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Lopez-Gamundi P, Mas-Herrero E, Marco-Pallares J. Disentangling effort from probability of success: Temporal dynamics of frontal midline theta in effort-based reward processing. Cortex 2024; 176:94-112. [PMID: 38763111 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
The ability to weigh a reward against the effort required to acquire it is critical for decision-making. However, extant experimental paradigms oftentimes confound increased effort demand with decreased reward probability, thereby obscuring neural correlates underlying these cognitive processes. To resolve this issue, we designed novel tasks that disentangled probability of success - and therefore reward probability - from effort demand. In Experiment 1, reward magnitude and effort demand were varied while reward probability was kept constant. In Experiment 2, effort demand and reward probability were varied while reward magnitude remained fixed. Electroencephalogram (EEG) data was recorded to explore how frontal midline theta (FMT; an electrophysiological index of mPFC function) and component P3 (an index of incentive salience) respond to effort demand, and reward magnitude and probability. We found no evidence that FMT tracked effort demands or net value during cue evaluation. At feedback, however, FMT power was enhanced for high compared to low effort trials, but not modulated by reward magnitude or probability. Conversely, P3 was sensitive to reward magnitude and probability at both cue and feedback phases and only integrated expended effort costs at feedback, such that P3 amplitudes continued to scale with reward magnitude and probability but were also increased for high compared to low effort reward feedback. These findings suggest that, when likelihood of success is equal, FMT power does not track net value of prospective effort-based rewards. Instead, expended cognitive effort potentiates FMT power and enhances the saliency of rewards at feedback. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The way the brain weighs rewards against the effort required to achieve them is critical for understanding motivational disorders. Current paradigms confound increased effort demand with decreased reward probability, making it difficult to disentangle neural activity associated with effort costs from those associated with reward likelihood. Here, we explored the temporal dynamics of effort-based reward (via frontal midline theta (FMT) and component P3) while participants underwent a novel paradigm that kept probability of reward constant between mental effort demand conditions. Our findings suggest that the FMT does not track net value and that expended effort enhances, instead of attenuates, the saliency of rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Lopez-Gamundi
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Hospital Duran i Reynals, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
| | - Ernest Mas-Herrero
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Hospital Duran i Reynals, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Josep Marco-Pallares
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Hospital Duran i Reynals, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
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Seamans JK, White S, Morningstar M, Emberly E, Linsenbardt D, Ma B, Czachowski CL, Lapish CC. Neural basis of cognitive control signals in anterior cingulate cortex during delay discounting. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.07.597894. [PMID: 38895238 PMCID: PMC11185781 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.07.597894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive control involves allocating cognitive effort according to internal needs and task demands and the Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC) is hypothesized to play a central role in this process. We investigated the neural basis of cognitive control in the ACC of rats performing an adjusting-amount delay discounting task. Decision-making in this this task can be guided by using either a lever-value tracking strategy, requiring a 'resource-based' form of cognitive effort or a lever-biased strategy requiring a 'resistance-based' form of cognitive effort. We found that ACC ensembles always tightly tracked lever value on each trial, indicative of a resource-based control signal. These signals were prevalent in the neural recordings and were influenced by the delay. A shorter delay was associated with devaluing of the immediate option and a longer delay was associated with overvaluing of the immediate option. In addition, ACC theta (6-12Hz) oscillations were observed at the choice point of rats exhibiting a resistance-based strategy. These data provide candidates of neural activity patterns in the ACC that underlie the use of 'resource-based' and 'resistance-based' cognitive effort. Furthermore, these data illustrate how strategies can be engaged under different conditions in individual subjects.
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Petersen SE, Seitzman BA, Nelson SM, Wig GS, Gordon EM. Principles of cortical areas and their implications for neuroimaging. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00355-6. [PMID: 38834069 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Cortical organization should constrain the study of how the brain performs behavior and cognition. A fundamental concept in cortical organization is that of arealization: that the cortex is parceled into discrete areas. In part one of this report, we review how non-human animal studies have illuminated principles of cortical arealization by revealing: (1) what defines a cortical area, (2) how cortical areas are formed, (3) how cortical areas interact with one another, and (4) what "computations" or "functions" areas perform. In part two, we discuss how these principles apply to neuroimaging research. In doing so, we highlight several examples where the commonly accepted interpretation of neuroimaging observations requires assumptions that violate the principles of arealization, including nonstationary areas that move on short time scales, large-scale gradients as organizing features, and cortical areas with singular functionality that perfectly map psychological constructs. Our belief is that principles of neurobiology should strongly guide the nature of computational explanations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven E Petersen
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Benjamin A Seitzman
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Steven M Nelson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Gagan S Wig
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Evan M Gordon
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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4
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Katayama R, Shiraki R, Ishii S, Yoshida W. Belief inference for hierarchical hidden states in spatial navigation. Commun Biol 2024; 7:614. [PMID: 38773301 PMCID: PMC11109253 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06316-0] [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: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Uncertainty abounds in the real world, and in environments with multiple layers of unobservable hidden states, decision-making requires resolving uncertainties based on mutual inference. Focusing on a spatial navigation problem, we develop a Tiger maze task that involved simultaneously inferring the local hidden state and the global hidden state from probabilistically uncertain observation. We adopt a Bayesian computational approach by proposing a hierarchical inference model. Applying this to human task behaviour, alongside functional magnetic resonance brain imaging, allows us to separate the neural correlates associated with reinforcement and reassessment of belief in hidden states. The imaging results also suggest that different layers of uncertainty differentially involve the basal ganglia and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and that the regions responsible are organised along the rostral axis of these areas according to the type of inference and the level of abstraction of the hidden state, i.e. higher-order state inference involves more anterior parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Risa Katayama
- Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
- Department of AI-Brain Integration, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Kyoto, 619-0288, Japan.
| | - Ryo Shiraki
- Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Shin Ishii
- Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
- Neural Information Analysis Laboratories, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Kyoto, 619-0288, Japan
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Wako Yoshida
- Department of Neural Computation for Decision-Making, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Kyoto, 619-0288, Japan
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
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Vázquez D, Maulhardt SR, Stalnaker TA, Solway A, Charpentier CJ, Roesch MR. Optogenetic Inhibition of Rat Anterior Cingulate Cortex Impairs the Ability to Initiate and Stay on Task. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1850232024. [PMID: 38569923 PMCID: PMC11097287 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1850-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Our prior research has identified neural correlates of cognitive control in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), leading us to hypothesize that the ACC is necessary for increasing attention as rats flexibly learn new contingencies during a complex reward-guided decision-making task. Here, we tested this hypothesis by using optogenetics to transiently inhibit the ACC, while rats of either sex performed the same two-choice task. ACC inhibition had a profound impact on behavior that extended beyond deficits in attention during learning when expected outcomes were uncertain. We found that ACC inactivation slowed and reduced the number of trials rats initiated and impaired both their accuracy and their ability to complete sessions. Furthermore, drift-diffusion model analysis suggested that free-choice performance and evidence accumulation (i.e., reduced drift rates) were degraded during initial learning-leading to weaker associations that were more easily overridden in later trial blocks (i.e., stronger bias). Together, these results suggest that in addition to attention-related functions, the ACC contributes to the ability to initiate trials and generally stay on task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Vázquez
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Sean R Maulhardt
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Thomas A Stalnaker
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Alec Solway
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Caroline J Charpentier
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
| | - Matthew R Roesch
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
- Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742
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Yan Y, Hunt LT, Hassall CD. Reward positivity affects temporal interval production in a continuous timing task. Psychophysiology 2024:e14589. [PMID: 38615339 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
The neural circuits of reward processing and interval timing (including the perception and production of temporal intervals) are functionally intertwined, suggesting that it might be possible for momentary reward processing to influence subsequent timing behavior. Previous animal and human studies have mainly focused on the effect of reward on interval perception, whereas its impact on interval production is less clear. In this study, we examined whether feedback, as an example of performance-contingent reward, biases interval production. We recorded EEG from 20 participants while they engaged in a continuous drumming task with different realistic tempos (1728 trials per participant). Participants received color-coded feedback after each beat about whether they were correct (on time) or incorrect (early or late). Regression-based EEG analysis was used to unmix the rapid occurrence of a feedback response called the reward positivity (RewP), which is traditionally observed in more slow-paced tasks. Using linear mixed modeling, we found that RewP amplitude predicted timing behavior for the upcoming beat. This performance-biasing effect of the RewP was interpreted as reflecting the impact of fluctuations in reward-related anterior cingulate cortex activity on timing, and the necessity of continuous paradigms to make such observations was highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Yan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Laurence T Hunt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Cameron D Hassall
