scholarly journals Specialization and integration of functional thalamocortical connectivity in the human infant

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (20) ◽  
pp. 6485-6490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Toulmin ◽  
Christian F. Beckmann ◽  
Jonathan O'Muircheartaigh ◽  
Gareth Ball ◽  
Pumza Nongena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Integration ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Sensory Cortex ◽  
Human Infant ◽  
Association Cortex ◽  
Network Development ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Term Infants ◽  
Primary Sensory Cortex

Connections between the thalamus and cortex develop rapidly before birth, and aberrant cerebral maturation during this period may underlie a number of neurodevelopmental disorders. To define functional thalamocortical connectivity at the normal time of birth, we used functional MRI (fMRI) to measure blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals in 66 infants, 47 of whom were at high risk of neurocognitive impairment because of birth before 33 wk of gestation and 19 of whom were term infants. We segmented the thalamus based on correlation with functionally defined cortical components using independent component analysis (ICA) and seed-based correlations. After parcellating the cortex using ICA and segmenting the thalamus based on dominant connections with cortical parcellations, we observed a near-facsimile of the adult functional parcellation. Additional analysis revealed that BOLD signal in heteromodal association cortex typically had more widespread and overlapping thalamic representations than primary sensory cortex. Notably, more extreme prematurity was associated with increased functional connectivity between thalamus and lateral primary sensory cortex but reduced connectivity between thalamus and cortex in the prefrontal, insular and anterior cingulate regions. This work suggests that, in early infancy, functional integration through thalamocortical connections depends on significant functional overlap in the topographic organization of the thalamus and that the experience of premature extrauterine life modulates network development, altering the maturation of networks thought to support salience, executive, integrative, and cognitive functions.

scholarly journals The role of the mesolimbic dopamine system in the formation of blood-oxygen-level dependent responses in the medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex during high-frequency stimulation of the rat perforant pathway

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (12) ◽  
pp. 2177-2193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelia Helbing ◽  
Marta Brocka ◽  
Thomas Scherf ◽  
Michael T Lippert ◽  
Frank Angenstein
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Blood Oxygen ◽  
Oxygen Level ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level

Several human functional magnetic resonance imaging studies point to an activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system during reward, addiction and learning. We previously found activation of the mesolimbic system in response to continuous but not to discontinuous perforant pathway stimulation in an experimental model that we now used to investigate the role of dopamine release for the formation of functional magnetic resonance imaging responses. The two stimulation protocols elicited blood-oxygen-level dependent responses in the medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex and nucleus accumbens. Inhibition of dopamine D1/5 receptors abolished the formation of functional magnetic resonance imaging responses in the medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex during continuous but not during discontinuous pulse stimulations, i.e. only when the mesolimbic system was activated. Direct electrical or optogenetic stimulation of the ventral tegmental area caused strong dopamine release but only electrical stimulation triggered significant blood-oxygen level-dependent responses in the medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex and nucleus accumbens. These functional magnetic resonance imaging responses were not affected by the D1/5 receptor antagonist SCH23390 but reduced by the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK801. Therefore, glutamatergic ventral tegmental area neurons are already sufficient to trigger blood-oxygen-level dependent responses in the medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex and nucleus accumbens. Although dopamine release alone does not affect blood-oxygen-level dependent responses it can act as a switch, permitting the formation of blood-oxygen-level dependent responses.

scholarly journals Analogous responses in the nucleus accumbens and cingulate cortex to pain onset (aversion) and offset (relief) in rats and humans

2013 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 1221-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Becerra ◽  
E. Navratilova ◽  
F. Porreca ◽  
D. Borsook
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Activity Change ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Noxious Heat ◽  
Brain Circuits ◽  
Mechanistic Investigation ◽  
Brain Processing

