scholarly journals Different role of the supplementary motor area and the insula between musicians and non-musicians in a controlled musical creativity task

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcella Pereira Barbosa de Aquino ◽  
Juan Verdejo-Román ◽  
Miguel Pérez-García ◽  
Purificación Pérez-García
Keyword(s):  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Creative Cognition ◽  
Multiple Processes ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Musical Creativity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Creativity Task

Abstract The ability to compose creative musical ideas depends on the cooperation of brain mechanisms involved in multiple processes, including controlled creative cognition, which is a type of creativity that has so far been poorly researched. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the brain evoked activations by using fMRI, in both musicians and non-musicians, during a general task of controlled musical creativity and its relationship with general creativity. Results revealed that during a rhythmic improvisation task, musicians show greater activation of the motor supplementary area, the anterior cingulate cortex, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and the insula, along with greater deactivation of the default mode network in comparison with non-musicians. For the group of musicians, we also found a positive correlation between the time improvising and the activation of the supplementary motor area, whilst in the non-musicians group improvisation time correlated with the activation of the insula. The results found for the musicians support the notion that the supplementary motor area plays a role in the representation and execution of musical behaviour, while the results in non-musicians reveal the role of the insula in the processing of novel musical information.

Role of the Human Rostral Supplementary Motor Area and the Basal Ganglia in Motor Sequence Control: Investigations With H2 15O PET

1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 1070-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Boecker ◽  
A. Dagher ◽  
A. O. Ceballos-Baumann ◽  
R. E. Passingham ◽  
M. Samuel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Central Control ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Finger Movements ◽  
Sequence Complexity

Boecker, H., A. Dagher, A. O. Ceballos-Baumann, R. E. Passingham, M. Samuel, K. J. Friston, J.-B. Poline, C. Dettmers, B. Conrad, and D. J. Brooks. Role of the human rostral supplementary motor area and the basal ganglia in motor sequence control: investigations with H2 15O PET. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 1070–1080, 1998. The aim of this study was to investigate the functional anatomy of distributed cortical and subcortical motor areas in the human brain that participate in the central control of overlearned complex sequential unimanual finger movements. On the basis of previous research in nonhuman primates, a principal involvement of basal ganglia (medial premotor loops) was predicted for central control of finger sequences performed automatically. In pertinent areas, a correlation of activation levels with the complexity of a motor sequence was hypothesized. H2 15O positron emission tomography (PET) was used in a group of seven healthy male volunteers [mean age 32.0 ± 10.4 yr] to determine brain regions where levels of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) correlated with graded complexity levels of five different key-press sequences. All sequences were overlearned before PET and involved key-presses of fingers II–V of the right hand. Movements of individual fingers were kept constant throughout all five conditions by external pacing at 1-Hz intervals. Positive correlations of rCBF with increasing sequence complexity were identified in the contralateral rostral supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and the associated pallido-thalamic loop, as well as in right parietal area 7 and ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1). In contrast, while rCBF in contralateral M1 and and extensive parts of caudal SMA was increased compared with rest during task performance, significant correlated increases of rCBF with sequence complexity were not observed. Inverse correlations of rCBF with increasing sequence complexity were identified in mesial prefrontal-, medial temporal-, and anterior cingulate areas. The findings provide further evidence in humans supporting the notion of a segregation of SMA into functionally distinct subcomponents: although pre-SMA was differentially activated depending on the complexity of a sequence of learned finger movements, such modulation was not detectable in caudal SMA (except the most antero-superior part), implicating a motor executive role. Our observations of complexity-correlated rCBF increases in anterior globus palllidus suggest a specific role for the basal ganglia in the process of sequence facilitation and control. They may act to filter and focus input from motor cortical areas as patterns of action become increasingly complex.

scholarly journals Free will and neurosurgical resections of the supplementary motor area: a critical review

2021 ◽  
Vol 163 (5) ◽  
pp. 1229-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rickard L Sjöberg
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Free Will ◽  
Corticospinal Tract ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Simple Motor ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
Intense Debate

Abstract Background Research suggests that unconscious activity in the supplementary motor area (SMA) precedes not only certain simple motor actions but also the point at which we become aware of our intention to perform such actions. The extent to which these findings have implications for our understanding of the concepts of free will and personal responsibility has been subject of intense debate during the latest four decades. Methods This research is discussed in relation to effects of neurosurgical removal of the SMA in a narrative review. Results Removal of the SMA typically causes a transient inability to perform non-stimulus-driven, voluntary actions. This condition, known as the SMA syndrome, does not appear to be associated with a loss of sense of volition but with a profound disruption of executive function/cognitive control. Conclusions The role of the SMA may be to serve as a gateway between the corticospinal tract and systems for executive function. Such systems are typically seen as tools for conscious decisions. What is known about effects of SMA resections would thus seem to suggest a view that is compatible with concepts of personal responsibility. However, the philosophical question whether free will exists cannot be definitely resolved on the basis of these observations.

