Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) is an enzyme catalyzing ATP-dependent conversion of diacylglycerol to phosphatidic acid. Among DGK subtypes, DGKγ is localized in the brain and plays important roles in the central nervous system, although its detailed functions remain unknown. Recently, [11C]T-278 was developed as a selective positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent for DGKγ. This study aimed to conduct the first quantitative analysis using PET with [11C]T-278 in nonhuman primate brains. In rhesus monkeys, compartmental analyses showed superior goodness-of-fit in two-tissue compartment model than one-tissue compartment model. Full kinetic analysis of [11C]T-278 yielded reliable estimates of the total distribution volume (VT) values across various brain regions, showing a strong correlation (slope = 1.07, r > 0.995) with VT value derived from Logan GA. Furthermore, time-stability analysis for VT estimations showed small variations (< 5 %) between 70 and 90 min of scan durations across most regions of interest. This study provides the first in vivo visualization of DGKγ in monkey brain using quantitative PET analysis with [11C]T-278.
{"title":"In vivo quantitative assessments with [11C]T-278, a PET imaging agent for diacylglycerol kinase gamma, in nonhuman primate brain","authors":"Yasushi Hattori , Tomoteru Yamasaki , Yuji Nagai , Takashi Okauchi , Masayuki Fujinaga , Wakana Mori , Takafumi Minamimoto , Makoto Higuchi , Tatsuki Koike , Ming-Rong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121731","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121731","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) is an enzyme catalyzing ATP-dependent conversion of diacylglycerol to phosphatidic acid. Among DGK subtypes, DGKγ is localized in the brain and plays important roles in the central nervous system, although its detailed functions remain unknown. Recently, [<sup>11</sup>C]T-278 was developed as a selective positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent for DGKγ. This study aimed to conduct the first quantitative analysis using PET with [<sup>11</sup>C]T-278 in nonhuman primate brains. In rhesus monkeys, compartmental analyses showed superior goodness-of-fit in two-tissue compartment model than one-tissue compartment model. Full kinetic analysis of [<sup>11</sup>C]T-278 yielded reliable estimates of the total distribution volume (<em>V</em><sub>T</sub>) values across various brain regions, showing a strong correlation (slope = 1.07, <em>r</em> > 0.995) with <em>V</em><sub>T</sub> value derived from Logan GA. Furthermore, time-stability analysis for <em>V</em><sub>T</sub> estimations showed small variations (< 5 %) between 70 and 90 min of scan duration<del>s</del> across most regions of interest. This study provides the first <em>in vivo</em> visualization of DGKγ in monkey brain using quantitative PET analysis with [<sup>11</sup>C]T-278.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121731"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145994544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121730
Jonghyun Bae , Angelique De Rouen , Zhaoyuan Gong , Nathan Zhang , Noam Y. Fox , Murat Bilgel , Christopher M. Bergeron , Luigi Ferrucci , Mustapha Bouhrara
BACKGROUND
Cerebral iron accumulation is a hallmark of aging and age-related neurodegenerative conditions. This study explored whether higher iron levels in deep gray matter (DGM) structures contribute to motor and cognitive decline and whether this association is mediated by demyelination in white matter (WM) tracts connecting the DGM to the cortex.
METHOD
We used quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) to quantify brain iron and multi-component relaxometry to estimate myelin content in 86 cognitively unimpaired adults (ages 22–94) who underwent longitudinal assessments of cognitive and motor function. We analyzed age-related differences in DGM iron levels, examined their association with cognitive and functional decline, and conducted mediation analyses to evaluate the role of WM myelination.
RESULTS
Higher iron levels in the putamen and caudate nucleus were significantly correlated with older age. Higher putamen iron level was negatively associated with usual and rapid gait speed. In longitudinal analyses, higher iron levels in DGM were associated with a steeper decline in verbal fluency, processing speed, and motor function. Myelin content revealed a significant indirect mediated effect on the relationship between high iron content and motor function in the superior corona radiata, a WM tract connecting the putamen to the cortex.
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that excessive iron is linked to cognitive and functional decline in aging, with motor deterioration specifically mediated by demyelination of white matter pathways connecting the deep gray matter to the cortex. Together, iron and myelin metrics may serve as early biomarkers of age-related clinical decline and represent promising therapeutic targets for preserving motor function in older adults.
