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Fischbach AK, Satpute AB, Quigley K, Kragel PA, Chen D, Bianciardi M, Wald L, Wager TD, Choi JK, Zhang J, Barrett LF, Theriault JE. Seven Tesla Evidence for Columnar and Rostral-Caudal Organization of the Human Periaqueductal Gray Response in the Absence of Threat: A Working Memory Study. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e1757232024. [PMID: 38664013 PMCID: PMC11211719 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1757-23.2024] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is a small midbrain structure that surrounds the cerebral aqueduct, regulates brain-body communication, and is often studied for its role in "fight-or-flight" and "freezing" responses to threat. We used ultra-high-field 7 T fMRI to resolve the PAG in humans and distinguish it from the cerebral aqueduct, examining its in vivo function during a working memory task (N = 87). Both mild and moderate cognitive demands elicited spatially similar patterns of whole-brain blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) response, and moderate cognitive demand elicited widespread BOLD increases above baseline in the brainstem. Notably, these brainstem increases were not significantly greater than those in the mild demand condition, suggesting that a subthreshold brainstem BOLD increase occurred for mild cognitive demand as well. Subject-specific masks were group aligned to examine PAG response. In PAG, both mild and moderate demands elicited a well-defined response in ventrolateral PAG, a region thought to be functionally related to anticipated painful threat in humans and nonhuman animals-yet, the present task posed only the most minimal (if any) "threat," with the cognitive tasks used being approximately as challenging as remembering a phone number. These findings suggest that the PAG may play a more general role in visceromotor regulation, even in the absence of threat.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ajay B Satpute
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Karen Quigley
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Philip A Kragel
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
| | - Danlei Chen
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | - Marta Bianciardi
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
| | - Larry Wald
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
| | - Tor D Wager
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
| | - Ji-Kyung Choi
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
| | - Jiahe Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
| | | | - Jordan E Theriault
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
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2
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Mehnert J, Tinnermann A, Basedau H, May A. Functional representation of trigeminal nociceptive input in the human periaqueductal gray. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj8213. [PMID: 38507498 PMCID: PMC10954197 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj8213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is located in the mesencephalon in the upper brainstem and, as part of the descending pain modulation, is considered a crucial structure for pain control. Its modulatory effect on painful sensation is often seen as a systemic function affecting the whole body similarly. However, recent animal data suggest some kind of somatotopy in the PAG. This would make the PAG capable of dermatome-specific analgesic function. We electrically stimulated the three peripheral dermatomes of the trigemino-cervical complex and the greater occipital nerve in 61 humans during optimized brainstem functional magnetic resonance imaging. We provide evidence for a fine-grained and highly specific somatotopic representation of nociceptive input in the PAG in humans and a functional connectivity between the individual representations of the peripheral nerves in the PAG and the brainstem nuclei of these nerves. Our data suggest that the downstream antinociceptive properties of the PAG may be rather specific down to the level of individual dermatomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hauke Basedau
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Eppendorf, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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3
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Jensen DEA, Ebmeier KP, Suri S, Rushworth MFS, Klein-Flügge MC. Nuclei-specific hypothalamus networks predict a dimensional marker of stress in humans. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2426. [PMID: 38499548 PMCID: PMC10948785 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46275-y] [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: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamus is part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis which activates stress responses through release of cortisol. It is a small but heterogeneous structure comprising multiple nuclei. In vivo human neuroimaging has rarely succeeded in recording signals from individual hypothalamus nuclei. Here we use human resting-state fMRI (n = 498) with high spatial resolution to examine relationships between the functional connectivity of specific hypothalamic nuclei and a dimensional marker of prolonged stress. First, we demonstrate that we can parcellate the human hypothalamus into seven nuclei in vivo. Using the functional connectivity between these nuclei and other subcortical structures including the amygdala, we significantly predict stress scores out-of-sample. Predictions use 0.0015% of all possible brain edges, are specific to stress, and improve when using nucleus-specific compared to whole-hypothalamus connectivity. Thus, stress relates to connectivity changes in precise and functionally meaningful subcortical networks, which may be exploited in future studies using interventions in stress disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria E A Jensen
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK.
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB, University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Level 6, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK.
- Clinic of Cognitive Neurology, University Medical Center Leipzig and Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1a, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Klaus P Ebmeier
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Sana Suri
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (OHBA), University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
| | - Matthew F S Rushworth
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB, University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Level 6, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Miriam C Klein-Flügge
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Tinsley Building, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK.
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB, University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Level 6, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Warneford Lane, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK.
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4
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Pavy F, Torta DM, von Leupoldt A. The effect of unpredictability on the perception of breathlessness: a narrative review. FRONTIERS IN REHABILITATION SCIENCES 2024; 4:1339072. [PMID: 38264214 PMCID: PMC10803486 DOI: 10.3389/fresc.2023.1339072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Breathlessness is an aversive bodily sensation impacting millions of people worldwide. It is often highly detrimental for patients and can lead to profound distress and suffering. Notably, unpredictable breathlessness episodes are often reported as being more severe and unpleasant than predictable episodes, but the underlying reasons have not yet been firmly established in experimental studies. This review aimed to summarize the available empirical evidence about the perception of unpredictable breathlessness in the adult population. Specifically, we examined: (1) effects of unpredictable relative to predictable episodes of breathlessness on their perceived intensity and unpleasantness, (2) potentially associated neural and psychophysiological correlates, (3) potentially related factors such as state and trait negative affectivity. Nine studies were identified and integrated in this review, all of them conducted in healthy adult participants. The main finding across studies suggested that unpredictable compared to predictable, breathlessness elicits more frequently states of high fear and distress, which may contribute to amplify the perception of unpredictable breathlessness, especially its unpleasantness. Trait negative affectivity did not seem to directly affect the perception of unpredictable breathlessness. However, it seemed to reinforce state fear and anxiety, hence possible indirect modulatory pathways through these affective states. Studies investigating neural correlates of breathlessness perception and psychophysiological measures did not show clear associations with unpredictability. We discuss the implication of these results for future research and clinical applications, which necessitate further investigations, especially in clinical samples suffering from breathlessness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Pavy
- Research Group Health Psychology, Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Meissner SN, Bächinger M, Kikkert S, Imhof J, Missura S, Carro Dominguez M, Wenderoth N. Self-regulating arousal via pupil-based biofeedback. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:43-62. [PMID: 37904022 PMCID: PMC10810759 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01729-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
The brain's arousal state is controlled by several neuromodulatory nuclei known to substantially influence cognition and mental well-being. Here we investigate whether human participants can gain volitional control of their arousal state using a pupil-based biofeedback approach. Our approach inverts a mechanism suggested by previous literature that links activity of the locus coeruleus, one of the key regulators of central arousal and pupil dynamics. We show that pupil-based biofeedback enables participants to acquire volitional control of pupil size. Applying pupil self-regulation systematically modulates activity of the locus coeruleus and other brainstem structures involved in arousal control. Furthermore, it modulates cardiovascular measures such as heart rate, and behavioural and psychophysiological responses during an oddball task. We provide evidence that pupil-based biofeedback makes the brain's arousal system accessible to volitional control, a finding that has tremendous potential for translation to behavioural and clinical applications across various domains, including stress-related and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Nadine Meissner
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Marc Bächinger
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sanne Kikkert
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jenny Imhof
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Missura
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Carro Dominguez
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Wenderoth
- Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore.
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6
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Ma W, Li L, Kong L, Zhang H, Yuan P, Huang Z, Wang Y. Whole-brain monosynaptic inputs to lateral periaqueductal gray glutamatergic neurons in mice. CNS Neurosci Ther 2023; 29:4147-4159. [PMID: 37424163 PMCID: PMC10651995 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14338] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The lateral periaqueductal gray (LPAG), which mainly contains glutamatergic neurons, plays an important role in social responses, pain, and offensive and defensive behaviors. Currently, the whole-brain monosynaptic inputs to LPAG glutamatergic neurons are unknown. This study aims to explore the structural framework of the underlying neural mechanisms of LPAG glutamatergic neurons. METHODS This study used retrograde tracing systems based on the rabies virus, Cre-LoxP technology, and immunofluorescence analysis. RESULTS We found that 59 nuclei projected monosynaptic inputs to the LPAG glutamatergic neurons. In addition, seven hypothalamic nuclei, namely the lateral hypothalamic area (LH), lateral preoptic area (LPO), substantia innominata (SI), medial preoptic area, ventral pallidum, posterior hypothalamic area, and lateral globus pallidus, projected most densely to the LPAG glutamatergic neurons. Notably, we discovered through further immunofluorescence analysis that the inputs to the LPAG glutamatergic neurons were colocalized with several markers related to important neurological functions associated with physiological behaviors. CONCLUSION The LPAG glutamatergic neurons received dense projections from the hypothalamus, especially nuclei such as LH, LPO, and SI. The input neurons were colocalized with several markers of physiological behaviors, which show the pivotal role of glutamatergic neurons in the physiological behaviors regulation by LPAG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei‐Xiang Ma
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, and Institutes of Brain ScienceFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, and Institutes of Brain ScienceFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ling‐Xi Kong
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, and Institutes of Brain ScienceFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Hui Zhang
- Anhui Provincial Engineering Research Center for Polysaccharide Drugs, Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Screening and Re‐evaluation of Active Compounds of Herbal Medicines in Southern Anhui, School of PharmacyWannan Medical CollegeWuhuChina
| | - Ping‐Chuan Yuan
- Anhui Provincial Engineering Research Center for Polysaccharide Drugs, Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Screening and Re‐evaluation of Active Compounds of Herbal Medicines in Southern Anhui, School of PharmacyWannan Medical CollegeWuhuChina
| | - Zhi‐Li Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, and Institutes of Brain ScienceFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yi‐Qun Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, and Institutes of Brain ScienceFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
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7
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Hou R, Ye G, Cheng X, Shaw DE, Bakke PS, Caruso M, Dahlen B, Dahlen SE, Fowler SJ, Horváth I, Howarth P, Krug N, Montuschi P, Sanak M, Sandström T, Auffray C, De Meulder B, Sousa AR, Adcock IM, Fan Chung K, Sterk PJ, Skipp PJ, Schofield J, Djukanović R. The role of inflammation in anxiety and depression in the European U-BIOPRED asthma cohorts. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 111:249-258. [PMID: 37146653 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growing evidence indicates high comorbid anxiety and depression in patients with asthma. However, the mechanisms underlying this comorbid condition remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of inflammation in comorbid anxiety and depression in three asthma patient cohorts of the Unbiased Biomarkers for the Prediction of Respiratory Disease Outcomes (U-BIOPRED) project. METHODS U-BIOPRED was conducted by a European Union consortium of 16 academic institutions in 11 European countries. A subset dataset from subjects with valid anxiety and depression measures and a large blood biomarker dataset were analysed, including 198 non-smoking patients with severe asthma (SAn), 65 smoking patients with severe asthma (SAs), 61 non-smoking patients with mild-to-moderate asthma (MMA), and 20 healthy non-smokers (HC). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to measure anxiety and depression and a series of inflammatory markers were analysed by the SomaScan v3 platform (SomaLogic, Boulder, Colo). ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used for multiple-group comparisons as appropriate. RESULTS There were significant group effects on anxiety and depression among the four cohort groups (p < 0.05). Anxiety and depression of SAn and SAs groups were significantly higher than that of MMA and HC groups (p < 0.05. There were significant differences in serum IL6, MCP1, CCL18, CCL17, IL8, and Eotaxin among the four groups (p < 0.05). Depression was significantly associated with IL6, MCP1, CCL18 level, and CCL17; whereas anxiety was associated with CCL17 only (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The current study suggests that severe asthma patients are associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, and inflammatory responses may underlie this comorbid condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruihua Hou
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK.
