Higher availability of α4β2 nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) in dorsal ACC is linked to more efficient interference control

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are widely distributed in the human brain and play an important role in the neuromodulation of brain networks implicated in attentional processes. Previous work in humans showed that heteromeric α4β2 nAChRs are abundant in the cingulo-insular network underlying attentional control. It has been proposed that cholinergic neuromodulation by α4β2 nAChRs is involved in attentional control during demanding tasks, when additional resources are needed to minimize interference from task-irrelevant stimuli and focus on task-relevant stimuli. Here we investigate the link between the availability of α4β2 nAChRs in the cingulo-insular network and behavioral measures of interference control using two versions of the Stroop paradigm, a task known to recruit cingulo-insular areas. We used a previously published PET dataset acquired 24 non-smoking male subjects in the context of a larger study which investigated the brain distribution of nAChRs in two clinical groups using 2-[(18)F]F-A-85380 PET. We found that higher availability of α4β2 nAChRs in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) predicted better interference control independently of group and age. In line with animal models, our results support the view that the availability of α4β2 nAChRs in the dorsal ACC is linked with more efficient attentional control.

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Attentional Control in Anterior Cingulate Cortex Based on Probabilistic Cueing

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn.2010.21435 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 716-727 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Esther Aarts ◽

Ardi Roelofs

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Incongruent Trial ◽

Cingulate Cortex ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Sequential Effects ◽

Behavioral Measures ◽

Control Activity ◽

Fmri Experiment ◽

Symbolic Cues

In Stroop-like tasks, conflict effects in behavioral measures and ACC activity are smaller on trials following an incongruent trial than following a congruent one. Researchers have found no agreement on whether these sequential effects in ACC can be driven by experienced incongruency only or also by expectations about target types. In the present fMRI experiment, we specifically manipulated the expectancies by using symbolic cues predicting with 75% or 50% certainty the incongruent or congruent targets in a Stroop-like task. Both behavioral and dorsal ACC data replicated previous sequential effects, with conflict effects being smallest for targets following the cues that predicted with 75% certainty the incongruent targets. However, these effects were not driven by experienced conflict but by symbolic cues. These results demonstrate differential attentional control activity in ACC after probabilistic cueing, providing evidence for control adjustments driven by changes in expectation.

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The effect of mood on food versus non-food interference among females who are high and low on emotional eating

Journal of Eating Disorders ◽

10.1186/s40337-021-00497-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hilla Sambal ◽

Cara Bohon ◽

Noam Weinbach

Keyword(s):

Mood Induction ◽

Emotional Eating ◽

Flanker Task ◽

Interference Control ◽

Attentional Processes ◽

Mood Manipulation ◽

Attentional Interference ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

Task Irrelevant ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Emotional eating refers to overeating triggered by emotional experiences and may cause significant psychological distress and health problems. Thus, it is important to better understand its underlying mechanisms. The study examined if the ability to ignore task-irrelevant information, namely, interference control, is modulated by mood and exposure to food stimuli among females who are high and low on emotional eating. Method The study’s sample included 80 women who were high (N = 40) or low (N = 40) on an emotional eating scale. Participants were divided to a negative or neutral mood induction group. Following the mood induction, they completed a food-flanker task that allowed assessing attentional interference caused by food and non-food stimuli separately. Results The low emotional eating group had significantly greater food compared to non-food interference, suggesting difficulty at ignoring food stimuli while attending a neutral target. In the high emotional eating group, there was no difference between food and non-food interference. However, higher levels of emotional eating predicted lower levels of food interference. Conclusion The pattern of results suggests a food-avoidance attentional tendency among those with higher levels of emotional eating. The mood manipulation did not influence food-related interference in either group. The lack of an effect of mood on food-related interference questions the impact of negative emotions on basic attentional processes among individuals with emotional eating.

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