scholarly journals Sexual incentive delay in the scanner: Sexual cue and reward processing, and links to problematic porn consumption and sexual motivation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Markert ◽  
Sanja Klein ◽  
Jana Strahler ◽  
Onno Kruse ◽  
Rudolf Stark
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Sexual Motivation ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Behavioral Disorder ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Delay Task ◽  
Pornography Use ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Visual Sexual Stimuli

AbstractBackground and aimsThe use of pornography, while unproblematic for the majority, can grow into addiction-like behavior which in its extreme form is labeled as compulsive sexual behavioral disorder in the ICD-11 (WHO, 2018). The aim of this study was to investigate the addiction-specific reactivity to cues in order to better understand underlying mechanisms in the development of this disorder.MethodsWe have used an optimized Sexual Incentive Delay Task to study brain activity in reward associated brain areas during an anticipation phase (with cues predicting pornographic videos, control videos or no videos) and a corresponding delivery phase in healthy men. Correlations to indicators of problematic pornography use, the time spent on pornography use, and trait sexual motivation were analyzed.ResultsThe results of 74 men showed that reward-related brain areas (amygdala, dorsal cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, thalamus, putamen, caudate nucleus, and insula) were significantly more activated by both the pornographic videos and the pornographic cues than by control videos and control cues, respectively. However, we found no relationship between these activations and indicators of problematic pornography use, time spent on pornography use, or with trait sexual motivation.Discussion and conclusionsThe activity in reward-related brain areas to both visual sexual stimuli as well as cues indicates that optimization of the Sexual Incentive Delay Task was successful. Presumably, associations between reward-related brain activity and indicators for problematic or pathological pornography use might only occur in samples with increased levels and not in a rather healthy sample used in the present study.

scholarly journals Resting-state connectivity studies as a marker of the acute and delayed effects of subanaesthetic ketamine administration in healthy and depressed individuals: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 239821282110554
Author(s):  
Vasileia Kotoula ◽  
Toby Webster ◽  
James Stone ◽  
Mitul A Mehta
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Delayed Effects ◽  
Treatment Naïve ◽  
Resting State Connectivity ◽  
The Brain

Acute ketamine administration has been widely used in neuroimaging research to mimic psychosis-like symptoms. Within the last two decades, ketamine has also emerged as a potent, fast-acting antidepressant. The delayed effects of the drug, observed 2–48 h after a single infusion, are associated with marked improvements in depressive symptoms. At the systems’ level, several studies have investigated the acute ketamine effects on brain activity and connectivity; however, several questions remain unanswered around the brain changes that accompany the drug’s antidepressant effects and how these changes relate to the brain areas that appear with altered function and connectivity in depression. This review aims to address some of these questions by focusing on resting-state brain connectivity. We summarise the studies that have examined connectivity changes in treatment-naïve, depressed individuals and those studies that have looked at the acute and delayed effects of ketamine in healthy and depressed volunteers. We conclude that brain areas that are important for emotional regulation and reward processing appear with altered connectivity in depression whereas the default mode network presents with increased connectivity in depressed individuals compared to healthy controls. This finding, however, is not as prominent as the literature often assumes. Acute ketamine administration causes an increase in brain connectivity in healthy volunteers. The delayed effects of ketamine on brain connectivity vary in direction and appear to be consistent with the drug normalising the changes observed in depression. The limited number of studies however, as well as the different approaches for resting-state connectivity analysis make it very difficult to draw firm conclusions and highlight the importance of data sharing and larger future studies.

scholarly journals The acute effects of cannabidiol on the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback in healthy volunteers

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 969-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Lawn ◽  
James Hill ◽  
Chandni Hindocha ◽  
Jocelyn Yim ◽  
Yumeya Yamamori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Monetary Incentive ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Delay Task ◽  
Reward Anticipation ◽  
Monetary Incentive Delay Task ◽  
Monetary Incentive Delay ◽  
Healthy Participants

