scholarly journals Shared neural representations of cognitive conflict and negative affect in the medial frontal cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Vermeylen ◽  
David Wisniewski ◽  
Carlos González-García ◽  
Vincent Hoofs ◽  
Wim Notebaert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
Medial Frontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Neural Representations ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Multivariate Pattern

AbstractInfluential theories of medial frontal cortex (MFC) function suggest that the MFC registers cognitive conflict as an aversive signal, but no study directly tested this idea. Instead, recent studies suggested that non-overlapping regions in the MFC process conflict and affect. In this pre-registered human fMRI study, we used multivariate pattern analyses to identify which regions respond similarly to conflict and aversive signals. The results reveal that, of all conflict- and value-related regions, the ventral pre-supplementary motor area (or dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) showed a shared neural pattern response to different conflict and affect tasks. These findings challenge recent conclusions that conflict and affect are processed independently, and provide support for integrative views of MFC function.

scholarly journals Shared Neural Representations of Cognitive Conflict and Negative Affect in the Medial Frontal Cortex

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (45) ◽  
pp. 8715-8725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Vermeylen ◽  
David Wisniewski ◽  
Carlos González-García ◽  
Vincent Hoofs ◽  
Wim Notebaert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
Medial Frontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Representations

scholarly journals Emotional contagion of pain across different social cues shares common and process-specific neural representations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Zhou ◽  
Jialin Li ◽  
Weihua Zhao ◽  
Lei Xu ◽  
Xiaoxiao Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Emotional Contagion ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Thermal Stimulation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Fmri Data ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Neural Representations ◽  
Experienced Pain ◽  
Multivariate Pattern

AbstractInsular and anterior cingulate cortex activation across vicarious pain induction procedures suggests that they are core pain empathy nodes. However, pain empathic responses encompass emotional contagion as well as unspecific arousal and overlapping functional activations are not sufficient to determine shared and process-specific neural representations. We employed multivariate pattern analyses to fMRI data acquired during physical and affective vicarious pain induction and found spatially and functionally similar cross-modality (physical versus affective) whole-brain vicarious pain-predictive patterns. Further analyses consistently identified shared neural representations in the bilateral mid-insula. Mid-insula vicarious pain patterns were not sensitive to capture non-painful arousing negative stimuli but predicted self-experienced pain during thermal stimulation, suggesting process-specific representation of emotional contagion for pain. Finally, a domain-general vicarious pain pattern which predicted vicarious as well as self-experienced pain was developed. Our findings demonstrate a generalizable neural expression of vicarious pain and suggest that the mid-insula encodes emotional contagion for pain.

scholarly journals Neural Basis of Ambivalence towards Ideal Self-Image in Schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 452-459
Author(s):  
Byung-Hoon Kim ◽  
Yu-Bin Shin ◽  
Sunghyon Kyeong ◽  
Seon-Koo Lee ◽  
Jae-Jin Kim
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Conflict Monitoring ◽  
Ideal Self ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Value Judgment ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Objective Little has been explored about a reflection towards self-image in schizophrenia, though it can be related to heterogeneous symptoms of the illness. We identified the neural basis of ambivalence towards ideal self-image in patients with schizophrenia.Methods 20 patients with schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls underwent functional MRI while the self-image reflection tasks of determining whether to agree with sentences describing their actual or ideal self-image that contained one of the adjective pairs with opposite valence. The interaction between the group and ideal ambivalence score was examined, and group differences in functional connectivity related to ambivalence towards ideal self-image were further studied.Results The interaction of group-by-ideal ambivalence score was shown in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, where activities were positively correlated with the level of ideal self-image ambivalence in patients, but not in controls. Task-related decrease in functional connectivity was shown between the orbitofrontal cortex and cerebellum in patients.Conclusion The process of reflecting on ambivalent ideal self-image in schizophrenia may be related to aberrant prefrontal activity and connectivity. Abnormality in the prefrontal regions that take part in cognitive conflict monitoring and value judgment may underlie the pathophysiology of increased ambivalence towards ideal self-image.

scholarly journals Interaction between decision-making and interoceptive representations of bodily arousal in frontal cortex

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (35) ◽  
pp. e2014781118
Author(s):  
Atsushi Fujimoto ◽  
Elisabeth A. Murray ◽  
Peter H. Rudebeck
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Population Coding ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Reward Value ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Amygdala Lesions ◽  
Bodily Arousal

Decision-making and representations of arousal are intimately linked. Behavioral investigations have classically shown that either too little or too much bodily arousal is detrimental to decision-making, indicating that there is an inverted “U” relationship between bodily arousal and performance. How these processes interact at the level of single neurons as well as the neural circuits involved are unclear. Here we recorded neural activity from orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) of macaque monkeys while they made reward-guided decisions. Heart rate (HR) was also recorded and used as a proxy for bodily arousal. Recordings were made both before and after subjects received excitotoxic lesions of the bilateral amygdala. In intact monkeys, higher HR facilitated reaction times (RTs). Concurrently, a set of neurons in OFC and dACC selectively encoded trial-by-trial variations in HR independent of reward value. After amygdala lesions, HR increased, and the relationship between HR and RTs was altered. Concurrent with this change, there was an increase in the proportion of dACC neurons encoding HR. Applying a population-coding analysis, we show that after bilateral amygdala lesions, the balance of encoding in dACC is skewed away from signaling either reward value or choice direction toward HR coding around the time that choices are made. Taken together, the present results provide insight into how bodily arousal and decision-making are signaled in frontal cortex.

scholarly journals Dopaminergic modulation of the exploration/exploitation trade-off in human decision-making

