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Lanfranco RC, Dos Santos Sousa F, Wessel PM, Rivera-Rei Á, Bekinschtein TA, Lucero B, Canales-Johnson A, Huepe D. Slow-wave brain connectivity predicts executive functioning and group belonging in socially vulnerable individuals. Cortex 2024; 174:201-214. [PMID: 38569258 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.03.004] [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: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Important efforts have been made to describe the neural and cognitive features of healthy and clinical populations. However, the neural and cognitive features of socially vulnerable individuals remain largely unexplored, despite their proneness to developing neurocognitive disorders. Socially vulnerable individuals can be characterised as socially deprived, having a low socioeconomic status, suffering from chronic social stress, and exhibiting poor social adaptation. While it is known that such individuals are likely to perform worse than their peers on executive function tasks, studies on healthy but socially vulnerable groups are lacking. In the current study, we explore whether neural power and connectivity signatures can characterise executive function performance in healthy but socially vulnerable individuals, shedding light on the impairing effects that chronic stress and social disadvantages have on cognition. We measured resting-state electroencephalography and executive functioning in 38 socially vulnerable participants and 38 matched control participants. Our findings indicate that while neural power was uninformative, lower delta and theta phase synchrony are associated with worse executive function performance in all participants, whereas delta phase synchrony is higher in the socially vulnerable group compared to the control group. Finally, we found that delta phase synchrony and years of schooling are the best predictors for belonging to the socially vulnerable group. Overall, these findings suggest that exposure to chronic stress due to socioeconomic factors and a lack of education are associated with changes in slow-wave neural connectivity and executive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renzo C Lanfranco
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Pierre Musa Wessel
- Department of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Álvaro Rivera-Rei
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (SCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Tristán A Bekinschtein
- Cambridge Consciousness and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Boris Lucero
- The Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Andrés Canales-Johnson
- Cambridge Consciousness and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; The Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile.
| | - David Huepe
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (SCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile.
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Ciria LF, Suárez-Pinilla M, Williams AG, Jagannathan SR, Sanabria D, Bekinschtein TA. Different underlying mechanisms for high and low arousal in probabilistic learning in humans. Cortex 2021; 143:180-194. [PMID: 34450566 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.07.002] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Humans are uniquely capable of adapting to highly changing environments by updating relevant information and adjusting ongoing behaviour accordingly. Here we show how this ability -termed cognitive flexibility- is differentially modulated by high and low arousal fluctuations. We implemented a probabilistic reversal learning paradigm in healthy participants as they transitioned towards sleep or physical extenuation. The results revealed, in line with our pre-registered hypotheses, that low arousal leads to diminished behavioural performance through increased decision volatility, while performance decline under high arousal was attributed to increased perseverative behaviour. These findings provide evidence for distinct patterns of maladaptive decision-making on each side of the arousal inverted u-shaped curve, differentially affecting participants' ability to generate stable evidence-based strategies, and introduces wake-sleep and physical exercise transitions as complementary experimental models for investigating neural and cognitive dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis F Ciria
- Mind, Brain & Behavior Research Center and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Spain; Consciousness and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Marta Suárez-Pinilla
- Consciousness and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, UK; Office of the National Director for Dementia Research, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, University College of London, London, UK
| | - Alex G Williams
- Consciousness and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sridhar R Jagannathan
- Consciousness and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel Sanabria
- Mind, Brain & Behavior Research Center and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Spain
| | - Tristán A Bekinschtein
- Consciousness and Cognition Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, UK.
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3
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Cruse D, Thibaut A, Demertzi A, Nantes JC, Bruno MA, Gosseries O, Vanhaudenhuyse A, Bekinschtein TA, Owen AM, Laureys S. Correction to: Actigraphy assessments of circadian sleep-wake cycles in the Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States. BMC Med 2018; 16:134. [PMID: 30097009 PMCID: PMC6087001 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-018-1139-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The original article [1] contains an error affecting the actigraphy time-stamps throughout the article, particularly in Table 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Cruse
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada.
