Shared and Distinct Neural Bases of Large- and Small-Scale Spatial Ability: A Coordinate-Based Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis

Inter-individual, hemispheric and sex variability of brain activations during numerosity processing

Numerosity perception is a fundamental and innate cognitive function shared by both humans and many animal species. Previous research has primarily focused on exploring the spatial and functional consistency of neural activations that were associated with the processing of numerosity information. However, the inter-individual variability of brain activations of numerosity perception remains unclear. In the present study, with a large-sample functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset (n = 460), we aimed to localize the functional regions related to numerosity perceptions and explore the inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences within these brain regions. Fifteen subject-specific activated regions, including the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), posterior intraparietal sulcus (pIPS), insula, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), premotor area (PM), middle occipital gyrus (MOG) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), were delineated in each individual and then used to create a functional probabilistic atlas to quantify individual variability in brain activations of numerosity processing. Though the activation percentages of most regions were higher than 60%, the intersections of most regions across individuals were considerably lower, falling below 50%, indicating substantial variations in brain activations related to numerosity processing among individuals. Furthermore, significant hemispheric and sex differences in activation location, extent, and magnitude were also found in these regions. Most activated regions in the right hemisphere had larger activation volumes and activation magnitudes, and were located more lateral and anterior than their counterparts in the left hemisphere. In addition, in most of these regions, males displayed stronger activations than females. Our findings demonstrate large inter-individual, hemispheric, and sex differences in brain activations related to numerosity processing, and our probabilistic atlas can serve as a robust functional and spatial reference for mapping the numerosity-related neural networks.

Malleability of spatial skills: bridging developmental psychology and toy design for joyful STEAM development

Previous research has established that advances in spatial cognition predict STEAM success, and construction toys provide ample opportunities to foster spatial cognition. Despite various construction toy designs in the market, mostly brick-shaped building blocks are used in spatial cognition research. This group of toys is known to enhance mental rotation; however, mental rotation is not the only way to comprehend the environment three-dimensionally. More specifically, mental folding and perspective taking training have not received enough attention as they can also be enhanced with the construction toys, which are framed based on the 2×2 classification of spatial skills (intrinsic-static, intrinsic-dynamic, extrinsic-static, extrinsic-dynamic). To address these gaps, we compile evidence from both developmental psychology and toy design fields to show the central role played by mental folding and perspective taking skills as well as the importance of the variety in toy designs. The review was conducted systematically by searching peer reviewed design and psychology journals and conference proceedings. We suggest that, over and above their physical properties, construction toys offer affordances to elicit spatial language, gesture, and narrative among child-caregiver dyads. These interactions are essential for the development of spatial skills in both children and their caregivers. As developmental psychology and toy design fields are two domains that can contribute to the purpose of developing construction toys to boost spatial skills, we put forward six recommendations to bridge the current gaps between these fields. Consequently, new toy designs and empirical evidence regarding malleability of different spatial skills can contribute to the informal STEAM development.

Effect of regional intrinsic activity following two kinds of theta burst stimulation on precuneus

Theta burst stimulation (TBS) has been widely used in the treatment of mental disorders, but the cerebral functional difference between intermittent TBS (iTBS) and continuous TBS (cTBS) after one single session of stimulation is not clear. Here we applied resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-FMRI) to evaluate the alterations in intrinsic brain activity after iTBS and cTBS in the precuneus. We recruited 32 healthy young adults and performed a single session each of iTBS and cTBS at a 1-week interval. RS-fMRI was collected at baseline before and immediately after the stimulation. Parameters for regional brain activity (ALFF/fALFF/ReHo) and functional connectivity (FC) with the stimulated site of the precuneus after iTBS and cTBS were calculated and compared between each stimulation using a paired t-test. Correlation analysis among those parameters was calculated to explore whether changes in functional connectivity were associated with local spontaneous activity. After iTBS stimulation, fALFF increased in the bilateral precuneus, while fALFF decreased in the bilateral middle temporal gyrus. Reductions in precuneus FC were found in the bilateral cuneus, superior occipital gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, precentral gyrus, and postcentral gyrus, which correlated with regional activity. After cTBS, fALFF decreased in the bilateral insula, and precuneus FC was decreased in the bilateral inferior occipital gyrus and increased in the thalamus. In the current study, we observed that one session of iTBS or cTBS could cause inhibitory effects in remote brain regions, but only iTBS caused significant local activation in the target region.

Brain alterations of regional homogeneity, degree centrality, and functional connectivity in vulnerable carotid plaque patients with neither clinical symptoms nor routine MRI lesions: A resting-state fMRI study

Aims

Based on resting-state functional MRI (fMRI), we preliminarily explored brain alterations in asymptomatic patients with vulnerable carotid plaques, but carotid stenosis was < 50%.

