Cognitive modeling informs interpretation of go/no-go task-related neural activations and their links to externalizing psychopathology

AbstractBackgroundIndividuals with ADHD and other forms of externalizing psychopathology tend to display poor behavioral performance on the go/no-go task, which is thought to reflect deficits in inhibitory control. However, clinical neuroimaging studies using this paradigm have yielded conflicting results, raising basic questions about what the task measures and which aspects of the task relate to clinical outcomes of interest. We aimed to provide a clearer understanding of how neural activations from this paradigm relate to the cognitive mechanisms that underlie performance and the implications of these relationships for clinical research.Methods143 emerging adults (ages 18-21) performed the go/no-go task during fMRI scanning. We used the diffusion decision model (DDM), a mathematical modeling approach, to quantify distinct neurocognitive processes that underlie go/no-go performance. We then correlated DDM parameters with brain activation across several standard go/no-go contrasts and assessed relationships of DDM parameters and associated neural measures with clinical ratings.ResultsFronto-parietal activations on correct inhibition trials, which have typically been assumed to isolate neural processes involved in inhibition, were unrelated to either individuals’ response biases or their efficiency of task performance. In contrast, responses to false alarms in brain regions putatively responsible for error monitoring were strongly related to more efficient performance on the task and correlated with externalizing behavior and ADHD symptoms.ConclusionsOur findings cast doubt on conventional interpretations of go/no-go task-related activations as reflecting inhibition functioning. We instead find that error-related contrasts provide clinically-relevant information about neural systems involved in monitoring and optimizing cognitive performance.

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Disrupted Effective Connectivity Between the Medial Frontal Cortex and the Caudate in Adolescent Boys With Externalizing Behavior Disorders

Criminal Justice and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0093854809342856 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 36 (11) ◽

pp. 1141-1157 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Katherine E. Shannon ◽

Colin Sauder ◽

Theodore P. Beauchaine ◽

Lisa M. Gatzke-Kopp

Keyword(s):

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Criminal Behavior ◽

Effective Connectivity ◽

Neural Correlates ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Novelty Seeking ◽

Externalizing Psychopathology ◽

Trait Impulsivity ◽

Goal Directed Behavior

Studies addressing the neural correlates of criminal behavior have focused primarily on the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. However, few studies have examined dopaminergic inputs to these or other brain regions, despite the fact that central dopamine (DA) dysfunction is associated with both trait impulsivity and novelty seeking. Given long-standing associations between both of these personality traits and externalizing psychopathology, the authors examined effective connectivity between the caudate nucleus and the anterior cingulate cortex, two areas that rely on DA input to facilitate associative learning and goal directed behavior. Dysfunction in top-down and bottom-up processing within this dopaminergically mediated frontostriatal circuit may be an important biological vulnerability that increases one’s likelihood of engaging in delinquent and criminal behavior. When compared with controls, reduced effective connectivity between these regions among adolescents with externalizing psychopathology was found, suggesting deficiencies in frontostriatal circuitry.

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Gambling and ageing: less illusion but more risk

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x21000714 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-20

Author(s):

Maylis Fontaine ◽

Valérie Le Floch ◽

Céline Lemercier

Keyword(s):

Emerging Adults ◽

Risk Taking ◽

Time Perspective ◽

Illusion Of Control ◽

Gambling Behaviour ◽

Cognitive Mechanisms ◽

Risky Behaviour ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Key Factor ◽

Middle Aged Adults

Abstract Seniors are a population of concern due to exposure to both increasing gambling venues and powerful age-specific risk factors. There has been only limited research on this population so far, but studies conducted among younger adults suggest that the illusion of control is a key factor, leading players to develop strategies that increase their risk-taking in gambling. Time perspective (TP) is a good indicator of risky behaviours in a number of different areas, including health and the environment. In the present study, we sought to identify the age-specific cognitive mechanisms underlying gambling behaviour in normal ageing. We asked 115 emerging adults (mean age = 20.86 years), 86 young adults (mean age = 30.59), 82 middle-aged adults (mean age = 44.57) and 108 seniors (mean age = 65.19) to play an online game. We rated their illusion of control, risk-taking and TP. Analysis revealed that seniors took more risks and had less illusion of control than younger adults. The fatalistic-present TP positively influenced the illusion of control, such that perceiving the present as being determined by uncontrollable forces increased the perceived level of control. Finally, we found an influence of age on TP. These results suggest that seniors constitute a specific population in terms of gambling-related cognitions and behaviours. Including TP in risky behaviour assessments would allow the development of tailor-made preventive measures.