| | - A Thibaut
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - A Demertzi
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - J C Nantes
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - M A Bruno
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - O Gosseries
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - A Vanhaudenhuyse
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - T A Bekinschtein
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - A M Owen
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - S Laureys
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
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4
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García-Cordero I, Esteves S, Mikulan EP, Hesse E, Baglivo FH, Silva W, García MDC, Vaucheret E, Ciraolo C, García HS, Adolfi F, Pietto M, Herrera E, Legaz A, Manes F, García AM, Sigman M, Bekinschtein TA, Ibáñez A, Sedeño L. Attention, in and Out: Scalp-Level and Intracranial EEG Correlates of Interoception and Exteroception. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:411. [PMID: 28769749 PMCID: PMC5515904 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [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: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Interoception, the monitoring of visceral signals, is often presumed to engage attentional mechanisms specifically devoted to inner bodily sensing. In fact, most standardized interoceptive tasks require directing attention to internal signals. However, most studies in the field have failed to compare attentional modulations between internally- and externally-driven processes, thus probing blind to the specificity of the former. Here we address this issue through a multidimensional approach combining behavioral measures, analyses of event-related potentials and functional connectivity via high-density electroencephalography, and intracranial recordings. In Study 1, 50 healthy volunteers performed a heartbeat detection task as we recorded modulations of the heartbeat-evoked potential (HEP) in three conditions: exteroception, basal interoception (also termed interoceptive accuracy), and post-feedback interoception (sometimes called interoceptive learning). In Study 2, to evaluate whether key interoceptive areas (posterior insula, inferior frontal gyrus, amygdala, and somatosensory cortex) were differentially modulated by externally- and internally-driven processes, we analyzed human intracranial recordings with depth electrodes in these regions. This unique technique provides a very fine grained spatio-temporal resolution compared to other techniques, such as EEG or fMRI. We found that both interoceptive conditions in Study 1 yielded greater HEP amplitudes than the exteroceptive one. In addition, connectivity analysis showed that post-feedback interoception, relative to basal interoception, involved enhanced long-distance connections linking frontal and posterior regions. Moreover, results from Study 2 showed a differentiation between oscillations during basal interoception (broadband: 35–110 Hz) and exteroception (1–35 Hz) in the insula, the amygdala, the somatosensory cortex, and the inferior frontal gyrus. In sum, this work provides convergent evidence for the specificity and dynamics of attentional mechanisms involved in interoception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indira García-Cordero
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sol Esteves
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel P Mikulan
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eugenia Hesse
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Ingeniería Biomédica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Fabricio H Baglivo
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Ingeniería Biomédica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Walter Silva
- Programa de Cirugía de Epilepsia, Hospital Italiano de Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Esteban Vaucheret
- Programa de Cirugía de Epilepsia, Hospital Italiano de Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carlos Ciraolo
- Programa de Cirugía de Epilepsia, Hospital Italiano de Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Hernando S García
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Pontificia Universidad JaverianaBogotá, Colombia.,Centro de Memoria y Cognición IntellectusBogotá, Colombia
| | - Federico Adolfi
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcos Pietto
- National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Unit of Applied Neurobiology, Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eduar Herrera
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Estudios Psicológicos, Universidad ICESICali, Colombia
| | - Agustina Legaz
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Facundo Manes
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adolfo M García
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Faculty of Education, National University of CuyoMendoza, Argentina
| | - Mariano Sigman
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Universidad Torcuato Di TellaBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Departamento de Fısica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and Instituto de Fısica de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Tristán A Bekinschtein
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Department of Psychology, University of CambridgeCambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina.,Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie UniversitySydney, NSW, Australia.,Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo IbáñezSantiago, Chile.,Universidad Autónoma del CaribeBarranquilla, Colombia
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience, INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research CouncilBuenos Aires, Argentina
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5
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Birba A, Hesse E, Sedeño L, Mikulan EP, García MDC, Ávalos J, Adolfi F, Legaz A, Bekinschtein TA, Zimerman M, Parra M, García AM, Ibáñez A. Enhanced Working Memory Binding by Direct Electrical Stimulation of the Parietal Cortex. Front Aging Neurosci 2017. [PMID: 28642698 PMCID: PMC5462969 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent works evince the critical role of visual short-term memory (STM) binding deficits as a clinical and preclinical marker of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These studies suggest a potential role of posterior brain regions in both the neurocognitive deficits of Alzheimer’s patients and STM binding in general. Thereupon, we surmised that stimulation of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) might be a successful approach to tackle working memory deficits in this condition, especially at early stages. To date, no causal evidence exists of the role of the parietal cortex in STM binding. A unique approach to assess this issue is afforded by single-subject