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychology, MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Markman M, Saruco E, Al-Bas S, Wang BA, Rose J, Ohla K, Xue Li Lim S, Schicker D, Freiherr J, Weygandt M, Rramani Q, Weber B, Schultz J, Pleger B. Differences in Discounting Behavior and Brain Responses for Food and Money Reward. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0153-23.2024. [PMID: 38569920 PMCID: PMC10993202 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0153-23.2024] [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: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Most neuroeconomic research seeks to understand how value influences decision-making. The influence of reward type is less well understood. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate delay discounting of primary (i.e., food) and secondary rewards (i.e., money) in 28 healthy, normal-weighted participants (mean age = 26.77; 18 females). To decipher differences in discounting behavior between reward types, we compared how well-different option-based statistical models (exponential, hyperbolic discounting) and attribute-wise heuristic choice models (intertemporal choice heuristic, dual reasoning and implicit framework theory, trade-off model) captured the reward-specific discounting behavior. Contrary to our hypothesis of different strategies for different rewards, we observed comparable discounting behavior for money and food (i.e., exponential discounting). Higher k values for food discounting suggest that individuals decide more impulsive if confronted with food. The fMRI revealed that money discounting was associated with enhanced activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, involved in executive control; the right dorsal striatum, associated with reward processing; and the left hippocampus, involved in memory encoding/retrieval. Food discounting, instead, was associated with higher activity in the left temporoparietal junction suggesting social reinforcement of food decisions. Although our findings do not confirm our hypothesis of different discounting strategies for different reward types, they are in line with the notion that reward types have a significant influence on impulsivity with primary rewards leading to more impulsive choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Markman
- Department of Neurology, BG University Clinic Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum 44869, Germany
| | - E Saruco
- Department of Neurology, BG University Clinic Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum 44869, Germany
| | - S Al-Bas
- Department of Neurology, BG University Clinic Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum 44869, Germany
| | - B A Wang
- Department of Neurology, BG University Clinic Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum 44869, Germany
| | - J Rose
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum 44801, Germany
| | - K Ohla
- Firmenich SA, Satigny 1242, Switzerland
- NutriAct-Competence Cluster Nutrition Research Berlin-Potsdam, Nuthetal 14558, Germany
| | - S Xue Li Lim
- NutriAct-Competence Cluster Nutrition Research Berlin-Potsdam, Nuthetal 14558, Germany
- Cognitive Neuroscience (INM-3), Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Research Center Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany
| | - D Schicker
- Sensory Analytics & Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising 85354, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91054, Germany
| | - J Freiherr
- Sensory Analytics & Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising 85354, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen 91054, Germany
| | - M Weygandt
- Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a cooperation between the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10115, Germany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Berlin 13125, Germany
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Q Rramani
- Center for Economics and Neuroscience (CENs), University of Bonn, Bonn 53113, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research (IEECR), University of Bonn, Bonn 53127, Germany
| | - B Weber
- Center for Economics and Neuroscience (CENs), University of Bonn, Bonn 53113, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research (IEECR), University of Bonn, Bonn 53127, Germany
| | - J Schultz
- Center for Economics and Neuroscience (CENs), University of Bonn, Bonn 53113, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research (IEECR), University of Bonn, Bonn 53127, Germany
| | - B Pleger
- Department of Neurology, BG University Clinic Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum 44869, Germany
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Vicente U, Ara A, Palacín-Lois M, Marco-Pallarés J. Neurophysiological correlates of interpersonal discrepancy and social adjustment in an interactive decision-making task in dyads. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1272841. [PMID: 38420174 PMCID: PMC10899479 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1272841] [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: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The pursuit of convergence and the social behavioral adjustment of conformity are fundamental cooperative behaviors that help people adjust their mental frameworks to reach a common goal. However, while social psychology has extensively studied conformity by its influence context, there is still plenty to investigate about the neural cognitive mechanisms involved in this behavior. Methods We proposed a paradigm with two phases, a pre-activation phase to enhance cooperative tendencies and, later, a social decision-making phase in which dyads had to make a perceptual estimation in three consecutive trials and could converge in their decisions without an explicit request or reward to do so. In Study 1, 80 participants were divided in two conditions. In one condition participants did the pre-activation phase alone, while in the other condition the two participants did it with their partners and could interact freely. In Study 2, we registered the electroencephalographical (EEG) activity of 36 participants in the social decision-making phase. Results Study 1 showed behavioral evidence of higher spontaneous convergence in participants who interacted in the pre-activation phase. Event related Potentials (ERP) recorded in Study 2 revealed signal differences in response divergence in different time intervals. Time-frequency analysis showed theta, alpha, and beta evidence related to cognitive control, attention, and reward processing associated with social convergence. Discussion Current results support the spontaneous convergence of behavior in dyads, with increased behavioral adjustment in those participants who have previously cooperated. In addition, neurophysiological components were associated with discrepancy levels between participants, and supported the validity of the experimental paradigm to study spontaneous social behavioral adaptation in experimental settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unai Vicente
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Social and Quantitative Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alberto Ara
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- BRAMS: International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - María Palacín-Lois
- Department of Social and Quantitative Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Marco-Pallarés
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
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Drew A, Soto-Faraco S. Perceptual oddities: assessing the relationship between film editing and prediction processes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220426. [PMID: 38104604 PMCID: PMC10725757 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0426] [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: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
During film viewing, humans parse sequences of individual shots into larger narrative structures, often weaving transitions at edit points into an apparently seamless and continuous flow. Editing helps filmmakers manipulate visual transitions to induce feelings of fluency/disfluency, tension/relief, curiosity, expectation and several emotional responses. We propose that the perceptual dynamics induced by film editing can be captured by a predictive processing (PP) framework. We hypothesise that visual discontinuities at edit points produce discrepancies between anticipated and actual sensory input, leading to prediction error. Further, we propose that the magnitude of prediction error depends on the predictability of each shot within the narrative flow, and lay out an account based on conflict monitoring. We test this hypothesis in two empirical studies measuring electroencephalography (EEG) during passive viewing of film excerpts, as well as behavioural responses during an active edit detection task. We report the neural and behavioural modulations at editing boundaries across three levels of narrative depth, showing greater modulations for edits spanning less predictable, deeper narrative transitions. Overall, our contribution lays the groundwork for understanding film editing from a PP perspective. This article is part of the theme issue 'Art, aesthetics and predictive processing: theoretical and empirical perspectivess'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Drew
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carrer de Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Soto-Faraco
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carrer de Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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Cieslik EC, Ullsperger M, Gell M, Eickhoff SB, Langner R. Success versus failure in cognitive control: Meta-analytic evidence from neuroimaging studies on error processing. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 156:105468. [PMID: 37979735 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105468] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Brain mechanisms of error processing have often been investigated using response interference tasks and focusing on the posterior medial frontal cortex, which is also implicated in resolving response conflict in general. Thereby, the role other brain regions may play has remained undervalued. Here, activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses were used to synthesize the neuroimaging literature on brain activity related to committing errors versus responding successfully in interference tasks and to test for commonalities and differences. The salience network and the temporoparietal junction were commonly recruited irrespective of whether responses were correct or incorrect, pointing towards a general involvement in coping with situations that call for increased cognitive control. The dorsal posterior cingulate cortex, posterior thalamus, and left superior frontal gyrus showed error-specific convergence, which underscores their consistent involvement when performance goals are not met. In contrast, successful responding revealed stronger convergence in the dorsal attention network and lateral prefrontal regions. Underrecruiting these regions in error trials may reflect failures in activating the task-appropriate stimulus-response contingencies necessary for successful response execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edna C Cieslik
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Markus Ullsperger
- Institute of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University, D-39106 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Martin Gell
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH, Aachen, Germany
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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Clairis N, Lopez-Persem A. Debates on the dorsomedial prefrontal/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex: insights for future research. Brain 2023; 146:4826-4844. [PMID: 37530487 PMCID: PMC10690029 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dmPFC/dACC) is a brain area subject to many theories and debates over its function(s). Even its precise anatomical borders are subject to much controversy. In the past decades, the dmPFC/dACC has been associated with more than 15 different cognitive processes, which sometimes appear quite unrelated (e.g. body perception, cognitive conflict). As a result, understanding what the dmPFC/dACC does has become a real challenge for many neuroscientists. Several theories of this brain area's function(s) have been developed, leading to successive and competitive publications bearing different models, which sometimes contradict each other. During the last two decades, the lively scientific exchanges around the dmPFC/dACC have promoted fruitful research in cognitive neuroscience. In this review, we provide an overview of the anatomy of the dmPFC/dACC, summarize the state of the art of functions that have been associated with this brain area and present the main theories aiming at explaining the dmPFC/dACC function(s). We explore the commonalities and the arguments between the different theories. Finally, we explain what can be learned from these debates for future investigations of the dmPFC/dACC and other brain regions' functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Clairis
- Laboratory of Behavioral Genetics (LGC)- Brain Mind Institute (BMI)- Sciences de la Vie (SV), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alizée Lopez-Persem
