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Peña-Casanova J, Sánchez-Benavides G, Sigg-Alonso J. Updating functional brain units: Insights far beyond Luria. Cortex 2024; 174:19-69. [PMID: 38492440 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.02.004] [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: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
This paper reviews Luria's model of the three functional units of the brain. To meet this objective, several issues were reviewed: the theory of functional systems and the contributions of phylogenesis and embryogenesis to the brain's functional organization. This review revealed several facts. In the first place, the relationship/integration of basic homeostatic needs with complex forms of behavior. Secondly, the multi-scale hierarchical and distributed organization of the brain and interactions between cells and systems. Thirdly, the phylogenetic role of exaptation, especially in basal ganglia and cerebellum expansion. Finally, the tripartite embryogenetic organization of the brain: rhinic, limbic/paralimbic, and supralimbic zones. Obviously, these principles of brain organization are in contradiction with attempts to establish separate functional brain units. The proposed new model is made up of two large integrated complexes: a primordial-limbic complex (Luria's Unit I) and a telencephalic-cortical complex (Luria's Units II and III). As a result, five functional units were delineated: Unit I. Primordial or preferential (brainstem), for life-support, behavioral modulation, and waking regulation; Unit II. Limbic and paralimbic systems, for emotions and hedonic evaluation (danger and relevance detection and contribution to reward/motivational processing) and the creation of cognitive maps (contextual memory, navigation, and generativity [imagination]); Unit III. Telencephalic-cortical, for sensorimotor and cognitive processing (gnosis, praxis, language, calculation, etc.), semantic and episodic (contextual) memory processing, and multimodal conscious agency; Unit IV. Basal ganglia systems, for behavior selection and reinforcement (reward-oriented behavior); Unit V. Cerebellar systems, for the prediction/anticipation (orthometric supervision) of the outcome of an action. The proposed brain units are nothing more than abstractions within the brain's simultaneous and distributed physiological processes. As function transcends anatomy, the model necessarily involves transition and overlap between structures. Beyond the classic approaches, this review includes information on recent systemic perspectives on functional brain organization. The limitations of this review are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Peña-Casanova
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience Research Group, Neuroscience Program, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Test Barcelona Services, Teià, Barcelona, Spain.
| | | | - Jorge Sigg-Alonso
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurobiology, Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of México (UNAM), Queretaro, Mexico
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Zhang C, Li S, Wang Y, Shi J. Photochemically induced thalamus infarction impairs cognition in a mouse model. Stroke Vasc Neurol 2023; 8:444-452. [PMID: 37185137 PMCID: PMC10800257 DOI: 10.1136/svn-2022-002235] [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: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Small subcortical infarcts account for up to 25% of ischaemic strokes. Thalamus is one of the subcortical structures that commonly manifest with lacunar infarcts on MRI of the brain. Studies have shown that thalamus infarction is associated with cognitive decline. However, due to the lack of proper animal models, little is known about the mechanism. We aimed to establish a focal thalamus infarction model, characterise the infarct lesion and assess functional effects. METHODS Male C57BL/6J mice were anaesthetised, and Rose Bengal dye was injected through the tail vein. The right thalamus was illuminated with green laser light by stereotactic implantation of optic fibre. Characteristics of the infarct and lesion evolution were evaluated by histological analysis and 7T MRI at various times. The cognitive and neurological functions were assessed by behavioural tests. Retrograde tracing was performed to analyse neural connections. RESULTS An ischaemic lesion with small vessel occlusion was observed in the thalamus. It became a small circumscribed infarct with reactive astrocytes accumulated in the infarct periphery on day 21. The mice with thalamic infarction demonstrated impaired learning and memory without significant neurological deficits. Retrogradely labelled neurons in the retrosplenial granular cortex were reduced. CONCLUSION This study established a mouse model of thalamic lacunar infarction that exhibits cognitive impairment. Neural connection dysfunctions may play a potential role in post-stroke cognitive impairment. This model helps to clarify the pathophysiology of post-stroke cognitive impairment and to develop potential therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shiping Li
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yongjun Wang
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jiong Shi
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
- Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Ha M, Park SH, Park I, Kim T, Lee J, Kim M, Kwon JS. Aberrant cortico-thalamo-cerebellar network interactions and their association with impaired cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 9:50. [PMID: 37573437 PMCID: PMC10423253 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-023-00375-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Evidence indicating abnormal functional connectivity (FC) among the cortex, thalamus, and cerebellum in schizophrenia patients has increased. However, the role of the thalamus and cerebellum when integrated into intrinsic networks and how those integrated networks interact in schizophrenia patients are largely unknown. We generated an integrative network map by merging thalamic and cerebellar network maps, which were parcellated using a winner-take-all approach, onto a cortical network map. Using cognitive networks, the default mode network (DMN), the dorsal attention network (DAN), the salience network (SAL), and the central executive network (CEN) as regions of interest, the FC of 48 schizophrenia patients was compared with that of 57 healthy controls (HCs). The association between abnormal FC and cognitive impairment was also investigated in patients. FC was lower between the SAL-CEN, SAL-DMN, and DMN-CEN and within-CEN in schizophrenia patients than in HCs. Hypoconnectivity between the DMN-CEN was correlated with impaired cognition in schizophrenia patients. Our findings broadly suggest the plausible role of the thalamus and cerebellum in integrative intrinsic networks in patients, which may contribute to the disrupted triple network and cognitive dysmetria in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minji Ha
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Hwan Park
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Inkyung Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Taekwan Kim
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungha Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Minah Kim
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun Soo Kwon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, SNU-MRC, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Cabrera-Álvarez J, Doorn N, Maestú F, Susi G. Modeling the role of the thalamus in resting-state functional connectivity: Nature or structure. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011007. [PMID: 37535694 PMCID: PMC10426958 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The thalamus is a central brain structure that serves as a relay station for sensory inputs from the periphery to the cortex and regulates cortical arousal. Traditionally, it has been regarded as a passive relay that transmits information between brain regions. However, recent studies have suggested that the thalamus may also play a role in shaping functional connectivity (FC) in a task-based context. Based on this idea, we hypothesized that due to its centrality in the network and its involvement in cortical activation, the thalamus may also contribute to resting-state FC, a key neurological biomarker widely used to characterize brain function in health and disease. To investigate this hypothesis, we constructed ten in-silico brain network models based on neuroimaging data (MEG, MRI, and dwMRI), and simulated them including and excluding the thalamus, and raising the noise into thalamus to represent the afferences related to the reticular activating system (RAS) and the relay of peripheral sensory inputs. We simulated brain activity and compared the resulting FC to their empirical MEG counterparts to evaluate model's performance. Results showed that a parceled version of the thalamus with higher noise, able to drive damped cortical oscillators, enhanced the match to empirical FC. However, with an already active self-oscillatory cortex, no impact on the dynamics was observed when introducing the thalamus. We also demonstrated that the enhanced performance was not related to the structural connectivity of the thalamus, but to its higher noisy inputs. Additionally, we highlighted the relevance of a balanced signal-to-noise ratio in thalamus to allow it to propagate its own dynamics. In conclusion, our study sheds light on the role of the thalamus in shaping brain dynamics and FC in resting-state and allowed us to discuss the general role of criticality in the brain at the mesoscale level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Cabrera-Álvarez
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centre for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nina Doorn
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Fernando Maestú
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centre for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gianluca Susi
- Centre for Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Structure of Matter, Thermal Physics and Electronics, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Denier N, Soravia LM, Moggi F, Stein M, Grieder M, Federspiel A, Kupper Z, Wiest R, Bracht T. Associations of thalamocortical networks with reduced mindfulness in alcohol use disorder. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1123204. [PMID: 37484679 PMCID: PMC10358776 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1123204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Increased mindfulness is associated with reduced alcohol consumption in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) after residential treatment. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanism of mindfulness in AUD is unclear. Therefore, we investigate the structural and functional alterations of the thalamocortical system with a focus on the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD-TN), the default mode and the salience network (DMN/SN) which has previously been associated with mindfulness in healthy subjects. We hypothesized lower mindfulness and reduced structural and functional connectivity (FC) of the thalamocortical system, particularly in the DMN/SN in AUD. We assumed that identified neurobiological alterations in AUD are associated with impairments of mindfulness. Methods Forty-five abstinent patients with AUD during residential treatment and 20 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Structural and resting-state functional MRI-scans were acquired. We analysed levels of mindfulness, thalamic volumes and network centrality degree of the MD-TN using multivariate statistics. Using seed-based whole brain analyses we investigated functional connectivity (FC) of the MD-TN. We performed exploratory correlational analyses of structural and functional DMN/SN measurements with levels of mindfulness. Results In AUD we found significantly lower levels of mindfulness, lower bilateral thalamic and left MD-TN volumes, reduced FC between MD-TN and anterior cingulum/insula and lower network centrality degree of the left MD-TN as compared to HC. In AUD, lower mindfulness was associated with various reductions of structural and functional aspects of the MD-TN. Conclusion Our results suggest that structural and functional alterations of a network including the MD-TN and the DMN/SN underlies disturbed mindfulness in AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklaus Denier
