1
|
Rodriguez Buritica JM, Eppinger B, Heekeren HR, Crone EA, van Duijvenvoorde ACK. Observational reinforcement learning in children and young adults. NPJ Sci Learn 2024; 9:18. [PMID: 38480747 PMCID: PMC10937639 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-024-00227-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Observational learning is essential for the acquisition of new behavior in educational practices and daily life and serves as an important mechanism for human cognitive and social-emotional development. However, we know little about its underlying neurocomputational mechanisms from a developmental perspective. In this study we used model-based fMRI to investigate differences in observational learning and individual learning between children and younger adults. Prediction errors (PE), the difference between experienced and predicted outcomes, related positively to striatal and ventral medial prefrontal cortex activation during individual learning and showed no age-related differences. PE-related activation during observational learning was more pronounced when outcomes were worse than predicted. Particularly, negative PE-coding in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex was stronger in adults compared to children and was associated with improved observational learning in children and adults. The current findings pave the way to better understand observational learning challenges across development and educational settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Rodriguez Buritica
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain & Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Ben Eppinger
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
- Executive University Board, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eveline A Crone
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anna C K van Duijvenvoorde
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Upadhyay N, Spottke A, Schneider A, Hoffmann DC, Frommann I, Ballarini T, Fliessbach K, Bender B, Heekeren HR, Haynes JD, Ewers M, Düzel E, Glanz W, Dobisch L, Buerger K, Janowitz D, Levin J, Danek A, Teipel S, Kilimann I, Synofzik M, Wilke C, Peters O, Preis L, Priller J, Spruth EJ, Jessen F, Boecker H. Fronto-striatal alterations correlate with apathy severity in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. Brain Imaging Behav 2024; 18:66-72. [PMID: 37855956 PMCID: PMC10844138 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-023-00812-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Structural and functional changes in cortical and subcortical regions have been reported in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), however, a multimodal approach may provide deeper insights into the neural correlates of neuropsychiatric symptoms. In this multicenter study, we measured cortical thickness (CTh) and subcortical volumes to identify structural abnormalities in 37 bvFTD patients, and 37 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. For seed regions with significant structural changes, whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) was examined in a sub-cohort of N = 22 bvFTD and N = 22 matched control subjects to detect complementary alterations in brain network organization. To explore the functional significance of the observed structural and functional deviations, correlations with clinical and neuropsychological outcomes were tested where available. Significantly decreased CTh was observed in the bvFTD group in caudal middle frontal gyrus, left pars opercularis, bilateral superior frontal and bilateral middle temporal gyrus along with subcortical volume reductions in bilateral basal ganglia, thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging showed decreased FC in bvFTD between: dorsal striatum and left caudal middle frontal gyrus; putamen and fronto-parietal regions; pallidum and cerebellum. Conversely, bvFTD showed increased FC between: left middle temporal gyrus and paracingulate gyrus; caudate nucleus and insula; amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus. Additionally, cortical thickness in caudal, lateral and superior frontal regions as well as caudate nucleus volume correlated negatively with apathy severity scores of the Neuropsychiatry Inventory Questionnaire. In conclusion, multimodal structural and functional imaging indicates that fronto-striatal regions have a considerable influence on the severity of apathy in bvFTD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj Upadhyay
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany.
- Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Annika Spottke
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Anja Schneider
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Geriatric Psychiatry/Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Daniel C Hoffmann
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Ingo Frommann
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Geriatric Psychiatry/Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Tommaso Ballarini
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Klaus Fliessbach
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Geriatric Psychiatry/Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Benjamin Bender
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - John Dylan Haynes
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Ewers
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Emrah Düzel
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Wenzel Glanz
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Laura Dobisch
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Buerger
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Janowitz
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Adrian Danek
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Teipel
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Rostock, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Ingo Kilimann
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Rostock, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
- Division Translational Genomics of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Center for Neurology and Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Carlo Wilke
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
- Division Translational Genomics of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Center for Neurology and Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Peters
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lukas Preis
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Josef Priller
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Eike Jakob Spruth
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Jessen
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Henning Boecker
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Clinical Functional Imaging Lab, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bode S, Jiwa M, Chum C, Frost L, Heekeren HR, Wingenfeld K, Deuter CE. Non-instrumental information seeking is resistant to acute stress. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19505. [PMID: 37945712 PMCID: PMC10636112 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46766-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous research has shown that people intrinsically value non-instrumental information, which cannot be used to change the outcome of events, but only provides an early resolution of uncertainty. This is true even for information about rather inconsequential events, such as the outcomes of small lotteries. Here we investigated whether participants' willingness to pay for non-instrumental information about the outcome of simple coin-flip lotteries with guaranteed winnings was modulated by acute stress. Stress was induced using the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test (SECPT), and information-seeking choices were compared to a warm water control group. Our results neither support the hypothesis that stress decreases information-seeking by directing cognitive resources away from the relevance of the lotteries, nor the opposite hypothesis that stress increases information-seeking by driving anxiety levels up. Instead, we found that despite successful stress induction, as evidenced by increased saliva cortisol levels in the SECPT group, information valuation was remarkably stable. This finding is in line with recent findings that experimentally increased state anxiety did not modulate non-instrumental information seeking. Together, these results suggest that the aversiveness of "not knowing" is a stable cognitive state and not easily modulated by situational context, such as acute stress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Bode
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia.
| | - Matthew Jiwa
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
| | - Chelsea Chum
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
| | - Leilani Frost
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010, Australia
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Universität Hamburg, 20148, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 12203, Berlin, Germany
- DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), 12203, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian E Deuter
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 12203, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Yao YW, Song KR, Schuck NW, Li X, Fang XY, Zhang JT, Heekeren HR, Bruckner R. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex represents subjective value across effort-based and risky decision-making. Neuroimage 2023; 279:120326. [PMID: 37579997 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Decisions that require taking effort costs into account are ubiquitous in real life. The neural common currency theory hypothesizes that a particular neural network integrates different costs (e.g., risk) and rewards into a common scale to facilitate value comparison. Although there has been a surge of interest in the computational and neural basis of effort-related value integration, it is still under debate if effort-based decision-making relies on a domain-general valuation network as implicated in the neural common currency theory. Therefore, we comprehensively compared effort-based and risky decision-making using a combination of computational modeling, univariate and multivariate fMRI analyses, and data from two independent studies. We found that effort-based decision-making can be best described by a power discounting model that accounts for both the discounting rate and effort sensitivity. At the neural level, multivariate decoding analyses indicated that the neural patterns of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) represented subjective value across different decision-making tasks including either effort or risk costs, although univariate signals were more diverse. These findings suggest that multivariate dmPFC patterns play a critical role in computing subjective value in a task-independent manner and thus extend the scope of the neural common currency theory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Wei Yao
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Kun-Ru Song
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Nicolas W Schuck
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Xin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Yi Fang
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jin-Tao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Executive University Board, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rasmus Bruckner
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Moneta N, Garvert MM, Heekeren HR, Schuck NW. Task state representations in vmPFC mediate relevant and irrelevant value signals and their behavioral influence. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3156. [PMID: 37258534 PMCID: PMC10232498 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38709-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The ventromedial prefrontal-cortex (vmPFC) is known to contain expected value signals that inform our choices. But expected values even for the same stimulus can differ by task. In this study, we asked how the brain flexibly switches between such value representations in a task-dependent manner. Thirty-five participants alternated between tasks in which either stimulus color or motion predicted rewards. We show that multivariate vmPFC signals contain a rich representation that includes the current task state or context (motion/color), the associated expected value, and crucially, the irrelevant value of the alternative context. We also find that irrelevant value representations in vmPFC compete with relevant value signals, interact with task-state representations and relate to behavioral signs of value competition. Our results shed light on vmPFC's role in decision making, bridging between its role in mapping observations onto the task states of a mental map, and computing expected values for multiple states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nir Moneta
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mona M Garvert
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nicolas W Schuck
