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Hoshi H, Ishii A, Shigihara Y, Yoshikawa T. Binocularly suppressed stimuli induce brain activities related to aesthetic emotions. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1339479. [PMID: 38855441 PMCID: PMC11159128 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1339479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Aesthetic emotions are a class of emotions aroused by evaluating aesthetically appealing objects or events. While evolutionary aesthetics suggests the adaptive roles of these emotions, empirical assessments are lacking. Previous neuroscientific studies have demonstrated that visual stimuli carrying evolutionarily important information induce neural responses even when presented non-consciously. To examine the evolutionary importance of aesthetic emotions, we conducted a neuroscientific study using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure induced neural responses to non-consciously presented portrait paintings categorised as biological and non-biological and examined associations between the induced responses and aesthetic ratings. Methods MEG and pre-rating data were collected from 23 participants. The pre-rating included visual analogue scales for object saliency, facial saliency, liking, and beauty scores, in addition to 'biologi-ness,' which was used for subcategorising stimuli into biological and non-biological. The stimuli were presented non-consciously using a continuous flash suppression paradigm or consciously using binocular presentation without flashing masks, while dichotomic behavioural responses were obtained (beauty or non-beauty). Time-frequency decomposed MEG data were used for correlation analysis with pre-rating scores for each category. Results Behavioural data revealed that saliency scores of non-consciously presented stimuli influenced dichotomic responses (beauty or non-beauty). MEG data showed that non-consciously presented portrait paintings induced spatiotemporally distributed low-frequency brain activities associated with aesthetic ratings, which were distinct between the biological and non-biological categories and conscious and non-conscious conditions. Conclusion Aesthetic emotion holds evolutionary significance for humans. Neural pathways are sensitive to visual images that arouse aesthetic emotion in distinct ways for biological and non-biological categories, which are further influenced by consciousness. These differences likely reflect the diversity in mechanisms of aesthetic processing, such as processing fluency, active elaboration, and predictive processing. The aesthetic processing of non-conscious stimuli appears to be characterised by fluency-driven affective processing, while top-down regulatory processes are suppressed. This study provides the first empirical evidence supporting the evolutionary significance of aesthetic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideyuki Hoshi
- Department of Sports Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
- Precision Medicine Centre, Hokuto Hospital, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Akira Ishii
- Department of Sports Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Takahiro Yoshikawa
- Department of Sports Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
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2
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Japee S, Jordan J, Licht J, Lokey S, Chen G, Snow J, Jabs EW, Webb BD, Engle EC, Manoli I, Baker C, Ungerleider LG. Inability to move one's face dampens facial expression perception. Cortex 2023; 169:35-49. [PMID: 37852041 PMCID: PMC10836030 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.08.014] [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: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Humans rely heavily on facial expressions for social communication to convey their thoughts and emotions and to understand them in others. One prominent but controversial view is that humans learn to recognize the significance of facial expressions by mimicking the expressions of others. This view predicts that an inability to make facial expressions (e.g., facial paralysis) would result in reduced perceptual sensitivity to others' facial expressions. To test this hypothesis, we developed a diverse battery of sensitive emotion recognition tasks to characterize expression perception in individuals with Moebius Syndrome (MBS), a congenital neurological disorder that causes facial palsy. Using computer-based detection tasks we systematically assessed expression perception thresholds for static and dynamic face and body expressions. We found that while MBS individuals were able to perform challenging perceptual control tasks and body expression tasks, they were less efficient at extracting emotion from facial expressions, compared to matched controls. Exploratory analyses of fMRI data from a small group of MBS participants suggested potentially reduced engagement of the amygdala in MBS participants during expression processing relative to matched controls. Collectively, these results suggest a role for facial mimicry and consequent facial feedback and motor experience in the perception of others' facial expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruti Japee
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Jessica Jordan
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Judith Licht
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Savannah Lokey
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gang Chen
- Scientific and Statistical Computing Core, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joseph Snow
- Office of the Clinical Director, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ethylin Wang Jabs
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bryn D Webb
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics and Metabolism, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Engle
- Departments of Neurology and Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Irini Manoli
- Medical Genomics and Metabolic Genetics, NHGRI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chris Baker
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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3
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Pitcher D, Sliwinska MW, Kaiser D. TMS disruption of the lateral prefrontal cortex increases neural activity in the default mode network when naming facial expressions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad072. [PMID: 38048419 PMCID: PMC10695328 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad072] [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: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recognizing facial expressions is dependent on multiple brain networks specialized for different cognitive functions. In the current study, participants (N = 20) were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), while they performed a covert facial expression naming task. Immediately prior to scanning thetaburst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered over the right lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), or the vertex control site. A group whole-brain analysis revealed that TMS induced opposite effects in the neural responses across different brain networks. Stimulation of the right PFC (compared to stimulation of the vertex) decreased neural activity in the left lateral PFC but increased neural activity in three nodes of the default mode network (DMN): the right superior frontal gyrus, right angular gyrus and the bilateral middle cingulate gyrus. A region of interest analysis showed that TMS delivered over the right PFC reduced neural activity across all functionally localised face areas (including in the PFC) compared to TMS delivered over the vertex. These results suggest that visually recognizing facial expressions is dependent on the dynamic interaction of the face-processing network and the DMN. Our study also demonstrates the utility of combined TMS/fMRI studies for revealing the dynamic interactions between different functional brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO105DD, UK
| | | | - Daniel Kaiser
- Mathematical Institute, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Geography, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen 35392, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behaviour, Philipps-Universität Marburg, and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Marburg 35032, Germany
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4
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Dugré JR, Potvin S. Altered functional connectivity of the amygdala across variants of callous-unemotional traits: A resting-state fMRI study in children and adolescents. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 163:32-42. [PMID: 37201236 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Over the past years, research has shown that primary (high callousness and low anxiety) and secondary (high callousness and anxiety) variants of CU traits may be associated with opposite amygdala activity (hypo- and hyper-reactivity, respectively). However, their differences in amygdala functional connectivity remains largely unexplored. We conducted a Latent Profile Analysis on a large sample of adolescents (n = 1416) to identify homogeneous subgroups with different levels of callousness and anxiety. We then performed a seed-to-voxel connectivity analysis on resting-state fMRI data to compare subgroups on connectivity patterns of the amygdala. We examined the results in relation to conduct problems to identify potential neural risk factors. The Latent Profile Analysis revealed four subgroups, including the primary and secondary variants, anxious, and typically developing adolescents. The seed-to-voxel analyses showed that the primary variant was mainly characterized by increased connectivity between the left amygdala and left thalamus. The secondary variant exhibited deficient connectivity between the amygdala and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, temporo-parietal junction, premotor, and postcentral gyrus. Both variants showed increased connectivity between the left amygdala and the right thalamus but exhibited opposite functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the parahippocampal gyrus. Dimensional analyses indicated that conduct problems may play a mediating role between callousness and amygdala-dmPFC functional connectivity across youths with already high levels of callousness. Our study highlights that both variants differ in the functional connectivity of the amygdala. Our results support the importance of disentangling the heterogeneity of adolescents at risk for conduct problems in neuroimaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jules R Dugré
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Stéphane Potvin
- Research Center of the Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
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5
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Kirkovski M, Donaldson PH, Do M, Speranza BE, Albein-Urios N, Oberman LM, Enticott PG. A systematic review of the neurobiological effects of theta-burst stimulation (TBS) as measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:717-749. [PMID: 37072625 PMCID: PMC10113132 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02634-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is associated with the modulation of a range of clinical, cognitive, and behavioural outcomes, but specific neurobiological effects remain somewhat unclear. This systematic literature review investigated resting-state and task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) outcomes post-TBS in healthy human adults. Fifty studies that applied either continuous-or intermittent-(c/i) TBS, and adopted a pretest-posttest or sham-controlled design, were included. For resting-state outcomes following stimulation applied to motor, temporal, parietal, occipital, or cerebellar regions, functional connectivity generally decreased in response to cTBS and increased in response to iTBS, though there were some exceptions to this pattern of response. These findings are mostly consistent with the assumed long-term depression (LTD)/long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity effects of cTBS and iTBS, respectively. Task-related outcomes following TBS were more variable. TBS applied to the prefrontal cortex, irrespective of task or state, also produced more variable responses, with no consistent patterns emerging. Individual participant and methodological factors are likely to contribute to the variability in responses to TBS. Future studies assessing the effects of TBS via fMRI must account for factors known to affect the TBS outcomes, both at the level of individual participants and of research methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Kirkovski
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
| | - Peter H Donaldson
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael Do
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Bridgette E Speranza
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Natalia Albein-Urios
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Lindsay M Oberman
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Peter G Enticott
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
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6
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Vandenbulcke M, Van de Vliet L, Sun J, Huang YA, Van Den Bossche MJA, Sunaert S, Peeters R, Zhu Q, Vanduffel W, de Gelder B, De Winter FL, Van den Stock J. A paleo-neurologic investigation of the social brain hypothesis in frontotemporal dementia. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:622-633. [PMID: 35253853 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac089] [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: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The social brain hypothesis posits that a disproportionate encephalization in primates enabled to adapt behavior to a social context. Also, it has been proposed that phylogenetically recent brain areas are disproportionally affected by neurodegeneration. Using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, the present study investigates brain-behavior associations and neural integrity of hyperspecialized and domain-general cortical social brain areas in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). The results revealed that both structure and function of hyperspecialized social areas in the middle portion of the superior temporal sulcus (STS) are compromised in bvFTD, while no deterioration was observed in domain general social areas in the posterior STS. While the structural findings adhered to an anterior-posterior gradient, the functional group differences only occurred in the hyperspecialized locations. Activity in specialized regions was associated with structural integrity of the amygdala and with social deficits in bvFTD. In conclusion, the results are in line with the paleo-neurology hypothesis positing that neurodegeneration primarily hits cortical areas showing increased specialization, but also with the compatible alternative explanation that anterior STS regions degenerate earlier, based on stronger connections to and trans-neuronal spreading from regions affected early in bvFTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Vandenbulcke
- Neuropsychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.,Geriatric Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Laura Van de Vliet
- Neuropsychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Jiaze Sun
- Neuropsychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Yun-An Huang
- Neuropsychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Maarten J A Van Den Bossche
- Neuropsychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.,Geriatric Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Stefan Sunaert
- Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.,Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Ron Peeters
- Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.,Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Qi Zhu
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Wim Vanduffel
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.,Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02144, USA
| | - Beatrice de Gelder
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht 6229 EV, The Netherlands.,Department of Computer Science, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - François-Laurent De Winter
- Neuropsychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.,Geriatric Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Jan Van den Stock
- Neuropsychiatry, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium.,Geriatric Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
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7
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Ni HC, Chao YP, Tseng RY, Wu CT, Cocchi L, Chou TL, Chen RS, Gau SSF, Yeh CH, Lin HY. Lack of effects of four-week theta burst stimulation on white matter macro/microstructure in children and adolescents with autism. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103324. [PMID: 36638598 PMCID: PMC9852693 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Following the published behavioral and cognitive results of this single-blind parallel sham-controlled randomized clinical trial, the current study aimed to explore the impact of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a variant of excitatory transcranial magnetic stimulation, over the bilateral posterior superior temporal sulci (pSTS) on white matter macro/microstructure in intellectually able children and adolescents with autism. Participants were randomized and blindly received active or sham iTBS for 4 weeks (the single-blind sham-controlled phase). Then, all participants continued to receive active iTBS for another 4 weeks (the open-label phase). The clinical results were published elsewhere. Here, we present diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data on potential changes in white matter measures after iTBS. Twenty-two participants in Active-Active group and 27 participants in Sham-Active group underwent multi-shell high angular resolution diffusion imaging (64-direction for b = 2000 & 1000 s/mm2, respectively) at baseline, week 4, and week 8. With longitudinal fixel-based analysis, we found no white matter changes following iTBS from baseline to week 4 (a null treatment by time interaction and a null within-group paired comparison in the Active-Active group), nor from baseline to week 8 (null within-group paired comparisons in both Active-Active and Sham-Active groups). As for the brain-symptoms relationship, we did not find baseline white matter metrics associated with symptom changes at week 4 in either group. Our results raise the question of what the minimal cumulative stimulation dose required to induce the white matter plasticity is.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsing-Chang Ni
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ping Chao
- Deparment of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Rung-Yu Tseng
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Institute for Radiological Research, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Te Wu
- Department of Medical Imaging and Intervention, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Luca Cocchi
- Clinical Brain Networks Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tai-Li Chou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Rou-Shayn Chen
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Susan Shur-Fen Gau
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Hung Yeh
- Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Institute for Radiological Research, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Hsiang-Yuan Lin
- Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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8
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Liu N, Behrmann M, Turchi JN, Avidan G, Hadj-Bouziane F, Ungerleider LG. Bidirectional and parallel relationships in macaque face circuit revealed by fMRI and causal pharmacological inactivation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6787. [PMID: 36351907 PMCID: PMC9646786 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34451-x] [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: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the presence of face patches in primate inferotemporal (IT) cortex is well established, the functional and causal relationships among these patches remain elusive. In two monkeys, muscimol was infused sequentially into each patch or pair of patches to assess their respective influence on the remaining IT face network and the amygdala, as determined using fMRI. The results revealed that anterior face patches required input from middle face patches for their responses to both faces and objects, while the face selectivity in middle face patches arose, in part, from top-down input from anterior face patches. Moreover, we uncovered a parallel fundal-lateral functional organization in the IT face network, supporting dual routes (dorsal-ventral) in face processing within IT cortex as well as between IT cortex and the amygdala. Our findings of the causal relationship among the face patches demonstrate that the IT face circuit is organized into multiple functional compartments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Liu
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.
| | - Marlene Behrmann
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Janita N Turchi
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Galia Avidan
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel
| | - Fadila Hadj-Bouziane
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- INSERM, U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, ImpAct Team, F-69000, Lyon, France
- University UCBL Lyon 1, F-69000, Lyon, France
| | - Leslie G Ungerleider
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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9
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Theory of mind: a new perspective on cluster headache—a cross-sectional study. Neurol Sci 2022; 43:6047-6051. [DOI: 10.1007/s10072-022-06234-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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10
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Fan X, Guo Q, Zhang X, Fei L, He S, Weng X. Top-down modulation and cortical-AMG/HPC interaction in familiar face processing. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4677-4687. [PMID: 36156127 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans can accurately recognize familiar faces in only a few hundred milliseconds, but the underlying neural mechanism remains unclear. Here, we recorded intracranial electrophysiological signals from ventral temporal cortex (VTC), superior/middle temporal cortex (STC/MTC), medial parietal cortex (MPC), and amygdala/hippocampus (AMG/HPC) in 20 epilepsy patients while they viewed faces of famous people and strangers as well as common objects. In posterior VTC and MPC, familiarity-sensitive responses emerged significantly later than initial face-selective responses, suggesting that familiarity enhances face representations after they are first being extracted. Moreover, viewing famous faces increased the coupling between cortical areas and AMG/HPC in multiple frequency bands. These findings advance our understanding of the neural basis of familiar face perception by identifying the top-down modulation in local face-selective response and interactions between cortical face areas and AMG/HPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxu Fan
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, United States
| | - Qiang Guo
- Epilepsy Center, Guangdong Sanjiu Brain Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510510, China
| | - Xinxin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education,Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510898, China
| | - Lingxia Fei
- Epilepsy Center, Guangdong Sanjiu Brain Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510510, China
| | - Sheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xuchu Weng
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education,Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510898, China
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11
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Neacsiu AD, Szymkiewicz V, Galla JT, Li B, Kulkarni Y, Spector CW. The neurobiology of misophonia and implications for novel, neuroscience-driven interventions. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:893903. [PMID: 35958984 PMCID: PMC9359080 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.893903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Decreased tolerance in response to specific every-day sounds (misophonia) is a serious, debilitating disorder that is gaining rapid recognition within the mental health community. Emerging research findings suggest that misophonia may have a unique neural signature. Specifically, when examining responses to misophonic trigger sounds, differences emerge at a physiological and neural level from potentially overlapping psychopathologies. While these findings are preliminary and in need of replication, they support the hypothesis that misophonia is a unique disorder. In this theoretical paper, we begin by reviewing the candidate networks that may be at play in this complex disorder (e.g., regulatory, sensory, and auditory). We then summarize current neuroimaging findings in misophonia and present areas of overlap and divergence from other mental health disorders that are hypothesized to co-occur with misophonia (e.g., obsessive compulsive disorder). Future studies needed to further our understanding of the neuroscience of misophonia will also be discussed. Next, we introduce the potential of neurostimulation as a tool to treat neural dysfunction in misophonia. We describe how neurostimulation research has led to novel interventions in psychiatric disorders, targeting regions that may also be relevant to misophonia. The paper is concluded by presenting several options for how neurostimulation interventions for misophonia could be crafted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrada D. Neacsiu
- Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation, Duke Brain Stimulation Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- *Correspondence: Andrada D. Neacsiu,
| | - Victoria Szymkiewicz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jeffrey T. Galla
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Brenden Li
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Yashaswini Kulkarni
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Cade W. Spector
- Department of Philosophy, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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12
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Nikel L, Sliwinska MW, Kucuk E, Ungerleider LG, Pitcher D. Measuring the response to visually presented faces in the human lateral prefrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex Commun 2022; 3:tgac036. [PMID: 36159205 PMCID: PMC9491845 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgac036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies identify multiple face-selective areas in the human brain. In the current study, we compared the functional response of the face area in the lateral prefrontal cortex to that of other face-selective areas. In Experiment 1, participants (n = 32) were scanned viewing videos containing faces, bodies, scenes, objects, and scrambled objects. We identified a face-selective area in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG). In Experiment 2, participants (n = 24) viewed the same videos or static images. Results showed that the rIFG, right posterior superior temporal sulcus (rpSTS), and right occipital face area (rOFA) exhibited a greater response to moving than static faces. In Experiment 3, participants (n = 18) viewed face videos in the contralateral and ipsilateral visual fields. Results showed that the rIFG and rpSTS showed no visual field bias, while the rOFA and right fusiform face area (rFFA) showed a contralateral bias. These experiments suggest two conclusions; firstly, in all three experiments, the face area in the IFG was not as reliably identified as face areas in the occipitotemporal cortex. Secondly, the similarity of the response profiles in the IFG and pSTS suggests the areas may perform similar cognitive functions, a conclusion consistent with prior neuroanatomical and functional connectivity evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Nikel
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington , York YO10 5DD , UK
| | | | - Emel Kucuk
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington , York YO10 5DD , UK
| | - Leslie G Ungerleider
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health , Bethesda, MD, 20892 , USA
| | - David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington , York YO10 5DD , UK
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13
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Llamas-Alonso LA, Barrios FA, González-Garrido AA, Ramos-Loyo J. Emotional faces interfere with saccadic inhibition and attention re-orientation: An fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108300. [PMID: 35697091 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108300] [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: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Modulation of reflex responses is crucial to adapt our behavior and cognition, and this is especially difficult when biological relevant stimuli are present such as emotional faces. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of peripherally presented happy and angry facial expressions in reflexive saccades and saccadic inhibition/re-orientation of attention. Behavior through eye-tracking technique and fMRI event-related BOLD signals activations were evaluated in adult males during the performance of an antisaccade task. fMRI signals obtained during task performance were compared to a baseline. Results showed that antisaccades had a lower percentage of correct responses and higher latency onsets than prosaccades. At the activation brain level, differences between both emotions and the baseline were found during stimuli presentation. Prosaccades for happy and angry faces recruited larger clusters with higher Z values mainly in occipito-parietal and temporal regions related to visual basic and integration processing, as well as regions of the oculomotor network. Meanwhile, when compared to the baseline, antisaccades recruited similar areas but a lower number of clusters with lower Z values as expected for peripheral processing of faces. At antisaccades, happy faces recruited parieto-occipital, temporal and cerebellar regions, while the angry faces added activation of orbital and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex related to emotional regulation. These results suggest that emotional facial expressions are being processed outside of the focus of attention. Particularly, angry expressions recruit a wider brain network in order to inhibit automatic behavior and re-orientate voluntary attention efficiently that may be due to its biological relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fernando A Barrios
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Neurobiología, Querétaro, Mexico.
