Induction of Relaxation by Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

Background: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is used by young people to induce relaxation and sleep and to reduce stress and anxiety; it comprises somatosensation caused by audiovisual stimuli (triggers) that lead to positive emotions. Auditory stimuli play the most important role among the triggers involved in ASMR and have been reported to be more triggering than visual stimuli. On the other hand, classical music is also known to have a relaxing effect. This is the first study to clarify the difference in brain activation associated with relaxation effects between ASMR and classical music by limiting ASMR to auditory stimulation alone.Methods: Thirty healthy subjects, all over 20 years of age, underwent fMRI while listening to ASMR and classical music. We compared the differences in brain activation associated with classical music and ASMR stimulation. After the experiment, the subjects were administered a questionnaire on somatosensation and moods. After the experiment, the participants were asked whether they experienced ASMR somatosensation or frisson. They were also asked to rate the intensity of two moods during stimulation: “comfortable mood,” and “tingling mood”.Result: The results of the questionnaire showed that none of the participants experienced any ASMR somatosensation or frisson. Further, there was no significant difference in the ratings given to comfort mood, but there was a significant difference in those given to tingling mood. In terms of brain function, classical music and ASMR showed significant activation in common areas, while ASMR showed activation in more areas, with the medial prefrontal cortex being the main area of activation during ASMR.Conclusion: Both classical music and the ASMR auditory stimulus produced a pleasant and relaxed state, and ASMR involved more complex brain functions than classical music, especially the activation of the medial prefrontal cortex. Although ASMR was limited to auditory stimulation, the effects were similar to those of listening to classical music, suggesting that ASMR stimulation can produce a pleasant state of relaxation even if it is limited to the auditory component, without the somatic sensation of tingling. ASMR stimulation is easy to use, and appropriate for wellness purposes and a wide range of people.

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Sex differences in brain activation to anticipated and experienced pain in the medial prefrontal cortex

Human Brain Mapping ◽

10.1002/hbm.20536 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 689-698 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

Thomas Straube ◽

Stephanie Schmidt ◽

Thomas Weiss ◽

Hans-Joachim Mentzel ◽

Wolfgang H.R. Miltner

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Experienced Pain

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Modulation of extracellular d-serine content by calcium permeable AMPA receptors in rat medial prefrontal cortex as revealed by in vivo microdialysis

The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology ◽

10.1017/s1461145712001484 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 1395-1406 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Sayuri Ishiwata ◽

Asami Umino ◽

Masakazu Umino ◽

Kazuko Yorita ◽

Kiyoshi Fukui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Receptor Antagonist ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Glutamate Receptor ◽

Ampa Receptor ◽

In Vivo Microdialysis ◽

Receptor Subtype ◽

Fluorometric Detection ◽

Brain Functions

Abstract In mammalian brains, d-serine has been shown to be required for the regulation of glutamate neurotransmission as an endogenous co-agonist for the N-methyl-d-aspartate type glutamate receptor that is essential for the expression of higher-order brain functions. The exact control mechanisms for the extracellular d-serine dynamics, however, await further elucidation. To obtain an insight into this issue, we have characterized the effects of agents acting at the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropioinic acid (AMPA) type glutamate receptor on the extracellular d-serine contents in the medial prefrontal cortex of freely moving rats by an in vivo microdialysis technique in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection. In vivo experiments are needed in terms of a crucial role of d-serine in the neuron-glia communications despite the previous in vitro studies on AMPA receptor-d-serine interactions using the separated preparations of neurons or glial cells. Here, we show that the intra-cortical infusion of (S)-AMPA, an active enantiomer at the AMPA receptor, causes a significant and concentration-dependent reduction in the prefrontal extracellular contents of d-serine, which is reversed by an AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist, 2,3-dioxo-6-nitro-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo[f]quinoxaline-7-sulfonamide disodium salt, and a calcium permeable AMPA receptor antagonist, 1-naphthyl acetyl spermine. The d-serine reducing effects of (S)-AMPA are augmented by co-infusion of cyclothiazide that prevents AMPA receptor desensitization. Our data support the view that a calcium permeable AMPA receptor subtype may exert a phasic inhibitory control on the extracellular d-serine release in the mammalian prefrontal cortex in vivo.