{"title":"Excess iron in deep gray matter is associated with cognitive and functional decline: The mediating role of white matter myelin","authors":"Jonghyun Bae , Angelique De Rouen , Zhaoyuan Gong , Nathan Zhang , Noam Y. Fox , Murat Bilgel , Christopher M. Bergeron , Luigi Ferrucci , Mustapha Bouhrara","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121730","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>BACKGROUND</h3><div>Cerebral iron accumulation is a hallmark of aging and age-related neurodegenerative conditions. This study explored whether higher iron levels in deep gray matter (DGM) structures contribute to motor and cognitive decline and whether this association is mediated by demyelination in white matter (WM) tracts connecting the DGM to the cortex.</div></div><div><h3>METHOD</h3><div>We used quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) to quantify brain iron and multi-component relaxometry to estimate myelin content in 86 cognitively unimpaired adults (ages 22–94) who underwent longitudinal assessments of cognitive and motor function. We analyzed age-related differences in DGM iron levels, examined their association with cognitive and functional decline, and conducted mediation analyses to evaluate the role of WM myelination.</div></div><div><h3>RESULTS</h3><div>Higher iron levels in the putamen and caudate nucleus were significantly correlated with older age. Higher putamen iron level was negatively associated with usual and rapid gait speed. In longitudinal analyses, higher iron levels in DGM were associated with a steeper decline in verbal fluency, processing speed, and motor function. Myelin content revealed a significant indirect mediated effect on the relationship between high iron content and motor function in the superior corona radiata, a WM tract connecting the putamen to the cortex.</div></div><div><h3>CONCLUSION</h3><div>These findings suggest that excessive iron is linked to cognitive and functional decline in aging, with motor deterioration specifically mediated by demyelination of white matter pathways connecting the deep gray matter to the cortex. Together, iron and myelin metrics may serve as early biomarkers of age-related clinical decline and represent promising therapeutic targets for preserving motor function in older adults.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121730"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145994498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-15DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121725
Martyna Bryłka , Jakub Wojciechowski , Tomasz Wolak , Hanna B. Cygan
Symptoms of developmental language disorder (DLD) may in part result from an underlying deficit in statistical learning (SL). This learning deficit may be related to the ability to extract probabilistic properties of events in the environment, which is linked to the functions of cortical and subcortical brain regions underlying SL. Using a behavioral SL task and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we tested sequential SL ability in the visual domain and its neural correlates in children with DLD and their typically developing (TD) peers. During fMRI, children performed SL tasks involving sequences of two types of stimuli: difficult-to-name (DN) and easy-to-name (EN) objects. The children underwent a pre-training fMRI, one week of behavioral training and a post-training fMRI. Similar task performance was observed in both groups during the experimental sessions, with an improvement in performance following training in the SL tasks involving both DN and EN objects. FMRI results revealed that for DN objects, after training, the DLD group presented greater involvement of the parietal and precuneus regions in the SL task performance. In turn, for EN objects, after training, the DLD group presented greater involvement of the frontal cortex and temporal pole. Furthermore, in the TD group, the left putamen, globus pallidus and thalamus were involved in the early stages of sequential SL with EN stimuli, whereas in the DLD group, these areas were involved in SL after training. Our results suggest that children with DLD depending on stimulus characteristics may employ different cognitive processes in SL than TD children, possibly as a supportive effort or a compensatory mechanism.
