scholarly journals Shared Characteristics of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks Underlying Interoceptive Awareness and Empathy

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodora Stoica ◽  
Brendan Depue
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Interoceptive Awareness ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Intrinsic Connectivity Networks ◽  
The Right

Awareness of internal bodily sensations (interoceptive awareness; IA) and its connection to complex socioemotional abilities like empathy has been postulated, yet the functional neural circuitry they share remains poorly understood. The present fMRI study employs independent component analysis (ICA) to investigate which empathy facet (Cognitive or Affective) shares resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and/or BOLD variability (rsBOLD) with IA. Healthy participants viewed an abstract nonsocial movie demonstrated to evoke strong rsFC in brain networks resembling rest (InScapes), and resultant rsFC and rsBOLD data were correlated with self-reported empathy and IA questionnaires. We demonstrate a bidirectional behavioral and neurobiological relationship between empathy and IA, depending on the type of empathy interrogated: Affective empathy and IA share both rsFC and rsBOLD, while Cognitive empathy and IA only share rsBOLD. Specifically, increased rsFC in the right inferior frontal operculum (rIFO) of a larger attention network was associated with increased vicarious experience but decreased awareness of inner body sensations. Furthermore, increased rsBOLD between brain regions of an interoceptive network was related to increased sensitivity to internal sensations along with decreased Affective empathy. Finally, increased rsBOLD between brain regions subserving a mentalizing network related to not only an improved ability to take someone’s perspective, but also a better sense of mind-body interconnectedness. Overall, these findings suggest that the awareness of one’s own internal body changes (IA) is related to the socioemotional ability of feeling and understanding another’s emotional state (empathy) and critically, that this relationship is reflected in the brain’s resting state neuroarchitecture. Methodologically, this work highlights the importance of utilizing rsBOLD as a complementary window alongside rsFC to better understand neurological phenomena. Our results may be beneficial in aiding diagnosis in clinical populations such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), where participants may be unable to complete tasks or questionnaires due to the severity of their symptoms.

scholarly journals Shared Characteristics of Intrinsic Connectivity Networks Underlying Interoceptive Awareness and Empathy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Stoica ◽  
B.E. Depue
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Strong Connectivity ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Intrinsic Connectivity Networks ◽  
The Right

AbstractAwareness of internal bodily sensations (interoception, IA) and its connection to complex socioemotional phenomena like empathy have been postulated, yet its neural basis remains poorly understood. The present fMRI study employs independent component analysis (ICA) to investigate whether the Cognitive or Affective facets of empathy and IA share resting state network connectivity and/or variability (SDBOLD). Healthy participants viewed an abstract movie demonstrated to evoke strong connectivity in resting state brain networks (InScapes), and resultant connectivity and variability data was correlated with self-reported empathy and IA questionnaires. We demonstrate a bidirectional behavioral and neurobiological relationship between empathy and IA, depending on the type of empathy interrogated: Affective empathy and IA share both connectivity and variability, while Cognitive empathy and IA only share variability. Specifically, increased connectivity in the right inferior frontal operculum (rIFO) of a larger attention network was associated with increased vicarious experience but decreased awareness of inner body sensations. Furthermore, increased variability between brain regions of an interoceptive network was related to increased sensitivity to internal sensations along with discomfort alleviation arising from witnessing another’s distress. Finally, increased variability between brain regions subserving a mentalizing network related to not only an improved ability to take someone’s perspective, but also a better sense of mind-body interconnectedness. Overall, these findings suggest that the awareness of one’s own internal body changes (IA) is related to the ability to feel and understand another’s emotional state (empathy) and critically, that this relationship is not task-dependent, but is reflected in the brain’s resting state neuroarchitecture. Methodologically, this work highlights the importance of utilizing network variability as a complementary window alongside functional connectivity to better understand neurological phenomena. Our results may be beneficial in aiding diagnosis in clinical populations such as autism spectrum disorder, where participants may be unable to complete tasks or questionnaires due to the severity of their socioemotional symptoms.

scholarly journals Sex-dependent and sex-independent brain resting-state functional connectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Di ◽  
Bharat B Biswal
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Main Effects

Background: Males are more likely to suffer from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than females. As to whether females with ASD have similar brain alterations remain an open question. The current study aimed to examine sex-dependent as well as sex-independent alterations in resting-state functional connectivity in individuals with ASD compared with typically developing (TD) individuals. Method: Resting-state functional MRI data were acquired from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE). Subjects between 6 to 20 years of age were included for analysis. After matching the intelligence quotient between groups for each dataset, and removing subjects due to excessive head motion, the resulting effective sample contained 28 females with ASD, 49 TD females, 129 males with ASD, and 141 TD males, with a two (diagnosis) by two (sex) design. Functional connectivity among 153 regions of interest (ROIs) comprising the whole brain was computed. Two by two analysis of variance was used to identify connectivity that showed diagnosis by sex interaction or main effects of diagnosis. Results: The main effects of diagnosis were found mainly between visual cortex and other brain regions, indicating sex-independent connectivity alterations. We also observed two connections whose connectivity showed diagnosis by sex interaction between the precuneus and medial cerebellum as well as the precunes and dorsal frontal cortex. While males with ASD showed higher connectivity in these connections compared with TD males, females with ASD had lower connectivity than their counterparts. Conclusions: Both sex-dependent and sex-independent functional connectivity alterations are present in ASD.

