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Yuk V, Urbain C, Anagnostou E, Taylor MJ. Frontoparietal Network Connectivity During an N-Back Task in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:551808. [PMID: 33033481 PMCID: PMC7509600 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.551808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short-term and working memory (STM and WM) deficits have been demonstrated in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and may emerge through atypical functional activity and connectivity of the frontoparietal network, which exerts top-down control necessary for successful STM and WM processes. Little is known regarding the spectral properties of the frontoparietal network during STM or WM processes in ASD, although certain neural frequencies have been linked to specific neural mechanisms. METHODS We analysed magnetoencephalographic data from 39 control adults (26 males; 27.15 ± 5.91 years old) and 40 adults with ASD (26 males; 27.17 ± 6.27 years old) during a 1-back condition (STM) of an n-back task, and from a subset of this sample during a 2-back condition (WM). We performed seed-based connectivity analyses using regions of the frontoparietal network. Interregional synchrony in theta, alpha, and beta bands was assessed with the phase difference derivative and compared between groups during periods of maintenance and recognition. RESULTS During maintenance of newly presented vs. repeated stimuli, the two groups did not differ significantly in theta, alpha, or beta phase synchrony for either condition. Adults with ASD showed alpha-band synchrony in a network containing the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral inferior parietal lobules (IPL), and precuneus in both 1- and 2-back tasks, whereas controls demonstrated alpha-band synchrony in a sparser set of regions, including the left insula and IPL, in only the 1-back task. During recognition of repeated vs. newly presented stimuli, adults with ASD exhibited decreased theta-band connectivity compared to controls in a network with hubs in the right inferior frontal gyrus and left IPL in the 1-back condition. Whilst there were no group differences in connectivity in the 2-back condition, adults with ASD showed no frontoparietal network recruitment during recognition, whilst controls activated networks in the theta and beta bands. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that since adults with ASD performed well on the n-back task, their appropriate, but effortful recruitment of alpha-band mechanisms in the frontoparietal network to maintain items in STM and WM may compensate for atypical modulation of this network in the theta band to recognise previously presented items in STM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Yuk
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Charline Urbain
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group, Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences and ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium.,Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Hirsch S, Belanger HG, Levin H, S Eggleston B, Wilde EA, McDonald SD, Brearly TW, Tate DF. Exploring the factor structure of a battery of neuropsychological assessments among the CENC cohort. Brain Inj 2018; 32:1226-1235. [PMID: 29985676 DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2018.1492738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The goal of the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC) study is to explore the effects of concussions among Service Members and Veterans. A factor model was fit to selected neuropsychological measures to identify potentially useful relationships between assessments collected on CENC-enrolled participants. METHOD 492 post-9/11 participants with combat exposure were enrolled across four VA study sites. Participants completed assessments including concussion history, neurocognitive functioning, and self-report questionnaires. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) using four different methods with varimax and promax rotations were used to analyse the cognitive variables. Final model selection was based on factor loadings towards simple structure. RESULTS The scree plot suggested the number of factors to be extracted was between 4 and 5. EFA produced a 5-factor MINRES model with promax rotation that resulted in a factor loading with variables loading on only one factor with a predefined threshold (0.40). Variables loaded on five cognition domains: list learning, working memory/executive skills, cognitive control, fluency, and memory. CONCLUSION These results provide reasonable evidence that data collected from the CENC neuropsychological battery can be reduced to five clinically useful factors. This will enable us to use the factors for further study of the impact of concussion on neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather G Belanger
- b James A. Haley VA Medical Center; University of South Florida , Tampa , FL, USA
| | - Harvey Levin
- c Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , TX, USA
| | | | - Elisabeth A Wilde
- c Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine , Houston , TX, USA.,d University of Utah , Salt Lake City , UT, USA
| | | | - Timothy W Brearly
- f Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA; W. G. "Bill" Hefner VA Medical Center , Salisbury , NC, USA
| | - David F Tate
- g Missouri Institute of Mental Health, University of Missouri-St Louis, MO, USA
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Wills KM, Liu J, Hakun J, Zhu DC, Hazeltine E, Ravizza SM. Neural Mechanisms for the Benefits of Stimulus-Driven Attention. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:5294-5302. [PMID: 28334189 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Stimulus-driven attention can improve working memory (WM) when drawn to behaviorally relevant information, but the neural mechanisms underlying this effect are unclear. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test competing hypotheses regarding the nature of the benefits of stimulus-driven attention to WM: that stimulus-driven attention benefits WM directly via salience detection, that stimulus-driven attention benefits WM incidentally via cognitive control mechanisms recruited to reduce interference from salient features, or that both mechanisms are co-involved in enhancing WM for salient information. To test these hypotheses, we observed activation in brain regions associated with cognitive control and salience detection. We found 2 cognitive control regions that were associated with enhanced memory for salient stimuli: a region in the right superior parietal lobule and a region in the right inferior frontal junction. No regions associated with salience detection were found to show this effect. These fMRI results support the hypothesis that benefits to WM from stimulus-driven attention occur primarily as a result of cognitive control and top-down factors rather than pure bottom-up aspects of stimulus-driven attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn M Wills
