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Sawada M, Adolphs R, Dlouhy BJ, Jenison RL, Rhone AE, Kovach CK, Greenlee JDW, Howard Iii MA, Oya H. Mapping effective connectivity of human amygdala subdivisions with intracranial stimulation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4909. [PMID: 35987994 PMCID: PMC9392722 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32644-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The primate amygdala is a complex consisting of over a dozen nuclei that have been implicated in a host of cognitive functions, individual differences, and psychiatric illnesses. These functions are implemented through distinct connectivity profiles, which have been documented in animals but remain largely unknown in humans. Here we present results from 25 neurosurgical patients who had concurrent electrical stimulation of the amygdala with intracranial electroencephalography (electrical stimulation tract-tracing; es-TT), or fMRI (electrical stimulation fMRI; es-fMRI), methods providing strong inferences about effective connectivity of amygdala subdivisions with the rest of the brain. We quantified functional connectivity with medial and lateral amygdala, the temporal order of these connections on the timescale of milliseconds, and also detail second-order effective connectivity among the key nodes. These findings provide a uniquely detailed characterization of human amygdala functional connectivity that will inform functional neuroimaging studies in healthy and clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Sawada
- Department of Neurosurgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute and Kitano Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ralph Adolphs
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Brian J Dlouhy
- Department of Neurosurgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Rick L Jenison
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ariane E Rhone
- Department of Neurosurgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Christopher K Kovach
- Department of Neurosurgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jeremy D W Greenlee
- Department of Neurosurgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Matthew A Howard Iii
- Department of Neurosurgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Pappajohn Biomedical Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Oya
- Department of Neurosurgery, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
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2
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Verfaellie M, Hunsberger R, Keane MM. Episodic processes in moral decisions: Evidence from medial temporal lobe amnesia. Hippocampus 2021; 31:569-579. [PMID: 33687125 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23321] [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: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Theoretical accounts of moral decision making imply distinct ways in which episodic memory processes may contribute to judgments about moral dilemmas that entail high conflict between a harmful action and a greater good resulting from such action. Yet, studies examining the status of moral judgment in amnesic patients with medial temporal lobe (MTL) lesions have yielded inconsistent results. To examine whether and how episodic processes contribute to high conflict moral decisions, amnesic patients with MTL damage and control participants were asked to judge the moral acceptability of a harmful action across two conditions that differed in the framing of the moral question. We predicted that personal (but not abstract) framing would engage episodic processes involved in mental simulation, yielding a selective impairment in MTL patients in the personal framing condition. This prediction was not confirmed as neither patients nor controls were influenced by the framing of the moral question. With the exception of a patient whose lesion extended into the amygdala bilaterally, patients were less willing than controls to endorse the utilitarian option, rejecting the harmful action despite its beneficial outcome. They also rated actions as emotionally more intense than did controls. These findings suggest that episodic processes involved in mental simulation are necessary to prospectively evaluate action-outcome contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieke Verfaellie
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Margaret M Keane
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
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3
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Ambrase A, Lewis CA, Barth C, Derntl B. Influence of ovarian hormones on value-based decision-making systems: Contribution to sexual dimorphisms in mental disorders. Front Neuroendocrinol 2021; 60:100873. [PMID: 32987043 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Women and men exhibit differences in behavior when making value-based decisions. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain these findings, stressing differences in functional lateralization of the brain, functional activation, neurotransmitter involvement and more recently, sex hormones. While a significant interaction of neurotransmitter systems and sex hormones has been shown for both sexes, decision-making in women might be particularly affected by variations of ovarian hormones. In this review we have gathered information from animal and human studies on how ovarian hormones affect decision-making processes in females by interacting with neurotransmitter systems at functionally relevant brain locations and thus modify the computation of decision aspects. We also review previous findings on impaired decision-making in animals and clinical populations with substance use disorder and depression, emphasizing how little we know about the role of ovarian hormones in aberrant decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiste Ambrase
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tübingen, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Carolin A Lewis
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tübingen, Germany; Emotion Neuroimaging Lab, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication: Function, Structure, and Plasticity, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Claudia Barth
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Tübingen, Germany; International Max Planck Research School for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tuebingen, Germany; TübingenNeuroCampus, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; LEAD Research School and Graduate Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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4
