1
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Kern S, Nagel J, Gerchen MF, Gürsoy Ç, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Kirsch P, Dolan RJ, Gais S, Feld GB. Reactivation strength during cued recall is modulated by graph distance within cognitive maps. eLife 2024; 12:RP93357. [PMID: 38810249 PMCID: PMC11136493 DOI: 10.7554/elife.93357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Declarative memory retrieval is thought to involve reinstatement of neuronal activity patterns elicited and encoded during a prior learning episode. Furthermore, it is suggested that two mechanisms operate during reinstatement, dependent on task demands: individual memory items can be reactivated simultaneously as a clustered occurrence or, alternatively, replayed sequentially as temporally separate instances. In the current study, participants learned associations between images that were embedded in a directed graph network and retained this information over a brief 8 min consolidation period. During a subsequent cued recall session, participants retrieved the learned information while undergoing magnetoencephalographic recording. Using a trained stimulus decoder, we found evidence for clustered reactivation of learned material. Reactivation strength of individual items during clustered reactivation decreased as a function of increasing graph distance, an ordering present solely for successful retrieval but not for retrieval failure. In line with previous research, we found evidence that sequential replay was dependent on retrieval performance and was most evident in low performers. The results provide evidence for distinct performance-dependent retrieval mechanisms, with graded clustered reactivation emerging as a plausible mechanism to search within abstract cognitive maps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Kern
- Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Addiction Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
| | - Juliane Nagel
- Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Addiction Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
| | - Martin F Gerchen
- Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Department of Psychology, Ruprecht Karl University of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Heidelberg/MannheimMannheimGermany
| | - Çağatay Gürsoy
- Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Addiction Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Heidelberg/MannheimMannheimGermany
| | - Peter Kirsch
- Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Department of Psychology, Ruprecht Karl University of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Heidelberg/MannheimMannheimGermany
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchLondonUnited Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Steffen Gais
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, Eberhard-Karls-University TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Gordon B Feld
- Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Addiction Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergMannheimGermany
- Department of Psychology, Ruprecht Karl University of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
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2
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Russek EM, Moran R, Liu Y, Dolan RJ, Huys QJM. Heuristics in risky decision-making relate to preferential representation of information. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4269. [PMID: 38769095 PMCID: PMC11106265 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48547-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
When making choices, individuals differ from one another, as well as from normativity, in how they weigh different types of information. One explanation for this relates to idiosyncratic preferences in what information individuals represent when evaluating choice options. Here, we test this explanation with a simple risky-decision making task, combined with magnetoencephalography (MEG). We examine the relationship between individual differences in behavioral markers of information weighting and neural representation of stimuli pertinent to incorporating that information. We find that the extent to which individuals (N = 19) behaviorally weight probability versus reward information is related to how preferentially they neurally represent stimuli most informative for making probability and reward comparisons. These results are further validated in an additional behavioral experiment (N = 88) that measures stimulus representation as the latency of perceptual detection following priming. Overall, the results suggest that differences in the information individuals consider during choice relate to their risk-taking tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan M Russek
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
- Departments of Computer Science and Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Rani Moran
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Department of Psychology, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Yunzhe Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Quentin J M Huys
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
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3
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Wise T, Charpentier CJ, Dayan P, Mobbs D. Interactive cognitive maps support flexible behavior under threat. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113008. [PMID: 37610871 PMCID: PMC10658881 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In social environments, survival can depend upon inferring and adapting to other agents' goal-directed behavior. However, it remains unclear how humans achieve this, despite the fact that many decisions must account for complex, dynamic agents acting according to their own goals. Here, we use a predator-prey task (total n = 510) to demonstrate that humans exploit an interactive cognitive map of the social environment to infer other agents' preferences and simulate their future behavior, providing for flexible, generalizable responses. A model-based inverse reinforcement learning model explained participants' inferences about threatening agents' preferences, with participants using this inferred knowledge to enact generalizable, model-based behavioral responses. Using tree-search planning models, we then found that behavior was best explained by a planning algorithm that incorporated simulations of the threat's goal-directed behavior. Our results indicate that humans use a cognitive map to determine other agents' preferences, facilitating generalized predictions of their behavior and effective responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Wise
