scholarly journals Brain-outcome associations for risk taking depend on the measures used to capture individual differences

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loreen Tisdall ◽  
Renato Frey ◽  
Andreas Horn ◽  
Dirk Ostwald ◽  
Lilla Horvath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
The Core ◽  
Neuroimaging Data ◽  
Human Adults

Maladaptive risk taking can have severe individual and societal consequences, thus individual differences are prominent targets for intervention and prevention. How to capture individual differences in risk taking, however, presents a major challenge because convergence between measures is mostly low. Considering that functional brain markers are being examined for their potential to account for various risk-taking related outcomes, we urgently need to establish the role of risk-taking measures for establishing reliable brain-outcome associations. To address this issue, we analyzed within-participant neuroimaging data for two widely used risk-taking measures collected from the imaging subsample of the Basel–Berlin Risk Study (N = 116 young human adults), and computed brain-outcome associations within/out-of-measure as well as within/out-of-session. Although we observed a regionally-specific convergence of group-level activation differences for the two imaging measures in the nucleus accumbens, one of the core brain regions associated with risk taking, results from our individual differences analyses suggest that (1) individual differences in brain activation are not preserved between measures, and (2) the success of brain-outcome associations for risk taking is highly dependent on the measures used to capture neural and behavioral individual differences. Our results help to better filter risk- taking measures for their potential to establish brain markers for intervention or prevention purposes.

Pronoun reversals: who, when, and why?

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip S. Dale ◽  
Catherine Crain-Thoreson
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Second Person ◽  
Pronoun Use ◽  
Processing Resources ◽  
Unstructured Play

ABSTRACTSeventeen of a sample of 30 precocious talkers aged 1;8 produced at least one pronoun reversal (I/you) during unstructured play. This finding led to an examination of the role of cognitive and linguistic individual differences as well as contextual factors and processing complexity as determinants of pronoun reversal. Contrary to predictions derived from previous hypotheses, there were few differences between reversers and non-reversers, other than higher use of second person forms by reversers. Reversals were more likely to occur in certain contexts: semantically reversible predicates with two noun phrases, and in imitations (though the rate of imitation was lower overall in reversers). We propose that pronoun reversals commonly result from a failure to perform a deictic shift, which is especially likely when children's psycholinguistic processing resources are taxed. Children who did not produce any pronoun reversals tended to avoid pronoun use, especially second person forms. Overt reversal may thus reflect a risk-taking approach to language acquisition, which may be particularly characteristic of precocious children.

scholarly journals Multiplex core–periphery organization of the human connectome

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (146) ◽  
pp. 20180514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Battiston ◽  
Jeremy Guillon ◽  
Mario Chavez ◽  
Vito Latora ◽  
Fabrizio De Vico Fallani
Keyword(s):  
General Framework ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Fundamental Question ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Functional Interactions ◽  
The Core ◽  
Connectivity Patterns ◽  
Functional Brain Networks

What is the core of the human brain is a fundamental question that has been mainly addressed by studying the anatomical connections between differently specialized areas, thus neglecting the possible contributions from their functional interactions. While many methods are available to identify the core of a network when connections between nodes are all of the same type, a principled approach to define the core when multiple types of connectivity are allowed is still lacking. Here, we introduce a general framework to define and extract the core–periphery structure of multi-layer networks by explicitly taking into account the connectivity patterns at each layer. We first validate our algorithm on synthetic networks of different size and density, and with tunable overlap between the cores at different layers. We then use our method to merge information from structural and functional brain networks, obtaining in this way an integrated description of the core of the human connectome. Results confirm the role of the main known cortical and subcortical hubs, but also suggest the presence of new areas in the sensori-motor cortex that are crucial for intrinsic brain functioning. Taken together these findings provide fresh evidence on a fundamental question in modern neuroscience and offer new opportunities to explore the mesoscale properties of multimodal brain networks.

scholarly journals The role of deliberate practice in expert performance: revisiting Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer (1993)

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (8) ◽  
pp. 190327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke N. Macnamara ◽  
Megha Maitra
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Deliberate Practice ◽  
Skill Level ◽  
Expert Performance ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
The Core ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Practice Teacher