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de Oliveira-Souza R, Paranhos T, Moll J, Grafman J. Gender and Hemispheric Asymmetries in Acquired Sociopathy. Front Psychol 2019; 10:346. [PMID: 30941065 PMCID: PMC6433972 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of enduring antisocial personality changes in previously normal individuals, or "acquired sociopathy," has consistently been reported in patients with bilateral injuries of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Over the past three decades, cases of acquired sociopathy with (a) bilateral or (b) unilateral sparing of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex have been reported. These cases indicate that at least in a few individuals (a') neural structures beyond the ventromedial prefrontal cortex are also critical for normal social behavior, and (b') the neural underpinnings of social cognition may be lateralized to one cerebral hemisphere. Moreover, researchers have presented evidence that lesion laterality and gender may interact in the production of acquired sociopathy. In the present review, we carried out a comprehensive literature survey seeking possible interactions between gender and hemispheric asymmetry in acquired sociopathy. We found 85 cases of acquired sociopathy due to bilateral (N = 48) and unilateral (N = 37) hemispheric injuries. A significant association between acquired sociopathy and right hemisphere damage was found in men, whereas lesions were bilateral in most women with acquired sociopathy. The present survey shows that: (i) the number of well-documented single-cases of acquired sociopathy is surprisingly small given the length of the historical record; (ii) acquired sociopathy was significantly more frequent in men after an injury of the right or of both cerebral hemispheres; and (iii) in most women who developed acquired sociopathy the injuries affected both cerebral hemispheres. These findings may be especially valuable to neuroscientists and to functional neurosurgeons in particular for the planning of tumor resections as well as for the choice of the best targets for therapeutic neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza
- Department of Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thiago Paranhos
- Department of Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- School of Medicine, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jorge Moll
- Department of Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Department of Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Psychology, Neurology, Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
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Sacré P, Kerr MSD, Subramanian S, Fitzgerald Z, Kahn K, Johnson MA, Niebur E, Eden UT, González-Martínez JA, Gale JT, Sarma SV. Risk-taking bias in human decision-making is encoded via a right-left brain push-pull system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:1404-1413. [PMID: 30617071 PMCID: PMC6347682 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1811259115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A person's decisions vary even when options stay the same, like when a gambler changes bets despite constant odds of winning. Internal bias (e.g., emotion) contributes to this variability and is shaped by past outcomes, yet its neurobiology during decision-making is not well understood. To map neural circuits encoding bias, we administered a gambling task to 10 participants implanted with intracerebral depth electrodes in cortical and subcortical structures. We predicted the variability in betting behavior within and across patients by individual bias, which is estimated through a dynamical model of choice. Our analysis further revealed that high-frequency activity increased in the right hemisphere when participants were biased toward risky bets, while it increased in the left hemisphere when participants were biased away from risky bets. Our findings provide electrophysiological evidence that risk-taking bias is a lateralized push-pull neural system governing counterintuitive and highly variable decision-making in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Sacré
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218;
| | - Matthew S D Kerr
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Sandya Subramanian
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Zachary Fitzgerald
- Epilepsy Center, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195
| | - Kevin Kahn
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Matthew A Johnson
- Department of Neuroscience, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195
| | - Ernst Niebur
- Mind/Brain Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218
| | - Uri T Eden
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215
| | | | - John T Gale
- Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Sridevi V Sarma
- Institute for Computational Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218;
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6
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Let's call the whole thing off: evaluating gender and sex differences in executive function. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:86-96. [PMID: 30143781 PMCID: PMC6235899 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-018-0179-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 07/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The executive functions allow for purposeful, deliberate, and intentional interactions with the world-attention and focus, impulse control, decision making, and working memory. These measures have been correlated with academic outcomes and quality of life, and are impacted by deleterious environmental events throughout the life span, including gestational and early life insults. This review will address the topic of sex differences in executive function including a discussion of differences arising in response to developmental programming. Work on gender differences in human studies and sex differences in animal research will be reviewed. Overall, we find little support for significant gender or sex differences in executive function. An important variable that factors into the interpretation of potential sex differences include differing developmental trajectories. We conclude by discussing future directions for the field and a brief discussion of biological mechanisms.