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Schultz H, Yoo J, Meshi D, Heekeren HR. Category-specific memory encoding in the medial temporal lobe and beyond: the role of reward. Learn Mem 2022; 29:379-389. [PMID: 36180131 PMCID: PMC9536755 DOI: 10.1101/lm.053558.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The medial temporal lobe (MTL), including the hippocampus (HC), perirhinal cortex (PRC), and parahippocampal cortex (PHC), is central to memory formation. Reward enhances memory through interplay between the HC and substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SNVTA). While the SNVTA also innervates the MTL cortex and amygdala (AMY), their role in reward-enhanced memory is unclear. Prior research suggests category specificity in the MTL cortex, with the PRC and PHC processing object and scene memory, respectively. It is unknown, however, whether reward modulates category-specific memory processes. Furthermore, no study has demonstrated clear category specificity in the MTL for encoding processes contributing to subsequent recognition memory. To address these questions, we had 39 healthy volunteers (27 for all memory-based analyses) undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an incidental encoding task pairing objects or scenes with high or low reward, followed by a next-day recognition test. Behaviorally, high reward preferably enhanced object memory. Neural activity in the PRC and PHC reflected successful encoding of objects and scenes, respectively. Importantly, AMY encoding effects were selective for high-reward objects, with a similar pattern in the PRC. The SNVTA and HC showed no clear evidence of successful encoding. This behavioral and neural asymmetry may be conveyed through an anterior-temporal memory system, including the AMY and PRC, potentially in interplay with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Heidrun Schultz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jungsun Yoo
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - Dar Meshi
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Executive University Board, Universität Hamburg, 20148 Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Beyer M, Liebig J, Sylvester T, Braun M, Heekeren HR, Froehlich E, Jacobs AM, Ziegler JC. Structural gray matter features and behavioral preliterate skills predict future literacy – A machine learning approach. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:920150. [PMID: 36248649 PMCID: PMC9558903 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.920150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When children learn to read, their neural system undergoes major changes to become responsive to print. There seem to be nuanced interindividual differences in the neurostructural anatomy of regions that later become integral parts of the reading network. These differences might affect literacy acquisition and, in some cases, might result in developmental disorders like dyslexia. Consequently, the main objective of this longitudinal study was to investigate those interindividual differences in gray matter morphology that might facilitate or hamper future reading acquisition. We used a machine learning approach to examine to what extent gray matter macrostructural features and cognitive-linguistic skills measured before formal literacy teaching could predict literacy 2 years later. Forty-two native German-speaking children underwent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and psychometric testing at the end of kindergarten. They were tested again 2 years later to assess their literacy skills. A leave-one-out cross-validated machine-learning regression approach was applied to identify the best predictors of future literacy based on cognitive-linguistic preliterate behavioral skills and cortical measures in a priori selected areas of the future reading network. With surprisingly high accuracy, future literacy was predicted, predominantly based on gray matter volume in the left occipito-temporal cortex and local gyrification in the left insular, inferior frontal, and supramarginal gyri. Furthermore, phonological awareness significantly predicted future literacy. In sum, the results indicate that the brain morphology of the large-scale reading network at a preliterate age can predict how well children learn to read.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moana Beyer
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Johanna Liebig,
| | - Teresa Sylvester
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva Froehlich
- Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany
| | - Arthur M. Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes C. Ziegler
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Aix-Marseille Université and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Molter F, Thomas AW, Huettel SA, Heekeren HR, Mohr PNC. Gaze-dependent evidence accumulation predicts multi-alternative risky choice behaviour. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010283. [PMID: 35793388 PMCID: PMC9292127 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Choices are influenced by gaze allocation during deliberation, so that fixating an alternative longer leads to increased probability of choosing it. Gaze-dependent evidence accumulation provides a parsimonious account of choices, response times and gaze-behaviour in many simple decision scenarios. Here, we test whether this framework can also predict more complex context-dependent patterns of choice in a three-alternative risky choice task, where choices and eye movements were subject to attraction and compromise effects. Choices were best described by a gaze-dependent evidence accumulation model, where subjective values of alternatives are discounted while not fixated. Finally, we performed a systematic search over a large model space, allowing us to evaluate the relative contribution of different forms of gaze-dependence and additional mechanisms previously not considered by gaze-dependent accumulation models. Gaze-dependence remained the most important mechanism, but participants with strong attraction effects employed an additional similarity-dependent inhibition mechanism found in other models of multi-alternative multi-attribute choice. Faced with different choice alternatives, such as food options or risky prospects, our decisions and allocation of gaze (that is where we look) are closely linked, such that items that are looked at longer are often more likely to be chosen. In simple decisions (e.g., choosing between two chocolate bars), these decisions and their associations with gaze allocation are well described by computational models that assume accumulation of evidence in favour of each alternative over time and discounting of momentarily unattended information. However, an important question is whether this class of models can also describe choice behaviour in more complex settings. Specifically, so-called context effects, where preferences between two alternatives can vary with the addition of a third alternative, challenge many models of simple decision making. Our study addresses this question by evaluating gaze-dependent evidence accumulation models in a setting where choices between two risky lotteries are systematically influenced by a third alternative. We find gaze-dependent models to be able to describe context effects because decision-makers‘ gaze allocation also varies with different sets of alternatives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Felix Molter
- School of Business & Economics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Armin W. Thomas
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Scott A. Huettel
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department for Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department for Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter N. C. Mohr
- School of Business & Economics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Lopez-Gamundi P, Yao YW, Chong TTJ, Heekeren HR, Herrero EM, Pallares JM. Corrigendum to “The neural basis of effort valuation: A meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies” [Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 131 (2021) 1275–1287]. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104548. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
10
|
Magrabi A, Ludwig VU, Stoppel CM, Paschke LM, Wisniewski D, Heekeren HR, Walter H. Dynamic Computation of Value Signals via a Common Neural Network in Multi-Attribute Decision-Making. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:683-693. [PMID: 34850226 PMCID: PMC9250299 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies in decision neuroscience have identified robust neural representations for the value of choice options. However, overall values often depend on multiple attributes, and it is not well understood how the brain evaluates different attributes and integrates them to combined values. In particular, it is not clear whether attribute values are computed in distinct attribute-specific regions or within the general valuation network known to process overall values. Here, we used an fMRI choice task in which abstract stimuli had to be evaluated based on variations of the attributes color and motion. The behavioral data showed that participants responded faster when overall values were high and attribute value differences were low. On the neural level, we did not find that attribute values were systematically represented in areas V4 and V5, even though these regions are associated with attribute-specific processing of color and motion, respectively. Instead, attribute values were associated with activity in the posterior cingulate cortex, ventral striatum, and posterior inferior temporal gyrus. Further, overall values were represented in dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and attribute value differences in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, which suggests that these regions play a key role for the neural integration of attribute values.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amadeus Magrabi
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Vera U Ludwig
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany.,Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christian M Stoppel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Lena M Paschke
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 12489, Germany
| | - David Wisniewski
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany.,Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany.,Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin 10119, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Rillig MC, Lehmann A, Bank MS, Gould KA, Heekeren HR. Scientists need to better communicate the links between pandemics and global environmental change. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:1466-1467. [PMID: 34475572 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-021-01552-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias C Rillig
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Anika Lehmann
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael S Bank
- Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway.,University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth A Gould
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lopez-Gamundi P, Yao YW, Chong TTJ, Heekeren HR, Mas-Herrero E, Marco-Pallarés J. The neural basis of effort valuation: A meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:1275-1287. [PMID: 34710515 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Choosing how much effort to expend is critical for everyday decisions. While several neuroimaging studies have examined effort-based decision-making, results have been highly heterogeneous, leaving unclear which brain regions process effort-related costs and integrate them with rewards. We conducted two meta-analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging data to examine consistent neural correlates of effort demands (23 studies, 15 maps, 549 participants) and net value (15 studies, 11 maps, 428 participants). The pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) scaled positively with pure effort demand, whereas the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) showed the opposite effect. Moreover, regions that have been previously implicated in value integration in other cost domains, such as the vmPFC and ventral striatum, were consistently involved in signaling net value. The opposite response patterns of the pre-SMA and vmPFC imply that they are differentially involved in the representation of effort costs and value integration. These findings provide conclusive evidence that the vmPFC is a central node for net value computation and reveal potential brain targets to treat motivation-related disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paula Lopez-Gamundi
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), C/ Feixa Llarga, s/n - Pavelló de Govern - Edifici Modular, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.
| | - Yuan-Wei Yao
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14159, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany.