| | - Gang Ye
- Suzhou Guangji Hospital, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | | | - Dominick E Shaw
- Respiratory Research Unit, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Per S Bakke
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Massimo Caruso
- Dept of Clinical and Experimental Medicine Hospital University, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Barbro Dahlen
- The Centre for Allergy Research, The Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sven-Erik Dahlen
- The Centre for Allergy Research, The Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stephen J Fowler
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biological Sciences, Division of Infection, Immunity & Respiratory Medicine, The University of Manchester and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre and NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Unit and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Ildikó Horváth
- Dept of Pulmonology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Peter Howarth
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK
| | - Norbert Krug
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Paolo Montuschi
- Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Marek Sanak
- Department of Internal Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Thomas Sandström
- Department of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine Respiratory Medicine Unit, Umea University, Sweden
| | - Charles Auffray
- European Institute for Systems Biology and Medicine, CNRS-ENS-UCBL-INSERM, Université de Lyon, France
| | - Bertrand De Meulder
- European Institute for Systems Biology and Medicine, CNRS-ENS-UCBL-INSERM, Université de Lyon, France
| | - Ana R Sousa
- Respiratory Therapeutic Unit, GlaxoSmithKline, Stockley Park, UK
| | - Ian M Adcock
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Kian Fan Chung
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Peter J Sterk
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Holland, Netherlands
| | - Paul J Skipp
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - James Schofield
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK; NIHR Southampton Respiratory Biomedical Research Centre, UK
| | - Ratko Djukanović
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK; NIHR Southampton Respiratory Biomedical Research Centre, UK
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8
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Ince S, Steward T, Harrison BJ, Jamieson AJ, Davey CG, Agathos JA, Moffat BA, Glarin RK, Felmingham KL. Subcortical contributions to salience network functioning during negative emotional processing. Neuroimage 2023; 270:119964. [PMID: 36822252 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Core regions of the salience network (SN), including the anterior insula (aINS) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), coordinate rapid adaptive changes in attentional and autonomic processes in response to negative emotional events. In doing so, the SN incorporates bottom-up signals from subcortical brain regions, such as the amygdala and periaqueductal gray (PAG). However, the precise influence of these subcortical regions is not well understood. Using ultra-high field 7-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging, this study investigated the bottom-up interactions of the amygdala and PAG with the SN during negative emotional salience processing. Thirty-seven healthy participants completed an emotional oddball paradigm designed to elicit a salient negative emotional response via the presentation of random, task-irrelevant negative emotional images. Negative emotional processing was associated with prominent activation in the SN, spanning the amygdala, PAG, aINS, and dACC. Consistent with previous research, analysis using dynamic causal modelling revealed an excitatory influence from the amygdala to the aINS, dACC, and PAG. In contrast, the PAG showed an inhibitory influence on amygdala, aINS and dACC activity. Our findings suggest that the amygdala may amplify the processing of negative emotional stimuli in the SN to enable upstream access to attentional resources. In comparison, the inhibitory influence of the PAG possibly reflects its involvement in modulating sympathetic-parasympathetic autonomic arousal mediated by the SN. This PAG-mediated effect may be driven by amygdala input and facilitate bottom-up processing of negative emotional stimuli. Overall, our results show that the amygdala and PAG modulate divergent functions of the SN during negative emotional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sevil Ince
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
| | - Trevor Steward
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia; Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Ben J Harrison
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Alec J Jamieson
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Christopher G Davey
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - James A Agathos
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Bradford A Moffat
- The Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Rebecca K Glarin
- The Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Kim L Felmingham
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
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9
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Faingold CL, Feng HJ. A unified hypothesis of SUDEP: Seizure-induced respiratory depression induced by adenosine may lead to SUDEP but can be prevented by autoresuscitation and other restorative respiratory response mechanisms mediated by the action of serotonin on the periaqueductal gray. Epilepsia 2023; 64:779-796. [PMID: 36715572 PMCID: PMC10673689 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17521] [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: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major cause of death in people with epilepsy (PWE). Postictal apnea leading to cardiac arrest is the most common sequence of terminal events in witnessed cases of SUDEP, and postconvulsive central apnea has been proposed as a potential biomarker of SUDEP susceptibility. Research in SUDEP animal models has led to the serotonin and adenosine hypotheses of SUDEP. These neurotransmitters influence respiration, seizures, and lethality in animal models of SUDEP, and are implicated in human SUDEP cases. Adenosine released during seizures is proposed to be an important seizure termination mechanism. However, adenosine also depresses respiration, and this effect is mediated, in part, by inhibition of neuronal activity in subcortical structures that modulate respiration, including the periaqueductal gray (PAG). Drugs that enhance the action of adenosine increase postictal death in SUDEP models. Serotonin is also released during seizures, but enhances respiration in response to an elevated carbon dioxide level, which often occurs postictally. This effect of serotonin can potentially compensate, in part, for the adenosine-mediated respiratory depression, acting to facilitate autoresuscitation and other restorative respiratory response mechanisms. A number of drugs that enhance the action of serotonin prevent postictal death in several SUDEP models and reduce postictal respiratory depression in PWE. This effect of serotonergic drugs may be mediated, in part, by actions on brainstem sites that modulate respiration, including the PAG. Enhanced activity in the PAG increases respiration in response to hypoxia and other exigent conditions and can be activated by electrical stimulation. Thus, we propose the unifying hypothesis that seizure-induced adenosine release leads to respiratory depression. This can be reversed by serotonergic action on autoresuscitation and other restorative respiratory responses acting, in part, via the PAG. Therefore, we hypothesize that serotonergic or direct activation of this brainstem site may be a useful approach for SUDEP prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl L Faingold
- Department of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois, USA
- Department of Neurology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois, USA
| | - Hua-Jun Feng
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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10
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Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, Weed L, Nouriani B, Jo B, Holl G, Zeitzer JM, Spiegel D, Huberman AD. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:100895. [PMID: 36630953 PMCID: PMC9873947 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Controlled breathwork practices have emerged as potential tools for stress management and well-being. Here, we report a remote, randomized, controlled study (NCT05304000) of three different daily 5-min breathwork exercises compared with an equivalent period of mindfulness meditation over 1 month. The breathing conditions are (1) cyclic sighing, which emphasizes prolonged exhalations; (2) box breathing, which is equal duration of inhalations, breath retentions, and exhalations; and (3) cyclic hyperventilation with retention, with longer inhalations and shorter exhalations. The primary endpoints are improvement in mood and anxiety as well as reduced physiological arousal (respiratory rate, heart rate, and heart rate variability). Using a mixed-effects model, we show that breathwork, especially the exhale-focused cyclic sighing, produces greater improvement in mood (p < 0.05) and reduction in respiratory rate (p < 0.05) compared with mindfulness meditation. Daily 5-min cyclic sighing has promise as an effective stress management exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melis Yilmaz Balban
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Eric Neri
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Manuela M. Kogon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine, Stanford Health Care, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Lara Weed
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Bita Nouriani
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Booil Jo
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Gary Holl
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jamie M. Zeitzer
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care Service, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - David Spiegel
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Center for Stress and Health, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Andrew D. Huberman
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,BioX, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA,Corresponding author
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11
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Klein-Flügge MC, Jensen DEA, Takagi Y, Priestley L, Verhagen L, Smith SM, Rushworth MFS. Relationship between nuclei-specific amygdala connectivity and mental health dimensions in humans. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:1705-1722. [PMID: 36138220 PMCID: PMC7613949 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01434-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
There has been increasing interest in using neuroimaging measures to predict psychiatric disorders. However, predictions usually rely on large brain networks and large disorder heterogeneity. Thus, they lack both anatomical and behavioural specificity, preventing the advancement of targeted interventions. Here we address both challenges. First, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we parcellated the amygdala, a region implicated in mood disorders, into seven nuclei. Next, a questionnaire factor analysis provided subclinical mental health dimensions frequently altered in anxious-depressive individuals, such as negative emotions and sleep problems. Finally, for each behavioural dimension, we identified the most predictive resting-state functional connectivity between individual amygdala nuclei and highly specific regions of interest, such as the dorsal raphe nucleus in the brainstem or medial frontal cortical regions. Connectivity in circumscribed amygdala networks predicted behaviours in an independent dataset. Our results reveal specific relations between mental health dimensions and connectivity in precise subcortical networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam C Klein-Flügge
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB) and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Daria E A Jensen
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Yu Takagi
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB) and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Luke Priestley
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB) and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lennart Verhagen
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB) and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Stephen M Smith
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB) and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew F S Rushworth
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB) and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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12
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Strickland JA, McDannald MA. Brainstem networks construct threat probability and prediction error from neuronal building blocks. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6192. [PMID: 36261515 PMCID: PMC9582012 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34021-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
When faced with potential threat we must estimate its probability, respond advantageously, and leverage experience to update future estimates. Threat estimation is the proposed domain of the forebrain, while behaviour is elicited by the brainstem. Yet, the brainstem is also a source of prediction error, a learning signal to acquire and update threat estimates. Neuropixels probes allowed us to record single-unit activity across a 21-region brainstem axis in rats receiving probabilistic fear discrimination with foot shock outcome. Against a backdrop of diffuse behaviour signaling, a brainstem network with a dorsal hub signaled threat probability. Neuronal function remapping during the outcome period gave rise to brainstem networks signaling prediction error and shock on multiple timescales. The results reveal brainstem networks construct threat probability, behaviour, and prediction error signals from neuronal building blocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmin A Strickland
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
| | - Michael A McDannald
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
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13