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Caroline J Charpentier
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Brain and Behavior Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Peter Dayan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany; University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dean Mobbs
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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4
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McFadyen J, Dolan RJ. Spatiotemporal Precision of Neuroimaging in Psychiatry. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:671-680. [PMID: 36376110 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Aberrant patterns of cognition, perception, and behavior seen in psychiatric disorders are thought to be driven by a complex interplay of neural processes that evolve at a rapid temporal scale. Understanding these dynamic processes in vivo in humans has been hampered by a trade-off between spatial and temporal resolutions inherent to current neuroimaging technology. A recent trend in psychiatric research has been the use of high temporal resolution imaging, particularly magnetoencephalography, often in conjunction with sophisticated machine learning decoding techniques. Developments here promise novel insights into the spatiotemporal dynamics of cognitive phenomena, including domains relevant to psychiatric illnesses such as reward and avoidance learning, memory, and planning. This review considers recent advances afforded by exploiting this increased spatiotemporal precision, with specific reference to applications that seek to drive a mechanistic understanding of psychopathology and the realization of preclinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica McFadyen
- UCL Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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5
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Wise T, Robinson OJ, Gillan CM. Identifying Transdiagnostic Mechanisms in Mental Health Using Computational Factor Modeling. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:690-703. [PMID: 36725393 PMCID: PMC10017264 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Most psychiatric disorders do not occur in isolation, and most psychiatric symptom dimensions are not uniquely expressed within a single diagnostic category. Current treatments fail to work for around 25% to 40% of individuals, perhaps due at least in part to an overreliance on diagnostic categories in treatment development and allocation. In this review, we describe ongoing efforts in the field to surmount these challenges and precisely characterize psychiatric symptom dimensions using large-scale studies of unselected samples via remote, online, and "citizen science" efforts that take a dimensional, mechanistic approach. We discuss the importance that efforts to identify meaningful psychiatric dimensions be coupled with careful computational modeling to formally specify, test, and potentially falsify candidate mechanisms that underlie transdiagnostic symptom dimensions. We refer to this approach, i.e., where symptom dimensions are identified and validated against computationally well-defined neurocognitive processes, as computational factor modeling. We describe in detail some recent applications of this method to understand transdiagnostic cognitive processes that include model-based planning, metacognition, appetitive processing, and uncertainty estimation. In this context, we highlight how computational factor modeling has been used to identify specific associations between cognition and symptom dimensions and reveal previously obscured relationships, how findings generalize to smaller in-person clinical and nonclinical samples, and how the method is being adapted and optimized beyond its original instantiation. Crucially, we discuss next steps for this area of research, highlighting the value of more direct investigations of treatment response that bridge the gap between basic research and the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Wise
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver J Robinson
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Research Department of Clinical Education and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claire M Gillan
- School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland; Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
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6
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McFadyen J, Liu Y, Dolan RJ. Differential replay of reward and punishment paths predicts approach and avoidance. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:627-637. [PMID: 37020116 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01287-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Neural replay is implicated in planning, where states relevant to a task goal are rapidly reactivated in sequence. It remains unclear whether, during planning, replay relates to an actual prospective choice. Here, using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we studied replay in human participants while they planned to either approach or avoid an uncertain environment containing paths leading to reward or punishment. We find evidence for forward sequential replay during planning, with rapid state-to-state transitions from 20 to 90 ms. Replay of rewarding paths was boosted, relative to aversive paths, before a decision to avoid and attenuated before a decision to approach. A trial-by-trial bias toward replaying prospective punishing paths predicted irrational decisions to approach riskier environments, an effect more pronounced in participants with higher trait anxiety. The findings indicate a coupling of replay with planned behavior, where replay prioritizes an online representation of a worst-case scenario for approaching or avoiding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica McFadyen
- The UCL Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK.
