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Gholamipourbarogh N, Eggert E, Münchau A, Frings C, Beste C. EEG tensor decomposition delineates neurophysiological principles underlying conflict-modulated action restraint and action cancellation. Neuroimage 2024; 295:120667. [PMID: 38825216 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120667] [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: 04/13/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Executive functions are essential for adaptive behavior. One executive function is the so-called 'interference control' or conflict monitoring another one is inhibitory control (i.e., action restraint and action cancelation). Recent evidence suggests an interplay of these processes, which is conceptually relevant given that newer conceptual frameworks imply that nominally different action/response control processes are explainable by a small set of cognitive and neurophysiological processes. The existence of such overarching neural principles has as yet not directly been examined. In the current study, we therefore use EEG tensor decomposition methods, to look into possible common neurophysiological signatures underlying conflict-modulated action restraint and action cancelation as mechanism underlying response inhibition. We show how conflicts differentially modulate action restraint and action cancelation processes and delineate common and distinct neural processes underlying this interplay. Concerning the spatial information modulations are similar in terms of an importance of processes reflected by parieto-occipital electrodes, suggesting that attentional selection processes play a role. Especially theta and alpha activity seem to play important roles. The data also show that tensor decomposition is sensitive to the manner of task implementation, thereby suggesting that switch probability/transitional probabilities should be taken into consideration when choosing tensor decomposition as analysis method. The study provides a blueprint of how to use tensor decomposition methods to delineate common and distinct neural mechanisms underlying action control functions using EEG data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negin Gholamipourbarogh
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Elena Eggert
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Christian Frings
- Cognitive Psychology, University of Trier, Germany; Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (ICAN), University of Trier, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany.
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2
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Petruo V, Takacs A, Mückschel M, Hommel B, Beste C. Multi-level decoding of task sets in neurophysiological data during cognitive flexibility. iScience 2021; 24:103502. [PMID: 34934921 PMCID: PMC8654636 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive flexibility is essential to achieve higher level goals. Cognitive theories assume that the activation/deactivation of goals and task rules is central to understand cognitive flexibility. However, how this activation/deactivation dynamic is implemented on a neurophysiological level is unclear. Using EEG-based multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) methods, we show that activation of relevant information occurs parallel in time at multiple levels in the neurophysiological signal containing aspects of stimulus-related processing, response selection, and motor response execution, and relates to different brain regions. The intensity with which task sets are activated and processed dynamically decreases and increases. The temporal stability of these activations could, however, hardly explain behavioral performance. Instead, task set deactivation processes associated with left orbitofrontal regions and inferior parietal regions selectively acting on motor response task sets are relevant. The study shows how propositions from cognitive theories stressing the importance task set activation/deactivation during cognitive flexibility are implemented on a neurophysiological level. Stimulus-related, motor, and response selection aspects of task set were decoded Activation of task rule information occurs at multiple neurophysiological levels Activation and deactivation of rule sets contributes to cognitive flexibility
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Petruo
- Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, 3620A McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Adam Takacs
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Schubertstrasse 42, 01309 Dresden, Germany
| | - Moritz Mückschel
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Schubertstrasse 42, 01309 Dresden, Germany
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Schubertstrasse 42, 01309 Dresden, Germany.,Cognitive Psychology Unit & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, C-2-S LIBC P.O. Box 9600, Leiden, Netherlands.,Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Qianfoshan Campus, No. 88 East Wenhua Road, Lixia District, Ji'nan 250014, China
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Schubertstrasse 42, 01309 Dresden, Germany.,Cognitive Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Qianfoshan Campus, No. 88 East Wenhua Road, Lixia District, Ji'nan 250014, China
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Adelhöfer N, Stock AK, Beste C. Anodal tDCS modulates specific processing codes during conflict monitoring associated with superior and middle frontal cortices. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:1335-1351. [PMID: 33656578 PMCID: PMC8036188 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02245-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Conflict monitoring processes are central for cognitive control. Neurophysiological correlates of conflict monitoring (i.e. the N2 ERP) likely represent a mixture of different cognitive processes. Based on theoretical considerations, we hypothesized that effects of anodal tDCS (atDCS) in superior frontal areas affect specific subprocesses in neurophysiological activity during conflict monitoring. To investigate this, young healthy adults performed a Simon task while EEG was recorded. atDCS and sham tDCS were applied in a single-blind, cross-over study design. Using temporal signal decomposition in combination with source localization analyses, we demonstrated that atDCS effects on cognitive control are very specific: the detrimental effect of atDCS on response speed was largest in case of response conflicts. This however only showed in aspects of the decomposed N2 component, reflecting stimulus-response translation processes. In contrast to this, stimulus-related aspects of the N2 as well as purely response-related processes were not modulated by atDCS. EEG source localization analyses revealed that the effect was likely driven by activity modulations in the superior frontal areas, including the supplementary motor cortex (BA6), as well as middle frontal (BA9) and medial frontal areas (BA32). atDCS did not modulate effects of proprioceptive information on hand position, even though this aspect is known to be processed within the same brain areas. Physiological effects of atDCS likely modulate specific aspects of information processing during cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Adelhöfer
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, TU Dresden, Fetscherstrasse 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
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4
