scholarly journals The neural circuitry underlying the “rhythm effect” in stuttering

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saul A. Frankford ◽  
Elizabeth S. Heller Murray ◽  
Matthew Masapollo ◽  
Shanqing Cai ◽  
Jason A. Tourville ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Normal Condition ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Timing System ◽  
Speech Planning ◽  
Rhythmic Task ◽  
Adults Who Stutter ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Auditory Feedback Control

AbstractPurposeStuttering is characterized by intermittent speech disfluencies which are dramatically reduced when speakers synchronize their speech with a steady beat. The goal of this study was to characterize the neural underpinnings of this phenomenon using functional magnetic resonance imaging.MethodData were collected from 17 adults who stutter and 17 adults who do not stutter while they read sentences aloud either in a normal, self-paced fashion or paced by the beat of a series of isochronous tones (“rhythmic”). Task activation and task-based functional connectivity analyses were carried out to compare neural responses between speaking conditions and groups.ResultsAdults who stutter produced fewer disfluent trials in the rhythmic condition than in the normal condition. While adults who do not stutter had greater activation in the rhythmic condition compared to the normal condition in regions associated with speech planning, auditory feedback control, and timing perception, adults who stutter did not have any significant changes. However, adults who stutter demonstrated increased functional connectivity between bilateral inferior cerebellum and bilateral orbitofrontal cortex as well as increased connectivity among cerebellar regions during rhythmic speech as compared to normal speech.ConclusionModulation of connectivity in the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex during rhythmic speech suggests that this fluency-inducing technique activates a compensatory timing system in the cerebellum and potentially modulates top-down motor control and attentional systems. These findings corroborate previous work associating the cerebellum with fluency in adults who stutter and indicate that the cerebellum may be targeted to enhance future therapeutic interventions.

scholarly journals The Neural Circuitry Underlying the “Rhythm Effect” in Stuttering

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Saul A. Frankford ◽  
Elizabeth S. Heller Murray ◽  
Matthew Masapollo ◽  
Shanqing Cai ◽  
Jason A. Tourville ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Normal Condition ◽  
Speaking Rate ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Timing System ◽  
Rhythmic Task ◽  
Adults Who Stutter ◽  
Neural Underpinnings

Purpose Stuttering is characterized by intermittent speech disfluencies, which are dramatically reduced when speakers synchronize their speech with a steady beat. The goal of this study was to characterize the neural underpinnings of this phenomenon using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Method Data were collected from 16 adults who stutter and 17 adults who do not stutter while they read sentences aloud either in a normal, self-paced fashion or paced by the beat of a series of isochronous tones (“rhythmic”). Task activation and task-based functional connectivity analyses were carried out to compare neural responses between speaking conditions and groups after controlling for speaking rate. Results Adults who stutter produced fewer disfluent trials in the rhythmic condition than in the normal condition. Adults who stutter did not have any significant changes in activation between the rhythmic condition and the normal condition, but when groups were collapsed, participants had greater activation in the rhythmic condition in regions associated with speech sequencing, sensory feedback control, and timing perception. Adults who stutter also demonstrated increased functional connectivity among cerebellar regions during rhythmic speech as compared to normal speech and decreased connectivity between the left inferior cerebellum and the left prefrontal cortex. Conclusions Modulation of connectivity in the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex during rhythmic speech suggests that this fluency-inducing technique activates a compensatory timing system in the cerebellum and potentially modulates top-down motor control and attentional systems. These findings corroborate previous work associating the cerebellum with fluency in adults who stutter and indicate that the cerebellum may be targeted to enhance future therapeutic interventions. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14417681

scholarly journals Exploring the transition into fatherhood: behavioral, hormonal, and neural underpinnings of responses to infant crying

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Alyousefi-van Dijk ◽  
Sandra Thijssen ◽  
Anna Elisabeth van 't Veer ◽  
Renate S. M. Buisman ◽  
Marinus H. van IJzendoorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Paternal Care ◽  
Longitudinal Design ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Postnatal Period ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Parental Sensitivity ◽  
Infant Crying ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
First Time

