1
|
Ciricugno A, Ferrari C, Battelli L, Cattaneo Z. A chronometric study of the posterior cerebellum's function in emotional processing. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1844-1852.e3. [PMID: 38565141 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.013] [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: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The posterior cerebellum is a recently discovered hub of the affective and social brain, with different subsectors contributing to different social functions. However, very little is known about when the posterior cerebellum plays a critical role in social processing. Due to its location and anatomy, it has been difficult to use traditional approaches to directly study the chronometry of the cerebellum. To address this gap in cerebellar knowledge, here we investigated the causal contribution of the posterior cerebellum to social processing using a chronometric transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) approach. We show that the posterior cerebellum is recruited at an early stage of emotional processing (starting from 100 ms after stimulus onset), simultaneously with the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), a key node of the social brain. Moreover, using a condition-and-perturb TMS approach, we found that the recruitment of the pSTS in emotional processing is dependent on cerebellar activation. Our results are the first to shed light on chronometric aspects of cerebellar function and its causal functional connectivity with other nodes of the social brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ciricugno
- IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino, Pavia 27100, Italy; Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Bassi 21, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Chiara Ferrari
- IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino, Pavia 27100, Italy; Department of Humanities, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Lorella Battelli
- Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Kirstein Building KS 158, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Bettini 31, Rovereto 38068, Italy
| | - Zaira Cattaneo
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Piazzale S. Agostino 2, Bergamo 24129, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Haihambo N, Ma Q, Baetens K, Bylemans T, Heleven E, Baeken C, Deroost N, Van Overwalle F. Two is company: The posterior cerebellum and sequencing for pairs versus individuals during social preference prediction. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1482-1499. [PMID: 37821755 PMCID: PMC10684703 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01127-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have identified that the posterior cerebellum, which plays a role in processing temporal sequences in social events, is consistently and robustly activated when we predict future action sequences based on personality traits (Haihambo Haihambo et al. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 17(2), 241-251, 2022) and intentions (Haihambo et al. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience 23(2), 323-339, 2023). In the current study, we investigated whether these cerebellar areas are selectively activated when we predict the sequences of (inter)actions based on protagonists' preferences. For the first time, we also compared predictions based on person-to-person interactions or single person activities. Participants were instructed to predict actions of one single or two interactive protagonists by selecting them and putting them in the correct chronological order after being informed about one of the protagonists' preferences. These conditions were contrasted against nonsocial (involving objects) and nonsequencing (prediction without generating a sequence) control conditions. Results showed that the posterior cerebellar Crus 1, Crus 2, and lobule IX, alongside the temporoparietal junction and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex were more robustly activated when predicting sequences of behavior of two interactive protagonists, compared to one single protagonist and nonsocial objects. Sequence predictions based on one single protagonist recruited lobule IX activation in the cerebellum and more ventral areas of the medial prefrontal cortex compared to a nonsocial object. These cerebellar activations were not found when making predictions without sequences. Together, these findings suggest that cerebellar mentalizing areas are involved in social mentalizing processes which require temporal sequencing, especially when they involve social interactions, rather than behaviors of single persons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naem Haihambo
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Qianying Ma
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tom Bylemans
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital UZBrussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bylemans T, Heleven E, Baetens K, Deroost N, Baeken C, Van Overwalle F. Mentalizing and narrative coherence in autistic adults: Cerebellar sequencing and prediction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 146:105045. [PMID: 36646260 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105045] [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: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BYLEMANS, T., et al. Mentalizing and narrative coherence in autistic adults: Cerebellar sequencing and prediction. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV, 2022. - This review focuses on autistic adults and serves 4 purposes: (1) providing an overview of their difficulties regarding mentalizing (understanding others' mental states) and narrative coherence (structured storytelling), (2) highlighting the relations between both skills by examining behavioral observations and shared neural substrates, (3) providing an integrated perspective regarding novel diagnostic tools and support services, and (4) raising awareness of adult autism. We suggest that mentalizing and narrative coherence are related at the behavioral level and neural level. In addition to the traditional mentalizing network, the cerebellum probably serves as an important hub in shared cerebral networks implicated in mentalizing and narrative coherence. Future autism research and support services should tackle new questions within a framework of social cerebellar (dys)functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Bylemans
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Elien Heleven
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Kris Baetens
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Chris Baeken
- Ghent University: Department of Head and Skin (UZGent), Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Belgium; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium; Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ma Q, Pu M, Haihambo N, Baetens K, Heleven E, Deroost N, Baeken C, Van Overwalle F. Effective cerebello-cerebral connectivity during implicit and explicit social belief sequence learning using dynamic causal modeling. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:6633246. [PMID: 35796503 PMCID: PMC9951265 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To study social sequence learning, earlier functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies investigated the neural correlates of a novel Belief Serial Reaction Time task in which participants learned sequences of beliefs held by protagonists. The results demonstrated the involvement of the mentalizing network in the posterior cerebellum and cerebral areas (e.g. temporoparietal junction, precuneus and temporal pole) during implicit and explicit social sequence learning. However, little is known about the neural functional interaction between these areas during this task. Dynamic causal modeling analyses for both implicit and explicit belief sequence learning revealed that the posterior cerebellar Crus I & II were effectively connected to cerebral mentalizing areas, especially the bilateral temporoparietal junction, via closed loops (i.e. bidirectional functional connections that initiate and terminate at the same cerebellar and cerebral areas). There were more closed loops during implicit than explicit learning, which may indicate that the posterior cerebellum may be more involved in implicitly learning sequential social information. Our analysis supports the general view that the posterior cerebellum receives incoming signals from critical mentalizing areas in the cerebrum to identify sequences of social actions and then sends signals back to the same cortical mentalizing areas to better prepare for others' social actions and one's responses to it.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qianying Ma
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Min Pu
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Naem Haihambo
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent Experimental, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZBrussel), Brussels 1090, Belgium.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pu M, Ma Q, Heleven E, Delplanque J, Baetens K, Haihambo N, Baeken C, Deroost N, Van Overwalle F. This is not who you are: The posterior cerebellum and stereotype-inconsistent action sequences. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:1090-1107. [PMID: 35411417 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01005-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recent research has indicated that the posterior cerebellum plays a crucial role in social cognition by encoding sequences of social actions. This study investigates its role in learning sequences of stereotype-implying actions by group members. We presented a set of five sentences that each described a group member who performed either stereotype-consistent or inconsistent actions. Participants were instructed to memorize the temporal order of the sentences and infer a common stereotype of the group. As a comparison, we included control conditions where participants had to memorize sequences of nonsocial consistent events or simply read stereotype-consistent sentences without memorizing their order. The results showed that the posterior cerebellum was strongly activated when participants were memorizing the order of the social actions, as opposed to simply reading these social actions. More importantly, when the social actions were inconsistent as opposed to consistent with the stereotype of the group, the posterior cerebellum was activated more strongly. This activation occurred together with cortical recruitment of the mentalizing network involving the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) during social actions, and additionally the conflict monitoring network involving the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and posterior medial frontal cortex (pmFC) during stereotype-inconsistent actions. These findings suggest that the cerebellum supports not only learning of low-level action sequences, but also of their high-level social implications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Pu
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Qianying Ma
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Delplanque
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Naem Haihambo
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZBrussel), Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|