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From cognitive to neural models of working memory

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2007.2086 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 362 (1481) ◽

pp. 761-772 ◽

Cited By ~ 451

Author(s):

Mark D'Esposito

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Functional Neuroimaging ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Cognitive Models ◽

Neural Mechanisms ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Cognitive Mechanisms ◽

Internal Representations ◽

Active Maintenance

Working memory refers to the temporary retention of information that was just experienced or just retrieved from long-term memory but no longer exists in the external environment. These internal representations are short-lived, but can be stored for longer periods of time through active maintenance or rehearsal strategies, and can be subjected to various operations that manipulate the information in such a way that makes it useful for goal-directed behaviour. Empirical studies of working memory using neuroscientific techniques, such as neuronal recordings in monkeys or functional neuroimaging in humans, have advanced our knowledge of the underlying neural mechanisms of working memory. This rich dataset can be reconciled with behavioural findings derived from investigating the cognitive mechanisms underlying working memory. In this paper, I review the progress that has been made towards this effort by illustrating how investigations of the neural mechanisms underlying working memory can be influenced by cognitive models and, in turn, how cognitive models can be shaped and modified by neuroscientific data. One conclusion that arises from this research is that working memory can be viewed as neither a unitary nor a dedicated system. A network of brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex (PFC), is critical for the active maintenance of internal representations that are necessary for goal-directed behaviour. Thus, working memory is not localized to a single brain region but probably is an emergent property of the functional interactions between the PFC and the rest of the brain.

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Perspective influences eye movements during real-life conversation: Mentalising about self vs. others in autism

10.31234/osf.io/7druh ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Mahsa Barzy ◽

Heather Jane Ferguson ◽

David Williams

Keyword(s):

Eye Movements ◽

Real Life ◽

Social Background ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Mental States ◽

Social Attention ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Cognitive Mechanisms ◽

Verbal Responses ◽

Socially Relevant

Socio-communication is profoundly impaired among autistic individuals. Difficulties representing others’ mental states have been linked to modulations of gaze and speech, which have also been shown to be impaired in autism. Despite these observed impairments in ‘real-world’ communicative settings, research has mostly focused on lab-based experiments, where the language is highly structured. In a pre-registered experiment, we recorded eye movements and verbal responses while adults (N=50) engaged in a real-life conversation. Conversation topic either related to the self, a familiar other, or an unfamiliar other (e.g. "Tell me who is your/your mother’s/Marina’s favourite celebrity and why?”). Results replicated previous work, showing reduced attention to socially-relevant information among autistic participants (i.e. less time looking at the experimenter’s face, and more time looking around the background), compared to typically-developing controls. Importantly, perspective modulated social attention in both groups; talking about an unfamiliar other reduced attention to potentially distracting or resource demanding social information, and increased looks to non-social background. Social attention did not differ between self and familiar other contexts- reflecting greater shared knowledge for familiar/similar others. Autistic participants spent more time looking at the background when talking about an unfamiliar other vs. themselvesFuture research should investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying this effect.

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Neuronal modulation in the mouse superior colliculus during covert visual selective attention

10.1101/2021.02.05.429996 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lupeng Wang ◽

James P. Herman ◽

Richard J. Krauzlis

Keyword(s):

Visual Attention ◽

Selective Attention ◽

Superior Colliculus ◽

Firing Rate ◽

Spatial Location ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Uncued Location ◽

Visual Selective Attention ◽

Covert Visual Attention

AbstractCovert visual attention is accomplished by a cascade of mechanisms distributed across multiple brain regions. Recent studies in primates suggest a parcellation in which visual cortex is associated with enhanced representations of relevant stimuli, whereas subcortical circuits are associated with selection of visual targets and suppression of distractors. Here we identified how neuronal activity in the superior colliculus (SC) of head-fixed mice is modulated during covert visual attention. We found that spatial cues modulated both firing rate and spike-count correlations, and that the cue-related modulation in firing rate was due to enhancement of activity at the cued spatial location rather than suppression at the uncued location. This modulation improved the neuronal discriminability of visual-change-evoked activity between contralateral and ipsilateral SC neurons. Together, our findings indicate that neurons in the mouse SC contribute to covert visual selective attention by biasing processing in favor of locations expected to contain relevant information.

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Individual Differences in Mental Imagery Modulate Effective Connectivity of Scene-Selective Regions During Resting State

10.21203/rs.3.rs-887061/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Giulia Tullo ◽

Hannes Almgren ◽

Frederik Van de Steen ◽

Valentina Sulpizio ◽

Daniele Marinazzo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Mental Imagery ◽

Resting State ◽

Effective Connectivity ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Intrinsic Activity ◽