Methods

A total of 58 asymptomatic patients with vulnerable carotid plaques (stenosis <50%) and 38 healthy controls were recruited. Between-group differences in regional homogeneity (ReHo), degree centrality (DC), and functional connectivity (FC) were analyzed. Correlation analysis was performed between the ReHo or DC values in altered brain regions as well as voxel-wise abnormal FC and scores on neuropsychiatric scales, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP).

Results

Both ReHo and DC values on the left superior occipital gyrus (SOG.L) of the asymptomatic vulnerable carotid plaque group reduced, regardless of plaque location (left, right, or bilateral). Functional connections weakened between the SOG.L and right lingual gyrus (LING.R)/right inferior occipital gyrus (IOG.R), right middle frontal gyrus (MFG.R)/orbital part of superior frontal gyrus (ORBsup.R)/orbital part of middle frontal gyrus (ORBmid.R), left precentral gyrus (PreCG.L)/postcentral gyrus (PoCG.L), left supplementary motor area (SMA.L), right paracentral lobule (PCL.R), left precuneus (PCUN.L), and right postcentral gyrus (PoCG.R)/PCL.R. In ReHo-altered brain regions, ReHo values were positively correlated with Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) scores, and the setting region of abnormal ReHo as seed points, voxel-wise FC between the SOG.L and PreCG.L was negatively correlated with CRP.

Conclusions

Cerebral alterations of neuronal synchronization, activity, and connectivity properties in the asymptomatic vulnerable carotid plaque group were independent of the laterality of vulnerable carotid plaques. Significant relation between ReHo values on the SOG.L and HAMD indicated that even when there were neither clinical symptoms nor lesions on routine MRI, brain function might have changed already at an early stage of carotid atherosclerosis. Inflammation might play a role in linking vulnerable carotid plaques and changes of resting-state functional connectivity.

Scene Construction and Spatial Processing in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Introduction

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with hippocampal system structural and functional impairments. Neurobiological models of PTSD posit that contextual memory for traumatic events is impaired due to hippocampal system dysfunction whilst memory of sensory details is enhanced due to amygdalar impact on sensory cortices. If hippocampal system dysfunction is a core feature of PTSD, then non-traumatic hippocampal-dependent cognitive functions such as scene construction, spatial processing, and memory should also be impaired in individuals with PTSD.

Methods

Forty-six trauma survivors, half diagnosed with PTSD, performed two tasks that involved spatial processing. The first was a scene construction task which requires conjuring-up spatially coherent multimodal scenarios, completed by all participants. Twenty-six participants (PTSD: n = 13) also completed a navigation task in a virtual environment, and underwent structural T1, T2 and diffusion-tensor MRI to quantify gray and white matter integrity. We examined the relationship between spatial processing, neural integrity, and symptom severity in a multiple factor analysis.

Results

Overall, patients with PTSD showed impaired performance in both tasks compared to controls. Scenes imagined by patients were less vivid, less detailed, and generated less sense of presence; importantly they had disproportionally reduced spatial coherence between details. Patients also made more errors during virtual navigation. Two components of the multiple factor analysis captured group differences. The first component explained 25% of the shared variance: participants that constructed less spatially coherent scenes also made more navigation errors and had reduced white matter integrity to long association tracts and tracts connecting the hippocampus, thalamus, and cingulate. The second component explained 20% of the variance: participants who generated fewer scene details, with less spatial coherence between them, had smaller hippocampal, parahippocampal and isthmus cingulate volumes. These participants also had increased white matter integrity to the right hippocampal cingulum bundle.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that patients with PTSD are impaired at imagining even neutral spatially coherent scenes and navigating through a complex spatial environment. Patients that showed reduced spatial processing more broadly had reduced hippocampal systems volumes and abnormal white matter integrity to tracts implicated in multisensory integration.

The Neural Correlates of Computational Thinking: Collaboration of Distinct Cognitive Components Revealed by fMRI

Recent technical advance attracts great attention to the promotion of programming skills, in particular, and computational thinking (CT), in general, as a new intellectual competency. However, the understanding of its cognitive substrates is limited. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlates of programming to understand the cognitive substrates of CT. Specifically, magnetic resonance imaging signals were collected while the participants were mentally solving programming problems, and we found that CT recruited distributed cortical regions, including the posterior parietal cortex, the medial frontal cortex, and the left lateral frontal cortex. These regions showed extensive univariate and multivariate resemblance with arithmetic, reasoning, and spatial cognition tasks. Based on the resemblance, clustering analyses revealed that cortical regions involved in CT can be divided into Reasoning, Calculation, Visuospatial, and Shared components. Further, connectivity increased during programming within the CT network constructed by these four components and decreased between the CT network and other cortical regions. In sum, our study revealed the cognitive components underlying CT and their neural correlates and further suggests that CT is not a simple sum of parallel cognitive processes, but a composite cognitive process integrating a set of intellectual abilities, particularly those in the science, technology, engineering, and math domains.