The Inclusion of Functional Connectivity Information into fMRI-based Neurofeedback Improves Its Efficacy in the Reduction of Cigarette Cravings

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 1552-1572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Youl Kim ◽  
Seung-Schik Yoo ◽  
Marion Tegethoff ◽  
Gunther Meinlschmidt ◽  
Jong-Hwan Lee
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Volitional Control ◽  
Cigarette Craving ◽  
Medial Pfc ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Traditional Activity ◽  
Heavy Smokers

Real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) neurofeedback (NF) facilitates volitional control over brain activity and the modulation of associated mental functions. The NF signals of traditional rtfMRI-NF studies predominantly reflect neuronal activity within ROIs. In this study, we describe a novel rtfMRI-NF approach that includes a functional connectivity (FC) component in the NF signal (FC-added rtfMRI-NF). We estimated the efficacy of the FC-added rtfMRI-NF method by applying it to nicotine-dependent heavy smokers in an effort to reduce cigarette craving. ACC and medial pFC as well as the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus are associated with cigarette craving and were chosen as ROIs. Fourteen heavy smokers were randomly assigned to receive one of two types of NF: traditional activity-based rtfMRI-NF or FC-added rtfMRI-NF. Participants received rtfMRI-NF training during two separate visits after overnight smoking cessation, and cigarette craving score was assessed. The FC-added rtfMRI-NF resulted in greater neuronal activity and increased FC between the targeted ROIs than the traditional activity-based rtfMRI-NF and resulted in lower craving score. In the FC-added rtfMRI-NF condition, the average of neuronal activity and FC was tightly associated with craving score (Bonferroni-corrected p = .028). However, in the activity-based rtfMRI-NF condition, no association was detected (uncorrected p > .081). Non-rtfMRI data analysis also showed enhanced neuronal activity and FC with FC-added NF than with activity-based NF. These results demonstrate that FC-added rtfMRI-NF facilitates greater volitional control over brain activity and connectivity and greater modulation of mental function than activity-based rtfMRI-NF.

scholarly journals Differences in Brain Activity during a Verbal Associative Memory Encoding Task in High- and Low-fit Adolescents

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan M. Herting ◽  
Bonnie J. Nagel
Keyword(s):  
Aerobic Fitness ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Memory Encoding ◽  
Medial Pfc

Aerobic fitness is associated with better memory performance as well as larger volumes in memory-related brain regions in children, adolescents, and elderly. It is unclear if aerobic exercise also influences learning and memory functional neural circuitry. Here, we examine brain activity in 17 high-fit (HF) and 17 low-fit (LF) adolescents during a subsequent memory encoding paradigm using fMRI. Despite similar memory performance, HF and LF youth displayed a number of differences in memory-related and default mode (DMN) brain regions during encoding later remembered versus forgotten word pairs. Specifically, HF youth displayed robust deactivation in DMN areas, including the ventral medial PFC and posterior cingulate cortex, whereas LF youth did not show this pattern. Furthermore, LF youth showed greater bilateral hippocampal and right superior frontal gyrus activation during encoding of later remembered versus forgotten word pairs. Follow-up task-dependent functional correlational analyses showed differences in hippocampus and DMN activity coupling during successful encoding between the groups, suggesting aerobic fitness during adolescents may impact functional connectivity of the hippocampus and DMN during memory encoding. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the influence of aerobic fitness on hippocampal function and memory-related neural circuitry using fMRI. Taken together with previous research, these findings suggest aerobic fitness can influence not only memory-related brain structure, but also brain function.

scholarly journals Amygdala Functional Connectivity with Medial Prefrontal Cortex at Rest Predicts the Positivity Effect in Older Adults' Memory

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1206-1224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiko Sakaki ◽  
Lin Nga ◽  
Mara Mather
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Positivity Effect ◽  
Emotional Faces ◽  
Medial Pfc ◽  
Emotion Memory