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Pscherer C, Bluschke A, Prochnow A, Eggert E, Mückschel M, Beste C. Resting theta activity is associated with specific coding levels in event-related theta activity during conflict monitoring. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:5114-5127. [PMID: 32822109 PMCID: PMC7670648 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain electrical activity in the theta frequency band is essential for cognitive control (e.g., during conflict monitoring), but is also evident in the resting state. The link between resting state theta activity and its relevance for theta-related neural mechanisms during cognitive control is still undetermined. Yet, theoretical considerations suggest that there may be a connection. To examine the link between resting state theta activity and conflict-related theta activity, we combined temporal EEG signal decomposition methods with time-frequency decomposition and beamforming methods in N = 86 healthy participants. Results indicate that resting state theta activity is closely associated with the strength of conflict-related neural activity at the level of ERPs and total theta power (consisting of phase-locked and nonphase-locked aspects of theta activity). The data reveal that resting state theta activity is related to a specific aspect of conflict-related theta activity, mainly in superior frontal regions and in the supplemental motor area (SMA, BA6) in particular. The signal decomposition showed that only stimulus-related, but not motor-response-related coding levels in the EEG signal and the event-related total theta activity were associated with resting theta activity. This specificity of effects may explain why the association between resting state theta activity and overt conflict monitoring performance may not be as strong as often assumed. The results suggest that resting state theta activity is particularly important to consider for input integration processes during cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Pscherer
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryFaculty of Medicineof the TU DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Annet Bluschke
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryFaculty of Medicineof the TU DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Astrid Prochnow
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryFaculty of Medicineof the TU DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Elena Eggert
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryFaculty of Medicineof the TU DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Moritz Mückschel
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryFaculty of Medicineof the TU DresdenDresdenGermany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent PsychiatryFaculty of Medicineof the TU DresdenDresdenGermany
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5
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Lebon F, Ruffino C, Greenhouse I, Labruna L, Ivry RB, Papaxanthis C. The Neural Specificity of Movement Preparation During Actual and Imagined Movements. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:689-700. [PMID: 29309536 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Current theories consider motor imagery, the mental representation of action, to have considerable functional overlap with the processes involved in actual movement preparation and execution. To test the neural specificity of motor imagery, we conducted a series of 3 experiments using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We compared changes in corticospinal excitability as people prepared and implemented actual or imagined movements, using a delayed response task in which a cue indicated the forthcoming response. TMS pulses, used to elicit motor-evoked responses in the first dorsal interosseous muscle of the right hand, were applied before and after an imperative signal, allowing us to probe the state of excitability during movement preparation and implementation. Similar to previous work, excitability increased in the agonist muscle during the implementation of an actual or imagined movement. Interestingly, preparing an imagined movement engaged similar inhibitory processes as that observed during actual movement, although the degree of inhibition was less selective in the imagery conditions. These changes in corticospinal excitability were specific to actual/imagined movement preparation, as no modulation was observed when preparing and generating images of cued visual objects. Taken together, inhibition is a signature of how actions are prepared, whether they are imagined or actually executed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Lebon
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Dijon, France
| | - Célia Ruffino
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Dijon, France
| | - Ian Greenhouse
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ludovica Labruna
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Charalambos Papaxanthis
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Dijon, France
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6
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Vidal F, Burle B, Hasbroucq T. Errors and Action Monitoring: Errare Humanum Est Sed Corrigere Possibile. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 13:453. [PMID: 31998101 PMCID: PMC6962188 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
It was recognized long ago by Seneca through his famous "errare humanum est." that the human information processing system is intrinsically fallible. What is newer is the fact that, at least in sensorimotor information processing realized under time pressure, errors are largely dealt with by several (psycho)physiological-specific mechanisms: prevention, detection, inhibition, correction, and, if these mechanisms finally fail, strategic behavioral adjustments following errors. In this article, we review several datasets from laboratory experiments, showing that the human information processing system is well equipped not only to detect and correct errors when they occur but also to detect, inhibit, and correct them even before they fully develop. We argue that these (psycho)physiological mechanisms are important to consider when the brain works in everyday settings in order to render work systems more resilient to human errors and, thus, safer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Vidal
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC UMR 7291, Marseille, France
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Hadar AA, Lazarovits A, Yarrow K. Increased Motor Cortex Excitability for Concealed Visual Information. J PSYCHOPHYSIOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1027/0269-8803/a000230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Deceptive behavior involves complex neural processes involving the primary motor cortex. The dynamics of this motor cortex excitability prior to lying are still not well understood. We sought to examine whether corticospinal excitability can be used to suggest the presence of deliberately concealed information in a modified version of the guilty knowledge test (GKT). Participants pressed keys to either truthfully or deceitfully indicate their familiarity with a series of faces. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded during response preparation to measure muscle-specific neural excitability. We hypothesized that MEPs would increase during the deceptive condition not only in the lie-telling finger but also in the suppressed truth-telling finger. We report a group-level increase in overall corticospinal excitability 300 ms following stimulus onset during the deceptive condition, without specific activation of the neural representation of the truth-telling finger. We discuss cognitive processes, particularly response conflict and/or automated responses to familiar stimuli, which may drive the observed nonspecific increase of motor excitability in deception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aviad A. Hadar
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Be’er Sheva, Israel
| | - Avi Lazarovits
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben Gurion University, Be’er Sheva, Israel
| | - Kielan Yarrow
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London, UK
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8
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Adelhöfer N, Gohil K, Passow S, Beste C, Li SC. Lateral prefrontal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation augments resolution of auditory perceptual-attentional conflicts. Neuroimage 2019; 199:217-227. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
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9
