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Schuster BA, Sowden S, Rybicki AJ, Fraser DS, Press C, Hickman L, Holland P, Cook JL. Disruption of dopamine D2/D3 system function impairs the human ability to understand the mental states of other people. PLoS Biol 2024; 22:e3002652. [PMID: 38870319 PMCID: PMC11175582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Difficulties in reasoning about others' mental states (i.e., mentalising/Theory of Mind) are highly prevalent among disorders featuring dopamine dysfunctions (e.g., Parkinson's disease) and significantly affect individuals' quality of life. However, due to multiple confounding factors inherent to existing patient studies, currently little is known about whether these sociocognitive symptoms originate from aberrant dopamine signalling or from psychosocial changes unrelated to dopamine. The present study, therefore, investigated the role of dopamine in modulating mentalising in a sample of healthy volunteers. We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled procedure to test the effect of the D2/D3 antagonist haloperidol on mental state attribution, using an adaptation of the Heider and Simmel (1944) animations task. On 2 separate days, once after receiving 2.5 mg haloperidol and once after receiving placebo, 33 healthy adult participants viewed and labelled short videos of 2 triangles depicting mental state (involving mentalistic interaction wherein 1 triangle intends to cause or act upon a particular mental state in the other, e.g., surprising) and non-mental state (involving reciprocal interaction without the intention to cause/act upon the other triangle's mental state, e.g., following) interactions. Using Bayesian mixed effects models, we observed that haloperidol decreased accuracy in labelling both mental and non-mental state animations. Our secondary analyses suggest that dopamine modulates inference from mental and non-mental state animations via independent mechanisms, pointing towards 2 putative pathways underlying the dopaminergic modulation of mental state attribution: action representation and a shared mechanism supporting mentalising and emotion recognition. We conclude that dopaminergic pathways impact Theory of Mind, at least indirectly. Our results have implications for the neurochemical basis of sociocognitive difficulties in patients with dopamine dysfunctions and generate new hypotheses about the specific dopamine-mediated mechanisms underlying social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca A Schuster
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sophie Sowden
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alicia J Rybicki
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Dagmar S Fraser
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Clare Press
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lydia Hickman
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Holland
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer L Cook
- Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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2
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Lima-Silva TB, Ordonez TN, Santos GD, Moreira APB, Verga CER, Ishibashi GA, Silva GAD, Prata PL, Moraes LCD, Brucki SMD. Effects of working memory training on cognition in healthy older adults: A systematic review. Dement Neuropsychol 2022. [DOI: 10.1590/1980-5764-dn-2021-0119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT. The working memory (WM) training in older adults can benefit their cognition. However, there is a dearth of literature reviews on the subject. Objective: This study aimed to investigate and evaluate the effects of WM training on the cognition of healthy older adults, in individual and group interventions reported in the literature. Methods: This is a systematic review involving a qualitative analysis of publications on the SciELO, LILACS, and MEDLINE databases carried out between March and June 2021. Results: A total of 47 studies were identified and analyzed, comprising 40 in older adults only and 7 comparing older and younger adults, investigating individual or group WM training or other types of intervention focused on WM effects. Conclusions: Both individual and group intervention contributed to the maintenance and/or improvement of cognition in older adults exploiting brain plasticity to promote mental health and prevent cognitive problems that can negatively impact quality of life of this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thais Bento Lima-Silva
- Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sonia Maria Dozzi Brucki
- Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
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3
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Bonomo ME, Brandt AK, Frazier JT, Karmonik C. Music to My Ears : Neural modularity and flexibility differ in response to real-world music stimuli. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2022; 12:98-107. [PMID: 35106517 PMCID: PMC8784322 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2021.