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Reber J, Tranel D. Sex differences in the functional lateralization of emotion and decision making in the human brain. J Neurosci Res 2017; 95:270-278. [PMID: 27870462 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Dating back to the case of Phineas Gage, decades of neuropsychological research have shown that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is crucial to both real-world social functioning and abstract decision making in the laboratory (see, e.g., Stuss et al., ; Bechara et al., 1994; Damasio et al., ). Previous research has shown that the relationship between the laterality of individuals' vmPFC lesions and neuropsychological performance is moderated by their sex, whereby there are more severe social, emotional, and decision-making impairments in men with right-side vmPFC lesions and in women with left-side vmPFC lesions (Tranel et al., 2005; Sutterer et al., 2015). We conducted a selective review of studies examining the effect of vmPFC lesions on emotion and decision making and found further evidence of sex-related differences in the lateralization of function not only in the vmPFC but also in other neurological structures associated with decision making and emotion. This Mini-Review suggests that both sex and laterality effects warrant more careful consideration in the scientific literature. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Reber
- Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Daniel Tranel
- Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
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8
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Belfi AM, Chen KH, Schneider B, Tranel D. Neurological damage disrupts normal sex differences in psychophysiological responsiveness to music. Psychophysiology 2015; 53:14-20. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy M. Belfi
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa; Iowa City Iowa USA
- Department of Neurology; University of Iowa College of Medicine; Iowa City Iowa USA
| | - Kuan-Hua Chen
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa; Iowa City Iowa USA
- Department of Neurology; University of Iowa College of Medicine; Iowa City Iowa USA
| | - Brett Schneider
- Department of Neurology; University of Iowa College of Medicine; Iowa City Iowa USA
| | - Daniel Tranel
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa; Iowa City Iowa USA
- Department of Neurology; University of Iowa College of Medicine; Iowa City Iowa USA
- Department of Psychology; University of Iowa; Iowa City Iowa USA
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9
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Sutterer MJ, Koscik TR, Tranel D. Sex-related functional asymmetry of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in regard to decision-making under risk and ambiguity. Neuropsychologia 2015; 75:265-73. [PMID: 26111489 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2014] [Revised: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Previous work has provided preliminary indication of sex-related functional asymmetry of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in social and emotional functions and complex decision-making. Findings have been inconsistent, and based on small numbers of patients. Given the rarity of these neurological cases, replicable results across studies are important to build evidence for sex-related functional asymmetry of the vmPFC. Here we used a sample of sixteen neurological patients with unilateral damage to the left or right vmPFC and examined differences between men and women on a task that probed decision-making under risk or decision-making under ambiguity. We found that men with right-hemisphere vmPFC damage and women with left-hemisphere vmPFC damage demonstrated significantly reduced aversion to risk and ambiguity. Men with damage to the left vmPFC and women with damage to the right vmPFC showed aversion to risk and ambiguity comparable to participants with left or right-sided brain damage outside the vmPFC, and to comparison participants without brain damage. Our results add to previous findings of sex-related functional asymmetry of the vmPFC in decision-making. Our study also replicates findings of no observable behavioral differences between men and women without neurological damage on tests of decision-making. This pattern of neurobiological divergence but behavioral convergence between men and women may reflect a complex interplay of neuroendocrine, developmental, and psychosocial factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Sutterer
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA.
