A Developmental Functional MRI Study of Prefrontal Activation during Performance of a Go-No-Go Task

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 835-847 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. J. Casey ◽  
Rolf J. Trainor ◽  
Jennifer L. Orendi ◽  
Anne B. Schubert ◽  
Leigh E. Nystrom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Planar Imaging ◽  
Number Of False Alarms ◽  
Pediatric Populations ◽  
Mri Study ◽  
Echo Planar

This study examines important developmental differences in patterns of activation in the prefrontal cortex during performance of a Go-No-Go paradigm using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Eighteen subjects (9 children and 9 adults) were scanned using gradient echo, echo planar imaging during performance of a response inhibition task. The results suggest four general findings. First, the location of activation in the prefrontal cortex was not different between children and adults, which is similar to our earlier pediatric fMRI results of prefrontal activation during a working memory task (Casey et al., 1995). Second, the volume of activation was significantly greater for children relative to adults. These differences in volume of activation were observed predominantly in the dorsal and lateral prefrontal cortices. Third, although inhibitory processes have typically been associated with more ventral or orbital frontal regions, the current study revealed activation that was distributed across both dorsolateral and orbitofrontal cortices. Finally, consistent with animal and human lesion studies, activity in orbital frontal and anterior cingulate cortices correlated with behavioral performance (i.e., number of false alarms). These results further demonstrate the utility of this methodology in studying pediatric populations.

The Effect of Divided Attention on Encoding and Retrieval in Episodic Memory Revealed by Positron Emission Tomography

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Iidaka ◽  
Nicole D. Anderson ◽  
Shitij Kapur ◽  
Roberto Cabez ◽  
Fergus I. M. Craik
Keyword(s):  
Positron Emission Tomography ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Divided Attention ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Emission Tomography ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Encoding And Retrieval

The effects of divided attention (DA) on episodic memory encoding and retrieval were investigated in 12 normal young subjects by positron emission tomography (PET). Cerebral blood flow was measured while subjects were concurrently performing a memory task (encoding and retrieval of visually presented word pairs) and an auditory tone-discrimination task. The PET data were analyzed using multivariate Partial Least Squares (PLS), and the results revealed three sets of neural correlates related to specific task contrasts. Brain activity, relatively greater under conditions of full attention (FA) than DA, was identified in the occipital-temporal, medial, and ventral-frontal areas, whereas areas showing relatively more activity under DA than FA were found in the cerebellum, temporo-parietal, left anterior-cingulate gyrus, and bilateral dorsolateral-prefrontal areas. Regions more active during encoding than during retrieval were located in the hippocampus, temporal and the prefrontal cortex of the left hemisphere, and regions more active during retrieval than during encoding included areas in the medial and right-prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cuneus. DA at encoding was associated with specific decreases in rCBF in the left-prefrontal areas, whereas DA at retrieval was associated with decreased rCBF in a relatively small region in the right-prefrontal cortex. These different patterns of activity are related to the behavioral results, which showed a substantial decrease in memory performance when the DA task was performed at encoding, but no change in memory levels when the DA task was performed at retrieval.

scholarly journals Neural Correlates of True and False Recognition Memory for Socially Relevant Information in Schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy M Jimenez ◽  
Junghee Lee ◽  
Eric A Reavis ◽  
Jonathan K Wynn ◽  
Michael F Green
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
False Recognition ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
Lateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Socially Relevant

Abstract Individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) demonstrate poor recognition memory, even when information is socially relevant. The neural alterations associated with responses to old information that is accurately recognized (true recognition) vs new information inaccurately identified as old (false recognition) are not known. Twenty SZ patients and 16 healthy controls performed a recognition paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using 78 learned target and 78 new distractor words (all socially relevant trait adjectives). Participants were asked to indicate whether they had seen the word before or not. Words were classified according to the subjects’ responses, as hits (true recognition), false alarms (false recognition), correct rejections, or misses and compared for blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activation. During hits, patients with SZ and controls showed similar BOLD activation in expected areas of lateral prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. During false alarms, controls activated many of the same regions as were activated during hits. In contrast, patients had reduced activation in lateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann Area, BA, 9, 46), anterior cingulate/paracingulate (BA 24/32, 6), and posterior cingulate cortex (BA 23/31). These results indicate that, compared to controls, patients with SZ exhibit a lack of correspondence between behavior (ie, falsely identifying new items as old) and neural activation patterns (ie, overlap in activation of regions associated with true and false recognition). These findings shed light on the neural mechanisms associated with false recognition memory in SZ.