scholarly journals An investigation of resting state functional connectivity of the anterior and posterior Hippocampal subregions in posttraumatic stress disorder and its relationship with symptoms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bailee L. Malivoire
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Imaging Biomarkers ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Hippocampal Activity ◽  
The Right

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with abnormal hippocampal activity; however, the functional connectivity (FC) of the hippocampus with other brain regions and its relations with symptoms warrants further attention. I investigated FC of the hippocampus at a subregional level in PTSD during a resting state compared to trauma exposed controls (TECs). Based on imaging literature in PTSD, I targeted the FCs of the hippocampal head and tail subregions with the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and the posterior cingulate (PCC). The PTSD group had significantly greater FC compared to the TEC group between the left hippocampal head and the right amygdala, and for the left hippocampal tail with bilateral PCC. Resting state FC predicted symptom severity at time of scan and 4-months post-scan. These results highlight abnormal illness-related FC with both the hippocampal head and tail and provide support for future investigations of imaging biomarkers predictive of disease progression.

scholarly journals Brain Abnormalities in Individuals with a Desire for a Healthy Limb Amputation: Somatosensory, Motoric or Both? A Task-Based fMRI Verdict

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1248
Author(s):  
Martina Gandola ◽  
Laura Zapparoli ◽  
Gianluca Saetta ◽  
Carlo Reverberi ◽  
Gerardo Salvato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Limb Amputation ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Somatosensory Stimulation ◽  
Somatosensory Cortices ◽  
The Right

Body integrity dysphoria (BID), a long-lasting desire for the amputation of physically healthy limbs, is associated with reduced fMRI resting-state functional connectivity of somatosensory cortices. Here, we used fMRI to evaluate whether these findings could be replicated and expanded using a task-based paradigm. We measured brain activations during somatosensory stimulation and motor tasks for each of the four limbs in ten individuals with a life-long desire for the amputation of the left leg and fourteen controls. For the left leg, BID individuals had reduced brain activation in the right superior parietal lobule for somatosensory stimulation and in the right paracentral lobule for the motor task, areas where we previously found reduced resting-state functional connectivity. In addition, for somatosensory stimulation only, we found a robust reduction in activation of somatosensory areas SII bilaterally, mostly regardless of the stimulated body part. Areas SII were regions of convergent activations for signals from all four limbs in controls to a significantly greater extent than in subjects with BID. We conclude that BID is associated with altered integration of somatosensory and, to a lesser extent, motor signals, involving limb-specific cortical maps and brain regions where the first integration of body-related signals is achieved through convergence.

scholarly journals Altered Functional Connectivity and Sensory Processing in Blepharospasm and Hemifacial Spasm: Coexistence and Difference

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Chun Fang ◽  
Chun-Ming Chen ◽  
Ming-Hong Chang ◽  
Chen-Hao Wu ◽  
Yi-Jen Guo
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Hemifacial Spasm ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Detection Threshold ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
The Right

Background: Blepharospasm (BSP) and hemifacial spasm (HFS) are both facial hyperkinesia however BSP is thought to be caused by maladaptation in multiple brain regions in contrast to the peripherally induced cause in HFS. Plausible coexisting pathophysiologies between these two distinct diseases have been proposed.Objectives: In this study, we compared brain resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) and quantitative thermal test (QTT) results between patients with BSP, HFS and heathy controls (HCs).Methods: This study enrolled 12 patients with BSP, 11 patients with HFS, and 15 HCs. All subjects received serial neuropsychiatric evaluations, questionnaires determining disease severity and functional impairment, QTT, and resting state functional MRI. Image data were acquired using seed-based analyses using the CONN toolbox.Results: A higher cold detection threshold was found in the BSP and HFS patients compared to the HCs. The BSP and HFS patients had higher rsFC between the anterior cerebellum network and left occipital regions compared to the HCs. In all subjects, impaired cold detection threshold in the QTT of lower extremities had a correlation with higher rsFC between the anterior cerebellar network and left lingual gyrus. Compared to the HCs, increased rsFC in right postcentral gyrus in the BSP patients and decreased rsFC in the right amygdala and frontal orbital cortex in the HFS subjects were revealed when the anterior cerebellar network was used as seed.Conclusions: Dysfunction of sensory processing detected by the QTT is found in the BSP and HSP patients. Altered functional connectivity between the anterior cerebellar network and left occipital region, especially the Brodmann area 19, may indicate the possibility of shared pathophysiology among BSP, HFS, and impaired cold detection threshold. Further large-scale longitudinal study is needed for testing this theory in the future.

