Cerebral cortex最新文献

Interpersonal action monitoring, i.e., the ability to monitor other people's actions, is essential during face-to-face interactions. Previous evidence from two independent research lines suggests that both how we represent the interaction goal and the human/non-human nature of the co-actor may affect how we process (and react to) their mistakes. Here, we examined in a full-factorial design whether these two factors modulate how we monitor someone else's errors during minimally joint tasks. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), participants interacted with a human or the computer while sharing or not the goal of playing a melody together (shared vs. individual goal conditions). We used implied-motion pictures of a human hand to represent the human partner's responses, while a robotic piston represented the computer's ones. Despite the minimal nature of the interaction, multivariate pattern analysis revealed that it was possible to decode the human/non-human nature of the partner from post-error brain activation patterns but only in the shared goal condition. With both partners, post-error behavioral adaptations in this condition were associated with activation of the pre-supplementary motor area and right anterior insula, brain regions responsible for proactive action control. Goal sharing is thus a powerful factor in boosting interpersonal action monitoring with both human and non-human partners.

Congenital heart disease is linked to substantial variability in neurodevelopmental outcomes, with sex being a key contributing factor. Compared with females, male congenital heart disease infants often show greater impairments in motor, cognitive, and language development. However, studies on sex differences in early brain development among congenital heart disease patients remain limited. To fill these gaps, this study included 79 infants with complex congenital heart disease (42 males, 37 females) and 87 healthy controls (47 males, 40 females), collecting magnetic resonance imaging data, clinical information, and neurodevelopmental assessments. We examined sex-specific effects on global and regional brain development in congenital heart disease infants aged 1 to 2 yr using imaging and statistical analysis. Male congenital heart disease infants showed global brain volume reduction and regional cortical delays, including increased cortical thickness and gray matter volume. In contrast, female congenital heart disease infants had no significant global volume change but exhibited localized structural abnormalities, such as reduced surface area and increased cortical thickness. Notably, reduced global brain volume in congenital heart disease males was associated with poorer gross motor skills. Distinct sex differences in brain development exist among congenital heart disease infants during early life. Recognizing these differences is critical for developing sex-specific treatment and neuroprotective strategies.

Choice consistency denotes the capacity to maintain stable, coherent preferences across diverse contexts-a cornerstone of rational decision-making. However, real-world decisions frequently diverge from normative models, marked by inconsistencies and irrationalities. Memory processes may underlie this variability, influencing the formation and maintenance of choice consistency. Yet, the interplay between memory and choice consistency, particularly their shared neural substrates, remains poorly understood. To address these gaps, we developed a novel behavioral paradigm integrating memory retrieval and food-based decision tasks. Resting-state and task functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 44 healthy young adults (age range: 18 to 27 years). Behaviorally, remembered food items exhibited significantly faster choice reaction times compared to forgotten items. Leveraging data-driven connectome-based predictive modeling of resting-state functional connectivity, we identified distinct neural predictors: intra-default mode network connectivity and default mode network-memory network connectivity positively predicted memory accuracy, whereas default mode network-frontoparietal control network connectivity negatively predicted memory accuracy. Furthermore, intra-default mode network connectivity and default mode network-frontoparietal control network connectivity positively predicted choice consistency. These findings advance our understanding of memory-decision interactions, highlighting the default mode network and frontoparietal control network as critical neural substrates that bridge mnemonically modulated value signals and choice consistency.

Eye blinks modulate neural activity in visual areas even if the visual input is unchanged. Is the influence of blinking defined by the motor output of the blink? We analyzed blink-related neural activity with laminar resolution in V1 of two macaque monkeys in two conditions, viewing a video and at rest. During free viewing a video, blinks induced a modulation of the local field potential (LFP) in the theta, beta, and gamma band with a granular/infragranular focus. The multiunit activity (MUA) decreased around blink execution. Surprisingly, when comparing the results to blinks executed during the rest condition, we found that MUA increased around blinks. The blink-related LFP power changes, while increasing after a blink in both conditions, were significantly different in amplitude and latency. Our findings show that the blink induced modulation of V1 activity is not determined by the motor execution but depends on the condition in which the movement is executed. This suggests that interactions between movement and neural processes in sensory areas are context-dependent. These interactions may play an important role in predictive coding within the framework of active sensing.

Adequately responding towards a threat is a crucial mechanism for survival. Adapting this response when a threat-associated stimulus or situation has become safe requires extinction learning and formation of an extinction memory. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) affords to longitudinally monitor network activity, yet, in the rodent, still suffers from significant variability of results and practical restrictions, mainly related to the different approaches of subject immobilization. Physical restraint of awake animals permits only short scanning times, while anesthesia can induce uncontrolled brain states with limited stimulus responsiveness and processing. Here, we implement a paradigm where light medetomidine sedation permits long scanning times in a stable brain state with functional characteristics comparable to the human resting state. We observe responsiveness of the brain to visual stimulation and large-scale resting-state network activity with small-world connectivity features. After visual fear conditioning outside the MRI scanner, rats exposed to the unreinforced visual conditioned stimulus in this stable persistent activity state inside the scanner (extinction) exhibit a significantly lower conditioned fear response when re-exposed to the conditioned stimulus days after scanning (test). We present a brain state-informed paradigm easily adaptable for future studies involving invasive neural manipulations to causally investigate extinction and its memory consolidation.

