Cerebral cortex最新文献

As global population ages, maintaining cognitive health in elderly is crucial. Previous studies suggest a positive link between healthy aging and cognition, but the neural mechanisms remain unclear. This study used genome-wide association studydata to investigate neural mechanisms between healthy aging and cognition. We employed 2-sample Mendelian randomization to evaluate causal relationship between healthy aging (indexed by a multivariate genetic predictor, mvAge) and 6 cognitive measurements. We then used a 2-step Mendelian randomization approach and mediation analysis to identify brain imaging-derived phenotypes potentially mediating this relationship. Mendelian randomization analysis indicated that healthy aging had a positive causal relationship with various cognitive functions (common executive function, intelligence, cognitive performance, and fluid intelligence score). Two-step Mendelian randomization analysis identified 27 brain imaging-derived phenotypes having robust causal relationships with healthy aging and various cognitive measurements. Mediation analysis suggested that volume of subcallosal cortex might mediate effects of healthy aging on all 4 cognitive functions. Volume of cerebellum's VIIb could mediate effects on common executive functions, while fractional anisotropy in the anterior thalamic radiation might mediate effects on intelligence and cognitive performance. These findings suggest that specific brain regions may play a potential mediating role in the relationship between healthy aging and cognitive maintenance.

Accumulating evidence suggests that individuals with high sensory processing sensitivity often experience sensory overload and have difficulty sustaining attention, which can particularly resemble attention deficit symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. However, due to the lack of understanding about the potential neural pathways involved in those processes, a comprehensive view of how sensory processing sensitivity and attention deficit are related is generally limited. Here, we quantified the sensory processing sensitivity and attention deficit using the Highly Sensitive Person Scale and the Adult Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale, respectively, to investigate the association between sensory processing sensitivity and attention deficit and further identify the corresponding neural substrates via the use of resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) analyses. On the behavioral level, the results indicated a significantly positive correlation between sensory processing sensitivity and attention deficit traits, while on the neural level, the sensory processing sensitivity score was positively correlated with functional connectivity between the rostral hippocampus and inferior parietal lobule, which is the core regions of the attention network. Mediation analysis revealed that hippocampus-Inferior Parietal Lobule (IPL) connectivity can further influence attention deficit through a mediating role of sensory processing sensitivity. Overall, these findings suggest that enhanced functional coupling between the hippocampus and attention network regions may heighten sensitivity to environmental stimuli, leading to increased distractibility and potentially contributing to attention deficit.

Previous studies have found inhibitory control differences between obese individuals and those of normal weight. However, some normal-weight individuals with high negative physical self-perception on the fatness subscale show restrictive eating behaviors and attentional bias toward high-calorie food, potentially influencing these differences. We collected behavioral and electroencephalography data using a novel inhibitory control task. Results showed that individuals with high negative physical self-perception on the fatness subscale exhibited significantly greater restraint eating behavior compared to controls. Both theta and beta power differed between groups, with higher theta power in the high negative physical self-perception on the fatness subscale group than in the obese group and more negative beta power in the high negative physical self-perception on the fatness subscale group compared to both other groups. Theta power was greater in no-go than go conditions, while beta power was more negative in response to high-calorie versus low-calorie food stimuli. Importantly, theta power successfully decoded go/no-go conditions across all groups using multivariate pattern analysis, while beta power distinguished these conditions only in the negative physical self-perception on the fatness subscale and control groups. These findings suggest that theta and beta power, along with multivariate pattern analysis, can reliably distinguish inhibitory control ability among the three groups, highlighting the importance of considering negative physical self-perception on the fatness subscale when assessing inhibitory control differences between normal-weight and obese individuals.

Low-level auditory processing difficulties have been previously reported in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and some studies showed the relationship between these difficulties in the primary auditory cortex and language impairment in ASD. However, there is still a limited number of studies that comprehensively assess (i) amplitudes, latencies, and sensory gating effects in all early components of auditory processing (M50-M100-M200 complex) at the source level in magnetoencephalography with their relation to structural anatomy (gray matter volume, thickness, gyrification) (ii) and the association between brain metrics and clinical phenotype in the same group of children. To address this question, we used a standard paired-clicks paradigm in magnetoencephalography and brain morphometry analysis in children with and without ASD (NASD = 20, NTD = 20). First, the results revealed a reduction of M200 and altered M200 sensory gating effect in the left auditory cortex in children with ASD. Second, these alterations were related to lower language comprehension skills and higher autistic symptom severity. Finally, altered MEG responses were associated with gray matter thickness reduction as well as abnormal gyrification in the primary auditory cortex in ASD. The study revealed low-level functional and structural atypicalities in children with ASD and their relation to clinical phenotype.

Awareness of one's position in the social hierarchy is essential for survival. Conversely, poor social cognition is associated with several neuropsychiatric diseases. Although brain regions that mediate understanding of the social hierarchy are poorly understood, recent evidence implicates the insula. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were acquired in twelve individually housed male cynomolgus monkeys to determine whether structural and functional characteristics of the insular cortex predicted the social rank that monkeys would attain once they formed stable social hierarchies. Structural MRI revealed that left insular volume was significantly larger in monkeys that would become dominant vs. subordinate. No differences were observed in other areas including amygdala, caudate nucleus, or prefrontal cortex. Volumetric differences were localized to dorsal anterior regions of both left and right insulae. Functional MRI revealed that global correlation, a measure of connectedness to the rest of the brain, was significantly lower in the left insula of monkeys who would become dominant vs. subordinate. Moreover, the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations, a reflection of spontaneous brain activity, trended lower in bilateral insula in the future dominant monkeys. This prospective study provides evidence for a role of the insula in the establishment and maintenance of social dominance relationships.

