Functional Neuroimaging and the Prefrontal Cortex: Organization by Stimulus Domain?

2006 ◽  
pp. 289-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christy Marshuetz ◽  
Joseph E. Bates
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Stimulus Domain

scholarly journals Neural arbitration between social and individual learning systems

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreea Oliviana Diaconescu ◽  
Madeline Stecy ◽  
Lars Kasper ◽  
Christopher J Burke ◽  
Zoltan Nagy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Learning Systems ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Relative Precision ◽  
Decision Confidence ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Decision making requires integrating knowledge gathered from personal experiences with advice from others. The neural underpinnings of the process of arbitrating between information sources has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we formalized arbitration as the relative precision of predictions, afforded by each learning system, using hierarchical Bayesian modeling. In a probabilistic learning task, participants predicted the outcome of a lottery using recommendations from a more informed advisor and/or self-sampled outcomes. Decision confidence, as measured by the number of points participants wagered on their predictions, varied with our definition of arbitration as a ratio of precisions. Functional neuroimaging demonstrated that arbitration signals were independent of decision confidence and involved modality-specific brain regions. Arbitrating in favor of self-gathered information activated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the midbrain, whereas arbitrating in favor of social information engaged the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. These findings indicate that relative precision captures arbitration between social and individual learning systems at both behavioral and neural levels.

The Effects of Frontal Lobe Lesions on Goal Achievement in the Water Jug Task

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1129-1147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Kathryn Colvin ◽  
Kevin Dunbar ◽  
Jordan Grafman
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Frontal Lobe ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Hill Climbing ◽  
Sorting Task ◽  
Card Sorting ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Frontal Lobe Lesion

Patients with prefrontal cortex lesions are impaired on a variety of planning and problem-solving tasks. We examined the problem-solving performance of 27 patients with focal frontal lobe damage on the Water Jug task. The Water Jug task has never been used to assess problem-solving ability in neurologically impaired patients nor in functional neuroimaging studies, despite sharing structural similarities with other tasks sensitive to prefrontal cortex function, including the Tower of Hanoi, Tower of London, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST). Our results demonstrate that the Water Jug task invokes a unique combination of problem-solving and planning strategies, allowing a more precise identification of frontal lobe lesion patients' cognitive deficits. All participants (patients and matched controls) appear to be utilizing a hill-climbing strategy that does not require sophisticated planning; however, frontal lobe lesion patients (FLLs) struggled to make required “counterintuitive moves” not predicted by this strategy and found within both solution paths. Left and bilateral FLLs were more impaired than right FLLs. Analysis of the left hemisphere brain regions encompassed by the lesions of these patients found that poor performance was linked to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex damage. We propose that patients with left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex lesions have difficulty making a decision requiring the conceptual comparison of nonverbal stimuli, manipulation of select representations of potential solutions, and are unable to appropriately inhibit a response in keeping with the final goal.

Transient Disruption of Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex During Verbal Encoding Affects Subsequent Memory Performance

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 688-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itamar Kahn ◽  
Alvaro Pascual-Leone ◽  
Hugo Theoret ◽  
Felipe Fregni ◽  
Dav Clark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Single Pulse ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Encoding ◽  
Functional Shift

Episodic memory supports conscious remembrance of everyday experience. Prior functional neuroimaging data indicate that episodic encoding during phonological task performance is correlated with activation in bilateral posterior ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (pVLPFC), although uncertainty remains regarding whether these prefrontal regions make necessary contributions to episodic memory formation. Using functional MRI data to guide application of single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (spTMS), this study examined the necessity of left and right pVLPFC for episodic encoding (as expressed through subsequent memory performance). To assess the timing of critical computations, pVLPFC function was transiently disrupted at different poststimulus onset times while subjects made syllable decisions about visually presented familiar and unfamiliar words; subsequent memory for these stimuli was measured. Results revealed that left pVLPFC disruption during encoding of familiar words impaired subsequent memory, expressed as a decline in recognition confidence, with disruption being maximal at 380 ms after stimulus onset. In contrast, right pVLPFC disruption facilitated subsequent memory for familiar words, expressed as an increase in medium confidence recognition, with this facilitation being maximal at 380 ms. Finally, phonological (syllable) decision accuracy was facilitated by right pVLPFC disruption, with this effect being maximal at 340 ms, but was unaffected by left pVLPFC disruption. These findings suggest that left pVLPFC mechanisms onset between 300 and 400 ms during phonological processing of words, with these mechanisms appearing necessary for effective episodic encoding. In contrast, disruption of correlated mechanisms in right pVLPFC facilitates encoding, perhaps by inducing a functional shift in the mechanisms engaged during learning.