direct intracranial electrical stimulation of specific brain regions during a relevant cognitive task. Electrical stimulation has been used both for clinical purposes and to causally probe brain mechanisms. Previous evidence of electrical currents spreading through white matter along well defined functional circuits indicates that visual working memory mechanisms are subserved by a specific widely distributed network. Here, we stimulated the parietal cortex of a subject with intracranial electrodes as he performed the visual STM task. We compared the ensuing results to those from a non-stimulated condition and to the performance of a matched control group. In brief, direct stimulation of the parietal cortex induced a selective improvement in STM. These results, together with previous studies, provide very preliminary but promising ground to examine behavioral changes upon parietal stimulation in AD. We discuss our results regarding: (a) the usefulness of the task to target prodromal stages of AD; (b) the role of a posterior network in STM binding and in AD; and (c) the potential opportunity to improve STM binding through brain stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustina Birba
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eugenia Hesse
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Instituto de Ingeniería Biomédica, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel P Mikulan
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Juan Ávalos
- Hospital Italiano de Buenos AiresBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Federico Adolfi
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustina Legaz
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Tristán A Bekinschtein
- Consciousness and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of CambridgeCambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Máximo Zimerman
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mario Parra
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt UniversityEdinburgh, United Kingdom.,Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, Department of Psychology, University of EdinburghEdinburgh, United Kingdom.,Neuroprogressive and Dementia Network, NHS Research ScotlandEdinburgh, United Kingdom.,Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma del CaribeBarranquilla, Colombia
| | - Adolfo M García
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Faculty of Education, National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo)Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro UniversityBuenos Aires, Argentina.,National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma del CaribeBarranquilla, Colombia.,Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo IbañezSantiago, Chile.,Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Australian Research Council (ARC)Sydney, NSW, Australia
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6
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Abstract
The ability to override a dominant response, often referred to as behavioral inhibition, is considered a key element of executive cognition. Poor behavioral inhibition is a defining characteristic of several neurological and psychiatric populations. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the motivational dimension of behavioral inhibition, with some experiments incorporating emotional contingencies in classical inhibitory paradigms such as the Go/NoGo and Stop Signal Tasks (SSTs). Several studies have reported a positive modulatory effect of reward on performance in pathological conditions such as substance abuse, pathological gambling, and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). However, experiments that directly investigate the modulatory effects of reward magnitudes on the performance of inhibitory tasks are scarce and little is known about the finer grained relationship between motivation and inhibitory control. Here we probed the effect of reward magnitude and context on behavioral inhibition with three modified versions of the widely used SST. The pilot study compared inhibition performance during six blocks alternating neutral feedback, low, medium, and high monetary rewards. Study One compared increasing vs. decreasing rewards, with low, high rewards, and neutral feedback; whilst Study Two compared low and high reward magnitudes alone also in an increasing and decreasing reward design. The reward magnitude effect was not demonstrated in the pilot study, probably due to a learning effect induced by practice in this lengthy task. The reward effect per se was weak but the context (order of reward) was clearly suggested in Study One, and was particularly strongly confirmed in study two. In addition, these findings revealed a "kick start effect" over global performance measures. Specifically, there was a long lasting improvement in performance throughout the task when participants received the highest reward magnitudes at the beginning of the protocol. These results demonstrate a dynamical behavioral inhibition capacity in humans, as illustrated by the reward magnitude modulation and initial reward history effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula M. Herrera
- Laboratoire ECIPSY - EA 4047, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en YvelinesVersailles, France
- Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias (NeURos), Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del RosarioBogotá, Colombia
- Grupo de Investiga, Laboratorio de Psicología Experimental, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad El BosqueBogotá, Colombia
| | - Mario Speranza
- Laboratoire ECIPSY - EA 4047, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en YvelinesVersailles, France
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, Centre Hospitalier de VersaillesVersailles, France
| | - Adam Hampshire
- Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College LondonLondon, UK
- Medical Research Council-Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitCambridge, UK
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7
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Abstract
Dramatic physiological and behavioural changes occur during the transition from wakefulness to sleep. The process is regarded as a grey area of consciousness between attentive wakefulness and slow wave sleep. Although there is evidence of neurophysiological integration decay as signalled by sleep EEG elements, changes in power spectra and coherence, thalamocortical connectivity in fMRI, and single neuron changes in firing patterns, little is known about the cognitive and behavioural dynamics of these transitions. Hereby we revise the body and brain physiology, behaviour and phenomenology of these changes of consciousness and propose an experimental framework to integrate the two aspects of consciousness that interact in the transition, wakefulness and awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Goupil
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK.