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14
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Sliwinska MW, Searle LR, Earl M, O'Gorman D, Pollicina G, Burton AM, Pitcher D. Face learning via brief real-world social interactions includes changes in face-selective brain areas and hippocampus. Perception 2022; 51:521-538. [PMID: 35542977 PMCID: PMC9396469 DOI: 10.1177/03010066221098728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Making new acquaintances requires learning to recognise previously unfamiliar faces. In the current study, we investigated this process by staging real-world social interactions between actors and the participants. Participants completed a face-matching behavioural task in which they matched photographs of the actors (whom they had yet to meet), or faces similar to the actors (henceforth called foils). Participants were then scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing photographs of actors and foils. Immediately after exiting the scanner, participants met the actors for the first time and interacted with them for 10 min. On subsequent days, participants completed a second behavioural experiment and then a second fMRI scan. Prior to each session, actors again interacted with the participants for 10 min. Behavioural results showed that social interactions improved performance accuracy when matching actor photographs, but not foil photographs. The fMRI analysis revealed a difference in the neural response to actor photographs and foil photographs across all regions of interest (ROIs) only after social interactions had occurred. Our results demonstrate that short social interactions were sufficient to learn and discriminate previously unfamiliar individuals. Moreover, these learning effects were present in brain areas involved in face processing and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena W Sliwinska
- School of Psychology, 4589Liverpool John Moores University, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of York, UK
| | | | - Megan Earl
- Department of Psychology, University of York, UK
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15
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Dinh HT, Meng Y, Matsumoto J, Setogawa T, Nishimaru H, Nishijo H. Fast Detection of Snakes and Emotional Faces in the Macaque Amygdala. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:839123. [PMID: 35386724 PMCID: PMC8979552 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.839123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Primate vision is reported to detect snakes and emotional faces faster than many other tested stimuli. Because the amygdala has been implicated in avoidance and emotional behaviors to biologically relevant stimuli and has neural connections with subcortical nuclei involved with vision, amygdalar neurons would be sensitive to snakes and emotional faces. In this study, neuronal activity in the amygdala was recorded from Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) during discrimination of eight categories of visual stimuli including snakes, monkey faces, human faces, carnivores, raptors, non-predators, monkey hands, and simple figures. Of 527 amygdalar neurons, 95 responded to one or more stimuli. Response characteristics of the amygdalar neurons indicated that they were more sensitive to the snakes and emotional faces than other stimuli. Response magnitudes and latencies of amygdalar neurons to snakes and monkey faces were stronger and faster than those to the other categories of stimuli, respectively. Furthermore, response magnitudes to the low pass-filtered snake images were larger than those to scrambled snake images. Finally, analyses of population activity of amygdalar neurons suggest that snakes and emotional faces were represented separately from the other stimuli during the 50–100 ms period from stimulus onset, and neutral faces during the 100–150 ms period. These response characteristics indicate that the amygdala processes fast and coarse visual information from emotional faces and snakes (but not other predators of primates) among the eight categories of the visual stimuli, and suggest that, like anthropoid primate visual systems, the amygdala has been shaped over evolutionary time to detect appearance of potentially threatening stimuli including both emotional faces and snakes, the first of the modern predators of primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ha Trong Dinh
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Yang Meng
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Jumpei Matsumoto
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Setogawa
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishimaru
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- *Correspondence: Hiroshi Nishimaru,
| | - Hisao Nishijo
- System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Research Center for Idling Brain Science (RCIBS), University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
- Hisao Nishijo,
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16
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One object, two networks? Assessing the relationship between the face and body-selective regions in the primate visual system. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:1423-1438. [PMID: 34792643 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02420-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Faces and bodies are often treated as distinct categories that are processed separately by face- and body-selective brain regions in the primate visual system. These regions occupy distinct regions of visual cortex and are often thought to constitute independent functional networks. Yet faces and bodies are part of the same object and their presence inevitably covary in naturalistic settings. Here, we re-evaluate both the evidence supporting the independent processing of faces and bodies and the organizational principles that have been invoked to explain this distinction. We outline four hypotheses ranging from completely separate networks to a single network supporting the perception of whole people or animals. The current evidence, especially in humans, is compatible with all of these hypotheses, making it presently unclear how the representation of faces and bodies is organized in the cortex.
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17
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Spiteri S, Crewther D. Neural Mechanisms of Visual Motion Anomalies in Autism: A Two-Decade Update and Novel Aetiology. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:756841. [PMID: 34790092 PMCID: PMC8591069 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.756841] [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: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The 21st century has seen dramatic changes in our understanding of the visual physio-perceptual anomalies of autism and also in the structure and development of the primate visual system. This review covers the past 20 years of research into motion perceptual/dorsal stream anomalies in autism, as well as new understanding of the development of primate vision. The convergence of this literature allows a novel developmental hypothesis to explain the physiological and perceptual differences of the broad autistic spectrum. Central to these observations is the development of motion areas MT+, the seat of the dorsal cortical stream, central area of pre-attentional processing as well as being an anchor of binocular vision for 3D action. Such development normally occurs via a transfer of thalamic drive from the inferior pulvinar → MT to the anatomically stronger but later-developing LGN → V1 → MT connection. We propose that autistic variation arises from a slowing in the normal developmental attenuation of the pulvinar → MT pathway. We suggest that this is caused by a hyperactive amygdala → thalamic reticular nucleus circuit increasing activity in the PIm → MT via response gain modulation of the pulvinar and hence altering synaptic competition in area MT. We explore the probable timing of transfer in dominance of human MT from pulvinar to LGN/V1 driving circuitry and discuss the implications of the main hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Spiteri
- Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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18
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Hutchings R, Palermo R, Hazelton JL, Piguet O, Kumfor F. Considering Hemispheric Specialization in Emotional Face Processing: An Eye Tracking Study in Left- and Right-Lateralised Semantic Dementia. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11091195. [PMID: 34573215 PMCID: PMC8472320 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11091195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Face processing relies on a network of occipito-temporal and frontal brain regions. Temporal regions are heavily involved in looking at and processing emotional faces; however, the contribution of each hemisphere to this process remains under debate. Semantic dementia (SD) is a rare neurodegenerative brain condition characterized by anterior temporal lobe atrophy, which is either predominantly left- (left-SD) or right-lateralised (right-SD). This syndrome therefore provides a unique lesion model to understand the role of laterality in emotional face processing. Here, we investigated facial scanning patterns in 10 left-SD and 6 right-SD patients, compared to 22 healthy controls. Eye tracking was recorded via a remote EyeLink 1000 system, while participants passively viewed fearful, happy, and neutral faces over 72 trials. Analyses revealed that right-SD patients had more fixations to the eyes than controls in the Fear (p = 0.04) condition only. Right-SD patients also showed more fixations to the eyes than left-SD patients in all conditions: Fear (p = 0.01), Happy (p = 0.008), and Neutral (p = 0.04). In contrast, no differences between controls and left-SD patients were observed for any emotion. No group differences were observed for fixations to the mouth, or the whole face. This study is the first to examine patterns of facial scanning in left- versus right- SD, demonstrating more of a focus on the eyes in right-SD. Neuroimaging analyses showed that degradation of the right superior temporal sulcus was associated with increased fixations to the eyes. Together these results suggest that right lateralised brain regions of the face processing network are involved in the ability to efficiently utilise changeable cues from the face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalind Hutchings
- Brain & Mind Centre, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; (R.H.); (J.L.H.); (O.P.)
