scholarly journals Left Hippocampus to Anterior Cingulate Cortex Connectivity Correlates with Worse Recent Verbal Memory in Pornography Addicted Juveniles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pukovisa Prawiroharjo ◽  
Rizki Edmi Edison ◽  
Hainah Ellydar ◽  
Peter Pratama ◽  
Sitti Evangeline Imelda Suaidy ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackground and aimsImperil by the convenience of information and knowledge access, children exposed to pornography have worsened. As such, this study aims to gain insight into brain connectivity and cognitive function effect of pornography addiction in juveniles, as the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to specifically learn about memory function in juvenile’s pornography addiction.MethodsWe screened 30 juveniles with 4 dropouts (13 non-addiction vs 13 addiction group). Subjects underwent neuropsychiatric tests (memory, attention, and intelligence) and fMRI image acquisition. We carried correlation analysis of brain connectivity and neuropsychiatric test results.ResultsSignificant disconnection between left hippocampus to ACC (Z-transformed r-value, non-addiction vs addiction = 0.07 ± 0.19 vs −0.08 ± 0.17, p=0.04, cohen d=0.83) followed by worse verbal recent memory in pornography addicted juveniles (RAVLT A6 sub-score, p < 0.01, d=0.67; A7 sub-score, p=0.01). Attention and intelligence test resulted to insignificant correlation.DiscussionThis data-driven analysis result strongly promotes the involvement of cortico-subcortical systems in pornography addiction, emphasizing the role of reward system pathology, indifferent to addiction pathophysiology in general. Decline in working memory, which are maintained by corticolimbic network, including hippocampus and ACC, affects goal-oriented behaviour greatly. This, correspond to our significant result of addiction group’s decline in memory, regardless of its association with attention and intelligence.ConclusionDisconnection between left hippocampus to ACC suggested similar neurobiological abnormalities as seen on other addictive disorders. Its disconnection was also correlated with worse verbal recent memory in pornography addicted juveniles, without affecting attention and intelligence, results showed.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adi Kol ◽  
Adar Adamsky ◽  
Maya Groysman ◽  
Tirzah Kreisel ◽  
Michael London ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe consolidation and retrieval of remote memories depend on the coordinated activity of the hippocampus and frontal cortices. However, the exact time at which these regions are recruited to support memory and the interactions between them are still debated. Astrocytes can sense and modify neuronal activity with great precision, but their role in cognitive function has not been extensively explored. To investigate the role of astrocytes in remote memory we expressed the Gi-coupled receptor hM4Di in CA1 astrocytes, allowing their manipulation by a designer drug. We discovered that astrocytic modulation during learning resulted in a specific impairment in remote, but not recent, memory recall, accompanied by decreased neuronal activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during retrieval. We revealed a massive recruitment of ACC-projecting neurons in CA1 during memory acquisition, accompanied by activation of ACC neurons. Astrocytic Gi activation disrupted CA3 to CA1 communication in-vivo, and reduced the downstream response in the ACC. This same manipulation in behaving mice induced a projection-specific inhibition of ACC-projecting CA1 neurons during learning, consequently preventing the recruitment of the ACC. Our findings suggest that the foundation of remote memory is established in the ACC during acquisition, engaging a distinct process from the one supporting consolidation of recent memory. Furthermore, the mechanism underlying remote memory involves projection-specific functions of astrocytes in regulating neuronal activity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Martinez-Torres ◽  
Araceli Bergada-Martinez ◽  
Jorge Ortega ◽  
Lorena Galera-Lopez ◽  
Arnau Hervera Abad ◽  
...  

Peripheral inputs to the brain continuously shape its function and adjust non-emotional memory, but the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Cannabinoid type-1 receptors (CB1Rs), widely distributed in the organism, are well recognized players in memory performance and their systemic modulation significantly influence memory function. By assessing non-emotional memory in mice, we found a relevant role of peripheral CB1R in memory persistence. Indeed, peripherally restricted CB1R antagonist AM6545 showed a mnemonic effect occluded in adrenalectomized mice, after peripheral adrenergic blockade, or when vagus nerve was chemogenetically inhibited. Genetic CB1R deletion in dopamine β-hydroxylase-expressing cells enhanced memory persistence, supporting a role of peripheral CB1Rs modulating the adrenergic tone. Notably, while brain connectivity was slightly affected by peripheral CB1R inhibition, locus coeruleus activity and extracellular norepinephrine in the hippocampus, were increased, and intra-hippocampal β-adrenergic blockade prevented AM6545 mnemonic effects. Together, we disclose a novel peripheral mechanism relevant for non-emotional memory persistence modulation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Schreiner ◽  
Marit Petzka ◽  
Tobias Staudigl ◽  
Bernhard P. Staresina

AbstractSleep is thought to support memory consolidation via reactivation of prior experiences, with particular electrophysiological sleep signatures (slow oscillations (SOs) and sleep spindles) gating the information flow between relevant brain areas. However, empirical evidence for a role of endogenous memory reactivation (i.e., without experimentally delivered memory cues) for consolidation in humans is lacking. Here, we devised a paradigm in which participants acquired associative memories before taking a nap. Multivariate decoding was then used to capture endogenous memory reactivation during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in surface EEG recordings. Our results reveal reactivation of learning material during SO-spindle complexes, with the precision of SO-spindle coupling predicting reactivation strength. Critically, reactivation strength (i.e. classifier evidence in favor of the previously studied stimulus category) in turn predicts the level of consolidation across participants. These results elucidate the memory function of sleep in humans and emphasize the importance of SOs and spindles in clocking endogenous consolidation processes.