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Atilgan H, Doody M, Oliver DK, McGrath TM, Shelton AM, Echeverria-Altuna I, Tracey I, Vyazovskiy VV, Manohar SG, Packer AM. Human lesions and animal studies link the claustrum to perception, salience, sleep and pain. Brain 2022; 145:1610-1623. [PMID: 35348621 PMCID: PMC9166552 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The claustrum is the most densely interconnected region in the human brain. Despite the accumulating data from clinical and experimental studies, the functional role of the claustrum remains unknown. Here, we systematically review claustrum lesion studies and discuss their functional implications. Claustral lesions are associated with an array of signs and symptoms, including changes in cognitive, perceptual and motor abilities; electrical activity; mental state; and sleep. The wide range of symptoms observed following claustral lesions do not provide compelling evidence to support prominent current theories of claustrum function such as multisensory integration or salience computation. Conversely, the lesions studies support the hypothesis that the claustrum regulates cortical excitability. We argue that the claustrum is connected to, or part of, multiple brain networks that perform both fundamental and higher cognitive functions. As a multifunctional node in numerous networks, this may explain the manifold effects of claustrum damage on brain and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huriye Atilgan
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Max Doody
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - David K. Oliver
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Thomas M. McGrath
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Andrew M. Shelton
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | | | - Irene Tracey
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital and Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | | | - Sanjay G. Manohar
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Adam M. Packer
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
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14
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de Mello Rosa GH, Ullah F, de Paiva YB, da Silva JA, Branco LGS, Corrado AP, Medeiros P, Coimbra NC, Franceschi Biagioni A. Ventrolateral periaqueductal gray matter integrative system of defense and antinociception. Pflugers Arch 2022; 474:469-480. [PMID: 35201425 PMCID: PMC8924147 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-022-02672-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Defensive responses are neurophysiological processes crucial for survival during threatening situations. Defensive immobility is a common adaptive response, in rodents, elaborated by ventrolateral periaqueductal gray matter (vlPAG) when threat is unavoidable. It is associated with somatosensory and autonomic reactions such as alteration in the sensation of pain and rate of respiration. In this study, defensive immobility was assessed by chemical stimulation of vlPAG with different doses of NMDA (0.1, 0.3, and 0.6 nmol). After elicitation of defensive immobility, antinociceptive and respiratory response tests were also performed. Results revealed that defensive immobility was followed by a decrease in the nociceptive perception. Furthermore, the lowest dose of NMDA induced antinociceptive response without eliciting defensive immobility. During defensive immobility, respiratory responses were also disturbed. Interestingly, respiratory rate was increased and interspersed with prolonged expiratory phase of breathing. These findings suggest that vlPAG integrates three different defensive behavioral responses, contributing to the most effective defensive strategies during threatening situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Henrique de Mello Rosa
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy & Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Farhad Ullah
- Department of Zoology, Islamia College Peshawar, Grand trunk Rd, Rahat Abad, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan
| | - Yara Bezerra de Paiva
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy & Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Juliana Almeida da Silva
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy & Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Luiz Guilherme S Branco
- Department of Basic and Oral Biology, Ribeirão Preto School of Dentistry of the University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14040-904, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Pinto Corrado
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy & Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Priscila Medeiros
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy & Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil.,Laboratory of Neurosciences of Pain & Emotions and Multi-User Centre of Neuroelectrophysiology, Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Norberto Cysne Coimbra
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy & Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil. .,Behavioural Neuroscience Institute (INeC), Av. do Café, 2450, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14050-220, Brazil.
| | - Audrey Franceschi Biagioni
- Laboratory of Neuroanatomy & Neuropsychobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil. .,Neuron Physiology and Technology Laboratory, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Department of Neuroscience, Via Bonomea 265, 34136, Trieste, Italy.
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15
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Abstract
The clinical term dyspnea (a.k.a. breathlessness or shortness of breath) encompasses at least three qualitatively distinct sensations that warn of threats to breathing: air hunger, effort to breathe, and chest tightness. Air hunger is a primal homeostatic warning signal of insufficient alveolar ventilation that can produce fear and anxiety and severely impacts the lives of patients with cardiopulmonary, neuromuscular, psychological, and end-stage disease. The sense of effort to breathe informs of increased respiratory muscle activity and warns of potential impediments to breathing. Most frequently associated with bronchoconstriction, chest tightness may warn of airway inflammation and constriction through activation of airway sensory nerves. This chapter reviews human and functional brain imaging studies with comparison to pertinent neurorespiratory studies in animals to propose the interoceptive networks underlying each sensation. The neural origins of their distinct sensory and affective dimensions are discussed, and areas for future research are proposed. Despite dyspnea's clinical prevalence and impact, management of dyspnea languishes decades behind the treatment of pain. The neurophysiological bases of current therapeutic approaches are reviewed; however, a better understanding of the neural mechanisms of dyspnea may lead to development of novel therapies and improved patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Binks
- Department of Basic Science Education, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA, United States; Faculty of Health Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
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16
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Suksasilp C, Garfinkel SN. Towards a comprehensive assessment of interoception in a multi-dimensional framework. Biol Psychol 2022; 168:108262. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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17
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Noto T, Zhou G, Yang Q, Lane G, Zelano C. Human Primary Olfactory Amygdala Subregions Form Distinct Functional Networks, Suggesting Distinct Olfactory Functions. Front Syst Neurosci 2021; 15:752320. [PMID: 34955769 PMCID: PMC8695617 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.752320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Three subregions of the amygdala receive monosynaptic projections from the olfactory bulb, making them part of the primary olfactory cortex. These primary olfactory areas are located at the anterior-medial aspect of the amygdala and include the medial amygdala (MeA), cortical amygdala (CoA), and the periamygdaloid complex (PAC). The vast majority of research on the amygdala has focused on the larger basolateral and basomedial subregions, which are known to be involved in implicit learning, threat responses, and emotion. Fewer studies have focused on the MeA, CoA, and PAC, with most conducted in rodents. Therefore, our understanding of the functions of these amygdala subregions is limited, particularly in humans. Here, we first conducted a review of existing literature on the MeA, CoA, and PAC. We then used resting-state fMRI and unbiased k-means clustering techniques to show that the anatomical boundaries of human MeA, CoA, and PAC accurately parcellate based on their whole-brain resting connectivity patterns alone, suggesting that their functional networks are distinct, relative both to each other and to the amygdala subregions that do not receive input from the olfactory bulb. Finally, considering that distinct functional networks are suggestive of distinct functions, we examined the whole-brain resting network of each subregion and speculated on potential roles that each region may play in olfactory processing. Based on these analyses, we speculate that the MeA could potentially be involved in the generation of rapid motor responses to olfactory stimuli (including fight/flight), particularly in approach/avoid contexts. The CoA could potentially be involved in olfactory-related reward processing, including learning and memory of approach/avoid responses. The PAC could potentially be involved in the multisensory integration of olfactory information with other sensory systems. These speculations can be used to form the basis of future studies aimed at clarifying the olfactory functions of these under-studied primary olfactory areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torben Noto
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Guangyu Zhou
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Qiaohan Yang
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Gregory Lane
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Christina Zelano
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
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18
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Harrison OK, Köchli L, Marino S, Luechinger R, Hennel F, Brand K, Hess AJ, Frässle S, Iglesias S, Vinckier F, Petzschner FH, Harrison SJ, Stephan KE. Interoception of breathing and its relationship with anxiety. Neuron 2021; 109:4080-4093.e8. [PMID: 34672986 PMCID: PMC8691949 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Interoception, the perception of internal bodily states, is thought to be inextricably linked to affective qualities such as anxiety. Although interoception spans sensory to metacognitive processing, it is not clear whether anxiety is differentially related to these processing levels. Here we investigated this question in the domain of breathing, using computational modeling and high-field (7 T) fMRI to assess brain activity relating to dynamic changes in inspiratory resistance of varying predictability. Notably, the anterior insula was associated with both breathing-related prediction certainty and prediction errors, suggesting an important role in representing and updating models of the body. Individuals with low versus moderate anxiety traits showed differential anterior insula activity for prediction certainty. Multi-modal analyses of data from fMRI, computational assessments of breathing-related metacognition, and questionnaires demonstrated that anxiety-interoception links span all levels from perceptual sensitivity to metacognition, with strong effects seen at higher levels of interoceptive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia K Harrison
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Laura Köchli
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie Marino
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roger Luechinger
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franciszek Hennel
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katja Brand
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Alexander J Hess
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Frässle
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Iglesias
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Fabien Vinckier
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Université de Paris, Paris, France; Department of Psychiatry, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire, GHU Paris Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Paris, France
| | - Frederike H Petzschner
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Samuel J Harrison
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Klaas E Stephan
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
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19
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Harrison OK, Hayen A, Wager TD, Pattinson KT. Investigating the specificity of the neurologic pain signature against breathlessness and finger opposition. Pain 2021; 162:2933-2944. [PMID: 33990110 PMCID: PMC8600542 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Brain biomarkers of pain, including pain-predictive "signatures" based on brain activity, can provide measures of neurophysiological processes and potential targets for interventions. A central issue relates to the specificity of such measures, and understanding their current limits will both advance their development and explore potentially generalizable properties of pain to other states. Here, we used 2 data sets to test the neurologic pain signature (NPS), an established pain neuromarker. In study 1, brain activity was measured using high-field functional magnetic resonance imaging (7T fMRI, N = 40) during 5 to 25 seconds of experimental breathlessness (induced by inspiratory resistive loading), conditioned breathlessness anticipation, and finger opposition. In study 2, we assessed anticipation and breathlessness perception (3T, N = 19) under blinded saline (placebo) and remifentanil administration. The NPS responded to breathlessness, anticipation, and finger opposition, although no direct comparisons with painful events were possible. Local NPS patterns in anterior or midinsula, S2, and dorsal anterior cingulate responded to breathlessness and finger opposition and were reduced by remifentanil. Local NPS responses in the dorsal posterior insula did not respond to any manipulations. Therefore, significant global NPS activity alone is not specific for pain, and we offer insight into the overlap between NPS responses, breathlessness, and somatomotor demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia K. Harrison
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, New Zealand
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for NeuroImaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anja Hayen
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for NeuroImaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - Tor D. Wager
- USA Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States.