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Pscherer C, Mückschel M, Summerer L, Bluschke A, Beste C. On the relevance of EEG resting theta activity for the neurophysiological dynamics underlying motor inhibitory control. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:4253-4265. [PMID: 31219652 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The modulation of theta frequency activity plays a major role in inhibitory control processes. However, the relevance of resting theta band activity and of the ability to spontaneously modulate this resting theta activity for neural mechanisms underlying inhibitory control is elusive. Various theoretical conceptions suggest to take these aspects into consideration. In the current study, we examine whether the strength of resting theta band activity or the ability to modulate the resting state theta activity affects response inhibition. We combined EEG-time frequency decomposition and beamforming in a conflict-modulated Go/Nogo task. A sample of N = 66 healthy subjects was investigated. We show that the strength of resting state theta activity modulates the effects of conflicts during motor inhibitory control. Especially when resting theta activity was low, conflicts strongly affected response inhibition performance and total theta band activity during Nogo trials. These effects were associated with theta-related activity differences in the superior (BA7) and inferior parietal cortex (BA40). The results were very specific for total theta band activity since evoked theta activity and measures of intertrial phase coherency (phase-locking factor) were not affected. The data suggest that the strength of resting state theta activity modulates processing of a theta-related alarm or surprise signal during inhibitory control. The ability to voluntarily modulate theta band activity did not affect conflict-modulated inhibitory control. These findings have important implications for approaches aiming to optimize human cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Pscherer
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Moritz Mückschel
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lena Summerer
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Annet Bluschke
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine of the TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Quoilin C, Fievez F, Duque J. Preparatory inhibition: Impact of choice in reaction time tasks. Neuropsychologia 2019; 129:212-222. [PMID: 31015024 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
By applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over primary motor cortex (M1) to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in muscles of the contralateral hand during reaction time (RT) tasks, many studies have reported a strong global suppression of motor excitability during action preparation, a phenomenon called preparatory inhibition. Several hypotheses have been put forward regarding the role of this broad suppression, with the predominant view that it reflects inhibitory processes assisting action selection. However, this assumption is still a matter of debate. Here, we aimed at directly addressing this idea by comparing MEPs in a task that required subjects to select a finger response within a set of predefined options (choice RT task: left or right index finger abduction) or when subjects simply had to provide the same finger response on every trial, in the absence of choice (simple RT task). Moreover, we minimized any effect that could be associated with other forms of inhibition. In both versions of the task, TMS was applied on both M1 (double-coil protocol) at several time points between the go signal and the left or right index finger response, eliciting MEPs bilaterally in the prime mover (index finger agonist) and in an irrelevant muscle (pinky agonist). Overall, MEP suppression was moderate in this study compared to past research; it was only found for the irrelevant muscle. As such, MEPs in the index agonist were facilitated when elicited in a responding hand (e.g. left MEPs preceding left responses) and remained mostly unchanged in a non-responding hand (e.g. left MEPs preceding right responses). In contrast, MEPs were almost always suppressed in the pinky muscle when elicited in the non-responding hand. This finding contrasts with previous studies where preparatory inhibition usually concerns both relevant and irrelevant muscles. Yet importantly, the suppression was more consistent in the choice than in the simple RT task, supporting the view that preparatory inhibition may assist action selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Quoilin
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; Laboratory for Experimental Psychopathology, Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Fanny Fievez
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; Laboratory for Experimental Psychopathology, Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Labruna L, Tischler C, Cazares C, Greenhouse I, Duque J, Lebon F, Ivry RB. Planning face, hand, and leg movements: anatomical constraints on preparatory inhibition. J Neurophysiol 2019; 121:1609-1620. [PMID: 30785815 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00711.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs), elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the motor cortex, are reduced during the preparatory period in delayed response tasks. In this study we examined how MEP suppression varies as a function of the anatomical organization of the motor cortex. MEPs were recorded from a left index muscle while participants prepared a hand or leg movement in experiment 1 or prepared an eye or mouth movement in experiment 2. In this manner, we assessed if the level of MEP suppression in a hand muscle varied as a function of the anatomical distance between the agonist for the forthcoming movement and the muscle targeted by TMS. MEP suppression was attenuated when the cued effector was anatomically distant from the hand (e.g., leg or facial movement compared with finger movement). A similar effect was observed in experiment 3 in which MEPs were recorded from a muscle in the leg and the forthcoming movement involved the upper limb or face. These results demonstrate an important constraint on preparatory inhibition: it is sufficiently broad to be manifest in a muscle that is not involved in the task, but it is not global, showing a marked attenuation when the agonist muscle belongs to a different segment of the body. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we examined changes in corticospinal excitability as people prepared to move. Consistent with previous work, we observed a reduction in excitability during the preparatory period, an effect observed in both task-relevant and task-irrelevant muscles. However, this preparatory inhibition is anatomically constrained, attenuated in muscles belonging to a different body segment than the agonist of the forthcoming movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovica Labruna
- Department of Psychology, University of California , Berkeley, California.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California , Berkeley, California
| | - Claudia Tischler
- Department of Psychology, University of California , Berkeley, California
| | - Christian Cazares
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California , San Diego
| | - Ian Greenhouse
- Department of Human Physiology, University of Oregon , Eugene, Oregon
| | - Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Université catholique de Louvain , Brussels , Belgium
| | - Florent Lebon
- 1INSERM, UMR 1093, Cognition, Action et Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Dijon , France
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California , Berkeley, California.,Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California , Berkeley, California
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12
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Bensmann W, Roessner V, Stock AK, Beste C. Catecholaminergic Modulation of Conflict Control Depends on the Source of Conflicts. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2018; 21:901-909. [PMID: 30016467 PMCID: PMC6165959 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyy063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To display goal-directed behavior, we must be able to resolve response conflicts that arise from processing various distractors. Such conflicts may be triggered by different kinds of distractor stimuli (e.g., priming and flanker stimuli), but it has remained largely unclear whether the functional and neurobiological underpinnings of both conflict types differ. We therefore investigated the functional relevance of the catecholamines dopamine and norepinephrine, which have been shown to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in neuronal processing and should therefore modulate response conflicts. Methods In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study design, we examined the effect of methylphenidate (0.5 mg/kg) on both flanker-induced and priming-induced response conflicts in a group of n=25 healthy young adults. We used EEG recordings to examine event-related potentials in combination with source localization analyses to identify the cognitive-neurophysiological subprocesses and functional neuroanatomical structures modulated by methylphenidate. Results Compared with placebo, methylphenidate decreased flanker conflicts. This was matched by increased congruency effects in the fronto-central N2/P3 event-related potential complex and associated with modulations in the right inferior frontal gyrus. In contrast to this, methylphenidate did not modulate the size of prime-evoked conflicts. Conclusions Our results suggest that catecholamine-driven increases in signal-to-noise ratio and neural gain control do not equally benefit differently evoked conflicts. This supports the hypothesis of an at least partly different neurobiological basis for flanker- and prime-evoked response conflicts. As the right inferior frontal gyrus plays an important role in inhibition, the catecholaminergic system may reduce flanker conflicts by supporting the inhibition of distracting information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiebke Bensmann