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Cannabidiol as an add-on therapy to overcome the slow-onset and, possibly, resistance to antidepressant treatment: involvement of NAPE-PLD in the medial prefrontal cortex

10.1101/2021.04.23.441143 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Franciele F. Scarante ◽

Vinícius D. Lopes ◽

Eduardo J. Fusse ◽

Maria A. Vicente ◽

Melissa R. Araújo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Rating Scales ◽

Case Series ◽

List Type ◽

Stress Effect ◽

Treatment Resistant Depression ◽

Treatment Resistant ◽

Wide Range ◽

Resistant Depression

AbstractAntidepressants such as serotonin uptake inhibitors are the first-line pharmacological treatment for chronic stress-related psychiatric disorders. However, their late-onset therapeutic action and frequent side effects, however, are important challenges for clinicians and patients. Besides, around 30% of major depression patients are considered treatment-resistant. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotomimetic phytocannabinoid with a wide range of psychopharmacological effects, but its mechanism of action remains unclear. Here, we found that in male mice submitted to two different repeated stress protocols (chronic unpredictable and social defeat stress), low doses of CBD (7.5mg/Kg) caused an early-onset behavioral effect when combined to the antidepressant escitalopram (ESC-10mg/Kg). The behavioral effects of the ESC+CBD combination depended on the expression/activity of the N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D (NAPE-PLD, responsible for synthesizing the endocannabinoid anandamide), but not the DAGLα, enzyme in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. In addition, we described a case series with three treatment-resistant depression that were successfully treated with CBD as adjuvant therapy, as evaluated by standardized clinical rating scales. After 12 weeks of treatment, two patients were considered depression remitted (MADRS score lower than 10) while one patient successfully responded to CBD as add-on treatment (more than 50% decrease from the baseline MADRS). Our results suggest that CBD might be useful as an add-on therapy for optimizing the action of antidepressants. They also suggest that CBD’s beneficial actions depends on the facilitation of N-acylethanolamines actions in the medial prefrontal cortex.HighlightsIn mice, cannabidiol (CBD), but not escitalopram, induced a fast-onset anti-stress action.Combinations of sub-effective doses of CBD and escitalopram produce anti-stress effects after only 7 days.The Escitalopram + CBD treatment modulated synaptic protein markers in the medial prefrontal cortex.CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockdown of NAPE-PLD in the medial PFC prevents the anti-stress effect of the Escitalopram + CBD.Adding CBD to an antidepressants regimen successfully treated three patients with treatment resistant depression.Graphical abstract

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Reduced Information Transmission of Medial Prefrontal Cortex to Basolateral Amygdala Inhibits Exploratory Behavior in Depressed Rats

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2020.608587 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

Author(s):

Chengxi Qi ◽

Zihe Wang ◽

Wenwen Bai ◽

Tiaotiao Liu ◽

Xuyuan Zheng

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Information Transmission ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Exploratory Behavior ◽

Basolateral Amygdala ◽

Control Group ◽

Direct Transfer ◽

Field Potentials ◽

Theta Band ◽

Significant Difference

Depression is a mental and neurological disease that reduces the desire for exploration. Dysregulation of the information transmission between medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) is associated with depression. However, which direction of information transmission (mPFC-BLA or BLA-mPFC) related to the decline of exploratory interests in depression is unclear. Therefore, it is important to determine what specific changes occur in mPFC and BLA information transmission in depressed rats during exploratory behavior. In the present study, local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded via multi-electrodes implanted in the mPFC and BLA for the control and depression groups of rats when they were exploring in an open field. The theta band was determined to be the characteristic band of exploratory behavior. The direct transfer function (DTF) was used to calculate the mPFC and BLA bidirectional information flow (IF) to measure information transmission. Compared with the control group, the theta IF of mPFC-BLA in the depression group was significantly reduced, and there was no significant difference in theta IF of BLA-mPFC between the two groups. Our results indicated that the reduction of mPFC-BLA information transmission can inhibit the exploratory behavior of depressed rats.

