scholarly journals Concussion-related Alterations in Neural Activity During Emotion Recognition: Case Studies of Short-term and Residual Effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Ricker ◽  
Kylee Smith ◽  
Aexandra Schmidt ◽  
Andrea Cripps ◽  
Palguna Thalla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Collegiate Athletes ◽  
Occipital Lobe ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Residual Effects ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Neural Activation

Concussions have recently become an area of concern among the general public, but a clear understanding of their total consequence is still being developed. Symptoms of concussions are wide-ranging, encapsulating a plethora of cognitive and emotional abilities that could be affected. Concussions transiently disrupt neural activation as well as behavioral responses across multiple categories. Skills pertaining to various aspects of emotions are often affected yet have rarely been studied after concussions. We present two case studies of collegiate athletes with a history of multiple concussions. This paper highlights the case of a collegiate athlete who had obtained two previous concussions with the most recent being sustained sixteen days prior to neuroimaging. A second athlete with two lifetime concussions was tested one year after the most recent injury. The current study utilized a novel emotional recognition task to assess the behavioral and neural effects of this injury. A group of five controls responded with high accuracy rates and quick response times to the task. They showed activation in regions of the frontal lobe as well as facial recognition areas of the occipital lobe. The 16-day case subject was impaired in recognizing emotions relative to controls and showed little to no overlap in brain activity for regions involved in emotional face processing. The athlete with a longer post-concussion period also showed residual effects of neural activity alteration when compared to controls with few overlapping active regions. Specific brain regions were activated in this group but not in controls including the sensorimotor cortex, supramarginal gyrus, and lateral occipital cortex. By taking a more individual approach in examination of neural activity post-concussion, we may be able to gain a better understanding of this heterogeneous injury.

scholarly journals Emotional recognition training modifies neural response to emotional faces but does not improve mood in healthy volunteers with high levels of depressive symptoms

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ian S. Penton-Voak ◽  
Sally Adams ◽  
Katherine S. Button ◽  
Meg Fluharty ◽  
Michael Dalili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Emotion Recognition Training ◽  
Bias Modification

Abstract Background There is demand for new, effective and scalable treatments for depression, and development of new forms of cognitive bias modification (CBM) of negative emotional processing biases has been suggested as possible interventions to meet this need. Methods We report two double blind RCTs, in which volunteers with high levels of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory ii (BDI-ii) > 14) completed a brief course of emotion recognition training (a novel form of CBM using faces) or sham training. In Study 1 (N = 36), participants completed a post-training emotion recognition task whilst undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural correlates of CBM. In Study 2 (N = 190), measures of mood were assessed post-training, and at 2-week and 6-week follow-up. Results In both studies, CBM resulted in an initial change in emotion recognition bias, which (in Study 2) persisted for 6 weeks after the end of training. In Study 1, CBM resulted in increases neural activation to happy faces, with this effect driven by an increase in neural activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and bilateral amygdala. In Study 2, CBM did not lead to a reduction in depressive symptoms on the BDI-ii, or on related measures of mood, motivation and persistence, or depressive interpretation bias at either 2 or 6-week follow-ups. Conclusions CBM of emotion recognition has effects on neural activity that are similar in some respects to those induced by Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) administration (Study 1), but we find no evidence that this had any later effect on self-reported mood in an analogue sample of non-clinical volunteers with low mood (Study 2).