| | - Kyle T.S. Pattinson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for NeuroImaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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20
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Lavezzi AM, Mehboob R. The Mesencephalic Periaqueductal Gray, a Further Structure Involved in Breathing Failure Underlying Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. ASN Neuro 2021; 13:17590914211048260. [PMID: 34623930 PMCID: PMC8642109 DOI: 10.1177/17590914211048260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of the periaqueductal gray
(PAG), an area of gray matter surrounding the cerebral aqueduct of Sylvius, in the
pathogenetic mechanism of SIDS, a syndrome frequently ascribed to arousal failure from
sleep. We reconsidered the same samples of brainstem, more precisely midbrain specimens,
taken from a large series of sudden infant deaths, namely 46 cases aged from 1 to about 7
months, among which 26 SIDS and 20 controls, in which we already highlighted significant
developmental alterations of the substantia nigra, another mesencephalic structure with a
critical role in breath and awakening regulation. Specific histological and
immunohistochemical methods were applied to examine the PAG cytoarchitecture and the
expression of the tyrosine hydroxylase, a marker of catecholaminergic neurons. Hypoplasia
of the PAG subnucleus medialis was observed in 65% of SIDS but never in controls; tyrosine
hydroxylase expression was significantly higher in controls than in SIDS. A significant
correlation was found between these findings and those related to the substantia nigra,
demonstrating a link between these neuronal centers and the brainstem respiratory network
and a common involvement in the sleep-arousal phase failure leading to SIDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Lavezzi
- “Lino Rossi” Research Center for the study and prevention of unexpected
perinatal death and SIDS, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Anna Maria Lavezzi “Lino Rossi” Research Center for
the study and prevention of unexpected perinatal death and SIDS, Department of Biomedical,
Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan. E-mail:
| | - Riffat Mehboob
- “Lino Rossi” Research Center for the study and prevention of unexpected
perinatal death and SIDS, Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore,
Pakistan
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21
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Vinckier F, Betka S, Nion N, Serresse L, Similowski T. Harnessing the power of anticipation to manage respiratory-related brain suffering and ensuing dyspnoea: insights from the neurobiology of the respiratory nocebo effect. Eur Respir J 2021; 58:58/3/2101876. [PMID: 34556533 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01876-2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Vinckier
- Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Dept of Psychiatry, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire, GHU Paris Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Betka
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute and Center for Neuroprosthetics, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Nion
- Neurophysiologie Respiratoire Expérimentale et Clinique, INSERM, UMRS1158, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Département R3S (Respiration, Réanimation, Réhabilitation respiratoire, Sommeil), AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire APHP-Sorbonne Université, site Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Laure Serresse
- Neurophysiologie Respiratoire Expérimentale et Clinique, INSERM, UMRS1158, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Equipe mobile de soins palliatifs, AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire APHP-Sorbonne Université, site Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Similowski
- Neurophysiologie Respiratoire Expérimentale et Clinique, INSERM, UMRS1158, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France .,Département R3S (Respiration, Réanimation, Réhabilitation respiratoire, Sommeil), AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire APHP-Sorbonne Université, site Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
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22
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Weis CN, Bennett KP, Huggins AA, Parisi EA, Gorka SM, Larson C. A 7-Tesla MRI Study of the Periaqueductal Grey: Resting State and Task Activation Under Threat. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:187-197. [PMID: 34244809 PMCID: PMC8847906 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The periaqueductal grey (PAG) is a region of the midbrain implicated in a variety of behaviors including defensive responses to threat. Despite the wealth of knowledge pertaining to the differential functional roles of the PAG columns in nonhuman and human research, the basic functional connectivity of the PAG at rest has not been well characterized. Therefore, the current study utilized 7-Tesla MRI to characterize PAG functional connectivity at rest and task activation under uncertain threat. A sample of 53 neurologically healthy undergraduate participants (Mage=22.2, SDage=3.62) underwent structural and resting state functional MRI scans. Supporting previous work, voxel-wise analyses showed the PAG is functionally connected to emotion regulation and fear networks. Comparison of functional connectivity of PAG columns did not reveal any significant differences. Thirty-five participants from the same sample also completed an uncertain threat task with blocks of 3 conditions-No shock, Predictable shock, and Unpredictable shock. There were no robust activity differences within the PAG columns or the whole PAG across conditions, though there was differential activity at the voxel level in the PAG and in other regions theoretically relevant to uncertain threat. Results of this study elucidate PAG connectivity at rest and activation in response to uncertain threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carissa N Weis
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | | | - Ashley A Huggins
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Parisi
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Stephanie M Gorka
- The Ohio State University, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Christine Larson
- University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Department of Psychology, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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23
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Jelinčić V, Van Diest I, Torta DM, von Leupoldt A. The breathing brain: The potential of neural oscillations for the understanding of respiratory perception in health and disease. Psychophysiology 2021; 59:e13844. [PMID: 34009644 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Dyspnea or breathlessness is a symptom occurring in multiple acute and chronic illnesses, however, the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying its subjective experience is limited. In this topical review, we propose neural oscillatory dynamics and cross-frequency coupling as viable candidates for a neural mechanism underlying respiratory perception, and a technique warranting more attention in respiration research. With the evidence for the potential of neural oscillations in the study of normal and disordered breathing coming from disparate research fields with a limited history of interdisciplinary collaboration, the main objective of the review was to converge the existing research and suggest future directions. The existing findings show that distinct limbic and cortical activations, as measured by hemodynamic responses, underlie dyspnea, however, the time-scale of these activations is not well understood. The recent findings of oscillatory neural activity coupled with the respiratory rhythm could provide the solution to this problem, however, more research with a focus on dyspnea is needed. We also touch on the findings of distinct spectral patterns underlying the changes in breathing due to experimental manipulations, meditation and disease. Subsequently, we suggest general research directions and specific research designs to supplement the current knowledge using neural oscillation techniques. We argue for the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration and the converging of neuroimaging and behavioral methods to best explain the emergence of the subjective and aversive individual experience of dyspnea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Jelinčić
- Research Group Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ilse Van Diest
- Research Group Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Diana M Torta
- Research Group Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Andreas von Leupoldt
- Research Group Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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24
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Iordanova MD, Yau JOY, McDannald MA, Corbit LH. Neural substrates of appetitive and aversive prediction error. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 123:337-351. [PMID: 33453307 PMCID: PMC7933120 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Prediction error, defined by the discrepancy between real and expected outcomes, lies at the core of associative learning. Behavioural investigations have provided evidence that prediction error up- and down-regulates associative relationships, and allocates attention to stimuli to enable learning. These behavioural advances have recently been followed by investigations into the neurobiological substrates of prediction error. In the present paper, we review neuroscience data obtained using causal and recording neural methods from a variety of key behavioural designs. We explore the neurobiology of both appetitive (reward) and aversive (fear) prediction error with a focus on the mesolimbic dopamine system, the amygdala, ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, hippocampus, cortex and locus coeruleus noradrenaline. New questions and avenues for research are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela D Iordanova
- Department of Psychology/Centre for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada.
| | - Joanna Oi-Yue Yau
- School of Psychology, The University of New South Wales, UNSW Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
| | - Michael A McDannald
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, 514 McGuinn Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
| | - Laura H Corbit
- Departments of Psychology and Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G3, Canada.