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karima Chakroun ◽  
David Mathar ◽  
Antonius Wiehler ◽  
Florian Ganzer ◽  
Jan Peters
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Bayesian Learning ◽  
D2 Receptor ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Neural Representations ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Exploration Exploitation

Involvement of dopamine in regulating exploration during decision-making has long been hypothesized, but direct causal evidence in humans is still lacking. Here, we use a combination of computational modeling, pharmacological intervention and functional magnetic resonance imaging to address this issue. Thirty-one healthy male participants performed a restless four-armed bandit task in a within-subjects design under three drug conditions: 150 mg of the dopamine precursor L-dopa, 2 mg of the D2 receptor antagonist haloperidol, and placebo. Choices were best explained by an extension of an established Bayesian learning model accounting for perseveration, directed exploration and random exploration. Modeling revealed attenuated directed exploration under L-dopa, while neural signatures of exploration, exploitation and prediction error were unaffected. Instead, L-dopa attenuated neural representations of overall uncertainty in insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Our results highlight the computational role of these regions in exploration and suggest that dopamine modulates how this circuit tracks accumulating uncertainty during decision-making.

scholarly journals Structural Disconnection of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex Reduces Speech Error Monitoring

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua McCall ◽  
Jonathan Vivian Dickens ◽  
Ayan Mandal ◽  
Andrew Tesla DeMarco ◽  
Mackenzie Fama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Error Detection ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Medial Frontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Error Monitoring ◽  
Speech Error

Optimal performance in any task relies on the ability to detect and repair errors. The anterior cingulate cortex and the broader posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) are active during error processing. However, it is unclear whether damage to the pMFC impairs error monitoring. We hypothesized that successful error monitoring critically relies on connections between the pMFC and broader cortical networks involved in executive functions and the task being monitored. We tested this hypothesis in the context of speech error monitoring in people with post-stroke aphasia. Diffusion weighted images were collected in 51 adults with chronic left-hemisphere stroke and 37 age-matched control participants. Whole-brain connectomes were derived using constrained spherical deconvolution and anatomically-constrained probabilistic tractography. Support vector regressions identified white matter connections in which lost integrity in stroke survivors related to reduced error detection during confrontation naming. Lesioned connections to the bilateral pMFC were related to reduced error monitoring, including many connections to regions associated with speech production and executive function. We conclude that connections to the pMFC support error monitoring. Error monitoring in speech production is supported by the structural connectivity between the pMFC and regions involved in speech production and executive function. Interactions between pMFC and other task relevant processors may similarly be critical for error monitoring in other task contexts.

Differential engagement of anterior cingulate and adjacent medial frontal cortex in adept meditators and non-meditators

2007 ◽  
Vol 421 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britta K. Hölzel ◽  
Ulrich Ott ◽  
Hannes Hempel ◽  
Andrea Hackl ◽  
Katharina Wolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Frontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate

scholarly journals Brain functional abnormality in schizo-affective disorder: an fMRI study

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Madre ◽  
E. Pomarol-Clotet ◽  
P. McKenna ◽  
J. Radua ◽  
J. Ortiz-Gil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Affective Disorder ◽  
Diagnostic Criteria ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Medial Frontal Cortex ◽  
Significant Extent ◽  
Functional Abnormality ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

BackgroundSchizo-affective disorder has not been studied to any significant extent using functional imaging. The aim of this study was to examine patterns of brain activation and deactivation in patients meeting strict diagnostic criteria for the disorder.MethodThirty-two patients meeting Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) for schizo-affective disorder (16 schizomanic and 16 schizodepressive) and 32 matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during performance of the n-back task. Linear models were used to obtain maps of activations and deactivations in the groups.ResultsControls showed activation in a network of frontal and other areas and also deactivation in the medial frontal cortex, the precuneus and the parietal cortex. Schizo-affective patients activated significantly less in prefrontal, parietal and temporal regions than the controls, and also showed failure of deactivation in the medial frontal cortex. When task performance was controlled for, the reduced activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the failure of deactivation of the medial frontal cortex remained significant.ConclusionsSchizo-affective disorder shows a similar pattern of reduced frontal activation to schizophrenia. The disorder is also characterized by failure of deactivation suggestive of default mode network dysfunction.

scholarly journals The Fragile Brain: Stress Vulnerability, Negative Affect and GABAergic Neurocircuits in Psychosis

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1170-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan F Taylor ◽  
Tyler B Grove ◽  
Vicki L Ellingrod ◽  
Ivy F Tso
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Stress Vulnerability ◽  
Neuroimaging Data ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Persons With Schizophrenia ◽  
Gaba Function

Abstract Persons with schizophrenia exhibit sensitivity to stress and negative affect (NA), both strongly correlated with poor functional outcome. This theoretical review suggests that NA reflects a “fragile brain,” ie, vulnerable to stress, including events not experienced as stressful by healthy individuals. Based on postmortem evidence of altered gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) function in parvalbumin positive interneurons (PVI), animal models of PVI abnormalities and neuroimaging data with GABAergic challenge, it is suggested that GABAergic disruptions weaken cortical regions, which leads to stress vulnerability and excessive NA. Neurocircuits that respond to stressful and salient environmental stimuli, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the amygdala, are highly dysregulated in schizophrenia, exhibiting hypo- and hyper-activity. PVI abnormalities in lateral prefrontal cortex and hippocampus have been hypothesized to affect cognitive function and positive symptoms, respectively; in the medial frontal cortex (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex), these abnormalities may lead to vulnerability to stress, NA and dysregulation of stress responsive systems. Given that postmortem PVI disruptions have been identified in other conditions, such as bipolar disorder and autism, stress vulnerability may reflect a transdiagnostic dimension of psychopathology.

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