scholarly journals White matter pathways supporting individual differences in epistemic and perceptual curiosity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashvanti Valji ◽  
Alisa Priemysheva ◽  
Carl J. Hodgetts ◽  
Alison G. Costigan ◽  
Greg D. Parker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Spherical Deconvolution

AbstractAcross the lifespan, curiosity motivates us to learn, yet curiosity varies strikingly between individuals. Such individual differences have been shown for two distinct dimensions of curiosity: epistemic curiosity (EC), the desire to acquire conceptual knowledge, and perceptual curiosity (PC), the desire for sensory information. It is not known, however, whether both dimensions of curiosity depend on different brain networks and whether inter-individual differences in curiosity depend on variation in anatomical connectivity within these networks. Here, we investigated the neuroanatomical connections underpinning individual variation in trait curiosity. Fifty-one female participants underwent a two-shell diffusion MRI sequence and completed questionnaires measuring EC and PC. Using deterministic spherical deconvolution tractography we extracted microstructural metrics (fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD)) from two key white matter tracts: the fornix (implicated in novelty processing, exploration, information seeking and episodic memory) and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) (implicated in semantic learning and memory). In line with our predictions, we found that EC – but not PC – correlated with ILF microstructure. Fornix microstructure, in contrast, correlated with both EC and PC, with posterior hippocampal fornix fibres - associated with posterior hippocampal network connectivity - linked to PC specifically. These findings suggest that differences in distinct dimensions of curiosity map systematically onto specific white matter tracts underlying well characterized brain networks. Furthermore, the results pave the way to study the anatomical substrates of inter-individual differences in dimensions of trait curiosity that motivate the learning of distinct forms of knowledge and skills.

scholarly journals Tract Specificity of Age Effects on Diffusion Tensor Imaging Measures of White Matter Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Matijevic ◽  
Lee Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Diffusion Tensor Imaging ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Apoe Ε4 ◽  
Age Related

Well-established literature indicates that older adults have poorer cerebral white matter integrity, as measured through diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Age differences in DTI have been observed widely across white matter, although some tracts appear more sensitive to the effects of aging than others. Factors like APOE ε4 status and sex may contribute to individual differences in white matter integrity that also selectively impact certain tracts, and could influence DTI changes in aging. The present study explored the degree to which age, APOE ε4, and sex exerted global vs. tract specific effects on DTI metrics in cognitively healthy late middle-aged to older adults. Data from 49 older adults (ages 54–92) at two time-points separated by approximately 2.7 years were collected. DTI metrics, including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), were extracted from nine white matter tracts and global white matter. Results showed that across timepoints, FA and MD increased globally, with no tract-specific changes observed. Baseline age had a global influence on both measures, with increasing age associated with lower FA and higher MD. After controlling for global white matter FA, age additionally predicted FA for the genu, callosum body, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), and both anterior and posterior cingulum. Females exhibited lower global FA on average compared to males. In contrast, MD was selectively elevated in the anterior cingulum and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF), for females compared to males. APOE ε4 status was not predictive of either measure. In summary, these results indicate that age and sex are associated with both global and tract-specific alterations to DTI metrics among a healthy older adult cohort. Older women have poorer white matter integrity compared to older men, perhaps related to menopause-induced metabolic changes. While age-related alterations to white matter integrity are global, there is substantial variation in the degree to which tracts are impacted, possibly as a consequence of tract anatomical variability. The present study highlights the importance of accounting for global sources of variation in DTI metrics when attempting to investigate individual differences (due to age, sex, or other factors) in specific white matter tracts.

Individual differences in white and grey matter structure associated with verbal habits of thought

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin C. Hayes ◽  
Katherine L Alfred ◽  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Joshua S. Cetron ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Self Report ◽  
White Matter Tracts

Modality specific encoding habits account for a significant portion of individual differences reflected in functional activation during cognitive processing. Yet, little is known about how these habits of thought influence long-term structural changes in the brain. Traditionally, habits of thought have been assessed using self-report questionnaires such as the visualizer-verbalizer questionnaire. Here, rather than relying on subjective reports, we measured habits of thought using a novel behavioral task assessing attentional biases toward picture and word stimuli. Hypothesizing that verbal habits of thought are reflected in the structural integrity of white matter tracts and cortical regions of interest, we used diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analyses to assess this prediction. Using a whole-brain approach, we show that word bias is associated with increased volume in several bilateral language regions, in both white and grey matter parcels. Additionally, connectivity within white matter tracts within an a priori speech production network increased as a function of word bias. These results demonstrate long-term structural and morphological differences associated with verbal habits of thought.

scholarly journals Brain Resilience: The Effect of White Matter Disease on Brain Networks in Cognitively Normal Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 918-918
Author(s):  
Blake Neyland ◽  
Christina Hugenschmidt ◽  
Samuel Lockhart ◽  
Laura Baker ◽  
Suzanne Craft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
White Matter ◽  
White Matter Hyperintensities ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Mobility Function ◽  
Functional Brain Networks ◽  
Brain Resilience

Abstract Brain pathologies are increasingly understood to confer mobility risk, but the malleability of functional brain networks may be a mechanism for mobility reserve. In particular, white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are strongly associated with mobility and alter functional network connectivity. To assess the potential role of brain networks as a mechanism of mobility reserve, 116 participants with MRI from the Brain Networks and Mobility Function (B-NET) were categorized into 4 groups based on median splits of SPPB scores and WMH burden: Expected Healthy (EH: low WMH, SPPB>10, N=45), Expected Impaired (EI: high WMH, SPPB10, N=24), Unexpected Impaired (EI: low WMH, SPPB<10, N=10) and Unexpected Unhealthy (UH: low WMH, SPPB<10, N=37). Functional brain networks were calculated using graph theory methods and white matter hyperintensities were quantified with the Lesion Segmentation Toolbox (LST) in SPM12. Somatomotor cortex community structure (SMC-CS) was similar between UH and EH with both having higher consistency than EI and UI. However, UH displayed a unique increase in second-order connections between the motor cortex and the anterior cingulate. It is possible that this increase in connections is a signal of higher reserve or resilience in UH participants and may indicate a mechanism of compensation in regards to mobility function and advanced WMH burden. These data suggest functional brain networks may be a mechanism for mobility resilience in older adults at mobility risk due to WMH burden.