{"title":"Atypical mechanisms of visual statistical learning in children with developmental language disorder: An fMRI study","authors":"Martyna Bryłka , Jakub Wojciechowski , Tomasz Wolak , Hanna B. Cygan","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121725","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121725","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Symptoms of developmental language disorder (DLD) may in part result from an underlying deficit in statistical learning (SL). This learning deficit may be related to the ability to extract probabilistic properties of events in the environment, which is linked to the functions of cortical and subcortical brain regions underlying SL. Using a behavioral SL task and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we tested sequential SL ability in the visual domain and its neural correlates in children with DLD and their typically developing (TD) peers. During fMRI, children performed SL tasks involving sequences of two types of stimuli: difficult-to-name (DN) and easy-to-name (EN) objects. The children underwent a pre-training fMRI, one week of behavioral training and a post-training fMRI. Similar task performance was observed in both groups during the experimental sessions, with an improvement in performance following training in the SL tasks involving both DN and EN objects. FMRI results revealed that for DN objects, after training, the DLD group presented greater involvement of the parietal and precuneus regions in the SL task performance. In turn, for EN objects, after training, the DLD group presented greater involvement of the frontal cortex and temporal pole. Furthermore, in the TD group, the left putamen, globus pallidus and thalamus were involved in the early stages of sequential SL with EN stimuli, whereas in the DLD group, these areas were involved in SL after training. Our results suggest that children with DLD depending on stimulus characteristics may employ different cognitive processes in SL than TD children, possibly as a supportive effort or a compensatory mechanism.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121725"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145994473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121724
Jinglu Chen , Severi Santavirta , Vesa Putkinen , Paulo Sérgio Boggio , Lauri Nummenmaa
Intuitive moral inference enables us to evaluate moral situations and judge their rightness or wrongness. Although Moral Foundations Theory provides a framework for understanding moral inference, its underlying neural basis remains unclear. To capture spontaneous neural activity during moral inference, participants were instructed to watch a film rich in moral content without making explicit judgments while undergoing fMRI scanning. Independent participants evaluated the moment-to-moment presence of twenty moral dimensions in the film. Correlation and consensus cluster analyses revealed four independent main moral dimensions: virtue, vice, hierarchy, and rebellion. While each dimension exhibited unique neural activation patterns, the temporoparietal junction and inferior parietal lobe were activated across all types of moral inference. These findings establish the low-dimensional nature for the neural basis of intuitive moral inference in everyday settings.
{"title":"Four-dimensional neural space for moral inference","authors":"Jinglu Chen , Severi Santavirta , Vesa Putkinen , Paulo Sérgio Boggio , Lauri Nummenmaa","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121724","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121724","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intuitive moral inference enables us to evaluate moral situations and judge their rightness or wrongness. Although Moral Foundations Theory provides a framework for understanding moral inference, its underlying neural basis remains unclear. To capture spontaneous neural activity during moral inference, participants were instructed to watch a film rich in moral content without making explicit judgments while undergoing fMRI scanning. Independent participants evaluated the moment-to-moment presence of twenty moral dimensions in the film. Correlation and consensus cluster analyses revealed four independent main moral dimensions: virtue, vice, hierarchy, and rebellion. While each dimension exhibited unique neural activation patterns, the temporoparietal junction and inferior parietal lobe were activated across all types of moral inference. These findings establish the low-dimensional nature for the neural basis of intuitive moral inference in everyday settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121724"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145990088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121722
Tiantian Hong , Conghui Su , Hui Zhou , Fengji Geng , Yuzheng Hu
Cognitive control enables individuals to adapt to the ever-changing environmental demands. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) are key regions of the cognitive control network, activated during cognitively demanding tasks. In contrast, the entertaining and habitual nature of short-video consumption for leisure shifts neural processing toward emotional engagement and immediate gratification, contributing to excessive use and diminished self-control in some individuals. This raises a critical question: Does short-video viewing suppress cognitive control regions, and what neurochemical factors may underlie individual differences in this process? To address this question, this preregistered study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to measure glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations in the dACC at rest, and employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine dACC and dlPFC activity during free viewing of short videos in 56 young adults. We found that both the dACC and the dlPFC exhibited significant deactivation in response to preferred videos that were watched to completion, compared to less-preferred videos that were terminated early. Moreover, resting-state glutamate levels in the dACC were associated with the magnitude of this deactivation, with higher glutamate concentrations associated with less suppression of both dACC and dlPFC activity. Additionally, functional connectivity between the dACC and dlPFC increased during video viewing, particularly for preferred videos. By integrating fMRI with 1H-MRS, our study provides novel evidence that immersive viewing of preferred short videos deactivates the cognitive control network and that individual differences in this deactivation are linked to glutamate metabolism. These findings enhance our understanding of how digital media consumption interacts with neurochemical processes to influence self-regulation. Our study offers new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying short-video engagement and has implications for understanding excessive digital media use.