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8
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Cruse D, Chennu S, Chatelle C, Fernández-Espejo D, Bekinschtein TA, Pickard JD, Laureys S, Owen AM. Relationship between etiology and covert cognition in the minimally conscious state. Neurology 2012; 78:816-22. [PMID: 22377810 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0b013e318249f764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Functional neuroimaging has shown that the absence of externally observable signs of consciousness and cognition in severely brain-injured patients does not necessarily indicate the true absence of such abilities. However, relative to traumatic brain injury, nontraumatic injury is known to be associated with a reduced likelihood of regaining overtly measurable levels of consciousness. We investigated the relationships between etiology and both overt and covert cognitive abilities in a group of patients in the minimally conscious state (MCS). METHODS Twenty-three MCS patients (15 traumatic and 8 nontraumatic) completed a motor imagery EEG task in which they were required to imagine movements of their right-hand and toes to command. When successfully performed, these imagined movements appear as distinct sensorimotor modulations, which can be used to determine the presence of reliable command-following. The utility of this task has been demonstrated previously in a group of vegetative state patients. RESULTS Consistent and robust responses to command were observed in the EEG of 22% of the MCS patients (5 of 23). Etiology had a significant impact on the ability to successfully complete this task, with 33% of traumatic patients (5 of 15) returning positive EEG outcomes compared with none of the nontraumatic patients (0 of 8). CONCLUSIONS The overt behavioral signs of awareness (measured with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised) exhibited by nontraumatic MCS patients appear to be an accurate reflection of their covert cognitive abilities. In contrast, one-third of a group of traumatically injured patients in the MCS possess a range of high-level cognitive faculties that are not evident from their overt behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Cruse
- Centre for Brain and Mind, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
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9
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Faugeras F, Rohaut B, Weiss N, Bekinschtein TA, Galanaud D, Puybasset L, Bolgert F, Sergent C, Cohen L, Dehaene S, Naccache L. Probing consciousness with event-related potentials in the vegetative state. Neurology 2011; 77:264-8. [PMID: 21593438 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0b013e3182217ee8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Probing consciousness in noncommunicating patients is a major medical and neuroscientific challenge. While standardized and expert behavioral assessment of patients constitutes a mandatory step, this clinical evaluation stage is often difficult and doubtful, and calls for complementary measures which may overcome its inherent limitations. Several functional brain imaging methods are currently being developed within this perspective, including fMRI and cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs). We recently designed an original rule extraction ERP test that is positive only in subjects who are conscious of the long-term regularity of auditory stimuli. METHODS In the present work, we report the results of this test in a population of 22 patients who met clinical criteria for vegetative state. RESULTS We identified 2 patients showing this neural signature of consciousness. Interestingly, these 2 patients showed unequivocal clinical signs of consciousness within the 3 to 4 days following ERP recording. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results strengthen the relevance of bedside neurophysiological tools to improve diagnosis of consciousness in noncommunicating patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Faugeras
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Department of Neurophysiology, Paris, France
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10
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Bekinschtein TA, Coleman MR, Niklison J, Pickard JD, Manes FF. Can electromyography objectively detect voluntary movement in disorders of consciousness? J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2008; 79:826-8. [PMID: 18096678 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.2007.132738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Determining conscious processing in unresponsive patients relies on subjective behavioural assessment. Using data from hand electromyography, the authors studied the occurrence of subthreshold muscle activity in response to verbal command, as an objective indicator of awareness in 10 disorders of consciousness patients. One out of eight vegetative state patients and both minimally conscious patients (n = 2) demonstrated an increased electromyography signal specifically linked to command. These findings suggest electromyography could be used to assess awareness objectively in pathologies of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- T A Bekinschtein
- Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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11
