scholarly journals The Development of the Mesoprefrontal Dopaminergic System in Health and Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Ushna S. Islam ◽  
Norisa Meli ◽  
Sandra Blaess
Keyword(s):  
Postnatal Development ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Dopaminergic System ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Dorsal Striatum ◽  
Stable Pattern ◽  
Higher Cognitive Functions ◽  
Local Circuits

Midbrain dopaminergic neurons located in the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area are the main source of dopamine in the brain. They send out projections to a variety of forebrain structures, including dorsal striatum, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex (PFC), establishing the nigrostriatal, mesolimbic, and mesoprefrontal pathways, respectively. The dopaminergic input to the PFC is essential for the performance of higher cognitive functions such as working memory, attention, planning, and decision making. The gradual maturation of these cognitive skills during postnatal development correlates with the maturation of PFC local circuits, which undergo a lengthy functional remodeling process during the neonatal and adolescence stage. During this period, the mesoprefrontal dopaminergic innervation also matures: the fibers are rather sparse at prenatal stages and slowly increase in density during postnatal development to finally reach a stable pattern in early adulthood. Despite the prominent role of dopamine in the regulation of PFC function, relatively little is known about how the dopaminergic innervation is established in the PFC, whether and how it influences the maturation of local circuits and how exactly it facilitates cognitive functions in the PFC. In this review, we provide an overview of the development of the mesoprefrontal dopaminergic system in rodents and primates and discuss the role of altered dopaminergic signaling in neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.

scholarly journals Respiration-Driven Brain Oscillations in Emotional Cognition

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shani Folschweiller ◽  
Jonas-Frederic Sauer
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Emotional Behavior ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
Brain Oscillations ◽  
Higher Cognitive Functions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Emotional Cognition

Respiration paces brain oscillations and the firing of individual neurons, revealing a profound impact of rhythmic breathing on brain activity. Intriguingly, respiration-driven entrainment of neural activity occurs in a variety of cortical areas, including those involved in higher cognitive functions such as associative neocortical regions and the hippocampus. Here we review recent findings of respiration-entrained brain activity with a particular focus on emotional cognition. We summarize studies from different brain areas involved in emotional behavior such as fear, despair, and motivation, and compile findings of respiration-driven activities across species. Furthermore, we discuss the proposed cellular and network mechanisms by which cortical circuits are entrained by respiration. The emerging synthesis from a large body of literature suggests that the impact of respiration on brain function is widespread across the brain and highly relevant for distinct cognitive functions. These intricate links between respiration and cognitive processes call for mechanistic studies of the role of rhythmic breathing as a timing signal for brain activity.

The function of the cerebellum in cognition, affect and consciousness

2001 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Schmahmann ◽  
Carl M. Anderson ◽  
Natika Newton ◽  
Ralph D. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Science ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
University Of Pennsylvania ◽  
Logical Thinking ◽  
Cognitive Science Society ◽  
Perceptual Consciousness ◽  
Higher Cognitive Functions ◽  
The University

Editors’ note:þThese four interrelated discussions of the role of the cerebellum in coordinating emotional and higher cognitive functions developed out of a workshop presented by the four authors for the 2000 Conference of the Cognitive Science Society at the University of Pennsylvania. The four interrelated discussions explore the implications of the recent explosion of cerebellum research suggesting an expanded cerebellar role in higher cognitive functions as well as in the coordination of emotional functions with learning, logical thinking, perceptual consciousness, and action planning

scholarly journals Cortical Connectivity In A Macaque Model Of Congenital Blindness

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïc Magrou ◽  
Pascal Barone ◽  
Nikola T. Markov ◽  
Herbert Killackey ◽  
Pascale Giroud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Extrastriate Cortex ◽  
Local Network ◽  
Cortical Function ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Higher Cognitive Functions ◽  
Local Circuits