scholarly journals Functional Specialization within Rostral Prefrontal Cortex (Area 10): A Meta-analysis

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 932-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam J. Gilbert ◽  
Stephanie Spengler ◽  
Jon S. Simons ◽  
J. Douglas Steele ◽  
Stephen M. Lawrie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Peak Performance ◽  
Functional Variation ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Cortex Area ◽  
Rostral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Multiple Task

One of the least well understood regions of the human brain is rostral prefrontal cortex, approximating Brodmann's area 10. Here, we investigate the possibility that there are functional subdivisions within this region by conducting a meta-analysis of 104 functional neuroimaging studies (using positron emission tomography/functional magnetic resonance imaging). Studies involving working memory and episodic memory retrieval were disproportionately associated with lateral activations, whereas studies involving mentalizing (i.e., attending to one's own emotions and mental states or those of other agents) were disproportionately associated with medial activations. Functional variation was also observed along a rostral-caudal axis, with studies involving mentalizing yielding relatively caudal activations and studies involving multiple-task coordination yielding relatively rostral activations. A classification algorithm was trained to predict the task, given the coordinates of each activation peak. Performance was well above chance levels (74% for the three most common tasks; 45% across all eight tasks investigated) and generalized to data not included in the training set. These results point to considerable functional segregation within rostral prefrontal cortex.

scholarly journals Causal evidence for mnemonic metacognition in human precuneus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qun Ye ◽  
Futing Zou ◽  
Hakwan Lau ◽  
Yi Hu ◽  
Sze Chai Kwok
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Anterior Prefrontal Cortex

AbstractMetacognition is the capacity to introspectively monitor and control one’s own cognitive processes. Previous anatomical and functional neuroimaging findings implicated the important role of precuneus in metacognition processing, especially during mnemonic tasks. However, the issue of whether this medial parietal cortex is a domain-specific region that supports mnemonic metacognition remains controversial. Here, we focally disrupted this parietal area with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in healthy participants of both sexes, seeking to ascertain its functional necessity for metacognition for memory versus perceptual decisions. Perturbing the precuneal activity impaired the metacognitive efficiency selectively in the memory judgment of temporal-order, but not in perceptual discrimination. Moreover, the correlation in individuals’ metacognitive efficiency between the domains disappeared when the precuneus was perturbed. Together with the previous finding that lesion to the anterior prefrontal cortex impairs perceptual but not mnemonic metacognition, we double dissociated the macro-anatomical underpinnings for the two kinds of metacognitive capacity in an interconnected network of brain regions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTTheories on the neural basis of metacognition have thus far largely centered on the role of prefrontal cortex. Here we refined the theoretical framework through characterizing a unique precuneal involvement in mnemonic metacognition with a noninvasive but inferentially powerful method: transcranial magnetic stimulation. By quantifying meta-cognitive efficiency across two distinct domains (memory vs. perception) that are matched for stimulus characteristics, we reveal an instrumental – and highly selective – role of the precuneus in mnemonic metacognition. These causal evidence corroborate ample clinical reports that parietal lobe lesions often produce inaccurate self-reports of confidence in memory recollection and establish that the precuneus as a nexus for the introspective ability to evaluate the success of memory judgment in humans.