In the present hypothesis generating study, behavioral and neural responses to infant crying, as well as paternal hormone levels, were measured in both the prenatal and early postnatal period. Using a longitudinal design, we investigated parental sensitivity, handgrip force, and neural activation in response to infant crying sounds, in addition to testosterone baseline levels, in 25 first-time fathers. We describe the extent to which these aspects of paternal care are related across the perinatal period. The current exploratory study adds to the understudied field of early paternal care by making recommendations, and proposing hypotheses for future studies.

Neural responses during down-regulation of negative emotion in patients with recently diagnosed bipolar disorder and their unaffected relatives

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Hanne Lie Kjærstad ◽  
Julian Macoveanu ◽  
Gitte Moos Knudsen ◽  
Sophia Frangou ◽  
K. Luan Phan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Down Regulation

Abstract Background Aberrant emotion regulation has been posited as a putative endophenotype of bipolar disorder (BD). We therefore aimed to compare the neural responses during voluntary down-regulation of negative emotions in a large functional magnetic resonance imaging study of BD, patients' unaffected first-degree relatives (URs), and healthy controls (HCs). Methods We compared neural activity and fronto-limbic functional connectivity during emotion regulation in response to aversive v. neutral pictures in patients recently diagnosed with BD (n = 78) in full/partial remission, their URs (n = 35), and HCs (n = 56). Results Patients showed hypo-activity in the left dorsomedial, dorsolateral, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (DMPFC and DLPFC) during emotion regulation while viewing aversive pictures compared to HCs, with URs displaying intermediate neural activity in these regions. There were no significant differences between patients with BD and HCs in functional connectivity from the amygdala during emotion regulation. However, exploratory analysis indicated that URs displayed more negative amygdala–DMPFC coupling compared with HCs and more negative amygdala-cingulate DLPFC coupling compared to patients with BD. At a behavioral level, patients and their URs were less able to dampen negative emotions in response aversive pictures. Conclusions The findings point to deficient recruitment of prefrontal resources and more negative fronto-amygdala coupling as neural markers of impaired emotion regulation in recently diagnosed remitted patients with BD and their URs, respectively.

scholarly journals Effect of Age in Auditory Go/No-Go Tasks: A Magnetoencephalographic Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Mei-Yin Lin ◽  
Chia-Hsiung Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Source Imaging ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Response inhibition is frequently examined using visual go/no-go tasks. Recently, the auditory go/no-go paradigm has been also applied to several clinical and aging populations. However, age-related changes in the neural underpinnings of auditory go/no-go tasks are yet to be elucidated. We used magnetoencephalography combined with distributed source imaging methods to examine age-associated changes in neural responses to auditory no-go stimuli. Additionally, we compared the performance of high- and low-performing older adults to explore differences in cortical activation. Behavioral performance in terms of response inhibition was similar in younger and older adult groups. Relative to the younger adults, the older adults exhibited reduced cortical activation in the superior and middle temporal gyrus. However, we did not find any significant differences in cortical activation between the high- and low-performing older adults. Our results therefore support the hypothesis that inhibition is reduced during aging. The variation in cognitive performance among older adults confirms the need for further study on the underlying mechanisms of inhibition.

scholarly journals Delineating the social valuation network in adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 1159-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poornima Kumar ◽  
Angela Pisoni ◽  
Erin Bondy ◽  
Rebecca Kremens ◽  
Paris Singleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peer Acceptance ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Peer Evaluation ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Social Decisions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Peer Approval ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Social Decision Making