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Veit Roessner
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Stock
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, TU Dresden, Germany
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Hinder MR, Puri R, Kemp S, Waitzer S, Reissig P, Stöckel T, Fujiyama H. Distinct modulation of interhemispheric inhibitory mechanisms during movement preparation reveals the influence of cognition on action control. Cortex 2018; 99:13-29. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Revised: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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14
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Dippel G, Mückschel M, Ziemssen T, Beste C. Demands on response inhibition processes determine modulations of theta band activity in superior frontal areas and correlations with pupillometry – Implications for the norepinephrine system during inhibitory control. Neuroimage 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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15
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Duque J, Greenhouse I, Labruna L, Ivry RB. Physiological Markers of Motor Inhibition during Human Behavior. Trends Neurosci 2017; 40:219-236. [PMID: 28341235 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies in humans have shown that many behaviors engage processes that suppress excitability within the corticospinal tract. Inhibition of the motor output pathway has been extensively studied in the context of action stopping, where a planned movement needs to be abruptly aborted. Recent TMS work has also revealed markers of motor inhibition during the preparation of movement. Here, we review the evidence for motor inhibition during action stopping and action preparation, focusing on studies that have used TMS to monitor changes in the excitability of the corticospinal pathway. We discuss how these physiological results have motivated theoretical models of how the brain selects actions, regulates movement initiation and execution, and switches from one state to another.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Ian Greenhouse
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ludovica Labruna
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Richard B Ivry
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Bluschke A, von der Hagen M, Papenhagen K, Roessner V, Beste C. Conflict processing in juvenile patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and healthy controls - Two pathways to success. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2017; 14:499-505. [PMID: 28289600 PMCID: PMC5338893 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2017] [Revised: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is a monogenetic autosomal-dominant disorder with a broad spectrum of clinical symptoms and is commonly associated with cognitive deficits. Patients with NF1 frequently exhibit cognitive impairments like attention problems, working memory deficits and dysfunctional inhibitory control. The latter is also relevant for the resolution of cognitive conflicts. However, it is unclear how conflict monitoring processes are modulated in NF1. To examine this question in more detail, we used a system neurophysiological approach combining high-density ERP recordings with source localisation analyses in juvenile patients with NF1 and controls during a flanker task. Behaviourally, patients with NF1 perform significantly slower than controls. Specifically on trials with incompatible flanker-target pairings, however, the patients with NF1 made significantly fewer errors than healthy controls. Yet, importantly, this overall successful conflict resolution was reached via two different routes in the two groups. The healthy controls seem to arrive at a successful conflict monitoring performance through a developing conflict recognition via the N2 accompanied by a selectively enhanced N450 activation in the case of perceived flanker-target conflicts. The presumed dopamine deficiency in the patients with NF1 seems to result in a reduced ability to process conflicts via the N2. However, NF1 patients show an increased N450 irrespective of cognitive conflict. Activation differences in the orbitofrontal cortex (BA11) and anterior cingulate cortex (BA24) underlie these modulations. Taken together, juvenile patients with NF1 and juvenile healthy controls seem to accomplish conflict monitoring via two different cognitive neurophysiological pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annet Bluschke
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine to the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Maja von der Hagen
- Abteilung Neuropädiatrie, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany
| | - Katharina Papenhagen
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine to the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Veit Roessner
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine to the TU Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine to the TU Dresden, Germany; Experimental Neurobiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Czech Republic, Germany
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Hadar AA, Rowe P, Di Costa S, Jones A, Yarrow K. Motor-evoked potentials reveal a motor-cortical readout of evidence accumulation for sensorimotor decisions. Psychophysiology 2016; 53:1721-1731. [PMID: 27526960 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Many everyday activities require time-pressured sensorimotor decision making. Traditionally, perception, decision, and action processes were considered to occur in series, but this idea has been successfully challenged, particularly by neurophysiological work in animals. However, the generality of parallel processing requires further elucidation. Here, we investigate whether the accumulation of a decision can be observed intrahemispherically within human motor cortex. Participants categorized faces as male or female, with task difficulty manipulated using morphed stimuli. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, applied during the reaction-time interval, produced motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in two hand muscles that were the major contributors when generating the required pinch/grip movements. Smoothing MEPs using a Gaussian kernel allowed us to recover a continuous time-varying MEP average, comparable to an EEG component, permitting precise localization of the time at which the motor plan for the responding muscle became dominant. We demonstrate decision-related activity in the motor cortex during this perceptual discrimination task, suggesting ongoing evidence accumulation within the motor system even for two independent actions represented within one hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aviad A Hadar
- Department of Psychology, City University London, London, UK. .,Department of Life Science, Ben-Gurion University, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
| | - Paula Rowe
- Department of Psychology, City University London, London, UK
| | - Steven Di Costa
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience & Department of Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Kielan Yarrow
- Department of Psychology, City University London, London, UK