In humans, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) appears to reflect affective and motivational aspects of pain. The responses of this reward-aversion circuit to relief of pain, however, have not been investigated in detail. Moreover, it is not clear whether brain processing of the affective qualities of pain in animals parallels the mechanisms observed in humans. In the present study, we analyzed fMRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity separately in response to an onset (aversion) and offset (reward) of a noxious heat stimulus to a dorsal part of a limb in both humans and rats. We show that pain onset results in negative activity change in the NAc and pain offset produces positive activity change in the ACC and NAc. These changes were analogous in humans and rats, suggesting that translational studies of brain circuits modulated by pain are plausible and may offer an opportunity for mechanistic investigation of pain and pain relief.

scholarly journals Cognitive control associated with irritability induction: an autobiographical recall fMRI study

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos T. Cerqueira ◽  
Jorge R. C. Almeida ◽  
João R. Sato ◽  
Clarice Gorenstein ◽  
Valentim Gentil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Auditory Presentation ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
Blood Oxygen ◽  
Oxygen Level ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Dependent Signal

OBJECTIVE: Despite the relevance of irritability emotions to the treatment, prognosis and classification of psychiatric disorders, the neurobiological basis of this emotional state has been rarely investigated to date. We assessed the brain circuitry underlying personal script-driven irritability in healthy subjects (n = 11) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. METHOD: Blood oxygen level-dependent signal changes were recorded during auditory presentation of personal scripts of irritability in contrast to scripts of happiness or neutral emotional content. Self-rated emotional measurements and skin conductance recordings were also obtained. Images were acquired using a 1,5T magnetic resonance scanner. Brain activation maps were constructed from individual images, and between-condition differences in the mean power of experimental response were identified by using cluster-wise nonparametric tests. RESULTS: Compared to neutral scripts, increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal during irritability scripts was detected in the left subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, and in the left medial, anterolateral and posterolateral dorsal prefrontal cortex (cluster-wise p-value < 0.05). While the involvement of the subgenual cingulate and dorsal anterolateral prefrontal cortices was unique to the irritability state, increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal in dorsomedial and dorsal posterolateral prefrontal regions were also present during happiness induction. CONCLUSION: Irritability induction is associated with functional changes in a limited set of brain regions previously implicated in the mediation of emotional states. Changes in prefrontal and cingulate areas may be related to effortful cognitive control aspects that gain salience during the emergence of irritability.

scholarly journals Functional anatomy of autobiographical memory recall deficits in depression

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. Young ◽  
K. Erickson ◽  
A. C. Nugent ◽  
S. J. Fromm ◽  
A. G. Mallinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Anatomy ◽  
Hemodynamic Response ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Memory Recall ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Healthy Humans ◽  
Cue Words

BackgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with deficits in recalling specific autobiographical memories (AMs). Extensive research has examined the functional anatomical correlates of AM in healthy humans, but no studies have examined the neurophysiological underpinnings of AM deficits in MDD. The goal of the present study was to examine the differences in the hemodynamic response between patients with MDD and controls while they engage in AM recall.MethodParticipants (12 unmedicated MDD patients; 14 controls) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while recalling AMs in response to positive, negative and neutral cue words. The hemodynamic response during memory recall versus performing subtraction problems was compared between MDD patients and controls. Additionally, a parametric linear analysis examined which regions correlated with increasing arousal ratings.ResultsBehavioral results showed that relative to controls, the patients with MDD had fewer specific (p=0.013), positive (p=0.030), highly arousing (p=0.036) and recent (p=0.020) AMs, and more categorical (p<0.001) AMs. The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response in the parahippocampus and hippocampus was higher for memory recall versus subtraction in controls and lower in those with MDD. Activity in the anterior insula was lower for specific AM recall versus subtraction, with the magnitude of the decrement greater in MDD patients. Activity in the anterior cingulate cortex was positively correlated with arousal ratings in controls but not in patients with MDD.ConclusionsWe replicated previous findings of fewer specific and more categorical AMs in patients with MDD versus controls. We found differential activity in medial temporal and prefrontal lobe structures involved in AM retrieval between MDD patients and controls as they engaged in AM recall. These neurophysiological deficits may underlie AM recall impairments seen in MDD.