We sought to replicate Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer's (Ericsson, Krampe & Tesch-Römer 1993 Psychol. Rev. 100 , 363–406) seminal study on deliberate practice. Ericsson et al . found that differences in retrospective estimates of accumulated amounts of deliberate practice corresponded to each skill level of student violinists. They concluded, ‘individual differences in ultimate performance can largely be accounted for by differential amounts of past and current levels of practice’ (p. 392). We reproduced the methodology with notable exceptions, namely (i) employing a double-blind procedure, (ii) conducting analyses better suited to the study design, and (iii) testing previously unanswered questions about teacher-designed practice—that is, we examined the way Ericsson et al . operationalized deliberate practice (practice alone), and their theoretical but previously unmeasured definition of deliberate practice (teacher-designed practice), and compared them. We did not replicate the core finding that accumulated amounts of deliberate practice corresponded to each skill level. Overall, the size of the effect was substantial, but considerably smaller than the original study's effect size. Teacher-designed practice was perceived as less relevant to improving performance on the violin than practice alone. Further, amount of teacher-designed practice did not account for more variance in performance than amount of practice alone. Implications for the deliberate practice theory are discussed.

scholarly journals Unifying the Notions of Modularity and Core–Periphery Structure in Functional Brain Networks during Youth

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 1087-1102
Author(s):  
Shi Gu ◽  
Cedric Huchuan Xia ◽  
Rastko Ciric ◽  
Tyler M Moore ◽  
Ruben C Gur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Rich Club ◽  
Functional Brain Networks ◽  
Integrative Processing

AbstractAt rest, human brain functional networks display striking modular architecture in which coherent clusters of brain regions are activated. The modular account of brain function is pervasive, reliable, and reproducible. Yet, a complementary perspective posits a core–periphery or rich-club account of brain function, where hubs are densely interconnected with one another, allowing for integrative processing. Unifying these two perspectives has remained difficult due to the fact that the methodological tools to identify modules are entirely distinct from the methodological tools to identify core–periphery structure. Here, we leverage a recently-developed model-based approach—the weighted stochastic block model—that simultaneously uncovers modular and core–periphery structure, and we apply it to functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired at rest in 872 youth of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort. We demonstrate that functional brain networks display rich mesoscale organization beyond that sought by modularity maximization techniques. Moreover, we show that this mesoscale organization changes appreciably over the course of neurodevelopment, and that individual differences in this organization predict individual differences in cognition more accurately than module organization alone. Broadly, our study provides a unified assessment of modular and core–periphery structure in functional brain networks, offering novel insights into their development and implications for behavior.

Individual differences in the feeding effects of amphetamine: role of nucleus accumbens dopamine and circadian factors

1993 ◽  
Vol 112 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Sills ◽  
J. P. Baird ◽  
F. J. Vaccarino
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Feeding Effects

scholarly journals Between-module functional connectivity of the salient ventral attention network and dorsal attention network is associated with motor inhibition

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0242985
Author(s):  
Howard Muchen Hsu ◽  
Zai-Fu Yao ◽  
Kai Hwang ◽  
Shulan Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Motor Inhibition ◽  
Attention Network ◽  
Functional Brain ◽  
Graph Theoretic ◽  
Dorsal Attention Network ◽  
Functional Brain Networks

The ability to inhibit motor response is crucial for daily activities. However, whether brain networks connecting spatially distinct brain regions can explain individual differences in motor inhibition is not known. Therefore, we took a graph-theoretic perspective to examine the relationship between the properties of topological organization in functional brain networks and motor inhibition. We analyzed data from 141 healthy adults aged 20 to 78, who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and performed a stop-signal task along with neuropsychological assessments outside the scanner. The graph-theoretic properties of 17 functional brain networks were estimated, including within-network connectivity and between-network connectivity. We employed multiple linear regression to examine how these graph-theoretical properties were associated with motor inhibition. The results showed that between-network connectivity of the salient ventral attention network and dorsal attention network explained the highest and second highest variance of individual differences in motor inhibition. In addition, we also found those two networks span over brain regions in the frontal-cingulate-parietal network, suggesting that these network interactions are also important to motor inhibition.

scholarly journals Rewarding Social Interaction in Rats Increases CaMKII in the Nucleus Accumbens

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1886
Author(s):  
Inês M. Amaral ◽  
Laura Scheffauer ◽  
Angelika B. Langeder ◽  
Alex Hofer ◽  
Rana El Rawas
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Dependent Protein Kinase ◽  
The Core ◽  
Calcium Calmodulin Dependent ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Natural Rewards ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
The One

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is known to be involved in the sensitized locomotor responses and drug-seeking behavior to psychostimulants. However, little is known about the contribution of CaMKII signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in natural rewards such as social interaction. The present experiments explored the implication of CaMKII signaling in drug versus natural reward. In the NAc of rats expressing cocaine or social interaction conditioned place preference (CPP), αCaMKII activation was induced in those expressing social interaction but not cocaine CPP. In order to investigate the role of NAc CaMKII in the expression of reward-related learning of drug versus non-drug stimuli, we inhibited CaMKII through an infusion of KN-93, a CaMKII inhibitor, directly into the NAc shell or core, before the CPP test in a concurrent paradigm in which social interaction was made available in the compartment alternative to the one associated with cocaine during conditioning. Whereas vehicle infusions led to equal preference to both stimuli, inhibition of CaMKII by a KN-93 infusion before the CPP test in the shell but not the core of the NAc shifted the rats’ preference toward the cocaine-associated compartment. Altogether, these results suggest that social interaction reward engages CaMKII in the NAc.