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25
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Vlemincx E, Sprenger C, Büchel C. Expectation and dyspnea: The neurobiological basis of respiratory nocebo effects. Eur Respir J 2021; 58:13993003.03008-2020. [PMID: 33574073 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.03008-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Cues such as odours that do not per se evoke bronchoconstriction can become triggers of asthma exacerbations. Despite its clinical significance, the neural basis of this respiratory nocebo effect is unknown. We investigated this effect in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study involving 36 healthy volunteers. The experiment consisted of an Experience phase in which volunteers experienced dyspnea while being exposed to an odorous gas ("Histarinol"). Volunteers were told that "Histarinol" induces dyspnea by bronchoconstriction. This was compared to another odorous gas which did not evoke dyspnea. Actually, dyspnea was induced by a concealed, resistive load inserted into the breathing system. In a second, Expectation phase, Histarinol and the control gas were both followed by an identical, very mild load. Respiration parameters were continuously recorded and after each trial participants rated dyspnea intensity. Dyspnea ratings were significantly higher in Histarinol compared to control conditions, both in the Experience and in the Expectation phase, despite identical physical resistance in the Expectation phase. Insula fMRI signal matched the actual load, i.e. a significant difference between Histarinol and Control in the Experience phase, but no difference in the Expectation phase. The periaqueductal gray showed a significantly higher fMRI signal during the expectation of dyspnea. Finally, Histarinol related deactivations during the Expectation phase in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex mirror similar responses for nocebo effects in pain. These findings highlight the neural basis of expectation effects associated with dyspnea, which has important consequences for our understanding of the perception of respiratory symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Vlemincx
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany .,Department of Health Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christian Sprenger
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Anaesthesiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Büchel
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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26
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Abstract
The sensation that develops as a long breath hold continues is what this article is about. We term this sensation of an urge to breathe "air hunger." Air hunger, a primal sensation, alerts us to a failure to meet an urgent homeostatic need maintaining gas exchange. Anxiety, frustration, and fear evoked by air hunger motivate behavioral actions to address the failure. The unpleasantness and emotional consequences of air hunger make it the most debilitating component of clinical dyspnea, a symptom associated with respiratory, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases. In most clinical populations studied, air hunger is the predominant form of dyspnea (colloquially, shortness of breath). Most experimental subjects can reliably quantify air hunger using rating scales, that is, there is a consistent relationship between stimulus and rating. Stimuli that increase air hunger include hypercapnia, hypoxia, exercise, and acidosis; tidal expansion of the lungs reduces air hunger. Thus, the defining experimental paradigm to evoke air hunger is to elevate the drive to breathe while mechanically restricting ventilation. Functional brain imaging studies have shown that air hunger activates the insular cortex (an integration center for perceptions related to homeostasis, including pain, food hunger, and thirst), as well as limbic structures involved with anxiety and fear. Although much has been learned about air hunger in the past few decades, much remains to be discovered, such as an accepted method to quantify air hunger in nonhuman animals, fundamental questions about neural mechanisms, and adequate and safe methods to mitigate air hunger in clinical situations. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:1449-1483, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert B Banzett
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert W Lansing
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew P Binks
- Department of Basic Science Education, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
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27
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von Leupoldt A, Farre N. The load of dyspnoea on brain and legs. Eur Respir J 2020; 56:56/2/2001096. [DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01096-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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28
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Rieger SW, Stephan KE, Harrison OK. Remote, Automated, and MRI-Compatible Administration of Interoceptive Inspiratory Resistive Loading. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:161. [PMID: 32477083 PMCID: PMC7236550 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on how humans perceive sensory inputs from their bodies (“interoception”) has been rapidly gaining momentum, with interest across a host of disciplines from physiology through to psychiatry. However, studying interoceptive processes is not without significant challenges, and many methods utilized to access internal states have been largely devoted to capturing and relating naturally occurring variations in interoceptive signals (such as heartbeats) to measures of how the brain processes these signals. An alternative procedure involves the controlled perturbation of specific interoceptive axes. This is challenging because it requires non-invasive interventions that can be repeated many times within a subject and that are potent but safe. Here we present an effective methodology for instigating these perturbations within the breathing domain. We describe a custom-built circuitry that is capable of delivering inspiratory resistive loads automatically and precisely. Importantly, our approach is compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environments, allowing for the administration of complicated experimental designs in neuroimaging as increasingly required within developing fields such as computational psychiatry/psychosomatics. We describe the experimental setup for both the control and monitoring of the inspiratory resistive loads, and demonstrate its possible utilities within different study designs. This methodology represents an important step forward from the previously utilized, manually controlled resistive loading setups, which present significant experimental burdens with prolonged and/or complicated sequences of breathing stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian W Rieger
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,FMRIB Centre, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Klaas Enno Stephan
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Olivia K Harrison
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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29
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The association between serotonin transporter availability and the neural correlates of fear bradycardia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:25941-25947. [PMID: 31772023 PMCID: PMC6925990 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1904843116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Reduced expression of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) is associated with susceptibility to stress-related psychopathology, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. We investigated whether an aberrant physiological and neural response to threat underlies this increased vulnerability. In a cross-species approach, we investigated the association between genetically encoded differences in 5-HTT expression and the neural correlates of fear bradycardia, a defensive response linked to vigilance. In both humans and rats, reduced 5-HTT expression was associated with exaggerated bradycardia or bradycardia-associated freezing, reduced activity of the medial prefrontal cortex, and increased threat-induced amygdala-periaqueductal grey connectivity and central amygdala somatostatin neuron activity. We have delineated a previously unknown neurogenetic mechanism underlying individual differences in the expression of anticipatory threat responses, contributing to stress sensitivity. Susceptibility to stress-related psychopathology is associated with reduced expression of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT), particularly in combination with stress exposure. Aberrant physiological and neuronal responses to threat may underlie this increased vulnerability. Here, implementing a cross-species approach, we investigated the association between 5-HTT expression and the neural correlates of fear bradycardia, a defensive response linked to vigilance and action preparation. We tested this during threat anticipation induced by a well-established fear conditioning paradigm applied in both humans and rodents. In humans, we studied the effect of the common 5-HTT-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) on bradycardia and neural responses to anticipatory threat during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning in healthy volunteers (n = 104). Compared with homozygous long-allele carriers, the 5-HTTLPR short-allele carriers displayed an exaggerated bradycardic response to threat, overall reduced activation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and increased threat-induced connectivity between the amygdala and periaqueductal gray (PAG), which statistically mediated the effect of the 5-HTTLPR genotype on bradycardia. In parallel, 5-HTT knockout (KO) rats also showed exaggerated threat-related bradycardia and behavioral freezing. Immunohistochemistry indicated overall reduced activity of glutamatergic neurons in the mPFC of KO rats and increased activity of central amygdala somatostatin-positive neurons, putatively projecting to the PAG, which—similarly to the human population—mediated the 5-HTT genotype’s effect on freezing. Moreover, the ventrolateral PAG of KO rats displayed elevated overall activity and increased relative activation of CaMKII-expressing projection neurons. Our results provide a mechanistic explanation for previously reported associations between 5-HTT gene variance and a stress-sensitive phenotype.
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30
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Breathlessness debilitates countless people with a wide range of common diseases. For some people, the experience of breathlessness is poorly explained by the findings of medical tests. This disparity complicates diagnostic and treatment options and means that disease-modifying treatments do not always have the expected effect upon symptoms. These observations suggest that brain processing of respiratory perceptions may be somewhat independent of disease processes. This may help to explain the dissonance observed in some patients between physical disease markers and the lived experience of breathlessness. RECENT FINDINGS A body of breathlessness research using functional neuroimaging has identified a relatively consistent set of brain areas that are associated with breathlessness. These areas include the insula, cingulate and sensory cortices, the amygdala and the periaqueductal gray matter. We interpret these findings in the context of new theories of perception that emphasize the importance of distributed brain networks. Within this framework, these perceptual networks function by checking an internal model (a set of expectations) against peripheral sensory inputs, instead of the brain acting as a passive signal transducer. Furthermore, other factors beyond the physiology of breathlessness can influence the system. SUMMARY A person's expectations and mood are major contributors to the function of the brain networks that generate perceptions of breathlessness. Breathlessness, therefore, arises from inferences made by the brain's integration of both expectations and sensory inputs. By better understanding individual differences across these contributing perceptual factors, we will be better poised to develop targeted and individualized treatments for breathlessness that could complement disease-modifying therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy L. Marlow
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Olivia K. Faull
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sarah L. Finnegan
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kyle T.S. Pattinson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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31
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Roy HA, Green AL. The Central Autonomic Network and Regulation of Bladder Function. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:535. [PMID: 31263396 PMCID: PMC6585191 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is involved in the regulation of physiologic and homeostatic parameters relating particularly to the visceral organs and the co-ordination of physiological responses to threat. Blood pressure and heart rate, respiration, pupillomotor reactivity, sexual function, gastrointestinal secretions and motility, and urine storage and micturition are all under a degree of ANS control. Furthermore, there is close integration between the ANS and other neural functions such as emotion and cognition, and thus brain regions that are known to be important for autonomic control are also implicated in emotional functions. In this review we explore the role of the central ANS in the control of the bladder, and the implications of this for bladder dysfunction in diseases of the ANS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Ann Roy
- Department of Neurosurgery, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander L Green
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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32
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Wright KM, McDannald MA. Ventrolateral periaqueductal gray neurons prioritize threat probability over fear output. eLife 2019; 8:e45013. [PMID: 30843787 PMCID: PMC6435320 DOI: 10.7554/elife.45013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Faced with potential harm, individuals must estimate the probability of threat and initiate an appropriate fear response. In the prevailing view, threat probability estimates are relayed to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) to organize fear output. A straightforward prediction is that vlPAG single-unit activity reflects fear output, invariant of threat probability. We recorded vlPAG single-unit activity in male, Long Evans rats undergoing fear discrimination. Three 10 s auditory cues predicted unique foot shock probabilities: danger (p=1.00), uncertainty (p=0.375) and safety (p=0.00). Fear output was measured by suppression of reward seeking over the entire cue and in one-second cue intervals. Cued fear non-linearly scaled to threat probability and cue-responsive vlPAG single-units scaled their firing on one of two timescales: at onset or ramping toward shock delivery. VlPAG onset activity reflected threat probability, invariant of fear output, while ramping activity reflected both signals with threat probability prioritized.
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33
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Li MM, Zhou P, Chen XD, Xu HS, Wang J, Chen L, Zhang N, Liu N. NO in the dPAG modulates panic-like responses and ASIC1a expression in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 511:274-279. [PMID: 30770101 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Panic disorder (PD) is a multifactorial neuropsychiatric disorder. Our previous study has demonstrated that the nitric oxide (NO) pathway and the acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) level in the dorsal midbrain periaqueductal gray (dPAG) are involved in the modulation of panic-like responses. In addition, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hippocampus also play a role in panic-like responses. However, no studies have investigated the protein level of ASIC1a in the PFC and hippocampus in a mouse model of panic-like disorders after alteration of the NO pathway in the dPAG. We investigated the production of a panic attack with intra-dPAG injections of SNAP, an NO donor, and 7-NI, an nNOS inhibitor. Moreover, we measured ASIC1a protein levels in the PFC and hippocampus. The rat exposure test (RET) is frequently used as an animal model of panic. In our study, C57BL/6 mice received an intra-dPAG injection of SNAP or 7-NI before RET; neurobehavioral tests were then conducted, followed by mechanistic evaluation through western blot analysis in the PFC and hippocampus. An intra-dPAG infusion of SNAP significantly increased the panic-like effect, whereas treatment with 7-NI decreased fear behavior. Mice treated with SNAP/7-NI showed significantly increased/decreased ASIC1a expression in the PFC, and a decreasing/increasing trend in the hippocampus. The present study suggests that the NO pathway in the dPAG plays a key role in panic-like responses in mice confronted by a rat, further, NO intra-dPAG injection also modulates the ASIC1a expression levels in the PFC and hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Meng Li
- Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Ping Zhou
- Department of Medical Psychology, Nanjing Medical University, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Xiao-Dong Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210029, China
| | - Huai-Sha Xu
- Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Department of Toxicology, The Key Lab of Modern Toxicology (NJMU), Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Ling Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Physiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- Department of Medical Psychology, Nanjing Medical University, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Nanjing Medical University, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing, 210029, China.