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Music listening involves many simultaneous neural operations, including auditory processing, working memory, temporal sequencing, pitch tracking, anticipation, reward, and emotion, and thus, a full investigation of music cognition would benefit from whole-brain analyses. Here, we quantify whole-brain activity while participants listen to a variety of music and speech auditory pieces using two network measures that are grounded in complex systems theory: modularity, which measures the degree to which brain regions are interacting in communities, and flexibility, which measures the rate that brain regions switch the communities to which they belong. In a music and brain connectivity study that is part of a larger clinical investigation into music listening and stroke recovery at Houston Methodist Hospital's Center for Performing Arts Medicine, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed on healthy participants while they listened to self-selected music to which they felt a positive emotional attachment, as well as culturally familiar music (J.S. Bach), culturally unfamiliar music (Gagaku court music of medieval Japan), and several excerpts of speech. There was a marked contrast among the whole-brain networks during the different types of auditory pieces, in particular for the unfamiliar music. During the self-selected and Bach tracks, participants' whole-brain networks exhibited modular organization that was significantly coordinated with the network flexibility. Meanwhile, when the Gagaku music was played, this relationship between brain network modularity and flexibility largely disappeared. In addition, while the auditory cortex's flexibility during the self-selected piece was equivalent to that during Bach, it was more flexible during Gagaku. The results suggest that the modularity and flexibility measures of whole-brain activity have the potential to lead to new insights into the complex neural function that occurs during music perception of real-world songs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melia E. Bonomo
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - J. Todd Frazier
- Center for Performing Arts Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christof Karmonik
- Center for Performing Arts Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- MRI Core, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
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4
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Iordan AD, Ryan S, Tyszkowski T, Peltier SJ, Rahman-Filipiak A, Hampstead BM. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation enhances network segregation during spatial navigation in mild cognitive impairment. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5230-5241. [PMID: 35134853 PMCID: PMC9667179 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial navigation is essential for everyday life and relies on complex network-level interactions. Recent evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can influence the activity of large-scale functional brain networks. We characterized brain-wide changes in functional network segregation (i.e. the balance of within vs. between-network connectivity strength) induced by high-definition (HD) tDCS in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) during virtual spatial navigation. Twenty patients with MCI and 22 cognitively intact older adults (healthy controls-HC) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging following two counterbalanced HD-tDCS sessions (one active, one sham) that targeted the right parietal cortex (center anode at P2) and delivered 2 mA for 20 min. Compared to HC, MCI patients showed lower brain-wide network segregation following sham HD-tDCS. However, following active HD-tDCS, MCI patients' network segregation increased to levels similar to those in HC, suggesting functional normalization. Follow-up analyses indicated that the increase in network segregation for MCI patients was driven by HD-tDCS effects on the "high-level"/association brain networks, in particular the dorsal-attention and default-mode networks. HD-tDCS over the right parietal cortex may normalize the segregation/integration balance of association networks during spatial navigation in MCI patients, highlighting its potential to restore brain activity in Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru D Iordan
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Research Program on Cognition and Neuromodulation Based Interventions, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
| | - Shannon Ryan
- Research Program on Cognition and Neuromodulation Based Interventions, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
| | - Troy Tyszkowski
- Research Program on Cognition and Neuromodulation Based Interventions, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
| | - Scott J Peltier
- Functional MRI Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Annalise Rahman-Filipiak
- Research Program on Cognition and Neuromodulation Based Interventions, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA
| | - Benjamin M Hampstead
- Corresponding author: University of Michigan, 2101 Commonwealth Blvd Ste C, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
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5
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Iordan AD, Moored KD, Katz B, Cooke KA, Buschkuehl M, Jaeggi SM, Polk TA, Peltier SJ, Jonides J, Reuter‐Lorenz PA. Age differences in functional network reconfiguration with working memory training. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:1888-1909. [PMID: 33534925 PMCID: PMC7978135 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Demanding cognitive functions like working memory (WM) depend on functional brain networks being able to communicate efficiently while also maintaining some degree of modularity. Evidence suggests that aging can disrupt this balance between integration and modularity. In this study, we examined how cognitive training affects the integration and modularity of functional networks in older and younger adults. Twenty three younger and 23 older adults participated in 10 days of verbal WM training, leading to performance gains in both age groups. Older adults exhibited lower modularity overall and a greater decrement when switching from rest to task, compared to younger adults. Interestingly, younger but not older adults showed increased task-related modularity with training. Furthermore, whereas training increased efficiency within, and decreased participation of, the default-mode network for younger adults, it enhanced efficiency within a task-specific salience/sensorimotor network for older adults. Finally, training increased segregation of the default-mode from frontoparietal/salience and visual networks in younger adults, while it diffusely increased between-network connectivity in older adults. Thus, while younger adults increase network segregation with training, suggesting more automated processing, older adults persist in, and potentially amplify, a more integrated and costly global workspace, suggesting different age-related trajectories in functional network reorganization with WM training.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kyle D. Moored
- Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public HealthJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Benjamin Katz
- Department of Human Development and Family ScienceVirginia TechBlacksburgVirginiaUSA
| | | | | | - Susanne M. Jaeggi
- School of EducationUniversity of California‐IrvineIrvineCaliforniaUSA
| | - Thad A. Polk
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - Scott J. Peltier
- Functional MRI LaboratoryUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
| | - John Jonides
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganUSA
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6
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Mikos A, Malagurski B, Liem F, Mérillat S, Jäncke L. Object-Location Memory Training in Older Adults Leads to Greater Deactivation of the Dorsal Default Mode Network. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:623766. [PMID: 33716693 PMCID: PMC7952529 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.623766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Substantial evidence indicates that cognitive training can be efficacious for older adults, but findings regarding training-related brain plasticity have been mixed and vary depending on the imaging modality. Recent years have seen a growth in recognition of the importance of large-scale brain networks on cognition. In particular, task-induced deactivation within the default mode network (DMN) is thought to facilitate externally directed cognition, while aging-related decrements in this neural process are related to reduced cognitive performance. It is not yet clear whether task-induced deactivation within the DMN can be enhanced by cognitive training in the elderly. We previously reported durable cognitive improvements in a sample of healthy older adults (age range = 60-75) who completed 6 weeks of process-based object-location memory training (N = 36) compared to an active control training group (N = 31). The primary aim of the current study is to evaluate whether these cognitive gains are accompanied by training-related changes in task-related DMN deactivation. Given the evidence for heterogeneity of the DMN, we examine task-related activation/deactivation within two separate DMN branches, a ventral branch related to episodic memory and a dorsal branch more closely resembling the canonical DMN. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing an untrained object-location memory task at four time points before, during, and after the training period. Task-induced (de)activation values were extracted for the ventral and dorsal DMN branches at each time point. Relative to visual fixation baseline: (i) the dorsal DMN was deactivated during the scanner task, while the ventral DMN was activated; (ii) the object-location memory training group exhibited an increase in dorsal DMN deactivation relative to the active control group over the course of training and follow-up; (iii) changes in dorsal DMN deactivation did not correlate with task improvement. These results indicate a training-related enhancement of task-induced deactivation of the dorsal DMN, although the specificity of this improvement to the cognitive task performed in the scanner is not clear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ania Mikos
- University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Brigitta Malagurski
- University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franziskus Liem
- University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Susan Mérillat
- University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Jäncke
- University Research Priority Program “Dynamics of Healthy Aging”, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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Olivo G, Nilsson J, Garzón B, Lebedev A, Wåhlin A, Tarassova O, Ekblom M, Lövdén M. Immediate effects of a single session of physical exercise on cognition and cerebral blood flow: A randomized controlled study of older adults. Neuroimage 2020; 225:117500. [PMID: 33169699 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regular physical activity is beneficial for cognitive performance in older age. A single bout of aerobic physical exercise can transiently improve cognitive performance. Researchers have advanced improvements in cerebral circulation as a mediator of long-term effects of aerobic physical exercise on cognition, but the immediate effects of exercise on cognition and cerebral perfusion are not well characterized and the effects in older adults are largely unknown. METHODS Forty-nine older adults were randomized to a 30-min aerobic exercise at moderate intensity or relaxation. Groups were matched on age and cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max). Average Grey Matter Blood Flow (GMBF), measured by a pulsed arterial-spin labeling (pASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition, and working memory performance, measured by figurative n-back tasks with increasing loads were assessed before and 7 min after exercising/resting. RESULTS Accuracy on the n-back task increased from before to after exercising/resting regardless of the type of activity. GMBF decreased after exercise, relative to the control (resting) group. In the exercise group, higher n-back performance after exercise was associated with lower GMBF in the right hippocampus, left medial frontal cortex and right orbitofrontal cortex, and higher cardiovascular fitness was associated with lower GMBF. CONCLUSION The decrease of GMBF reported in younger adults shortly after exercise also occurs in older adults and relates to cardiovascular fitness, potentially supporting the link between cardiovascular fitness and cerebrovascular reactivity in older age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Olivo
