Hypofunctional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and ventromedial prefrontal cortex in autism: Evidence from coordinate-based imaging meta-analysis

Flight initiation distance (FID), the distance at which an organism flees from an approaching threat, is an ecological metric of cost-benefit functions of escape decisions. We adapted the FID paradigm to investigate how fast or slow attacking ‘virtual predators’ constrain escape decisions. We show that rapid escape decisions rely on ‘reactive fear’ circuits in the periaqueductal gray and midcingulate cortex (MCC), while protracted escape decisions, defined by larger buffer zones, were associated with ‘cognitive fear’ circuits which include posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, circuits implicated in strategic avoidance and behavioral flexibility. Using a Bayesian Decision Model, we further show that optimization of escape decisions under rapid flight were localized to the MCC, a region involved in adaptive motor control, while the hippocampus is implicated in optimizing decisions that update and control slower escape initiation. These results demonstrate an unexplored link between defensive survival circuits and their role in adaptive escape decisions.SignificanceHumans, like other animals, have evolved a set of circuits whose primary function is survival. In the case of predation, these circuits include ‘reactive fear’ circuits involved in fast and immediate escape decisions and ‘cognitive fear’ circuits that are involved in the conscious feeling of threat as well as slow strategic escape. Using neuroimaging combined with computational modeling, we support this differentiation of fear circuits by showing that fast escape decisions are elicited by the periaqueductal gray and MCC, regions involved in reactive flight. Conversely, slower escape decisions rely on the hippocampus, posterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex, a circuit implicated in behavioral flexibility. These results support the role of the defensive survival circuitry in escape decisions and a separation of fear into reactive and cognitive circuits.

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Cortical and subcortical changes in resting-state functional connectivity before and during an episode of postoperative delirium

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0004867419848826 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (8) ◽

pp. 794-806 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jooyoung Oh ◽

Jung Eun Shin ◽

Kyu Hyun Yang ◽

Sunghyon Kyeong ◽

Woo Suk Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Default Mode Network ◽

Resting State ◽

Postoperative Delirium ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Default Mode ◽

Posterior Cingulate ◽

Subcortical Regions

Objective: Delirium is an acute brain failure related to uncertain problems in neural connectivity, including aberrant functional interactions between remote cortical regions. This study aimed to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms of delirium by clarifying the changes in resting-state functional connectivity induced by postoperative delirium using imaging data scanned before and after surgery. Method: Fifty-eight patients with a femoral neck fracture were preoperatively scanned using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Twenty-five patients developed postoperative delirium, and 14 of those had follow-up scans during delirium. Eighteen patients without delirium completed follow-up scans 5 or 6 days after surgery. We assessed group differences in voxel-based connectivity, in which the seeds were the posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex and 11 subcortical regions. Connections between the subcortical regions were also examined. Results: The results showed four major findings during delirium. Both the posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex were strongly connected to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The posterior cingulate cortex had hyperconnectivity with the inferior parietal lobule, whereas the medial prefrontal cortex had hyperconnectivity with the frontopolar cortex and hypoconnectivity with the superior frontal gyrus. Connectivity of the striatum with the anterior cingulate cortex and insula was increased. Disconnections were found between the lower subcortical regions including the neurotransmitter origins and the striatum/thalamus in the upper level. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that cortical dysfunction during delirium is characterized by a diminution of the anticorrelation between the default mode network and task-positive regions, excessive internal connections in the posterior default mode network and a complex imbalance of internal connectivity in the anterior default mode network. These dysfunctions can be attributed to the loss of reciprocity between the default mode network and central executive network associated with defective function in the salience network, which might be closely linked to aberrant subcortical neurotransmission-related connectivity and striato-cortical connectivity.

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Impaired attentional and socio-affective networks in subjects with antisocial behaviors: a meta-analysis of resting-state functional connectivity studies

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291721001525 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Jules Roger Dugré ◽

Stéphane Potvin

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Resting State ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Antisocial Behaviors ◽

Antisocial Personality ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Connectivity Patterns

Abstract In the past decade, there has been a growing interest in examining resting-state functional connectivity deficits in subjects with conduct and antisocial personality disorder. Through meta-analyses and literature reviews, extensive work has been done to characterize their abnormalities in brain activation during a wide range of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tasks. However, there is currently no meta-analytical evidence regarding neural connectivity patterns during resting-state fMRI. Therefore, we conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis of resting-state fMRI studies on individuals exhibiting antisocial behaviors. Of the retrieved studies, 18 used a seed-based connectivity approach (513 cases v. 488 controls), 20 employed a non-seed-based approach (453 cases v. 460 controls) and 20 included a correlational analysis between the severity of antisocial behaviors and connectivity patterns (3462 subjects). Meta-analysis on seed-based studies revealed significant connectivity deficits in the amygdala, middle cingulate cortex, ventral posterior cingulate cortex-precuneus, ventromedial and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, premotor cortex, and superior parietal lobule. Additionally, non-seed-based meta-analysis showed increased connectivity in the ventral posterior cingulate cortex and decreased connectivity in the parietal operculum, calcarine cortex, and cuneus. Finally, we found meta-analytical evidence for negative relationship between the severity of antisocial behaviors and connectivity with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Functional characterization and meta-analytical connectivity modeling indicated that these findings overlapped with socio-affective and attentional processes. This further underscores the importance of these functions in the pathophysiology of conduct and antisocial personality disorders.

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Ventral—Dorsal Functional Contribution of the Posterior Cingulate Cortex in Human Spatial Orientation: A Meta-Analysis

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2018.00190 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Ford Burles ◽

Alberto Umiltá ◽

Liam H. McFarlane ◽

Kendra Potocki ◽

Giuseppe Iaria

Keyword(s):

Spatial Orientation ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate

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Should We Trust Perceived Effort for Loading Control and Resistance Exercise Prescription After ACL Reconstruction?

Sports Health A Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

10.1177/19417381211041289 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 194173812110412

Author(s):

Daniel Germano Maciel ◽

Mikhail Santos Cerqueira ◽

Tim J. Gabbett ◽

Hassan Mohamed Elsangedy ◽

Wouber Hérickson de Brito Vieira

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Resistance Training ◽

Resistance Exercise ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Afferent Feedback ◽

Neural Adaptations ◽

Posterior Cingulate ◽

Perceived Effort

Context: The rating of perceived effort (RPE) is a common method used in clinical practice for monitoring, loading control, and resistance training prescription during rehabilitation after rupture and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). It is suggested that the RPE results from the integration of the afferent feedback and corollary discharge in the motor and somatosensory cortex, and from the activation of brain areas related to emotions, affect, memory, and pain (eg, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus, and prefrontal cortex). Recent studies have shown that rupture and ACLR induce neural adaptations in the brain commonly associated with the RPE. Therefore, we hypothesize that RPE could be affected because of neural adaptations induced by rupture and ACLR. Study Design: Clinical review. Level of Evidence: Level 5. Results: RPE could be directly altered by changes in the activation of motor cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and prefrontal cortex. These neural adaptations may be induced by indirect mechanisms, such as the afferent feedback deficit, pain, and fear of movement (kinesiophobia) that patients may feel after rupture and ACLR. Conclusion: Using only RPE for monitoring, loading control, and resistance training prescription in patients who had undergone ACLR could lead to under- or overdosing resistance exercise, and therefore, impair the rehabilitation process. Strength-of-Recommendation Taxonomy: 3C.

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