Author(s):  
Tiffany C. Ho ◽  
Anthony J. Gifuni ◽  
Ian H. Gotlib

AbstractSuicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. While clinicians and researchers have begun to recognize the importance of considering multidimensional factors in understanding risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) during this developmental period, the role of puberty has been largely ignored. In this review, we contend that the hormonal events that occur during puberty have significant effects on the organization and development of brain systems implicated in the regulation of social stressors, including amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. Guided by previous experimental work in adults, we also propose that the influence of pubertal hormones and social stressors on neural systems related to risk for STBs is especially critical to consider in adolescents with a neurobiological sensitivity to hormonal changes. Furthermore, facets of the pubertal transition, such as pubertal timing, warrant deeper investigation and may help us gain a more comprehensive understanding of sex differences in the neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms underlying adolescent STBs. Ultimately, advancing our understanding of the pubertal processes that contribute to suicide risk will improve early detection and facilitate the development of more effective, sex-specific, psychiatric interventions for adolescents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schaefer ◽  
Anja Kühnel ◽  
Franziska Rumpel ◽  
Matti Gärtner

AbstractPrevious research revealed an active network of brain areas such as insula and anterior cingulate cortex when witnessing somebody else in pain and feeling empathy. But numerous studies also suggested a role of the somatosensory cortices for state and trait empathy. While recent studies highlight the role of the observer’s primary somatosensory cortex when seeing painful or nonpainful touch, the interaction of somatosensory cortex activity with empathy when receiving touch on the own body is unknown. The current study examines the relationship of touch related somatosensory cortex activity with dispositional empathy by employing an fMRI approach. Participants were touched on the palm of the hand either by the hand of an experimenter or by a rubber hand. We found that the BOLD responses in the primary somatosensory cortex were associated with empathy personality traits personal distress and perspective taking. This relationship was observed when participants were touched both with the experimenter’s real hand or a rubber hand. What is the reason for this link between touch perception and trait empathy? We argue that more empathic individuals may express stronger attention both to other’s human perceptions as well as to the own sensations. In this way, higher dispositional empathy levels might enhance tactile processing by top-down processes. We discuss possible implications of these findings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-422
Author(s):  
Xiao Xiao ◽  
Ming Ding ◽  
Yu-Qiu Zhang

1998 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 987-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi D. Ling ◽  
Michael J. Selby

Previous assessment of memory function In multiple sclerosis patients has yielded mixed findings regarding the type and severity of memory deficits, which may be due to (1) differential selection of scales for memory assessment; (2) limited, inconsistent or weak reliability and validity data for the memory scales employed; (3) poor standardization techniques; (4) lack of theoretical foundation for the measure; and (5) limited control of confounding variables, e.g., education, age and the use of nonverbal memory tests. The purpose of the present study was to assess memory function in multiple sclerosis subjects using the verbal subtests of the Memory Assessment Scale, a relatively new measure designed to overcome many of the aforementioned problems. Participants included 57 patients diagnosed as relapsing-remitting, 47 diagnosed as chronic progressive (two generally recognized types of multiple sclerosis), and 132 contra) participants. A multivariate analysis controlling for age and verbal IQ was significant (Wilks = 5.64, p<.001). One way follow-up tests showed both groups with multiple sclerosis had significantly diminished performance across all memory variables when compared with controls, with the exception of List Clustering Acquisition. This indicated that the patients used clustering (mentally grouping similar words together) as often as controls did. These findings provide support for the presence of significant and consistent verbal memory impairment in multiple sclerosis patients and the particular importance of using psychometrically sound measures in the assessment of this population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Behzad S. Khorashad ◽  
Amirhossein Manzouri ◽  
Jamie D. Feusner ◽  
Ivanka Savic

AbstractReferrals for gender dysphoria (GD), characterized by a distressful incongruence between gender identity and at-birth assigned sex, are steadily increasing. The underlying neurobiology, and the mechanisms of the often-beneficial cross-sex hormone treatment are unknown. Here, we test hypothesis that own body perception networks (incorporated in the default mode network—DMN, and partly in the salience network—SN), are different in trans-compared with cis-gender persons. We also investigate whether these networks change with cross-sex hormone treatment. Forty transmen (TrM) and 25 transwomen (TrW) were scanned before and after cross-sex hormone institution. We used our own developed Body Morph test (BM), to assess the perception of own body as self. Fifteen cisgender persons were controls. Within and between-group differences in functional connectivity were calculated using independent components analysis within the DMN, SN, and motor network (a control network). Pretreatment, TrM and TrW scored lower “self” on the BM test than controls. Their functional connections were weaker in the anterior cingulate-, mesial prefrontal-cortex (mPFC), precuneus, the left angular gyrus, and superior parietal cortex of the DMN, and ACC in the SN “Self” identification and connectivity in the mPFC in both TrM and TrW increased from scan 1 to 2, and at scan 2 no group differences remained. The neurobiological underpinnings of GD seem subserved by cerebral structures composing major parts of the DMN.


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