scholarly journals Encoding of speed and direction of movement in the human supplementary motor area

2009 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 1304-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariel Tankus ◽  
Yehezkel Yeshurun ◽  
Tamar Flash ◽  
Itzhak Fried
Keyword(s):  
Firing Rate ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neuron Activity ◽  
Kinematic Parameters ◽  
Speed Increase ◽  
Hand Motion ◽  
Depth Electrodes

Object The supplementary motor area (SMA) plays an important role in planning, initiation, and execution of motor acts. Patients with SMA lesions are impaired in various kinematic parameters, such as velocity and duration of movement. However, the relationships between neuronal activity and these parameters in the human brain have not been fully characterized. This is a study of single-neuron activity during a continuous volitional motor task, with the goal of clarifying these relationships for SMA neurons and other frontal lobe regions in humans. Methods The participants were 7 patients undergoing evaluation for epilepsy surgery requiring implantation of intracranial depth electrodes. Single-unit recordings were conducted while the patients played a computer game involving movement of a cursor in a simple maze. Results In the SMA proper, most of the recorded units exhibited a monotonic relationship between the unit firing rate and hand motion speed. The vast majority of SMA proper units with this property showed an inverse relation, that is, firing rate decrease with speed increase. In addition, most of the SMA proper units were selective to the direction of hand motion. These relationships were far less frequent in the pre-SMA, anterior cingulate gyrus, and orbitofrontal cortex. Conclusions The findings suggest that the SMA proper takes part in the control of kinematic parameters of endeffector motion, and thus lend support to the idea of connecting neuroprosthetic devices to the human SMA.

scholarly journals Resting State Functional Connectivity Predicts Future Changes in Sedentary Behavior

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy P. Morris ◽  
Aaron Kucyi ◽  
Sheeba Arnold Anteraper ◽  
Maiya Rachel Geddes ◽  
Alfonso Nieto-Castañon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Anterior Insula ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Sedentary Behaviors ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
The Right

AbstractInformation about a person’s available energy resources is integrated in daily behavioral choices that weigh motor costs against expected rewards. It has been posited that humans have an innate attraction towards effort minimization and that executive control is required to overcome this prepotent disposition. With sedentary behaviors increasing at the cost of millions of dollars spent in health care and productivity losses due to physical inactivity-related deaths, understanding the predictors of sedentary behaviors will improve future intervention development and precision medicine approaches. In 64 healthy older adults participating in a 6-month aerobic exercise intervention, we use neuroimaging (resting state functional connectivity), baseline measures of executive function and accelerometer measures of time spent sedentary to predict future changes in objectively measured time spent sedentary in daily life. Using cross-validation and bootstrap resampling, our results demonstrate that functional connectivity between 1) the anterior cingulate cortex and the supplementary motor area and 2) the right anterior insula and the left temporoparietal/temporooccipital junction, predict changes in time spent sedentary, whereas baseline cognitive, behavioral and demographic measures do not. Previous research has shown activation in and between the anterior cingulate and supplementary motor area as well as in the right anterior insula during effort avoidance and tasks that integrate motor costs and reward benefits in effort-based decision making. Our results add important knowledge toward understanding mechanistic associations underlying complex sedentary behaviors.

scholarly journals Algebra dissociates from arithmetic in the brain semantic network

2022 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dazhi Cheng ◽  
Mengyi Li ◽  
Jiaxin Cui ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Naiyi Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Semantic Network ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Single Trial ◽  
Positive Functional ◽  
Brain Behavior ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Mathematical expressions mainly include arithmetic (such as 8 − (1 + 3)) and algebra (such as a − (b + c)). Previous studies have shown that both algebraic processing and arithmetic involved the bilateral parietal brain regions. Although previous studies have revealed that algebra was dissociated from arithmetic, the neural bases of the dissociation between algebraic processing and arithmetic is still unclear. The present study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify the specific brain networks for algebraic and arithmetic processing. Methods Using fMRI, this study scanned 30 undergraduates and directly compared the brain activation during algebra and arithmetic. Brain activations, single-trial (item-wise) interindividual correlation and mean-trial interindividual correlation related to algebra processing were compared with those related to arithmetic. The functional connectivity was analyzed by a seed-based region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI analysis. Results Brain activation analyses showed that algebra elicited greater activation in the angular gyrus and arithmetic elicited greater activation in the bilateral supplementary motor area, left insula, and left inferior parietal lobule. Interindividual single-trial brain-behavior correlation revealed significant brain-behavior correlations in the semantic network, including the middle temporal gyri, inferior frontal gyri, dorsomedial prefrontal cortices, and left angular gyrus, for algebra. For arithmetic, the significant brain-behavior correlations were located in the phonological network, including the precentral gyrus and supplementary motor area, and in the visuospatial network, including the bilateral superior parietal lobules. For algebra, significant positive functional connectivity was observed between the visuospatial network and semantic network, whereas for arithmetic, significant positive functional connectivity was observed only between the visuospatial network and phonological network. Conclusion These findings suggest that algebra relies on the semantic network and conversely, arithmetic relies on the phonological and visuospatial networks.