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jingtai Liu
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jonathan Hakun
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USA
| | - David C Zhu
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.,Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Eliot Hazeltine
- Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Susan M Ravizza
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Conflicting demands of abstract and specific visual object processing resolved by frontoparietal networks. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2017; 16:502-15. [PMID: 26883940 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-016-0409-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Object categorization and exemplar identification place conflicting demands on the visual system, yet humans easily perform these fundamentally contradictory tasks. Previous studies suggest the existence of dissociable visual processing subsystems to accomplish the two abilities-an abstract category (AC) subsystem that operates effectively in the left hemisphere and a specific exemplar (SE) subsystem that operates effectively in the right hemisphere. This multiple subsystems theory explains a range of visual abilities, but previous studies have not explored what mechanisms exist for coordinating the function of multiple subsystems and/or resolving the conflicts that would arise between them. We collected functional MRI data while participants performed two variants of a cue-probe working memory task that required AC or SE processing. During the maintenance phase of the task, the bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS) exhibited hemispheric asymmetries in functional connectivity consistent with exerting proactive control over the two visual subsystems: greater connectivity to the left hemisphere during the AC task, and greater connectivity to the right hemisphere during the SE task. Moreover, probe-evoked activation revealed activity in a broad frontoparietal network (containing IPS) associated with reactive control when the two visual subsystems were in conflict, and variations in this conflict signal across trials was related to the visual similarity of the cue-probe stimulus pairs. Although many studies have confirmed the existence of multiple visual processing subsystems, this study is the first to identify the mechanisms responsible for coordinating their operations.
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Pecchinenda A, Petrucci M. Emotion Unchained: Facial Expression Modulates Gaze Cueing under Cognitive Load. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168111. [PMID: 27959925 PMCID: PMC5154609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Direction of eye gaze cues spatial attention, and typically this cueing effect is not modulated by the expression of a face unless top-down processes are explicitly or implicitly involved. To investigate the role of cognitive control on gaze cueing by emotional faces, participants performed a gaze cueing task with happy, angry, or neutral faces under high (i.e., counting backward by 7) or low cognitive load (i.e., counting forward by 2). Results show that high cognitive load enhances gaze cueing effects for angry facial expressions. In addition, cognitive load reduces gaze cueing for neutral faces, whereas happy facial expressions and gaze affected object preferences regardless of load. This evidence clearly indicates a differential role of cognitive control in processing gaze direction and facial expression, suggesting that under typical conditions, when we shift attention based on social cues from another person, cognitive control processes are used to reduce interference from emotional information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Pecchinenda
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Manuel Petrucci
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Wei W, Wang XJ. Inhibitory Control in the Cortico-Basal Ganglia-Thalamocortical Loop: Complex Regulation and Interplay with Memory and Decision Processes. Neuron 2016; 92:1093-1105. [PMID: 27866799 PMCID: PMC5193098 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Revised: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
We developed a circuit model of spiking neurons that includes multiple pathways in the basal ganglia (BG) and is endowed with feedback mechanisms at three levels: cortical microcircuit, corticothalamic loop, and cortico-BG-thalamocortical system. We focused on executive control in a stop signal task, which is known to depend on BG across species. The model reproduces a range of experimental observations and shows that the newly discovered feedback projection from external globus pallidus to striatum is crucial for inhibitory control. Moreover, stopping process is enhanced by the cortico-subcortical reverberatory dynamics underlying persistent activity, establishing interdependence between working memory and inhibitory control. Surprisingly, the stop signal reaction time (SSRT) can be adjusted by weights of certain connections but is insensitive to other connections in this complex circuit, suggesting novel circuit-based intervention for inhibitory control deficits associated with mental illness. Our model provides a unified framework for inhibitory control, decision making, and working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wei
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Xiao-Jing Wang
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA; NYU-ECNU Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, NYU Shanghai, 200122 Shanghai, China.