Specific and Nonspecific Neural Activity during Selective Processing of Visual Representations in Working Memory

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hwamee Oh ◽  
Hoi-Chung Leung
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Delay Period ◽  
The Face

In this fMRI study, we investigated prefrontal cortex (PFC) and visual association regions during selective information processing. We recorded behavioral responses and neural activity during a delayed recognition task with a cue presented during the delay period. A specific cue (“Face” or “Scene”) was used to indicate which one of the two initially viewed pictures of a face and a scene would be tested at the end of a trial, whereas a nonspecific cue (“Both”) was used as control. As expected, the specific cues facilitated behavioral performance (faster response times) compared to the nonspecific cue. A postexperiment memory test showed that the items cued to remember were better recognized than those not cued. The fMRI results showed largely overlapped activations across the three cue conditions in dorsolateral and ventrolateral PFC, dorsomedial PFC, posterior parietal cortex, ventral occipito-temporal cortex, dorsal striatum, and pulvinar nucleus. Among those regions, dorsomedial PFC and inferior occipital gyrus remained active during the entire postcue delay period. Differential activity was mainly found in the association cortices. In particular, the parahippocampal area and posterior superior parietal lobe showed significantly enhanced activity during the postcue period of the scene condition relative to the Face and Both conditions. No regions showed differentially greater responses to the face cue. Our findings suggest that a better representation of visual information in working memory may depend on enhancing the more specialized visual association areas or their interaction with PFC.

scholarly journals Neural activation in photosensitive brain regions of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) after light stimulation

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0258007
Author(s):  
Mariann Eilertsen ◽  
Benjamin G. J. Clokie ◽  
Lars O. E. Ebbesson ◽  
Cristina Tanase ◽  
Herve Migaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Apparent Difference ◽  
Light Stimulation ◽  
Deep Brain Photoreceptors ◽  
Deep Brain

Photoreceptive inputs to the teleost brain are perceived as image of the visual world and as photo-modulation of neuroendocrine and neuronal signals. The retina and pineal organ are major receptive organs with projections to various parts of the brain, but in the past decades deep brain photoreceptors have emerged as candidates for photoreceptive inputs, either independent or in combination with projections from light sensory organs. This study aimed to test the effects of narrow bandwidth light using light-emitting diodes technology on brain neural activity through putative opsin stimulation in Atlantic salmon. The expression of c-fos, a known marker of neural activity, was compared in situ between dark-adapted salmon parr and following light stimulation with different wavelengths. c-fos expression increased with duration of light stimulation and the strongest signal was obtained in fish exposed to light for 120 minutes. Distinct and specific brain regions were activated following dark to light stimulation, such as the habenula, suprachiasmatic nucleus, thalamus, and hypothalamus. The c-fos expression was overlapping with photoreceptors expressing melanopsin and/or vertebrate ancient opsin, suggesting a potential direct activation by light. Interestingly in the habenula, a distinct ring of vertebrate ancient opsin and melanopsin expressing cells is overlapping with c-fos expression after neural activation. Salmon exposed to different spectra had neural activation in similar brain regions. The most apparent difference was melanopsin expression in the lateral cells of the lateral tuberal nuclus in the hypothalamus, which appeared to be specifically activated by red light. Light-stimulated neuronal activity in the deep brain was limited to subpopulations of neurons, mainly in regions with neuronal modulation activity, retinal and pineal innervations and known presence of nonvisual photoreceptors. The overlapping expression patterns of c-fos and nonvisual opsins support direct light stimulation of deep brain photoreceptors and the importance of these systems in light induced brain activity.

scholarly journals Emotional recognition training modifies neural response to emotional faces but does not improve mood in healthy volunteers with high levels of depressive symptoms

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian S. Penton-Voak ◽  
Sally Adams ◽  
Katherine S. Button ◽  
Meg Fluharty ◽  
Michael Dalili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Regions Of Interest ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Emotion Recognition Training