| | - Trevor T-J Chong
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 14159, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - Ernest Mas-Herrero
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), C/ Feixa Llarga, s/n - Pavelló de Govern - Edifici Modular, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Josep Marco-Pallarés
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Unit, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), C/ Feixa Llarga, s/n - Pavelló de Govern - Edifici Modular, 08907 Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Yao YW, Chopurian V, Zhang L, Lamm C, Heekeren HR. Effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on visual perspective taking: A meta-analytic study. Neuroimage 2021; 242:118462. [PMID: 34384909 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual perspective taking (VPT) is a critical ability required by complex social interaction. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been increasingly used to examine the causal relationship between brain activity and VPT, yet with heterogeneous results. In the current study, we conducted two meta-analyses to examine the effects of NIBS of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) or dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) on VPT, respectively. We performed a comprehensive literature search to identify qualified studies and computed the standardized effect size (ES) for each combination of VPT level (Level-1: visibility judgment; Level-2: mental rotation) and perspective (self and other). Thirteen studies (rTPJ: 12 studies, 23 ESs; dmPFC: 4 studies, 14 ESs) were included in the meta-analyses. Random-effects models were used to generate the overall effects. Subgroup analyses for distinct VPT conditions were also performed. We found that rTPJ stimulation significantly improved participants' visibility judgment from the allocentric perspective, whereas its effects on other VPT conditions are negligible. Stimulation of dmPFC appeared to influence Level-1 performance from the egocentric perspective, although this finding was only based on a small number of studies. Notably, contrary to some theoretical models, we did not find strong evidence that these regions are involved in Level-2 VPT with a higher requirement of mental rotation. These findings not only advance our understanding of the causal roles of the rTPJ and dmPFC in VPT, but also reveal that the efficacy of NIBS on VPT is relatively small. Additionally, researchers should also be cautious about the potential publication bias and selective reporting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Wei Yao
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Vivien Chopurian
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany
| | - Lei Zhang
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, Austria
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Schulreich S, Gerhardt H, Meshi D, Heekeren HR. Fear-induced increases in loss aversion are linked to increased neural negative-value coding. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:661-670. [PMID: 32644143 PMCID: PMC7438956 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human decisions are often influenced by emotions. An economically relevant example is the role of fear in generating loss aversion. Previous research implicates the amygdala as a key brain structure in the experience of fear and loss aversion. The neural mechanism behind emotional influences on loss aversion is, however, unclear. To address this, we measured brain activation with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while participants made decisions about monetary gambles after viewing fearful or neutral faces. We observed that loss aversion following the presentation of neutral faces was mainly predicted by greater deactivations for prospective losses (relative to activations for prospective gains) in several brain regions, including the amygdala. By contrast, increases in loss aversion following the presentation of fearful faces were mainly predicted by greater activations for prospective losses. These findings suggest a fear-induced shift from positive to negative value coding that reflects a context-dependent involvement of distinct valuation processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Schulreich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Gerhardt
- Department of Economics, University of Bonn, 53012 Bonn, Germany.,Center for Economics and Neuroscience, University of Bonn, 53012 Bonn, Germany
| | - Dar Meshi
- Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Liebig J, Froehlich E, Sylvester T, Braun M, Heekeren HR, Ziegler JC, Jacobs AM. Neural processing of vision and language in kindergarten is associated with prereading skills and predicts future literacy. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:3517-3533. [PMID: 33942958 PMCID: PMC8249894 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The main objective of this longitudinal study was to investigate the neural predictors of reading acquisition. For this purpose, we followed a sample of 54 children from the end of kindergarten to the end of second grade. Preliterate children were tested for visual symbol (checkerboards, houses, faces, written words) and auditory language processing (spoken words) using a passive functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm. To examine brain-behavior relationships, we also tested cognitive-linguistic prereading skills at kindergarten age and reading performance of 48 of the same children 2 years later. Face-selective response in the bilateral fusiform gyrus was positively associated with rapid automatized naming (RAN). Response to both spoken and written words at preliterate age was negatively associated with RAN in the dorsal temporo-parietal language system. Longitudinally, neural response to faces in the ventral stream predicted future reading fluency. Here, stronger neural activity in inferior and middle temporal gyri at kindergarten age was associated with higher reading performance. Our results suggest that interindividual differences in the neural system of language and reading affect literacy acquisition and thus might serve as a marker for successful reading acquisition in preliterate children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eva Froehlich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Teresa Sylvester
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Deparment of Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes C Ziegler
- Aix-Marseille Université and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Marseille, France
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND The promise of precision medicine for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) hinges on developing neuroscience-informed individualized interventions. Taking an important step in this direction, we investigated neuroplasticity in response to an ecologically-valid, computer-based social-cognitive training (SCOTT). METHODS In an active control group design, 48 adults with ASD were randomly assigned to a 3-month SCOTT or non-social computer training. Participants completed behavioral tasks, a functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging session before and after the training period. RESULTS The SCOTT group showed social-cognitive improvements on close and distant generalization tasks. The improvements scaled with reductions in functional activity and increases in cortical thickness in prefrontal regions. CONCLUSION In sum, we provide evidence for the sensitivity of neuroscientific methods to reflect training-induced social-cognitive improvements in adults with ASD. These results encourage the use of neuroimaging data to describe and quantify treatment-related changes more broadly.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Rosenblau
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, The George Washington University and Children's National Health System, 2115 G St NW, Washington, DC20052, USA
| | - Garret O'Connell
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin14195, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Institute of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Alkan Härtwig E, Aust S, Heekeren HR, Heuser I. No Words for Feelings? Not Only for My Own: Diminished Emotional Empathic Ability in Alexithymia. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:112. [PMID: 33061894 PMCID: PMC7517829 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study has been designed to disentangle cognitive and emotional dimensions of empathy in a group of mentally healthy and highly alexithymic individuals (ALEX, n = 24) and well-matched controls (n = 26) through questionnaire Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and Multifaceted Empathy Task (MET) used during the fMRI and after the fMRI. Simultaneously, Skin Conductance Response (SCR) has been acquired as an implicit measure of emotional reaction. Results show an impaired emotional empathic ability in alexithymic individuals, with lower levels of SCR and higher activation in prefrontal brain regions such as the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Cognitive empathy was not impaired in the alexithymic group and the results were accompanied by a higher activation left IFG. The study leads to the conclusion that alexithymia does not only involve a diminished ability to identify and describe one's own emotions. Furthermore, it is related to a deeper disability of emotion regulation, which becomes visible through impaired emotional concern for others and higher levels of personal distress.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elif Alkan Härtwig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabine Aust
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabella Heuser
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Morawetz C, Steyrl D, Berboth S, Heekeren HR, Bode S. Emotion Regulation Modulates Dietary Decision-Making via Activity in the Prefrontal-Striatal Valuation System. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5731-5749. [PMID: 32567667 PMCID: PMC7899064 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The consumption of indulgent, carbohydrate- and fat-rich foods is often used as a strategy to cope with negative affect because they provide immediate self-reward. Such dietary choices, however, can severely affect people's health. One countermeasure could be to improve one's emotion regulation ability. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural activity underlying the downregulation of incidental emotions and its effect on subsequent food choices. We investigated whether emotion regulation leads to healthier food choices and how emotion regulation interacts with the brain's valuation and decision-making circuitry. We found that 1) the downregulation of incidental negative emotions was associated with a subsequent selective increase in decisions for tasty but also for healthy foods, 2) food preferences were predicted by palatability but also by the current emotional state, and 3) emotion regulation modulated decision-related activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum. These results indicate that emotional states are indeed important for food choice and that the process of emotion regulation might boost the subsequent processing of health attributes, possibly via neural reward circuits. In consequence, our findings suggest that increasing emotion regulation ability could effectively modulate food choices by stimulating an incidental upvaluation of health attributes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
| | - David Steyrl
- Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, University of Vienna, Vienna 1010, Austria.,Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Zürich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Stella Berboth
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Stefan Bode