{"title":"Brain activity inhibition during Short Video Viewing: neurochemical insights","authors":"Tiantian Hong , Conghui Su , Hui Zhou , Fengji Geng , Yuzheng Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121722","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121722","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cognitive control enables individuals to adapt to the ever-changing environmental demands. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) are key regions of the cognitive control network, activated during cognitively demanding tasks. In contrast, the entertaining and habitual nature of short-video consumption for leisure shifts neural processing toward emotional engagement and immediate gratification, contributing to excessive use and diminished self-control in some individuals. This raises a critical question: Does short-video viewing suppress cognitive control regions, and what neurochemical factors may underlie individual differences in this process? To address this question, this preregistered study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (<sup>1</sup>H-MRS) to measure glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations in the dACC at rest, and employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine dACC and dlPFC activity during free viewing of short videos in 56 young adults. We found that both the dACC and the dlPFC exhibited significant deactivation in response to preferred videos that were watched to completion, compared to less-preferred videos that were terminated early. Moreover, resting-state glutamate levels in the dACC were associated with the magnitude of this deactivation, with higher glutamate concentrations associated with less suppression of both dACC and dlPFC activity. Additionally, functional connectivity between the dACC and dlPFC increased during video viewing, particularly for preferred videos. By integrating fMRI with <sup>1</sup>H-MRS, our study provides novel evidence that immersive viewing of preferred short videos deactivates the cognitive control network and that individual differences in this deactivation are linked to glutamate metabolism. These findings enhance our understanding of how digital media consumption interacts with neurochemical processes to influence self-regulation. Our study offers new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying short-video engagement and has implications for understanding excessive digital media use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121722"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145990099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121716
Jiaying Zhang , Junying Liang , Yiguang Liu , Cheng Luo
Speech comprehension is a multistage process involving both acoustic encoding and linguistic processing. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that low-frequency cortical activity can track perceived linguistic units (e.g., words) on top of basic acoustic features (e.g., speech envelope). However, it remains unclear how the neural tracking of acoustic and linguistic information relates to second language (L2) speech comprehension in narrative contexts. Here, we investigate neural tracking of narrative speech for L2 listeners using electroencephalography (EEG). Notably, we introduce amplitude modulation (AM) cues aligned with word rhythm onto the basic envelope of speech and employ a frequency-tagging paradigm to measure neural responses to word and AM rhythm separately. When narrative speech was presented to L2 listeners during a speech comprehension task, reliable neural tracking of word and AM rhythm was observed in low-frequency cortical activity. While the introduction of AM cues enhances both comprehension performance and word-tracking responses, listeners with high versus low comprehension performance exhibit differences in their word-tracking responses rather than AM-tracking responses. Furthermore, the power and phase associated with word-tracking responses jointly reflect individual comprehension performance of L2 listeners. Our results indicate that bottom-up acoustic cues and top-down linguistic knowledge predominantly modulate the low-frequency neural tracking of linguistic units, which contributes to speech comprehension in a nonnative language.
{"title":"Cortical encoding of acoustic and linguistic rhythms reflects L2 narrative comprehension","authors":"Jiaying Zhang , Junying Liang , Yiguang Liu , Cheng Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121716","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121716","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Speech comprehension is a multistage process involving both acoustic encoding and linguistic processing. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that low-frequency cortical activity can track perceived linguistic units (e.g., words) on top of basic acoustic features (e.g., speech envelope). However, it remains unclear how the neural tracking of acoustic and linguistic information relates to second language (L2) speech comprehension in narrative contexts. Here, we investigate neural tracking of narrative speech for L2 listeners using electroencephalography (EEG). Notably, we introduce amplitude modulation (AM) cues aligned with word rhythm onto the basic envelope of speech and employ a frequency-tagging paradigm to measure neural responses to word and AM rhythm separately. When narrative speech was presented to L2 listeners during a speech comprehension task, reliable neural tracking of word and AM rhythm was observed in low-frequency cortical activity. While the introduction of AM cues enhances both comprehension performance and word-tracking responses, listeners with high versus low comprehension performance exhibit differences in their word-tracking responses rather than AM-tracking responses. Furthermore, the power and phase associated with word-tracking responses jointly reflect individual comprehension performance of L2 listeners. Our results indicate that bottom-up acoustic cues and top-down linguistic knowledge predominantly modulate the low-frequency neural tracking of linguistic units, which contributes to speech comprehension in a nonnative language.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121716"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145990031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121719
Hui Li , John Chi-Kin Lee , Dandan Wu , Keya Ding
A foundational debate in education contrasts constructivist and instructivist pedagogies, yet their neurocognitive underpinnings remain largely unknown. This study provides a pioneering direct neural comparison of these pedagogical paradigms. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning, we simultaneously recorded prefrontal cortex activity from 54 teacher-child dyads (children aged 4–7 years) during a collaborative LEGO-building task in a Chinese context. Dyads were randomly assigned to either a constructivist (facilitator-led) or an instructivist (expert-led) approach. We analyzed intra-brain (within-person) and inter-brain (between-person) synchrony using wavelet transform coherence.