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34
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Sclocco R, Garcia RG, Kettner NW, Isenburg K, Fisher HP, Hubbard CS, Ay I, Polimeni JR, Goldstein J, Makris N, Toschi N, Barbieri R, Napadow V. The influence of respiration on brainstem and cardiovagal response to auricular vagus nerve stimulation: A multimodal ultrahigh-field (7T) fMRI study. Brain Stimul 2019; 12:911-921. [PMID: 30803865 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brainstem-focused mechanisms supporting transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) effects are not well understood, particularly in humans. We employed ultrahigh field (7T) fMRI and evaluated the influence of respiratory phase for optimal targeting, applying our respiratory-gated auricular vagal afferent nerve stimulation (RAVANS) technique. HYPOTHESIS We proposed that targeting of nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) and cardiovagal modulation in response to taVNS stimuli would be enhanced when stimulation is delivered during a more receptive state, i.e. exhalation. METHODS Brainstem fMRI response to auricular taVNS (cymba conchae) was assessed for stimulation delivered during exhalation (eRAVANS) or inhalation (iRAVANS), while exhalation-gated stimulation over the greater auricular nerve (GANctrl, i.e. earlobe) was included as control. Furthermore, we evaluated cardiovagal response to stimulation by calculating instantaneous HF-HRV from cardiac data recorded during fMRI. RESULTS Our findings demonstrated that eRAVANS evoked fMRI signal increase in ipsilateral pontomedullary junction in a cluster including purported NTS. Brainstem response to GANctrl localized a partially-overlapping cluster, more ventrolateral, consistent with spinal trigeminal nucleus. A region-of-interest analysis also found eRAVANS activation in monoaminergic source nuclei including locus coeruleus (LC, noradrenergic) and both dorsal and median raphe (serotonergic) nuclei. Response to eRAVANS was significantly greater than iRAVANS for all nuclei, and greater than GANctrl in LC and raphe nuclei. Furthermore, eRAVANS, but not iRAVANS, enhanced cardiovagal modulation, confirming enhanced eRAVANS response on both central and peripheral neurophysiological levels. CONCLUSION 7T fMRI localized brainstem response to taVNS, linked such response with autonomic outflow, and demonstrated that taVNS applied during exhalation enhanced NTS targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Sclocco
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Logan University, Chesterfield, MO, USA.
| | - Ronald G Garcia
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Norman W Kettner
- Department of Radiology, Logan University, Chesterfield, MO, USA
| | - Kylie Isenburg
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Harrison P Fisher
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Catherine S Hubbard
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Ilknur Ay
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan R Polimeni
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Jill Goldstein
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nikos Makris
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicola Toschi
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Riccardo Barbieri
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy; Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vitaly Napadow
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Logan University, Chesterfield, MO, USA
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35
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Rowland MJ, Ezra M, Winkler A, Garry P, Lamb C, Kelly M, Okell TW, Westbrook J, Wise RG, Douaud G, Pattinson KT. Calcium channel blockade with nimodipine reverses MRI evidence of cerebral oedema following acute hypoxia. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2019; 39:285-301. [PMID: 28857714 PMCID: PMC6360646 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x17726624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Acute cerebral hypoxia causes rapid calcium shifts leading to neuronal damage and death. Calcium channel antagonists improve outcomes in some clinical conditions, but mechanisms remain unclear. In 18 healthy participants we: (i) quantified with multiparametric MRI the effect of hypoxia on the thalamus, a region particularly sensitive to hypoxia, and on the whole brain in general; (ii) investigated how calcium channel antagonism with the drug nimodipine affects the brain response to hypoxia. Hypoxia resulted in a significant decrease in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), a measure particularly sensitive to cell swelling, in a widespread network of regions across the brain, and the thalamus in particular. In hypoxia, nimodipine significantly increased ADC in the same brain regions, normalizing ADC towards normoxia baseline. There was positive correlation between blood nimodipine levels and ADC change. In the thalamus, there was a significant decrease in the amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in resting state functional MRI and an apparent increase of grey matter volume in hypoxia, with the ALFF partially normalized towards normoxia baseline with nimodipine. This study provides further evidence that the brain response to acute hypoxia is mediated by calcium, and importantly that manipulation of intracellular calcium flux following hypoxia may reduce cerebral cytotoxic oedema.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Rowland
- 1 Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.,2 FMRIB, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.,3 Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Martyn Ezra
- 1 Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.,2 FMRIB, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.,3 Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Anderson Winkler
- 2 FMRIB, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Payashi Garry
- 1 Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.,3 Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Catherine Lamb
- 3 Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael Kelly
- 4 Preclinical Imaging Facility, Core Biotechnology Services, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Thomas W Okell
- 2 FMRIB, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Jon Westbrook
- 1 Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.,3 Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Richard G Wise
- 5 Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Gwenaëlle Douaud
- 2 FMRIB, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Kyle Ts Pattinson
- 1 Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.,2 FMRIB, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK.,3 Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK
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36
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Faull OK, Subramanian HH, Ezra M, Pattinson KTS. The midbrain periaqueductal gray as an integrative and interoceptive neural structure for breathing. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 98:135-144. [PMID: 30611797 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The periaqueductal gray (PAG) plays a critical role in autonomic function and behavioural responses to threatening stimuli. Recent evidence has revealed the PAG's potential involvement in the perception of breathlessness, a highly threatening respiratory symptom. In this review, we outline the current evidence in animals and humans on the role of the PAG in respiratory control and in the perception of breathlessness. While recent work has unveiled dissociable brain activity within the lateral PAG during perception of breathlessness and ventrolateral PAG during conditioned anticipation in healthy humans, this is yet to be translated into diseases dominated by breathlessness symptomology, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Understanding how the sub-structures of the PAG differentially interact with interoceptive brain networks involved in the perception of breathlessness will help towards understanding discordant symptomology, and may reveal treatment targets for those debilitated by chronic and pervasive breathlessness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia K Faull
- Translational Neuromodeling Unit, University of Zürich and ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | | | - Martyn Ezra
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kyle T S Pattinson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Kommajosyula SP, Tupal S, Faingold CL. Deficient post-ictal cardiorespiratory compensatory mechanisms mediated by the periaqueductal gray may lead to death in a mouse model of SUDEP. Epilepsy Res 2018; 147:1-8. [PMID: 30165263 DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Post-ictal cardiorespiratory failure is implicated as a major cause of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in patients. The DBA/1 mouse model of SUDEP is abnormally susceptible to fatal seizure-induced cardiorespiratory failure (S-CRF) induced by convulsant drug, hyperthermia, electroshock, and acoustic stimulation. Clinical and pre-clinical studies have implicated periaqueductal gray (PAG) abnormalities in SUDEP. Recent functional neuroimaging studies observed that S-CRF resulted in selective changes in PAG neuronal activity in DBA/1 mice. The PAG plays a critical compensatory role for respiratory distress caused by numerous physiological challenges in non-epileptic individuals. These observations suggest that abnormalities in PAG-mediated cardiorespiratory modulation may contribute to S-CRF in DBA/1 mice. To evaluate this, electrical stimulation (20 Hz, 20-100 μA, 10 s) was presented in the PAG of anesthetized DBA/1 and C57BL/6 (non-epileptic) control mice, and post-stimulus changes in respiration [inter-breath interval (IBI)] and heart rate variability (HRV) were examined. The post-stimulus period was considered analogous to the post-ictal period when S-CRF occurred in previous DBA/1 mouse studies. PAG stimulation caused significant intensity-related decreases in IBI in both mouse strains. However, this effect was significantly reduced in DBA/1 vis-a-vis C57BL/6 mice. These changes began immediately following cessation of stimulation and remained significant for 10 s. This time period is critical for initiating resuscitation to successfully prevent seizure-induced death in previous DBA/1 mouse experiments. Significant post-stimulus increases in HRV were also seen at ≥60 μA in the PAG in C57BL/6 mice, which were absent in DBA/1 mice. These data along with previous neuroimaging findings suggest that compensatory cardiorespiratory modulation mediated by PAG is deficient, which may be important to the susceptibility of DBA/1 mice to S-CRF. These observations suggest that correcting this deficit pharmacologically or by electrical stimulation may help to prevent S-CRF. These findings further support the potential importance of PAG abnormalities to human SUDEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivasa P Kommajosyula
- Departments of Pharmacology and Neurology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, PO BOX 19629, Springfield, IL, 62794-9629, United States
| | - Srinivasan Tupal
- Departments of Pharmacology and Neurology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, PO BOX 19629, Springfield, IL, 62794-9629, United States
| | - Carl L Faingold
- Departments of Pharmacology and Neurology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, PO BOX 19629, Springfield, IL, 62794-9629, United States.