Abstract Adolescents strive for peer approval, and an increased sensitivity to peers’ opinions is normative. However, among vulnerable adolescents, peer evaluation can be detrimental, contributing to affective disorders. It is, therefore, critical to improve our understanding of neural underpinnings of peer evaluation. Prior research has investigated averaged neural responses to peer acceptance or rejection, neglecting to probe trial-by-trial computations that mirror real-time updating of daily activities. In non-social decision-making, a common neural valuation system centered on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has emerged, which evaluates different reward types on a common scale to guide choices. However, it is unclear whether the mPFC also tracks complex social scenarios involving peer feedback. To address this gap, we acquired fMRI data from 55 healthy adolescents during the Chatroom Task, which probes peer evaluation, and implemented a computational approach to characterize trial-by-trial social value, thereby allowing us to interrogate the neural correlates of social value. Consistent with our hypothesis, social value signals were encoded in the mPFC. Interestingly, analyses also revealed a wider social-specific valuation network including the precuneus and amygdala. Understanding how adolescents make social decisions and neural markers associated with it, may, ultimately, help us clarify promising targets for intervention.

Effects of Neural Mechanisms of Pretask Resting EEG Alpha Information on Situational Awareness: A Functional Connectivity Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1150-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ardaman Kaur ◽  
Rishu Chaujar ◽  
Vijayakumar Chinnadurai
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Stroop Effect ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Emotion And Memory ◽  
Neural Underpinnings

Objective In this study, the influence of pretask resting neural mechanisms on situational awareness (SA)-task is studied. Background Pretask electroencephalography (EEG) information and Stroop effect are known to influence task engagement independently. However, neural mechanisms of pretask resting absolute alpha (PRAA) and pretask resting alpha frontal asymmetry (PRAFA) in influencing SA-task which is undergoing Stroop effect is still not understood. Method The study involved pretask resting EEG measurements from 18 healthy individuals followed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) acquisition during SA-task. To understand the effect of pretask alpha information and Stroop effect on SA, a robust correlation between mean reaction time, SA Index, PRAA, and PRAFA were assessed. Furthermore, neural underpinnings of PRAA, PRAFA in SA-task, and functional connectivity were analyzed through the EEG-informed fMRI approach. Results Significant robust correlation of reaction time was observed with SA Index (Pearson: r = .50, pcorr = .05) and PRAFA (Pearson: r = .63; pcorr = .01), respectively. Similarly, SA Index significantly correlated with PRAFA (Pearson: r = .56, pcorr = .01; Spearman: r = .61, pcorr = .007), and PRAA (Pearson: r = .59, pcorr = .005; Spearman: r = .59, pcorr = .002). Neural underpinnings of SA-task revealed regions involved in visual-processing and higher-order cognition. PRAA was primarily underpinned at frontal-temporal areas and functionally connected to SA-task regions pertaining to the emotional regulation. PRAFA has correlated with limbic and parietal regions, which are involved in integration of visual, emotion, and memory information of SA-task. Conclusion The results suggest a strong association of reaction time with SA-task and PRAFA and strongly support the hypothesis that PRAFA, PRAA, and associated neural mechanisms significantly influence the outcome of SA-task. Application It is beneficial to study the effect of pretask resting information on SA-task to improve SA.

scholarly journals Morality recruits neural reward circuitry to shape economic decision making

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Liu ◽  
Xiaoxuan Huang ◽  
Chong Liao ◽  
Fang Cui
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Investment Decision ◽  
Investment Project ◽  
Outcome Evaluation ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Economic Decision ◽  
Reward Circuitry ◽  
Economic Decision Making ◽  
Moral Valence

AbstractThe present study combined a novel hypothetical investment game with functional magnetic resonance imaging systemtically examined how morality modulates economic decision making in decision phase and outcome phase. We manipulated the morality of the investments by choosing each investment project based on subjective ratings on their moral valence and social benefits. There were three categories of investment morality: Green (moral), Red (immoral), and Neutral. The behavioral and neural responses during the investment decision and outcome phases were recorded and compared. Results showed that: behaviorally, people are willing to invest a larger amount of money into a moral project that may benefit society than they are into an immoral project that they think will harm society. They also rate gains in moral investments as more pleasant and losses as the most unpleasant. In the brain, we found that the reward system, especially the bilateral striatum, was involved in modulating functional connectivity during both phases, but in different ways. During decision making, the functional connectivity between fusiform gyrus and striatum might underlie the observed investing bias (Green over Red projects), while the covariation of BOLD signals in bilateral striatum with the behavioral tendency might explain the effect observed during the outcome evaluations. Our study provides evidence that morality modulates both the decision making and the outcome evaluation in economic situations.