| | - Timothy R Koscik
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Tranel
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Gaznick N, Bechara A, Tranel D. Hemispheric side of damage influences sex-related differences in smoking cessation in neurological patients. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2015; 36:551-8. [PMID: 24872115 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2014.915012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Patterns of smoking behavior vary between the sexes. There is evidence that decision making, which is one of the key "executive functions" necessary for making life-style modifications such as smoking cessation, is relatively lateralized to the right hemisphere in males and left hemisphere in females. In the current study, we examined whether the side of brain lesion has a differential effect on smoking behavior between the sexes. We hypothesized sex differences in smoking cessation based on lesion side. Participants were 49 males and 50 females who were smoking at the time of lesion onset. The outcome variable was abstinence from smoking (quit rate) at least one year post lesion. We found that in patients with left-hemisphere damage, quit rates were significantly higher in males than in females; however, in patients with right-hemisphere damage, quit rates were not statistically different. The findings support previous cognitive neuroscience literature showing that components of behavior responsible for maintaining addiction tend to be more strongly lateralized in males, whereas in females there is a more bilateral distribution. Our study provides further evidence for differences in lateralization of complex behavior between the sexes, which has significant implications for differences in treatment strategies between the sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natassia Gaznick
- a Department of Neurology, Division of Behavioral Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience , Tranel Lab, University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA , USA
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Kawasaki S, Nishimura Y, Takizawa R, Koike S, Kinoshita A, Satomura Y, Sakakibara E, Sakurada H, Yamagishi M, Nishimura F, Yoshikawa A, Inai A, Nishioka M, Eriguchi Y, Kakiuchi C, Araki T, Kan C, Umeda M, Shimazu A, Hashimoto H, Kawakami N, Kasai K. Using social epidemiology and neuroscience to explore the relationship between job stress and frontotemporal cortex activity among workers. Soc Neurosci 2015; 10:230-42. [DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2014.997370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Wakeford S, Hinvest N, Ring H, Brosnan M. Autistic characteristics in adults with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2014; 41:203-7. [PMID: 25461216 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2014.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2014] [Revised: 09/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The reported prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in people with epilepsy ranges from 15% to 47%. Despite the high comorbidity, there has been a lack of systematic studies of autistic characteristics in epilepsy. Little is known about the relationship of epilepsy to the core characteristics of autism. The aim of this research was to measure autistic traits and characteristics in adults with epilepsy who do not have a diagnosis of any autism disorder. METHOD We investigated autistic characteristics in adults with epilepsy and those without epilepsy employing the Autism Spectrum Quotient (group with epilepsy, n = 40; control group, n = 38) and systemizing and empathizing abilities employing the Intuitive Physics test and the Adult Eyes Task-Revised (group with epilepsy, n = 19; control group, n = 23). RESULTS Significantly more autistic behavioral traits, as measured by the AQ, were related to having epilepsy, but intact systemizing and empathizing abilities in these adults suggest that, in adults with epilepsy, autism-like symptoms may be present in the absence of wider cognitive profiles characteristic of autism. CONCLUSION Increased autistic characteristics found in adults with epilepsy without an ASD diagnosis suggest that epilepsy syndromes may incorporate behavioral aspects of autism in the absence of some of its core cognitive features.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Neal Hinvest
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Howard Ring
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mark Brosnan
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
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13
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Fridberg DJ, Gerst KR, Finn PR. Effects of working memory load, a history of conduct disorder, and sex on decision making in substance dependent individuals. Drug Alcohol Depend 2013; 133:654-60. [PMID: 24011986 PMCID: PMC3818396 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Revised: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 08/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Substance dependence and antisocial psychopathology, such as a history of childhood conduct disorder (HCCD), are associated with impulsive or disadvantageous decision making and reduced working memory capacity (WMC). Reducing WMC via a working memory load increases disadvantageous decision making in healthy adults, but no previous studies have examined this effect in young adults with substance dependence and HCCD. METHOD Young adults with substance dependence (SubDep; n=158, 71 female), substance dependence and HCCD (SubDep+HCCD; n=72, 24 female), and control participants (n=152, 84 female) completed a test of decision making (the Iowa Gambling Task; IGT) with or without a concurrent working memory load intended to tax WMC. Outcomes were (i) net advantageous decisions on the IGT, and (ii) preferences for infrequent- versus frequent-punishment decks. RESULTS SubDep+HCCD men made fewer advantageous decisions on the IGT than control men without a load, but there were no group differences among women in that condition. Load was associated with fewer advantageous decisions for SubDep+HCCD women and control men, but not for men or women in the other groups. Participants showed greater preference for infrequent-punishment, advantageous decks under load as well. CONCLUSIONS There are gender differences in the effects of substance dependence, HCCD, and working memory load on decision making on the IGT. Decision making by control men and SubDep+HCCD women suffered the most under load. Load increases preferences for less-frequent punishments, similar to a delay discounting effect. Future research should clarify the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Fridberg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 1101 East 10 Street, Bloomington, IN USA 47405
| | - Kyle R. Gerst
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 1101 East 10 Street, Bloomington, IN USA 47405
| | - Peter R. Finn
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 1101 East 10 Street, Bloomington, IN USA 47405
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14
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Starkstein SE, Tranel D. Neurological and psychiatric aspects of emotion. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2012; 106:53-74. [PMID: 22608615 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-52002-9.00004-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Neurological and psychiatric aspects of emotions have been the focus of intense research for the past 30 years. Studies in both acute (e.g., stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI)) and chronic (e.g., dementia, Parkinson's disease) neurological disorders demonstrated a high frequency of both depression and apathy. Studies in stroke and TBI reported a significant association between lesion location and depression. Both depression and apathy are significant predictors of poor recovery among patients with brain injuries, and of steeper cognitive and functional decline among patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Poor insight and judgment are frequently found among patients with brain injury or degeneration. There is increasing evidence that damage to specific brain regions, such as the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, is associated with inappropriate emotional reactions in social contexts and diminished anxiety and concern for the future. In severe cases, behavioural changes may also include poor decision-making in the social realm, deficits in goal-directed behavior, and lack of insight into these changes. Future studies will validate specific diagnostic criteria for the various cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems reported among patients with neurological disorders, which may result in more specific and effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio E Starkstein
- School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
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15
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Barrash J, Asp E, Markon K, Manzel K, Anderson SW, Tranel D. Dimensions of personality disturbance after focal brain damage: investigation with the Iowa Scales of Personality Change. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2011; 33:833-52. [PMID: 21500116 PMCID: PMC3140575 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2011.561300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
This study employed a multistep, rational-empirical approach to identify dimensions of personality disturbance in brain-damaged individuals: (a) Five dimensions were hypothesized based on empirical literature and conceptual grounds; (b) principal components analysis was performed on the Iowa Scales of Personality Change (ISPC) to determine the pattern of covariance among 30 personality characteristics; (c) when discrepancies existed between principal components analysis results and conceptually based dimensions, empirical findings and clinical considerations were weighed to determine assignment of ISPC scales to dimensions; (d) the fit of data to the refined dimensions was assessed by examination of intercorrelations; (e) differential predictions concerning the relationship of dimensions to ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) damage were tested. This process resulted in the specification of five dimensions: Disturbed Social Behavior, Executive/Decision-Making Deficits, Diminished Motivation/Hypo-Emotionality, Irascibility, and Distress. In accord with predictions, the 28 participants with vmPFC lesions, compared to 96 participants with focal lesions elsewhere in the brain, had significantly more Disturbed Social Behavior and Executive/Decision-Making Deficits and tended to have more Diminished Motivation/Hypo-Emotionality. Irascibility was not significantly higher among the vmPFC group, and the groups had very similar levels of Distress. The findings indicate that conceptually distinctive dimensions with differential relationships to vmPFC can be derived from the Iowa Scales of Personality Change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Barrash
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.