| | - Romina Palermo
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia;
| | - Jessica L. Hazelton
- Brain & Mind Centre, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; (R.H.); (J.L.H.); (O.P.)
| | - Olivier Piguet
- Brain & Mind Centre, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; (R.H.); (J.L.H.); (O.P.)
| | - Fiona Kumfor
- Brain & Mind Centre, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia; (R.H.); (J.L.H.); (O.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-2-9114-4181
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19
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Provenzi L, Lindstedt J, De Coen K, Gasparini L, Peruzzo D, Grumi S, Arrigoni F, Ahlqvist-Björkroth S. The Paternal Brain in Action: A Review of Human Fathers' fMRI Brain Responses to Child-Related Stimuli. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060816. [PMID: 34202946 PMCID: PMC8233834 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
As fathers are increasingly involved in childcare, understanding the neurological underpinnings of fathering has become a key research issue in developmental psychobiology research. This systematic review specifically focused on (1) highlighting methodological issues of paternal brain research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and (2) summarizing findings related to paternal brain responses to auditory and visual infant stimuli. Sixteen papers were included from 157 retrieved records. Sample characteristics (e.g., fathers’ and infant’s age, number of kids, and time spent caregiving), neuroimaging information (e.g., technique, task, stimuli, and processing), and main findings were synthesized by two independent authors. Most of the reviewed works used different stimuli and tasks to test fathers’ responses to child visual and/or auditory stimuli. Pre-processing and first-level analyses were performed with standard pipelines. Greater heterogeneity emerged in second-level analyses. Three main cortical networks (mentalization, embodied simulation, and emotion regulation) and a subcortical network emerged linked with fathers’ responses to infants’ stimuli, but additional areas (e.g., frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex) were also responsive to infants’ visual or auditory stimuli. This review suggests that a distributed and complex brain network may be involved in facilitating fathers’ sensitivity and responses to infant-related stimuli. Nonetheless, specific methodological caveats, the exploratory nature of large parts of the literature to date, and the presence of heterogeneous tasks and measures also demonstrate that systematic improvements in study designs are needed to further advance the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livio Provenzi
- Child Psychiatry and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0382-380287
| | - Johanna Lindstedt
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland; (J.L.); (S.A.-B.)
| | - Kris De Coen
- Neonatal Intensive Care Department, University Hospital of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Linda Gasparini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Università di Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Denis Peruzzo
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (D.P.); (F.A.)
| | - Serena Grumi
- Child Psychiatry and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Filippo Arrigoni
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (D.P.); (F.A.)
| | - Sari Ahlqvist-Björkroth
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland; (J.L.); (S.A.-B.)
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20
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Pitcher D, Pilkington A, Rauth L, Baker C, Kravitz DJ, Ungerleider LG. The Human Posterior Superior Temporal Sulcus Samples Visual Space Differently From Other Face-Selective Regions. Cereb Cortex 2021; 30:778-785. [PMID: 31264693 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies show that ventral face-selective regions, including the fusiform face area (FFA) and occipital face area (OFA), preferentially respond to faces presented in the contralateral visual field (VF). In the current study we measured the VF response of the face-selective posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). Across 3 functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments, participants viewed face videos presented in different parts of the VF. Consistent with prior results, we observed a contralateral VF bias in bilateral FFA, right OFA (rOFA), and bilateral human motion-selective area MT+. Intriguingly, this contralateral VF bias was absent in the bilateral pSTS. We then delivered transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over right pSTS (rpSTS) and rOFA, while participants matched facial expressions in both hemifields. TMS delivered over the rpSTS disrupted performance in both hemifields, but TMS delivered over the rOFA disrupted performance in the contralateral hemifield only. These converging results demonstrate that the contralateral bias for faces observed in ventral face-selective areas is absent in the pSTS. This difference in VF response is consistent with face processing models proposing 2 functionally distinct pathways. It further suggests that these models should account for differences in interhemispheric connections between the face-selective areas across these 2 pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO105DD, UK.,Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Amy Pilkington
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO105DD, UK
| | - Lionel Rauth
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Chris Baker
- Section on Learning and Plasticity, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Dwight J Kravitz
- Department of Psychology, George Washington University, 2125 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Leslie G Ungerleider
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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21
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Orczyk J, Schroeder CE, Abeles IY, Gomez-Ramirez M, Butler PD, Kajikawa Y. Comparison of Scalp ERP to Faces in Macaques and Humans. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:667611. [PMID: 33967709 PMCID: PMC8101630 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.667611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Face recognition is an essential activity of social living, common to many primate species. Underlying processes in the brain have been investigated using various techniques and compared between species. Functional imaging studies have shown face-selective cortical regions and their degree of correspondence across species. However, the temporal dynamics of face processing, particularly processing speed, are likely different between them. Across sensory modalities activation of primary sensory cortices in macaque monkeys occurs at about 3/5 the latency of corresponding activation in humans, though this human simian difference may diminish or disappear in higher cortical regions. We recorded scalp event-related potentials (ERPs) to presentation of faces in macaques and estimated the peak latency of ERP components. Comparisons of latencies between macaques (112 ms) and humans (192 ms) suggested that the 3:5 ratio could be preserved in higher cognitive regions of face processing between those species.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Orczyk
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biological Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Charles E Schroeder
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biological Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ilana Y Abeles
- Clinical Research Department, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Manuel Gomez-Ramirez
- Clinical Research Department, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States
| | - Pamela D Butler
- Clinical Research Department, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States.,Psychiatry Department, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yoshinao Kajikawa
- Translational Neuroscience Division, Center for Biological Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, United States.,Psychiatry Department, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United States
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22
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Goldsworthy MR, Hordacre B, Rothwell JC, Ridding MC. Effects of rTMS on the brain: is there value in variability? Cortex 2021; 139:43-59. [PMID: 33827037 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The ability of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to non-invasively induce neuroplasticity in the human cortex has opened exciting possibilities for its application in both basic and clinical research. Changes in the amplitude of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation has so far provided a convenient model for exploring the neurophysiology of rTMS effects on the brain, influencing the ways in which these stimulation protocols have been applied therapeutically. However, a growing number of studies have reported large inter-individual variability in the mean MEP response to rTMS, raising legitimate questions about the usefulness of this model for guiding therapy. Although the increasing application of different neuroimaging approaches has made it possible to probe rTMS-induced neuroplasticity outside the motor cortex to measure changes in neural activity that impact other aspects of human behaviour, the high variability of rTMS effects on these measurements remains an important issue for the field to address. In this review, we seek to move away from the conventional facilitation/inhibition dichotomy that permeates much of the rTMS literature, presenting a non-standard approach for measuring rTMS-induced neuroplasticity. We consider the evidence that rTMS is able to modulate an individual's moment-to-moment variability of neural activity, and whether this could have implications for guiding the therapeutic application of rTMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell R Goldsworthy
- Lifespan Human Neurophysiology Group, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, Lifelong Health Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Adelaide, Australia; Discipline of Psychiatry, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
| | - Brenton Hordacre
- Innovation, IMPlementation and Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - John C Rothwell
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael C Ridding
- Innovation, IMPlementation and Clinical Translation (IIMPACT) in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
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23
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Bo K, Yin S, Liu Y, Hu Z, Meyyappan S, Kim S, Keil A, Ding M. Decoding Neural Representations of Affective Scenes in Retinotopic Visual Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:3047-3063. [PMID: 33594428 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of opportunities and threats in complex visual scenes represents one of the main functions of the human visual system. The underlying neurophysiology is often studied by having observers view pictures varying in affective content. It has been shown that viewing emotionally engaging, compared with neutral, pictures (1) heightens blood flow in limbic, frontoparietal, and anterior visual structures and (2) enhances the late positive event-related potential (LPP). The role of retinotopic visual cortex in this process has, however, been contentious, with competing theories predicting the presence versus absence of emotion-specific signals in retinotopic visual areas. Recording simultaneous electroencephalography-functional magnetic resonance imaging while observers viewed pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral affective pictures, and applying multivariate pattern analysis, we found that (1) unpleasant versus neutral and pleasant versus neutral decoding accuracy were well above chance level in retinotopic visual areas, (2) decoding accuracy in ventral visual cortex (VVC), but not in early or dorsal visual cortex, was correlated with LPP, and (3) effective connectivity from amygdala to VVC predicted unpleasant versus neutral decoding accuracy, whereas effective connectivity from ventral frontal cortex to VVC predicted pleasant versus neutral decoding accuracy. These results suggest that affective scenes evoke valence-specific neural representations in retinotopic visual cortex and that these representations are influenced by reentry signals from anterior brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Bo
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Siyang Yin
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Yuelu Liu