A Possible Adjusting Procedure for Studying Outcomes of Risk-Taking

1998 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 1047-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Dixon ◽  
Linda J. Hayes ◽  
Ruth Anne Rehfeldt ◽  
Ralph E. Ebbs
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Quantitative Measure ◽  
Original Equation ◽  
Future Risk ◽  
Risk Taking Behavior ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
Concurrent Analysis

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the role of consequences in the maintenance and termination of risk-taking behavior. In 1987 Ladouceur, Mayrand, and Tourigny proposed a quantitative measure of risk-taking based on roulette playing, but this metric did not include the outcome of that risk. Therefore, their original equation may be adjusted to incorporate a concurrent analysis of the consequences of risk-taking to understand better individual differences with respect to risk-taking behavior. An experiment with six subjects, 3 experienced and 3 inexperienced, who played roulette was used to evaluate the accuracy of the equation's predictions. Replication with a much larger sample is required to substantiate the suggestion that this adjustment would be more accurate than the original equation in predicting future risk-taking.

Neural Network Configuration and Efficiency Underlies Individual Differences in Spatial Orientation Ability

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 380-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aiden E. G. F. Arnold ◽  
Andrea B. Protzner ◽  
Signe Bray ◽  
Richard M. Levy ◽  
Giuseppe Iaria
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Spatial Orientation ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Network Configuration ◽  
Supramarginal Gyrus ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Left Hippocampus ◽  
The Right

Spatial orientation is a complex cognitive process requiring the integration of information processed in a distributed system of brain regions. Current models on the neural basis of spatial orientation are based primarily on the functional role of single brain regions, with limited understanding of how interaction among these brain regions relates to behavior. In this study, we investigated two sources of variability in the neural networks that support spatial orientation—network configuration and efficiency—and assessed whether variability in these topological properties relates to individual differences in orientation accuracy. Participants with higher accuracy were shown to express greater activity in the right supramarginal gyrus, the right precentral cortex, and the left hippocampus, over and above a core network engaged by the whole group. Additionally, high-performing individuals had increased levels of global efficiency within a resting-state network composed of brain regions engaged during orientation and increased levels of node centrality in the right supramarginal gyrus, the right primary motor cortex, and the left hippocampus. These results indicate that individual differences in the configuration of task-related networks and their efficiency measured at rest relate to the ability to spatially orient. Our findings advance systems neuroscience models of orientation and navigation by providing insight into the role of functional integration in shaping orientation behavior.

scholarly journals Stress-Induced Changes in Nucleus Accumbens Glutamate Synaptic Plasticity

2009 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 3192-3198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Campioni ◽  
Ming Xu ◽  
Daniel S. McGehee
Keyword(s):  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Induced Changes

Stress hormones released in the CNS following exposure to unavoidable, aversive stimuli have been shown to alter the physiology of neurons in multiple brain regions including hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and ventral tegmental area. The nucleus accumbens (NAc), a motor-limbic interface linked to motivation and reward, receives inputs from each of these stress-affected brain regions, raising the possibility that its function might also be altered in response to stress. To assess potential stress-induced plasticity in the NAc, we exposed adult mice to daily cold water forced swim for 2 consecutive days and conducted electrophysiological experiments assessing glutamate receptor function in brain slices taken 18–24 h following the second swim. We found that AMPA receptor (AMPAR)/ N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) ratios, a measure of synaptic strength, were increased in the NAc shell but not core medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in stressed animals relative to controls. This effect was blocked by preadministration of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU486, suggesting that the observed changes are dependent on corticosteroid signaling. The role of corticosterone (CORT) in the observed plasticity was confirmed, because exogenous administration of 10 mg/kg CORT also enhanced AMPAR/NMDAR ratios in the NAc shell. The synaptic changes in NAc shell MSNs reflect an enhancement of AMPAR-mediated currents, as we observed increased AMPAR miniature postsynaptic current (mEPSC) amplitude following stress but no change in NMDAR mEPSCs. We hypothesize that altered information processing via plasticity of excitatory inputs might contribute to reward-related behaviors such as stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking in animals and relapse in humans.

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