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Koscik TR, Tranel D. The human amygdala is necessary for developing and expressing normal interpersonal trust. Neuropsychologia 2011; 49:602-11. [PMID: 20920512 PMCID: PMC3056169 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Revised: 09/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The human amygdala is known to be involved in processing social, emotional, and reward-related information. Previous reports have indicated that the amygdala is involved in extracting trustworthiness information from faces. Interestingly, functional neuroimaging research using economic tasks that presumably require developing and/or expressing interpersonal trust, such as the Trust Game (TG), have not routinely identified involvement of the amygdala. The present study sought to explore the role of the amygdala in developing and expressing interpersonal trust, via a multi-round, multiplayer economic exchange, a version of the TG, in a large sample of participants with focal brain damage. Participants with unilateral damage to the amygdala displayed increased benevolent behavior in the TG, and specifically, they tended to increase trust in response to betrayals. On the other hand, neurologically normal adults tended to repay trust in kind, i.e., they decreased interpersonal trust in response to betrayals or increased trust in response to increases from others. Comparison participants, with brain damage that does not include the amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal or insular cortices, tended to behave ambivalently to the expressed trust or betrayal of others. Our data suggest that the amygdala is necessary for developing and expressing normal interpersonal trust. This increased tendency to behave benevolently in response to defections from others may be related to the abnormal social behavior observed in this group. Moreover, increased benevolence may increase the likelihood or opportunity to be taken advantage of by others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy R Koscik
- Division of Behavioral Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, IA 52246, USA.
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Yamano M, Akamatsu N, Tsuji S, Kobayakawa M, Kawamura M. Decision-making in temporal lobe epilepsy examined with the Iowa Gambling Task. Epilepsy Res 2011; 93:33-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2010.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2010] [Revised: 10/17/2010] [Accepted: 10/24/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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The amygdala and decision-making. Neuropsychologia 2010; 49:760-6. [PMID: 20920513 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2010] [Revised: 09/15/2010] [Accepted: 09/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Decision-making is a complex process that requires the orchestration of multiple neural systems. For example, decision-making is believed to involve areas of the brain involved in emotion (e.g., amygdala, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) and memory (e.g., hippocampus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). In this article, we will present findings related to the amygdala's role in decision-making, and differentiate the contributions of the amygdala from those of other structurally and functionally connected neural regions. Decades of research have shown that the amygdala is involved in associating a stimulus with its emotional value. This tradition has been extended in newer work, which has shown that the amygdala is especially important for decision-making, by triggering autonomic responses to emotional stimuli, including monetary reward and punishment. Patients with amygdala damage lack these autonomic responses to reward and punishment, and consequently, cannot utilize "somatic marker" type cues to guide future decision-making. Studies using laboratory decision-making tests have found deficient decision-making in patients with bilateral amygdala damage, which resembles their real-world difficulties with decision-making. Additionally, we have found evidence for an interaction between sex and laterality of amygdala functioning, such that unilateral damage to the right amygdala results in greater deficits in decision-making and social behavior in men, while left amygdala damage seems to be more detrimental for women. We have posited that the amygdala is part of an "impulsive," habit type system that triggers emotional responses to immediate outcomes.
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Markowitsch HJ, Staniloiu A. Amygdala in action: relaying biological and social significance to autobiographical memory. Neuropsychologia 2010; 49:718-33. [PMID: 20933525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2010] [Revised: 09/27/2010] [Accepted: 10/01/2010] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The human amygdala is strongly embedded in numerous other structures of the limbic system, but is also a hub for a multitude of other brain regions it is connected with. Its major involvement in various kinds of integrative sensory and emotional functions makes it a cornerstone for self-relevant biological and social appraisals of the environment and consequently also for the processing of autobiographical events. Given its contribution to the integration of emotion, perception and cognition (including memory for past autobiographical events) the amygdala also forges the establishment and maintenance of an integrated self. Damage or disturbances of amygdalar connectivity may therefore lead to disconnection syndromes, in which the synchronous processing of affective and cognitive aspects of memory is impaired. We will provide support for this thesis by reviewing data from patients with a rare experiment of nature - Urbach-Wiethe disease - as well as other conditions associated with amygdala abnormalities. With respect to memory processing, we propose that the amygdala's role is to charge cues so that mnemonic events of a specific emotional significance can be successfully searched within the appropriate neural nets and re-activated.