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Burle B, van den Wildenberg WPM, Spieser L, Ridderinkhof KR. Preventing (impulsive) errors: Electrophysiological evidence for online inhibitory control over incorrect responses. Psychophysiology 2016; 53:1008-19. [PMID: 27005956 PMCID: PMC4949675 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
In a rich environment, with multiple action affordances, selective action inhibition is critical in preventing the execution of inappropriate responses. Here, we studied the origin and the dynamics of incorrect response inhibition and how it can be modulated by task demands. We used EEG in a conflict task where the probability of compatible and incompatible trials was varied. This allowed us to modulate the strength of the prepotent response, and hence to increase the risk of errors, while keeping the probability of the two responses equal. The correct response activation and execution was not affected by compatibility or by probability. In contrast, incorrect response inhibition in the primary motor cortex ipsilateral to the correct response was more pronounced on incompatible trials, especially in the condition where most of the trials were compatible, indicating a modulation of inhibitory strength within the course of the action. Two prefrontal activities, one medial and one lateral, were also observed before the response, and their potential links with the observed inhibitory pattern observed are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Borís Burle
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC UMR 7291, Marseille, France
| | - Wery P M van den Wildenberg
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain & Cognition (ABC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laure Spieser
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC UMR 7291, Marseille, France
| | - K Richard Ridderinkhof
- Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Amsterdam Brain & Cognition (ABC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Wilhelm E, Quoilin C, Petitjean C, Duque J. A Double-Coil TMS Method to Assess Corticospinal Excitability Changes at a Near-Simultaneous Time in the Two Hands during Movement Preparation. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:88. [PMID: 27014020 PMCID: PMC4779885 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Accepted: 02/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Many previous transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies have investigated corticospinal excitability changes occurring when choosing which hand to use for an action, one of the most frequent decision people make in daily life. So far, these studies have applied single-pulse TMS eliciting motor-evoked potential (MEP) in one hand when this hand is either selected or non-selected. Using such method, hand choices were shown to entail the operation of two inhibitory mechanisms, suppressing MEPs in the targeted hand either when it is non-selected (competition resolution, CR) or selected (impulse control, IC). However, an important limitation of this “Single-Coil” method is that MEPs are elicited in selected and non-selected conditions during separate trials and thus those two settings may not be completely comparable. Moreover, a more important problem is that MEPs are computed in relation to the movement of different hands. The goal of the present study was to test a “Double-Coil” method to evaluate IC and CR preceding the same hand responses by applying Double-Coil TMS over the two primary motor cortices (M1) at a near-simultaneous time (1 ms inter-pulse interval). Methods: MEPs were obtained in the left (MEPLEFT) and right (MEPRIGHT) hands while subjects chose between left and right hand key-presses in blocks using a Single-Coil or a Double-Coil method; in the latter blocks, TMS was either applied over left M1 first (TMSLRM1 group, n = 12) or right M1 first (TMSRLM1 group, n = 12). Results: MEPLEFT were suppressed preceding both left (IC) and right (CR) hand responses whereas MEPRIGHT were only suppressed preceding left (CR) but not right (IC) hand responses. This result was observed regardless of whether Single-Coil or Double-Coil TMS was applied in the two subject groups. However, in the TMSLRM1 group, the MEP suppression was attenuated in Double-Coil compared to Single-Coil blocks for both IC and CR, when probed with MEPLEFT (elicited by the second pulse). Conclusions: Although Double-Coil TMS may be a reliable method to assess bilateral motor excitability provided that a RM1-LM1 pulse order is used, further experiments are required to understand the reduced MEPLEFT changes in Double-Coil blocks when the LM1-RM1 pulse order was used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuelle Wilhelm
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain Brussels, Belgium
| | - Caroline Quoilin
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain Brussels, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Petitjean
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain Brussels, Belgium
| | - Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain Brussels, Belgium
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21
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Abstract
Preparing actions requires the operation of several cognitive control processes that influence the state of the motor system to ensure that the appropriate behavior is ultimately selected and executed. For example, some form of competition resolution ensures that the right action is chosen among alternatives, often in the presence of conflict; at the same time, impulse control ought to be deployed to prevent premature responses. Here we review how state-changes in the human motor system during action preparation can be studied through motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation over the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1). We discuss how the physiological fingerprints afforded by MEPs have helped to decompose some of the dynamic and effector-specific influences on the motor system during action preparation. We focus on competition resolution, conflict and impulse control, as well as on the influence of higher cognitive decision–related variables. The selected examples demonstrate the usefulness of MEPs as physiological readouts for decomposing the influence of distinct, but often overlapping, control processes on the human motor system during action preparation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Bestmann
- Sobell Department for Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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22
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Chmielewski WX, Mückschel M, Roessner V, Beste C. Expectancy effects during response selection modulate attentional selection and inhibitory control networks. Behav Brain Res 2014; 274:53-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2014] [Revised: 07/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Levin O, Fujiyama H, Boisgontier MP, Swinnen SP, Summers JJ. Aging and motor inhibition: a converging perspective provided by brain stimulation and imaging approaches. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 43:100-17. [PMID: 24726575 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2013] [Revised: 03/18/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to inhibit actions, one of the hallmarks of human motor control, appears to decline with advancing age. Evidence for a link between changes in inhibitory functions and poor motor performance in healthy older adults has recently become available with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Overall, these studies indicate that the capacity to modulate intracortical (ICI) and interhemispheric (IHI) inhibition is preserved in high-performing older individuals. In contrast, older individuals exhibiting motor slowing and a declined ability to coordinate movement appear to show a reduced capability to modulate GABA-mediated inhibitory processes. As a decline in the integrity of the GABA-ergic inhibitory processes may emerge due to age-related loss of white and gray matter, a promising direction for future research would be to correlate individual differences in structural and/or functional integrity of principal brain networks with observed changes in inhibitory processes within cortico-cortical, interhemispheric, and/or corticospinal pathways. Finally, we underscore the possible links between reduced inhibitory functions and age-related changes in brain activation patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oron Levin
- KU Leuven Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, Group Biomedical Sciences, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Hakuei Fujiyama