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Zhenhong Hu
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Sreenivasan Meyyappan
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Sungkean Kim
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Andreas Keil
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Mingzhou Ding
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Pitcher D, Ungerleider LG. Evidence for a Third Visual Pathway Specialized for Social Perception. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:100-110. [PMID: 33334693 PMCID: PMC7811363 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Existing models propose that primate visual cortex is divided into two functionally distinct pathways. The ventral pathway computes the identity of an object; the dorsal pathway computes the location of an object, and the actions related to that object. Despite remaining influential, the two visual pathways model requires revision. Both human and non-human primate studies reveal the existence of a third visual pathway on the lateral brain surface. This third pathway projects from early visual cortex, via motion-selective areas, into the superior temporal sulcus (STS). Studies demonstrating that the STS computes the actions of moving faces and bodies (e.g., expressions, eye-gaze, audio-visual integration, intention, and mood) show that the third visual pathway is specialized for the dynamic aspects of social perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Leslie G Ungerleider
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Groen IIA, Silson EH, Pitcher D, Baker CI. Theta-burst TMS of lateral occipital cortex reduces BOLD responses across category-selective areas in ventral temporal cortex. Neuroimage 2021; 230:117790. [PMID: 33497776 PMCID: PMC8094793 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human visual cortex contains three scene-selective regions in the lateral, medial and ventral cortex, termed the occipital place area (OPA), medial place area (MPA) and parahippocampal place area (PPA). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), all three regions respond more strongly when viewing visual scenes compared with isolated objects or faces. To determine how these regions are functionally and causally connected, we applied transcranial magnetic stimulation to OPA and measured fMRI responses before and after stimulation, using a theta-burst paradigm (TBS). To test for stimulus category-selectivity, we presented a range of visual categories (scenes, buildings, objects, faces). To test for specificity of any effects to TBS of OPA we employed two control conditions: Sham, with no TBS stimulation, and an active TBS-control with TBS to a proximal face-selective cortical region (occipital face area, or OFA). We predicted that TBS to OPA (but not OFA) would lead to decreased responses to scenes and buildings (but not other categories) in other scene-selective cortical regions. Across both ROI and whole-volume analyses, we observed decreased responses to scenes in PPA as a result of TBS. However, these effects were neither category specific, with decreased responses to all stimulus categories, nor limited to scene-selective regions, with decreases also observed in face-selective fusiform face area (FFA). Furthermore, similar effects were observed with TBS to OFA, thus effects were not specific to the stimulation site in the lateral occipital cortex. Whilst these data are suggestive of a causal, but non-specific relationship between lateral occipital and ventral temporal cortex, we discuss several factors that could have underpinned this result, such as the differences between TBS and online TMS, the role of anatomical distance between stimulated regions and how TMS effects are operationalised. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of active control conditions in brain stimulation experiments to accurately assess functional and causal connectivity between specific brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris I A Groen
- Section on Learning and Plasticity, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1366, United States; Video and Image Sense Lab, Institute for Informatics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Edward H Silson
- Section on Learning and Plasticity, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1366, United States; Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, The University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Chris I Baker
- Section on Learning and Plasticity, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1366, United States
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Arcaro MJ, Mautz T, Berezovskii VK, Livingstone MS. Anatomical correlates of face patches in macaque inferotemporal cortex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:32667-32678. [PMID: 33277435 PMCID: PMC7768718 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018780117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Primate brains typically have regions within the ventral visual stream that are selectively responsive to faces. In macaques, these face patches are located in similar parts of inferotemporal cortex across individuals although correspondence with particular anatomical features has not been reported previously. Here, using high-resolution functional and anatomical imaging, we show that small "bumps," or buried gyri, along the lower bank of the superior temporal sulcus are predictive of the location of face-selective regions. Recordings from implanted multielectrode arrays verified that these bumps contain face-selective neurons. These bumps were present in monkeys raised without seeing faces and that lack face patches, indicating that these anatomical landmarks are predictive of, but not sufficient for, the presence of face selectivity. These bumps are found across primate species that span taxonomy lines, indicating common evolutionary developmental mechanisms. The bumps emerge during fetal development in macaques, indicating that they arise from general developmental mechanisms that result in the regularity of cortical folding of the entire brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Arcaro
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104;
| | - Theodora Mautz
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
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Blunted neural response to emotional faces in the fusiform and superior temporal gyrus may be marker of emotion recognition deficits in pediatric epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2020; 112:107432. [PMID: 32919203 PMCID: PMC7895303 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with epilepsy are at risk for social cognition deficits, including impairments in the ability to recognize nonverbal cues of emotion (i.e., emotion recognition [ER] skills). Such deficits are particularly pronounced in adult patients with childhood-onset seizures and are already evident in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Though these impairments have been linked to blunted neural response to emotional information in faces in adult patients, little is known about the neural correlates of ER deficits in youth with epilepsy. The current study compared ER accuracy and neural response to emotional faces during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in youth with intractable focal epilepsy and typically developing youth. Relative to typically developing participants, individuals with epilepsy showed a) reduced accuracy in the ER task and b) blunted response to emotional faces (vs. neutral faces) in the bilateral fusiform gyri and right superior temporal gyrus (STG). Activation in these regions was correlated with performance, suggesting that aberrant response within these face-responsive regions may play a functional role in ER impairments. Reduced engagement of neural circuits relevant to processing socioemotional cues may be markers of risk for social cognitive deficits in youth with focal epilepsy.
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Abstract
The development of the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the study of psychological functions has entered a new phase of sophistication. This is largely due to an increasing physiological knowledge of its effects and to its being used in combination with other experimental techniques. This review presents the current state of our understanding of the mechanisms of TMS in the context of designing and interpreting psychological experiments. We discuss the major conceptual advances in behavioral studies using TMS. There are meaningful physiological and technical achievements to review, as well as a wealth of new perceptual and cognitive experiments. In doing so we summarize the different uses and challenges of TMS in mental chronometry, perception, awareness, learning, and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom;
| | - Beth Parkin
- Department of Psychology, University of Westminster, London W1W 6UW, United Kingdom;
| | - Vincent Walsh
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom;
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Schmidtmann G, Logan AJ, Carbon CC, Loong JT, Gold I. In the Blink of an Eye: Reading Mental States From Briefly Presented Eye Regions. Iperception 2020; 11:2041669520961116. [PMID: 33088473 PMCID: PMC7543157 DOI: 10.1177/2041669520961116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Faces provide not only cues to an individual’s identity, age, gender, and
ethnicity but also insight into their mental states. The aim was to investigate
the temporal aspects of processing of facial expressions of complex mental
states for very short presentation times ranging from 12.5 to 100 ms in a
four-alternative forced choice paradigm based on Reading the Mind in the Eyes
test. Results show that participants are able to recognise very subtle
differences between facial expressions; performance is better than chance, even
for the shortest presentation time. Importantly, we show for the first time that
observers can recognise these expressions based on information contained in the
eye region only. These results support the hypothesis that the eye region plays
a particularly important role in social interactions and that the expressions in
the eyes are a rich source of information about other peoples’ mental states.
When asked to what extent the observers guessed during the task, they
significantly underestimated their ability to make correct decisions, yet
perform better than chance, even for very brief presentation times. These
results are particularly relevant in the light of the current COVID-19 pandemic
and the associated wearing of face coverings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Schmidtmann
- Eye and Vision Research Group, School of Health Professions, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Andrew J Logan
- Department of Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Joshua T Loong
- Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ian Gold
- Department of Philosophy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Blink and You Will Miss It: a Core Role for Fast and Dynamic Visual Processing in Social Impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorder. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40474-020-00220-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Movies and narratives as naturalistic stimuli in neuroimaging. Neuroimage 2020; 224:117445. [PMID: 33059053 PMCID: PMC7805386 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Using movies and narratives as naturalistic stimuli in human neuroimaging studies has yielded significant advances in understanding of cognitive and emotional functions. The relevant literature was reviewed, with emphasis on how the use of naturalistic stimuli has helped advance scientific understanding of human memory, attention, language, emotions, and social cognition in ways that would have been difficult otherwise. These advances include discovering a cortical hierarchy of temporal receptive windows, which supports processing of dynamic information that accumulates over several time scales, such as immediate reactions vs. slowly emerging patterns in social interactions. Naturalistic stimuli have also helped elucidate how the hippocampus supports segmentation and memorization of events in day-to-day life and have afforded insights into attentional brain mechanisms underlying our ability to adopt specific perspectives during natural viewing. Further, neuroimaging studies with naturalistic stimuli have revealed the role of the default-mode network in narrative-processing and in social cognition. Finally, by robustly eliciting genuine emotions, these stimuli have helped elucidate the brain basis of both basic and social emotions apparently manifested as highly overlapping yet distinguishable patterns of brain activity.