As people get older, they tend to remember more positive than negative information. This age-by-valence interaction has been called “positivity effect.” The current study addressed the hypotheses that baseline functional connectivity at rest is predictive of older adults' brain activity when learning emotional information and their positivity effect in memory. Using fMRI, we examined the relationship among resting-state functional connectivity, subsequent brain activity when learning emotional faces, and individual differences in the positivity effect (the relative tendency to remember faces expressing positive vs. negative emotions). Consistent with our hypothesis, older adults with a stronger positivity effect had increased functional coupling between amygdala and medial PFC (MPFC) during rest. In contrast, younger adults did not show the association between resting connectivity and memory positivity. A similar age-by-memory positivity interaction was also found when learning emotional faces. That is, memory positivity in older adults was associated with (a) enhanced MPFC activity when learning emotional faces and (b) increased negative functional coupling between amygdala and MPFC when learning negative faces. In contrast, memory positivity in younger adults was related to neither enhanced MPFC activity to emotional faces, nor MPFC–amygdala connectivity to negative faces. Furthermore, stronger MPFC–amygdala connectivity during rest was predictive of subsequent greater MPFC activity when learning emotional faces. Thus, emotion–memory interaction in older adults depends not only on the task-related brain activity but also on the baseline functional connectivity.

scholarly journals Effect of a One-Week Spiritual Retreat on Brain Functional Connectivity: A Preliminary Study

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Nancy A. Wintering ◽  
David B. Yaden ◽  
Christopher Conklin ◽  
Mahdi Alizadeh ◽  
Feroze B. Mohamed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Spiritual Well Being ◽  
Spiritual Retreat ◽  
Baseline Evaluation ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Brain Functional Connectivity ◽  
Spiritual Impact

Background: Many individuals participate in spiritual retreats to enhance their sense of spirituality or to improve their overall mental and spiritual well-being. We are not aware of any studies specifically evaluating changes in functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in individuals undergoing an intense spiritual retreat program. The goal of this study was to determine whether such changes occur as a result of participating in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Methods: We conducted psychological and spiritual measures in conjunction with functional connectivity analysis of fMRI in 14 individuals prior to and following shortly after their participation in a one-week spiritual retreat. Results: Significant changes in functional connectivity were observed after the retreat program, compared to baseline evaluation, particularly in the posterior cingulate cortex, pallidum, superior frontal lobe, superior parietal lobe, superior and inferior temporal lobe, and the cerebellum. Significant changes in a variety of psychological and spiritual measures were identified as result of participation in the retreat. Conclusion: Overall, these preliminary findings suggest that this intensive spiritual retreat resulted in significant changes in brain functional connectivity, and warrants further investigation to evaluate the physiological, psychological, and spiritual impact of these changes.

scholarly journals Abnormal interhemispheric functional connectivity in patients with strabismic amblyopia: a resting-state fMRI study using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Zhang ◽  
Gui-Ping Gao ◽  
Wen-Qing Shi ◽  
Biao Li ◽  
Qi Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Receiver Operating Characteristic ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Functional Connections ◽  
Receiver Operating

Abstract Background Previous studies have demonstrated that strabismus amblyopia can result in markedly brain function alterations. However, the differences in spontaneous brain activities of strabismus amblyopia (SA) patients still remain unclear. Therefore, the current study intended to employthe voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) method to investigate the intrinsic brain activity changes in SA patients. Purpose To investigate the changes in cerebral hemispheric functional connections in patients with SA and their relationship with clinical manifestations using the VMHC method. Material and methods In the present study, a total of 17 patients with SA (eight males and nine females) and 17 age- and weight-matched healthy control (HC) groups were enrolled. Based on the VMHC method, all subjects were examined by functional magnetic resonance imaging. The functional interaction between cerebral hemispheres was directly evaluated. The Pearson’s correlation test was used to analyze the clinical features of patients with SA. In addition, their mean VMHC signal values and the receiver operating characteristic curve were used to distinguish patients with SA and HC groups. Results Compared with HC group, patients with SA had higher VMHC values in bilateral cingulum ant, caudate, hippocampus, and cerebellum crus 1. Moreover, the VMHC values of some regions were positively correlated with some clinical manifestations. In addition, receiver operating characteristic curves presented higher diagnostic value in these areas. Conclusion SA subjects showed abnormal brain interhemispheric functional connectivity in visual pathways, which might give some instructive information for understanding the neurological mechanisms of SA patients.