- KU Leuven Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, Group Biomedical Sciences, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; Human Motor Control Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Australia
| | - Matthieu P Boisgontier
- KU Leuven Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, Group Biomedical Sciences, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stephan P Swinnen
- KU Leuven Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, Group Biomedical Sciences, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Leuven Research Institute for Neuroscience & Disease (LIND), 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeffery J Summers
- Human Motor Control Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Australia; Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 5UX United Kingdom
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24
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Praamstra P, Loing AF, de Lange FP. Leakage of decision uncertainty into movement execution in Parkinson's disease? Exp Brain Res 2013; 232:21-30. [PMID: 24091773 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-013-3715-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Accepted: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The concept of segregated basal ganglia-cortical loops entails that functional disturbances may result from abnormal processing within loops, but also from abnormal communication between loops. Cognitive and motor processes subserved by different basal ganglia-frontal loops may interfere with one another as a result of such abnormal communication, leakage, between loops. In Parkinson's disease, movement execution has been found susceptible to decision uncertainty, attributed to this mechanism. Here, we evaluate whether this mechanism of abnormal coupling or leakage extends to perceptual decision-making with trial-by-trial control of decision uncertainty. We examined 10 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and healthy control subjects in a random-dot motion direction discrimination task with concurrent EEG recording. Random-dot motion was manipulated to make direction discrimination easy or difficult. Reaction times (RT) and movement times (MT) were recorded, and EEG was analysed to extract movement-related potentials. Easy versus difficult direction discrimination produced robust, equally large RT differences in patients and controls (>400 ms), along with a marked difference in error rates, confirming the efficacy of the task. Effects of easy versus difficult discrimination on MT were comparatively small (<50 ms) and did not differ between groups, despite robustly slower MT in patients. Lateralised movement-related EEG potentials reproduced the MT difference between patients and controls. Together, the results do not demonstrate an enhanced effect of decision uncertainty onto movement execution in PD. We surmise that leakage of decision uncertainty into movement execution is probably task-dependent, consistent with the view that the degree to which partial information is allowed to influence the motor system is under strategic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Praamstra
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Radboud University Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,
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25
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Cuypers K, Thijs H, Duque J, Swinnen SP, Levin O, Meesen RLJ. Age-related differences in corticospinal excitability during a choice reaction time task. AGE (DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS) 2013; 35:1705-1719. [PMID: 23007962 PMCID: PMC3776102 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-012-9471-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2012] [Accepted: 09/02/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Age-related declines in central processing may affect corticospinal (CS) excitability that underlies the emergence of voluntary responses to external stimuli. We used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the primary motor cortex to explore the evolution of CS excitability in 14 young and ten elderly healthy right-handed participants. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were elicited in the right or left first dorsal interosseus (FDI) during the preparatory and premotor periods of a choice reaction time (CRT) task, which required selection of left or right index finger responses. Both age groups showed significant suppression of CS excitability in the preparatory period. However, suppression was generally less pronounced in older than in young adults. Moreover, our data indicated that a reduced suppression in the right FDI during the preparatory period was associated with longer reaction times (RTs) in older adults only. In the premotor period, both age groups demonstrated comparable facilitation levels towards movement onset. Our findings indicate that increased RTs among older individuals could be directly associated with declines in preparatory processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen Cuypers
- />BIOMED, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, Building C, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- />REVAL Research Institute, PHL University College, Agoralaan, Building A, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- />Motor Control Laboratory, Research Center for Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Herbert Thijs
- />CENSTAT, Center for Statistics, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Julie Duque
- />Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 53, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Stephan P. Swinnen
- />Motor Control Laboratory, Research Center for Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Oron Levin
- />Motor Control Laboratory, Research Center for Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Raf L. J. Meesen
- />BIOMED, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, Building C, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- />REVAL Research Institute, PHL University College, Agoralaan, Building A, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- />Motor Control Laboratory, Research Center for Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
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26
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Duque J, Olivier E, Rushworth M. Top-down inhibitory control exerted by the medial frontal cortex during action selection under conflict. J Cogn Neurosci 2013; 25:1634-48. [PMID: 23662862 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Top-down control is critical to select goal-directed actions in changeable environments, particularly when several conflicting options compete for selection. In humans, this control system is thought to involve an inhibitory mechanism that suppresses the motor representation of unwanted responses to favor selection of the most appropriate action. Here, we aimed to evaluate the role of a region of the medial frontal cortex, the pre-SMA, in this form of inhibition by using a double coil TMS protocol combining repetitive TMS (rTMS) over the pre-SMA and a single-pulse TMS over the primary motor cortex (M1) during a visuomotor task that required participants to choose between a left or right button press according to an imperative cue. M1 stimulation allowed us to assess changes in motor excitability related to selected and nonselected (unwanted) actions, and rTMS was used to produce transient disruption of pre-SMA functioning. We found that when rTMS was applied over pre-SMA, inhibition of the nonselected movement representation was reduced. Importantly, this effect was only observed when the imperative cue produced a substantial amount of competition between the response alternatives. These results are consistent with previous studies pointing to a role of pre-SMA in competition resolution. In addition, our findings indicate that this function of pre-SMA involves the control of inhibitory influences directed at unwanted action representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
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27