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3010, VIC, Australia.,Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne 50923, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Pajkert A, Ploner CJ, Lehmann TN, Witte VA, Oltmanns F, Sommer W, Holtkamp M, Heekeren HR, Finke C. Early volumetric changes of hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex following medial temporal lobe resection. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:4375-4384. [PMID: 32421911 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that cognitive demands and physical exercise stimulate adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and hippocampus. Recent observations in healthy humans and patients with mild cognitive impairment moreover suggest that training-induced increases in hippocampal volume may be associated with improved memory performance. The corresponding plasticity processes in hippocampal volume may occur on timescales of months to years. For patients with focal lesions in this region, previous functional imaging studies suggest that increased recruitment of the contralateral hippocampus and extratemporal regions may be an important part of the reorganization of episodic memory. However, it is currently unclear whether focal damage to the medial temporal lobe (MTL) induces gray matter (GM) volume changes in the intact contralateral hippocampus and in connected network regions on a shorter timescale. We therefore investigated whether unilateral resection of the MTL, including the hippocampus, induces measurable volumetric changes in the contralateral hippocampus and in the default mode network (DMN). We recruited 31 patients with unilateral left (N = 19) or right (N = 12) hippocampal sclerosis undergoing MTL resection for treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Structural MRI was acquired immediately before and 3 months after surgery. Longitudinal voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis revealed a significant increase of right hippocampal volume following resection of the left anterior MTL. Furthermore, this patient group showed GM volume increases in the DMN. These results demonstrate significant structural plasticity of the contralateral hippocampus, even in patients with a long-standing unilateral hippocampal dysfunction and structural reorganization processes extending to distant, but functionally connected brain regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Pajkert
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph J Ploner
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Veronica A Witte
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Werner Sommer
- Institut für Psychologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Holtkamp
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Epilepsy-Center Berlin-Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carsten Finke
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind & Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Morawetz C, Mohr PNC, Heekeren HR, Bode S. The effect of emotion regulation on risk-taking and decision-related activity in prefrontal cortex. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:1109-1118. [PMID: 31680150 PMCID: PMC6970147 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotion regulation impacts the expected emotional responses to the outcomes of risky decisions via activation of cognitive control strategies. However, whether the regulation of emotional responses to preceding, incidental stimuli also impacts risk-taking in subsequent decisions is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the interplay between the regulation of incidentally induced emotional responses and subsequent choice behavior using a risky decision-making task in two independent samples (behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment). We found that overall, emotion regulation was followed by less risky decisions, which was further reflected in an increase in activation in brain regions in dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex. These findings suggest that altering incidental emotions using reappraisal strategies impacts on subsequent risk-taking in decision-making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter N C Mohr
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,School of Business & Economics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Markets and Choice, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Bode
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Metz S, Waiblinger-Grigull T, Schulreich S, Chae WR, Otte C, Heekeren HR, Wingenfeld K. Effects of hydrocortisone and yohimbine on decision-making under risk. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 114:104589. [PMID: 32028083 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Many studies have investigated the influence of stress on decision-making. However, results are equivocal and the exact role of increased noradrenaline and cortisol after stress remains unclear. Using pharmacological manipulation, we investigated the influence of noradrenergic and glucocorticoid activity on risky decision-making in a gambling task that included mixed-gamble trials (gains and losses are possible) and gain-only trials. METHODS AND MATERIALS One hundred-and-four healthy young men participated in our randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-group study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (A) yohimbine, (B) hydrocortisone, (C) yohimbine and hydrocortisone, or (D) placebo. Frequency of risky choices, i.e., monetary risk taking, was the dependent variable. We also investigated the influence of hydrocortisone and yohimbine on loss aversion, which is the tendency to overweigh losses compared with gains. RESULTS Participants chose the risky option less often after receiving hydrocortisone compared with no hydrocortisone. This effect was strongest in the gain-only trials. Yohimbine had no effect. Loss aversion was not affected by hydrocortisone or yohimbine. DISCUSSION Decreased reward processing may explain the reduction of risk taking by hydrocortisone in gain-only trials. The effects of stress hormones on different decision-related constructs and processes hence require further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Metz
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tina Waiblinger-Grigull
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Woo Ri Chae
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Otte
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Wingenfeld
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Molter F, Thomas AW, Heekeren HR, Mohr PNC. GLAMbox: A Python toolbox for investigating the association between gaze allocation and decision behaviour. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0226428. [PMID: 31841564 PMCID: PMC6914332 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent empirical findings have indicated that gaze allocation plays a crucial role in simple decision behaviour. Many of these findings point towards an influence of gaze allocation onto the speed of evidence accumulation in an accumulation-to-bound decision process (resulting in generally higher choice probabilities for items that have been looked at longer). Further, researchers have shown that the strength of the association between gaze and choice behaviour is highly variable between individuals, encouraging future work to study this association on the individual level. However, few decision models exist that enable a straightforward characterization of the gaze-choice association at the individual level, due to the high cost of developing and implementing them. The model space is particularly scarce for choice sets with more than two choice alternatives. Here, we present GLAMbox, a Python-based toolbox that is built upon PyMC3 and allows the easy application of the gaze-weighted linear accumulator model (GLAM) to experimental choice data. The GLAM assumes gaze-dependent evidence accumulation in a linear stochastic race that extends to decision scenarios with many choice alternatives. GLAMbox enables Bayesian parameter estimation of the GLAM for individual, pooled or hierarchical models, provides an easy-to-use interface to predict choice behaviour and visualize choice data, and benefits from all of PyMC3's Bayesian statistical modeling functionality. Further documentation, resources and the toolbox itself are available at https://glambox.readthedocs.io.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Felix Molter
- WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
- School of Business and Economics, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Armin W. Thomas
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck School of Cognition, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter N. C. Mohr
- WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- School of Business and Economics, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Thomas AW, Heekeren HR, Müller KR, Samek W. Analyzing Neuroimaging Data Through Recurrent Deep Learning Models. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1321. [PMID: 31920491 PMCID: PMC6914836 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The application of deep learning (DL) models to neuroimaging data poses several challenges, due to the high dimensionality, low sample size, and complex temporo-spatial dependency structure of these data. Even further, DL models often act as black boxes, impeding insight into the association of cognitive state and brain activity. To approach these challenges, we introduce the DeepLight framework, which utilizes long short-term memory (LSTM) based DL models to analyze whole-brain functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data. To decode a cognitive state (e.g., seeing the image of a house), DeepLight separates an fMRI volume into a sequence of axial brain slices, which is then sequentially processed by an LSTM. To maintain interpretability, DeepLight adapts the layer-wise relevance propagation (LRP) technique. Thereby, decomposing its decoding decision into the contributions of the single input voxels to this decision. Importantly, the decomposition is performed on the level of single fMRI volumes, enabling DeepLight to study the associations between cognitive state and brain activity on several levels of data granularity, from the level of the group down to the level of single time points. To demonstrate the versatility of DeepLight, we apply it to a large fMRI dataset of the Human Connectome Project. We show that DeepLight outperforms conventional approaches of uni- and multivariate fMRI analysis in decoding the cognitive states and in identifying the physiologically appropriate brain regions associated with these states. We further demonstrate DeepLight's ability to study the fine-grained temporo-spatial variability of brain activity over sequences of single fMRI samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Armin W. Thomas
- Machine Learning Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck School of Cognition, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus-Robert Müller
- Machine Learning Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
- Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Wojciech Samek
- Machine Learning Group, Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Shing YL, Finke C, Hoffmann M, Pajkert A, Heekeren HR, Ploner CJ. Integrating across memory episodes: Developmental trends. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0215848. [PMID: 31009500 PMCID: PMC6476520 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Memory enables us to use information from our past experiences to guide new behaviours, calling for the need to integrate or form inference across multiple distinct episodic experiences. Here, we compared children (aged 9–10 years), adolescents (aged 12–13 years), and young adults (aged 19–25 years) on their ability to form integration across overlapping associations in memory. Participants first encoded a set of overlapping, direct AB- and BC-associations (object-face and face-object pairs) as well as non-overlapping, unique DE-associations. They were then tested on these associations and inferential AC-associations. The experiment consisted of four such encoding/retrieval cycles, each consisting of different stimuli set. For accuracy on both unique and inferential associations, young adults were found to outperform teenagers, who in turn outperformed children. However, children were particularly slower than teenagers and young adults in making judgements during inferential than during unique associations. This suggests that children may rely more on making inferences during retrieval, by first retrieving the direct associations, followed by making the inferential judgement. Furthermore, young adults showed a higher correlation between accuracy in direct (AB, BC) and inferential AC-associations than children. This suggests that, young adults relied closely on AB- and BC-associations for making AC decisions, potentially by forming integrated ABC-triplets during encoding or retrieval. Taken together, our findings suggest that there may be an age-related shift in how information is integrated across experienced episodes, namely from relying on making inferences at retrieval during middle childhood to forming integrated representations at different memory processing stages in adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yee Lee Shing