- Aging Research Center (ARC), Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Jonna Nilsson
- Aging Research Center (ARC), Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden; The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Benjamín Garzón
- Aging Research Center (ARC), Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Alexander Lebedev
- Aging Research Center (ARC), Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders Wåhlin
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Olga Tarassova
- The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maria Ekblom
- The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockhom, Sweden
| | - Martin Lövdén
- Aging Research Center (ARC), Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 65 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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8
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Tarassova O, Ekblom MM, Moberg M, Lövdén M, Nilsson J. Peripheral BDNF Response to Physical and Cognitive Exercise and Its Association With Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Healthy Older Adults. Front Physiol 2020; 11:1080. [PMID: 32982796 PMCID: PMC7477111 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.01080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Physical exercise (PE) has been shown to improve brain function via multiple neurobiological mechanisms promoting neuroplasticity. Cognitive exercise (CE) combined with PE may show an even greater effect on cognitive function. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is important for neuroplastic signaling, may reduce with increasing age, and is confounded by fitness. The source and physiological role of human peripheral blood BDNF in plasma (pBDNF) is thought to differ from that in serum (sBDNF), and it is not yet known how pBDNF and sBDNF respond to PE and CE. A training intervention study in healthy older adults investigated the effects of acute (35 min) and prolonged (12 weeks, 30 sessions) CE and PE, both alone and in combination, on pBDNF and sBDNF. Cross-sectional associations between baseline pBDNF, sBDNF and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) were also investigated. Participants (65-75 years) were randomly assigned to four groups and prescribed either CE plus 35 min of rest (n = 21, 52% female); PE [performed on a cycle ergometer at moderate intensity (65-75% of individual maximal heart rate)] plus 35 min of rest (n = 27, 56% female); CE plus PE (n = 24, 46% female), or PE plus CE (n = 25, 52% female). Groups were tested for CRF using a maximal treadmill ergometer test (VO2peak); BDNF levels (collected 48 h after CRF) during baseline, after first exercise (PE or CE) and after second exercise (PE, CE or rest); and cognitive ability pre and post 12-week training. At both pre and post, pBDNF increased after CE and PE (up to 222%), and rest (∼67%), whereas sBDNF increased only after PE (up to 18%) and returned to baseline after rest. Acute but not prolonged PE increased both pBDNF and sBDNF. CE induced acute changes in pBDNF only. Baseline pBDNF was positively associated with baseline sBDNF (n = 93, r = 0.407, p < 0.001). No changes in CRF were found in any of the groups. Baseline CRF did not correlate with baseline BDNF. Even though baseline pBDNF and sBDNF were associated, patterns of changes in pBDNF and sBDNF in response to exercise were explicitly different. Further experimental scrutiny is needed to clarify the biological mechanisms of these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Tarassova
- The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maria M Ekblom
- The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marcus Moberg
- The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Lövdén
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Psychology, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jonna Nilsson
- The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.,Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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9
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Iordan AD, Cooke KA, Moored KD, Katz B, Buschkuehl M, Jaeggi SM, Polk TA, Peltier SJ, Jonides J, Reuter-Lorenz PA. Neural correlates of working memory training: Evidence for plasticity in older adults. Neuroimage 2020; 217:116887. [PMID: 32376302 PMCID: PMC7755422 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain activity typically increases with increasing working memory (WM) load, regardless of age, before reaching an apparent ceiling. However, older adults exhibit greater brain activity and reach ceiling at lower loads than younger adults, possibly reflecting compensation at lower loads and dysfunction at higher loads. We hypothesized that WM training would bolster neural efficiency, such that the activation peak would shift towards higher memory loads after training. Pre-training, older adults showed greater recruitment of the WM network than younger adults across all loads, with decline at the highest load. Ten days of adaptive training on a verbal WM task improved performance and led to greater brain responsiveness at higher loads for both groups. For older adults the activation peak shifted rightward towards higher loads. Finally, training increased task-related functional connectivity in older adults, both within the WM network and between this task-positive network and the task-negative/default-mode network. These results provide new evidence for functional plasticity with training in older adults and identify a potential signature of improvement at the neural level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru D Iordan
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States.