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High Intensity Intermittent Exercise Plays a Role in Improving Brain Activation During Complex Executive Functional Tasks

Teorìâ ta Metodika Fìzičnogo Vihovannâ ◽

10.17309/tmfv.2021.1.05 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 36-42

Author(s):

Shweta Shenoy ◽

Prachi Khandekar ◽

Abhinav Sathe

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

High Intensity ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Intermittent Exercise ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Cognitive Testing ◽

Cortical Activation ◽

Control Group ◽

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽

Significant Difference

Several neuroimaging studies have examined the effect of different types and combinations of exercises on activation of brain associated with cognitive testing but none of these studies have examined the role of high intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) in altering cortical activation from simple to complex cognitive tasks. The purpose of this study was to find if HIIE has a role in modulating executive functions related to inhibitory control as expressed by changes in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation. Materials and methods. 40 healthy adults aged between 18-30 years volunteered for the study. They were randomly divided into HIIE a (n = 20) group and a control (n = 20) group. The HIIE group performed 4*4 min of high intensity exercise on a cycle ergometer with 3 minutes of active recovery at lower intensities between the bouts, whereas the control group performed no exercise. Prefrontal hemodynamics (oxy and deoxy haemoglobin) were assessed using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during the Colour Word Stroop test (CWST) on two sessions: pre-session and post-session (1 week after pre-session). Results. The results indicate a significant difference in CWST scores which coincided with a significant difference in hemodynamics of PFC between a congruent and a complex incongruent task in the HIIE group. There was a greater activation of the right frontopolar area, the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and the left frontopolar area during the incongruent task in response to acute HIIE. Conclusion. HIIE plays a role in changing brain activation during more complex interference related tasks.

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Brain functional changes in first-degree relatives of patients with bipolar disorder: evidence for default mode network dysfunction

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291716001148 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (12) ◽

pp. 2513-2521 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

S. Alonso-Lana ◽

M. Valentí ◽

A. Romaguera ◽

C. Sarri ◽

S. Sarró ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Default Mode Network ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Whole Brain ◽

Default Mode ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Bipolar Patients

BackgroundRelatively few studies have investigated whether relatives of patients with bipolar disorder show brain functional changes, and these have focused on activation changes. Failure of de-activation during cognitive task performance is also seen in the disorder and may have trait-like characteristics since it has been found in euthymia.MethodA total of 20 euthymic patients with bipolar disorder, 20 of their unaffected siblings and 40 healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of the n-back working memory task. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was fitted to individual whole-brain maps from each set of patient–relative–matched pair of controls. Clusters of significant difference among the groups were used as regions of interest to compare mean activations/de-activations between them.ResultsA single cluster of significant difference among the three groups was found in the whole-brain ANOVA. This was located in the medial prefrontal cortex, a region of task-related de-activation in the healthy controls. Both the patients and their siblings showed significantly reduced de-activation compared with the healthy controls in this region, but the failure was less marked in the relatives.ConclusionsFailure to de-activate the medial prefrontal cortex in both euthymic bipolar patients and their unaffected siblings adds to evidence for default mode network dysfunction in the disorder, and suggests that it may act as a trait marker.

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Brains of a feather flocking together? Peer and individual neurobehavioral risks for substance use across adolescence

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579419001056 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (5) ◽

pp. 1661-1674 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jungmeen Kim-Spoon ◽

Kirby Deater-Deckard ◽

Alexis Brieant ◽

Nina Lauharatanahirun ◽

Jacob Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Cognitive Control ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Risk Taking ◽

Peer Influences ◽

Brain Functions ◽

Adolescent Risk ◽

Peer Substance Use ◽

Risk Processing

AbstractAdolescence is a period of heightened susceptibility to peer influences, and deviant peer affiliation has well-established implications for the development of psychopathology. However, little is known about the role of brain functions in pathways connecting peer contexts and health risk behaviors. We tested developmental cascade models to evaluate contributions of adolescent risk taking, peer influences, and neurobehavioral variables of risk processing and cognitive control to substance use among 167 adolescents who were assessed annually for four years. Risk taking at Time 1 was related to substance use at Time 4 indirectly through peer substance use at Time 2 and insular activation during risk processing at Time 3. Furthermore, neural cognitive control moderated these effects. Greater insular activation during risk processing was related to higher substance use for those with greater medial prefrontal cortex activation during cognitive control, but it was related to lower substance use among those with lower medial prefrontal cortex activation during cognitive control. Neural processes related to risk processing and cognitive control play a crucial role in the processes linking risk taking, peer substance use, and adolescents’ own substance use.

