-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive control is a highly dynamic process that relies on flexible engagement of prefrontal areas and of neuromodulatory systems in order to adapt to changing demands. A range of internal and external factors come into play when individuals engage in a task requiring cognitive control. Here we investigated whether increased working memory (WM) demands would induce a flexible change in cognitive control mode in young healthy individuals. We developed a novel variant of the well-known AX–continuous performance task (AX-CPT). We manipulated the cognitive demands of maintaining task-relevant contextual information and studied the impact of this manipulation on behavior and brain activity. We expected that low WM load would allow for a more effortful, proactive strategy, while high WM load would induce a strategy of less effortful, stimulus-driven reactive control. In line with our hypothesis, a web-based experiment revealed that increased load was associated with more reactive behavioral responses, and this finding was independently replicated in behavioral data acquired in the MRI scanner. The results from brain activity showed that the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was activated by cues in the proactive mode and by probes in the reactive mode. The analysis of task-induced brain stem activity indicated that both the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems are involved in updating context representations, and that, respectively, these systems mediate a gating signal to the control network and are involved in the dynamic regulation of task engagement.
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49
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Individual differences in baseline oculometrics: Examining variation in baseline pupil diameter, spontaneous eye blink rate, and fixation stability. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 19:1074-1093. [PMID: 30888645 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-019-00709-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Individual differences in baseline oculometrics (baseline pupil diameter, spontaneous eye blink rate, fixation stability), and their relation with cognitive abilities, personality traits, and self-report assessments were examined. Participants performed a baseline eye measure in which they were instructed to stare at a fixation point onscreen for 5 min. Following the baseline eye measure, participants completed a questionnaire asking what they were thinking about during the baseline eye measure. Participants also completed various cognitive ability measures assessing working memory capacity, attention control, and off-task thinking. Finally, participants completed a number of questionnaires assessing personality, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptomology, mind wandering, and morningness-eveningness. Overall, the vast majority of correlations with the baseline eye measures were weak and nonsignificant, suggesting that these associations may not be very robust. The results also demonstrated the importance of examining what participants are thinking about during the baseline measure. These results add to the growing body of findings suggesting inconsistent relations between different baseline eye measures and various individual differences constructs.
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50
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Beyond the Motor Cortex: Theta Burst Stimulation of the Anterior Midcingulate Cortex. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:1052-1060. [PMID: 32839154 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While the facilitatory and inhibitory effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and continuous TBS (cTBS) protocols have been well documented on motor physiology, the action of TBS protocols on prefrontal functioning remain unclear. Here we asked whether iTBS or cTBS can differentially modulate reward-related signaling in the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC). METHODS Across 2 experiments, we used a robot-assisted transcranial magnetic stimulation system, combined with electroencephalogram recordings, to investigate the aftereffects of prefrontal iTBS and cTBS on the reward positivity, an electrophysiological signal believed to index sensitivity of the aMCC to rewards. Twenty adults (age, 18-28 years) participated in experiment 1 in which we used a scalp landmark for TBS targeting, and 14 adults (age, 18-28 years) participated in experiment 2, in which we aimed to increase TBS effectiveness by utilizing cortical thickness maps to select individualized dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex targets. RESULTS We demonstrated that prefrontal iTBS suppressed reward-related signaling in the aMCC (reduction in reward positivity) and caused a decrease in postfeedback switch choices. cTBS displayed no effect. We replicated and strengthened this effect on the reward positivity by targeting dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex regions displaying maximal cortical thickness. CONCLUSIONS While these results are inconsistent with reported TBS effects on motor cortex, the present findings offer a novel transcranial magnetic stimulation targeting approach and normative insights into the magnitude and time course of TBS-induced changes in aMCC excitability. By modulating how the aMCC links value to goal-directed behavior, this research opens an exciting new era of investigative possibilities in the understanding of aMCC function and treatment of aMCC dysfunction.
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