scholarly journals Differential patterns of activity and functional connectivity in emotion processing neural circuitry to angry and happy faces in adolescents with and without suicide attempt

2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 2129-2142 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Pan ◽  
S. Hassel ◽  
A. M. Segreti ◽  
S. A. Nau ◽  
D. A. Brent ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Suicide Attempt ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Emotion Processing ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Sensory Cortex ◽  
Lower Activity ◽  
Primary Sensory Cortex ◽  
History Of

BackgroundNeural substrates of emotion dysregulation in adolescent suicide attempters remain unexamined.MethodWe used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neural activity to neutral, mild or intense (i.e. 0%, 50% or 100% intensity) emotion face morphs in two separate emotion-processing runs (angry and happy) in three adolescent groups: (1) history of suicide attempt and depression (ATT, n = 14); (2) history of depression alone (NAT, n = 15); and (3) healthy controls (HC, n = 15). Post-hoc analyses were conducted on interactions from 3 group × 3 condition (intensities) whole-brain analyses (p < 0.05, corrected) for each emotion run.ResultsTo 50% intensity angry faces, ATT showed significantly greater activity than NAT in anterior cingulate gyral–dorsolateral prefrontal cortical attentional control circuitry, primary sensory and temporal cortices; and significantly greater activity than HC in the primary sensory cortex, while NAT had significantly lower activity than HC in the anterior cingulate gyrus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. To neutral faces during the angry emotion-processing run, ATT had significantly lower activity than NAT in the fusiform gyrus. ATT also showed significantly lower activity than HC to 100% intensity happy faces in the primary sensory cortex, and to neutral faces in the happy run in the anterior cingulate and left medial frontal gyri (all p < 0.006,corrected). Psychophysiological interaction analyses revealed significantly reduced anterior cingulate gyral–insula functional connectivity to 50% intensity angry faces in ATT v. NAT or HC.ConclusionsElevated activity in attention control circuitry, and reduced anterior cingulate gyral–insula functional connectivity, to 50% intensity angry faces in ATT than other groups suggest that ATT may show inefficient recruitment of attentional control neural circuitry when regulating attention to mild intensity angry faces, which may represent a potential biological marker for suicide risk.

scholarly journals Altered Task-Evoked Corticolimbic Responsivity in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3630
Author(s):  
Nayoung Kim ◽  
M. Justin Kim
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Size Limits

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is marked by uncontrollable, persistent worry and exaggerated response to uncertainty. Here, we review and summarize the findings from the GAD literature that employs functional neuroimaging methods. In particular, the present review focuses on task-based blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. We find that select brain regions often regarded as a part of a corticolimbic circuit (e.g., amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex) are consistently targeted for a priori hypothesis-driven analyses, which, in turn, shows varying degrees of abnormal BOLD responsivity in GAD. Data-driven whole-brain analyses show the insula and the hippocampus, among other regions, to be affected by GAD, depending on the task used in each individual study. Overall, while the heterogeneity of the tasks and sample size limits the generalizability of the findings thus far, some promising convergence can be observed in the form of the altered BOLD responsivity of the corticolimbic circuitry in GAD.

scholarly journals Expected Valence Predicts Choice in a Recurrent Decision Task

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. Jäger ◽  
Melanie Boltzmann ◽  
Jens D. Rollnik ◽  
Jascha Rüsseler
Keyword(s):  
Learning Experience ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Valence And Arousal ◽  
Future Outcomes ◽  
Affective Information