- Institute of Psychology, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Carsten Finke
- Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martina Hoffmann
- Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Pajkert
- Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Thomas AW, Molter F, Krajbich I, Heekeren HR, Mohr PNC. Gaze bias differences capture individual choice behaviour. Nat Hum Behav 2019; 3:625-635. [PMID: 30988476 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-019-0584-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
How do we make simple choices such as deciding between an apple and an orange? Recent empirical evidence suggests that choice behaviour and gaze allocation are closely linked at the group level, whereby items looked at longer during the decision-making process are more likely to be chosen. However, it is unclear how variable this gaze bias effect is between individuals. Here we investigate this question across four different simple choice experiments and using a computational model that can be easily applied to individuals. We show that an association between gaze and choice is present for most individuals, but differs considerably in strength. Generally, individuals with a strong association between gaze and choice behaviour are worse at choosing the best item from a choice set compared with individuals with a weak association. Accounting for individuals' variability in gaze bias in the model can explain and accurately predict individual differences in choice behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Armin W Thomas
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Molter
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,School of Business and Economics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ian Krajbich
- Department of Psychology and Department of Economics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter N C Mohr
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,School of Business and Economics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. .,WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Nowacki J, Heekeren HR, Deuter CE, Joerißen JD, Schröder A, Otte C, Wingenfeld K. Decision making in response to physiological and combined physiological and psychosocial stress. Behav Neurosci 2019; 133:59-67. [DOI: 10.1037/bne0000288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
27
|
Abstract
Optimistic estimates about the personal future constitute one of the best-described and most-debated decision biases related to emotion. Nevertheless, it has been difficult to isolate manipulations that reduce optimistic estimates. Eliciting estimates in a foreign language is a promising candidate manipulation because foreign language use alters decision biases in scenarios with emotional components. Consequently, we tested whether foreign language use reduces optimistic estimates. In a laboratory experiment, participants ( n = 45) estimated their probability of experiencing life events either in their native language or a foreign language, in which they were highly proficient. We found no differences in these estimates or in the updating of these estimates after receiving feedback about the population baseline probability. Importantly, three online experiments with large sample sizes ( ns = 706, 530, and 473) showed that using a foreign language with low proficiency reduced comparative optimism. Participants in the online experiments had diverse proficiency levels and were matched on a variety of control metrics. Fine-grained analyses indicated that low proficiency weakens the coupling between probability estimates and rated arousal. Overall, our findings suggest that an important decision bias can be reduced when using a foreign language with low proficiency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yulia Oganian
- 1 Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,2 Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,3 Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, CA, USA
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- 1 Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,4 Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph W Korn
- 1 Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,5 Institute for Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Korn CW, Heekeren HR, Oganian Y. The framing effect in a monetary gambling task is robust in minimally verbal language switching contexts. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2018; 72:52-59. [DOI: 10.1177/1747021818769259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Decision-making biases, in particular the framing effect, can be altered in foreign language settings (foreign language effect) and following switching between languages (the language switching effect on framing). Recently, it has been suggested that the framing effect is only affected by foreign language use if the task is presented in a rich textual form. Here, we assess whether an elaborate verbal task is also a prerequisite for the language switching effect on framing. We employed a financial gambling task that induces a robust framing effect but is less verbal than the classical framing paradigms (e.g., the Asian disease problem). We conducted an online experiment ( n = 485), where we orthogonally manipulated language use and language switching between trials. The results showed no effects of foreign language use or language switching throughout the experiment. This online result was confirmed in a laboratory experiment ( n = 27). Overall, we find that language switching does not reduce the framing effect in a paradigm with little verbal content and thus that language switching effects seem contingent on the amount of verbal processing required.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph W Korn
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Yulia Oganian
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Toelch U, Panizza F, Heekeren HR. Norm compliance affects perceptual decisions through modulation of a starting point bias. R Soc Open Sci 2018; 5:171268. [PMID: 29657747 PMCID: PMC5882671 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive decisions in social contexts depend on both perceptual information and social expectations or norms. These are potentially in conflict when certain choices are beneficial for an individual, but societal rules mandate a different course of action. To resolve such a conflict, the reliability of information has to be balanced against potentially deleterious effects of non-compliance such as ostracism. In this study, we systematically investigated how interactions between perceptual and social influences affect decision-relevant cognitive processes. In a direction-of-motion discrimination task, participants received perceptual information alongside information on other players' choices. In addition, we created conflict scenarios where players' choices affected other participants' monetary rewards dependent on whether their choices were in line or against the opinion of the other players. Importantly, we altered the strength of this manipulation in two separate experiments by contrasting motivations of either preventing harm or providing a benefit to others. Behavioural analyses and computational models of perceptual decisions showed that participants successfully integrated perceptual with social information. Participants' reliance on social information was effectively modulated in conflict situations. Critically, these effects were augmented when the strength of social norms was increased, indexing conditions under which social norms effectively influence decisions. These results inform theories of social influence by providing an account of how higher order goals like social norm compliance affect perceptual decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ulf Toelch
- Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- QUEST Center, Berlin Institute of Health, Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Strasse 2, 10178 Berlin, Germany
| | - Folco Panizza
- Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Via delle Regole 101, 38123 Mattarello, Italy
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Morawetz C, Bode S, Baudewig J, Heekeren HR. Effective amygdala-prefrontal connectivity predicts individual differences in successful emotion regulation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2018; 12:569-585. [PMID: 27998996 PMCID: PMC5390747 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to voluntarily regulate our emotional response to threatening and highly arousing stimuli by using cognitive reappraisal strategies is essential for our mental and physical well-being. This might be achieved by prefrontal brain regions (e.g. inferior frontal gyrus, IFG) down-regulating activity in the amygdala. It is unknown, to which degree effective connectivity within the emotion-regulation network is linked to individual differences in reappraisal skills. Using psychophysiological interaction analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging data, we examined changes in inter-regional connectivity between the amygdala and IFG with other brain regions during reappraisal of emotional responses and used emotion regulation success as an explicit regressor. During down-regulation of emotion, reappraisal success correlated with effective connectivity between IFG with dorsolateral, dorsomedial and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (PFC). During up-regulation of emotion, effective coupling between IFG with anterior cingulate cortex, dorsomedial and ventromedial PFC as well as the amygdala correlated with reappraisal success. Activity in the amygdala covaried with activity in lateral and medial prefrontal regions during the up-regulation of emotion and correlated with reappraisal success. These results suggest that successful reappraisal is linked to changes in effective connectivity between two systems, prefrontal cognitive control regions and regions crucially involved in emotional evaluation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Bode
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Froehlich E, Liebig J, Morawetz C, Ziegler JC, Braun M, Heekeren HR, Jacobs AM. Same Same But Different: Processing Words in the Aging Brain. Neuroscience 2017; 371:75-95. [PMID: 29199068 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Revised: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Reading is not only one of the most appreciated leisure activities of the elderly but it clearly helps older people to maintain functional independence, which has a significant impact on life quality. Yet, very little is known about how aging affects the neural circuits of the processes that underlie skilled reading. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to systematically investigate the neural correlates of sublexical, orthographic, phonological and lexico-semantic processing in the aging brain. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we recorded brain activity of younger (N = 20; 22-35 years) and older (N = 38; 65-76 years) adults during letter identification, lexical decision, phonological decision and semantic categorization. Older and younger adults recruited an identical set of reading-related brain regions suggesting that the general architecture of the reading network is preserved across the lifespan. However, we also observed age-related differences in brain activity in the subcomponents of the reading network. Age-related differences were most prominent during phonological and orthographic processing possibly due to a failure of older adults to inhibit non-optimal reading strategies. Neural effects of aging were also observed outside reading-related circuits, especially in frontal midline regions. These regions might be involved because of their important role in memory, attention and executive control functions and their potential role in resting-state networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Froehlich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Johannes C Ziegler
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LPC, 3, place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 1, France.