- FrontLab, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Sorbonne University, AP HP, Hôpital de la Pitié Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France
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Siestrup S, Schubotz RI. Minor Changes Change Memories: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Behavioral Reflections of Episodic Prediction Errors. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:1823-1845. [PMID: 37677059 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Episodic memories can be modified, a process that is potentially driven by mnemonic prediction errors. In the present study, we used modified cues to induce prediction errors of different episodic relevance. Participants encoded episodes in the form of short toy stories and then returned for an fMRI session on the subsequent day. Here, participants were presented either original episodes or slightly modified versions thereof. Modifications consisted of replacing a single object within the episode and either challenged the gist of an episode (gist modifications) or left it intact (surface modifications). On the next day, participants completed a post-fMRI memory test that probed memories for originally encoded episodes. Both types of modifications triggered brain activation in regions we previously found to be involved in the processing of content-based mnemonic prediction errors (i.e., the exchange of an object). Specifically, these were ventrolateral pFC, intraparietal cortex, and lateral occipitotemporal cortex. In addition, gist modifications triggered pronounced brain responses, whereas those for surface modification were only significant in the right inferior frontal sulcus. Processing of gist modifications also involved the posterior temporal cortex and the precuneus. Interestingly, our findings confirmed the posterior hippocampal role of detail processing in episodic memory, as evidenced by increased posterior hippocampal activity for surface modifications compared with gist modifications. In the post-fMRI memory test, previous experience with surface modified, but not gist-modified episodes, increased erroneous acceptance of the same modified versions as originally encoded. Whereas surface-level prediction errors might increase uncertainty and facilitate confusion of alternative episode representations, gist-level prediction errors seem to trigger the clear distinction of independent episodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Siestrup
- University of Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
| | - Ricarda I Schubotz
- University of Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Germany
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13
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Miró-Padilla A, Adrián-Ventura J, Cherednichenko A, Monzonís-Carda I, Beltran-Valls MR, MolinerUrdiales D, Ávila C. Relevance of the anterior cingulate cortex volume and personality in motivated physical activity behaviors. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1106. [PMID: 37907751 PMCID: PMC10618534 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05423-8] [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: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Some recent theories about the origins and maintenance of regular physical activity focus on the rewards of the properties of practicing this activity. Animal and human studies have demonstrated that mesolimbic dopamine plays a crucial role in the involvement in voluntary physical activity. Here, we test this possible role in a sample of 66 right-handed healthy young adults by studying the influence of personality and the volume of reward-related brain areas on individual differences in voluntary physical activity, objectively measured by accelerometer and subjectively self-reported by questionnaire. Our results show that a smaller volume of the right anterior cingulate cortex and lower scores on reward sensitivity contributed to explaining low levels of daily physical activity. Moreover, the volume of the right anterior cingulate cortex correlates positively with self-reported total physical activity. Results are discussed by highlighting the need to use objective measures of daily physical activity, as well as the important role of the anterior cingulate cortex and personality in promoting effortful and invigorating actions to obtain rewards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Miró-Padilla
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain.
| | - Jesús Adrián-Ventura
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
- Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza, 44003, Teruel, Spain
| | - Anastasia Cherednichenko
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
| | - Irene Monzonís-Carda
- LIFE Research Group, Department of Education, Universitat Jaume I, 12071, Castellon, Spain
| | | | - Diego MolinerUrdiales
- LIFE Research Group, Department of Education, Universitat Jaume I, 12071, Castellon, Spain
| | - César Ávila
- Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castelló de la Plana, Spain
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14
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Tan J, Zhang X, Wu S, Song Z, Chen S, Huang Y, Wang Y. Audio-induced medial prefrontal cortical dynamics enhances coadaptive learning in brain-machine interfaces. J Neural Eng 2023; 20:056035. [PMID: 37812934 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad017d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Objectives. Coadaptive brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) allow subjects and external devices to adapt to each other during the closed-loop control, which provides a promising solution for paralyzed individuals. Previous studies have focused on either improving sensory feedback to facilitate subject learning or developing adaptive algorithms to maintain stable decoder performance. In this work, we aim to design an efficient coadaptive BMI framework which not only facilitates the learning of subjects on new tasks with designed sensory feedback, but also improves decoders' learning ability by extracting sensory feedback-induced evaluation information.Approach. We designed dynamic audio feedback during the trial according to the subjects' performance when they were trained to learn a new behavioral task. We compared the learning performance of two groups of Sprague Dawley rats, one with and the other without the designed audio feedback to show whether this audio feedback could facilitate the subjects' learning. Compared with the traditional closed-loop in BMI systems, an additional closed-loop involving medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activity was introduced into the coadaptive framework. The neural dynamics of audio-induced mPFC activity was analyzed to investigate whether a significant neural response could be triggered. This audio-induced response was then translated into reward expectation information to guide the learning of decoders on a new task. The multiday decoding performance of the decoders with and without audio-induced reward expectation was compared to investigate whether the extracted information could accelerate decoders to learn a new task.Main results. The behavior performance comparison showed that the average days for rats to achieve 80% well-trained behavioral performance was improved by 26.4% after introducing the designed audio feedback sequence. The analysis of neural dynamics showed that a significant neural response of mPFC activity could be elicited by the audio feedback and the visualization of audio-induced neural patterns was emerged and accompanied by the behavioral improvement of subjects. The multiday decoding performance comparison showed that the decoder taking the reward expectation information could achieve faster task learning by 33.8% on average across subjects.Significance. This study demonstrates that the designed audio feedback could improve the learning of subjects and the mPFC activity induced by audio feedback can be utilized to improve the decoder's learning efficiency on new tasks. The coadaptive framework involving mPFC dynamics in the closed-loop interaction can advance the BMIs into a more adaptive and efficient system with learning ability on new tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieyuan Tan
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Shenghui Wu
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiwei Song
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuhang Chen
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Yifan Huang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiwen Wang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, People's Republic of China
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15
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Marly A, Yazdjian A, Soto-Faraco S. The role of conflict processing in multisensory perception: behavioural and electroencephalography evidence. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220346. [PMID: 37545310 PMCID: PMC10404919 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
To form coherent multisensory perceptual representations, the brain must solve a causal inference problem: to decide if two sensory cues originated from the same event and should be combined, or if they came from different events and should be processed independently. According to current models of multisensory integration, during this process, the integrated (common cause) and segregated (different causes) internal perceptual models are entertained. In the present study, we propose that the causal inference process involves competition between these alternative perceptual models that engages the brain mechanisms of conflict processing. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two experiments, measuring reaction times (RTs) and electroencephalography, using an audiovisual ventriloquist illusion paradigm with varying degrees of intersensory disparities. Consistent with our hypotheses, incongruent trials led to slower RTs and higher fronto-medial theta power, both indicative of conflict. We also predicted that intermediate disparities would yield slower RTs and higher theta power when compared to congruent stimuli and to large disparities, owing to the steeper competition between causal models. Although this prediction was only validated in the RT study, both experiments displayed the anticipated trend. In conclusion, our findings suggest a potential involvement of the conflict mechanisms in multisensory integration of spatial information. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrià Marly
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arek Yazdjian
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Soto-Faraco
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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16
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Hu CS, Zheng Y, Dong GH, Glassman H, Huang C, Xuan R. Resting state default mode network is associated with wise advising. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14239. [PMID: 37648782 PMCID: PMC10468530 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41408-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Default mode network (DMN) may be associated with wisdom (i.e., mature understanding of life featured by perspectival metacognition) when advising from a self-referential perspective due to the involvement of the DMN in reflecting on personal life experiences. After a resting-state functional MRI scan, 52 adults advised some youths going through life dilemmas, half from a second-person perspective and half from a third. After advising each youth, participants indicated the psychological distance they felt between themselves and the youth. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was measured in the DMN during resting states. Moreover, trained raters rated the participants' advice on wisdom criteria (i.e., metacognitive humility (MH), meta-level flexibility, and perspective-taking). The results showed that participants felt a significantly smaller psychological distance from the youth when advising from the second- than the third-person perspective. Moreover, only when advising from the second-person perspective was MH associated with ALFF in regions within the DMN (i.e., right rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex). The right rostral ACC showed a significantly greater association with MH from the second- than the third-person perspective. Therefore, resting-state DMN activities may be important for self-involved wisdom performance (e.g., giving advice directly to others).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao S Hu
- Department of Medical Humanities, School of Humanities, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
- Psychological Research & Education Centre, School of Humanities, Southeast University, No. 2 Southeast University Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing, 211189, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yanbin Zheng
- Institute of Psychological Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Guang-Heng Dong
- Institute of Psychological Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Psychology, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, 650500, People's Republic of China.