scholarly journals The Lateral and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Work as a Dynamic Integrated System: Evidence from fMRI Connectivity Analysis

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Longe ◽  
Carl Senior ◽  
Gina Rippon
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Memory Load ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Anterior Cingulate

Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) investigations of the interaction between cognition and reward processing have found that the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) areas are preferentially activated to both increasing cognitive demand and reward level. Conversely, ventromedial PFC (VMPFC) areas show decreased activation to the same conditions, indicating a possible reciprocal relationship between cognitive and emotional processing regions. We report an fMRI study of a rewarded working memory task, in which we further explore how the relationship between reward and cognitive processing is mediated. We not only assess the integrity of reciprocal neural connections between the lateral PFC and VMPFC brain regions in different experimental contexts but also test whether additional cortical and subcortical regions influence this relationship. Psychophysiological interaction analyses were used as a measure of functional connectivity in order to characterize the influence of both cognitive and motivational variables on connectivity between the lateral PFC and the VMPFC. Psychophysiological interactions revealed negative functional connectivity between the lateral PFC and the VMPFC in the context of high memory load, and high memory load in tandem with a highly motivating context, but not in the context of reward alone. Physiophysiological interactions further indicated that the dorsal anterior cingulate and the caudate nucleus modulate this pathway. These findings provide evidence for a dynamic interplay between lateral PFC and VMPFC regions and are consistent with an emotional gating role for the VMPFC during cognitively demanding tasks. Our findings also support neuropsychological theories of mood disorders, which have long emphasized a dysfunctional relationship between emotion/motivational and cognitive processes in depression.

Failure to deactivate in the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia: dysfunction of the default mode network?

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 1185-1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pomarol-Clotet ◽  
R. Salvador ◽  
S. Sarró ◽  
J. Gomar ◽  
F. Vila ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Default Mode Network ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Default Mode ◽  
Schizophrenic Patients ◽  
Back Task

BackgroundFunctional imaging studies using working memory tasks have documented both prefrontal cortex (PFC) hypo- and hyperactivation in schizophrenia. However, these studies have often failed to consider the potential role of task-related deactivation.MethodThirty-two patients with chronic schizophrenia and 32 age- and sex-matched normal controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while performing baseline, 1-back and 2-back versions of the n-back task. Linear models were used to obtain maps of activations and deactivations in the groups.ResultsThe controls showed activation in the expected frontal regions. There were also clusters of deactivation, particularly in the anterior cingulate/ventromedial PFC and the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus. Compared to the controls, the schizophrenic patients showed reduced activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and other frontal areas. There was also an area in the anterior cingulate/ventromedial PFC where the patients showed apparently greater activation than the controls. This represented a failure of deactivation in the schizophrenic patients. Failure to activate was a function of the patients' impaired performance on the n-back task, whereas the failure to deactivate was less performance dependent.ConclusionsPatients with schizophrenia show both failure to activate and failure to deactivate during performance of a working memory task. The area of failure of deactivation is in the anterior prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex and corresponds to one of the two midline components of the ‘default mode network’ implicated in functions related to maintaining one's sense of self.

scholarly journals Encoding of Reward and Space During a Working Memory Task in the Orbitofrontal Cortex and Anterior Cingulate Sulcus

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 3352-3364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W. Kennerley ◽  
Jonathan D. Wallis
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Neuronal Encoding ◽  
Reward Information ◽  
Order Of Presentation

Several lines of research indicate that emotional and motivational information may be useful in guiding the allocation of attentional resources. Two areas of the frontal lobe that are particularly implicated in the encoding of motivational information are the orbital prefrontal cortex (PFo) and the dorsomedial region of prefrontal cortex, specifically the anterior cingulate sulcus (PFcs). However, it remains unclear whether these areas use this information to influence spatial attention. We used single-unit neurophysiology to examine whether, at the level of individual neurons, there was evidence for integration between reward information and spatial attention. We trained two subjects to perform a task that required them to attend to a spatial location across a delay under different expectancies of reward for correct performance. We balanced the order of presentation of spatial and reward information so we could assess the neuronal encoding of the two pieces of information independently and conjointly. We found little evidence for encoding of the spatial location in either PFo or PFcs. In contrast, both areas encoded the expected reward. Furthermore, PFo consistently encoded reward more quickly than PFcs, although reward encoding was subsequently more prevalent and stronger in PFcs. These results suggest a differential contribution of PFo and PFcs to reward encoding, with PFo potentially more important for initially determining the value of rewards predicted by sensory stimuli. They also suggest that neither PFo nor PFcs play a direct role in the control of spatial attention.