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Rosenblau G, Kliemann D, Dziobek I, Heekeren HR. Emotional prosody processing in autism spectrum disorder. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2017; 12:224-239. [PMID: 27531389 PMCID: PMC5390729 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsw118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are characterized by severe deficits in social communication, whereby the nature of their impairments in emotional prosody processing have yet to be specified. Here, we investigated emotional prosody processing in individuals with ASD and controls with novel, lifelike behavioral and neuroimaging paradigms. Compared to controls, individuals with ASD showed reduced emotional prosody recognition accuracy on a behavioral task. On the neural level, individuals with ASD displayed reduced activity of the STS, insula and amygdala for complex vs basic emotions compared to controls. Moreover, the coupling between the STS and amygdala for complex vs basic emotions was reduced in the ASD group. Finally, groups differed with respect to the relationship between brain activity and behavioral performance. Brain activity during emotional prosody processing was more strongly related to prosody recognition accuracy in ASD participants. In contrast, the coupling between STS and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity predicted behavioral task performance more strongly in the control group. These results provide evidence for aberrant emotional prosody processing of individuals with ASD. They suggest that the differences in the relationship between the neural and behavioral level of individuals with ASD may account for their observed deficits in social communication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Rosenblau
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, 230 S. Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
| | - Dorit Kliemann
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Berlin 10099, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany.,Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Liebig J, Froehlich E, Morawetz C, Braun M, Jacobs AM, Heekeren HR, Ziegler JC. Neurofunctionally dissecting the reading system in children. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 27:45-57. [PMID: 28780219 PMCID: PMC6987884 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The reading system can be broken down into four basic subcomponents in charge of prelexical, orthographic, phonological, and lexico-semantic processes. These processes need to jointly work together to become a fluent and efficient reader. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we systematically analyzed differences in neural activation patterns of these four basic subcomponents in children (N=41, 9-13 years) using tasks specifically tapping each component (letter identification, orthographic decision, phonological decision, and semantic categorization). Regions of interest (ROI) were selected based on a meta-analysis of child reading and included the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex (vOT), left posterior parietal cortex (PPC), left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA). Compared to a visual baseline task, enhanced activation in vOT and IFG was observed for all tasks with very little differences between tasks. Activity in the dorsal PPC system was confined to prelexical and phonological processing. Activity in the SMA was found in orthographic, phonological, and lexico-semantic tasks. Our results are consistent with the idea of an early engagement of the vOT accompanied by executive control functions in the frontal system, including the bilateral SMA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Eva Froehlich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg, AT-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Johannes C Ziegler
- Aix-Marseille Université and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, F-13331 Marseille, France.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Eppinger B, Heekeren HR, Li SC. Age Differences in the Neural Mechanisms of Intertemporal Choice Under Subjective Decision Conflict. Cereb Cortex 2017; 28:3764-3774. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ben Eppinger
- Department of Psychology, Chair of Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience,Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, QC, Canada
- PERFORM centre, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, Berlin, Germany
| | - Shu-Chen Li
- Department of Psychology, Chair of Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience,Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Pajkert A, Finke C, Shing YL, Hoffmann M, Sommer W, Heekeren HR, Ploner CJ. Memory integration in humans with hippocampal lesions. Hippocampus 2017; 27:1230-1238. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Pajkert
- Department of Neurology; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Berlin D-10117 Germany
| | - Carsten Finke
- Department of Neurology; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Berlin D-10117 Germany
- Berlin School of Mind & Brain; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin D-10117 Germany
| | - Yee Lee Shing
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Center for Lifespan Psychology; Berlin D-14195 Germany
- Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences; University of Stirling; Scotland FK94LA United Kingdom
| | - Martina Hoffmann
- Department of Neurology; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Berlin D-10117 Germany
| | - Werner Sommer
- Department of Biological Psychology and Psychophysiology, Institute of Psychology; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin D-10099 Germany
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology; Freie Universität Berlin; Berlin D-14195 Germany
| | - Christoph J. Ploner
- Department of Neurology; Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin; Berlin D-10117 Germany
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Morawetz C, Oganian Y, Schlickeiser U, Jacobs AM, Heekeren HR. Second Language Use Facilitates Implicit Emotion Regulation via Content Labeling. Front Psychol 2017; 8:366. [PMID: 28360873 PMCID: PMC5352656 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies reported that negative stimuli induced less affect in bilinguals when stimuli were presented in bilinguals’ second, weaker language (L2) than when they were presented in their native language (L1). This effect of L2 use was attributed to increased emotional distance as well as to increased levels of cognitive control during L2 use. Here we investigated how explicit (cognitive reappraisal, i.e., reinterpreting the meaning of the emotional stimulus to alter its emotional impact) and implicit (content labeling, i.e., categorizing the content of the image; and emotion labeling, i.e., naming the emotion induced by the emotional stimulus) emotion regulation strategies are altered in an L2 (English) context in German native speakers with medium to high proficiency in their L2. While previous studies used linguistic stimuli, such as words, to induce affect, here we used images to test whether reduced affect could also be observed for non-linguistic stimuli when presented in an L2 context. We hypothesized that the previously implicated increase in emotional distance and cognitive control in an L2 would result in an L2 advantage in emotion regulation (i.e., leading to less negative emotions compared to an L1 context), by strengthening the effect of linguistic re-evaluation on the evoked emotions. Using a classic emotion regulation paradigm, we examined changes in subjective emotional state ratings during reappraisal, emotion labeling and content labeling in a L1 and L2 context. We found that the strength of evoked affective responses did not depend on the language context in which an image was presented. Crucially, content labeling in L2 was more effective than in L1, whereas emotion labeling did not differ between languages. Overall, evoked responses were regulated most effectively through explicit emotion regulation (reappraisal) in L1 and L2 context. These results demonstrate an L2 advantage effect for emotion regulation through content labeling and suggest that L2 context alters sub-processes implicated in content labeling but not emotion labeling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, BerlinGermany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, BerlinGermany
| | - Yulia Oganian
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, BerlinGermany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, BerlinGermany
| | - Ulrike Schlickeiser
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin Germany
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, BerlinGermany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, BerlinGermany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, BerlinGermany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, BerlinGermany
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Morawetz C, Bode S, Derntl B, Heekeren HR. The effect of strategies, goals and stimulus material on the neural mechanisms of emotion regulation: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 72:111-128. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2016] [Revised: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|
38
|
Korn CW, La Rosée L, Heekeren HR, Roepke S. Processing of information about future life events in borderline personality disorder. Psychiatry Res 2016; 246:719-724. [PMID: 27838016 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.07.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is associated with negative self-images. However, it has remained underexplored whether BPD patients hold negative views of their personal future. When receiving information about possible future live events, healthy participants tend to update their estimates more toward desirable than toward undesirable information. Here, we test whether BPD patients (n=21) process information about their future in a more negative fashion than healthy controls (n=79). Participants rated their probability of experiencing 45 adverse life events-before and after receiving statistical information about the average probability of these events. BPD patients first estimated their probability of experiencing negative life events higher than healthy controls. However, after receiving information about the life events the estimates of two groups did not differ. Both groups updated their estimates more toward desirable than toward undesirable information. Thus, our findings suggest a nuanced picture. At the outset, BPD patients appear pessimistic but they might be able to overcome their pessimism when provided with relevant information. Taken together, BPD patients were initially more pessimistic about their personal future than healthy controls. Both groups showed positively biased updating without evidence for differences in BPD patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph W Korn
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Institute for Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.
| | - Lioba La Rosée
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Neuro-Cognitive Psychology Department, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Roepke
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Froehlich E, Liebig J, Ziegler JC, Braun M, Lindenberger U, Heekeren HR, Jacobs AM. Drifting through Basic Subprocesses of Reading: A Hierarchical Diffusion Model Analysis of Age Effects on Visual Word Recognition. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1863. [PMID: 27933029 PMCID: PMC5122734 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reading is one of the most popular leisure activities and it is routinely performed by most individuals even in old age. Successful reading enables older people to master and actively participate in everyday life and maintain functional independence. Yet, reading comprises a multitude of subprocesses and it is undoubtedly one of the most complex accomplishments of the human brain. Not surprisingly, findings of age-related effects on word recognition and reading have been partly contradictory and are often confined to only one of four central reading subprocesses, i.e., sublexical, orthographic, phonological and lexico-semantic processing. The aim of the present study was therefore to systematically investigate the impact of age on each of these subprocesses. A total of 1,807 participants (young, N = 384; old, N = 1,423) performed four decision tasks specifically designed to tap one of the subprocesses. To account for the behavioral heterogeneity in older adults, this subsample was split into high and low performing readers. Data were analyzed using a hierarchical diffusion modeling approach, which provides more information than standard response time/accuracy analyses. Taking into account incorrect and correct response times, their distributions and accuracy data, hierarchical diffusion modeling allowed us to differentiate between age-related changes in decision threshold, non-decision time and the speed of information uptake. We observed longer non-decision times for older adults and a more conservative decision threshold. More importantly, high-performing older readers outperformed younger adults at the speed of information uptake in orthographic and lexico-semantic processing, whereas a general age-disadvantage was observed at the sublexical and phonological levels. Low-performing older readers were slowest in information uptake in all four subprocesses. Discussing these results in terms of computational models of word recognition, we propose age-related disadvantages for older readers to be caused by inefficiencies in temporal sampling and activation and/or inhibition processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Froehlich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Liebig
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Johannes C Ziegler
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
| | - Mario Braun
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Universität Salzburg Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Fatfouta R, Meshi D, Merkl A, Heekeren HR. Accepting unfairness by a significant other is associated with reduced connectivity between medial prefrontal and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Soc Neurosci 2016; 13:61-73. [PMID: 27813717 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2016.1252795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Conflict is a ubiquitous feature of interpersonal relationships, yet many of these relationships preserve their value following conflict. Our ability to refrain from punishment despite the occurrence of conflict is a characteristic of human beings. Using a combination of behavioral and neuroimaging techniques, we show that prosocial decision-making is modulated by relationship closeness. In an iterated social exchange, participants were more likely to cooperate with their partner compared to an unknown person by accepting unfair exchanges. Importantly, this effect was not influenced by how resources were actually being shared with one's partner. The medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) was activated when the partner, rather than the unknown person, behaved unfairly and, in the same context, the MPFC demonstrated greater functional connectivity with the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (DACC). MPFC-DACC connectivity was inversely associated with participants' tendency to "forgive" their partner for unfairness as well as performance outside the scanner on a behavioral measure of forgiveness. We conclude that relationship closeness modulates a neural network comprising the MPFC/DACC during economic exchanges.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramzi Fatfouta
