Critical role of the right uncinate fasciculus in emotional empathy

Purpose: The basolateral amygdala (BLA) and infralimbic area (IL) of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are two inter-connected brain structures that mediate both fear memory expression and extinction. Besides the well-known role of the BLA in the acquisition and expression of fear memory, projections from IL to BLA inhibit fear expression and have a critical role in fear extinction. However, the details of IL-BLA interaction remain unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of functional reciprocal interactions between BLA and IL in mediating fear memory extinction. Methods: Using lidocaine (LID), male rats underwent unilateral or bilateral inactivation of the BLA and then unilateral intra-IL infusion of CORT, prior to extinction training of auditory fear conditioning paradigm. Freezing behavior was reported as an index for the measurement of conditioned fear. Infusions were performed before the extinction training, allowing to examine the effects on fear expression and also further extinction memory. Experiments 1-3 investigated the effects of left or right infusion of CORT into IL, and LID unilaterally into BLA on fear memory extinction. Results: Results showed that intra-IL infusion of CORT in the right hemisphere reduced freezing behavior when administrated before the extinction training. Auditory fear memory extinction was impaired by asymmetric inactivation of BLA and CORT infusion in the right IL; however, the same effect was not observed with symmetric inactivation of BLA. Conclusion: It is concluded that that the IL-BLA neural circuit may provide additional evidence to contribution of this circuit in auditory fear extinction. This study demonstrate dissociable roles for right or left BLA in subserving the auditory fear extinction. Our finding also raise the possibility that left BLA-IL circuitry may contribute in mediating auditory fear memory extinction via underlying mechanisms, however further research is required.

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Right Place at the Right Time: How Changes in Protocadherins Affect Synaptic Connections Contributing to the Etiology of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells9122711 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 2711

Author(s):

Maria Mancini ◽

Silvia Bassani ◽

Maria Passafaro

Keyword(s):

Cell Adhesion ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽

Synapse Formation ◽

Large Fraction ◽

Critical Role ◽

Basic Research ◽

Axon Pathfinding ◽

Neurite Initiation ◽

The Right

During brain development, neurons need to form the correct connections with one another in order to give rise to a functional neuronal circuitry. Mistakes during this process, leading to the formation of improper neuronal connectivity, can result in a number of brain abnormalities and impairments collectively referred to as neurodevelopmental disorders. Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), present on the cell surface, take part in the neurodevelopmental process regulating migration and recognition of specific cells to form functional neuronal assemblies. Among CAMs, the members of the protocadherin (PCDH) group stand out because they are involved in cell adhesion, neurite initiation and outgrowth, axon pathfinding and fasciculation, and synapse formation and stabilization. Given the critical role of these macromolecules in the major neurodevelopmental processes, it is not surprising that clinical and basic research in the past two decades has identified several PCDH genes as responsible for a large fraction of neurodevelopmental disorders. In the present article, we review these findings with a focus on the non-clustered PCDH sub-group, discussing the proteins implicated in the main neurodevelopmental disorders.

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Perspectives

Vikalpa The Journal for Decision Makers ◽

10.1177/0256090919900401 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 3-10

Author(s):

Jayanth R Varma ◽

N Venkiteswaran

Keyword(s):

Capital Market ◽

Economic Activity ◽

Critical Role ◽

Regulatory Agencies ◽

Recent Past ◽

Positive Direction ◽

Emerging Trends ◽

The Government ◽

The Right

The Indian capital market has shown signs of buoyancy and dynamism in the recent past. There is a very real need, therefore, to nurture and to give positive direction to the emerging trends in this sphere of economic activity. It is in this context that regulatory agencies have a critical role in providing the right kind of support to avoid bunching of issues as well as in protecting investors against manipulation by unscrupulous investors. Have Indian regulatory agencies risen to the occasion by formulating appropriate and adequate policies to facilitate the development of the capital markets in India? In this article, Varma and Venkiteswaran examine the role of Indian regulatory agencies and evaluate the methodology spelt out in the official guidelines for valuation of equity shares made public by the Government of India.

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The rhetoric of New Zealand's COVID-19 response

Accounting Auditing & Accountability Journal ◽

10.1108/aaaj-08-2020-4890 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Binh Bui ◽

Olayinka Moses ◽

John Dumay

Keyword(s):

Critical Role ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Response Strategy ◽

Content Type ◽

Rhetorical Strategy ◽

The Public ◽

Government Documents ◽

The Right ◽

Public Policy Decisions

PurposeThe authors unpack the critical role of rhetoric in developing and justifying the New Zealand (NZ) government's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown strategy.Design/methodology/approachUsing Green's (2004) theory of rhetorical diffusion, the authors analysed government documents and media releases before, during and after the lockdown to reconstruct the government's rationale.FindingsThe blending of kairos (sense of urgency and “right” time to act), ethos (emphasis on “saving lives”), pathos (fear of disruption and death) and selective use of health-based logos (shrinking infection rates), prompted fast initial adoption of the lockdown. However, support for the rhetoric wavered post-lockdown as absence of robust logos became apparent to the public.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors implicate the role of rhetoric in decision-makers’ ability to successfully elicit support for a new practice under urgency and the right moment to act using emotionalisation and moralisation. The assessment of the NZ government's response strategy provides insights decision-makers could glean in developing policies to tame the virus.Practical implicationsThis study’s analysis demonstrates the unsustainability of rhetoric in the absence of reliable information.Originality/valueThe authors demonstrate the consequences of limited (intermittent) evidence and disregard for accounting/accountability data in public policy decisions under a rhetorical strategy.