scholarly journals Association Between Brain Activation and Functional Connectivity

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 1984-1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dardo Tomasi ◽  
Nora D Volkow
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Functional Connectivity Density ◽  
Density Mapping ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
Bold Responses

Abstract The origin of the “resting-state” brain activity recorded with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is still uncertain. Here we provide evidence for the neurovascular origins of the amplitude of the low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and the local functional connectivity density (lFCD) by comparing them with task-induced blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses, which are considered a proxy for neuronal activation. Using fMRI data for 2 different tasks (Relational and Social) collected by the Human Connectome Project in 426 healthy adults, we show that ALFF and lFCD have linear associations with the BOLD response. This association was significantly attenuated by a novel task signal regression (TSR) procedure, indicating that task performance enhances lFCD and ALFF in activated regions. We also show that lFCD predicts BOLD activation patterns, as was recently shown for other functional connectivity metrics, which corroborates that resting functional connectivity architecture impacts brain activation responses. Thus, our findings indicate a common source for BOLD responses, ALFF and lFCD, which is consistent with the neurovascular origin of local hemodynamic synchrony presumably reflecting coordinated fluctuations in neuronal activity. This study also supports the development of task-evoked functional connectivity density mapping.

scholarly journals Correlation between Traits of Emotion-Based Impulsivity and Intrinsic Default-Mode Network Activity

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jizheng Zhao ◽  
Dardo Tomasi ◽  
Corinde E. Wiers ◽  
Ehsan Shokri-Kojori ◽  
Şükrü B. Demiral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
High Risk Behaviors ◽  
Posterior Cingulate ◽  
Healthy Humans ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Negative urgency (NU) and positive urgency (PU) are implicated in several high-risk behaviors, such as eating disorders, substance use disorders, and nonsuicidal self-injury behavior. The current study aimed to explore the possible link between trait of urgency and brain activity at rest. We assessed the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal in 85 healthy volunteers. Trait urgency measures were related to ALFF in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventral and dorsal medial frontal cortex, anterior cingulate, and posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus. In addition, trait urgency measures showed significant correlations with the functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus seed with the thalamus and midbrain region. These findings suggest an association between intrinsic brain activity and impulsive behaviors in healthy humans.

scholarly journals Neural basis underlying the trait of attachment anxiety and avoidance revealed by the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and resting-state functional connectivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Deng ◽  
Xing Zhang ◽  
Xiaoyan Bi ◽  
Chunhai Gao
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Attachment Anxiety ◽  
Frequency Fluctuation ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Attachment Avoidance ◽  
Posterior Cingulate

Abstract Background Attachment theory demonstrates that early attachment experience shapes internal working models with mental representations of self and close relationships, which affects personality traits and interpersonal relationships in adulthood. Although research has focused on brain structural and functional underpinnings to disentangle attachment styles in healthy individuals, little is known about the spontaneous brain activity associated with self-reported attachment anxiety and avoidance during the resting state. Methods One hundred and nineteen individuals participated in the study, completing the Experience in Close Relationship scale immediately after an 8-min fMRI scanning. We used the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) signal of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and resting-state functional connectivity to identify attachment-related regions and networks. Results Consequently, attachment anxiety is closely associated with the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in the right posterior cingulate cortex, over-estimating emotional intensity and exaggerating outcomes. Moreover, the functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and fusiform gyrus increases detection ability for potential threat or separation information, facilitating behavior motivation. The attachment avoidance is positively correlated with the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation in the bilateral lingual gyrus and right postcentral and negatively correlated with the bilateral orbital frontal cortex and inferior temporal gyrus. Functional connection with attachment avoidance contains critical nodes in the medial temporal lobe memory system, frontal-parietal network, social cognition, and default mode network necessary to deactivate the attachment system and inhibit attachment-related behavior. Conclusion and implications These findings clarify the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and resting-state functional connectivity neural signature of attachment style, associated with attachment strategies in attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance individuals. These findings may improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of the attachment-related disorder.

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