- a Department of Education and Psychology , Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin , Germany.,b Cluster "Languages of Emotion" , Berlin , Germany
| | - Dar Meshi
- a Department of Education and Psychology , Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin , Germany.,b Cluster "Languages of Emotion" , Berlin , Germany
| | - Angela Merkl
- b Cluster "Languages of Emotion" , Berlin , Germany.,c Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology , Charité-Universitätsmedizin , Berlin , Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- a Department of Education and Psychology , Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin , Germany.,b Cluster "Languages of Emotion" , Berlin , Germany
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Morawetz C, Alexandrowicz RW, Heekeren HR. Successful emotion regulation is predicted by amygdala activity and aspects of personality: A latent variable approach. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 17:421-441. [PMID: 27819447 DOI: 10.1037/emo0000215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The experience of emotions and their cognitive control are based upon neural responses in prefrontal and subcortical regions and could be affected by personality and temperamental traits. Previous studies established an association between activity in reappraisal-related brain regions (e.g., inferior frontal gyrus and amygdala) and emotion regulation success. Given these relationships, we aimed to further elucidate how individual differences in emotion regulation skills relate to brain activity within the emotion regulation network on the one hand, and personality/temperamental traits on the other. We directly examined the relationship between personality and temperamental traits, emotion regulation success and its underlying neuronal network in a large sample (N = 82) using an explicit emotion regulation task and functional MRI (fMRI). We applied a multimethodological analysis approach, combing standard activation-based analyses with structural equation modeling. First, we found that successful downregulation is predicted by activity in key regions related to emotion processing. Second, the individual ability to successfully upregulate emotions is strongly associated with the ability to identify feelings, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. Third, the successful downregulation of emotion is modulated by openness to experience and habitual use of reappraisal. Fourth, the ability to regulate emotions is best predicted by a combination of brain activity and personality as well temperamental traits. Using a multimethodological analysis approach, we provide a first step toward a causal model of individual differences in emotion regulation ability by linking biological systems underlying emotion regulation with descriptive constructs. (PsycINFO Database Record
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Morawetz
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
| | | | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Abstract
Decision making can be a complex process requiring the integration of several attributes of choice options. Understanding the neural processes underlying (uncertain) investment decisions is an important topic in neuroeconomics. We analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from an investment decision study for stimulus-related effects. We propose a new technique for identifying activated brain regions: cluster, estimation, activation, and decision method. Our analysis is focused on clusters of voxels rather than voxel units. Thus, we achieve a higher signal-to-noise ratio within the unit tested and a smaller number of hypothesis tests compared with the often used General Linear Model (GLM). We propose to first conduct the brain parcellation by applying spatially constrained spectral clustering. The information within each cluster can then be extracted by the flexible dynamic semiparametric factor model (DSFM) dimension reduction technique and finally be tested for differences in activation between conditions. This sequence of Cluster, Estimation, Activation, and Decision admits a model-free analysis of the local fMRI signal. Applying a GLM on the DSFM-based time series resulted in a significant correlation between the risk of choice options and changes in fMRI signal in the anterior insula and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Additionally, individual differences in decision-related reactions within the DSFM time series predicted individual differences in risk attitudes as modeled with the framework of the mean-variance model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Majer
- C.A.S.E. - Center for Applied Statistics and Economics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Spandauer Str. 1, 10178 , Berlin, Germany.
| | - Peter N C Mohr
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wolfgang K Härdle
- C.A.S.E. - Center for Applied Statistics and Economics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Spandauer Str. 1, 10178 , Berlin, Germany
- School of Business, Singapore Management University, 50 Stamford Road, Singapore, 178899, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Shing YL, Brehmer Y, Heekeren HR, Bäckman L, Lindenberger U. Neural activation patterns of successful episodic encoding: Reorganization during childhood, maintenance in old age. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2016; 20:59-69. [PMID: 27434313 PMCID: PMC6987717 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Revised: 06/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The two-component framework of episodic memory (EM) development posits that the contributions of medial temporal lobe (MTL) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) to successful encoding differ across the lifespan. To test the framework’s hypotheses, we compared subsequent memory effects (SME) of 10–12 year-old children, younger adults, and older adults using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Memory was probed by cued recall, and SME were defined as regional activation differences during encoding between subsequently correctly recalled versus omitted items. In MTL areas, children’s SME did not differ in magnitude from those of younger and older adults. In contrast, children’s SME in PFC were weaker than the corresponding SME in younger and older adults, in line with the hypothesis that PFC contributes less to successful encoding in childhood. Differences in SME between younger and older adults were negligible. The present results suggest that, among individuals with high memory functioning, the neural circuitry contributing to successful episodic encoding is reorganized from middle childhood to adulthood. Successful episodic encoding in later adulthood, however, is characterized by the ability to maintain the activation patterns that emerged in young adulthood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yee Lee Shing
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Division of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, UK.
| | - Yvonne Brehmer
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Sweden; Otto Hahn Research Group on Associative Memory in Old Age, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Bäckman
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; European University Institute, San Domenico di Fiesole (FI), Italy
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Nassar MR, Bruckner R, Gold JI, Li SC, Heekeren HR, Eppinger B. Age differences in learning emerge from an insufficient representation of uncertainty in older adults. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11609. [PMID: 27282467 PMCID: PMC4906358 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Healthy aging can lead to impairments in learning that affect many laboratory and real-life tasks. These tasks often involve the acquisition of dynamic contingencies, which requires adjusting the rate of learning to environmental statistics. For example, learning rate should increase when expectations are uncertain (uncertainty), outcomes are surprising (surprise) or contingencies are more likely to change (hazard rate). In this study, we combine computational modelling with an age-comparative behavioural study to test whether age-related learning deficits emerge from a failure to optimize learning according to the three factors mentioned above. Our results suggest that learning deficits observed in healthy older adults are driven by a diminished capacity to represent and use uncertainty to guide learning. These findings provide insight into age-related cognitive changes and demonstrate how learning deficits can emerge from a failure to accurately assess how much should be learned. The ability to learn decreases with old age especially in a dynamically changing environment, however the precise nature of this decline is not understood. Nassar and colleagues report that older adults show a reduced ability to learn from uncertain outcomes compared to younger adults.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Nassar
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA
| | - Rasmus Bruckner
- International Max Planck Research School LIFE, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Joshua I Gold
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Shu-Chen Li
- Department of Psychology, TU Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ben Eppinger
- Department of Psychology, TU Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Rosenblau G, Kliemann D, Lemme B, Walter H, Heekeren HR, Dziobek I. The role of the amygdala in naturalistic mentalising in typical development and in autism spectrum disorder. Br J Psychiatry 2016; 208:556-64. [PMID: 26585095 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.159269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The substantial discrepancy between mentalising in experimental settings v. real-life social interactions hinders the understanding of the neural basis of real-life social cognition and of social impairments in psychiatric disorders. AIMS To determine the neural mechanisms underlying naturalistic mentalising in individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder. METHOD We investigated mentalising with a new video-based functional magnetic resonance imaging task in 20 individuals with autism spectrum disorder and 22 matched healthy controls. RESULTS Naturalistic mentalising implicated regions of the traditional mentalising network (medial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction), and additionally the insula and amygdala. Moreover, amygdala activity predicted implicit mentalising performance on an independent behavioural task. Compared with controls, the autism spectrum disorder group did not show differences in neural activity within classical mentalising regions. They did, however, show reduced amygdala activity and a reduced correlation between amygdala activity and mentalising accuracy on the behavioural task, compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the crucial role of the amygdala in making accurate implicit mental state inferences in typical development and in the social cognitive impairments of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Rosenblau
- Gabriela Rosenblau, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany and Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Benjamin Lemme, BA, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Hauke R. Heekeren, MD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Department of Education and Psychology and Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Isabel Dziobek, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin and School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Dorit Kliemann
- Gabriela Rosenblau, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany and Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Benjamin Lemme, BA, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Hauke R. Heekeren, MD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Department of Education and Psychology and Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Isabel Dziobek, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin and School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Benjamin Lemme
- Gabriela Rosenblau, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany and Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Benjamin Lemme, BA, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Hauke R. Heekeren, MD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Department of Education and Psychology and Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Isabel Dziobek, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin and School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Henrik Walter
- Gabriela Rosenblau, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany and Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Benjamin Lemme, BA, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Hauke R. Heekeren, MD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Department of Education and Psychology and Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Isabel Dziobek, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin and School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Gabriela Rosenblau, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany and Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Benjamin Lemme, BA, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Hauke R. Heekeren, MD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Department of Education and Psychology and Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Isabel Dziobek, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin and School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Gabriela Rosenblau, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany and Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Benjamin Lemme, BA, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Mind and Brain Research, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Hauke R. Heekeren, MD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Department of Education and Psychology and Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Isabel Dziobek, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion', Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin and School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Li SC, Biele G, Mohr PNC, Heekeren HR. Aging and Neuroeconomics: Insights from Research on Neuromodulation of Reward-based Decision Making. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1515/auk-2007-0107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
‘Neuroeconomics’ can be broadly defined as the research of how the brain interacts with the environment to make decisions that are functional given individual and contextual constraints. Deciphering such brain-environment transactions requires mechanistic understandings of the neurobiological processes that implement value-dependent decision making. To this end, a common empirical approach is to investigate neural mechanisms of reward-based decision making. Flexible updating of choices and associated expected outcomes in ways that are adaptive for a given task (or a given set of tasks) at hand relies on dynamic neurochemical tuning of the brain’s functional circuitries involved in the representation of tasks, goals and reward prediction. Empirical evidence as well as computational theories indicate that various neurotransmitter systems (e.g., dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin) play important roles in reward-based decision making. In light of the apparent aging-related decline in various aspects of the dopaminergic system as well as the effects of neuromodulation on reward-related processes, this article focuses selectively on the literature that highlights the triadic relations between dopaminergic modulation, reward-based decision making, and aging. Directions for future research on aging and neuroeconomoics are discussed.