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Bekinschtein TA, Manes FF. [Neurobiology of consciousness]. Vertex 2008; 19:35-44. [PMID: 18592050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Disorders of consciousness have captivated neurologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers for decades, but few consistent studies have been conducted on these conditions due to their difficult experimental approach. In recent years, an increasing number of cognitive neuroscience research groups have examined the physiology of consciousness from an experimental perspective, despite the methodological and epistemological complexities of the field. While describing consciousness can be challenging, a close definition must acknowledge a combination of wakefulness and awareness. Form a neurobiological standpoint, it has been argued that the ascending reticular system and its thalamic projections are critical in modulating awareness and wakefulness sleep cycles. Awareness may be a function of the neural networks within the cortex, the thalamus, and the cortico-cortical system. Different models have been employed to tackle this difficult problem, including non-invasive in vivo studies, examination of conscious patients with brain lesions, and studies on both animals and patients with disorders of consciousness. This article reviews the scientific evidence for the neural basis of conscious and unconscious processes in different states of consciousness, focusing on patients in the vegetative and minimally conscious state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristán A Bekinschtein
- Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva (INECO). Impaired Consciousness Research Group, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Abstract
The hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the site of a mammalian circadian clock, exhibit a dense immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a specific marker for astrocytes. Although there is evidence of a circadian variation in GFAP-IR in the hamster SCN and of the participation of glial cells in input and output mechanisms of the clock, the role of these cells within the circadian system is not clearly understood. The fact that astroglia can express and respond to cytokines suggests that they could work as mediators of immune signals to the circadian system. In the present study, we have found a daily variation of GFAP-IR in the mouse SCN, peaking during the light phase. In addition, we have identified GFAP and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in glial cells within the SCN and in primary cultures of the mouse SCN. Moreover, SCN glia cultures were transfected with an NF-kappaB/luc construct whose transcriptional activity was increased with lipopolysaccharide 2 mug/ml, tumor necrosis factor-alpha 20 ng/ml, or interleukin-1alpha 100 ng/ml, after 12 hr of stimulation. These results suggest that the glial cells of the SCN can mediate input signals to the mouse circadian system coming from the immune system via NF-kappaB signaling.
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Marpegán L, Bekinschtein TA, Costas MA, Golombek DA. Circadian responses to endotoxin treatment in mice. J Neuroimmunol 2004; 160:102-9. [PMID: 15710463 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2004.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [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: 09/07/2004] [Revised: 11/10/2004] [Accepted: 11/10/2004] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We tested the ability of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to phase-shift the activity circadian rhythm in C57Bl/6J mice. Intraperitoneal administration of 25 microg/kg LPS induced photic-like phase delays (-43+/-10 min) during the early subjective night. These delays were non-additive to those induced by light at CT 15, and were reduced by the previous administration of sulfasalazine, a NF-kappaB activation inhibitor. At CT 15, LPS induced c-Fos expression in the dorsal area of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). Our results suggest that the activation of the immune system should be considered an entraining signal for the murine circadian clock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciano Marpegán
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, R.S. Peña 180, (1876) Bernal, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Golombek DA, Ferreyra GA, Agostino PV, Murad AD, Rubio MF, Pizzio GA, Katz ME, Marpegan L, Bekinschtein TA. From light to genes: moving the hands of the circadian clock. Front Biosci 2003; 8:s285-93. [PMID: 12700026 DOI: 10.2741/1038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian circadian rhythms are generated by the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei and finely tuned to environmental periodicities by neurochemical responses to the light-dark cycle. Light reaches the clock through a direct retinohypothalamic tract, primarily through glutamatergic innervation, and its action is probably regulated by a variety of other neurotransmitters. A key second messenger in circadian photic entrainment is calcium, mobilized through membrane channels or intracellular reservoirs, which triggers the activation of several enzymes, including a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase and nitric oxide synthase. Other enzymes activated by light are mitogen-activated- and cGMP-dependent protein kinase; all of the above have been reported to be involved in the circadian responses to nocturnal light pulses. These mechanisms lead to expression of specific clock genes which eventually set the phase of the clock and of clock-controlled circadian rhythms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego A Golombek
- Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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