Background: Cannabidiol has potential therapeutic benefits for people with psychiatric disorders characterised by reward function impairment. There is existing evidence that cannabidiol may influence some aspects of reward processing. However, it is unknown whether cannabidiol acutely affects brain function underpinning reward anticipation and feedback. Hypotheses: We predicted that cannabidiol would augment brain activity associated with reward anticipation and feedback. Methods: We administered a single 600 mg oral dose of cannabidiol and matched placebo to 23 healthy participants in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, repeated-measures design. We employed the monetary incentive delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging to assay the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback. We conducted whole brain analyses and region-of-interest analyses in pre-specified reward-related brain regions. Results: The monetary incentive delay task elicited expected brain activity during reward anticipation and feedback, including in the insula, caudate, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortex. However, across the whole brain, we did not find any evidence that cannabidiol altered reward-related brain activity. Moreover, our Bayesian analyses showed that activity in our regions-of-interest was similar following cannabidiol and placebo. Additionally, our behavioural measures of motivation for reward did not show a significant difference between cannabidiol and placebo. Discussion: Cannabidiol did not acutely affect the neural correlates of reward anticipation and feedback in healthy participants. Future research should explore the effects of cannabidiol on different components of reward processing, employ different doses and administration regimens, and test its reward-related effects in people with psychiatric disorders.

scholarly journals Accurate sex classification from neural responses to sexual stimuli

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vesa Juhani Putkinen ◽  
Sanaz Nazari-Farsani ◽  
Tomi Karjalainen ◽  
Severi Santavirta ◽  
Matthew Hudson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Dorsal Attention Network ◽  
Film Clips ◽  
Attentional Engagement ◽  
Visual Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Multivariate Pattern

Sex differences in brain activity evoked by sexual stimuli remain elusive despite robust evidence for stronger enjoyment of and interest towards sexual stimuli in men than in women. To test whether visual sexual stimuli evoke different brain activity patterns in men and women, we measured haemodynamic brain activity induced by visual sexual stimuli in two experiments in 91 subjects (46 males). In one experiment, the subjects viewed sexual and non-sexual film clips and dynamic annotations for nudity in the clips was used to predict their hemodynamic activity. In the second experiment, the subjects viewed sexual and non-sexual pictures in an event-related design. Males showed stronger activation than females in the visual and prefrontal cortices and dorsal attention network in both experiments. Furthermore, using multivariate pattern classification we could accurately predict the sex of the subject on the basis of the brain activity elicited by the sexual stimuli. The classification generalized across the experiments indicating that the sex differences were consistent across the experiments. Eye tracking data obtained from an independent sample of subjects (N = 110) showed that men looked longer than women at the chest area of the nude female actors in the film clips. These results indicate that visual sexual stimuli evoke discernible brain activity patterns in men and women which may reflect stronger attentional engagement with sexual stimuli in men than women.

scholarly journals Mathematical Issues in the Inference of Causal Interactions among Multichannel Neural Signals

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Jin Jung ◽  
Kyung Hwan Kim ◽  
Chang-Hwan Im
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Applied Mathematics ◽  
Neural Signals ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Mathematical Background ◽  
Current State ◽  
Causality Inference ◽  
Computational Sciences ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Within the last few decades, attempts have been made to characterize the underlying mechanisms of brain activity by analyzing neural signals recorded, directly or indirectly, from the human brain. Accordingly, inference of functional connectivity among neural signals has become an indispensable research tool in modern neuroscience studies aiming to explore how different brain areas are interacting with each other. Indeed, remarkable advances in computational sciences and applied mathematics even allow the estimation of causal interactions among multichannel neural signals. Here, we introduce the brief mathematical background of the use of causality inference in neuroscience and discuss the relevant mathematical issues, with the ultimate goal of providing applied mathematicians with the current state-of-the-art knowledge on this promising multidisciplinary topic.

scholarly journals EEG Fractal Analysis Reflects Brain Impairment after Stroke

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 592
Author(s):  
Maria Rubega ◽  
Emanuela Formaggio ◽  
Franco Molteni ◽  
Eleonora Guanziroli ◽  
Roberto Di Marco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Stroke Survivors ◽  
Eeg Signals ◽  
Novel Treatments ◽  
Fractal Measures ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Random Fluctuations

Stroke is the commonest cause of disability. Novel treatments require an improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms of recovery. Fractal approaches have demonstrated that a single metric can describe the complexity of seemingly random fluctuations of physiological signals. We hypothesize that fractal algorithms applied to electroencephalographic (EEG) signals may track brain impairment after stroke. Sixteen stroke survivors were studied in the hyperacute (<48 h) and in the acute phase (∼1 week after stroke), and 35 stroke survivors during the early subacute phase (from 8 days to 32 days and after ∼2 months after stroke): We compared resting-state EEG fractal changes using fractal measures (i.e., Higuchi Index, Tortuosity) with 11 healthy controls. Both Higuchi index and Tortuosity values were significantly lower after a stroke throughout the acute and early subacute stage compared to healthy subjects, reflecting a brain activity which is significantly less complex. These indices may be promising metrics to track behavioral changes in the very early stage after stroke. Our findings might contribute to the neurorehabilitation quest in identifying reliable biomarkers for a better tailoring of rehabilitation pathways.