Abstract:Brain-mapping of the congenitally blind human reveals extensive plasticity(1). The visual cortex of the blind has been observed to support higher cognitive functions including language and numerical processing(2, 3). This functional shift is hypothesized to reflect a metamodal cortical function, where computations are defined by the local network. In the case of developmental deafferentation, local circuits are considered to implement higher cognitive functions by accommodating diverse long-distance inputs(4–7). However, the extent to which visual deprivation triggers a reorganization of the large-scale network in the cortex is still controversial(8). Here we show that early prenatal ablation of the retina, an experimental model of anophthalmia in macaque, leads to a major reduction of area V1 and the creation of a default extrastriate cortex (DEC)(9, 10). Anophthalmic and normal macaques received retrograde tracer injections in DEC, as well as areas V2 and V4 post-natally. This revealed a six-fold expansion of the spatial extent of local connectivity in the DEC and a surprisingly high location of the DEC derived from a computational model of the cortical hierarchy(11). In the anophthalmic the set of areas projecting to the DEC, area V2 and V4 does not differ from that of normal adult controls, but there is a highly significant increase in the relative cumulative weight of the ventral stream areas input to the early visual areas. These findings show that although occupying the territory that would have become primary visual cortex the DEC exhibits features of a higher order area, thus reflecting a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on cortical specification. Understanding the interaction of these contributing factors will shed light on cortical plasticity during primate development and the neurobiology of blindness.

Role of Nut Consumption in the Management of Cognitive Decline - A Mini-Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 877-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanka Klimova ◽  
Kamil Kuca ◽  
Martin Valis ◽  
Jakub Hort
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Active Life ◽  
Healthy Nutrition ◽  
Health Aging ◽  
Review Study

Background: Currently, there is a significant increase in the number of older generation groups, which may result in serious economic and social issues. Therefore, there is a need to prolong the active life of these older individuals, especially by focusing on modifying lifestyle factors such as healthy nutrition. In fact, recent research has shown that, for example, nuts are an important part of people’s healthy diet because they have appeared to be neuroprotective compounds which might maintain or in some cases even improve people’s cognitive functions. Objective: The purpose of this review study is to explore the role of the nut nutrition in the maintenance and delay of cognitive decline among older individuals. Results: The findings indicate that the nut consumption may contribute to the delay of cognitive decline in aging. However, this nut diet is just one component of the multi-nutrient dietary intervention for health aging. Conclusion: More longitudinal controlled randomized studies have to be performed in this field to prove the efficacy of the nut nutrition for the delay of cognitive decline.

scholarly journals Extended parenting and the evolution of cognition

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1803) ◽  
pp. 20190495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Uomini ◽  
Joanna Fairlie ◽  
Russell D. Gray ◽  
Michael Griesser
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Cultural Learning

Traditional attempts to understand the evolution of human cognition compare humans with other primates. This research showed that relative brain size covaries with cognitive skills, while adaptations that buffer the developmental and energetic costs of large brains (e.g. allomaternal care), and ecological or social benefits of cognitive abilities, are critical for their evolution. To understand the drivers of cognitive adaptations, it is profitable to consider distant lineages with convergently evolved cognitions. Here, we examine the facilitators of cognitive evolution in corvid birds, where some species display cultural learning, with an emphasis on family life. We propose that extended parenting (protracted parent–offspring association) is pivotal in the evolution of cognition: it combines critical life-history, social and ecological conditions allowing for the development and maintenance of cognitive skillsets that confer fitness benefits to individuals. This novel hypothesis complements the extended childhood idea by considering the parents' role in juvenile development. Using phylogenetic comparative analyses, we show that corvids have larger body sizes, longer development times, extended parenting and larger relative brain sizes than other passerines. Case studies from two corvid species with different ecologies and social systems highlight the critical role of life-history features on juveniles’ cognitive development: extended parenting provides a safe haven, access to tolerant role models, reliable learning opportunities and food, resulting in higher survival. The benefits of extended juvenile learning periods, over evolutionary time, lead to selection for expanded cognitive skillsets. Similarly, in our ancestors, cooperative breeding and increased group sizes facilitated learning and teaching. Our analyses highlight the critical role of life-history, ecological and social factors that underlie both extended parenting and expanded cognitive skillsets. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Life history and learning: how childhood, caregiving and old age shape cognition and culture in humans and other animals’.

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