Altered functional connectivity of the executive control network during resting state among males with problematic hypersexual behavior

Abstract Background Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is an understudied, debilitating disorder of women. Given evidence for prefrontal cortical and limbic dysfunction in PMDD, we compared intrinsic connectivity of the executive control network (ECN), default mode network (DMN), and amygdala in women with PMDD vs. controls. Methods Thirty-six women (18 PMDD, 18 control) participated in fMRI during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. At each time, resting-state functional connectivity was evaluated both before and after participants performed an emotion regulation task. The ECN was identified using independent components analysis, and connectivity of left and right amygdala seeds was also evaluated. Results Nonparametric permutation testing identified a cluster in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) with significantly stronger connectivity to the left ECN in women with PMDD vs. controls in all four fMRI sessions. Women with PMDD exhibited no difference in functional connectivity between menstrual cycle phases. Amygdala connectivity did not differ between the groups but differed significantly with menstrual phase, with left amygdala connectivity to cingulate cortex being significantly stronger during the follicular vs. luteal phase. Right amygdala connectivity to the middle frontal gyrus was also stronger during the follicular vs. luteal phase, with no group differences. These findings suggest that women with PMDD have different intrinsic network dynamics in the left executive control network compared to healthy controls.

Download Full-text

Cingulo-Opercular Control Network Supports Disused Motor Circuits in Standby Mode

10.1101/2020.09.03.275479 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dillan J. Newbold ◽

Evan M. Gordon ◽

Timothy O. Laumann ◽

Nicole A. Seider ◽

David F. Montez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Spontaneous Activity ◽

Functional Mri ◽

Executive Control ◽

Resting State ◽

Control Network ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Motor Circuits ◽

Standby Mode ◽

Control Regions

AbstractWhole-brain resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) during two weeks of limb constraint revealed that disused motor regions became more strongly connected to the cingulo-opercular network (CON), an executive control network that includes regions of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and insula (1). Disuse-driven increases in functional connectivity (FC) were specific to the CON and somatomotor networks and did not involve any other networks, such as the salience, frontoparietal, or default mode networks. Censoring and modeling analyses showed that FC increases during casting were mediated by large, spontaneous activity pulses that appeared in the disused motor regions and CON control regions. During limb constraint, disused motor circuits appear to enter a standby mode characterized by spontaneous activity pulses and strengthened connectivity to CON executive control regions.SignificanceMany studies have examined plasticity in the primary somatosensory and motor cortex during disuse, but little is known about how disuse impacts the brain outside of primary cortical areas. We leveraged the whole-brain coverage of resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to discover that disuse drives plasticity of distant executive control regions in the cingulo-opercular network (CON). Two complementary analyses, pulse censoring and pulse addition, demonstrated that increased functional connectivity between the CON and disused motor regions was driven by large, spontaneous pulses of activity in the CON and disused motor regions. These results point to a previously unknown role for the CON in supporting motor plasticity and reveal spontaneous activity pulses as a novel mechanism for reorganizing the brain’s functional connections.

Download Full-text

Electroencephalography theta/beta ratio covaries with mind wandering and functional connectivity in the executive control network

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1111/nyas.14180 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1452 (1) ◽

pp. 52-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Dana Son ◽

Mischa Rover ◽

Frances M. De Blasio ◽

Willem Does ◽

Robert J. Barry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Executive Control ◽

Mind Wandering ◽

Control Network ◽

Executive Control Network

Download Full-text

Verbal working memory-related functional connectivity alterations in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and the effects of methylphenidate

Journal of Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1177/0269881117715607 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (8) ◽

pp. 1061-1069 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zhao-Min Wu ◽

Janita Bralten ◽

Li An ◽

Qing-Jiu Cao ◽

Xiao-Hua Cao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Single Dose ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Executive Control ◽

Verbal Working Memory ◽

Control Network ◽

Executive Control Network ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Connectivity Patterns ◽

Behavioural Performance

Objective: Few studies have investigated verbal working memory-related functional connectivity patterns in participants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Thus, we aimed to compare working memory-related functional connectivity patterns in healthy children and those with ADHD, and study effects of methylphenidate (MPH). Method: Twenty-two boys with ADHD were scanned twice, under either MPH (single dose, 10 mg) or placebo, in a randomised, cross-over, counterbalanced placebo-controlled design. Thirty healthy boys were scanned once. We used fMRI during a numerical n-back task to examine functional connectivity patterns in case-control and MPH-placebo comparisons, using independent component analysis. Results: There was no significant difference in behavioural performance between children with ADHD, treated with MPH or placebo, and healthy controls. Compared with controls, participants with ADHD under placebo showed increased functional connectivity within fronto-parietal and auditory networks, and decreased functional connectivity within the executive control network. MPH normalized the altered functional connectivity pattern and significantly enhanced functional connectivity within the executive control network, though in non-overlapping areas. Conclusion: Our study contributes to the identification of the neural substrates of working memory. Single dose of MPH normalized the altered brain functional connectivity network, but had no enhancing effect on (non-impaired) behavioural performance.

Download Full-text

Effects of Mini-Basketball Training Program on Social Communication Impairment and Executive Control Network in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18105132 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 5132

Author(s):

Sixin Yang ◽

Zhimei Liu ◽

Xuan Xiong ◽

Kelong Cai ◽

Lina Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Executive Control ◽

Social Communication ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Control Group ◽

Control Network ◽

Executive Control Network ◽

Children With Asd

This study evaluated the effect of a 12-week mini-basketball training program (MBTP) on social communication (SC) and the executive control network (ECN) in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We finally assigned 30 preschool children with ASD to an experiment group (n = 15, 12 males, 3 females) or a control group (n = 15, 13 males, 2 females). The experiment group participated in a 12-week MBTP (40-min sessions per day, 5 days a week), while the control group only received the institutional routine behavioral rehabilitation intervention. The SC of preschool children with ASD was measured using the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2), whereas functional connectivity (FC) of the ECN was assessed using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) at pre-and post-test. Our results showed that SC exhibited significant improvement in the intervention group, especially in SRS-2 total score, social cognition, and social communication. We found significantly enhanced functional connectivity between the right cerebellum and left inferior frontal gyrus in the experimental group, while functional connectivity between the left middle temporal gyrus and right cerebellum were decreased in the control group. Furthermore, there were no significant correlations between the change in SC scores and FC of the ECN. Altogether, this study provides valuable insights that a 12-week MBTP improves SC and functional connectivity of the ECN in preschool children with ASD. We further inferred that neural mechanisms might be associated with changing the ECN of preschool ASD children caused by the 12-week MBTP.

Download Full-text