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MIURA I, OVERTON ET, NAKAI N, KAWAMATA T, SATO M, TAKUMI T. Imaging the Neural Circuit Basis of Social Behavior: Insights from Mouse and Human Studies. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 2020; 60:429-438. [PMID: 32863321 PMCID: PMC7490602 DOI: 10.2176/nmc.ra.2020-0088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social behavior includes a variety of behaviors that are expressed between two or more individuals. In humans, impairment of social function (i.e., social behavior and social cognition) is seen in neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and stroke, respectively. In basic neuroscience research, fluorescence monitoring of neural activity, such as immediate early gene (IEG)-mediated whole-brain mapping, fiber photometry, and calcium imaging using a miniaturized head-mounted microscope or a two-photon microscope, and non-fluorescence imaging such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are increasingly used to measure the activity of many neurons and multiple brain areas in animals during social behavior. In this review, we overview recent rodent studies that have investigated the dynamics of brain activity during social behavior at the whole-brain and local circuit levels and studies that explored the neural basis of social function in healthy, in brain-injured, and in autistic human subjects. A synthesis of such findings will advance our understanding of brain mechanisms underlying social behavior and facilitate the development of pharmaceutical and functional neurosurgical interventions for brain disorders affecting social function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isamu MIURA
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Nobuhiro NAKAI
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Takakazu KAWAMATA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaaki SATO
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Toru TAKUMI
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, Saitama, Japan
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Sliwinska MW, Bearpark C, Corkhill J, McPhillips A, Pitcher D. Dissociable pathways for moving and static face perception begin in early visual cortex: Evidence from an acquired prosopagnosic. Cortex 2020; 130:327-339. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Evans TC, Bar-Haim Y, Fox NA, Pine DS, Britton JC. Neural mechanisms underlying heterogeneous expression of threat-related attention in social anxiety. Behav Res Ther 2020; 132:103657. [PMID: 32682075 PMCID: PMC7719572 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Theoretical frameworks propose that threat-related attention, which is typically assessed using the dot-probe paradigm, plays a key role in social anxiety. Within the dot-probe paradigm, novel computational approaches demonstrate that anxious individuals exhibit multiple patterns of threat-related attention on separate trials. However, no research has leveraged such novel computational methods to delineate the neural substrates of threat-related attention patterns in social anxiety. To address this issue, fifty-three socially anxious adults (22.38 ± 3.12, 33 females) completed an fMRI-based dot-probe paradigm. A novel, response-based computation approach revealed conjoint patterns of vigilant orientation, avoidant orientation, slow disengagement, and fast disengagement, which were masked by standard computation measures. Compared to vigilant orientation and fast disengagement, avoidant orientation and slow disengagement were greater in magnitude, respectively. Mirroring behavioral findings, avoidant orientation and slow disengagement elicited greater deactivation of several regions within the Default Mode Network and stronger connectivity between the right amygdala and superior temporal sulcus. Taken together, these results suggest that distinct neural processes facilitate the heterogeneous expression of threat-related attention in social anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis C Evans
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
| | - Yair Bar-Haim
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neurosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Daniel S Pine
- National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jennifer C Britton
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA; National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Handwerker DA, Ianni G, Gutierrez B, Roopchansingh V, Gonzalez-Castillo J, Chen G, Bandettini PA, Ungerleider LG, Pitcher D. Theta-burst TMS to the posterior superior temporal sulcus decreases resting-state fMRI connectivity across the face processing network. Netw Neurosci 2020; 4:746-760. [PMID: 32885124 PMCID: PMC7462428 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans process faces by using a network of face-selective regions distributed across the brain. Neuropsychological patient studies demonstrate that focal damage to nodes in this network can impair face recognition, but such patients are rare. We approximated the effects of damage to the face network in neurologically normal human participants by using theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS). Multi-echo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) resting-state data were collected pre- and post-TBS delivery over the face-selective right superior temporal sulcus (rpSTS), or a control site in the right motor cortex. Results showed that TBS delivered over the rpSTS reduced resting-state connectivity across the extended face processing network. This connectivity reduction was observed not only between the rpSTS and other face-selective areas, but also between nonstimulated face-selective areas across the ventral, medial, and lateral brain surfaces (e.g., between the right amygdala and bilateral fusiform face areas and occipital face areas). TBS delivered over the motor cortex did not produce significant changes in resting-state connectivity across the face processing network. These results demonstrate that, even without task-induced fMRI signal changes, disrupting a single node in a brain network can decrease the functional connectivity between nodes in that network that have not been directly stimulated. Human behavior is dependent on brain networks that perform different cognitive functions. We combined theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) with resting-state fMRI to study the face processing network. Disruption of the face-selective right posterior superior temporal sulcus (rpSTS) reduced fMRI connectivity across the face network. This impairment in connectivity was observed not only between the rpSTS and other face-selective areas, but also between nonstimulated face-selective areas on the ventral and medial brain surfaces (e.g., between the right amygdala and bilateral fusiform face areas and occipital face areas). Thus, combined TBS/fMRI can be used to approximate and measure the effects of focal brain damage on brain networks, and suggests such an approach may be useful for mapping intrinsic network organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Handwerker
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Geena Ianni
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin Gutierrez
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Vinai Roopchansingh
- Functional MRI Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Javier Gonzalez-Castillo
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gang Chen
- Scientific and Statistical Computing Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Peter A Bandettini
- Section on Functional Imaging Methods, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Leslie G Ungerleider
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, UK
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Penton T, Catmur C, Banissy MJ, Bird G, Walsh V. Non-invasive stimulation in the social brain: the methodological challenges. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 17:15-25. [PMID: 32734295 PMCID: PMC9083106 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Use of non-invasive brain stimulation methods (NIBS) has become a common approach to study social processing in addition to behavioural, imaging and lesion studies. However, research using NIBS to investigate social processing faces challenges. Overcoming these is important to allow valid and reliable interpretation of findings in neurotypical cohorts, but also to allow us to tailor NIBS protocols to atypical groups with social difficulties. In this review, we consider the utility of brain stimulation as a technique to study and modulate social processing. We also discuss challenges that face researchers using NIBS to study social processing in neurotypical adults with a view to highlighting potential solutions. Finally, we discuss additional challenges that face researchers using NIBS to study and modulate social processing in atypical groups. These are important to consider given that NIBS protocols are rarely tailored to atypical groups before use. Instead, many rely on protocols designed for neurotypical adults despite differences in brain function that are likely to impact response to NIBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tegan Penton
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, SE14 6NW, UK.,MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Caroline Catmur
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Michael J Banissy
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, SE14 6NW, UK
| | - Geoffrey Bird
- MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PH
| | - Vincent Walsh
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London WC1N 3AR, UK
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Increased Accuracy of Emotion Recognition in Individuals with Autism-Like Traits after Five Days of Magnetic Stimulations. Neural Plast 2020; 2020:9857987. [PMID: 32714385 PMCID: PMC7355343 DOI: 10.1155/2020/9857987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism-like traits (ALT) belong to a subclinical group with similar social deficits as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Their main social deficits include atypical eye contact and difficulty in understanding facial expressions, both of which are associated with an abnormality of the right posterior superior temporal sulcus (rpSTS). It is still undetermined whether it is possible to improve the social function of ALT individuals through noninvasive neural modulation. To this end, we randomly assigned ALT individuals into the real (n = 16) and sham (n = 16) stimulation groups. All subjects received five consecutive days of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) on the rpSTS. Eye tracking data and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired on the first and sixth days. The real group showed significant improvement in emotion recognition accuracy after iTBS, but the change was not significantly larger than that in the sham group. Resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the rpSTS and the left cerebellum significantly decreased in the real group than the sham group after iTBS. At baseline, rsFC in the left cerebellum was negatively correlated with emotion recognition accuracy. Our findings indicated that iTBS of the rpSTS could improve emotion perception of ALT individuals by modulating associated neural networks. This stimulation protocol could be a vital therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ASD.