| | - Harley Glassman
- Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Chenli Huang
- School of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Ran Xuan
- Institute of Psychological Science, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
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17
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Cieslik EC, Ullsperger M, Gell M, Eickhoff SB, Langner R. Success versus failure in cognitive control: meta-analytic evidence from neuroimaging studies on error processing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.10.540136. [PMID: 37214978 PMCID: PMC10197606 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.10.540136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Brain mechanisms of error processing have often been investigated using response interference tasks and focusing on the posterior medial frontal cortex, which is also implicated in resolving response conflict in general. Thereby, the role other brain regions may play has remained undervalued. Here, activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses were used to synthesize the neuroimaging literature on brain activity related to committing errors versus responding successfully in interference tasks and to test for commonalities and differences. The salience network and the temporoparietal junction were commonly recruited irrespective of whether responses were correct or incorrect, pointing towards a general involvement in coping with situations that call for increased cognitive control. The dorsal posterior cingulate cortex, posterior thalamus, and left superior frontal gyrus showed error-specific convergence, which underscores their consistent involvement when performance goals are not met. In contrast, successful responding revealed stronger convergence in the dorsal attention network and lateral prefrontal regions. Underrecruiting these regions in error trials may reflect failures in activating the task-appropriate stimulus-response contingencies necessary for successful response execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edna C. Cieslik
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Markus Ullsperger
- Institute of Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke University, D-39106 Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Martin Gell
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Simon B. Eickhoff
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-7: Brain and Behaviour), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
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18
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van de Vijver I, Verhoeven AAC, de Wit S. Individual Differences in Corticostriatal White-matter Tracts Predict Successful Daily-life Routine Formation. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:571-587. [PMID: 36724394 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Despite good intentions, people often fail to cross the "intention-behavior gap," especially when goal achievement requires repeated action. To bridge this gap, the formation of automatized routines may be crucial. However, people may differ in the tendency to switch from goal-directed toward habitual control. To shed light on why some people succeed in forming routines while others struggle, the present study related the automatization of a novel, daily routine to individual differences in white-matter connectivity in corticostriatal networks that have been implicated in goal-directed and habitual control. Seventy-seven participants underwent diffusion-weighted imaging and formed the daily routine of taking a (placebo) pill for 3 weeks. Pill intake was measured by electronic pill boxes, and participants filled out a daily online questionnaire on the subjective automaticity of this behavior. Automatization of pill intake was negatively related to striatal (mainly caudate) connectivity with frontal goal-directed and cognitive control regions, namely, ventromedial pFC and anterior cingulate gyrus. Furthermore, daily pill intake was positively related to individual differences in striatal (mainly caudate) connectivity with cognitive control regions, including dorsolateral and anterior pFC. Therefore, strong control networks may be relevant for implementing a new routine but may not benefit its automatization. We also show that habit tendency (assessed with an outcome-devaluation task), conscientiousness, and daily life regularity were positively related to routine automatization. This translational study moves the field of habit research forward by relating self-reported routine automatization to individual differences in performance on an experimental habit measure and to brain connectivity.
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19
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Fu Z, Sajad A, Errington SP, Schall JD, Rutishauser U. Neurophysiological mechanisms of error monitoring in human and non-human primates. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:153-172. [PMID: 36707544 PMCID: PMC10231843 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00670-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Performance monitoring is an important executive function that allows us to gain insight into our own behaviour. This remarkable ability relies on the frontal cortex, and its impairment is an aspect of many psychiatric diseases. In recent years, recordings from the macaque and human medial frontal cortex have offered a detailed understanding of the neurophysiological substrate that underlies performance monitoring. Here we review the discovery of single-neuron correlates of error monitoring, a key aspect of performance monitoring, in both species. These neurons are the generators of the error-related negativity, which is a non-invasive biomarker that indexes error detection. We evaluate a set of tasks that allows the synergistic elucidation of the mechanisms of cognitive control across the two species, consider differences in brain anatomy and testing conditions across species, and describe the clinical relevance of these findings for understanding psychopathology. Last, we integrate the body of experimental facts into a theoretical framework that offers a new perspective on how error signals are computed in both species and makes novel, testable predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongzheng Fu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Amirsaman Sajad
- Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Steven P Errington
- Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Schall
- Center for Integrative & Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA), York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Ueli Rutishauser
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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20
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Umemoto A, Lin H, Holroyd CB. Electrophysiological measures of conflict and reward processing are associated with decisions to engage in physical effort. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14176. [PMID: 36097887 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14176] [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: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a key brain region involved in cognitive control and decision making, is suggested to mediate effort- and value-based decision making, but the specific role of ACC in this process remains debated. Here we used frontal midline theta (FMT) and the reward positivity (RewP) to examine ACC function in a value-based decision making task requiring physical effort. We investigated whether (1) FMT power is sensitive to the difficulty of the decision or to selecting effortful actions, and (2) RewP is sensitive to the subjective value of reward outcomes as a function of effort investment. On each trial, participants chose to execute a low-effort or a high-effort behavior (that required squeezing a hand-dynamometer) to obtain smaller or larger rewards, respectively, while their brainwaves were recorded. We replicated prior findings that tonic FMT increased over the course of the hour-long task, which suggests increased application of control in the face of growing fatigue. RewP amplitude also increased following execution of high-effort compared to low-effort behavior, consistent with increased valuation of reward outcomes by ACC. Although neither phasic nor tonic FMT were associated with decision difficulty or effort selection per se, an exploratory analysis revealed that the interaction of phasic FMT and expected value of choice predicted effort choice. This interaction suggests that phasic FMT increases specifically under situations of decision difficulty when participants ultimately select a high-effort choice. These results point to a unique role for ACC in motivating and persisting at effortful behavior when decision conflict is high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akina Umemoto
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hause Lin
- Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Hill/Levene Schools of Business, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Clay B Holroyd
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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21
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Sherif MA, Fotros A, Greenberg BD, McLaughlin NCR. Understanding cingulotomy's therapeutic effect in OCD through computer models. Front Integr Neurosci 2023; 16:889831. [PMID: 36704759 PMCID: PMC9871832 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.889831] [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: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cingulotomy is therapeutic in OCD, but what are the possible mechanisms? Computer models that formalize cortical OCD abnormalities and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) function can help answer this. At the neural dynamics level, cortical dynamics in OCD have been modeled using attractor networks, where activity patterns resistant to change denote the inability to switch to new patterns, which can reflect inflexible thinking patterns or behaviors. From that perspective, cingulotomy might reduce the influence of difficult-to-escape ACC attractor dynamics on other cortical areas. At the functional level, computer formulations based on model-free reinforcement learning (RL) have been used to describe the multitude of phenomena ACC is involved in, such as tracking the timing of expected outcomes and estimating the cost of exerting cognitive control and effort. Different elements of model-free RL models of ACC could be affected by the inflexible cortical dynamics, making it challenging to update their values. An agent can also use a world model, a representation of how the states of the world change, to plan its actions, through model-based RL. OCD has been hypothesized to be driven by reduced certainty of how the brain's world model describes changes. Cingulotomy might improve such uncertainties about the world and one's actions, making it possible to trust the outcomes of these actions more and thus reduce the urge to collect more sensory information in the form of compulsions. Connecting the neural dynamics models with the functional formulations can provide new ways of understanding the role of ACC in OCD, with potential therapeutic insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A. Sherif
- Department of Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Department of Psychiatry Lifespan Health System, Providence, RI, United States,*Correspondence: Mohamed A. Sherif,
| | - Aryandokht Fotros
- Department of Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Department of Psychiatry Lifespan Health System, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Benjamin D. Greenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States,United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Providence VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Nicole C. R. McLaughlin
- Department of Psychiatry, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States,Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States
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22
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Darnai G, Matuz A, Alhour HA, Perlaki G, Orsi G, Arató Á, Szente A, Áfra E, Nagy SA, Janszky J, Csathó Á. The neural correlates of mental fatigue and reward processing: A task-based fMRI study. Neuroimage 2023; 265:119812. [PMID: 36526104 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119812] [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: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing time spent on the task (i.e., the time-on-task (ToT) effect) often results in mental fatigue. Typical effects of ToT are decreasing levels of task-related motivation and the deterioration of cognitive performance. However, a massive body of research indicates that the detrimental effects can be reversed by extrinsic motivators, for example, providing rewards to fatigued participants. Although several attempts have been made to identify brain areas involved in mental fatigue and related reward processing, the neural correlates are still less understood. In this study, we used the psychomotor vigilance task to induce mental fatigue and blood oxygen-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of the ToT effect and the reward effect (i.e., providing extra monetary reward after fatigue induction) in a healthy young sample. Our results were interpreted in a recently proposed neurocognitive framework. The activation of the right middle frontal gyrus, right insula and right anterior cingulate gyrus decreased as fatigue emerged and the cognitive performance dropped. However, after providing an extra reward, the cognitive performance, as well as activation of these areas, increased. Moreover, the activation levels of all of the mentioned areas were negatively associated with reaction times. Our results confirm that the middle frontal gyrus, insula and anterior cingulate cortex play crucial roles in cost-benefit evaluations, a potential background mechanism underlying fatigue, as suggested by the neurocognitive framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergely Darnai
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Neurology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; ELKH-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pécs, Hungary
| | - András Matuz
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | | | - Gábor Perlaki
- Department of Neurology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; ELKH-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pécs, Hungary; Pécs Diagnostic Centre, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Gergely Orsi
- ELKH-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pécs, Hungary; Pécs Diagnostic Centre, Pécs, Hungary; Department of Neurosurgery, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Ákos Arató
- Department of Neurology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Anna Szente
- Department of Neurology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Eszter Áfra
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Szilvia Anett Nagy
- Department of Neurology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; ELKH-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pécs, Hungary; Pécs Diagnostic Centre, Pécs, Hungary; Structural Neurobiology Research Group, Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
| | - József Janszky
- Department of Neurology, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary; ELKH-PTE Clinical Neuroscience MR Research Group, Pécs, Hungary.