scholarly journals Fronto-striatal Functional Connectivity Supports Reward-Enhanced Memory in Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly J. Bowen ◽  
Jaclyn H. Ford ◽  
Cheryl L. Grady ◽  
Julia Spaniol
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
High Reward ◽  
Neural Underpinnings

AbstractBoth younger and older adults prioritize reward-associated stimuli in memory, but there has been little research on possible age differences in the neural mechanisms mediating this effect. In the current study, we examine neural activation and functional connectivity in healthy younger and older adults to test the hypothesis that older adults would engage prefrontal regions to a greater extent in the service of reward-enhanced memory. While undergoing MRI, target stimuli were presented after high or low-reward cues. The cues indicated the reward value for successfully recognizing the stimulus on a memory test 24-hours later. We replicated prior findings that both older and younger and adults had better memory for high compared to low-reward stimuli. Critically, in older, but not younger adults, this enhanced subsequent memory for high-reward items was supported by greater connectivity between the caudate and bilateral inferior frontal gyrus. The findings add to the growing literature on motivation-cognition interactions in healthy aging, and provide novel evidence of an age-related shift in the neural underpinnings of reward-motivated encoding.

scholarly journals Blunted Neural Reward Responsiveness and Recent Suicidal Ideation in Children and Adolescents: Failure to Replicate Across Two Independent Samples

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin J. Gallyer ◽  
Kreshnik Burani ◽  
Elizabeth M. Mulligan ◽  
Nicholas Santopetro ◽  
Sean P. Dougherty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Reward Responsiveness ◽  
Large Samples ◽  
Reward Positivity ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors

AbstractA recent study by Tsypes, Owens, and Gibb (2019) found that children with recent suicidal ideation had blunted neural reward processing, as measured by the reward positivity (RewP), compared to matched controls, and that this difference was driven by reduced neural responses to monetary loss, rather than blunted neural response to monetary reward. Here, we aimed to conceptually replicate and extend these findings in two large samples of children and adolescents (n = 275 and n = 235). Results from our conceptual replication found no evidence that children and adolescents with suicidal ideation have abnormal reward or loss processing. We extended these findings in a longitudinal sample of children and adolescents with two time points and found no evidence that reward- or loss-related ERPs predict changes in suicidal ideation. The results highlight the need for greater statistical power, and continued research examining the neural underpinnings of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

scholarly journals Ayres Theories of Autism and Sensory Integration Revisited: What Contemporary Neuroscience Has to Say

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Kilroy ◽  
Lisa Aziz-Zadeh ◽  
Sharon Cermak
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Sensory Integration ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

Abnormal sensory-based behaviors are a defining feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Dr. A. Jean Ayres was the first occupational therapist to conceptualize Sensory Integration (SI) theories and therapies to address these deficits. Her work was based on neurological knowledge of the 1970’s. Since then, advancements in neuroimaging techniques make it possible to better understand the brain areas that may underlie sensory processing deficits in ASD. In this article, we explore the postulates proposed by Ayres (i.e., registration, modulation, motivation) through current neuroimaging literature. To this end, we review the neural underpinnings of sensory processing and integration in ASD by examining the literature on neurophysiological responses to sensory stimuli in individuals with ASD as well as structural and network organization using a variety of neuroimaging techniques. Many aspects of Ayres’ hypotheses about the nature of the disorder were found to be highly consistent with current literature on sensory processing in children with ASD but there are some discrepancies across various methodological techniques and ASD development. With additional characterization, neurophysiological profiles of sensory processing in ASD may serve as valuable biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring of therapeutic interventions, such as SI therapy.

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