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Yunzhe Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- The UCL Max Planck Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, UK
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7
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Baczkowski BM, Haaker J, Schwabe L. Inferring danger with minimal aversive experience. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:456-467. [PMID: 36941184 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.02.005] [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: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023]
Abstract
Learning about threats is crucial for survival and fundamentally rests upon Pavlovian conditioning. However, Pavlovian threat learning is largely limited to detecting known (or similar) threats and involves first-hand exposure to danger, which inevitably poses a risk of harm. We discuss how individuals leverage a rich repertoire of mnemonic processes that operate largely in safety and significantly expand our ability to recognize danger beyond Pavlovian threat associations. These processes result in complementary memories - acquired individually or through social interactions - that represent potential threats and the relational structure of our environment. The interplay between these memories allows danger to be inferred rather than directly learned, thereby flexibly protecting us from potential harm in novel situations despite minimal prior aversive experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blazej M Baczkowski
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Haaker
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lars Schwabe
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
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8
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Wimmer GE, Liu Y, McNamee DC, Dolan RJ. Distinct replay signatures for prospective decision-making and memory preservation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2205211120. [PMID: 36719914 PMCID: PMC9963918 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205211120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Theories of neural replay propose that it supports a range of functions, most prominently planning and memory consolidation. Here, we test the hypothesis that distinct signatures of replay in the same task are related to model-based decision-making ("planning") and memory preservation. We designed a reward learning task wherein participants utilized structure knowledge for model-based evaluation, while at the same time had to maintain knowledge of two independent and randomly alternating task environments. Using magnetoencephalography and multivariate analysis, we first identified temporally compressed sequential reactivation, or replay, both prior to choice and following reward feedback. Before choice, prospective replay strength was enhanced for the current task-relevant environment when a model-based planning strategy was beneficial. Following reward receipt, and consistent with a memory preservation role, replay for the alternative distal task environment was enhanced as a function of decreasing recency of experience with that environment. Critically, these planning and memory preservation relationships were selective to pre-choice and post-feedback periods, respectively. Our results provide support for key theoretical proposals regarding the functional role of replay and demonstrate that the relative strength of planning and memory-related signals are modulated by ongoing computational and task demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Elliott Wimmer
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, LondonWC1B 5EH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, LondonWC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Yunzhe Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing100875, China
| | - Daniel C. McNamee
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, LondonWC1B 5EH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, LondonWC1N 3BG, UK
- Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Research, Lisbon1400-038, Portugal
| | - Raymond J. Dolan
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, LondonWC1B 5EH, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, LondonWC1N 3BG, UK
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
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9
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Moughrabi N, Botsford C, Gruichich TS, Azar A, Heilicher M, Hiser J, Crombie KM, Dunsmoor JE, Stowe Z, Cisler JM. Large-scale neural network computations and multivariate representations during approach-avoidance conflict decision-making. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119709. [PMID: 36283543 PMCID: PMC9835092 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Many real-world situations require navigating decisions for both reward and threat. While there has been significant progress in understanding mechanisms of decision-making and mediating neurocircuitry separately for reward and threat, there is limited understanding of situations where reward and threat contingencies compete to create approach-avoidance conflict (AAC). Here, we leverage computational learning models, independent component analysis (ICA), and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) approaches to understand decision-making during a novel task that embeds concurrent reward and threat learning and manipulates congruency between reward and threat probabilities. Computational modeling supported a modified reinforcement learning model where participants integrated reward and threat value into a combined total value according to an individually varying policy parameter, which was highly predictive of decisions to approach reward vs avoid threat during trials where the highest reward option was also the highest threat option (i.e., approach-avoidance conflict). ICA analyses demonstrated unique roles for salience, frontoparietal, medial prefrontal, and inferior frontal networks in differential encoding of reward vs threat prediction error and value signals. The left frontoparietal network uniquely encoded degree of conflict between reward and threat value at the time of choice. MVPA demonstrated that delivery of reward and threat could accurately be decoded within salience and inferior frontal networks, respectively, and that decisions to approach reward vs avoid threat were predicted by the relative degree to which these reward vs threat representations were active at the time of choice. This latter result suggests that navigating AAC decisions involves generating mental representations for possible decision outcomes, and relative activation of these representations may bias subsequent decision-making towards approaching reward or avoiding threat accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Moughrabi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Chloe Botsford
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | | | - Ameera Azar
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
| | | | - Jaryd Hiser
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Kevin M Crombie
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin
| | - Zach Stowe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Josh M Cisler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, University of Texas at Austin.
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10
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Nour MM, Liu Y, Dolan RJ. Functional neuroimaging in psychiatry and the case for failing better. Neuron 2022; 110:2524-2544. [PMID: 35981525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders encompass complex aberrations of cognition and affect and are among the most debilitating and poorly understood of any medical condition. Current treatments rely primarily on interventions that target brain function (drugs) or learning processes (psychotherapy). A mechanistic understanding of how these interventions mediate their therapeutic effects remains elusive. From the early 1990s, non-invasive functional neuroimaging, coupled with parallel developments in the cognitive neurosciences, seemed to signal a new era of neurobiologically grounded diagnosis and treatment in psychiatry. Yet, despite three decades of intense neuroimaging research, we still lack a neurobiological account for any psychiatric condition. Likewise, functional neuroimaging plays no role in clinical decision making. Here, we offer a critical commentary on this impasse and suggest how the field might fare better and deliver impactful neurobiological insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Nour
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK; Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
| | - Yunzhe Liu
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK; Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
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11
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Freezing revisited: coordinated autonomic and central optimization of threat coping. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:568-580. [PMID: 35760906 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00608-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Animals have sophisticated mechanisms for coping with danger. Freezing is a unique state that, upon threat detection, allows evidence to be gathered, response possibilities to be previsioned and preparations to be made for worst-case fight or flight. We propose that - rather than reflecting a passive fear state - the particular somatic and cognitive characteristics of freezing help to conceal overt responses, while optimizing sensory processing and action preparation. Critical for these functions are the neurotransmitters noradrenaline and acetylcholine, which modulate neural information processing and also control the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. However, the interactions between autonomic systems and the brain during freezing, and the way in which they jointly coordinate responses, remain incompletely explored. We review the joint actions of these systems and offer a novel computational framework to describe their temporally harmonized integration. This reconceptualization of freezing has implications for its role in decision-making under threat and for psychopathology.