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Fujiyama H, Hinder MR, Summers JJ. Functional role of left PMd and left M1 during preparation and execution of left hand movements in older adults. J Neurophysiol 2013; 110:1062-9. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00075.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A disruptive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) approach was used to determine whether the increased frontal activation and reduced hemispheric laterality brain activation patterns observed in older adults during motor tasks play a functional role. Young and older adults abducted their left index finger as soon as possible after a visual imperative signal presented 500 ms after a warning signal. TMS was applied to the dorsal premotor (PMd) or primary motor (M1) cortex in the left or right hemisphere at seven times during response preparation and execution. Both groups exhibited faster reaction times in their left hand after stimulation of the left PMd (i.e., ipsilateral to the responding hand) relative to trials with no TMS, indicating a functional role of the left PMd in the regulation of impulse control. This result also suggests that the function of the left PMd appears to be unaffected by the healthy aging process. Right M1 TMS resulted in a response time delay in both groups. Only for older adults did left M1 stimulation delay responses, suggesting the involvement of ipsilateral motor pathways in the preparation of motor actions in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakuei Fujiyama
- Human Motor Control Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Mark R. Hinder
- Human Motor Control Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Jeffery J. Summers
- Human Motor Control Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
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28
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Klein PA, Petitjean C, Olivier E, Duque J. Top-down suppression of incompatible motor activations during response selection under conflict. Neuroimage 2013; 86:138-49. [PMID: 23939021 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Revised: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Top-down control is critical to select goal-directed actions in changeable environments, particularly when several options compete for selection. This control system is thought to involve a mechanism that suppresses activation of unwanted response representations. We tested this hypothesis, in humans, by measuring motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in a left finger muscle during motor preparation in an adapted Eriksen flanker task. Subjects reported, by a left or right button-press, the orientation of a left- or right-facing central arrow, flanked by two distractor arrows on each side. Central and peripheral arrows either pointed in the same (congruent trial) or in the opposite direction (incongruent trial). Top-down control was manipulated by changing the probability of congruent and incongruent trials in a given block. In the "mostly incongruent" (MI) blocks, 80% of trials were incongruent, producing a context in which subjects strongly anticipated that they would have to face conflict. In the "mostly congruent" (MC) blocks, 80% of trials were congruent and thus subjects barely anticipated conflict in that context. Thus, we assume that top-down control was stronger in the MI than in the MC condition. Accordingly, subjects displayed a lower error rate and shorter reaction times for the incongruent trials in the MI context than for similar trials in the MC context. More interestingly, we found that top-down control specifically reduced activation of the incompatible motor representation during response selection under high conflict. That is, when the central arrow specified a right hand response, left (non-selected) MEPs became smaller in the MI than in the MC condition, but only for incongruent trials, and this measure was positively correlated with performance. In contrast, MEPs elicited in the non-selected hand during congruent trials, or during all trials in which the left hand was selected, tended to increase more after the imperative signal in the MI than the MC condition. Another important observation was that, overall, MEPs were already strongly suppressed at the onset of the imperative signal and that this effect was particularly pronounced in the MI context. Hence, suppression of motor excitability seems to be a key component of conflict resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Charlotte Petitjean
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Etienne Olivier
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Julie Duque
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
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29
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Tandonnet C, Garry MI, Summers JJ. Decision making and action implementation: evidence for an early visually triggered motor activation specific to potential actions. Psychophysiology 2013; 50:701-10. [PMID: 23679153 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2012] [Accepted: 02/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
To make a decision may rely on accumulating evidence in favor of one alternative until a threshold is reached. Sequential-sampling models differ by the way of accumulating evidence and the link with action implementation. Here, we tested a model's prediction of an early action implementation specific to potential actions. We assessed the dynamics of action implementation in go/no-go and between-hand choice tasks by transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex (single- or paired-pulse TMS; 3-ms interstimulus interval). Prior to implementation of the selected action, the amplitude of the motor evoked potential first increased whatever the visual stimulus but only for the hand potentially involved in the to-be-produced action. These findings suggest that visual stimuli can trigger an early motor activation specific to potential actions, consistent with race-like models with continuous transmission between decision making and action implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Tandonnet
- Human Movement and Neuroscience Laboratory, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
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30
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Schlaghecken F, Birak KS, Maylor EA. Age-related deficits in efficiency of low-level lateral inhibition. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:102. [PMID: 22557955 PMCID: PMC3338071 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2012] [Accepted: 04/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: In a masked prime task using a 0 ms prime-target inter-stimulus-interval, responses on trials where prime and target match (compatible trials) are usually faster and more accurate than responses where prime and target mismatch (incompatible trials). This positive compatibility effect (PCE) comprises both behavioral benefits on compatible relative to neutral trials, and behavioral costs on incompatible relative to neutral trials. Comparing performance in 2- vs. 4-alternative-response versions of the task indicates that benefits are due to direct priming (i.e., pre-activation) of a motor response, whereas costs reflect an inhibition of the alternative response tendency. The present study employs this paradigm to test the hypothesis that normal aging is associated with a selective deficit in inhibitory function, affecting both low-level motor and higher-level executive control. Experiment and Results: Testing 20 young and 20 older healthy adults, we found that (1) overall, prime-induced benefits were of similar magnitude across age groups, but inhibition-based costs were smaller in older compared to young adults; (2) increasing the number of response alternatives caused the same pattern of unaltered benefits and reduced costs in both age groups; and (3) costs, but not benefits, in the 2-alternative condition were significantly predicted by scores on the digit symbol substitution task (DSST), independently of age and other background variables. Interpretation: Results demonstrate the possibility of isolating an inhibitory component in low-level perceptuo-motor control. Importantly, this component shows an age-related decline in the absence of a corresponding decline of visuo-motor excitability, and appears to be linked to performance on a higher-level processing speed task. We hypothesize that aging might affect the brain's ability to establish precise short-term lateral inhibitory links, and that even in young adults, the efficiency of such links is a significant contributing factor in higher-level cognitive performance.