Results revealed distinct neural signatures for each approach. Both teachers and children exhibited unique patterns of intra-brain connectivity reflecting the different cognitive demands of each role. Critically, dyads in the constructivist approach displayed significantly higher inter-brain synchrony in right prefrontal regions (implicated in social cognition and mentalizing) compared to dyads in the instructivist condition. These findings suggest that constructivism fosters a neurally coupled, collaborative state between teacher and child, potentially reflecting a shared cognitive space. In contrast, instructivist teaching appears to impose a higher, more independent cognitive load on the teacher with less dyadic neural alignment. This work provides the first neurobiological evidence differentiating these cornerstone teaching frameworks and offers a new avenue for a neurally-informed science of learning.
{"title":"The neural correlates of pedagogy: An fNIRS hyperscanning study of constructivist and instructivist approaches in teacher-child dyads","authors":"Hui Li , John Chi-Kin Lee , Dandan Wu , Keya Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121719","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121719","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A foundational debate in education contrasts constructivist and instructivist pedagogies, yet their neurocognitive underpinnings remain largely unknown. This study provides a pioneering direct neural comparison of these pedagogical paradigms. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning, we simultaneously recorded prefrontal cortex activity from 54 teacher-child dyads (children aged 4–7 years) during a collaborative LEGO-building task in a Chinese context. Dyads were randomly assigned to either a constructivist (facilitator-led) or an instructivist (expert-led) approach. We analyzed intra-brain (within-person) and inter-brain (between-person) synchrony using wavelet transform coherence.</div><div>Results revealed distinct neural signatures for each approach. Both teachers and children exhibited unique patterns of intra-brain connectivity reflecting the different cognitive demands of each role. Critically, dyads in the constructivist approach displayed significantly higher inter-brain synchrony in right prefrontal regions (implicated in social cognition and mentalizing) compared to dyads in the instructivist condition. These findings suggest that constructivism fosters a neurally coupled, collaborative state between teacher and child, potentially reflecting a shared cognitive space. In contrast, instructivist teaching appears to impose a higher, more independent cognitive load on the teacher with less dyadic neural alignment. This work provides the first neurobiological evidence differentiating these cornerstone teaching frameworks and offers a new avenue for a neurally-informed science of learning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121719"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145990085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121721
Wenxiang Ding , Xiaolin Sun , Qiaoqiao Ding , Xiaoyue Tan , Qing Zhang , Shanzhen He , Peiyong Li , Qiu Huang , Xiaoqun Zhang , Lei Jiang
Quantitative PET imaging requires accurate attenuation and scatter correction (ASC), but the standard CT-based method introduces additional radiation exposure—a significant concern for neurological studies involving repeated scans. Here we applied and extended a CT-free deep learning framework for [11C]CFT brain PET that achieves diagnostic-comparable dopamine transporter (DAT) quantification while avoiding CT-associated radiation. A Bi-directional Discrete Process Matching (Bi-DPM) network was adapted to establish reversible transformations between non-corrected (NASC-PET) and fully corrected (ASC-PET) images through discrete consistency constraints, eliminating the need for pseudo-CT generation or anatomical priors. Evaluated on 90 Parkinsonian syndrome patients, Bi-DPM demonstrated superior performance to Cycle-Consistent Generative Adversarial Networks (CycleGAN), Pix2Pix, and Rectified Flow (RF) across quantitative metrics (lower MAE, higher PSNR/SSIM). For standardized uptake value mean (SUVmean) measurements, Bi-DPM showed excellent agreement with CT-ASC reference (CCC > 0.98, PCC > 0.98). Voxel-wise analysis of DAT-positive/-negative (DAT+/DAT−) groups confirmed Bi-DPM's clinical validity, with statistical significance maps closely aligned to CT-ASC (Dice = 0.953 vs. 0.938 for RF, 0.948 for Pix2Pix and 0.618 for CycleGAN). This approach reduces unnecessary radiation exposure by omitting CT scans while maintaining PET quantification accuracy.