scholarly journals Cognitive Fatigue Is Associated with Altered Functional Connectivity in Interoceptive and Reward Pathways in Multiple Sclerosis

Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 930
Author(s):  
Michelle H. Chen ◽  
John DeLuca ◽  
Helen M. Genova ◽  
Bing Yao ◽  
Glenn R. Wylie
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Cognitive Fatigue ◽  
Adequate Treatment ◽  
Residual Functional

Cognitive fatigue is common and debilitating among persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). Neural mechanisms underlying fatigue are not well understood, which results in lack of adequate treatment. The current study examined cognitive fatigue-related functional connectivity among 26 pwMS and 14 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs). Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while performing a working memory task (n-back), with two conditions: one with higher cognitive load (2-back) to induce fatigue and one with lower cognitive load (0-back) as a control condition. Task-independent residual functional connectivity was assessed, with seeds in brain regions previously implicated in cognitive fatigue (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), insula, and striatum). Cognitive fatigue was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale of Fatigue (VAS-F). Results indicated that as VAS-F scores increased, HCs showed increased residual functional connectivity between the striatum and the vmPFC (crucial in reward processing) during the 2-back condition compared to the 0-back condition. In contrast, pwMS displayed increased residual functional connectivity from interoceptive hubs—the insula and the dACC—to the striatum. In conclusion, pwMS showed a hyperconnectivity within the interoceptive network and disconnection within the reward circuitry when experiencing cognitive fatigue.

scholarly journals Deciphering the scopolamine challenge rat model by preclinical functional MRI

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gergely Somogyi ◽  
Dávid Hlatky ◽  
Tamás Spisák ◽  
Zsófia Spisák ◽  
Gabriella Nyitrai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Mri ◽  
Drug Testing ◽  
Barrel Cortex ◽  
Spin Echo ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Planar Imaging ◽  
Saline Administration ◽  
Combined Anesthesia ◽  
Echo Planar ◽  
Labeling Method

AbstractDuring preclinical drug testing, the systemic administration of scopolamine (SCO), a cholinergic antagonist, is widely used. However, it suffers important limitations, like non-specific behavioural effects partly due to its peripheral side-effects. Therefore, neuroimaging measures would enhance its translational value. To this end, in Wistar rats, we measured whisker-stimulation induced functional MRI activation after SCO, peripherally acting butylscopolamine (BSCO), or saline administration in a cross-over design. Besides the commonly used gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (GE EPI), we also used an arterial spin labeling method in isoflurane anesthesia. With the GE EPI measurement, SCO decreased the evoked BOLD response in the barrel cortex (BC), while BSCO increased it in the anterior cingulate cortex. In a second experiment, we used GE EPI and spin-echo (SE) EPI sequences in a combined (isoflurane + i.p. dexmedetomidine) anesthesia to account for anesthesia-effects. Here, we also examined the effect of donepezil. In the combined anesthesia, with the GE EPI, SCO decreased the activation in the BC and the inferior colliculus (IC). BSCO reduced the response merely in the IC. Our results revealed that SCO attenuated the evoked BOLD activation in the BC as a probable central effect in both experiments. The likely peripheral vascular actions of SCO with the given fMRI sequences depended on the type of anesthesia or its dose.

Age differences in ventromedial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity during socioemotional content processing

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Ryan T. Daley ◽  
Holly J. Bowen ◽  
Eric C. Fields ◽  
Angela Gutchess ◽  
Elizabeth A. Kensinger
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Emotional Content ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Supramarginal Gyrus ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Content Processing

Self-relevance effects are often confounded by the presence of emotional content, rendering it difficult to determine how brain networks functionally connected to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are affected by the independent contributions of self-relevance and emotion. This difficulty is complicated by age-related changes in functional connectivity between the vmPFC and other default mode network regions, and regions typically associated with externally oriented networks. We asked groups of younger and older adults to imagine placing emotional and neutral objects in their home or a stranger's home. An age-invariant vmPFC cluster showed increased activation for self-relevant and emotional content processing. Functional connectivity analyses revealed age × self-relevance interactions in vmPFC connectivity with the anterior cingulate cortex. There were also age × emotion interactions in vmPFC functional connectivity with the anterior insula, orbitofrontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and supramarginal gyrus. Interactions occurred in regions with the greatest differences between the age groups, as revealed by conjunction analyses. Implications of the findings are discussed.

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