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Dissociating the role of prefrontal and premotor cortices in controlling inhibitory mechanisms during motor preparation. J Neurosci 2012; 32:806-16. [PMID: 22262879 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4299-12.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Top-down control processes are critical to select goal-directed actions in flexible environments. In humans, these processes include two inhibitory mechanisms that operate during response selection: one is involved in solving a competition between different response options, the other ensures that a selected response is initiated in a timely manner. Here, we evaluated the role of dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPF) of healthy subjects in these two forms of inhibition by using an innovative transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol combining repetitive TMS (rTMS) over PMd or LPF and a single pulse TMS (sTMS) over primary motor cortex (M1). sTMS over M1 allowed us to assess inhibitory changes in corticospinal excitability, while rTMS was used to produce transient disruption of PMd or LPF. We found that rTMS over LPF reduces inhibition associated with competition resolution, whereas rTMS over PMd decreases inhibition associated with response impulse control. These results emphasize the dissociable contributions of these two frontal regions to inhibitory control during motor preparation. The association of LPF with competition resolution is consistent with the role of this area in relatively abstract aspects of control related to goal maintenance, ensuring that the appropriate response is selected in a variable context. In contrast, the association of PMd with impulse control is consistent with the role of this area in more specific processes related to motor preparation and initiation.
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Fujiyama H, Hinder MR, Schmidt MW, Tandonnet C, Garry MI, Summers JJ. Age-related differences in corticomotor excitability and inhibitory processes during a visuomotor RT task. J Cogn Neurosci 2012; 24:1253-63. [PMID: 22288391 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
This study tested the postulation that change in the ability to modulate corticospinal excitability and inhibitory processes underlie age-related differences in response preparation and generation during tasks requiring either rapid execution of a motor action or actively withholding that same action. Younger (n = 13, mean age = 26.0 years) and older adults (n = 13, mean age = 65.5 years) performed an RT task in which a warning signal (WS) was followed by an imperative signal (IS) to which participants were required to respond with a rapid flexion of the right thumb (go condition) or withhold their response (no-go condition). We explored the neural correlates of response preparation, generation, and inhibition using single- and paired-pulse TMS, which was administered at various times between WS and IS (response preparation phase) and between IS and onset of response-related muscle activity in the right thumb (response generation phase). Both groups exhibited increases in motor-evoked potential amplitudes (relative to WS onset) during response generation; however, this increase began earlier and was more pronounced for the younger adults in the go condition. Moreover, younger adults showed a general decrease in short-interval intracortical inhibition during response preparation in both the go and no-go conditions, which was not observed in older adults. Importantly, correlation analysis suggested that for older adults the task-related increases of corticospinal excitability and intracortical inhibition were associated with faster RT. We propose that the declined ability to functionally modulate corticospinal activity with advancing age may underlie response slowing in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakuei Fujiyama
- School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
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Miller J. Selection and preparation of hand and foot movements: Cz activity as a marker of limb system preparation. Psychophysiology 2012; 49:590-603. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01338.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeff Miller
- Department of Psychology; University of Otago; Dunedin; New Zealand
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Tandonnet C, Davranche K, Meynier C, Burle B, Vidal F, Hasbroucq T. How does temporal preparation speed up response implementation in choice tasks? Evidence for an early cortical activation. Psychophysiology 2011; 49:252-60. [PMID: 22092144 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01301.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2011] [Accepted: 08/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the influence of temporal preparation on information processing. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex was delivered during a between-hand choice task. The time interval between the warning and the imperative stimulus varied across blocks of trials was either optimal (500 ms) or nonoptimal (2500 ms) for participants' performance. Silent period duration was shorter prior to the first evidence of response selection for the optimal condition. Amplitude of the motor evoked potential specific to the responding hand increased earlier for the optimal condition. These results revealed an early release of cortical inhibition and a faster integration of the response selection-related inputs to the corticospinal pathway when temporal preparation is better. Temporal preparation may induce cortical activation prior to response selection that speeds up the implementation of the selected response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Tandonnet
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition, Aix-Marseille Université and Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Marseille, France.
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