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38
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Faull OK, Hayen A, Pattinson KTS. Breathlessness and the body: Neuroimaging clues for the inferential leap. Cortex 2017; 95:211-221. [PMID: 28915367 PMCID: PMC5637166 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Breathlessness debilitates millions of people with chronic illness. Mismatch between breathlessness severity and objective disease markers is common and poorly understood. Traditionally, sensory perception was conceptualised as a stimulus-response relationship, although this cannot explain how conditioned symptoms may occur in the absence of physiological signals from the lungs or airways. A Bayesian model is now proposed, in which the brain generates sensations based on expectations learnt from past experiences (priors), which are then checked against incoming afferent signals. In this model, psychological factors may act as moderators. They may alter priors, change the relative attention towards incoming sensory information, or alter comparisons between priors and sensations, leading to more variable interpretation of an equivalent afferent input. In the present study we conducted a supplementary analysis of previously published data (Hayen et al., 2017). We hypothesised that individual differences in psychological traits (anxiety, depression, anxiety sensitivity) would correlate with the variability of subjective perceptions of equivalent breathlessness challenges. To better understand the resulting inferential leap in the brain, we explored where these behavioural measures correlated with functional brain activity across subjects. Behaviourally, anxiety sensitivity was found to positively correlate with each subject's variability of intensity and unpleasantness during mild breathlessness, and with variability of unpleasantness during strong breathlessness. In the brain, anxiety sensitivity was found to negatively correlate with precuneus activity during anticipation, positively correlate with anterior insula activity during mild breathlessness, and negatively correlate with parietal sensorimotor areas during strong breathlessness. Our findings suggest that anxiety sensitivity may reduce the robustness of this Bayesian sensory perception system, increasing the variability of breathlessness perception and possibly susceptibility to symptom misinterpretation. These preliminary findings in healthy individuals demonstrate how differences in psychological function influence the way we experience bodily sensations, which might direct us towards better understanding of symptom mismatch in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia K Faull
- FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Nuffield Division of Anesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Anja Hayen
- FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Nuffield Division of Anesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, UK
| | - Kyle T S Pattinson
- FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Nuffield Division of Anesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Stoeckel MC, Esser RW, Gamer M, Büchel C, von Leupoldt A. Dyspnea catastrophizing and neural activations during the anticipation and perception of dyspnea. Psychophysiology 2017; 55. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Cornelia Stoeckel
- Department of Systems Neuroscience; University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; Hamburg Germany
| | - Roland W. Esser
- Department of Systems Neuroscience; University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; Hamburg Germany
| | - Matthias Gamer
- Department of Systems Neuroscience; University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; Hamburg Germany
- Department of Psychology 1; University of Würzburg; Würzburg Germany
| | - Christian Büchel
- Department of Systems Neuroscience; University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; Hamburg Germany
| | - Andreas von Leupoldt
- Department of Systems Neuroscience; University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf; Hamburg Germany
- Health Psychology; University of Leuven; Leuven Belgium
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40
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Herigstad M, Faull OK, Hayen A, Evans E, Hardinge FM, Wiech K, Pattinson KTS. Treating breathlessness via the brain: changes in brain activity over a course of pulmonary rehabilitation. Eur Respir J 2017; 50:50/3/1701029. [PMID: 28899937 PMCID: PMC5678895 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01029-2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Breathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often discordant with airway pathophysiology ("over-perception"). Pulmonary rehabilitation profoundly affects breathlessness, without influencing lung function. Learned associations influence brain mechanisms of sensory perception. We hypothesised that improvements in breathlessness with pulmonary rehabilitation may be explained by changing neural representations of learned associations.In 31 patients with COPD, we tested how pulmonary rehabilitation altered the relationship between brain activity during a breathlessness-related word-cue task (using functional magnetic resonance imaging), and clinical and psychological measures of breathlessness.Changes in ratings of breathlessness word cues positively correlated with changes in activity in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex. Changes in ratings of breathlessness-anxiety negatively correlated with activations in attention regulation and motor networks. Baseline activity in the insula, anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex correlated with improvements in breathlessness and breathlessness-anxiety.Pulmonary rehabilitation is associated with altered neural responses related to learned breathlessness associations, which can ultimately influence breathlessness perception. These findings highlight the importance of targeting learned associations within treatments for COPD, demonstrating how neuroimaging may contribute to patient stratification and more successful personalised therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Herigstad
- FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Dept of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.,M. Herigstad and K.T.S. Pattinson should be considered joint correspondence authors
| | - Olivia K Faull
- FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Anja Hayen
- FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Eleanor Evans
- FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Katja Wiech
- FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kyle T S Pattinson
- FMRIB Centre, Nuffield Dept of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK .,Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.,M. Herigstad and K.T.S. Pattinson should be considered joint correspondence authors
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41
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Esser RW, Stoeckel MC, Kirsten A, Watz H, Taube K, Lehmann K, Magnussen H, Büchel C, von Leupoldt A. Brain Activation during Perception and Anticipation of Dyspnea in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Front Physiol 2017; 8:617. [PMID: 28878693 PMCID: PMC5572159 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Dyspnea is the impairing cardinal symptom in COPD, but the underlying brain mechanisms and their relationships to clinical patient characteristics are widely unknown. This study compared neural responses to the perception and anticipation of dyspnea between patients with stable moderate-to-severe COPD and healthy controls. Moreover, associations between COPD-specific brain activation and clinical patient characteristics were examined. Methods: During functional magnetic resonance imaging, dyspnea was induced in patients with stable moderate-to-severe COPD (n = 17) and healthy control subjects (n = 21) by resistive-loaded breathing. Blocks of severe and mild dyspnea were alternating, with each block being preceded by visually cued anticipation phases. Results: During the perception of increased dyspnea, both patients and controls showed comparable brain activation in common dyspnea-relevant sensorimotor and cortico-limbic brain regions. During the anticipation of increased dyspnea, patients showed higher activation in hippocampus and amygdala than controls which was significantly correlated with reduced exercise capacity, reduced health-related quality of life, and higher levels of dyspnea and anxiety. Conclusions: This study suggests that patients with stable moderate-to-severe COPD show higher activation in emotion-related brain areas than healthy controls during the anticipation, but not during the actual perception of experimentally induced dyspnea. These brain activations were related to important clinical characteristics and might contribute to an unfavorable course of the disease via maladaptive psychological and behavioral mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland W Esser
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburg, Germany
| | - Maria C Stoeckel
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburg, Germany
| | - Anne Kirsten
- Pulmonary Research Institute at LungClinic Grosshansdorf, Airway Research Center North, German Center for Lung ResearchGrosshansdorf, Germany
| | - Henrik Watz
- Pulmonary Research Institute at LungClinic Grosshansdorf, Airway Research Center North, German Center for Lung ResearchGrosshansdorf, Germany
| | | | | | - Helgo Magnussen
- Pulmonary Research Institute at LungClinic Grosshansdorf, Airway Research Center North, German Center for Lung ResearchGrosshansdorf, Germany
| | - Christian Büchel
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburg, Germany
| | - Andreas von Leupoldt
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-EppendorfHamburg, Germany.,Research Group Health Psychology, University of LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
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Niérat MC, Laviolette L, Hudson A, Similowski T, Sévoz-Couche C. Experimental dyspnea as a stressor: differential cardiovegetative responses to inspiratory threshold loading in healthy men and women. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2017; 123:205-212. [DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00078.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Dyspnea is associated with an emotional reaction that involves limbic activation. The inspiratory threshold load (ITL) is known to elicit a dyspneic response in healthy subjects. Laboratory-induced stress conditions have been shown to elicit sex-related differences in cardiovascular responses. The aim of this study was to evaluate how healthy men ( n = 8) and women ( n = 9) react and adapt to 5-min periods of ITL at three levels (low, medium, and high) in terms of heart rate (HR), temporal (RMSSD) and spectral (LF, HF, LF/HF ratio) HRV indexes, and rating of breathing discomfort. HR increased with low, medium, and high ITL in men, whereas it increased only with high ITL in women. LF/HF ratio increased at low ITL in both men and women. Modifications appear to depend essentially on increased LF in men and on reduced HF in women. In addition, HRV modifications differ between men and women, following the order of presentation of ITLs. Our results show a continuous and sustained stress in men (increased HR, LF, and LF/HF ratio across ITL presentation) and a stress adaptation in women. Subjective responses of breathing discomfort were not correlated with sympatho-vagal balance modifications for a subgroup of subjects ( n = 10). Breathing against the ITL induced autonomic modifications that are different between men and women, i.e., driven by sympathetic mediated responses in men, whereas women showed a greater parasympathetic modulation of cardiovascular activity. These results highlight the role of the mechanical inspiratory load in the heart rate variability seen in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Breathing against the ITL induced autonomic modifications driven by sympathetic mediated responses in men, whereas women showed a greater parasympathetic modulation of cardiovascular activity, even for low load. A stress circuit could be at the origin of autonomic modifications induced by ITL. Our results would underline the role of the mechanic inspiratory load in the abnormalities in heart rate variability seen in COPD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Cécile Niérat
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Universite Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 “Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique”, Paris, France
| | - Louis Laviolette
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Universite Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 “Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique”, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, Quebec, Canada; and
| | - Anna Hudson
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Universite Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 “Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique”, Paris, France
- Neuroscience Research Australia and University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Thomas Similowski
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Universite Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 “Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique”, Paris, France
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière Charles Foix, Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation Médicale (“Département R3S”), Paris, France
| | - Caroline Sévoz-Couche
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Universite Paris 06, INSERM, UMRS1158 “Neurophysiologie respiratoire expérimentale et clinique”, Paris, France
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Wendt J, Löw A, Weymar M, Lotze M, Hamm AO. Active avoidance and attentive freezing in the face of approaching threat. Neuroimage 2017; 158:196-204. [PMID: 28669911 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.06.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Defensive behaviors in animals and humans vary dynamically with increasing proximity of a threat and depending upon the behavioral repertoire at hand. The current study investigated physiological and behavioral adjustments and associated brain activation when participants were exposed to dynamically approaching threat that was either inevitable or could be avoided by motor action. When the approaching threat was inevitable, attentive freezing was observed as indicated by fear bradycardia, startle potentiation, and a dynamic increase in activation of the anterior insula and the periaqueductal grey. In preparation for active avoidance a switch in defensive behavior was observed characterized by startle inhibition and heart rate acceleration along with potentiated activation of the amygdala and the periaqueductal grey. Importantly, the modulation of defensive behavior according to threat imminence and the behavioral option at hand was associated with activity changes in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These findings improve our understanding of brain mechanisms guiding human behavior during approaching threat depending on available resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Wendt
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany.
