scholarly journals Evidence for a Large-Scale Brain System Supporting Allostasis and Interoception in Humans

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian R. Kleckner ◽  
Jiahe Zhang ◽  
Alexandra Touroutoglou ◽  
Lorena Chanes ◽  
Chenjie Xia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The Body ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Tract Tracing ◽  
Artificial Boundary ◽  
Epic Model ◽  
Analogous System ◽  
Mind And Body

Abstract:Large-scale intrinsic brain systems have been identified for exteroceptive senses (e.g., sight, hearing, touch). We introduce an analogous system for representing sensations from within the body, called interoception, and demonstrate its relation to regulating peripheral systems in the body, called allostasis. Employing the recently introduced Embodied Predictive Interoception Coding (EPIC) model, we used tract-tracing studies of macaque monkeys, followed by two intrinsic functional magnetic resonance imaging samples (N= 280 andN= 270) to evaluate the existence of an intrinsic allostatic/interoceptive system in the human brain. Another sample (N= 41) allowed us to evaluate the convergent validity of the hypothesized allostatic/interoceptive system by showing that individuals with stronger connectivity between system hubs performed better on an implicit index of interoceptive ability related to autonomic fluctuations. Implications include novel insights for the brain’s functional architecture, dissolving the artificial boundary between mind and body, and unifying mental and physical illness.

scholarly journals Somatotopic Arrangement of the Human Primary Somatosensory Cortex Derived From Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. R. Willoughby ◽  
Kristina Thoenes ◽  
Mark Bolding
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
The Body ◽  
Primary Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Entire Body ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to estimate neuronal activity in the primary somatosensory cortex of six participants undergoing cutaneous tactile stimulation on skin areas spread across the entire body. Differences between the accepted somatotopic maps derived from Penfield's work and those generated by this fMRI study were sought, including representational transpositions or replications across the cortex. MR-safe pneumatic devices mimicking the action of a Wartenberg wheel supplied touch stimuli in eight areas. Seven were on the left side of the body: foot, lower, and upper leg, trunk beneath ribcage, anterior forearm, middle fingertip, and neck above the collarbone. The eighth area was the glabella. Activation magnitude was estimated as the maximum cross-correlation coefficient at a certain phase shift between ideal time series and measured blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) time courses on the cortical surface. Maximally correlated clusters associated with each cutaneous area were calculated, and cortical magnification factors were estimated. Activity correlated to lower limb stimulation was observed in the paracentral lobule and superomedial postcentral region. Correlations to upper extremity stimulation were observed in the postcentral area adjacent to the motor hand knob. Activity correlated to trunk, face and neck stimulation was localized in the superomedial one-third of the postcentral region, which differed from Penfield's cortical homunculus.

MRI-Compatible Haptic Stimuli Delivery Systems for Investigating Neural Substrates of Touch

2016 ◽  
pp. 236-248
Author(s):  
Jiabin Yu ◽  
Zhiwei Wu ◽  
Jiajia Yang ◽  
Jinglong Wu
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Rehabilitation Program ◽  
Tactile Perception ◽  
The Body ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been widely used to study human tactile perception. To reveal many unsolved problems to human tactile perception, developing complex and fMRI-compatible stimulation devices are crucial for tactile perception research. These stimulation devices, combined with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), can assist researchers in analyzing human brain activity. Through analyzing human brain activity, researchers can clarify how the human brain controls the body. Meanwhile, these device scan provide the best rehabilitation program for patients. This chapter presents previous fMRI-compatible stimulation devices, including texture stimulation, shape stimulation, vibrotactile stimulation, etc., which involve the hands, face, ears, legs and other parts of the body. In this chapter, we examine the design of the devices in greater detail. Finally, we summarize the characteristics of these devices and create an outlook for future fMRI-compatible devices.

scholarly journals Segregation of default mode from frontoparietal system protects against smoking lapse

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Lydon-Staley ◽  
R. Ross MacLean ◽  
Emily B. Falk ◽  
Danielle S Bassett ◽  
Stephen Jeffrey Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Smoking Abstinence ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Default Mode ◽  
Quitting Smoking ◽  
Smoking Lapse

Quitting smoking is notoriously difficult. Models of nicotine dependence posit that deficits in cognitive control contribute to failures to maintain smoking abstinence during smoking cessation attempts. We examine the role for large-scale functional brain systems associated with cognitive control in smoking lapse. We use data from 70, five-minute functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans in 17 daily smokers (5 female) undergoing a smoking lapse paradigm after 12 hours of smoking abstinence. Cox regression results indicate that decreased segregation of the default mode system from the frontoparietal system undermine the ability to resist smoking. Results lend support to the hypothesis that large-scale functional brain systems associated with cognitive control are implicated in smoking lapse behavior and point to the importance of cognitive control as a mechanism underlying smoking relapse.

scholarly journals Anterior insular cortex plays a critical role in interoceptive attention