scholarly journals fMRI-guided white matter connectivity in fluid and crystallized cognitive abilities in healthy adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunglin Gazes ◽  
Jayant Sakhardande ◽  
Ashley Mensing ◽  
Qolamreza Razlighi ◽  
Ann Ohkawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Percent Signal Change ◽  
Signal Change ◽  
Fluid Abilities

AbstractThis study examined within-subject differences among three fluid abilities that decline with age: reasoning, episodic memory and processing speed, compared with vocabulary, a crystallized ability that is maintained with age. The data were obtained from the Reference Ability Neural Network (RANN) study from which 221 participants had complete behavioral data for all 12 cognitive tasks, three per ability, along with fMRI and diffusion weighted imaging data. We used fMRI task activation to guide white matter tractography, and generated mean percent signal change in the regions associated with the processing of each ability along with diffusion tensor imaging measures, fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), for each cognitive ability. Qualitatively brain regions associated with vocabulary were more localized and lateralized to the left hemisphere whereas the fluid abilities were associated with brain activations that were more distributed across the brain and bilaterally situated. Using continuous age, we observed smaller correlations between MD and age for white matter tracts connecting brain regions associated with the vocabulary ability than that for the fluid abilities, suggesting that vocabulary white matter tracts were better maintained with age. Furthermore, after multiple comparisons correction, the mean percent signal change for the episodic memory showed positive associations with behavioral performance, and the associations between MD and percent signal change differed by age such that, when divided into three age groups to further explore this interaction, only the oldest age group show a significant negative correlation between the two brain measures. Overall, the vocabulary ability may be better maintained with age due to the more localized brain regions involved, which places smaller reliance on long distance white matter tracts for signal transduction. These results support the hypothesis that functional activation and white matter structures underlying the vocabulary ability contribute to the ability’s greater resistance against aging.

scholarly journals Between-module functional connectivity of the salient ventral attention network and dorsal attention network is associated with motor inhibition

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0242985
Author(s):  
Howard Muchen Hsu ◽  
Zai-Fu Yao ◽  
Kai Hwang ◽  
Shulan Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Motor Inhibition ◽  
Attention Network ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Graph Theoretic ◽  
Dorsal Attention Network ◽  
Functional Brain Networks

The ability to inhibit motor response is crucial for daily activities. However, whether brain networks connecting spatially distinct brain regions can explain individual differences in motor inhibition is not known. Therefore, we took a graph-theoretic perspective to examine the relationship between the properties of topological organization in functional brain networks and motor inhibition. We analyzed data from 141 healthy adults aged 20 to 78, who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and performed a stop-signal task along with neuropsychological assessments outside the scanner. The graph-theoretic properties of 17 functional brain networks were estimated, including within-network connectivity and between-network connectivity. We employed multiple linear regression to examine how these graph-theoretical properties were associated with motor inhibition. The results showed that between-network connectivity of the salient ventral attention network and dorsal attention network explained the highest and second highest variance of individual differences in motor inhibition. In addition, we also found those two networks span over brain regions in the frontal-cingulate-parietal network, suggesting that these network interactions are also important to motor inhibition.

White matter endophenotype candidates for ADHD: a diffusion imaging tractography study with sibling design

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 1203-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huey-Ling Chiang ◽  
Yung-Chin Hsu ◽  
Chi-Yuan Shang ◽  
Wen-Yih Isaac Tseng ◽  
Susan Shur-Fen Gau
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Fractional Anisotropy ◽  
Diffusion Imaging ◽  
Familial Risk ◽  
Mean Diffusivity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
Spatial Span ◽  
Diffusion Spectrum Imaging ◽  
The Right

AbstractBackgroundBrain structural alterations are frequently observed in probands with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here we examined the microstructural integrity of 76 white matter tracts among unaffected siblings of patients with ADHD to evaluate the potential familial risk and its association with clinical and neuropsychological manifestations.MethodsThe comparison groups included medication-naïve ADHD probands (n = 50), their unaffected siblings (n = 50) and typically developing controls (n = 50, age-and-sex matched with ADHD probands). Whole brain tractography was reconstructed automatically by tract-based analysis of diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI). Microstructural properties of white matter tracts were represented by the values of generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA), fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD) and axial diffusivity (AD).ResultsCompared to the control group, ADHD probands showed higher AD values in the perpendicular fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus I, corticospinal tract, and corpus callosum. The AD values of unaffected siblings were in the intermediate position between those of the ADHD and control groups. These AD values were significantly associated with ADHD symptoms, sustained attention and working memory, for all white matter tracks evaluated except for the perpendicular fasciculus. Higher FA and lower RD values in the right frontostriatal tract connecting ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (FS-VLPFC) were associated with better performance in spatial span only in the unaffected sibling group.ConclusionsAbnormal AD values of specific white matter tracts among unaffected siblings of ADHD probands suggest the presence of familial risk in this population. The right FS-VLPFC may have a role in preventing the expression of the ADHD-related behavioral phenotype.ClinicalTrials.gov numberNCT01682915

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