Face recognition depends upon the ability to match a visual image to a representation stored in memory. During natural viewing, observers fixate centrally on faces, resulting in face parts appearing in specific spatial locations. We examined whether this perceptual experience influences the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in face recognition. Participants viewed left/right or upper/lower face halves presented in typical (eg left face half in left visual field) or atypical (eg left face half in right visual field) locations. For familiar faces, familiarity judgments were faster and more accurate when face halves were displayed in typical locations. To examine the neural correlates of this recognition bias, fMRI was used to measure responses to familiar face halves presented in typical or atypical spatial locations. Early visual areas (V1-V4) showed responses primarily determined by visual field and were not sensitive to typical spatial presentation. In contrast, the occipital face area and the fusiform face area exhibited greater activations for face halves presented in their typical spatial location. This bias was also evident in regions beyond the visual brain. These findings suggest that higher-level representations used in the perceptual processing of familiar faces are influenced by statistical regularities in real-world face viewing.

The current research aimed at investigating the influence of individual differences in working memory on the inhibition of emotional distraction and the neural mechanisms. Five hundred fifty participants were grouped based on their accuracy rates in the 2-back task. The top 10% were classified as the high working memory group (H_WM), and the bottom 10% as the low working memory group (L_WM). A total of 103 participants were finally included. We used their functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the emotion processing task to investigate the differences in emotional distraction between two groups and the specificity of functional connectivity. We found that the H_WM performed faster, meaning they processed the target stimuli more quickly and were better at inhibiting distractions. The results of the psychophysiological interaction analysis further revealed that H_WM have stronger task-specific functional connections between the right amygdala and the emotion regulation network (ERN). Moreover, the ERN-right Amygdala connection was positively correlated with the accuracy of the task. These results suggest that individuals with high working memory are able to inhibit emotional distractions quickly and focus on the current task. This helps to understand the influence of cognition on emotions and promotes the further development of emotional intervention.

Response speed is a fundamental cognitive function, yet the cortical mechanisms linking sensory processing to motor execution remain unclear. Using high-density electroencephalography (EEG) during the Attention Network Test, we examined preresponse cortical activity in 47 adults to identify oscillatory markers of rapid responses. Faster responses were characterized by enhanced occipital theta power and reduced occipital alpha power, suggesting a functional interaction between cognitive control and sensory processing regions. A brief theta burst preceding fast responses, coinciding with an alpha plateau, indicates a cross-frequency interplay optimizing response execution. Increased theta/alpha ratio further supports a cortical state favoring efficient stimulus-response processing. These findings highlight cortical oscillatory mechanisms that govern response speed, supporting top-down attentional control models. By identifying EEG-based biomarkers of rapid decision-making, this study advances our understanding of cortical dynamics underlying sensorimotor integration. The results have implications for cognitive neuroscience, neurorehabilitation, and neuroergonomics, providing insight into how large-scale cortical networks shape behavioral efficiency.

Working memory depends on the temporary retention and manipulation of information, bridging the gap between short-term memory and information processing functions. When the same working memory task is repeated over several days, it raises the question of whether the rule or task set becomes automated (or proceduralized). The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is crucial for working memory. Yet, the role of the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) in the automation (proceduralization) of rules or task sets remains to be clarified. Using a longitudinal approach of the "delay non-match to place" (DNMP) task in a T-maze combined to chemogenetic inhibition of the mPFC or DLS in mice, we show that the mPFC becomes less critical in the maintenance phase of the task as behavior progressively shifts towards automation. During this phase, the DLS facilitates automated processing. Silencing through chemogenetic inhibition of the DLS during maintenance triggers an adaptation in learning strategies, reactivating a goal-directed behavior. Our findings strengthen memory traces as a dynamic reorganization of neural networks, challenging the classical view of information migration between brain structures. We propose that the memory trace remains in a dormant state-less energy-consuming for the system-while allowing for rapid flexibility in case of task modification.

The hippocampus, in both children and adults, has shown functional specialization along its long axis, with the anterior region associated with emotional processing and the posterior region with spatial memory and navigation. This specialization is also reflected in separate patterns of functional connectivity, but it is unclear whether it is present before birth. Here, we collected resting-state fMRI data in 51 healthy third-trimester fetuses to examine long-axis functional specialization in utero. Using structural regions of interest in the anterior and posterior hippocampus, a seed-based connectivity analysis was performed. We identified distinct networks of functional organization for the anterior and posterior hippocampus. These patterns showed spatial organization and anticorrelation consistent with long-axis specialization. While less mature than those observed in postnatal human and preclinical models, the fetal patterns suggest that the foundation for hippocampal functional differentiation supporting early affective and cognitive processing is already present before birth. Key points We used resting-state fMRI in the third trimester fetal brain to examine the functional projections of the anterior and posterior hippocampus. We identified distinct networks of functional organization that were independently related to the anterior and posterior hippocampus. The groundwork for the specificity of the hippocampus is being laid in utero, with functional anticorrelation contributing to the separation between long-axis segments.