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38
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Sliwinska MW, Elson R, Pitcher D. Dual-site TMS demonstrates causal functional connectivity between the left and right posterior temporal sulci during facial expression recognition. Brain Stimul 2020; 13:1008-1013. [PMID: 32335230 PMCID: PMC7301156 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2020.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Neuroimaging studies suggest that facial expression recognition is processed in the bilateral posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). Our recent repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) study demonstrates that the bilateral pSTS is causally involved in expression recognition, although involvement of the right pSTS is greater than involvement of the left pSTS. Objective /Hypothesis: In this study, we used a dual-site TMS to investigate whether the left pSTS is functionally connected to the right pSTS during expression recognition. We predicted that if this connection exists, simultaneous TMS disruption of the bilateral pSTS would impair expression recognition to a greater extent than unilateral stimulation of the right pSTS alone. Methods Participants attended two TMS sessions. In Session 1, participants performed an expression recognition task while rTMS was delivered to the face-sensitive right pSTS (experimental site), object-sensitive right lateral occipital complex (control site) or no rTMS was delivered (behavioural control). In Session 2, the same experimental design was used, except that continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) was delivered to the left pSTS immediately before behavioural testing commenced. Session order was counter-balanced across participants. Results In Session 1, rTMS to the rpSTS impaired performance accuracy compared to the control conditions. Crucially in Session 2, the size of this impairment effect doubled after cTBS was delivered to the left pSTS. Conclusions Our results provide evidence for a causal functional connection between the left and right pSTS during expression recognition. In addition, this study further demonstrates the utility of the dual-site TMS for investigating causal functional links between brain regions. Dual-site TMS was used to test causal functional connectivity between left and right pSTS during expression recognition. rTMS impaired facial expression recognition when delivered to the right pSTS during a facial expression recognition task. cTBS delivered to the left pSTS prior to the task doubled the impairment effect of rTMS to the right pSTS during the task. The results demonstrate causal functional connectivity between the left and right pSTS during expression recognition. The results also demonstrate the utility of dual-site TMS for investigating interregional causal functional connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ryan Elson
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
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Lee JK, Amaral DG, Solomon M, Rogers SJ, Ozonoff S, Nordahl CW. Sex Differences in the Amygdala Resting-State Connectome of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:320-329. [PMID: 31563470 PMCID: PMC7033019 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multifactorial liability models predict greater dissimilarity in the neural phenotype of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in female individuals than in male individuals, while gender incoherence and extreme male brain models predict attenuated sex differences in ASD. The amygdala is an informative target to explore these models because it is implicated in both the neurobiology of ASD and sex differences in typical development. METHODS This study investigated amygdala resting-state functional connectivity in a cohort of 116 children with ASD (36 female) and 58 typically developing children (27 female) 2 to 7 years of age during natural sleep. First, multivariate distance matrix regression assessed global sex and diagnostic differences across the amygdala connectome. Second, univariate general linear models identified regions with mean connectivity differences. RESULTS Multivariate distance matrix regression revealed greater differences between typically developing children and those with ASD in females than in males, consistent with multifactorial liability models, and attenuated sex differences in the left amygdala connectome of children with ASD in a pattern consistent with the gender incoherence model. Univariate analysis identified similar sex differences in dorsomedial and ventral prefrontal cortices, lingual gyrus, and posterior cingulate cortex, but also noted that lower amygdala connectivity with superior temporal sulcus is observed across sexes. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that compared with sex-matched control subjects, ASD manifests differently in the brain at the time of diagnosis and prior to the influence of compensatory mechanisms in male and female children, consistent with multifactorial liability models, and that ASD is associated with reduced sex differences in a pattern consistent with gender incoherence models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua K Lee
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California.
| | - David G Amaral
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California
| | - Marjorie Solomon
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California
| | - Sally J Rogers
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California
| | - Sally Ozonoff
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California
| | - Christine Wu Nordahl
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California.
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40
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DeMayo MM, Young LJ, Hickie IB, Song YJC, Guastella AJ. Circuits for social learning: A unified model and application to Autism Spectrum Disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 107:388-398. [PMID: 31560922 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Early life social experiences shape neural pathways in infants to develop lifelong social skills. This review presents the first unified circuit-based model of social learning that can be applied to early life social development, drawing together unique human developmental milestones, sensitive learning periods, and behavioral and neural scaffolds. Circuit domains for social learning are identified governing Activation, Integration, Discrimination, Response and Reward (AIDRR) to sculpt and drive human social learning. This unified model can be used to identify social delays earlier in development. We propose social impairments observed in Autism Spectrum Disorder are underpinned by early mistimed sensitive periods in brain development and alterations in amygdala development to disrupt the AIDRR circuits. This model directs how interventions can target neural circuits for social development and be applied early in life. To illustrate, the role of oxytocin and its use as an intervention is explored. The AIDRR model shifts focus away from delivering broad treatments based only on diagnostic classifications, to specifying and targeting the relevant circuits, at the right time of development, to optimize social learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilena M DeMayo
- Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 2050, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 2050, Australia.
| | - Larry J Young
- Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Ian B Hickie
- Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 2050, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 2050, Australia.
| | - Yun Ju C Song
- Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 2050, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 2050, Australia.
| | - Adam J Guastella
- Brain and Mind Centre, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 2050, Australia; Brain and Mind Centre, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 2050, Australia.
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Lee D, Mahon BZ, Almeida J. Action at a distance on object-related ventral temporal representations. Cortex 2019; 117:157-167. [PMID: 30981039 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The representation of objects in ventral temporal cortex is relatively resilient to transformations in the stimuli. There is emerging recognition that ventral temporal object representations are forged via interactions among a broader network of regions that receive independent inputs about a stimulus. Here we test whether ventral temporal representations are causally modulated by disrupting processing in distal associative areas. We used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to stimulate left parietal areas and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to measure object-related neural responses in the ventral stream. We find that representational geometries and category discriminability within ventral temporal cortex, as well as functional connectivity between ventral temporal and parietal areas, are enhanced by anodal compared to cathodal stimulation of left parietal associative cortex. These results demonstrate that ventral temporal representations can be causally modulated by processing distal to the ventral stream.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongha Lee
- Proaction Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Bradford Z Mahon
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jorge Almeida
- Proaction Laboratory, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal; Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
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42
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Pitcher D, Ianni G, Ungerleider LG. A functional dissociation of face-, body- and scene-selective brain areas based on their response to moving and static stimuli. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8242. [PMID: 31160680 PMCID: PMC6546694 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44663-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human brain contains areas that respond selectively to faces, bodies and scenes. Neuroimaging studies have shown that a subset of these areas preferentially respond more to moving than static stimuli, but the reasons for this functional dissociation remain unclear. In the present study, we simultaneously mapped the responses to motion in face-, body- and scene-selective areas in the right hemisphere using moving and static stimuli. Participants (N = 22) were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing videos containing bodies, faces, objects, scenes or scrambled objects, and static pictures from the beginning, middle and end of each video. Results demonstrated that lateral areas, including face-selective areas in the posterior and anterior superior temporal sulcus (STS), the extrastriate body area (EBA) and the occipital place area (OPA) responded more to moving than static stimuli. By contrast, there was no difference between the response to moving and static stimuli in ventral and medial category-selective areas, including the fusiform face area (FFA), occipital face area (OFA), amygdala, fusiform body area (FBA), retrosplenial complex (RSC) and parahippocampal place area (PPA). This functional dissociation between lateral and ventral/medial brain areas that respond selectively to different visual categories suggests that face-, body- and scene-selective networks may be functionally organized along a common dimension.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York, YO105DD, UK.