Collapse
|
47
|
Korn CW, Rosenblau G, Rodriguez Buritica JM, Heekeren HR. Performance Feedback Processing Is Positively Biased As Predicted by Attribution Theory. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148581. [PMID: 26849646 PMCID: PMC4743912 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A considerable literature on attribution theory has shown that healthy individuals exhibit a positivity bias when inferring the causes of evaluative feedback on their performance. They tend to attribute positive feedback internally (e.g., to their own abilities) but negative feedback externally (e.g., to environmental factors). However, all empirical demonstrations of this bias suffer from at least one of the three following drawbacks: First, participants directly judge explicit causes for their performance. Second, participants have to imagine events instead of experiencing them. Third, participants assess their performance only after receiving feedback and thus differences in baseline assessments cannot be excluded. It is therefore unclear whether the classically reported positivity bias generalizes to setups without these drawbacks. Here, we aimed at establishing the relevance of attributions for decision-making by showing an attribution-related positivity bias in a decision-making task. We developed a novel task, which allowed us to test how participants changed their evaluations in response to positive and negative feedback about performance. Specifically, we used videos of actors expressing different facial emotional expressions. Participants were first asked to evaluate the actors' credibility in expressing a particular emotion. After this initial rating, participants performed an emotion recognition task and did--or did not--receive feedback on their veridical performance. Finally, participants re-rated the actors' credibility, which provided a measure of how they changed their evaluations after feedback. Attribution theory predicts that participants change their evaluations of the actors' credibility toward the positive after receiving positive performance feedback and toward the negative after negative performance feedback. Our results were in line with this prediction. A control condition without feedback showed that correct or incorrect performance alone could not explain the observed positivity bias. Furthermore, participants' behavior in our task was linked to the most widely used measure of attribution style. In sum, our findings suggest that positive and negative performance feedback influences the evaluation of task-related stimuli, as predicted by attribution theory. Therefore, our study points to the relevance of attribution theory for feedback processing in decision-making and provides a novel outlook for decision-making biases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph W. Korn
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gabriela Rosenblau
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Julia M. Rodriguez Buritica
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R. Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Seehausen M, Kazzer P, Bajbouj M, Heekeren HR, Jacobs AM, Klann-Delius G, Menninghaus W, Prehn K. Effects of empathic social responses on the emotions of the recipient. Brain Cogn 2016; 103:50-61. [PMID: 26812250 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2015.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Empathy is highly relevant for social behavior and can be verbally expressed by voicing sympathy and concern (emotional empathy) as well as by paraphrasing or stating that one can mentally reconstruct and understand another person's thoughts and feelings (cognitive empathy). In this study, we investigated the emotional effects and neural correlates of receiving empathic social responses after negative performance feedback and compared the effects of emotionally vs. cognitively empathic comments. 20 participants (10 male) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while receiving negative performance feedback for a cognitive task. Performance feedback was followed by verbal comments either expressing cognitive and emotional empathy or demonstrating a lack of empathy. Empathic comments in general led to less negative self-reported feelings and calmer breathing. At the neural level, empathic comments induced activity in regions associated with social cognition and emotion processing, specifically in right postcentral gyrus and left cerebellum (cognitively empathic comments), right precentral gyrus, the opercular part of left inferior frontal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus (emotionally empathic comments), as well as the orbital part of the left middle frontal gyrus and left superior parietal gyrus (emotionally empathic vs. unempathic comments). The study shows that cognitively and emotionally empathic comments appear to be processed in partially separable neural systems. Furthermore, confirming and expanding on another study on the same subject, the present results demonstrate that the social display of cognitive empathy exerts almost as positive effects on the recipient's feelings and emotions in states of distress as emotionally empathic response does. This can be relevant for professional settings in which strong negative emotions need to be de-escalated while maintaining professional impartiality, which may allow the display of cognitive but not emotional empathy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Seehausen
- Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dept. of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
| | - Philipp Kazzer
- Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dept. of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Malek Bajbouj
- Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dept. of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dept. of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dept. of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Gisela Klann-Delius
- Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Institut für Deutsche und Niederländische Philologie, Dept. of Linguistics, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Winfried Menninghaus
- Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Kristin Prehn
- Cluster of Excellence "Languages of Emotion", Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Dept. of Neurology & NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) show negative and unstable self- and other-evaluations compared to healthy individuals. It is unclear, however, how they process self- and other-relevant social feedback. We have previously demonstrated a positive updating bias in healthy individuals: When receiving social feedback on character traits, healthy individuals integrate desirable more than undesirable feedback. Here, our aim was to test whether BPD patients exhibit a more negative pattern of social feedback processing. METHOD We employed a character trait task in which BPD patients interacted with four healthy participants in a real-life social interaction. Afterwards, all participants rated themselves and one other participant on 80 character traits before and after receiving feedback from their interaction partners. We compared how participants updated their ratings after receiving desirable and undesirable feedback. Our analyses included 22 BPD patients and 81 healthy controls. RESULTS Healthy controls showed a positivity bias for self- and other-relevant feedback as previously demonstrated. Importantly, this pattern was altered in BPD patients: They integrated undesirable feedback for themselves to a greater degree than healthy controls did. Other-relevant feedback processing was unaltered in BPD patients. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates an alteration in self-relevant feedback processing in BPD patients that might contribute to unstable and negative self-evaluations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C W Korn
- Department of Education and Psychology,Freie Universität Berlin,Berlin,Germany
| | - L La Rosée
- Department of Education and Psychology,Freie Universität Berlin,Berlin,Germany
| | - H R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology,Freie Universität Berlin,Berlin,Germany
| | - S Roepke
- Department of Psychiatry,Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin,Campus Benjamin Franklin,Germany
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Oganian Y, Froehlich E, Schlickeiser U, Hofmann MJ, Heekeren HR, Jacobs AM. Slower Perception Followed by Faster Lexical Decision in Longer Words: A Diffusion Model Analysis. Front Psychol 2016; 6:1958. [PMID: 26779075 PMCID: PMC4700557 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Effects of stimulus length on reaction times (RTs) in the lexical decision task are the topic of extensive research. While slower RTs are consistently found for longer pseudo-words, a finding coined the word length effect (WLE), some studies found no effects for words, and yet others reported faster RTs for longer words. Moreover, the WLE depends on the orthographic transparency of a language, with larger effects in more transparent orthographies. Here we investigate processes underlying the WLE in lexical decision in German-English bilinguals using a diffusion model (DM) analysis, which we compared to a linear regression approach. In the DM analysis, RT-accuracy distributions are characterized using parameters that reflect latent sub-processes, in particular evidence accumulation and decision-independent perceptual encoding, instead of typical parameters such as mean RT and accuracy. The regression approach showed a decrease in RTs with length for pseudo-words, but no length effect for words. However, DM analysis revealed that the null effect for words resulted from opposing effects of length on perceptual encoding and rate of evidence accumulation. Perceptual encoding times increased with length for words and pseudo-words, whereas the rate of evidence accumulation increased with length for real words but decreased for pseudo-words. A comparison between DM parameters in German and English suggested that orthographic transparency affects perceptual encoding, whereas effects of length on evidence accumulation are likely to reflect contextual information and the increase in available perceptual evidence with length. These opposing effects may account for the inconsistent findings on WLEs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yulia Oganian
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, CharitéBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Eva Froehlich
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schlickeiser
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Markus J Hofmann
- Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Bergische Universitaet WuppertalGermany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany
| | - Arthur M Jacobs
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany; Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Freie Universitaet BerlinBerlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|