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Leila M. Soravia
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
- Clinic Suedhang, Kirchlindach, Switzerland
| | - Franz Moggi
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maria Stein
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Grieder
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Federspiel
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Zeno Kupper
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Roland Wiest
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Bracht
- Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Translational Imaging Center (TIC), Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Bern, Switzerland
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Stammen C, Fraenz C, Grazioplene RG, Schlüter C, Merhof V, Johnson W, Güntürkün O, DeYoung CG, Genç E. Robust associations between white matter microstructure and general intelligence. Cereb Cortex 2023:6994402. [PMID: 36682883 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Few tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) studies have investigated the relations between intelligence and white matter microstructure in healthy (young) adults, and those have yielded mixed observations, yet white matter is fundamental for efficient and accurate information transfer throughout the human brain. We used a multicenter approach to identify white matter regions that show replicable structure-function associations, employing data from 4 independent samples comprising over 2000 healthy participants. TBSS indicated 188 voxels exhibited significant positive associations between g factor scores and fractional anisotropy (FA) in all 4 data sets. Replicable voxels formed 3 clusters, located around the left-hemispheric forceps minor, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and cingulum-cingulate gyrus with extensions into their surrounding areas (anterior thalamic radiation, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus). Our results suggested that individual differences in general intelligence are robustly associated with white matter FA in specific fiber bundles distributed across the brain, consistent with the Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory of intelligence. Three possible reasons higher FA values might create links with higher g are faster information processing due to greater myelination, more direct information processing due to parallel, homogenous fiber orientation distributions, or more parallel information processing due to greater axon density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Stammen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), 44139 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Christoph Fraenz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), 44139 Dortmund, Germany
| | | | - Caroline Schlüter
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Viola Merhof
- Chair of Research Methods and Psychological Assessment, University of Mannheim, 68161 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Wendy Johnson
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Biopsychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Colin G DeYoung
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Erhan Genç
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), 44139 Dortmund, Germany
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Wang J, Nichols ES, Mueller ME, de Vrijer B, Eagleson R, McKenzie CA, de Ribaupierre S, Duerden EG. Semi-automatic segmentation of the fetal brain from magnetic resonance imaging. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:1027084. [PMID: 36440277 PMCID: PMC9692018 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1027084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Volumetric measurements of fetal brain maturation in the third trimester of pregnancy are key predictors of developmental outcomes. Improved understanding of fetal brain development trajectories may aid in identifying and clinically managing at-risk fetuses. Currently, fetal brain structures in magnetic resonance images (MRI) are often manually segmented, which requires both time and expertise. To facilitate the targeting and measurement of brain structures in the fetus, we compared the results of five segmentation methods applied to fetal brain MRI data to gold-standard manual tracings. Methods Adult women with singleton pregnancies (n = 21), of whom five were scanned twice, approximately 3 weeks apart, were recruited [26 total datasets, median gestational age (GA) = 34.8, IQR = 30.9-36.6]. T2-weighted single-shot fast spin echo images of the fetal brain were acquired on 1.5T and 3T MRI scanners. Images were first combined into a single 3D anatomical volume. Next, a trained tracer manually segmented the thalamus, cerebellum, and total cerebral volumes. The manual segmentations were compared with five automatic methods of segmentation available within Advanced Normalization Tools (ANTs) and FMRIB's Linear Image Registration Tool (FLIRT) toolboxes. The manual and automatic labels were compared using Dice similarity coefficients (DSCs). The DSC values were compared using Friedman's test for repeated measures. Results Comparing cerebellum and thalamus masks against the manually segmented masks, the median DSC values for ANTs and FLIRT were 0.72 [interquartile range (IQR) = 0.6-0.8] and 0.54 (IQR = 0.4-0.6), respectively. A Friedman's test indicated that the ANTs registration methods, primarily nonlinear methods, performed better than FLIRT (p < 0.001). Conclusion Deformable registration methods provided the most accurate results relative to manual segmentation. Overall, this semi-automatic subcortical segmentation method provides reliable performance to segment subcortical volumes in fetal MR images. This method reduces the costs of manual segmentation, facilitating the measurement of typical and atypical fetal brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianan Wang
- Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Emily S. Nichols
- Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Megan E. Mueller
- Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Barbra de Vrijer
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Roy Eagleson
- Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Charles A. McKenzie
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Sandrine de Ribaupierre
- Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Emma G. Duerden
- Biomedical Engineering, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Applied Psychology, Faculty of Education, Western University, London, ON, Canada
- Western Institute for Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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Volzhenin K, Changeux JP, Dumas G. Multilevel development of cognitive abilities in an artificial neural network. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2201304119. [PMID: 36122214 PMCID: PMC9522351 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201304119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Several neuronal mechanisms have been proposed to account for the formation of cognitive abilities through postnatal interactions with the physical and sociocultural environment. Here, we introduce a three-level computational model of information processing and acquisition of cognitive abilities. We propose minimal architectural requirements to build these levels, and how the parameters affect their performance and relationships. The first sensorimotor level handles local nonconscious processing, here during a visual classification task. The second level or cognitive level globally integrates the information from multiple local processors via long-ranged connections and synthesizes it in a global, but still nonconscious, manner. The third and cognitively highest level handles the information globally and consciously. It is based on the global neuronal workspace (GNW) theory and is referred to as the conscious level. We use the trace and delay conditioning tasks to, respectively, challenge the second and third levels. Results first highlight the necessity of epigenesis through the selection and stabilization of synapses at both local and global scales to allow the network to solve the first two tasks. At the global scale, dopamine appears necessary to properly provide credit assignment despite the temporal delay between perception and reward. At the third level, the presence of interneurons becomes necessary to maintain a self-sustained representation within the GNW in the absence of sensory input. Finally, while balanced spontaneous intrinsic activity facilitates epigenesis at both local and global scales, the balanced excitatory/inhibitory ratio increases performance. We discuss the plausibility of the model in both neurodevelopmental and artificial intelligence terms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Volzhenin
- Neuroscience Department, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
- Laboratory of Computational and Quantitative Biology, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | | | - Guillaume Dumas
- Neuroscience Department, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
- Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
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A thalamo-centric neural signature for restructuring negative self-beliefs. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:1611-1617. [PMID: 34974523 PMCID: PMC9095461 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01402-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Negative self-beliefs are a core feature of psychopathology. Despite this, we have a limited understanding of the brain mechanisms by which negative self-beliefs are cognitively restructured. Using a novel paradigm, we had participants use Socratic questioning techniques to restructure negative beliefs during ultra-high resolution 7-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (UHF 7 T fMRI) scanning. Cognitive restructuring elicited prominent activation in a fronto-striato-thalamic circuit, including the mediodorsal thalamus (MD), a group of deep subcortical nuclei believed to synchronize and integrate prefrontal cortex activity, but which has seldom been directly examined with fMRI due to its small size. Increased activity was also identified in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), a region consistently activated by internally focused mental processing, as well as in lateral prefrontal regions associated with regulating emotional reactivity. Using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM), evidence was found to support the MD as having a strong excitatory effect on the activity of regions within the broader network mediating cognitive restructuring. Moreover, the degree to which participants modulated MPFC-to-MD effective connectivity during cognitive restructuring predicted their individual tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking. Our findings represent a major shift from a cortico-centric framework of cognition and provide important mechanistic insights into how the MD facilitates key processes in cognitive interventions for common psychiatric disorders. In addition to relaying integrative information across basal ganglia and the cortex, we propose a multifaceted role for the MD whose broad excitatory pathways act to increase synchrony between cortical regions to sustain complex mental representations, including the self.