scholarly journals Reducing future fears by suppressing the brain mechanisms underlying episodic simulation

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (52) ◽  
pp. E8492-E8501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland G. Benoit ◽  
Daniel J. Davies ◽  
Michael C. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Simulation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Future Events ◽  
The Right ◽  
Development Of Anxiety ◽  
The Brain

Imagining future events conveys adaptive benefits, yet recurrent simulations of feared situations may help to maintain anxiety. In two studies, we tested the hypothesis that people can attenuate future fears by suppressing anticipatory simulations of dreaded events. Participants repeatedly imagined upsetting episodes that they feared might happen to them and suppressed imaginings of other such events. Suppressing imagination engaged the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which modulated activation in the hippocampus and in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Consistent with the role of the vmPFC in providing access to details that are typical for an event, stronger inhibition of this region was associated with greater forgetting of such details. Suppression further hindered participants’ ability to later freely envision suppressed episodes. Critically, it also reduced feelings of apprehensiveness about the feared scenario, and individuals who were particularly successful at down-regulating fears were also less trait-anxious. Attenuating apprehensiveness by suppressing simulations of feared events may thus be an effective coping strategy, suggesting that a deficiency in this mechanism could contribute to the development of anxiety.

Creativity of the Dream and Sleep State

2019 ◽  
pp. 124-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Stickgold
Keyword(s):  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Sleep State ◽  
Creative Processes ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Full Speed ◽  
Stored Information ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a stage of sleep that evolved in part to provide a privileged time in each day when the brain is disconnected from sensory input and freed of intentional, directed thought. The neurochemistry and neurophysiology of the brain during REM sleep is optimized for the exploration of normally ignored connections and associations within the brain’s vast repertoire of stored information. This includes changes in the activity of dorsolateral prefrontal, anterior cingulate, and medial orbital frontal cortices and the hippocampus, and reductions in norepinephrine and increases in acetylcholine in the cortex. This exploration of normally weak associations is critical to the creative process, and REM sleep can thus be considered a period of unbridled creativity. Much of this creative process is reflected in the content of dreams. Even without waking dream recall, changes within associative networks produced by the brain mechanisms of dream construction can leave these brain networks—and the individual—primed for reactivation at a later time, leading to the “discovery” of creative insights. Some, but not all, of these brain changes are also seen during periods of quiet rest with activation of the default mode network (DMN). When active, this network can likewise provide a state of enhanced creativity. Nevertheless, REM sleep and dreaming provide a protected two hours every day when creative processes run at full speed.

scholarly journals Role of the supplementary motor area during reproduction of supra-second time intervals: An intracerebral EEG study

NeuroImage ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 191 ◽  
pp. 403-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micha Pfeuty ◽  
Vincent Monfort ◽  
Madelyne Klein ◽  
Julien Krieg ◽  
Steffie Collé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Intracerebral Eeg

Distinct neural mechanisms of emotional processing in prolonged grief disorder

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Bryant ◽  
Elpiniki Andrew ◽  
Mayuresh S. Korgaonkar
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Prolonged Grief Disorder ◽  
Prolonged Grief ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Subliminal Processing ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) has recently been recognized as a separate psychiatric diagnosis, despite controversy over the extent to which it is distinctive from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods This study investigated distinctive neural processes underpinning emotion processing in participants with PGD, PTSD, and MDD with functional magnetic resonance study of 117 participants that included PGD (n = 21), PTSD (n = 45), MDD (n = 26), and bereaved controls (BC) (n = 25). Neural responses were measured across the brain while sad, happy, or neutral faces were presented at both supraliminal and subliminal levels. Results PGD had greater activation in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC), bilateral insula, bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices and right caudate and also greater pgACC–right pallidum connectivity relative to BC during subliminal processing of happy faces. PGD was distinct relative to both PTSD and MDD groups with greater recruitment of the medial orbitofrontal cortex during supraliminal processing of sad faces. PGD were also distinct relative to MDD (but not PTSD) with greater activation in the left amygdala, caudate, and putamen during subliminal presentation of sad faces. There was no distinction between PGD, PTSD, and MDD during processing of happy faces. Conclusions These results provide initial evidence of distinct neural profiles of PGD relative to related psychopathological conditions, and highlight activation of neural regions implicated in reward networks. This pattern of findings validates current models of PGD that emphasize the roles of yearning and appetitive processes in PGD.

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