scholarly journals Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Punishment Network Associated With Conformity

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yin Du ◽  
Yinan Wang ◽  
Mengxia Yu ◽  
Xue Tian ◽  
Jia Liu
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
The Right ◽  
Global Brain

Fear of punishment prompts individuals to conform. However, why some people are more inclined than others to conform despite being unaware of any obvious punishment remains unclear, which means the dispositional determinants of individual differences in conformity propensity are poorly understood. Here, we explored whether such individual differences might be explained by individuals’ stable neural markers to potential punishment. To do this, we first defined the punishment network (PN) by combining all potential brain regions involved in punishment processing. We subsequently used a voxel-based global brain connectivity (GBC) method based on resting-state functional connectivity (FC) to characterize the hubs in the PN, which reflected an ongoing readiness state (i.e., sensitivity) for potential punishment. Then, we used the within-network connectivity (WNC) of each voxel in the PN of 264 participants to explain their tendency to conform by using a conformity scale. We found that a stronger WNC in the right thalamus, left insula, postcentral gyrus, and dACC was associated with a stronger tendency to conform. Furthermore, the FC among the four hubs seemed to form a three-phase ascending pathway, contributing to conformity propensity at every phase. Thus, our results suggest that task-independent spontaneous connectivity in the PN could predispose individuals to conform.

scholarly journals Resting-State Functional Connectivity Signatures of Apathy in Community-Living Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Yun Jang ◽  
S. Duke Han ◽  
Belinda Yew ◽  
Anna E. Blanken ◽  
Shubir Dutt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Neural Mechanism ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
The Right

Apathy predicts poor outcomes in older adults, and its underlying neural mechanism needs further investigation. We examined the association between symptoms of apathy and functional connectivity (FC) in older adults without stroke or dementia. Participants included 48 individuals (mean age = 70.90) living independently in the community, who underwent resting-state fMRI and completed the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES). Seed-to-voxel analysis (cluster-level p-FDR <0.05, voxel threshold p < 0.001) tested the association between AES scores and the whole-brain FC of brain regions involved in reward- and salience-related processing. We found that AES scores were negatively associated with FC of the right insula cortex and right anterior temporal regions (124 voxels, t = −5.10) and FC of the left orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate regions (160 voxels, t = −5.45), and were positively associated with FC of the left orbitofrontal cortex and left lateral prefrontal (282 voxels, t = 4.99) and anterior prefrontal (123 voxels, t = 4.52) regions. These findings suggest that apathy in older adults may reflect disruptions in neural connectivity involved in reward- and salience-related processing.

scholarly journals An investigation of resting state functional connectivity of the anterior and posterior Hippocampal subregions in posttraumatic stress disorder and its relationship with symptoms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bailee L. Malivoire
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Imaging Biomarkers ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Hippocampal Activity ◽  
The Right

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with abnormal hippocampal activity; however, the functional connectivity (FC) of the hippocampus with other brain regions and its relations with symptoms warrants further attention. I investigated FC of the hippocampus at a subregional level in PTSD during a resting state compared to trauma exposed controls (TECs). Based on imaging literature in PTSD, I targeted the FCs of the hippocampal head and tail subregions with the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and the posterior cingulate (PCC). The PTSD group had significantly greater FC compared to the TEC group between the left hippocampal head and the right amygdala, and for the left hippocampal tail with bilateral PCC. Resting state FC predicted symptom severity at time of scan and 4-months post-scan. These results highlight abnormal illness-related FC with both the hippocampal head and tail and provide support for future investigations of imaging biomarkers predictive of disease progression.

scholarly journals The effect of congenital blindness on resting-state functional connectivity revisited

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J. S. Guerreiro ◽  
Madita Linke ◽  
Sunitha Lingareddy ◽  
Ramesh Kekunnaya ◽  
Brigitte Röder
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
State Condition ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Congenital Blindness ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Eyes Open

AbstractLower resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) between ‘visual’ and non-‘visual’ neural circuits has been reported as a hallmark of congenital blindness. In sighted individuals, RSFC between visual and non-visual brain regions has been shown to increase during rest with eyes closed relative to rest with eyes open. To determine the role of visual experience on the modulation of RSFC by resting state condition—as well as to evaluate the effect of resting state condition on group differences in RSFC—, we compared RSFC between visual and somatosensory/auditory regions in congenitally blind individuals (n = 9) and sighted participants (n = 9) during eyes open and eyes closed conditions. In the sighted group, we replicated the increase of RSFC between visual and non-visual areas during rest with eyes closed relative to rest with eyes open. This was not the case in the congenitally blind group, resulting in a lower RSFC between ‘visual’ and non-‘visual’ circuits relative to sighted controls only in the eyes closed condition. These results indicate that visual experience is necessary for the modulation of RSFC by resting state condition and highlight the importance of considering whether sighted controls should be tested with eyes open or closed in studies of functional brain reorganization as a consequence of blindness.

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