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Centella asiatica L. Phytosome Improves Cognitive Performance by Promoting Bdnf Expression in Rat Prefrontal Cortex

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12020355 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 355 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Giulia Sbrini ◽

Paola Brivio ◽

Marco Fumagalli ◽

Flavio Giavarini ◽

Donatella Caruso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Brain Plasticity ◽

Centella Asiatica ◽

Chronic Administration ◽

Male Rats ◽

Bdnf Expression ◽

Brain Functions ◽

Wide Range ◽

Natural Remedies

A wide range of people in the world use natural remedies as primary approaches against illnesses. Accordingly, understanding the mechanisms of action of phytochemicals has become of great interest. In this context, Centella asiatica L. is extensively used, not only as anti-inflammatory or antioxidant agent but also as brain tonic. On this basis, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the chronic administration of C. asiatica L. to adult male rats was able to improve the expression of Bdnf, one of the main mediators of brain plasticity. Moreover, we assessed whether the treatment could affect the cognitive performance in the novel object recognition (NOR) test. We confirmed the presence of the main compounds in the plasma. Furthermore, C. asiatica L. administration induced an increase of Bdnf in the prefrontal cortex, and the administration of the higher dose of the extract was able to improve cognitive performance. Finally, the increase in the preference index in the NOR test was paralleled by a further increase in Bdnf expression. Overall, we highlight the ability of C. asiatica L. to affect brain functions by increasing Bdnf expression and by enhancing the cognitive performance.

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Self-Positivity or Self-Negativity as a Function of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11020264 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 264

Author(s):

Alla Yankouskaya ◽

Jie Sui

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Negative Emotion ◽

Brain Activity ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Region Of Interest ◽

Well Being ◽

Neural Mechanisms

Self and emotions are key motivational factors of a person strivings for health and well-being. Understanding neural mechanisms supporting the relationship between these factors bear far-reaching implications for mental health disorders. Recent work indicates a substantial overlap between self-relevant and emotion information processing and has proposed the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) as one shared neural signature. However, the precise cognitive and neural mechanisms represented by the MPFC in investigations of self- and emotion-related processing are largely unknown. Here we examined whether the neural underpinnings of self-related processing in the MPFC link to positive or negative emotions. We collected fMRI data to test the distinct and shared neural circuits of self- and emotion-related processing while participants performed personal (self, friend, or stranger) and emotion (happy, sad, or neutral) associative matching tasks. By exploiting tight control over the factors that determine the effects of self-relevance and emotions (positive: Happy vs. neutral; negative: Sad vs. neutral), our univariate analysis revealed that the ventral part of the MPFC (vmPFC), which has established involvement in self-prioritisation effects, was not recruited in the negative emotion prioritisation effect. In contrast, there were no differences in brain activity between the effects of positive emotion- and self-prioritisation. These results were replicated by both region of interest (ROI)-based analysis in the vmPFC and the seed- to voxel functional connectivity analysis between the MPFC and the rest of the brain. The results suggest that the prioritisation effects for self and positive emotions are tightly linked together, and the MPFC plays a large role in discriminating between positive and negative emotions in relation to self-relevance.

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Neural Representation of Subjective Value Under Risk and Ambiguity

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00853.2009 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 103 (2) ◽

pp. 1036-1047 ◽

Cited By ~ 201

Author(s):

Ifat Levy ◽

Jason Snell ◽

Amy J. Nelson ◽

Aldo Rustichini ◽

Paul W. Glimcher

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Risk Aversion ◽

Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Ambiguity Aversion ◽

Brain Activation ◽

Neural Mechanisms ◽

Neural Representation ◽

Common Mechanism ◽

Common System ◽

Subjective Value

Risk and ambiguity are two conditions in which the consequences of possible outcomes are not certain. Under risk, the probabilities of different outcomes can be estimated, whereas under ambiguity, even these probabilities are not known. Although most people exhibit at least some aversion to both risk and ambiguity, the degree of these aversions is largely uncorrelated across subjects, suggesting that risk aversion and ambiguity aversion are distinct phenomena. Previous studies have shown differences in brain activations for risky and ambiguous choices and have identified neural mechanisms that may mediate transitions from conditions of ambiguity to conditions of risk. Unknown, however, is whether the value of risky and ambiguous options is necessarily represented by two distinct systems or whether a common mechanism can be identified. To answer this question, we compared the neural representation of subjective value under risk and ambiguity. fMRI was used to track brain activation while subjects made choices regarding options that varied systematically in the amount of money offered and in either the probability of obtaining that amount or the level of ambiguity around that probability. A common system, consisting of at least the striatum and the medial prefrontal cortex, was found to represent subjective value under both conditions.

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