| | - Andreas Löw
- Helmut-Schmidt-University, University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, 22043 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mathias Weymar
- University of Potsdam, Department of Psychology, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Martin Lotze
- Functional Imaging Unit, Center of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University of Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alfons O Hamm
- Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
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Edwards MR, Saglani S, Schwarze J, Skevaki C, Smith JA, Ainsworth B, Almond M, Andreakos E, Belvisi MG, Chung KF, Cookson W, Cullinan P, Hawrylowicz C, Lommatzsch M, Jackson D, Lutter R, Marsland B, Moffatt M, Thomas M, Virchow JC, Xanthou G, Edwards J, Walker S, Johnston SL. Addressing unmet needs in understanding asthma mechanisms: From the European Asthma Research and Innovation Partnership (EARIP) Work Package (WP)2 collaborators. Eur Respir J 2017; 49:49/5/1602448. [PMID: 28461300 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02448-2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Asthma is a heterogeneous, complex disease with clinical phenotypes that incorporate persistent symptoms and acute exacerbations. It affects many millions of Europeans throughout their education and working lives and puts a heavy cost on European productivity. There is a wide spectrum of disease severity and control. Therapeutic advances have been slow despite greater understanding of basic mechanisms and the lack of satisfactory preventative and disease modifying management for asthma constitutes a significant unmet clinical need. Preventing, treating and ultimately curing asthma requires co-ordinated research and innovation across Europe. The European Asthma Research and Innovation Partnership (EARIP) is an FP7-funded programme which has taken a co-ordinated and integrated approach to analysing the future of asthma research and development. This report aims to identify the mechanistic areas in which investment is required to bring about significant improvements in asthma outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Rene Lutter
- Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Benjamin Marsland
- University of Lausanne, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Georgina Xanthou
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Sclocco R, Beissner F, Bianciardi M, Polimeni JR, Napadow V. Challenges and opportunities for brainstem neuroimaging with ultrahigh field MRI. Neuroimage 2017; 168:412-426. [PMID: 28232189 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.02.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The human brainstem plays a central role in connecting the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the spinal cord to one another, hosting relay nuclei for afferent and efferent signaling, and providing source nuclei for several neuromodulatory systems that impact central nervous system function. While the investigation of the brainstem with functional or structural magnetic resonance imaging has been hampered for years due to this brain structure's physiological and anatomical characteristics, the field has seen significant advances in recent years thanks to the broader adoption of ultrahigh-field (UHF) MRI scanning. In the present review, we focus on the advantages offered by UHF in the context of brainstem imaging, as well as the challenges posed by the investigation of this complex brain structure in terms of data acquisition and analysis. We also illustrate how UHF MRI can shed new light on the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology underlying different brainstem-based circuitries, such as the central autonomic network and neurotransmitter/neuromodulator systems, discuss existing and foreseeable clinical applications to better understand diseases such as chronic pain and Parkinson's disease, and explore promising future directions for further improvements in brainstem imaging using UHF MRI techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Sclocco
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, CNY 149-2301, 13th St. Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Radiology, Logan University, Chesterfield, MO, USA.
| | - Florian Beissner
- Somatosensory and Autonomic Therapy Research, Institute for Neuroradiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Marta Bianciardi
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, CNY 149-2301, 13th St. Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Jonathan R Polimeni
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, CNY 149-2301, 13th St. Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Vitaly Napadow
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, CNY 149-2301, 13th St. Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA; Department of Radiology, Logan University, Chesterfield, MO, USA
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46
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Faull OK, Pattinson KTS. The cortical connectivity of the periaqueductal gray and the conditioned response to the threat of breathlessness. eLife 2017; 6:e21749. [PMID: 28211789 PMCID: PMC5332157 DOI: 10.7554/elife.21749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Previously we observed differential activation in individual columns of the periaqueductal grey (PAG) during breathlessness and its conditioned anticipation (Faull et al., 2016b). Here, we have extended this work by determining how the individual columns of the PAG interact with higher cortical centres, both at rest and in the context of breathlessness threat. Activation was observed in ventrolateral PAG (vlPAG) and lateral PAG (lPAG), where activity scaled with breathlessness intensity ratings, revealing a potential interface between sensation and cognition during breathlessness. At rest the lPAG was functionally correlated with cortical sensorimotor areas, conducive to facilitating fight/flight responses, and demonstrated increased synchronicity with the amygdala during breathlessness. The vlPAG showed fronto-limbic correlations at rest, whereas during breathlessness anticipation, reduced functional synchronicity was seen to both lPAG and motor structures, conducive to freezing behaviours. These results move us towards understanding how the PAG might be intricately involved in human responses to threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia K Faull
- FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kyle TS Pattinson
- FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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47
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Hayen A, Wanigasekera V, Faull OK, Campbell SF, Garry PS, Raby SJM, Robertson J, Webster R, Wise RG, Herigstad M, Pattinson KTS. Opioid suppression of conditioned anticipatory brain responses to breathlessness. Neuroimage 2017; 150:383-394. [PMID: 28062251 PMCID: PMC5391989 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 11/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid painkillers are a promising treatment for chronic breathlessness, but are associated with potentially fatal side effects. In the treatment of breathlessness, their mechanisms of action are unclear. A better understanding might help to identify safer alternatives. Learned associations between previously neutral stimuli (e.g. stairs) and repeated breathlessness induce an anticipatory threat response that may worsen breathlessness, contributing to the downward spiral of decline seen in clinical populations. As opioids are known to influence associative learning, we hypothesized that they may interfere with the brain processes underlying a conditioned anticipatory response to breathlessness in relevant brain areas, including the amygdala and the hippocampus. Healthy volunteers viewed visual cues (neutral stimuli) immediately before induction of experimental breathlessness with inspiratory resistive loading. Thus, an association was formed between the cue and breathlessness. Subsequently, this paradigm was repeated in two identical neuroimaging sessions with intravenous infusions of either low-dose remifentanil (0.7 ng/ml target-controlled infusion) or saline (randomised). During saline infusion, breathlessness anticipation activated the right anterior insula and the adjacent operculum. Breathlessness was associated with activity in a network including the insula, operculum, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and the primary sensory and motor cortices. Remifentanil reduced breathlessness unpleasantness but not breathlessness intensity. Remifentanil depressed anticipatory activity in the amygdala and the hippocampus that correlated with reductions in breathlessness unpleasantness. During breathlessness, remifentanil decreased activity in the anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex and sensory motor cortices. Remifentanil-induced reduction in breathlessness unpleasantness was associated with increased activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex and nucleus accumbens, components of the endogenous opioid system known to decrease the perception of aversive stimuli. These findings suggest that in addition to effects on brainstem respiratory control, opioids palliate breathlessness through an interplay of altered associative learning mechanisms. These mechanisms provide potential targets for novel ways to develop and assess treatments for chronic breathlessness. The mechanisms of how low-dose opioids relieve breathlessness are unknown. We tested whether low-dose opioids affect conditioned anticipation and perception of breathlessness. Low-dose opioids reduced unpleasantness, but not intensity of breathlessness. Reduced breathlessness unpleasantness was associated with activation of the endogenous opioid system. Breathlessness relief was predicted by decreased anticipatory activity in amygdala/hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Hayen
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
| | - Vishvarani Wanigasekera
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Olivia K Faull
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stewart F Campbell
- Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Payashi S Garry
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Simon J M Raby
- Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Josephine Robertson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ruth Webster
- Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
| | - Richard G Wise
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Mari Herigstad
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Kyle T S Pattinson
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
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48
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Bulte D, Wartolowska K. Monitoring cardiac and respiratory physiology during FMRI. Neuroimage 2016; 154:81-91. [PMID: 27916663 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This article will consider how physiological monitoring can be used both as an intrinsic part of an experiment, or for removing unwanted physiological signals from the FMRI time series. As functional MRI is used for a wide variety of applications beyond the identification of regions involved in a task, different sources of noise in the time series become important. The use of arterial spin labelling sequences, either in isolation or combined with BOLD imaging, means that temporal noise must be dealt with differently. Moreover, when these are combined with global cerebrovascular stimuli, such as respiratory challenges, the standard analysis tools must be employed with great care so as not to detrimentally distort the data. Acquiring and analysing physiological data is sometimes more art than science, and this article attempts to provide some insight into common techniques as well as advice on identifying and correcting some of the problems that may be encountered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Bulte
- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain Centre, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Engineering Science, Old Road Campus Research Building, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.
| | - Karolina Wartolowska
- Botnar Research Centre, Nuffiled Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK
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49
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Garfinkel SN, Manassei MF, Hamilton-Fletcher G, In den Bosch Y, Critchley HD, Engels M. Interoceptive dimensions across cardiac and respiratory axes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:rstb.2016.0014. [PMID: 28080971 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Interoception refers to the sensing of signals concerning the internal state of the body. Individual differences in interoceptive sensitivity are proposed to account for differences in affective processing, including the expression of anxiety. The majority of investigations of interoceptive accuracy focus on cardiac signals, typically using heartbeat detection tests and self-report measures. Consequently, little is known about how different organ-specific axes of interoception relate to each other or to symptoms of anxiety. Here, we compare interoception for cardiac and respiratory signals. We demonstrate a dissociation between cardiac and respiratory measures of interoceptive accuracy (i.e. task performance), yet a positive relationship between cardiac and respiratory measures of interoceptive awareness (i.e. metacognitive insight into own interoceptive ability). Neither interoceptive accuracy nor metacognitive awareness for cardiac and respiratory measures was related to touch acuity, an exteroceptive sense. Specific measures of interoception were found to be predictive of anxiety symptoms. Poor respiratory accuracy was associated with heightened anxiety score, while good metacognitive awareness for cardiac interoception was associated with reduced anxiety. These findings highlight that detection accuracies across different sensory modalities are dissociable and future work can better delineate their relationship to affective and cognitive constructs.This article is part of the themed issue 'Interoception beyond homeostasis: affect, cognition and mental health'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N Garfinkel
- Psychiatry, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK .,Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, Brighton, UK
| | | | | | - Yvo In den Bosch
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Hugo D Critchley
- Psychiatry, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.,Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, Brighton, UK
| | - Miriam Engels
- Psychiatry, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, UK.,Institute for Medical Sociology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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50
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Eippert F, Kong Y, Jenkinson M, Tracey I, Brooks JCW. Denoising spinal cord fMRI data: Approaches to acquisition and analysis. Neuroimage 2016; 154:255-266. [PMID: 27693613 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.09.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the human spinal cord is a difficult endeavour due to the cord's small cross-sectional diameter, signal drop-out as well as image distortion due to magnetic field inhomogeneity, and the confounding influence of physiological noise from cardiac and respiratory sources. Nevertheless, there is great interest in spinal fMRI due to the spinal cord's role as the principal sensorimotor interface between the brain and the body and its involvement in a variety of sensory and motor pathologies. In this review, we give an overview of the various methods that have been used to address the technical challenges in spinal fMRI, with a focus on reducing the impact of physiological noise. We start out by describing acquisition methods that have been tailored to the special needs of spinal fMRI and aim to increase the signal-to-noise ratio and reduce distortion in obtained images. Following this, we concentrate on image processing and analysis approaches that address the detrimental effects of noise. While these include variations of standard pre-processing methods such as motion correction and spatial filtering, the main focus lies on denoising techniques that can be applied to task-based as well as resting-state data sets. We review both model-based approaches that rely on externally acquired respiratory and cardiac signals as well as data-driven approaches that estimate and correct for noise using the data themselves. We conclude with an outlook on techniques that have been successfully applied for noise reduction in brain imaging and whose use might be beneficial for fMRI of the human spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Falk Eippert
- Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Yazhuo Kong
- Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mark Jenkinson
- Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Irene Tracey
- Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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