Inhibitory Influence ◽

Cortical Regions ◽

Intrinsic Fluctuation

Abstract Successful navigation relies on the ability to identify, perceive, and correctly process the spatial structure of a scene. It is well known that visual mental imagery plays a crucial role in navigation. Indeed, cortical regions encoding navigationally relevant information are also active during mental imagery of navigational scenes. However, it remains unknown whether their intrinsic activity and connectivity reflect the individuals’ ability to imagine a scene. Here, we primarily investigated the intrinsic causal interactions among scene-selective brain regions such as Parahipoccampal Place Area (PPA), Retrosplenial Complex (RSC), and Occipital Place Area (OPA) using Dynamic Causal Modelling (DCM) for resting-state functional magnetic resonance (rs-fMRI) data. Second, we tested whether resting-state effective connectivity parameters among scene-selective regions could reflect individual differences in mental imagery in our sample, as assessed by the self-reported Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ). We found an inhibitory influence of occipito-medial on temporal regions, and an excitatory influence of more anterior on more medial and posterior brain regions. Moreover, we found that a key role in imagery is played by the connection strength from OPA to PPA, especially in the left hemisphere, since the influence of the signal between these scene-selective regions positively correlated with good mental imagery ability. Our investigation contributes to the understanding of the complexity of the causal interaction among brain regions involved in navigation and provides new insight in understanding how an essential ability, such as mental imagery, can be explained by the intrinsic fluctuation of brain signal.

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Neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory: insights from brain stimulation studies

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00041.2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zakia Z Haque ◽

Ranshikha Samandra ◽

Farshad Alizadeh Mansouri

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Electrophysiological Recording ◽

Great Opportunity ◽

Neural Substrate ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

The concept of working memory refers to a collection of cognitive abilities and processes involved in the short-term storage of task-relevant information to guide the ongoing and upcoming behaviour and therefore describes an important aspect of executive control of behaviour for achieving goals. Deficits in working memory and related cognitive abilities have been observed in patients with brain damage or neuropsychological disorders and therefore it is important to better understand neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory. Working memory relies on neural mechanisms that enable encoding, maintenance and manipulation of stored information as well as integrating them with ongoing and future goals. Recently, a surge in brain stimulation studies have led to development of various non-invasive techniques for localized stimulation of prefrontal and other cortical regions in humans. These brain stimulation techniques can potentially be tailored to influence neural activities in particular brain regions and modulate cognitive functions and behaviour. Combined use of brain stimulation with neuroimaging and electrophysiological recording have provided a great opportunity to monitor neural activity in various brain regions and non-invasively intervene and modulate cognitive functions in cognitive tasks. These studies have shed more light on the neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory in humans. Here, we review findings and insight from these brain stimulation studies about the contribution of brain regions, and particularly prefrontal cortex, to working memory.

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Neurophysiological Responses to Stress, Interactions With Recent Stress, and Associated Externalizing Behavior in Emerging Adults With Bipolar Disorder

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.02.160 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 87 (9) ◽

pp. S53-S54

Author(s):

Elizabeth Lippard ◽

Vanessa Le ◽

Dylan Kirsch ◽

Valeria Tretyak ◽

Wade Weber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Externalizing Behavior

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Learning About the Effects of Alert Uncertainty in Attack and Defend Decisions via Cognitive Modeling

Human Factors The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ◽

10.1177/0018720820945425 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 001872082094542

Author(s):

Palvi Aggarwal ◽

Frederic Moisan ◽

Cleotilde Gonzalez ◽

Varun Dutt

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Modeling ◽

Training Dataset ◽

Theoretic Approach ◽

Cognitive Mechanisms ◽

Test Dataset ◽

Detection Systems ◽

Instance Based Learning ◽

Game Theoretic ◽

Game Theoretic Approach

Objective We aim to learn about the cognitive mechanisms governing the decisions of attackers and defenders in cybersecurity involving intrusion detection systems (IDSs). Background Prior research has experimentally studied the role of the presence and accuracy of IDS alerts on attacker’s and defender’s decisions using a game-theoretic approach. However, little is known about the cognitive mechanisms that govern these decisions. Method To investigate the cognitive mechanisms governing the attacker’s and defender’s decisions in the presence of IDSs of different accuracies, instance-based learning (IBL) models were developed. One model (NIDS) disregarded the IDS alerts and one model (IDS) considered them in the instance structure. Both the IDS and NIDS models were trained in an existing dataset where IDSs were either absent or present and they possessed different accuracies. The calibrated IDS model was tested in a newly collected test dataset where IDSs were present 50% of the time and they possessed different accuracies. Results Both the IDS and NIDS models were able to account for human decisions in the training dataset, where IDS was absent or present and it possessed different accuracies. However, the IDS model could accurately predict the decision-making in only one of the several IDS accuracy conditions in the test dataset. Conclusions Cognitive models like IBL may provide some insights regarding the cognitive mechanisms governing the decisions of attackers and defenders in conditions not involving IDSs or IDSs of different accuracies. Application IBL models may be helpful for penetration testing exercises in scenarios involving IDSs of different accuracies.

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