AbstractIMPORTANCEDepression is a debilitating and highly prevalent mental health disorder. There is a need for new, effective, and scalable treatments for depression, and cognitive bias modification (CBM) of negative emotional processing biases has been suggested as one possibility. Such treatments may form the basis of ‘digital therapeutics’, that could be administered remotely and at low cost, should they prove to be effective.OBJECTIVESStudy one was designed to determine neural correlates of a recently developed CBM technique for emotion recognition training; specifically, our aim was to compare the effects of training vs placebo on pre-specified regions of interest involved in emotion processing that are known to be sensitive to antidepressant treatment. Study two aimed to investigate efficacy of training on mood measures at 2 and 6-week follow-up and was powered to replicate and extend earlier findings.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSBoth studies were double blind RCTs, in which participants completed five sessions of emotion recognition training or sham training, in the laboratory, over a one-week period. In study one (N=37), following this training, participants completed a novel emotion recognition task whilst undergoing fMRI. In study two (N=190), measures of mood were assessed post training, and at 2-week and 6-week follow-up. Both studies recruited analogue samples of healthy volunteers with high levels of depressive symptoms (BDI-ii > 14).MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESIn study one, our primary outcome was neural activation in the following pre-specified regions of interest: the bilateral amygdala, the mPFC, bilateral dlPFC, and the occipital cortex. In study two, our primary outcome was depressive symptoms over the last 2 weeks assessed using the BDI-ii at 6-week follow-up. Secondary outcomes included depressive symptoms measured using the HAM-D, and positive and negative affect assessed using the PANAS.RESULTSIn both studies, CBM resulted in a change in emotion recognition bias, which (in study two) persisted for 6 weeks after the end of the CBM phase. In study one, CBM resulted in increases neural activation to happy faces compared to sad faces, with this effect driven by an increase in neural activity for happy faces. We saw this increase in activation for this contrast at both the whole brain level and among our a priori ROIs, specifically the mPFC and bilateral amygdala. In study two, CBM did not lead to a reduction in depressive symptoms on the BDI-ii, or on related measures of mood, motivation and persistence, or depressive interpretation bias.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCECBM of emotion recognition appears to have effects on neural activity that are similar in some respects to those induced by SSRI administration (study one), but we find no evidence that this has any effect on self-reported mood in an analogue sample of healthy volunteers with low mood (study two).

Abstract P156: Fiber-rich Diet Suppresses Lactobacillus And Increases Blood Pressure In The Shr Independently Of T-lymphocyte Immune Responses

Hypertension ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Yang ◽  
Luis M Colon-Perez ◽  
Kacy L Magee ◽  
Wendi L Malphurs ◽  
Thomas W Vickroy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
T Lymphocyte ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Spontaneously Hypertensive ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Diet Switch

Introduction: Gut dysbiosis has been linked to hypertension in both rodents and humans. Microbial metabolites such as propionate have been shown to regulate blood pressure (BP), while butyrate, one of the major fermented end-products of fiber, reportedly produces beneficial anti-inflammatory effects in multiple dysbiosis-related diseases. Therefore, we tested the impact of a fiber-rich, butyrolytic diet on BP regulation and immune responses in the spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods: SHR (5 wo) were placed on either the fructooligosaccharides/inulin-rich diet (Fiber, N=6), or its calorie-matched control diet (Control, N=6) (Research Diets, Inc.) for 10 weeks. Baseline BP was measured by tail cuff every week for the duration of the study. Fecal samples were collected for HPLC analysis of butyrate, and Lactobacillus population by QPCR. Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was used to monitor neural activity in cardioregulatory brain regions. Blood was analyzed for circulating lymphocyte populations previously implicated in BP control in the SHR (CD3 + CD45 + , CD4 + CD25 + , CD8 + ). Results: Fiber-rich diet produced an increase in fecal butyrate levels as early as five weeks (Control vs. Fiber, 4.9umol/g vs. 9.7umol/g, p=0.068, N=6). This was associated with contraction of fecal Lactobacillus (47.5% vs. 5.9%, p=0.0008, N=6). However, we observed significantly higher systolic BP (181.4mmHg vs. 201.7 mmHg, p=0.0088, N=6) in the fiber group compared with control, beginning with week 9 post-diet switch. Changes in neural activation were observed in the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus (PVN) (3.3 voxel vs. 7.3 voxel, p=0.26) and amygdala (93.3 voxel vs. 31 voxel, p=0.0059, N=3). No changes in circulating T-lymphocytes were observed between the two groups: CD3 + CD45 + (32.4% vs. 32.1% lymphocytes); CD4 + CD25 + (1.05% vs. 0.78% lymphocytes); CD8 + (18.7% vs. 16.2% lymphocytes, N=6) at week 10 post-diet switch. Conclusion: Fiber-rich diet suppression of Gut Lactobacillus is associated with increase in BP in the SHR, independently of T-lymphocyte responses. The observed higher neural activity in PVN and lower in amygdala in the fiber group suggest direct effects of gut bacterial metabolites on brain cardioregulatory regions.