{"title":"CT-free attenuation and scatter correction of [11C]CFT brain PET using a Bi-directional matching network","authors":"Wenxiang Ding , Xiaolin Sun , Qiaoqiao Ding , Xiaoyue Tan , Qing Zhang , Shanzhen He , Peiyong Li , Qiu Huang , Xiaoqun Zhang , Lei Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121721","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121721","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Quantitative PET imaging requires accurate attenuation and scatter correction (ASC), but the standard CT-based method introduces additional radiation exposure—a significant concern for neurological studies involving repeated scans. Here we applied and extended a CT-free deep learning framework for [<sup>11</sup>C]CFT brain PET that achieves diagnostic-comparable dopamine transporter (DAT) quantification while avoiding CT-associated radiation. A Bi-directional Discrete Process Matching (Bi-DPM) network was adapted to establish reversible transformations between non-corrected (NASC-PET) and fully corrected (ASC-PET) images through discrete consistency constraints, eliminating the need for pseudo-CT generation or anatomical priors. Evaluated on 90 Parkinsonian syndrome patients, Bi-DPM demonstrated superior performance to Cycle-Consistent Generative Adversarial Networks (CycleGAN), Pix2Pix, and Rectified Flow (RF) across quantitative metrics (lower MAE, higher PSNR/SSIM). For standardized uptake value mean (SUVmean) measurements, Bi-DPM showed excellent agreement with CT-ASC reference (CCC > 0.98, PCC > 0.98). Voxel-wise analysis of DAT-positive/-negative (DAT+/DAT−) groups confirmed Bi-DPM's clinical validity, with statistical significance maps closely aligned to CT-ASC (Dice = 0.953 vs. 0.938 for RF, 0.948 for Pix2Pix and 0.618 for CycleGAN). This approach reduces unnecessary radiation exposure by omitting CT scans while maintaining PET quantification accuracy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121721"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145981514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121718
Vladimir Omelyusik , Tyler S. Davis , Satish S. Nair , Behrad Noudoost , Patrick D. Hackett , Elliot H. Smith , Shervin Rahimpour , John D. Rolston , Bornali Kundu
Cortical neural activity varies dynamically during memory periods, when relevant information is not present in the environment. But how those dynamics are related to a code defining working memory (WM) performance is not known. Recent data shows brief bursts of activity in the high gamma (70-140 Hz) and beta (12-30 Hz) band within non-human primate lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) is associated with WM processing. However, WM may be related to activity within a network of frontal executive and posterior sensory areas involved in stimulus perception. Here we tested whether gamma and beta bursting exist in lateral PFC and multisensory lateral temporal areas in humans during visual WM, and whether these areas are coupled via a phase-burst code. We used intracranial macroelectrode recordings from the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), which includes dorsolateral PFC, and from the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), an area important for visual processing. High gamma bursting increased in human left PFC during encoding and delay periods while beta bursting decreased. Interestingly, beta bursting increased in multisensory areas during encoding and remained high during the delay period, more so on the right. These effects varied with WM performance. Finally, we quantify the degree to which delay-period gamma bursting is locked to beta phase within and between regions of this network using a proposed metric termed ‘phase-burst coupling’ (PBC). We find evidence that delay-period gamma bursting in temporal areas is locked to beta phase in PFC. Our findings suggest that WM may use bursting to support memory maintenance until readout.