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Doing the Right Thing: The Critical Role of Students in the Tenure Campaign

Amerasia Journal ◽

10.17953/amer.16.1.2kn676215890035m ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 109-117

Author(s):

Mary Katayama

Keyword(s):

Critical Role ◽

The Right

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Critical role of the right VLPFC in emotional regulation of social exclusion: a tDCS study

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience ◽

10.1093/scan/nsy026 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 357-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Zhenhong He ◽

Yiqin Lin ◽

Lisheng Xia ◽

Zhenli Liu ◽

Dandan Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Exclusion ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Critical Role ◽

The Right

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Bias for the Left Visual Field in Rapid Serial Visual Presentation: Effects of Additional Salient Cues Suggest a Critical Role of Attention

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_00714 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 266-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Kamila Śmigasiewicz ◽

Dariusz Asanowicz ◽

Nicole Westphal ◽

Rolf Verleger

Keyword(s):

Visual Field ◽

Left Visual Field ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

Critical Role ◽

Visual Presentation ◽

The Other ◽

Early Posterior Negativity ◽

Left And Right ◽

The Right

Everyday experience suggests that people are equally aware of stimuli in both hemifields. However, when two streams of stimuli are rapidly presented left and right, the second target (T2) is better identified in the left hemifield than in the right hemifield. This left visual field (LVF) advantage may result from differences between hemifields in attracting attention. Therefore, we introduced a visual cue shortly before T2 onset to draw attention to one stream. Thus, to identify T2, attention was correctly positioned with valid cues but had to be redirected to the other stream with invalid ones. If the LVF advantage is caused by differences between hemifields in attracting attention, invalid cues should increase, and valid cues should reduce the LVF advantage as compared with neutral cues. This prediction was confirmed. ERP analysis revealed that cues evoked an early posterior negativity, confirming that attention was attracted by the cue. This negativity was earlier with cues in the LVF, which suggests that responses to salient events are faster in the right hemisphere than in the left hemisphere. Valid cues speeded up, and invalid cues delayed T2-evoked N2pc; in addition, valid cues enlarged T2-evoked P3. After N2pc, right-side T2 evoked more sustained contralateral negativity than left T2, least long-lasting after valid cues. Difficulties in identifying invalidly cued right T2 were reflected in prematurely ending P3 waveforms. Overall, these data provide evidence that the LVF advantage is because of different abilities of the hemispheres in shifting attention to relevant events in their contralateral hemifield.

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A critical role of the right fusiform gyrus in individual face discrimination: Evidence from neuroimaging studies of a prosopagnosic patient

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/4.8.134 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 4 (8) ◽

pp. 134-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

C. Schiltz ◽

R. Caldara ◽

B. Sorger ◽

R. Goebel ◽

E. Mayer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Critical Role ◽

Fusiform Gyrus ◽

The Right

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Weevils as Targets for Biological Control, and the Importance of Taxonomy and Phylogeny for Efficacy and Biosafety

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d10030073 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 73 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Barbara Barratt ◽

Matthew Cock ◽

Rolf Oberprieler

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Critical Role ◽

Classical Biological Control ◽

Egg Parasitoid ◽

Control Agent ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Control Programmes ◽

The Right

Curculionidae are a large mainly herbivorous family of beetles, some of which have become crop pests. Classical biological control has been attempted for about 38 species in 19 genera, and at least moderate success has been achieved in 31 % of cases. Only two weevil species have been considered to be completely controlled by a biological control agent. Success depends upon accurately matching natural enemies with their hosts, and hence taxonomy and phylogeny play a critical role. These factors are discussed and illustrated with two case studies: the introduction of the braconid parasitoid Mictroctonus aethiopoides into New Zealand for biological control of the lucerne pest Sitona discoideus, a case of complex phylogenetic relationships that challenged the prediction of potential non-target hosts, and the use of a mymarid egg parasitoid, Anaphes nitens, to control species of the eucalypt weevil genus Gonipterus, which involves failure to match up parasitoids with the right target amongst a complex of very closely related species. We discuss the increasing importance of molecular methods to support biological control programmes and the essential role of these emerging technologies for improving our understanding of this very large and complex family.

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Oxytocin enhancement of emotional empathy: generalization across cultures and effects on amygdala activity

10.1101/307256 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

YaYuan Geng ◽

Weihua Zhao ◽

Feng Zhou ◽

Xiaole Ma ◽

Shuxia Yao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skin Conductance ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Independent Experiment ◽

Functional Coupling ◽

Emotional Empathy ◽

Double Blind ◽

Amygdala Activity ◽

Positive Valence ◽

The Right

AbstractAccumulating evidence suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin can enhance empathy although it is unclear which specific behavioral and neural aspects are influenced, and whether the effects are modulated by culture, sex and trait autism. Based on previous findings in Caucasian men, we hypothesized that a single intranasal dose of oxytocin would specifically enhance emotional empathy via modulatory effects on the amygdala in an Asian (Chinese) population and explored the modulatory role of sex and trait autism on the effects. We first conducted a double-blind, randomized between-subject design experiment using a modified version of the multifaceted empathy task (MET) to determine whether oxytocin’s facilitation of emotional empathy can be replicated in Chinese men (n = 60). To further explore neural mechanisms behind and potential sex differences, functional MRI and skin conductance measures were acquired in an independent experiment incorporating men and women (n = 72). Oxytocin enhanced emotional empathy across experiments and sex, an effect that was accompanied by reduced amygdala activity and increased skin conductance responses. On the network level oxytocin enhanced functional coupling of the right amygdala with the insula and posterior cingulate cortex for positive valence stimuli but attenuated coupling for negative valence stimuli. The effect of oxytocin on amygdala functional connectivity with the insula was modulated by trait autism. Overall, our findings provide further support for the role of oxytocin in facilitating emotional empathy and demonstrate that effects are independent of culture and sex and involve modulatory effects on the amygdala and its interactions with other key empathy regions.

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