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Elmers J, Yu S, Talebi N, Prochnow A, Beste C. Neurophysiological effective network connectivity supports a threshold-dependent management of dynamic working memory gating. iScience 2024; 27:109521. [PMID: 38591012 PMCID: PMC11000016 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109521] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
To facilitate goal-directed actions, effective management of working memory (WM) is crucial, involving a hypothesized WM "gating mechanism." We investigate the underlying neural basis through behavioral modeling and connectivity assessments between neuroanatomical regions linked to theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. We found opposing, threshold-dependent mechanisms governing WM gate opening and closing. Directed beta band connectivity in the parieto-frontal and parahippocampal-occipital networks was crucial for threshold-dependent WM gating dynamics. Fronto-parahippocampal connectivity in the theta band was also notable for both gating processes, although weaker than that in the beta band. Distinct roles for theta, beta, and alpha bands emerge in maintaining information in WM and shielding against interference, whereby alpha band activity likely acts as a "gatekeeper" supporting processes reflected by beta and theta band activity. The study shows that the decision criterion for WM gate opening/closing relies on concerted interplay within neuroanatomical networks defined by beta and theta band activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Elmers
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Shijing Yu
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nasibeh Talebi
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Astrid Prochnow
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Yu S, Konjusha A, Ziemssen T, Beste C. Inhibitory control in WM gate-opening: Insights from alpha desynchronization and norepinephrine activity under atDCS stimulation. Neuroimage 2024; 289:120541. [PMID: 38360384 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120541] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Our everyday activities require the maintenance and continuous updating of information in working memory (WM). To control this dynamic, WM gating mechanisms have been suggested to be in place, but the neurophysiological mechanisms behind these processes are far from being understood. This is especially the case when it comes to the role of oscillatory neural activity. In the current study we combined EEG recordings, and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) and pupil diameter recordings to triangulate neurophysiology, functional neuroanatomy and neurobiology. The results revealed that atDCS, compared to sham stimulation, affected the WM gate opening mechanism, but not the WM gate closing mechanism. The altered behavioral performance was associated with specific changes in alpha band activities (reflected by alpha desynchronization), indicating a role for inhibitory control during WM gate opening. Functionally, the left superior and inferior parietal cortices, were associated with these processes. The findings are the first to show a causal relevance of alpha desynchronization processes in WM gating processes. Notably, pupil diameter recordings as an indirect index of the norepinephrine (NE) system activity revealed that individuals with stronger inhibitory control (as indexed through alpha desynchronization) showed less pupil dilation, suggesting they needed less NE activity to support WM gate opening. However, when atDCS was applied, this connection disappeared. The study suggests a close link between inhibitory controlled WM gating in parietal cortices, alpha band dynamics and the NE system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijing Yu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, Dresden 01307, Germany.
| | - Anyla Konjusha
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Tjalf Ziemssen
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Cognitive Neurophysiology, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, Dresden 01307, Germany; Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
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Csizmadia P, Nagy B, Kővári L, Gaál ZA. Exploring the role of working memory gate opening process in creativity: An ERP study using the reference-back paradigm. Biol Psychol 2024; 187:108765. [PMID: 38417665 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108765] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
We investigated the relationship between the gate opening process of working memory and an individual's proficiency in divergent (DT) and convergent thinking (CT) using the reference-back paradigm. Event-related potentials and reaction times were measured across groups with varying DT (N = 40, 27.35 ± 5.05 years) and CT levels (N = 40, 27.88 ± 4.95 years). Based on the role of striatal dopamine in supporting cognitive flexibility, which facilitates DT, and considering the significance of phasic dopamine activity as the gate opening signal originating from the basal ganglia, we assumed that the gate opening process may contribute differently to DT and CT. Despite the absence of behavioural differences in gate opening costs, distinct neural patterns emerged. In the early time windows (P1, N1), gate opening effects were detected in both DT and CT groups, with a notable interaction influenced by the level of DT, resulting in significant effects within the lower DT group. The P2 component showed a gate opening effect only in the higher DT group. In the P3 time window, the process unfolded comparably in all groups. Our results suggest that groups with different levels of convergent thinking (based on Matrix reasoning) and those with lower DT (based on Creativity Index) tend to select and activate the prefrontal cortex representation containing the required task information at an earlier stage, compared to those with better DT. This could be beneficial especially in the early phase of idea generation, as more elements become available to create associations and original ideas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Csizmadia
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., H-1117 Budapest, Hungary; Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Boglárka Nagy
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., H-1117 Budapest, Hungary; Department of Cognitive Science, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lili Kővári
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., H-1117 Budapest, Hungary; Doctoral School of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Kazinczy utca 23-27., H-1075 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsófia Anna Gaál
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2., H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
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Pan L, Wang J, Wu W, Wang Y, Zhu Y, Song Y. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves working memory in temporal lobe epilepsy: A randomized double-blind study. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14395. [PMID: 37553557 PMCID: PMC10848055 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS This study investigated the impact of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on working memory (WM) in refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (rTLE) and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS In this randomized double-blind study, 28 rTLE patients were subjected to an active or sham taVNS (a/s-taVNS) protocol for 20 weeks (a-taVNS group, n = 19; s-ta VNS group, n = 9). Patients performed visual WM tasks during stimulation and neural oscillations were simultaneously recorded by 19-channel electroencephalography. RESULTS Compared with the baseline state, reaction time was significantly shorter after 20 weeks of taVNS in the a-taVNS group (p = 0.010), whereas no difference was observed in the s-taVNS group (p > 0.05). The power spectral density (PSD) of the theta frequency band in the Fz channel decreased significantly after a-taVNS during WM-encoding (p = 0.020), maintenance (p = 0.038), and retrieval (p = 0.039) phases, but not in the s-taVNS group (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Neural oscillations during WM were altered by taVNS and WM performance was improved. Alterations in frontal midline theta oscillations may be a marker for the effect of taVNS on cognitive regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Pan