{"title":"Frontotemporal bursting supports human working memory","authors":"Vladimir Omelyusik , Tyler S. Davis , Satish S. Nair , Behrad Noudoost , Patrick D. Hackett , Elliot H. Smith , Shervin Rahimpour , John D. Rolston , Bornali Kundu","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121718","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121718","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cortical neural activity varies dynamically during memory periods, when relevant information is not present in the environment. But how those dynamics are related to a code defining working memory (WM) performance is not known. Recent data shows brief bursts of activity in the high gamma (70-140 Hz) and beta (12-30 Hz) band within non-human primate lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) is associated with WM processing. However, WM may be related to activity within a network of frontal executive and posterior sensory areas involved in stimulus perception. Here we tested whether gamma and beta bursting exist in lateral PFC and multisensory lateral temporal areas in humans during visual WM, and whether these areas are coupled via a phase-burst code. We used intracranial macroelectrode recordings from the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), which includes dorsolateral PFC, and from the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), an area important for visual processing. High gamma bursting increased in human left PFC during encoding and delay periods while beta bursting decreased. Interestingly, beta bursting increased in multisensory areas during encoding and remained high during the delay period, more so on the right. These effects varied with WM performance. Finally, we quantify the degree to which delay-period gamma bursting is locked to beta phase within and between regions of this network using a proposed metric termed ‘phase-burst coupling’ (PBC). We find evidence that delay-period gamma bursting in temporal areas is locked to beta phase in PFC. Our findings suggest that WM may use bursting to support memory maintenance until readout.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121718"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145990042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121714
Maria Del Vecchio , Fausto Caruana , Flavia Maria Zauli , Veronica Pelliccia , Ivana Sartori , Piergiorgio d’Orio , Francesca Talami , Simone Del Sorbo , Davide Albertini , Giacomo Rizzolatti , Pietro Avanzini
The Action Observation Network (AON) is a large-scale brain network that supports the perceptual encoding and recognition of actions performed by others. The identification of the nodes of the human AON has been clarified over the past 30 years thanks to the high spatial resolution of neuroimaging techniques. The temporal dynamics underpinning their activations is in contrast still unsettled, because of methodological constraints. Here we investigate the timing of the AON components by intracranially recording gamma-band oscillations from 23 drug-resistant epileptic patients during the observation, and execution, of naturalistic, complex actions (including reaching, grasping, and object manipulation). Our analysis enabled us to decompose the AON into 10 distinct spatio-temporal clusters, five of which are composed of multiple cortical territories that are synergistically activated. The resulting four-dimensional representation of the AON, examined alongside its counterpart during the execution of the same action, highlights the specific functions fulfilled by each territory, distinguishing regions that process lower-order visual aspects from those that mirror specific aspects of the action. These include two spatio-temporal clusters located in dorsal and ventral fronto-parieto-temporal territories, specifically encoding the reaching phase (dorsal) and the object-contact phase (ventral). A third cluster, confined to the posterior perisylvian region, is associated with object manipulation. Overall, our work brings out the overlooked temporal details of the AON in humans and assesses their relationship with the execution of a real-time full-fledged action, spotlighting the importance of a fourth dimension in investigating the motor system.
{"title":"An intracranial insight into (the timing of) the action observation network","authors":"Maria Del Vecchio , Fausto Caruana , Flavia Maria Zauli , Veronica Pelliccia , Ivana Sartori , Piergiorgio d’Orio , Francesca Talami , Simone Del Sorbo , Davide Albertini , Giacomo Rizzolatti , Pietro Avanzini","doi":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121714","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121714","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Action Observation Network (AON) is a large-scale brain network that supports the perceptual encoding and recognition of actions performed by others. The identification of the nodes of the human AON has been clarified over the past 30 years thanks to the high spatial resolution of neuroimaging techniques. The temporal dynamics underpinning their activations is in contrast still unsettled, because of methodological constraints. Here we investigate the timing of the AON components by intracranially recording gamma-band oscillations from 23 drug-resistant epileptic patients during the observation, and execution, of naturalistic, complex actions (including reaching, grasping, and object manipulation). Our analysis enabled us to decompose the AON into 10 distinct spatio-temporal clusters, five of which are composed of multiple cortical territories that are synergistically activated. The resulting four-dimensional representation of the AON, examined alongside its counterpart during the execution of the same action, highlights the specific functions fulfilled by each territory, distinguishing regions that process lower-order visual aspects from those that mirror specific aspects of the action. These include two spatio-temporal clusters located in dorsal and ventral fronto-parieto-temporal territories, specifically encoding the reaching phase (dorsal) and the object-contact phase (ventral). A third cluster, confined to the posterior perisylvian region, is associated with object manipulation. Overall, our work brings out the overlooked temporal details of the AON in humans and assesses their relationship with the execution of a real-time full-fledged action, spotlighting the importance of a fourth dimension in investigating the motor system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19299,"journal":{"name":"NeuroImage","volume":"327 ","pages":"Article 121714"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145990106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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