scholarly journals Population imaging of neural activity in awake behaving mice in multiple brain regions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiryl D. Piatkevich ◽  
Seth Bensussen ◽  
Hua-an Tseng ◽  
Sanaya N. Shroff ◽  
Violeta Gisselle Lopez-Huerta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Activity ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Population Analysis ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Striatal Neurons ◽  
Temporal Precision ◽  
Highly Correlated

AbstractA longstanding goal in neuroscience has been to image membrane voltage, with high temporal precision and sensitivity, in awake behaving mammals. Here, we report a genetically encoded voltage indicator, SomArchon, which exhibits millisecond response times and compatibility with optogenetic control, and which increases the sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio, and number of neurons observable, by manyfold over previous reagents. SomArchon only requires conventional one-photon microscopy to achieve these high performance characteristics. These improvements enable population analysis of neural activity, both at the subthreshold and spiking levels, in multiple brain regions – cortex, hippocampus, and striatum – of awake behaving mice. Using SomArchon, we detect both positive and negative responses of striatal neurons during movement, highlighting the power of voltage imaging to reveal bidirectional modulation. We also examine how the intracellular subthreshold theta oscillations of hippocampal neurons govern spike output, finding that nearby cells can exhibit highly correlated subthreshold activities, even as they generate highly divergent spiking patterns.

scholarly journals Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Neurofeedback Enhances Human Spatial Memory

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Hou ◽  
Xiang Xiao ◽  
Yilong Gong ◽  
Zheng Li ◽  
Antao Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Spatial Memory ◽  
Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Spatial memory is an important cognitive function for human daily life and may present dysfunction or decline due to aging or clinical diseases. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy neurofeedback (fNIRS-NFB) is a promising neuromodulation technique with several special advantages that can be used to improve human cognitive functions by manipulating the neural activity of targeted brain regions or networks. In this pilot study, we intended to test the feasibility of fNIRS-NFB to enhance human spatial memory ability. The lateral parietal cortex, an accessible cortical region in the posterior medial hippocampal-cortical network that plays a crucial role in human spatial memory processing, was selected as the potential feedback target. A placebo-controlled fNIRS-NFB experiment was conducted to instruct individuals to regulate the neural activity in this region or an irrelevant control region. Experimental results showed that individuals learned to up-regulate the neural activity in the region of interest successfully. A significant increase in spatial memory performance was found after 8-session neurofeedback training in the experimental group but not in the control group. Furthermore, neurofeedback-induced neural activation increase correlated with spatial memory improvement. In summary, this study preliminarily demonstrated the feasibility of fNIRS-NFB to improve human spatial memory and has important implications for further applications.