| | - Árpád Csathó
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
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23
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Stolz C, Pickering AD, Mueller EM. Dissociable feedback valence effects on frontal midline theta during reward gain versus threat avoidance learning. Psychophysiology 2022; 60:e14235. [PMID: 36529988 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
While frontal midline theta (FMθ) has been associated with threat processing, with cognitive control in the context of anxiety, and with reinforcement learning, most reinforcement learning studies on FMθ have used reward rather than threat-related stimuli as reinforcer. Accordingly, the role of FMθ in threat-related reinforcement learning is largely unknown. Here, n = 23 human participants underwent one reward-, and one punishment-, based reversal learning task, which differed only with regard to the kind of reinforcers that feedback was tied to (i.e., monetary gain vs. loud noise burst, respectively). In addition to single-trial EEG, we assessed single-trial feedback expectations based on both a reinforcement learning computational model and trial-by-trial subjective feedback expectation ratings. While participants' performance and feedback expectations were comparable between the reward and punishment tasks, FMθ was more reliably amplified to negative vs. positive feedback in the reward vs. punishment task. Regressions with feedback valence, computationally derived, and self-reported expectations as predictors and FMθ as criterion further revealed that trial-by-trial variations in FMθ specifically relate to reward-related feedback-valence and not to threat-related feedback or to violated expectations/prediction errors. These findings suggest that FMθ as measured in reinforcement learning tasks may be less sensitive to the processing of events with direct relevance for fear and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Stolz
- Department of Psychology University of Marburg Marburg Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN) Magdeburg Germany
- Department of Psychology Goldsmiths, University of London London UK
| | | | - Erik M. Mueller
- Department of Psychology University of Marburg Marburg Germany
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24
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Siestrup S, Jainta B, Cheng S, Schubotz RI. Solidity Meets Surprise: Cerebral and Behavioral Effects of Learning from Episodic Prediction Errors. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 35:1-23. [PMID: 36473102 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
How susceptible a memory is to later modification might depend on how stable the episode has been encoded. This stability was proposed to increase when retrieving information more (vs. less) often and in a spaced (vs. massed) practice. Using fMRI, we examined the effects of these different pre-fMRI retrieval protocols on the subsequent propensity to learn from episodic prediction errors. After encoding a set of different action stories, participants came back for two pre-fMRI retrieval sessions in which they encountered original episodes either 2 or 8 times in either a spaced or a massed retrieval protocol. One week later, we cued episodic retrieval during the fMRI session by using original or modified videos of encoded action stories. Recurrent experience of modified episodes was associated with increasing activity in the episodic memory network including hippocampal and cortical areas, when leading to false memories in a post-fMRI memory test. While this observation clearly demonstrated learning from episodic prediction errors, we found no evidence for a modulatory effect of the different retrieval protocols. As expected, the benefit of retrieving an episode more often was reflected in better memory for originally encoded episodes. In addition, frontal activity increased for episodic prediction errors when episodes had been less frequently retrieved pre-fMRI. A history of spaced versus massed retrieval was associated with increased activation throughout the episodic memory network, with no significant effect on behavioral performance. Our findings show that episodic prediction errors led to false memories. The history of different retrieval protocols was reflected in memory performance and brain responses to episodic prediction errors, but did not interact with the brain's episodic learning response.
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25
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Conte R, Zangirolame CMS, Gobbo DR, Pereira LDAS, Panfilio CE, Reginato RD, Maluf LLS, Scerni DA, Céspedes IC. Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on behavior and neural systems of Wistar rats. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2022; 94:e20210673. [PMID: 35857964 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202220210673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic alcohol consumption affects various neurotransmitters, especially those implicated in the transitioning to alcohol use disorders (particularly dopaminergic and CRFergic systems). Few studies have investigated moderate alcohol consumption and its harmful consequences. The objective of this work was to analyze behavioral and neurochemical (dopaminergic and CRFergic systems) alterations during chronic moderate alcohol consumption. Twelve male Wistar rats were submitted to an intermittent alcohol ingestion protocol (alcohol group) for four weeks. The control group consisted of six rats. Open Field and Elevated Plus Maze tests were used for analysis of motor and anxiety-like behaviors. Immunohistochemistry analysis was performed in dopaminergic and CRFergic systems. Animals exposed to alcohol consumed moderate doses, chronic and intermittently. Behavioral tests detected fewer fecal boli in the alcohol exposed group, and immunohistochemical analysis indicated fewer dopamine-immunoreactive cells in the ventral tegmental area, and more CRF-immunoreactive cells in the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral septum in this group. Thus we concluded that Wistar rats that consumed moderate doses of alcohol voluntarily and chronically showed a discreet anxiolytic effect in behavior, and a hypodopaminergic and hyperCRFergic neurochemical condition, which together are strong inducers of alcohol consumption predisposing to the development of alcohol use disorder (AUD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Conte
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Rua Botucatu, 740, 1º andar do Edifício Leitão da Cunha, 04023-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Carolline M S Zangirolame
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP, Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade, Departamento de Biociências, Rua Silva Jardim, 136, Vila Matias, 11015-020 Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Denise R Gobbo
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Rua Botucatu, 740, 1º andar do Edifício Leitão da Cunha, 04023-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Laís DA S Pereira
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Rua Botucatu, 740, 1º andar do Edifício Leitão da Cunha, 04023-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos E Panfilio
- Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul/USCS, Escola da Saúde, Rua Santo Antônio, 50, Centro, 09521-160 São Caetano do Sul, SP, Brazil
| | - Rejane D Reginato
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Morfologia e Genética, Rua Botucatu, 740, 1º andar do Edifício Leitão da Cunha, 04023-900 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Luciana L S Maluf
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP, Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade, Departamento de Biociências, Rua Silva Jardim, 136, Vila Matias, 11015-020 Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Debora A Scerni
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Rua Pedro De Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, 04039-032 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Isabel C Céspedes
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo/UNIFESP, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Rua Pedro De Toledo, 669, Vila Clementino, 04039-032 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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26
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Beldzik E, Ullsperger M, Domagalik A, Marek T. Conflict- and error-related theta activities are coupled to BOLD signals in different brain regions. Neuroimage 2022; 256:119264. [PMID: 35508215 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Both conflict and error processing have been linked to the midfrontal theta power (4-8 Hz) increase as indicated by EEG studies and greater hemodynamic activity in the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) as indicated by fMRI studies. Conveniently, the source of the midfrontal theta power was estimated in or nearby aMCC. However, previous studies using concurrent EEG and fMRI recordings in resting-state or other cognitive tasks observed only a negative relationship between theta power and BOLD signal in the brain regions typically showing task-related deactivations. In this study, we used a simultaneous EEG-fMRI technique to investigate a trial-by-trial coupling between theta power and hemodynamic activity during the performance of two conflict tasks. Independent component analysis (ICA) was applied to denoise the EEG signal and select individual midfrontal EEG components, whereas group ICA was applied to fMRI data to obtain a functional parcellation of the frontal cortex. Using a linear mixed-effect model, theta power was coupled with the peak of hemodynamic responses from various frontal, cingulate, and insular cortical sites to unravel the potential brain sources that contribute to conflict- and error-related theta variability. Although several brain regions exhibited conflict-related increases in hemodynamic activity, the conflict pre-response theta showed only a negative correlation to BOLD signal in the midline area 9 (MA9), a region exhibiting conflict-sensitive deactivation. Conversely, and more expectedly, error-related theta showed a positive relationship to activity in the aMCC. Our results provide novel evidence suggesting that the amplitude of pre-response theta reflects the process of active inhibition that suppresses the MA9 activity. This process is affected independently by the stimulus congruency, reaction times variance, and is susceptible to the time-on-task effect. Finally, it predicts the commitment of an omission error. Together, our findings highlight that conflict- and error-related theta oscillations represent fundamentally different processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Beldzik
- Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Markus Ullsperger
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Aleksandra Domagalik
- NeuroImaging Research Group, Neurobiology Department, Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Tadeusz Marek
- Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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27
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Altered reward and effort processing in children with maltreatment experience: a potential indicator of mental health vulnerability. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:1063-1070. [PMID: 35149765 PMCID: PMC8832084 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01284-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In this longitudinal study of children and adolescents with a documented history of maltreatment, we investigated the impact of maltreatment on behavioral and neural indices of effort-based decision making for reward and examined their associations with future internalizing symptoms. Thirty-seven children with a documented history of maltreatment (MT group) and a carefully matched group of 33 non-maltreated children (NMT group) aged 10-16, completed an effort-based decision-making task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Internalizing symptoms were assessed at baseline and again 18 months later. Computational models were implemented to extract individual estimates of reward and effort sensitivity, and neural signals during decision-making about different levels of reward and effort were analyzed. These were used to predict internalizing symptoms at follow-up. We identified lower effort-related activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a prespecified region-of-interest, in the MT relative to the NMT group. No group differences were observed in the striatum, or in behavioral indices of reward and effort processing. Lower effort-related ACC activation significantly predicted elevated internalizing symptoms at follow-up in the MT group. These findings suggest that disrupted effort-related activation may index latent vulnerability to mental illness in children who have experienced maltreatment.