| | - Katherine A Cooke
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States
| | - Kyle D Moored
- Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States
| | - Benjamin Katz
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, Virginia Tech, 295 W Campus Dr, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, United States
| | - Martin Buschkuehl
- MIND Research Institute, 5281 California Ave., Suite 300, Irvine, CA, 92617, United States
| | - Susanne M Jaeggi
- School of Education, University of California, Irvine, 3200 Education Bldg, Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
| | - Thad A Polk
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States
| | - Scott J Peltier
- Functional MRI Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2360 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States
| | - John Jonides
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States
| | - Patricia A Reuter-Lorenz
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States.
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10
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The Effects of Cognitive Training on Brain Network Activity and Connectivity in Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases: a Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev 2020; 30:267-286. [PMID: 32529356 PMCID: PMC7305076 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-020-09440-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive training (CT) is an increasingly popular, non-pharmacological intervention for improving cognitive functioning in neurodegenerative diseases and healthy aging. Although meta-analyses support the efficacy of CT in improving cognitive functioning, the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of CT are still unclear. We performed a systematic review of literature in the PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO databases on controlled CT trials (N > 20) in aging and neurodegenerative diseases with pre- and post-training functional MRI outcomes up to November 23rd 2018 (PROSPERO registration number CRD42019103662). Twenty articles were eligible for our systematic review. We distinguished between multi-domain and single-domain CT. CT induced both increases and decreases in task-related functional activation, possibly indicative of an inverted U-shaped curve association between regional brain activity and task performance. Functional connectivity within ‘cognitive’ brain networks was consistently reported to increase after CT while a minority of studies additionally reported increased segregation of frontoparietal and default mode brain networks. Although we acknowledge the large heterogeneity in type of CT, imaging methodology, in-scanner task paradigm and analysis methods between studies, we propose a working model of the effects of CT on brain activity and connectivity in the context of current knowledge on compensatory mechanisms that are associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases.
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11
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Moraschi M, Mascali D, Tommasin S, Gili T, Hassan IE, Fratini M, DiNuzzo M, Wise RG, Mangia S, Macaluso E, Giove F. Brain Network Modularity During a Sustained Working-Memory Task. Front Physiol 2020; 11:422. [PMID: 32457647 PMCID: PMC7227445 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00422] [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: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous oscillations of the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal are spatially synchronized within specific brain networks and are thought to reflect synchronized brain activity. Networks are modulated by the performance of a task, even if the exact features and degree of such modulations are still elusive. The presence of networks showing anticorrelated fluctuations lend initially to suppose that a competitive relationship between the default mode network (DMN) and task positive networks (TPNs) supports the efficiency of brain processing. However, more recent results indicate that cooperative and competitive dynamics between networks coexist during task performance. In this study, we used graph analysis to assess the functional relevance of the topological reorganization of brain networks ensuing the execution of a steady state working-memory (WM) task. Our results indicate that the performance of an auditory WM task is associated with a switching between different topological configurations of several regions of specific networks, including frontoparietal, ventral attention, and dorsal attention areas, suggesting segregation of ventral attention regions in the presence of increased overall integration. However, the correct execution of the task requires integration between components belonging to all the involved networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Moraschi
- Centro Fermi-Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniele Mascali
- Centro Fermi-Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Tommasin
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze Umane, Sapienza Univeristà di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Tommaso Gili
- Centro Fermi-Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Ibrahim Eid Hassan
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy.,Department of Physics, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Michela Fratini
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Istituto di Nanotecnologia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Richard G Wise
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy.,Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Mangia
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Emiliano Macaluso
- ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Federico Giove
- Centro Fermi-Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro di Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Working memory training in typically developing children: A multilevel meta-analysis. Psychon Bull Rev 2020; 27:423-434. [DOI: 10.3758/s13423-019-01681-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Sala G, Aksayli ND, Tatlidil KS, Gondo Y, Gobet F. Working memory training does not enhance older adults' cognitive skills: A comprehensive meta-analysis. INTELLIGENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2019.101386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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