Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences最新文献

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. Patterns of tissue damage in MS are not random, and some regions are more commonly and more severely affected than others. Gray matter changes in MS are highly clinically relevant and include neurodegeneration in the form of atrophy but also altered functional communication between brain areas. One important structure heavily affected by MS yet still understudied is the cerebellum. This structure has a complex cytoarchitecture and remains difficult to scan in vivo due to its heavily folded cortex and placement in the posterior fossa. Recent insights have shown that the cerebellum is not only involved in motor functioning but also has a clear role in cognitive performance, driven by its network connections to cognitive networks. This review outlines recent insights into cerebellar damage and cerebellar network changes in MS and focuses on their relevance for cognition.

Significant strides have been made in the translation of ultrasound neuromodulation for use in humans. These advancements have been pivotal in overcoming the challenges associated with delivering ultrasound to the brain through the skull. This undertaking has necessitated the development of specialized hardware, the integration of precise image guidance systems, and extensive research to improve methods to best plan and enact transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) therapy. To validate and optimize transcranial FUS procedures, various methods have been devised to transmit, simulate, and measure ultrasound pressure fields. Here, we cover the latest breakthroughs in transcranial FUS technology, with a particular focus on the efforts undertaken to plan and validate therapeutic interventions, ensuring their safety and efficacy across a diverse range of subjects.

Adolescence and the development of the dopaminergic system have long been shown to be inextricably linked. Common adolescent experiences, such as substance exposure and stress, can alter dopamine axon growth and influence behavior in adulthood. Additionally, the Netrin-1/DCC (Deleted in Colorectal Cancer) guidance cue system is implicated in regulating dopamine axon growth during adolescence. Here, we summarize the literature into the pivotal role of adolescence in animal development, with a specific focus on the maturation process of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. We outline the diverse structure of this system, recent findings on axonal targeting and pathfinding processes during adolescence, as well as the implications of this research for psychiatric pathology. We argue that the current body of research suggests a link between delayed dopamine axon growth and adolescent neuroplasticity, providing insights into the incidence of psychiatric disorders during this critical developmental period.

This review consolidates recent research on the mechanisms and individual differences in resilience to promoting effective coping strategies during stressful circumstances while preserving an individual’s well-being. Some of the important mechanisms, such as cognitive reappraisal, self-affirmation, and meaning-making are critically discussed. The ventrolateral prefrontal cortex plays a critical role in cognitive reappraisal, while the ventromedial prefrontal cortex plays a significant role in self-affirmation, thereby affecting resilience. During the meaning-making process, deactivation of the default mode network is observed. Genetic factors such as COMT, SLC6A4, and NPY may partially explain why only some individuals cultivate positive psychological resources post-adversity. Further explorations using neural and genetic approaches are required for better elucidating resilience. Machine learning is a promising methodology for predicting intervention outcomes and precision.

Socioecological model is crucial for the planning of resilience-promoting interventions. This article provides an overview of interventions based on family, school, community, and multiple systems that support the positive adaptation of individuals and families. More than half of studies employed a randomized controlled trial. Socioeconomic disadvantage and parent–child separation were the most commonly addressed environmental adversities. Interventions delivered in all three social contexts enhanced resilience through cultivating psychosocial skills of children and/or adults. Research across various interventions has shown improvements in resilience, resilience-promoting factors, and internalizing as well as externalizing problems. Relatively fewer studies were found for community-based and cross-system interventions. A co-ordinated effort that integrates school, family, and community is essential for promoting resilience among young people facing adversities.

Brain rhythms are known to play a relevant role in many cognitive functions. In particular, coupling between theta and gamma oscillations was first observed in the hippocampus, where it is assumed to implement a code for organizing multiple items in memory. More recent advances, however, demonstrate that this mechanism is ubiquitously present in the brain and plays a role not only in working memory but also in episodic and semantic memory, attention, emotion, dreaming, and imagination. Furthermore, altered mental states and neurological disorders show profound alterations in the theta–gamma code. In this review, which summarizes the most recent experimental and theoretical evidence, we suggest that the substantial capacity to integrate information characteristic of the theta–gamma entrainment is fundamental for implementing many conscious cognitive processes.

Recurrent and problematic thoughts or behaviors are characteristic of many neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus, altered development of cognitive flexibility may contribute to the progression of these disorders. This review describes recent neuroimaging and neuropsychology findings related to cognitive flexibility in several neurodevelopmental disorders: autism spectrum disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies suggest that across disorders, brain activity is altered during set-shifting and probabilistic reversal learning tasks in regions of large-scale cognitive and attention networks, including the frontoparietal, cingulo-opercular/action-mode, and default-mode networks. Yet, the lack of convergence in fMRI results suggests such alterations may be the product of cascading effects of deficits in lower-level cognitive mechanisms rather than a higher-order, cognitive flexibility-specific system. Future work investigating potential mediating effects of deficits in sensorimotor and lower-level cognitive processes may provide insight into the factors leading to altered cognitive flexibility, as well as targets for intervention.

The cerebellum has long been implicated in the timing of actions as well as the perception of the timing of stimuli. Initially dominated by lesion studies, the advance of neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques has, in recent years, given a more detailed and nuanced understanding of the cerebellum’s involvement in timing. In particular, cerebellar oscillations in the beta band range (14–30 Hz) seem to be crucial for regulating timing functions.

We here review the existing literature and argue that the cerebellum’s role in timing is integrated with its role in sensory prediction across the spatial and temporal domains. We also discuss the relation to the basal ganglia and their role in timing and propose a network of cerebellum, thalamus and basal ganglia underlying proactive action.

Finally, we discuss how new techniques such as optically pumped magnetometry and deep brain stimulation will reveal more about the cerebellum’s functions in the future.

Beliefs about stress and coping can play a major role in mental health and resilience. For example, holding a belief that stress or emotions are controllable can improve resilience. One emerging strategy for shifting beliefs and enhancing resilience is neuroscience education (neuroeducation or NeuroEd). This paper proposes a NeuroEd model of building resilience in which learning about how the brain regulates internal states such as stress and emotions can boost resilience by shifting beliefs. Support for the model comes in part from growing evidence in pain management demonstrating that neuroeducation can help reduce pain and disability, with recent evidence that it can also impact beliefs. This paper concludes by introducing a framework for translating neuroeducation for pain management into neuroeducation for the management of other internal states, including fear and anxiety, cravings in addiction, and stress broadly.

We review recent work that examines the genesis of a prereflective self-consciousness in utero in humans. We focus on observable behaviours that suggest a state of anticipatory perceptual awareness evident in the foetal period and the foetus’ first expression of agency through self-generative engagement with it. This predictive, anticipatory awareness is first evident in the prospective sensorimotor organisation of bodily movements of the second-trimester foetus, revealing an early adaptive awareness and agency that establishes the foundation for additional forms of abstract, reflective, and conceptually backed conscious experience in adults. Advanced understanding of these early sensorimotor foundations of psychological development and health may afford a better understanding of adult human consciousness, the nature of its early ontogeny, and its particular expression mediated by the integrative nervous system.