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28
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Friedman NP, Robbins TW. The role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control and executive function. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:72-89. [PMID: 34408280 PMCID: PMC8617292 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01132-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 305] [Impact Index Per Article: 152.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Concepts of cognitive control (CC) and executive function (EF) are defined in terms of their relationships with goal-directed behavior versus habits and controlled versus automatic processing, and related to the functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and related regions and networks. A psychometric approach shows unity and diversity in CC constructs, with 3 components in the most commonly studied constructs: general or common CC and components specific to mental set shifting and working memory updating. These constructs are considered against the cellular and systems neurobiology of PFC and what is known of its functional neuroanatomical or network organization based on lesioning, neurochemical, and neuroimaging approaches across species. CC is also considered in the context of motivation, as "cool" and "hot" forms. Its Common CC component is shown to be distinct from general intelligence (g) and closely related to response inhibition. Impairments in CC are considered as possible causes of psychiatric symptoms and consequences of disorders. The relationships of CC with the general factor of psychopathology (p) and dimensional constructs such as impulsivity in large scale developmental and adult populations are considered, as well as implications for genetic studies and RDoC approaches to psychiatric classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi P Friedman
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience and Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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29
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Compton RJ, Jaskir M, Mu J. Effects of post-response arousal on cognitive control: Adaptive or maladaptive? Psychophysiology 2021; 59:e13988. [PMID: 34904230 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13988] [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: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated whether detection of a performance mistake is followed by adaptive or detrimental effects on subsequent attention and performance. Using a Stroop task with spatial cueing, along with simultaneous EEG and pupillary measurements, we examined evidence bearing on two alternative hypotheses: maladaptive arousal and adaptive control. Error detection, indexed by the error-related negativity ERP component, was followed by pupil dilation and suppression of EEG oscillations in the alpha band, two indices of arousal that were associated with one another on a trial-by-trial basis. On the trials following errors, there was neural evidence of enhanced spatial cueing, manifested in greater hemispheric activation contralateral to the cued visual field. However, this post-error enhancement was not followed by changes in Stroop or spatial cueing effects in performance, nor by increased attentional cueing effects in ERP responses to targets. Rather, performance tended to be slower and less accurate following errors compared to correct trials, and higher post-response arousal, indexed by larger pupils, predicted next-trial slowing and decreased P2 amplitude to targets. Results favor the maladaptive arousal account of post-error cognitive control and offer only limited support for adaptive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Compton
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Marc Jaskir
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jianing Mu
- Department of Psychology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, USA
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30
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Ulmer-Yaniv A, Waidergoren S, Shaked A, Salomon R, Feldman R. Neural Representation of the Parent-Child Attachment from Infancy to Adulthood. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:609-624. [PMID: 34893911 PMCID: PMC9250301 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Attachment theory is built on the assumption of consistency; the mother–infant bond is thought to underpin the life-long representations individuals construct of attachment relationships. Still, consistency in the individual’s neural response to attachment-related stimuli representing his or her entire relational history has not been investigated. Mothers and children were followed across two decades and videotaped in infancy (3–6 months), childhood (9–12 years) and young adulthood (18–24 years). In adulthood, participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while exposed to videos of own mother–child interactions (Self) vs unfamiliar interactions (Other). Self-stimuli elicited greater activations across preregistered nodes of the human attachment network, including thalamus-to-brainstem, amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), insula and temporal cortex. Critically, self-stimuli were age-invariant in most regions of interest despite large variability in social behavior, and Bayesian analysis showed strong evidence for lack of age-related differences. Psycho–physiological interaction analysis indicated that self-stimuli elicited tighter connectivity between ACC and anterior insula, consolidating an interface associating information from exteroceptive and interceptive sources to sustain attachment representations. Child social engagement behavior was individually stable from infancy to adulthood and linked with greater ACC and insula response to self-stimuli. Findings demonstrate overlap in circuits sustaining parental and child attachment and accord with perspectives on the continuity of attachment across human development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Ulmer-Yaniv
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Shani Waidergoren
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
| | - Ariel Shaked
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Roy Salomon
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Correspondence should be addressed to Ruth Feldman Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, 8 Ha'Universita st., Herzliya 4610101, Israel. E-mail:
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31
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Drew A, Torralba M, Ruzzoli M, Morís Fernández L, Sabaté A, Pápai MS, Soto-Faraco S. Conflict monitoring and attentional adjustment during binocular rivalry. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:138-153. [PMID: 34872157 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
To make sense of ambiguous and, at times, fragmentary sensory input, the brain must rely on a process of active interpretation. At any given moment, only one of several possible perceptual representations prevails in our conscious experience. Our hypothesis is that the competition between alternative representations induces a pattern of neural activation resembling cognitive conflict, eventually leading to fluctuations between different perceptual outcomes in the case of steep competition. To test this hypothesis, we probed changes in perceptual awareness between competing images using binocular rivalry. We drew our predictions from the conflict monitoring theory, which holds that cognitive control is invoked by the detection of conflict during information processing. Our results show that fronto-medial theta oscillations (5-7 Hz), an established electroencephalography (EEG) marker of conflict, increases right before perceptual alternations and decreases thereafter, suggesting that conflict monitoring occurs during perceptual competition. Furthermore, to investigate conflict resolution via attentional engagement, we looked for a neural marker of perceptual switches as by parieto-occipital alpha oscillations (8-12 Hz). The power of parieto-occipital alpha displayed an inverse pattern to that of fronto-medial theta, reflecting periods of high interocular inhibition during stable perception, and low inhibition around moments of perceptual change. Our findings aim to elucidate the relationship between conflict monitoring mechanisms and perceptual awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Drew
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mireia Torralba
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuela Ruzzoli
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain.,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Luis Morís Fernández
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Departamento de Psicología Básica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alba Sabaté
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Márta Szabina Pápai
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Soto-Faraco
- Multisensory Research Group, Centre for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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32
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Abstract
Social interaction entails keeping an eye on good and bad things happening to others. A new study suggests that neurons in rat anterior cingulate cortex encode the attention paid to rewards and shocks to conspecifics, independently of empathically feeling their joy and pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Kalenscher
- Comparative Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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33
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Allaire-Duquette G, Brault Foisy LM, Potvin P, Riopel M, Larose M, Masson S. An fMRI study of scientists with a Ph.D. in physics confronted with naive ideas in science. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2021; 6:11. [PMID: 33976228 PMCID: PMC8113248 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-021-00091-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A central challenge in developing conceptual understanding in science is overcoming naive ideas that contradict the content of science curricula. Neuroimaging studies reveal that high school and university students activate frontal brain areas associated with inhibitory control to overcome naive ideas in science, probably because they persist despite scientific training. However, no neuroimaging study has yet explored how persistent naive ideas in science are. Here, we report brain activations of 25 scientists with a Ph.D. in physics assessing the scientific value of naive ideas in science. Results show that scientists are slower and have lower accuracy when judging the scientific value of naive ideas compared to matched control ideas. fMRI data reveals that a network of frontal brain regions is more activated when judging naive ideas. Results suggest that naive ideas are likely to persist, even after completing a Ph.D. Advanced experts may still rely on high order executive functions like inhibitory control to overcome naive ideas when the context requires it.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Martin Riopel
- Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Steve Masson
- Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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34
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Age-related differences in structural and functional prefrontal networks during a logical reasoning task. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:1085-1102. [PMID: 32556885 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00315-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
In logical reasoning, difficulties in inhibition of currently-held beliefs may lead to unwarranted conclusions, known as belief bias. Aging is associated with difficulties in inhibitory control, which may lead to deficits in inhibition of currently-held beliefs. No study to date, however, has investigated the underlying neural substrates of age-related differences in logical reasoning and the impact of belief load. The aim of the present study was to delineate age differences in brain activity during a syllogistic logical reasoning task while the believability load of logical inferences was manipulated. Twenty-nine, healthy, younger and thirty, healthy, older adults (males and females) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment in which they were asked to determine the logical validity of conclusions. Unlike younger adults, older adults engaged a large-scale network including anterior cingulate cortex and inferior frontal gyrus during conclusion stage. Our functional connectivity results suggest that while older adults engaged the anterior cingulate network to overcome their intuitive responses for believable inferences, the inferior frontal gyrus network contributed to higher control over responses during both believable and unbelievable conditions. Our functional results were further supported by structure-function-behavior analyses indicating the importance of cingulum bundle and uncinate fasciculus integrity in rejection of believable statements. These novel findings lend evidence for age-related differences in belief bias, with potentially important implications for decision making where currently-held beliefs and given assumptions are in conflict.
