Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences最新文献

Clinical evidence suggests that developmental cerebellar injury and cerebello-cortical connectivity abnormalities are often present in autism. In mouse models, cerebellar-specific deletions of autism risk genes, or temporally constrained, developmental manipulations of cerebellar circuits, elicit autistic-like behaviors. Nonetheless, behavioral and electrophysiological findings are inconsistent within and across models. Additionally, while cerebellar manipulations during development can induce autistic phenotypes, studies of early cerebellar function and connectivity are scarce.

In this review, we discuss the impact of cerebellar-specific genetic mutations and circuit manipulations on adult behavior and cerebellar neuronal activity in murine autism models. We also explore how cerebellar development can impact the establishment of mature circuits, and we consider the existing gaps regarding the use of murine models to elucidate the cerebellar role in autism.

Animals face behavioral problems that can be conceptualized in terms of a gradient of spatial and temporal proximity. I propose that solving close-proximity behavioral problems involves integrating disparate types of information in complex and flexible ways. In this framework, the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) is understood as a key region involved in close-proximity motivated cognition. Anatomically, the PAG has access to signals across the neuroaxis via extensive connectivity with the cortex, subcortex, and brainstem. However, the flow of signals is not unidirectional, as the PAG projects to the cortex directly, and further ascending signal flow is attained via the midline thalamus. Overall, the anatomical organization of the PAG allows it to be a critical hub engaged in cognition ‘here and now.’

The human cerebellum consists of an extended, highly-folded, and laminated cortical sheet overlying the white matter and cerebellar nuclei. This complex anatomy hinders the processing of magnetic resonance imaging data, as the relevant structures are not fully resolved. In this review, we explore the typical processing techniques employed for the anatomical and functional imaging of the cerebellum, along with their primary limitations with respect to imaging fidelity. Moreover, we discuss emerging methods applicable postmortem and in-vivo that greatly enhance fidelity in cerebellar imaging through higher-resolution data and individual-level processing.

Epilepsy is highly prevalent and notoriously pharmacoresistant. New therapeutic interventions are urgently needed, both for preventing the seizures themselves and negative outcomes and comorbidities associated with chronic epilepsy. While the cerebellum is not traditionally associated with epilepsy or seizures, research over the past decade has outlined the cerebellum as a brain region that is uniquely suited for both therapeutic needs. This review discusses our current understanding of the cerebellum as a key node within seizure networks, capable of both attenuating seizures in several animal models, and conversely, prone to altered structure and function in chronic epilepsy. Critical next steps are to advance therapeutic modulation of the cerebellum more toward translation, and to provide a more comprehensive characterization of how the cerebellum is impacted by chronic epilepsy, in order to subvert negative outcomes.

Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by the presence of intrusive thoughts and engagement in rigid, repetitive behaviors. Current neurobiological models of OCD emphasize dysfunction of the frontal–striatal system. According to recent research, sequence-specific learning is supported by the globus pallidus, as well as the anterior parts of the putamen and caudate nucleus. Given the shared involvement of brain regions in OCD and sequence learning (SL), a key question is how this fundamental learning mechanism works in OCD. Our short review assembles and summarizes existing psychological and neuroscientific studies, with the aim of disentangling the distinct subcortical brain networks that underlie SL in OCD, thereby advancing the current understanding of its neurobiological models. Considering the significance of SL in the habit formation process, our insights may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of OCD and pave the way for new and enhanced therapeutic approaches.

Minimally cognitive processes are identified in animals that have no central nervous system, in bacteria and in plants, and even in nonbiological systems that exhibit self-organization, self-sustenance, and group coordination. The common thread among these living and life-like systems is that they all participate in an adaptive dynamic bidirectional exchange of energy and information with their environment. Some of the cognitive processes that these systems exhibit are best detected not inside the system but instead emerging in that bidirectional exchange between the system and other nearby systems. This externalization of some portion of an organism’s cognition suggests that a common currency of cognitive activity (not relying solely on a neural substrate) could support an account of cognition wherein it spreads among organisms and their epistemic tools. When an organism’s cognition is extended out into the environment, a contiguous manifold of cognitive activity allows some of that cognition to persist after its death.

Prevalent views in cognitive neuroscience have highlighted the auditory cortex (AC) as the major neuroanatomical site for auditory cognition. Yet, this view suffers from ‘cortical myopia’ as it neglects the intricate functional architecture of the subcortical auditory pathway. Here, I will review evidence indicating that key anatomical structures in the auditory hierarchy, such as the inferior colliculus and the medial geniculate body, play major roles in statistical learning and predictive processing, thus contributing to auditory perception. Furthermore, mounting evidence supports these subcortical structures as involved in the neural encoding of speech sounds, including categorical perception, and in early language acquisition when the AC is still immature. I will argue that a brain potential known as frequency-following response provides a methodological tool to map high-level cognitive operations to the human subcortical auditory system. Future studies should emphasize the precise interplay between cortical and subcortical structures in supporting auditory cognition.

Words would only be sounds, if they did not activate phonemic and semantic operations in separate cortical regions, and their serial occurrence would remain incomprehensible without integration into a suitable syntactic frame. Coming from this simple notion, two components of biolinguistic processing seem principally relevant, first, the flexible binding of distributed cortical areas to recruit the material for meaningful messages and, second, the structuring of this material according to habitual language features. Based on studies in patients with deep-brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of neurological movement disorders, we propose that thalamic nuclei contribute to the former operation, whereas the basal ganglia rather support the latter aspect of language processing. The current review summarizes DBS-dependent task performances and neurophysiological recordings from thalamic and basal ganglia DBS that target nuclei underlying this view.

The cerebellum has been the focus of much debate over the past five decades, and it has been implicated in a wide range of cognitive functions extending beyond sensorimotor control. Much of the empirical research on the function of the cerebellum has been centered on the ‘little brain’ in its mature, adult form. However, we are now starting to appreciate that the developing cerebellum offers a unique window into understanding how and what this structure contributes to cognition. Here, we document the vulnerability of the developing cerebellum, and present recent work on the co-occurrence of neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. autism spectrum disorder) and atypical cerebellar development. Building on these observations, we discuss the differences in cerebellar architecture through the lens of injury, and consider how cerebellar function is interpreted from infancy to adulthood.

What is it that makes a life valuable? A popular view is that life’s moral worth depends in some way on its relationship to consciousness or subjective experience. But a practical application of this view requires the ability to test for consciousness, which is currently lacking. Here, we examine how theories of consciousness (ToCs) can help do so, focusing especially on difficult cases where the answer is not clear (e.g. fetuses, nonhuman animals, unresponsive brain-injured patients, and advanced artificial systems). We consider five major ToCs and what predictions they offer: Integrated information theory, Higher-Order Thought Theory, Recurrent Processing Theory, Global Neuronal Workspace Theory, and Attention Schema Theory. We highlight the important distinction between the capacity and potential for consciousness and use it to explore the limitations in our ability to draw firm conclusions regarding an entity's consciousness on the basis of each theory.