- General Medicine DepartmentTianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjinChina
| | - Jiajing Wang
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases HospitalChinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeTianjinChina
- Tianjin Medical UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Wenjuan Wu
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and TechnologyLuoyangChina
| | | | | | - Yijun Song
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases HospitalChinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeTianjinChina
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Konjusha A, Yu S, Mückschel M, Colzato L, Ziemssen T, Beste C. Auricular Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Specifically Enhances Working Memory Gate Closing Mechanism: A System Neurophysiological Study. J Neurosci 2023; 43:4709-4724. [PMID: 37221097 PMCID: PMC10286950 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2004-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Everyday tasks and goal-directed behavior involve the maintenance and continuous updating of information in working memory (WM). WM gating reflects switches between these two core states. Neurobiological considerations suggest that the catecholaminergic and the GABAergic are likely involved in these dynamics. Both of these neurotransmitter systems likely underlie the effects to auricular transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (atVNS). We examine the effects of atVNS on WM gating dynamics and their underlying neurophysiological and neurobiological processes in a randomized crossover study design in healthy humans of both sexes. We show that atVNS specifically modulates WM gate closing and thus specifically modulates neural mechanisms enabling the maintenance of information in WM. WM gate opening processes were not affected. atVNS modulates WM gate closing processes through the modulation of EEG alpha band activity. This was the case for clusters of activity in the EEG signal referring to stimulus information, motor response information, and fractions of information carrying stimulus-response mapping rules during WM gate closing. EEG-beamforming shows that modulations of activity in fronto-polar, orbital, and inferior parietal regions are associated with these effects. The data suggest that these effects are not because of modulations of the catecholaminergic (noradrenaline) system as indicated by lack of modulatory effects in pupil diameter dynamics, in the inter-relation of EEG and pupil diameter dynamics and saliva markers of noradrenaline activity. Considering other findings, it appears that a central effect of atVNS during cognitive processing refers to the stabilization of information in neural circuits, putatively mediated via the GABAergic system.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Goal-directed behavior depends on how well information in short-term memory can be flexibly updated but also on how well it can be shielded from distraction. These two functions were guarded by a working memory gate. We show how an increasingly popular brain stimulation techniques specifically enhances the ability to close the working memory gate to shield information from distraction. We show what physiological and anatomic aspects underlie these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anyla Konjusha
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Shijing Yu
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Moritz Mückschel
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Lorenza Colzato
- Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Tjalf Ziemssen
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, MS Centre, TU Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Dresden 01307, Germany
- Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
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Yu S, Stock AK, Münchau A, Frings C, Beste C. Neurophysiological principles of inhibitory control processes during cognitive flexibility. Cereb Cortex 2023:6969136. [PMID: 36610732 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac532] [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: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory control plays an indispensable role in cognitive flexibility. Nevertheless, the neurophysiological principles underlying this are incompletely understood. This owes to the fact that the representational dynamics, as coded in oscillatory neural activity of different frequency bands has not been considered until now-despite being of conceptual relevance. Moreover, it is unclear in how far distinct functional neuroanatomical regions are concomitantly involved in the processing of representational dynamics. We examine these questions using a combination of EEG methods. We show that theta-band activity plays an essential role for inhibitory control processes during cognitive flexibility across informational aspects coded in distinct fractions of the neurophysiological signal. It is shown that posterior parietal structures and the inferior parietal cortex seem to be the most important cortical region for inhibitory control processes during cognitive flexibility. Theta-band activity plays an essential role in processes of retrieving the previously inhibited representations related to the current task during cognitive flexibility. The representational content relevant for inhibitory processes during cognitive flexibility is coded in the theta frequency band. We outline how the observed neural mechanisms inform recent overarching cognitive frameworks on how flexible action control is accomplished.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijing Yu
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Sachsen 01187, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Sachsen 01187, Germany
| | - Alexander Münchau
- Institute of Systems Motor Science, University of Lübeck, Lübeck 23562, Germany
| | | | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Sachsen 01187, Germany
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A ventral stream-prefrontal cortex processing cascade enables working memory gating dynamics. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1086. [PMID: 36224253 PMCID: PMC9556714 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04048-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The representation of incoming information, goals and the flexible processing of these are required for cognitive control. Efficient mechanisms are needed to decide when it is important that novel information enters working memory (WM) and when these WM 'gates' have to be closed. Compared to neural foundations of maintaining information in WM, considerably less is known about what neural mechanisms underlie the representational dynamics during WM gating. Using different EEG analysis methods, we trace the path of mental representations along the human cortex during WM gate opening and closing. We show temporally nested representational dynamics during WM gate opening and closing depending on multiple independent neural activity profiles. These activity profiles are attributable to a ventral stream-prefrontal cortex processing cascade. The representational dynamics start in the ventral stream during WM gate opening and WM gate closing before prefrontal cortical regions are modulated. A regional specific activity profile is shown within the prefrontal cortex depending on whether WM gates are opened or closed, matching overarching concepts of prefrontal cortex functions. The study closes an essential conceptual gap detailing the neural dynamics underlying how mental representations drive the WM gate to open or close to enable WM functions such as updating and maintenance.
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