Reward Processing in Late Life Depression: Insights From the Monetary Incentive Delay Task

2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (9) ◽  
pp. S303-S304
Author(s):  
Jack Kaufman ◽  
Joseph Kim ◽  
Anna Bradford ◽  
Jacob Germain ◽  
Victor Patron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Life ◽  
Monetary Incentive ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Late Life Depression ◽  
Delay Task ◽  
Monetary Incentive Delay Task ◽  
Monetary Incentive Delay

Men and women differ in amygdala response to visual sexual stimuli

2004 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Hamann ◽  
Rebecca A Herman ◽  
Carla L Nolan ◽  
Kim Wallen
Keyword(s):  
Men And Women ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Amygdala Response ◽  
Visual Sexual Stimuli

At the Second Glance: Stability of Neural Responses Toward Visual Sexual Stimuli

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2720-2737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Wehrum‐Osinsky ◽  
Tim Klucken ◽  
Sabine Kagerer ◽  
Bertram Walter ◽  
Andrea Hermann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Responses ◽  
Sexual Stimuli ◽  
Visual Sexual Stimuli

Cannabidiol Has a Unique Effect on Global Brain Activity: A Pharmacological, Functional MRI Study in Awake Mice 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aymen Sadaka ◽  
Ana Ozuna ◽  
Richard Ortiz ◽  
Praveen Kulkarni ◽  
Clare Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Dose Dependent ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background: The phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) is a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorders. How does CBD interact with the brain to alter behavior? We hypothesized that CBD would produce a dose-dependent reduction in brain activity and functional coupling in neural circuitry associated with fear and defense. Methods: During the scanning session awake mice were given vehicle or CBD (3, 10, or 30 mg/kg I.P.) and imaged for 10 min post treatment. Mice were also treated with the 10 mg/kg dose of CBD and imaged one hr later for resting state BOLD functional connectivity (rsFC). Imaging data were registered to a 3D MRI mouse atlas providing site-specific information on 138 different brain areas. Blood samples were collected for CBD measurements.Results: CBD produced a dose-dependent polarization of activation along the rostral-caudal axis of the brain. The olfactory bulb and prefrontal cortex showed an increase in positive BOLD whereas the brainstem and cerebellum showed a decrease in BOLD signal. This negative BOLD affected many areas connected to the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS). The ARAS was decoupled to much of the brain but was hyperconnected to the olfactory system and prefrontal cortex. The pattern of ARAS connectivity closely overlapped with brain areas showing high levels N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines-specific phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD) messenger RNA.Conclusion: The CBD-induced decrease in ARAS activity is consistent with an emerging literature suggesting that CBD reduces autonomic arousal under conditions of emotional and physical stress. The putative target and mechanism of action is NAPE-PLD the enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of lipid signaling molecules like anandamide.

scholarly journals A Large-scale Comparison of Cortical and Subcortical Structural Segmentation Methods in Alzheimer’s Disease: a Statistical Approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jafar Zamani ◽  
Ali Sadr ◽  
Amir-Homayoun Javadi
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Automated Segmentation ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Segmentation Methods ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
The Brain

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to anatomical atrophy, as evidenced by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Automated segmentation methods are developed to help with the segmentation of different brain areas. However, their reliability has yet to be fully investigated. To have a more comprehensive understanding of the distribution of changes in AD, as well as investigating the reliability of different segmentation methods, in this study we compared volumes of cortical and subcortical brain segments, using automated segmentation methods in more than 60 areas between AD and healthy controls (HC).MethodsA total of 44 MRI images (22 AD and 22 HC, 50% females) were taken from the minimal interval resonance imaging in Alzheimer’s disease (MIRIAD) dataset. HIPS, volBrain, CAT and BrainSuite segmentation methods were used for the subfields of hippocampus, and the rest of the brain.ResultsWhile HIPS, volBrain and CAT showed strong conformity with the past literature, BrainSuite misclassified several brain areas. Additionally, the volume of the brain areas that successfully discriminated between AD and HC showed a correlation with mini mental state examination (MMSE) scores. The two methods of volBrain and CAT showed a very strong correlation. These two methods, however, did not correlate with BrainSuite.ConclusionOur results showed that automated segmentation methods HIPS, volBrain and CAT can be used in the classification of AD and HC. This is an indication that such methods can be used to inform researchers and clinicians of underlying mechanisms and progression of AD.

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