There is empirical evidence that expected yet not current affect predicts decisions. However, common research designs in affective decision-making show consistent methodological problems (e.g., conceptualization of different emotion concepts; measuring only emotional valence, but not arousal). We developed a gambling task that systematically varied learning experience, average feedback balance and feedback consistency. In Experiment 1 we studied whether predecisional current affect or expected affect predict recurrent gambling responses. Furthermore, we exploratively examined how affective information is represented on a neuronal level in Experiment 2. Expected and current valence and arousal ratings as well as Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) responses were analyzed using a within-subject design. We used a generalized mixed effect model to predict gambling responses with the different affect variables. Results suggest a guiding function of expected valence for decisions. In the anticipation period, we found activity in brain areas previously associated with valence-general processing (e.g., anterior cingulate cortex, nucleus accumbens, thalamus) mostly independent of contextual factors. These findings are discussed in the context of the idea of a valence-general affective work-space, a goal-directed account of emotions, and the hypothesis that current affect might be used to form expectations of future outcomes. In conclusion, expected valence seems to be the best predictor of recurrent decisions in gambling tasks.

scholarly journals Temporal dynamics of the pharmacological MRI response to subanaesthetic ketamine in healthy volunteers: A simultaneous EEG/fMRI study

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca McMillan ◽  
Anna Forsyth ◽  
Doug Campbell ◽  
Gemma Malpas ◽  
Elizabeth Maxwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Blood Oxygen ◽  
Oxygen Level ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Physiological Noise ◽  
Subgenual Anterior Cingulate Cortex

Background: Pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging has been used to investigate the neural effects of subanaesthetic ketamine in healthy volunteers. However, the effect of ketamine has been modelled with a single time course and without consideration of physiological noise. Aims: This study aimed to investigate ketamine-induced alterations in resting neural activity using conventional pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging analysis techniques with physiological noise correction, and a novel analysis utilising simultaneously recorded electroencephalography data. Methods: Simultaneous electroencephalography/functional magnetic resonance imaging and physiological data were collected from 30 healthy male participants before and during a subanaesthetic intravenous ketamine infusion. Results: Consistent with previous literature, we show widespread cortical blood-oxygen-level dependent signal increases and decreased blood-oxygen-level dependent signals in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex following ketamine. However, the latter effect was attenuated by the inclusion of motion regressors and physiological correction in the model. In a novel analysis, we modelled the pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging response with the power time series of seven electroencephalography frequency bands. This showed evidence for distinct temporal time courses of neural responses to ketamine. No electroencephalography power time series correlated with decreased blood-oxygen-level dependent signal in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. Conclusions: We suggest the decrease in blood-oxygen-level dependent signals in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex typically seen in the literature is the result of physiological noise, in particular cardiac pulsatility. Furthermore, modelling the pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging response with a single temporal model does not completely capture the full spectrum of neuronal dynamics. The use of electroencephalography regressors to model the response can increase confidence that the pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging is directly related to underlying neural activity.

scholarly journals Gain control explains the effect of distraction in human perceptual, cognitive, and economic decision making

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (38) ◽  
pp. E8825-E8834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vickie Li ◽  
Elizabeth Michael ◽  
Jan Balaguer ◽  
Santiago Herce Castañón ◽  
Christopher Summerfield
Keyword(s):  
Flanker Task ◽  
Gain Control ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Decision Variable ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Tilt Illusion ◽  
Economic Decision Making ◽  
Behavioral Phenomena ◽  
Decoy Effects

When making decisions, humans are often distracted by irrelevant information. Distraction has a different impact on perceptual, cognitive, and value-guided choices, giving rise to well-described behavioral phenomena such as the tilt illusion, conflict adaptation, or economic decoy effects. However, a single, unified model that can account for all these phenomena has yet to emerge. Here, we offer one such account, based on adaptive gain control, and additionally show that it successfully predicts a range of counterintuitive new behavioral phenomena on variants of a classic cognitive paradigm, the Eriksen flanker task. We also report that blood oxygen level-dependent signals in a dorsal network prominently including the anterior cingulate cortex index a gain-modulated decision variable predicted by the model. This work unifies the study of distraction across perceptual, cognitive, and economic domains.

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