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Staniloiu A, Markowitsch HJ, Brand M. Psychogenic amnesia – A malady of the constricted self. Conscious Cogn 2010; 19:778-801. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2010.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2009] [Revised: 06/22/2010] [Accepted: 06/29/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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van der Plas E, Conrad A, Canady J, Richman L, Nopoulos P. Effects of unilateral clefts on brain structure. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 164:763-8. [PMID: 20679168 DOI: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2010.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate potential abnormalities in brain structure of children and adolescents with unilateral clefts. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Tertiary care center. PARTICIPANTS Boys aged 7 to 17 years with right (n=14) and left (n=19) clefts were compared with healthy age-matched boys (n=57). MAIN EXPOSURES Structural brain measures were obtained using magnetic resonance imaging. OUTCOME MEASURE It was explored whether laterality of clefts had a significant effect on brain structure. To this end, volumes of tissue types and various brain regions were evaluated. RESULTS Total white matter was significantly lower in boys with right clefts compared with boys with left clefts and healthy boys. Gross regional analyses demonstrated that reductions in white matter were evident in both the cerebellum and the cerebrum in boys with right clefts. Furthermore, within the cerebrum, white matter volumes were particularly low in the frontal lobes and the occipital lobes. CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results suggest that right clefts may be associated with more abnormalities in brain structure. More generally, laterality of a birth defect may have a significant effect on a developing organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen van der Plas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, 200 Hawkins Dr, W278 GH, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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van der Plas EAA, Boes AD, Wemmie JA, Tranel D, Nopoulos P. Amygdala volume correlates positively with fearfulness in normal healthy girls. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2010; 5:424-31. [PMID: 20150341 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsq009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Research into the neural underpinnings of fear and fear-related pathology has highlighted the role of the amygdala. For instance, bilateral damage to the amygdaloid complex is associated with decreased appreciation of danger and recognition of fear in humans, whereas enlarged amygdala volume is associated with internalizing syndromes. It is unknown whether amygdala volume and fearfulness are related in the absence of pathology. We examined the correlation between normal fearfulness and amygdala morphology in 116 healthy children and adolescents (60 boys, 56 girls, age 7-17 years). Fearfulness was measured using the parent ratings on the Pediatric Behavior Scale and amygdala volumes were determined by manual tracing. We found a positive correlation between right amygdala volume in girls (r = 0.29). This relationship was more robust and present bilaterally when analyses were limited to girls with a positive nuclear family history of depression (for left r = 0.63; for right r = 0.58). In boys there was no significant relationship which may suggest that biological mechanisms differ between sexes. Given the role of enlarged amygdala volume in pathology, these findings may indicate that variation in amygdala morphology marks susceptibility to internalizing disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen A A van der Plas
- University of Iowa Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, W285 GH, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
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Buchanan TW, Driscoll D, Mowrer SM, Sollers JJ, Thayer JF, Kirschbaum C, Tranel D. Medial prefrontal cortex damage affects physiological and psychological stress responses differently in men and women. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2010; 35:56-66. [PMID: 19783103 PMCID: PMC2795091 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2009] [Revised: 09/04/2009] [Accepted: 09/04/2009] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The ability to produce appropriate physiological and psychological responses to stressful situations depends on accurate recognition and appraisal of such situations. Such ability is also important for proper emotion regulation. A number of studies have suggested that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a significant role in emotion regulation, as well as in the control of physiological endpoints of emotion regulation such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS). Further, recent work has suggested that men and women may differ in these mechanisms of neural control of emotion regulation. Here, we examined the role of the human mPFC in self-report, ANS, and HPA stress reactivity by testing a group of participants with damage to this region (9 women and 