Associations between mental wellbeing and fMRI neural bases underlying responses to positive emotion in a twin sample

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Haeme R.P. Park ◽  
Miranda R. Chilver ◽  
Arthur Montalto ◽  
Javad Jamshidi ◽  
Peter R. Schofield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Activity ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background Although mental wellbeing has been linked with positive health outcomes, including longevity and improved emotional and cognitive functioning, studies examining the underlying neural mechanisms of both subjective and psychological wellbeing have been sparse. We assessed whether both forms of wellbeing are associated with neural activity engaged during positive and negative emotion processing and the extent to which this association is driven by genetics or environment. Methods We assessed mental wellbeing in 230 healthy adult monozygotic and dizygotic twins using a previously validated questionnaire (COMPAS-W) and undertook functional magnetic resonance imaging during a facial emotion viewing task. We used linear mixed models to analyse the association between COMPAS-W scores and emotion-elicited neural activation. Univariate twin modelling was used to evaluate heritability of each brain region. Multivariate twin modelling was used to compare twin pairs to assess the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to this association. Results Higher levels of wellbeing were associated with greater neural activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, localised in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), in response to positive emotional expressions of happiness. Univariate twin modelling showed activity in the IFG to have 20% heritability. Multivariate twin modelling suggested that the association between wellbeing and positive emotion-elicited neural activity was driven by common variance from unique environment (r = 0.208) rather than shared genetics. Conclusions Higher mental wellbeing may have a basis in greater engagement of prefrontal neural regions in response to positive emotion, and this association may be modifiable by unique life experiences.

scholarly journals Neural substrates of propranolol-induced impairments in the reconsolidation of nicotine-associated memories in smokers

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Lin ◽  
Jiahui Deng ◽  
Kai Yuan ◽  
Qiandong Wang ◽  
Lin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Activity ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Memory Reconsolidation ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Postcentral Gyrus ◽  
Propranolol Group ◽  
Propranolol Administration

AbstractThe majority of smokers relapse even after successfully quitting because of the craving to smoking after unexpectedly re-exposed to smoking-related cues. This conditioned craving is mediated by reward memories that are frequently experienced and stubbornly resistant to treatment. Reconsolidation theory posits that well-consolidated memories are destabilized after retrieval, and this process renders memories labile and vulnerable to amnestic intervention. This study tests the retrieval reconsolidation procedure to decrease nicotine craving among people who smoke. In this study, 52 male smokers received a single dose of propranolol (n = 27) or placebo (n = 25) before the reactivation of nicotine-associated memories to impair the reconsolidation process. Craving for smoking and neural activity in response to smoking-related cues served as primary outcomes. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed during the memory reconsolidation process. The disruption of reconsolidation by propranolol decreased craving for smoking. Reactivity of the postcentral gyrus in response to smoking-related cues also decreased in the propranolol group after the reconsolidation manipulation. Functional connectivity between the hippocampus and striatum was higher during memory reconsolidation in the propranolol group. Furthermore, the increase in coupling between the hippocampus and striatum positively correlated with the decrease in craving after the reconsolidation manipulation in the propranolol group. Propranolol administration before memory reactivation disrupted the reconsolidation of smoking-related memories in smokers by mediating brain regions that are involved in memory and reward processing. These findings demonstrate the noradrenergic regulation of memory reconsolidation in humans and suggest that adjunct propranolol administration can facilitate the treatment of nicotine dependence. The present study was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (registration no. ChiCTR1900024412).

An investigation into the role of enterprise information systems in enabling business innovation

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 771-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luay Anaya ◽  
Mohammed Dulaimi ◽  
Sherief Abdallah
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Enterprise Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Enterprise Information Systems ◽  
Business Innovation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to articulate clear understanding about the role of enterprise information systems (EIS) in developing innovative business practices. Particularly, it aims to explore the different ways that make EIS enables innovation development. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted exploratory case study, based on qualitative approach. Investigations included two case studies each involved interviewing a number of senior information technology staff, working at these cases. Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about the EIS role in enabling innovation. The analysis of the case studies revealed that integrating an EIS with other system(s) or with digital devices can provide new practices that could not be easily available without these technologies. The study also found that applying data analytics tools into data accumulated from EIS, to extract new insights, lead to innovative practices. Practical implications – The study provides a set of recommendations for organizations interested to maximize the benefits from their investments in EIS. Originality/value – The paper provides evidences from cases in United Arab Emirates for the EIS role in enabling business innovation.

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