The balance between potential gains and losses under risk, the stability of risk propensity, the associated reward processing, and the prediction of subsequent risk behaviors over time have become increasingly important topics in recent years. In this study, we asked participants to carry out 2 risk tasks with outcome evaluation-the monetary gambling task and mixed lottery task twice, with simultaneous recording of behavioral and electroencephalography data. Regarding risk behavior, we observed both individual-specific risk attitudes and outcome-contingent risky inclination following a loss outcome, which remained stable across sessions. In terms of event-related potential (ERP) results, low outcomes, compared to high outcomes, induced a larger feedback-related negativity, which was modulated by the magnitude of the outcome. Similarly, high outcomes evoked a larger deflection of the P300 compared to low outcomes, with P300 amplitude also being sensitive to outcome magnitude. Intraclass correlation coefficient analyses indicated that both the feedback-related negativity and P300 exhibited modest to good test-retest reliability across both tasks. Regarding choice prediction, we found that neural responses-especially those following a loss outcome-predicted subsequent risk-taking behavior at the single-trial level for both tasks. Therefore, this study extends our understanding of the reliability of risky preferences in gain-loss trade-offs.

A longstanding debate in cognitive neuroscience questions whether temporal processing is modality-specific or governed by a "central clock" mechanism. We propose that this debate stems from neglecting the duration of the intervals processed, as studies supporting modality-specific models of time perception often focus on below 1.2-s intervals. To address this, we examined the neuronal dynamics underlying the perception of time intervals shorter and longer than 1.2-s using vibrotactile stimuli. Twenty participants underwent electroencephalogram recordings during a passive tactile oddball paradigm. We compared brain responses to standard and deviant intervals, with deviants occurring either earlier or later than the standard in both below and above 1.2-s conditions. Event-related potentials revealed distinct deviance-related components: a P250 for deviance detection of short deviants and an N400 long deviants. Generators lied in a modality-specific network for short intervals, while long intervals activated a broader, higher-level network. We found no evidence of the contingent negative variation in the tactile modality, questioning its role as a universal marker of temporal accumulation. Our findings suggest that short intervals involve modality-specific circuits, while longer intervals engage distributed networks, shedding light on whether temporal processing is centralized or distributed.

The sense of agency, the feeling of being the author of one's actions and outcomes, is critical for decision-making. While prior research has explored its neural correlates, most studies have focused on neutral tasks, overlooking moral decision-making. In addition, previous studies mainly used convenience samples, ignoring that some social environments may influence how authorship in moral decision-making is processed. This study investigated the neural correlates of sense of agency in civilians and military officer cadets, examining free and coerced choices in both agent and commander roles. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm where participants could either freely choose or follow orders to inflict a mild shock on a victim, we assessed sense of agency through temporal binding-a temporal distortion between voluntary and less voluntary decisions. Our findings suggested that sense of agency is reduced when following orders compared to acting freely in both roles. Several brain regions correlated with temporal binding, notably the occipital lobe, superior/middle/inferior frontal gyrus, precuneus, and lateral occipital cortex. Importantly, no differences emerged between military and civilians at corrected thresholds, suggesting that daily environments have minimal influence on the neural basis of moral decision-making, enhancing the generalizability of the findings.

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by reduced social communication and repetitive behaviors. Altered neurogenesis, including disturbed neuronal migration, has been implicated in autism spectrum disorder. Using diffusion MRI, we previously identified neuronal migration pathways in the human fetal brain and hypothesized that similar pathways persist into adulthood, with differences in volume and microstructural characteristics between individuals with autism spectrum disorder and controls. We analyzed diffusion MRI-based tractography of subventricular zone-related pathways in 15 young adult men with autism spectrum disorder and 18 controls at Massachusetts General Hospital, with validation through the Autism Imaging Data Exchange II dataset. Participants with autism spectrum disorder had reduced subventricular zone pathway volumes and fractional anisotropy compared to controls. Furthermore, subventricular zone pathway volume was positively correlated (r: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.88) with symptom severity, suggesting that individuals with more severe symptoms tended to have larger subventricular zone pathway volumes, normalized by brain size. Analysis of the Autism Imaging Data Exchange cohort confirmed these findings of reduced subventricular zone pathway volumes in autism spectrum disorder. While some of these pathways may potentially include inaccurately disconnected pathways that go through the subventricular zone, our results suggest that diffusion MRI-based tractography pathways anatomically linked to the periventricular region are associated with certain symptom types in adult males with autism spectrum disorder.

Auditory selective spatial attention (ASSA) plays an important role in "cocktail party" scenes, but the effects of spatial separation between target and distractor sources and background noise on the associated brain responses have not been thoroughly investigated. This study utilized the multilayer time-varying brain network to reveal the effect patterns of different separation degrees and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels on brain functional connectivity during ASSA. Specifically, a multilayer time-varying brain network with six time-windows equally divided by each epoch was constructed to investigate the segregation and integration of brain functional connectivity. The results showed that the inter-layer connectivity strength was consistently lower than the intra-layer connectivity strength for various separation degrees and SNR levels. Moreover, the connectivity strength of the multilayer time-varying brain network increased with decreasing separation degrees and initially increased and subsequently decreased with decreasing SNR levels. The second time-window of the network showed the most significant variation under some conditions and was determined as the core layer. The topology within the core layer was mainly reflected in the connectivity between the frontal and parietal-occipital cortices. In conclusion, these results suggest that spatial separation and background noise significantly modulate brain functional connectivity during ASSA.