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12
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Ott F, Legler E, Kiebel SJ. Forward planning driven by context-dependant conflict processing in anterior cingulate cortex. Neuroimage 2022; 256:119222. [PMID: 35447352 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive control and forward planning in particular is costly, and therefore must be regulated such that the amount of cognitive resources invested is adequate to the current situation. However, knowing in advance how beneficial forward planning will be in a given situation is hard. A way to know the exact value of planning would be to actually do it, which would ab initio defeat the purpose of regulating planning, i.e. the reduction of computational and time costs. One possible solution to this dilemma is that planning is regulated by learned associations between stimuli and the expected demand for planning. Such learning might be based on generalisation processes that cluster together stimulus states with similar control relevant properties into more general control contexts. In this way, the brain could infer the demand for planning, based on previous experience with situations that share some structural properties with the current situation. Here, we used a novel sequential task to test the hypothesis that people use control contexts to efficiently regulate their forward planning, using behavioural and functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Consistent with our hypothesis, reaction times increased with trial-by-trial conflict, where this increase was more pronounced in a context with a learned high demand for planning. Similarly, we found that fMRI activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) increased with conflict, and this increase was more pronounced in a context with generally high demand for planning. Taken together, the results indicate that the dACC integrates representations of planning demand at different levels of abstraction to regulate planning in an efficient and situation-appropriate way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Ott
- Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Eric Legler
- Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefan J Kiebel
- Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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13
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Abstract
In human neuroscience, studies of cognition are rarely grounded in non-task-evoked, 'spontaneous' neural activity. Indeed, studies of spontaneous activity tend to focus predominantly on intrinsic neural patterns (for example, resting-state networks). Taking a 'representation-rich' approach bridges the gap between cognition and resting-state communities: this approach relies on decoding task-related representations from spontaneous neural activity, allowing quantification of the representational content and rich dynamics of such activity. For example, if we know the neural representation of an episodic memory, we can decode its subsequent replay during rest. We argue that such an approach advances cognitive research beyond a focus on immediate task demand and provides insight into the functional relevance of the intrinsic neural pattern (for example, the default mode network). This in turn enables a greater integration between human and animal neuroscience, facilitating experimental testing of theoretical accounts of intrinsic activity, and opening new avenues of research in psychiatry.
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14
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Nour MM, Beck K, Liu Y, Arumuham A, Veronese M, Howes OD, Dolan RJ. Relationship Between Replay-Associated Ripples and Hippocampal N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors: Preliminary Evidence From a PET-MEG Study in Schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN OPEN 2022; 3:sgac044. [PMID: 35911846 PMCID: PMC9334566 DOI: 10.1093/schizbullopen/sgac044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Background and Hypotheses Hippocampal replay and associated high-frequency ripple oscillations are among the best-characterized phenomena in resting brain activity. Replay/ripples support memory consolidation and relational inference, and are regulated by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). Schizophrenia has been associated with both replay/ripple abnormalities and NMDAR hypofunction in both clinical samples and genetic mouse models, although the relationship between these 2 facets of hippocampal function has not been tested in humans. Study Design Here, we avail of a unique multimodal human neuroimaging data set to investigate the relationship between the availability of (intrachannel) NMDAR binding sites in hippocampus, and replay-associated ripple power, in 16 participants (7 nonclinical participants and 9 people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, PScz). Each participant had both a [18F]GE-179 positron emission tomography (PET) scan (to measure NMDAR availability, V T ) and a magnetoencephalography (MEG) scan (to measure offline neural replay and associated high-frequency ripple oscillations, using Temporally Delayed Linear Modeling). Study Results We show a positive relationship between hippocampal NMDAR availability and replay-associated ripple power. This linkage was evident across control participants (r(5) = .94, P = .002) and PScz (r(7) = .70, P = .04), with no group difference. Conclusions Our findings provide preliminary evidence for a relationship between hippocampal NMDAR availability and replay-associated ripple power in humans, and haverelevance for NMDAR hypofunction theories of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Nour
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Katherine Beck
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Yunzhe Liu
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Atheeshaan Arumuham
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Mattia Veronese
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Oliver D Howes
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Raymond J Dolan
- Max Planck University College London Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London WC1B 5EH, UK
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
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