| | - Geena Ianni
- Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, 10065, USA.,Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Leslie G Ungerleider
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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Morningstar M, Grannis C, Mattson WI, Nelson EE. Associations Between Adolescents' Social Re-orientation Toward Peers Over Caregivers and Neural Response to Teenage Faces. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:108. [PMID: 31178704 PMCID: PMC6544008 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of intensive development in body, brain, and behavior. Potentiated by changes in hormones and neural response to social stimuli, teenagers undergo a process of social re-orientation away from their caregivers and toward expanding peer networks. The current study examines how relative relational closeness to peers (compared to parents) during adolescence is linked to neural response to the facial emotional expressions of other teenagers. Self-reported closeness with friends (same- and opposite-sex) and parents (mother and father), and neural response to facial stimuli during fMRI, were assessed in 8- to 19-year-old typically developing youth (n = 40, mean age = 13.90 years old, SD = 3.36; 25 female). Youth who reported greater relative closeness with peers than with parents showed decreased activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) during stimulus presentation, which may reflect lessened inhibitory control or regulatory response to peer-aged faces. Functional connectivity between the dlPFC and dorsal striatum was greatest in older youth who were closer to peers; in contrast, negative coupling between these regions was noted for both younger participants who were closer to peers and older participants who were closer to their parents. In addition, the association between relative closeness to peers and neural activation in regions of the social brain varied by emotion type and age. Results suggest that the re-orientation toward peers that occurs during adolescence is accompanied by changes in neural response to peer-aged social signals in social cognitive, prefrontal, and subcortical networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Morningstar
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Connor Grannis
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Whitney I. Mattson
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Eric E. Nelson
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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Bas-Hoogendam JM, van Steenbergen H, Tissier RLM, van der Wee NJA, Westenberg PM. Altered Neurobiological Processing of Unintentional Social Norm Violations: A Multiplex, Multigenerational Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study on Social Anxiety Endophenotypes. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2019; 5:981-990. [PMID: 31031203 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) fear negative evaluation in social situations. Specifically, previous work indicated that social anxiety is associated with increased medial prefrontal cortex activation in response to unintentional social norm (SN) transgressions, accompanied by increased embarrassment ratings for such SN violations. Here, we used data from the multiplex, multigenerational LFLSAD (Leiden Family Lab study on Social Anxiety Disorder), which involved two generations of families genetically enriched for SAD, and investigated whether these neurobiological and behavioral correlates of unintentional SN processing are SAD endophenotypes. Of four endophenotype criteria, we examined two: first, the cosegregation of these characteristics with social anxiety (SA) within families of SAD probands (criterion 4), and second, the heritability of the candidate endophenotypes (criterion 3). METHODS Participants (n = 110, age range 9.0-61.5 years, eight families) performed the revised Social Norm Processing Task; functional magnetic resonance imaging data and behavioral ratings related to this paradigm were used to examine whether brain activation in response to processing unintentional SN violations and ratings of embarrassment were associated with SA levels. Next, heritability of these measurements was estimated. RESULTS As expected, voxelwise functional magnetic resonance imaging analyses revealed positive associations between SA levels and brain activation in the medial prefrontal cortex and medial temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and superior temporal sulcus, and these brain activation levels displayed moderate to moderately high heritability. Furthermore, although SA levels correlated positively with behavioral ratings of embarrassment for SN transgressions, these behavioral characteristics were not heritable. CONCLUSIONS These results show, for the first time, that brain responses in the medial prefrontal cortex and medial temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and superior temporal sulcus, related to processing unintentional SN violations, provide a neurobiological candidate endophenotype of SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janna Marie Bas-Hoogendam
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Henk van Steenbergen
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Nic J A van der Wee
- Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - P Michiel Westenberg
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Takami K, Haruno M. Behavioral and functional connectivity basis for peer-influenced bystander participation in bullying. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2019; 14:23-33. [PMID: 30481351 PMCID: PMC6348439 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsy109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that the reactions of bystanders who witness bullying significantly affect whether the bullying persists. However, the underlying behavioral and neural mechanisms that determine a peer-influenced bystander's participation in bullying remain largely unknown. Here, we designed a new 'catch-ball' task where four players choose to throw a sequence of normal or strong (aggressive) balls in turn and examined whether the players (n = 43) participated in other players' bullying. We analyzed behaviors with a computational model that quantifies the tendencies of a participant's (i) baseline propensity for bullying, (ii) reactive revenge, (iii) conformity to bullying, and (iv) capitulation to threat and estimated these effects on the choice of balls. We found only conformity had a positive effect on the throwing of strong balls. Furthermore, we identified a correlation between a participant's conformity and social anxiety. Our mediation analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that there were significant relationships of each participant's functional connectivity between the amygdala and right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and social anxiety to the participant's conformity to bullying. We also found that amygdala-TPJ connectivity partially mediated the relationship between social anxiety and conformity. These results highlighted the anxiety-based conformity and amygdala network on peer-influenced bystander participation in bullying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyosuke Takami
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, NICT, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masahiko Haruno
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, NICT, Suita, Osaka, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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46
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Sliwinska MW, Pitcher D. TMS demonstrates that both right and left superior temporal sulci are important for facial expression recognition. Neuroimage 2018; 183:394-400. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Anterior Temporal Lobectomy Impairs Neural Classification of Body Emotions in Right Superior Temporal Sulcus and Reduces Emotional Enhancement in Distributed Brain Areas without Affecting Behavioral Classification. J Neurosci 2018; 38:9263-9274. [PMID: 30228228 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0634-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans with amygdalar lesions show proportional reductions of the emotional response to facial expressions in the fusiform face area as well as deficits in emotion recognition from facial expressions. While processing of bodily expressions shares many similarities with facial expressions, there is no substantial evidence that lesions of the amygdala result in similar behavioral and neural sequelae. We combined behavioral assessment with functional neuroimaging in a group of male and female humans with unilateral anterior temporal lobe (ATL) resections, including the amygdala (right: n = 10; left: n = 10) and 12 matched controls. The objective was to assess whether the amygdala is crucial for the recognition of body expressions and for modulatory effects on distant areas during perception of body expressions. The behavioral results revealed normal performance in both patient groups on emotion categorization of body expressions. The neuroimaging results showed that ATL patients displayed no enhanced activations in right fusiform body area and left extrastriate body area and that left ATL patients additionally displayed no enhanced activations in right posterior superior temporal sulcus and right extrastriate body area, respectively. Multivoxel pattern analysis revealed altered categorization capacity between emotional and neutral stimuli in right posterior superior temporal sulcus in right ATL patients. In addition, we also found emotional enhancement in frontal, parietal, occipital, and cingulate regions in controls. Together, our data show that the amygdala and ATLs are not necessary for recognition of dynamic body expressions, but suggest that amygdala lesions affect body emotion processing in distant brain areas.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT For humans, information from emotional expressions of others is crucial to support social interactions. The majority of emotion studies has focused on facial expressions; however, in daily life, we also use information from body postures and body movement. Visual processing of body expressions relies on a brain network, including body-specific visual areas and visuomotor areas. Even though the importance of the amygdala and its modulatory effects on distant brain regions have been documented, it remains unclear whether the amygdala plays a crucial role in emotional body processing. By combining behavioral and neuroimaging data in patients with amygdalar lesions, we provide further evidence for its modulatory effect on distant areas during the perception of body expressions.
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48
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TMS over the superior temporal sulcus affects expressivity evaluation of portraits. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 18:1188-1197. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0630-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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49
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Dynamic Interactions between Emotion Perception and Action Preparation for Reacting to Social Threat: A Combined cTBS-fMRI Study. eNeuro 2018; 5:eN-NWR-0408-17. [PMID: 29971249 PMCID: PMC6027957 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0408-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Expressions of emotion are powerful triggers for situation-appropriate responses by the observer. Of particular interest regarding the preparation of such adaptive actions are parietal and premotor cortices, given their potential for interaction with the amygdala (AMG), which is known to play a crucial role in the processing of affective information and in motor response. We set out to disentangle the respective roles of the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) and ventral premotor cortex (PMv) in humans in the processing of emotional body expressions by assessing remote effects of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) in the action network and in AMG. Participants were presented with blocks of short videos showing either angry or neutral whole-body actions. The experiment consisted of three fMRI sessions: two sessions were preceded by stimulation of either right IPL (rIPL) or right PMv (rPMv); and a third session assessed baseline activity. Interestingly, whereas at baseline the left AMG did not differentiate between neutral and angry body postures, a significant difference between these conditions emerged after stimulation of either rIPL or rPMv, with much larger responses to angry than to neutral stimuli. In addition, the effects of cTBS stimulation and emotion were also observed in two other action-relevant areas, the supplementary motor area and the superior parietal cortex. Together, these results show how areas involved in action and emotion perception and in action preparation interact dynamically.
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50
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Agnew ZK, Banissy MJ, McGettigan C, Walsh V, Scott SK. Investigating the Neural Basis of Theta Burst Stimulation to Premotor Cortex on Emotional Vocalization Perception: A Combined TMS-fMRI Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:150. [PMID: 29867402 PMCID: PMC5962765 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have established a role for premotor cortex in the processing of auditory emotional vocalizations. Inhibitory continuous theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) applied to right premotor cortex selectively increases the reaction time to a same-different task, implying a causal role for right ventral premotor cortex (PMv) in the processing of emotional sounds. However, little is known about the functional networks to which PMv contribute across the cortical hemispheres. In light of these data, the present study aimed to investigate how and where in the brain cTBS affects activity during the processing of auditory emotional vocalizations. Using functional neuroimaging, we report that inhibitory cTBS applied to the right premotor cortex (compared to vertex control site) results in three distinct response profiles: following stimulation of PMv, widespread frontoparietal cortices, including a site close to the target site, and parahippocampal gyrus displayed an increase in activity, whereas the reverse response profile was apparent in a set of midline structures and right IFG. A third response profile was seen in left supramarginal gyrus in which activity was greater post-stimulation at both stimulation sites. Finally, whilst previous studies have shown a condition specific behavioral effect following cTBS to premotor cortex, we did not find a condition specific neural change in BOLD response. These data demonstrate a complex relationship between cTBS and activity in widespread neural networks and are discussed in relation to both emotional processing and the neural basis of cTBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zarinah K Agnew
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Clinic, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Michael J Banissy
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Vincent Walsh
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie K Scott
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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