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingchao Wang ◽  
Qiong Wu ◽  
Laura Egan ◽  
Xiaosi Gu ◽  
Pinan Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physiological Signals ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Discrimination Accuracy ◽  
Anterior Insular Cortex ◽  
Interoceptive Accuracy ◽  
Healthy Participants

AbstractAlthough accumulating evidence indicates that the anterior insular cortex (AIC) mediates interoceptive attention, which refers the attention towards physiological signals arising from the body, the necessity of the AIC in this process has not been demonstrated. Using a novel task that directs attention toward breathing rhythm, we assessed the involvement of the AIC in interoceptive attention in healthy participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging and examined the necessity of the AIC in interoceptive attention in patients with AIC lesions. We found that interoceptive attention was associated with greater AIC activation, as well as enhanced coupling between the AIC and somatosensory area along with reduced coupling between AIC and visual sensory areas. AIC activation and connectivity were predictive of individual differences in interoceptive accuracy. Importantly, AIC lesion patients showed disrupted interoceptive discrimination accuracy and sensitivity. Together, these results provide compelling evidence that AIC plays a critical role in interoceptive attention.

scholarly journals Learning to read recycles visual cortical networks without destruction

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. eaax0262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexis Hervais-Adelman ◽  
Uttam Kumar ◽  
Ramesh K. Mishra ◽  
Viveka N. Tripathi ◽  
Anupam Guleria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Object Representation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Visual Word Form Area ◽  
Cortical Responses ◽  
Visual Areas ◽  
Visual Cortical

Learning to read is associated with the appearance of an orthographically sensitive brain region known as the visual word form area. It has been claimed that development of this area proceeds by impinging upon territory otherwise available for the processing of culturally relevant stimuli such as faces and houses. In a large-scale functional magnetic resonance imaging study of a group of individuals of varying degrees of literacy (from completely illiterate to highly literate), we examined cortical responses to orthographic and nonorthographic visual stimuli. We found that literacy enhances responses to other visual input in early visual areas and enhances representational similarity between text and faces, without reducing the extent of response to nonorthographic input. Thus, acquisition of literacy in childhood recycles existing object representation mechanisms but without destructive competition.

scholarly journals Anterior insular cortex plays a critical role in interoceptive attention

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingchao Wang ◽  
Qiong Wu ◽  
Laura Egan ◽  
Xiaosi Gu ◽  
Pinan Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
The Body ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Discrimination Accuracy ◽  
Anterior Insular Cortex ◽  
Interoceptive Accuracy ◽  
Healthy Participants ◽  
Somatosensory Areas

Accumulating evidence indicates that the anterior insular cortex (AIC) mediates interoceptive attention which refers to attention towards physiological signals arising from the body. However, the necessity of the AIC in this process has not been demonstrated. Using a novel task that directs attention toward breathing rhythm, we assessed the involvement of the AIC in interoceptive attention in healthy participants using functional magnetic resonance imaging and examined the necessity of the AIC in interoceptive attention in patients with AIC lesions. Results showed that interoceptive attention was associated with increased AIC activation, as well as enhanced coupling between the AIC and somatosensory areas along with reduced coupling between the AIC and visual sensory areas. In addition, AIC activation was predictive of individual differences in interoceptive accuracy. Importantly, AIC lesion patients showed disrupted interoceptive discrimination accuracy and sensitivity. These results provide compelling evidence that the AIC plays a critical role in interoceptive attention.

scholarly journals Contribution of Exploratory Methods to the Investigation of Extended Large-Scale Brain Networks in Functional MRI: Methodologies, Results, and Challenges

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Perlbarg ◽  
G. Marrelec
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Blood Oxygen ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level ◽  
Functional Interactions ◽  
Efficient Exploration

A large-scale brain network can be defined as a set of segregated and integrated regions, that is, distant regions that share strong anatomical connections and functional interactions. Data-driven investigation of such networks has recently received a great deal of attention in blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We here review the rationale for such an investigation, the methods used, the results obtained, and also discuss some issues that have to be faced for an efficient exploration.

scholarly journals Humans use forward thinking to exploit social controllability

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soojung Na ◽  
Dongil Chung ◽  
Andreas Hula ◽  
Ofer Perl ◽  
Jennifer Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Profound Impact ◽  
Downstream Effects

The controllability of our social environment has a profound impact on our behavior and mental health. Nevertheless, neurocomputational mechanisms underlying social controllability remain elusive. Here, 48 participants performed a task where their current choices either did (Controllable), or did not (Uncontrollable), influence partners’ future proposals. Computational modeling revealed that people engaged a mental model of forward thinking (FT; i.e., calculating the downstream effects of current actions) to estimate social controllability in both Controllable and Uncontrollable conditions. A large-scale online replication study (n=1342) supported this finding. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (n=48), we further demonstrated that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) computed the projected total values of current actions during forward planning, supporting the neural realization of the forward-thinking model. These findings demonstrate that humans use vmPFC-dependent FT to estimate and exploit social controllability, expanding the role of this neurocomputational mechanism beyond spatial and cognitive contexts.

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