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Chen F, Lv X, Fang J, Li T, Xu J, Wang X, Hong Y, Hong L, Wang J, Wang W, Wang C. Body-mind relaxation meditation modulates the thalamocortical functional connectivity in major depressive disorder: a preliminary resting-state fMRI study. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:546. [PMID: 34689151 PMCID: PMC8542047 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01637-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions such as meditation have increasingly been utilized for the treatment of psychological disorders and have been shown to be effective in the treatment of depression and relapse prevention. However, it remains largely unclear the neural mechanism of the therapeutic effects of meditation among depressed individuals. In this study, we investigated how body-mind relaxation meditation (BMRM) can modulate the thalamocortical functional connectivity (FC) in major depressive disorder patients and healthy controls. In the present study, we recruited 21 medication-naive adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDDs) and 24 matched healthy controls (HCs). We designed an audio recording to induce body-mind relaxation meditation. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) scans were collected before and after the BMRM intervention in both groups. The thalamus subregions were defined according to the Human Brainnetome Atlas, and functional connectivity (FC) was measured and compared to find brain regions that were affected by the BMRM intervention. Before the BMRM intervention, MDDs showed reduced FC of the bilateral precuneus/post cingulate cortex with the left posterior parietal thalamus and left caudal temporal thalamus, as well as an increased FC of the left occipital thalamus with the left medial frontal cortex. Moreover, aberrant FCs in MDDs at baseline were normalized following the BMRM intervention. After the BMRM intervention, both MDDs and HCs showed decreased FC between the left rostral temporal thalamus and the left inferior occipital. Given the small sample used in this study, future studies are warranted to evaluate the generalizability of these findings. Our findings suggest that BMRM is associated with changes in thalamocortical functional connectivity in MDDs. BMRM may act by strengthening connections between the thalamus and the default mode network, which are involved in a variety of high-level functioning, such as attention and self-related processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangfang Chen
- grid.263488.30000 0001 0472 9649College of Mathematics and Statistics, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060 China
| | - Xueyu Lv
- grid.410318.f0000 0004 0632 3409Guang’an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053 China
| | - Jiliang Fang
- grid.410318.f0000 0004 0632 3409Guang’an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053 China
| | - Tao Li
- grid.410318.f0000 0004 0632 3409Guang’an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053 China
| | - Jinping Xu
- grid.458489.c0000 0001 0483 7922Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Xiaoling Wang
- grid.410318.f0000 0004 0632 3409Guang’an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053 China
| | - Yang Hong
- grid.410318.f0000 0004 0632 3409Guang’an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053 China
| | - Lan Hong
- grid.410318.f0000 0004 0632 3409Guang’an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053 China
| | - Jian Wang
- grid.410318.f0000 0004 0632 3409Guang’an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053 China
| | - Weidong Wang
- Guang'an Men Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100053, China.
| | - Chao Wang
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China. .,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
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Zheng W, Tan X, Liu T, Li X, Gao J, Hong L, Zhang X, Zhao Z, Yu Y, Zhang Y, Luo B, Wu D. Individualized Thalamic Parcellation Reveals Alterations in Shape and Microstructure of Thalamic Nuclei in Patients with Disorder of Consciousness. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 2:tgab024. [PMID: 34296169 PMCID: PMC8152869 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgab024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The thalamus plays crucial roles in consciousness generation and information processing. Previous evidence suggests that disorder of consciousness (DOC) caused by severe brain injury, is potentially related to thalamic abnormalities. However, how the morphology and microstructure change in thalamic subfields and thalamocortical fiber pathways in patients with DOC, and the relationships between these changes and the consciousness status remain unclear. Here, we generated the individual-specific thalamic parcellation in 10 DOC patients and 10 healthy controls (HC) via a novel thalamic segmentation framework based on the fiber orientation distribution (FOD) derived from 7-Tesla diffusion MRI, and investigated the shape deformation of thalamic nuclei as well as the microstructural changes associated with thalamic nuclei and thalamocortical pathways in patients with DOC. Enlargement of dorsal posterior nucleus and atrophy of anterior nucleus in the right thalamus were observed in DOC cohort relative to the HCs, and the former was closely linked to the consciousness level of the patients. We also found significant reductions of fiber density, but not fiber bundle cross-section, within several thalamic nuclei and most of the thalamocortical fiber pathways, suggesting that loss of axons might take primary responsibility for the impaired thalamocortical connections in patients with DOC rather than the change in fiber-bundle morphology. Furthermore, the individual-specific thalamic parcellation achieved 80% accuracy in classifying patients at the minimally conscious state from the vegetative state, compared with ~60% accuracy based on group-level parcellations. Our findings provide the first evidence for the shape deformation of thalamic nuclei in DOC patients and the microstructural basis of the disrupted thalamocortical connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihao Zheng
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P.R. China
| | - Xufei Tan
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University City College, Hangzhou, 310015, P.R. China
| | - Tingting Liu
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoxia Li
- Department of Neurology and Brain Medical Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, P.R. China
| | - Jian Gao
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hospital of Zhejiang Armed Police Corps, Hangzhou, 310051, P.R. China
| | - Lirong Hong
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hospital of Zhejiang Armed Police Corps, Hangzhou, 310051, P.R. China
| | - Xiaotong Zhang
- Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, P.R. China
| | - Zhiyong Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P.R. China
| | - Yamei Yu
- Department of Neurology and Brain Medical Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, P.R. China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P.R. China
| | - Benyan Luo
- Department of Neurology and Brain Medical Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, P.R. China
| | - Dan Wu
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P.R. China
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12
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Geier KT, Buchsbaum BR, Parimoo S, Olsen RK. The role of anterior and medial dorsal thalamus in associative memory encoding and retrieval. Neuropsychologia 2020; 148:107623. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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