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Petrucci M, Pecchinenda A. The role of cognitive control mechanisms in selective attention towards emotional stimuli. Cogn Emot 2016; 31:1480-1492. [DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2016.1233861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Petrucci
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Pecchinenda
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Plewnia C, Schroeder PA, Wolkenstein L. Targeting the biased brain: non-invasive brain stimulation to ameliorate cognitive control. Lancet Psychiatry 2015; 2:351-6. [PMID: 26360088 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(15)00056-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation has become important for the investigation of healthy and impaired neuronal functioning. Moreover, non-invasive brain stimulation has emerged as a new means of psychiatric treatment, although the mechanisms of action are still not understood and the optimal mode of application is still under development. Dysfunctional cognitive control is a central characteristic of various psychiatric disorders and is associated with dysregulations of prefrontal cortex activity and biased information processing. With non-invasive brain stimulation, enhancement and reduction of prefrontal cortex activity were shown to ameliorate and impair cognitive control, respectively. These findings suggest a neurocognitive mechanism of therapeutic effects and that non-invasive brain stimulation can be combined with training to target dysfunctional cognitive control and related clinical symptomatology. Nevertheless, the intra-individual and inter-individual diversity of neurocognitive processes, the multiplicity of possible stimulation parameters, and the complexity of interactions between those factors pose considerable challenges for interpretation of these findings and their clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Plewnia
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Neurophysiology & Interventional Neuropsychiatry, University of Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Philipp A Schroeder
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Neurophysiology & Interventional Neuropsychiatry, University of Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Larissa Wolkenstein
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Harding IH, Yücel M, Harrison BJ, Pantelis C, Breakspear M. Effective connectivity within the frontoparietal control network differentiates cognitive control and working memory. Neuroimage 2014; 106:144-53. [PMID: 25463464 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2014] [Revised: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive control and working memory rely upon a common fronto-parietal network that includes the inferior frontal junction (IFJ), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), pre-supplementary motor area/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (pSMA/dACC), and intraparietal sulcus (IPS). This network is able to flexibly adapt its function in response to changing behavioral goals, mediating a wide range of cognitive demands. Here we apply dynamic causal modeling to functional magnetic resonance imaging data to characterize task-related alterations in the strength of network interactions across distinct cognitive processes. Evidence in favor of task-related connectivity dynamics was accrued across a very large space of possible network structures. Cognitive control and working memory demands were manipulated using a factorial combination of the multi-source interference task and a verbal 2-back working memory task, respectively. Both were found to alter the sensitivity of the IFJ to perceptual information, and to increase IFJ-to-pSMA/dACC connectivity. In contrast, increased connectivity from the pSMA/dACC to the IPS, as well as from the dlPFC to the IFJ, was uniquely driven by cognitive control demands; a task-induced negative influence of the dlPFC on the pSMA/dACC was specific to working memory demands. These results reflect a system of both shared and unique context-dependent dynamics within the fronto-parietal network. Mechanisms supporting cognitive engagement, response selection, and action evaluation may be shared across cognitive domains, while dynamic updating of task and context representations within this network are potentially specific to changing demands on cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian H Harding
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia; Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Murat Yücel
- Monash Clinical and Imaging Neuroscience, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ben J Harrison
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne & Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Michael Breakspear
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Metro North Mental Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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