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35
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Liu X, Shen X, Chen S, Zhang X, Huang Y, Wang Y, Wang Y. Hierarchical Dynamical Model for Multiple Cortical Neural Decoding. Neural Comput 2021; 33:1372-1401. [PMID: 34496393 DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_01380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Motor brain machine interfaces (BMIs) interpret neural activities from motor-related cortical areas in the brain into movement commands to control a prosthesis. As the subject adapts to control the neural prosthesis, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), upstream of the primary motor cortex (M1), is heavily involved in reward-guided motor learning. Thus, considering mPFC and M1 functionality within a hierarchical structure could potentially improve the effectiveness of BMI decoding while subjects are learning. The commonly used Kalman decoding method with only one simple state model may not be able to represent the multiple brain states that evolve over time as well as along the neural pathway. In addition, the performance of Kalman decoders degenerates in heavy-tailed nongaussian noise, which is usually generated due to the nonlinear neural system or influences of movement-related noise in online neural recording. In this letter, we propose a hierarchical model to represent the brain states from multiple cortical areas that evolve along the neural pathway. We then introduce correntropy theory into the hierarchical structure to address the heavy-tailed noise existing in neural recordings. We test the proposed algorithm on in vivo recordings collected from the mPFC and M1 of two rats when the subjects were learning to perform a lever-pressing task. Compared with the classic Kalman filter, our results demonstrate better movement decoding performance due to the hierarchical structure that integrates the past failed trial information over multisite recording and the combination with correntropy criterion to deal with noisy heavy-tailed neural recordings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Liu
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Xiang Shen
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Shuhang Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yifan Huang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Yueming Wang
- Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China, and Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Yiwen Wang
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
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36
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The Potential Role of Dopamine in Mediating Motor Function and Interpersonal Synchrony. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9040382. [PMID: 33916451 PMCID: PMC8066519 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9040382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor functions in general and motor planning in particular are crucial for our ability to synchronize our movements with those of others. To date, these co-occurring functions have been studied separately, and as yet it is unclear whether they share a common biological mechanism. Here, we synthesize disparate recent findings on motor functioning and interpersonal synchrony and propose that these two functions share a common neurobiological mechanism and adhere to the same principles of predictive coding. Critically, we describe the pivotal role of the dopaminergic system in modulating these two distinct functions. We present attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as an example of a disorder that involves the dopaminergic system and describe deficits in motor and interpersonal synchrony. Finally, we suggest possible directions for future studies emphasizing the role of dopamine modulation as a link between social and motor functioning.
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The Best Laid Plans: Computational Principles of Anterior Cingulate Cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:316-329. [PMID: 33593641 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite continual debate for the past 30 years about the function of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), its key contribution to neurocognition remains unknown. However, recent computational modeling work has provided insight into this question. Here we review computational models that illustrate three core principles of ACC function, related to hierarchy, world models, and cost. We also discuss four constraints on the neural implementation of these principles, related to modularity, binding, encoding, and learning and regulation. These observations suggest a role for ACC in hierarchical model-based hierarchical reinforcement learning (HMB-HRL), which instantiates a mechanism motivating the execution of high-level plans.
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Trait Self-Control, Inhibition, and Executive Functions: Rethinking some Traditional Assumptions. NEUROETHICS-NETH 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12152-021-09457-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Rovetti J, Goy H, Nurgitz R, Russo FA. Comparing verbal working memory load in auditory and visual modalities using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Behav Brain Res 2021; 402:113102. [PMID: 33422594 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.113102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The verbal identity n-back task is commonly used to assess verbal working memory (VWM) capacity. Only three studies have compared brain activation during the n-back when using auditory and visual stimuli. The earliest study, a positron emission tomography study of the 3-back, found no differences in VWM-related brain activation between n-back modalities. In contrast, two subsequent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of the 2-back found that auditory VWM was associated with greater left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DL-PFC) activation than visual VWM, perhaps suggesting that auditory VWM requires more cognitive effort than its visual counterpart. The current study aimed to assess whether DL-PFC activation (i.e., cognitive effort) differs by VWM modality. To do this, 16 younger adults completed an auditory and visual n-back, both at four levels of VWM load. Concurrently, activation of the PFC was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a silent neuroimaging method. We found that DL-PFC activation increased with VWM load, but it was not affected by VWM modality or the interaction between load and modality. This supports the view that both VWM modalities require similar cognitive effort, and perhaps that previous fMRI results were an artefact of scanner noise. We also found that, across conditions, DL-PFC activation was positively correlated with reaction time. This may further support DL-PFC activation as an index of cognitive effort, and fNIRS as a method to measure it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Rovetti
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.
| | - Huiwen Goy
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.
| | - Rebecca Nurgitz
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.
| | - Frank A Russo
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.
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Abstract
Self-regulation is a core aspect of human functioning that helps facilitate the successful pursuit of personal goals. There has been a proliferation of theories and models describing different aspects of self-regulation both within and outside of psychology. All of these models provide insights about self-regulation, but sometimes they talk past each other, make only shallow contributions, or make contributions that are underappreciated by scholars working in adjacent areas. The purpose of this article is to integrate across the many different models in order to refine the vast literature on self-regulation. To achieve this objective, we first review some of the more prominent models of self-regulation coming from social psychology, personality psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. We then integrate across these models based on four key elements—level of analysis, conflict, emotion, and cognitive functioning—specifically identifying points of convergence but also points of insufficient emphasis. We close with prescriptions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Inzlicht
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada
| | - Kaitlyn M. Werner
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada
| | - Julia L. Briskin
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, USA
| | - Brent W. Roberts
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61820, USA
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Shen X, Zhang X, Huang Y, Chen S, Wang Y. Task Learning Over Multi-Day Recording via Internally Rewarded Reinforcement Learning Based Brain Machine Interfaces. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2020; 28:3089-3099. [PMID: 33232240 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2020.3039970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Autonomous brain machine interfaces (BMIs) aim to enable paralyzed people to self-evaluate their movement intention to control external devices. Previous reinforcement learning (RL)-based decoders interpret the mapping between neural activity and movements using the external reward for well-trained subjects, and have not investigated the task learning procedure. The brain has developed a learning mechanism to identify the correct actions that lead to rewards in the new task. This internal guidance can be utilized to replace the external reference to advance BMIs as an autonomous system. In this study, we propose to build an internally rewarded reinforcement learning-based BMI framework using the multi-site recording to demonstrate the autonomous learning ability of the BMI decoder on the new task. We test the model on the neural data collected over multiple days while the rats were learning a new lever discrimination task. The primary motor cortex (M1) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) spikes are interpreted by the proposed RL framework into the discrete lever press actions. The neural activity of the mPFC post the action duration is interpreted as the internal reward information, where a support vector machine is implemented to classify the reward vs. non-reward trials with a high accuracy of 87.5% across subjects. This internal reward is used to replace the external water reward to update the decoder, which is able to adapt to the nonstationary neural activity during subject learning. The multi-cortical recording allows us to take in more cortical recordings as input and uses internal critics to guide the decoder learning. Comparing with the classic decoder using M1 activity as the only input and external guidance, the proposed system with multi-cortical recordings shows a better decoding accuracy. More importantly, our internally rewarded decoder demonstrates the autonomous learning ability on the new task as the decoder successfully addresses the time-variant neural patterns while subjects are learning, and works asymptotically as the subjects' behavioral learning progresses. It reveals the potential of endowing BMIs with autonomous task learning ability in the RL framework.