scholarly journals Increased ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity in adolescence benefits prosocial reinforcement learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca Westhoff ◽  
Neeltje E. Blankenstein ◽  
Elisabeth Schreuders ◽  
Eveline A. Crone ◽  
Anna C. K. van Duijvenvoorde
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Probabilistic Reinforcement ◽  
Neuroimaging Study

AbstractLearning which of our behaviors benefit others contributes to social bonding and being liked by others. An important period for the development of (pro)social behavior is adolescence, in which peers become more salient and relationships intensify. It is, however, unknown how learning to benefit others develops across adolescence and what the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms are. In this functional neuroimaging study, we assessed learning for self and others (i.e., prosocial learning) and the concurring neural tracking of prediction errors across adolescence (ages 9-21, N=74). Participants performed a two-choice probabilistic reinforcement learning task in which outcomes resulted in monetary consequences for themselves, an unknown other, or no one. Participants from all ages were able to learn for themselves and others, but learning for others showed a more protracted developmental trajectory. Prediction errors for self were observed in the ventral striatum and showed no age-related differences. However, prediction error coding for others was specifically observed in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and showed age-related increases. These results reveal insights into the computational mechanisms of learning for others across adolescence, and highlight that learning for self and others show different age-related patterns.

Semantic Repetition Priming for Verbal and Pictorial Knowledge: A Functional MRI Study of Left Inferior Prefrontal Cortex

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 714-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony D. Wagner ◽  
John E. Desmond ◽  
Jonathan B. Demb ◽  
Gary H. Glover ◽  
John D. E. Gabrieli
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Repetition Priming ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Word Processing ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Cortical Activation ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Mri Study

Functional neuroimaging studies of single-word processing have demonstrated decreased activation in left inferior prefrontal cortex (LIPC) during repeated semantic processing relative to initial semantic processing. This item-specific memory effect occurs under implicit test instructions and represents word-toword semantic repetition priming. The present study examined the stimulus generality of LIPC function by measuring prefrontal cortical activation during repeated relative to initial semantic processing of words (word-to-word semantic repetition priming) and of pictures (picture-to-picture semantic repetition priming). For both words and pictures, LIPC activation decreased with repetition, suggesting that this area subserves semantic analysis of stimuli regardless of perceptual form. Decreased activation was greater in extent for words than for pictures. The LIPC area may act as a semantic executive system that mediates on-line retrieval of long-term conceptual knowledge necessary for guiding task performance.

Aberrant functional connectivity of dorsolateral prefrontal and cingulate networks in patients with major depression during working memory processing

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 977-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Vasic ◽  
H. Walter ◽  
F. Sambataro ◽  
R. C. Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Dynamic Networks ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Connectivity Pattern ◽  
Functional Coupling ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

BackgroundIn patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), functional neuroimaging studies have reported an increased activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during executive performance and working memory (WM) processing, and also an increased activation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during baseline conditions. However, the functional coupling of these cortical networks during WM processing is less clear.MethodIn this study, we used a verbal WM paradigm, event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and multivariate statistical techniques to explore patterns of functional coupling of temporally dissociable dorsolateral prefrontal and cingulate networks. By means of independent component analyses (ICAs), two components of interest were identified that showed either a positive or a negative temporal correlation with the delay period of the cognitive activation task in both healthy controls and MDD patients.ResultsIn a prefronto-parietal network, a decreased functional connectivity pattern was identified in depressed patients comprising inferior parietal, superior prefrontal and frontopolar regions. Within this cortical network, MDD patients additionally revealed a pattern of increased functional connectivity in the left DLPFC and the cerebellum compared to healthy controls. In a second, temporally anti-correlated network, healthy controls exhibited higher connectivity in the ACC, the ventrolateral and the superior prefrontal cortex compared to MDD patients.ConclusionsThese results complement and expand previous functional neuroimaging findings by demonstrating a dysconnectivity of dissociable prefrontal and cingulate regions in MDD patients. A disturbance of these dynamic networks is characterized by a simultaneously increased connectivity of the DLPFC during task-induced activation and increased connectivity of the ACC during task-induced deactivation.

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