9 men), a brain damaged comparison group (6 women and 6 men), and healthy comparison participants (27 women and 27 men) on an orthostatic challenge and the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The mPFC participants showed heightened self-reported stress in response to the TSST. In women, mPFC damage led to an increased cortisol response to the TSST. By contrast, in men, greater volume of mPFC damage was correlated with a decreased cortisol response. Finally, men with mPFC damage showed altered autonomic control of the heart (higher heart rate and lower high frequency heart rate variability) during an orthostatic challenge. These findings support the idea that the mPFC is involved in the regulation of physiological and psychological responses to stress and that this regulation may differ between men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony W. Buchanan
- Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University,Correspondence to: Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, 221 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103. , Telephone: 314 977 2271, Fax: 314 977 1014
| | | | | | | | - Julian F. Thayer
- Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Mannheim Medical Faculty, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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Abstract
Emotional dysfunction occurs commonly in neurological disease, although the study of this phenomenon has been relatively neglected. In this introduction to the special issue of Neurocase, we review some key processes underlying normal emotional function and we link these processes to their putative neuroanatomical substrates. Emotions are multimodal phenomena involving the coordinated activation of thoughts, somatic musculature, and the autonomic system in response to shifting environmental demands. Key facets of emotional function include appraisal, reactivity, regulation, emotional understanding, and empathy. These processes are carried out via interactions between the frontal and temporal lobes and insula, and subcortical structures including the amygdala, basal ganglia, hypothalamus and brainstem. A thorough understanding of emotional dysfunction in neurological disease will require a sophisticated approach to studying emotion, which takes into account these various processes and links them to neuroanatomical changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard J Rosen
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Memory and Aging Center, 350 Parnassus Ave., Suite 905, Box 1207, San Francisco, CA 94143-1207, USA.
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Gupta R, Duff MC, Denburg NL, Cohen NJ, Bechara A, Tranel D. Declarative memory is critical for sustained advantageous complex decision-making. Neuropsychologia 2009; 47:1686-93. [PMID: 19397863 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2009.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2008] [Revised: 02/02/2009] [Accepted: 02/03/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have reported conflicting evidence concerning the contribution of declarative memory to advantageous decision-making on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). One study, in which the measurement of psychophysiology during the task necessitated a 10-s delay between card selections, found that six participants with amnesia due to hippocampal damage failed to develop a preference for advantageous decks over disadvantageous decks [Gutbrod, K., Krouzel, C., Hofer, H., Muri, R., Perrig, W., & Ptak, R. (2006). Decision-making in amnesia: Do advantageous decisions require conscious knowledge of previous behavioural choices? Neuropsychologia, 44(8), 1315-1324]. However, a single-case study (where psychophysiology was not measured and no delay between card selections occurred) showed that an amnesic patient developed normal preference for advantageous decks [Turnbull, O. H., & Evans, C. E. (2006). Preserved complex emotion-based learning in amnesia. Neuropsychologia, 44(2), 300-306]. We sought to resolve these discrepant findings by examining IGT performances in five patients with profound amnesia (WMS-III General Memory Index M=63) and bilateral hippocampal damage caused by anoxia (n=4) or herpes simplex encephalitis (n=1). In one administration of the IGT, psychophysiology measurements were utilized and a 6-s delay was interposed between card selections. In a second administration, no delay between card selections was interposed. While age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy comparison participants showed significant learning with a gradual preference for advantageous decks in both conditions, amnesic patients, irrespective of IGT administration condition and extent of medial temporal lobe damage, failed to develop this preference. These findings strongly discount the possibility that the delay between card selections explains why amnesic participants fail to learn in the IGT, and suggest instead a significant role for medial temporal lobe declarative memory systems in the type of complex decision-making tapped by the IGT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupa Gupta
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, United States.
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