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Duif I, Wegman J, de Graaf K, Smeets PAM, Aarts E. Distraction decreases rIFG-putamen connectivity during goal-directed effort for food rewards. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19072. [PMID: 33149176 PMCID: PMC7643110 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76060-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Distracted eating can lead to increased food intake, but it is unclear how. We aimed to assess how distraction affects motivated, goal-directed responses for food reward after satiation. Thirty-eight healthy normal-weight participants (28F; 10M) performed a visual detection task varying in attentional load (high vs. low distraction) during fMRI. Simultaneously, they exerted effort for sweet and savory food rewards by repeated button presses. Two fMRI runs were separated by sensory-specific satiation (outcome devaluation) of one of the (sweet or savory) reward outcomes, to assess outcome-sensitive, goal-directed, responses (valued vs. devalued reward, post vs. pre satiation). We could not verify our primary hypothesis that more distraction leads to less activation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) during goal-directed effort. Behaviorally, distraction also did not affect effort for food reward following satiation across subjects. For our secondary hypothesis, we assessed whether distraction affected other fronto-striatal regions during goal-directed effort. We did not obtain such effects at our whole-brain corrected threshold, but at an exploratory uncorrected threshold (p < 0.001), distraction decreased goal-directed responses (devalued vs. valued) in the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG). We continued with this rIFG region for the next secondary hypothesis; specifically, that distraction would reduce functional connectivity with the fronto-striatal regions found in the previous analyses. Indeed, distraction decreased functional connectivity between the rIFG and left putamen for valued versus devalued food rewards (pFWE(cluster) < 0.05). In an exploratory brain-behavior analysis, we showed that distraction-sensitive rIFG-responses correlated negatively (r = - 0.40; p = 0.014) with the effect of distraction on effort. Specifically, decreased distraction-related rIFG-responses were associated with increased effort for food reward after satiation. We discuss the absence of distraction effects on goal-directed responses in vmPFC and in behavior across participants. Moreover, based on our significant functional connectivity and brain-behavior results, we suggest that distraction might attenuate the ability to inhibit responses for food reward after satiation by affecting the rIFG and its connection to the putamen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Duif
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Joost Wegman
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Kees de Graaf
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul A M Smeets
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Image Sciences Institute and University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Esther Aarts
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Biologically plausible mechanisms underlying motor response correction during reward-based decision-making. Neurocomputing 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neucom.2020.06.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Beyond the Motor Cortex: Theta Burst Stimulation of the Anterior Midcingulate Cortex. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:1052-1060. [PMID: 32839154 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While the facilitatory and inhibitory effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and continuous TBS (cTBS) protocols have been well documented on motor physiology, the action of TBS protocols on prefrontal functioning remain unclear. Here we asked whether iTBS or cTBS can differentially modulate reward-related signaling in the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC). METHODS Across 2 experiments, we used a robot-assisted transcranial magnetic stimulation system, combined with electroencephalogram recordings, to investigate the aftereffects of prefrontal iTBS and cTBS on the reward positivity, an electrophysiological signal believed to index sensitivity of the aMCC to rewards. Twenty adults (age, 18-28 years) participated in experiment 1 in which we used a scalp landmark for TBS targeting, and 14 adults (age, 18-28 years) participated in experiment 2, in which we aimed to increase TBS effectiveness by utilizing cortical thickness maps to select individualized dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex targets. RESULTS We demonstrated that prefrontal iTBS suppressed reward-related signaling in the aMCC (reduction in reward positivity) and caused a decrease in postfeedback switch choices. cTBS displayed no effect. We replicated and strengthened this effect on the reward positivity by targeting dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex regions displaying maximal cortical thickness. CONCLUSIONS While these results are inconsistent with reported TBS effects on motor cortex, the present findings offer a novel transcranial magnetic stimulation targeting approach and normative insights into the magnitude and time course of TBS-induced changes in aMCC excitability. By modulating how the aMCC links value to goal-directed behavior, this research opens an exciting new era of investigative possibilities in the understanding of aMCC function and treatment of aMCC dysfunction.
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Aberg KC, Kramer EE, Schwartz S. Interplay between midbrain and dorsal anterior cingulate regions arbitrates lingering reward effects on memory encoding. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1829. [PMID: 32286275 PMCID: PMC7156375 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15542-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Rewarding events enhance memory encoding via dopaminergic influences on hippocampal plasticity. Phasic dopamine release depends on immediate reward magnitude, but presumably also on tonic dopamine levels, which may vary as a function of the average accumulation of reward over time. Using model-based fMRI in combination with a novel associative memory task, we show that immediate reward magnitude exerts a monotonically increasing influence on the nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area (VTA), and hippocampal activity during encoding, and enhances memory. By contrast, average reward levels modulate feedback-related responses in the VTA and hippocampus in a non-linear (inverted U-shape) fashion, with similar effects on memory performance. Additionally, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) monotonically tracks average reward levels, while VTA-dACC functional connectivity is non-linearly modulated (inverted U-shape) by average reward. We propose that the dACC computes the net behavioral impact of average reward and relays this information to memory circuitry via the VTA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily Elizabeth Kramer
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sophie Schwartz
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Abstract
Previous research has focused on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as a key brain region in the mitigation of the competition that arises from two simultaneously active signals. However, to date, no study has demonstrated that ACC is necessary for this form of behavioral flexibility, nor have any studies shown that ACC acts by modulating downstream brain regions such as the dorsal medial striatum (DMS) that encode action plans necessary for task completion. Here, we performed unilateral excitotoxic lesions of ACC while recording downstream from the ipsilateral hemisphere of DMS in rats, performing a variant of the STOP-signal task. We show that on STOP trials lesioned rats perform worse, in part due to the failure of timely directional action plans to emerge in the DMS, as well as the overrepresentation of the to-be-inhibited behavior. Collectively, our findings suggest that ACC is necessary for the mitigation of competing inputs and validates many of the existing theoretical predictions for the role of ACC in cognitive control.
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Vassena E, Deraeve J, Alexander WH. Surprise, value and control in anterior cingulate cortex during speeded decision-making. Nat Hum Behav 2020; 4:412-422. [DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0801-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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André N, Audiffren M, Baumeister RF. An Integrative Model of Effortful Control. Front Syst Neurosci 2019; 13:79. [PMID: 31920573 PMCID: PMC6933500 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2019.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This article presents an integrative model of effortful control, a resource-limited top-down control mechanism involved in mental tasks and physical exercises. Based on recent findings in the fields of neuroscience, social psychology and cognitive psychology, this model posits the intrinsic costs related to a weakening of the connectivity of neural networks underpinning effortful control as the main cause of mental fatigue in long and high-demanding tasks. In this framework, effort reflects three different inter-related aspects of the same construct. First, effort is a mechanism comprising a limited number of interconnected processing units that integrate information regarding the task constraints and subject’s state. Second, effort is the main output of this mechanism, namely, the effort signal that modulates neuronal activity in brain regions involved in the current task to select pertinent information. Third, effort is a feeling that emerges in awareness during effortful tasks and reflects the costs associated with goal-directed behavior. Finally, the model opens new avenues for research investigating effortful control at the behavioral and neurophysiological levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie André
- Research Centre on Cognition and Learning, UMR CNRS 7295, University of Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Michel Audiffren
- Research Centre on Cognition and Learning, UMR CNRS 7295, University of Poitiers, Poitiers, France
| | - Roy F Baumeister
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Vassena E, Van Opstal F, Goethals I, Verguts T. Striatal dopamine D2 binding correlates with locus of control: Preliminary evidence from [ 11C]raclopride Positron Emission Tomography. Int J Psychophysiol 2019; 146:117-124. [PMID: 31644932 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The ability to exert control has been widely investigated as a hallmark of adaptive behaviour. Dopamine is recognized as the key neuromodulator mediating various control-related processes. The neural mechanisms underlying the subjective perception of being in control, or Locus of Control (LOC) are however less clear. LOC indicates the subjective tendency to attribute environmental outcomes to one's actions (internal LOC) or instead to external incontrollable factors (external LOC). Here we hypothesized that dopamine levels also relate to LOC. Previous work shows that dopamine signaling mediates learning of action-outcome relationships, outcome predictability, and opportunity cost. Prominent theories propose dopamine dysregulation as the key pathogenetic mechanism in schizophrenia and depression. Critically, external LOC is a risk factor for schizophrenia and depression, and predicts increased vulnerability to stress. However, a direct link between LOC and dopamine levels in healthy control had not been demonstrated. The purpose of our study was to investigate this link. Using [11C]raclopride Positron Emission Tomography we tested the relationship between D2 receptor binding in the striatum and LOC (measured with the Rotter Locus of Control scale) in 15 healthy volunteers. Our results show a large and positive correlation: increased striatal D2 binding was associated with External LOC. This finding opens promising avenues for the study of several psychological impairments that have been associated with both dopamine and LOC, such as addiction, schizophrenia, and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliana Vassena
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands; Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium.
| | - Filip Van Opstal
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium; Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Tom Verguts
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
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The tenacious brain: How the anterior mid-cingulate contributes to achieving goals. Cortex 2019; 123:12-29. [PMID: 31733343 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Tenacity-persistence in the face of challenge-has received increasing attention, particularly because it contributes to better academic achievement, career opportunities and health outcomes. We review evidence from non-human primate neuroanatomy and structural and functional neuroimaging in humans suggesting that the anterior mid cingulate cortex (aMCC) is an important network hub in the brain that performs the cost/benefit computations necessary for tenacity. Specifically, we propose that its position as a structural and functional hub allows the aMCC to integrate signals from diverse brain systems to predict energy requirements that are needed for attention allocation, encoding of new information, and physical movement, all in the service of goal attainment. We review and integrate research findings from studies of attention, reward, memory, affect, multimodal sensory integration, and motor control to support this hypothesis. We close by discussing the implications of our framework for educational achievement, exercise and eating disorders, successful aging, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and dementia.
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