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Somech N, Mizrahi T, Caspi Y, Axelrod V. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy imaging of the prefrontal cortex during a naturalistic comedy movie. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:913540. [PMID: 36161175 PMCID: PMC9493198 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.913540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Naturalistic stimulation (i.e., movies and auditory narratives of some minutes' length) has been a powerful approach to bringing more real-life experiences into laboratory experiments. Data-driven, intersubject correlation (ISC) analysis permits examining to what extent activity in a specific brain region correlates across participants during exposure to a naturalistic stimulus, as well as testing whether neural activity correlates with behavioral measures. Notably, most of the previous research with naturalistic stimuli was conducted using functional fMRI (fMRI). Here, we tested whether a naturalistic approach and the ISC are feasible using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) - the imaging method particularly suited for populations of patients and children. Fifty-three healthy adult participants watched twice a 3-min segment of a Charlie Chaplin movie while we recorded the brain activity on the surface of their prefrontal cortex using fNIRS. In addition, an independent group of 18 participants used a continuous scoring procedure to rate the extent to which they felt that different parts of the movie fragment were funny. Our two findings were as follows. First, we found higher-than-zero ISC in fNIRS signals in the prefrontal cortex lobes, a result that was particularly high in the oxygenated channels during the first repetition of the movie. Second, we found a significant negative correlation between oxygenated brain signals and ratings of the movie's humorousness. In a series of control analyses we demonstrated that this latter correlation could not be explained by various non-humor-related movie sensory properties (e.g., auditory volume and image brightness). The key overall outcome of the present study is that fNIRS in combination with the naturalistic paradigms and the ISC might be a sensitive and powerful research method to explore cognitive processing. Our results also suggest a potential role of the prefrontal cortex in humor appreciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Somech
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Tamar Mizrahi
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- Head Injuries Rehabilitation Department, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Yael Caspi
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Vadim Axelrod
- The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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Coenen VA, Sajonz BEA, Hurwitz TA, Böck M, Hosp JA, Reinacher PC, Urbach H, Blazhenets G, Meyer PT, Reisert M. A Neuroanatomy of Positive Affect Display – Subcortical Fiber Pathways Relevant for Initiation and Modulation of Smiling and Laughing. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:817554. [PMID: 35464145 PMCID: PMC9022623 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.817554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background We here report two cases of stimulation induced pathological laughter (PL) under thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for essential tremor and interpret the effects based on a modified neuroanatomy of positive affect display (PAD). Objective/Hypothesis The hitherto existing neuroanatomy of PAD can be augmented with recently described parts of the motor medial forebrain bundle (motorMFB). We speculate that a co-stimulation of parts of this fiber structure might lead to a non-volitional modulation of PAD resulting in PL. Methods We describe the clinical and individual imaging workup and combine the interpretation with normative diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-tractography descriptions of motor connections of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) (n = 200 subjects, HCP cohort), [[18F] fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG)] positron emission tomography (PET), and volume of activated tissue simulations. We integrate these results with literature concerning PAD and the neuroanatomy of smiling and laughing. Results DBS electrodes bilaterally co-localized with the MB-pathway (“limiter pathway”). The FDG PET activation pattern allowed to explain pathological PAD. A conceptual revised neuroanatomy of PAD is described. Conclusion Eliciting pathological PAD through chronic thalamic DBS is a new finding and has previously not been reported. PAD is evolution driven, hard wired to the brain and realized over previously described branches of the motorMFB. A major relay region is the VTA/mammillary body complex. PAD physiologically undergoes conscious modulation mainly via the MB branch of the motorMFB (limiter). This limiter in our cases is bilaterally disturbed through DBS. The here described anatomy adds to a previously described framework of neuroanatomy of laughter and humor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker A. Coenen
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Deep Brain Stimulation, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Volker A. Coenen,
| | - Bastian E. A. Sajonz
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Trevor A. Hurwitz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Marlies Böck
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for Deep Brain Stimulation, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jonas A. Hosp
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Peter C. Reinacher
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), Aachen, Germany
| | - Horst Urbach
- Department of Neuroradiology, Medical Faculty, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ganna Blazhenets
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Philipp T. Meyer
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marco Reisert
- Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Medical Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Erickson JM, Quinn DK, Shorter E. Moria Revisited: Translation of Moritz Jastrowitz's Description of Pathologic Giddiness. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 2016; 28:74-6. [PMID: 26670786 PMCID: PMC6667279 DOI: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.15080205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M. Erickson
- Division of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry & Psychosomatic Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, New York
| | - Davin K. Quinn
- Psychiatric Consultation Service, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque
| | - Edward Shorter
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont., Canada
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Abnormal laughter-like vocalisations replacing speech in primary progressive aphasia. J Neurol Sci 2009; 284:120-3. [PMID: 19435636 PMCID: PMC2729814 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2009.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2009] [Revised: 04/08/2009] [Accepted: 04/14/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We describe ten patients with a clinical diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) (pathologically confirmed in three cases) who developed abnormal laughter-like vocalisations in the context of progressive speech output impairment leading to mutism. Failure of speech output was accompanied by increasing frequency of the abnormal vocalisations until ultimately they constituted the patient's only extended utterance. The laughter-like vocalisations did not show contextual sensitivity but occurred as an automatic vocal output that replaced speech. Acoustic analysis of the vocalisations in two patients revealed abnormal motor features including variable note duration and inter-note interval, loss of temporal symmetry of laugh notes and loss of the normal decrescendo. Abnormal laughter-like vocalisations may be a hallmark of a subgroup in the PPA spectrum with impaired control and production of nonverbal vocal behaviour due to disruption of fronto-temporal networks mediating vocalisation.
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