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Chiou R, Branzi FM, Krieger-Redwood K, Jefferies E. Dissecting the neuroanatomy of creativity and curiosity: The subdivisions within networks matter. Behav Brain Sci 2024; 47:e96. [PMID: 38770872 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x23003473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Ivancovsky et al. argue that the neurocognitive mechanisms of creativity and curiosity both rely on the interplay among brain networks. Research to date demonstrates that such inter-network dynamics are further complicated by functional fractionation within networks. Investigating how networks subdivide and reconfigure in service of a task offers insights about the precise anatomy that underpins creative and curious behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocco Chiou
- School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK https://roccochiou.weebly.com/
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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2
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Balgova E, Diveica V, Jackson RL, Binney RJ. Overlapping neural correlates underpin theory of mind and semantic cognition: Evidence from a meta-analysis of 344 functional neuroimaging studies. Neuropsychologia 2024; 200:108904. [PMID: 38759780 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Key unanswered questions for cognitive neuroscience include whether social cognition is underpinned by specialised brain regions and to what extent it simultaneously depends on more domain-general systems. Until we glean a better understanding of the full set of contributions made by various systems, theories of social cognition will remain fundamentally limited. In the present study, we evaluate a recent proposal that semantic cognition plays a crucial role in supporting social cognition. While previous brain-based investigations have focused on dissociating these two systems, our primary aim was to assess the degree to which the neural correlates are overlapping, particularly within two key regions, the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and the temporoparietal junction (TPJ). We focus on activation associated with theory of mind (ToM) and adopt a meta-analytic activation likelihood approach to synthesise a large set of functional neuroimaging studies and compare their results with studies of semantic cognition. As a key consideration, we sought to account for methodological differences across the two sets of studies, including the fact that ToM studies tend to use nonverbal stimuli while the semantics literature is dominated by language-based tasks. Overall, we observed consistent overlap between the two sets of brain regions, especially in the ATL and TPJ. This supports the claim that tasks involving ToM draw upon more general semantic retrieval processes. We also identified activation specific to ToM in the right TPJ, bilateral anterior mPFC, and right precuneus. This is consistent with the view that, nested amongst more domain-general systems, there is specialised circuitry that is tuned to social processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Balgova
- Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK; Department of Psychology, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, Wales, UK
| | - Veronica Diveica
- Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK; Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rebecca L Jackson
- Department of Psychology & York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, Heslington, York, UK
| | - Richard J Binney
- Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK.
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3
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Souter NE, de Freitas A, Zhang M, Shao X, del Jesus Gonzalez Alam TR, Engen H, Smallwood J, Krieger‐Redwood K, Jefferies E. Default mode network shows distinct emotional and contextual responses yet common effects of retrieval demands across tasks. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26703. [PMID: 38716714 PMCID: PMC11077571 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) lies towards the heteromodal end of the principal gradient of intrinsic connectivity, maximally separated from the sensory-motor cortex. It supports memory-based cognition, including the capacity to retrieve conceptual and evaluative information from sensory inputs, and to generate meaningful states internally; however, the functional organisation of DMN that can support these distinct modes of retrieval remains unclear. We used fMRI to examine whether activation within subsystems of DMN differed as a function of retrieval demands, or the type of association to be retrieved, or both. In a picture association task, participants retrieved semantic associations that were either contextual or emotional in nature. Participants were asked to avoid generating episodic associations. In the generate phase, these associations were retrieved from a novel picture, while in the switch phase, participants retrieved a new association for the same image. Semantic context and emotion trials were associated with dissociable DMN subnetworks, indicating that a key dimension of DMN organisation relates to the type of association being accessed. The frontotemporal and medial temporal DMN showed a preference for emotional and semantic contextual associations, respectively. Relative to the generate phase, the switch phase recruited clusters closer to the heteromodal apex of the principal gradient-a cortical hierarchy separating unimodal and heteromodal regions. There were no differences in this effect between association types. Instead, memory switching was associated with a distinct subnetwork associated with controlled internal cognition. These findings delineate distinct patterns of DMN recruitment for different kinds of associations yet common responses across tasks that reflect retrieval demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas E. Souter
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of YorkYorkUK
- School of PsychologyUniversity of SussexBrightonUK
| | - Antonia de Freitas
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of YorkYorkUK
- Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language SciencesUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Meichao Zhang
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of YorkYorkUK
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral ScienceInstitute of PsychologyBeijingChina
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Ximing Shao
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of YorkYorkUK
- Experimental Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language SciencesUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Haakon Engen
- Institute for Military Psychiatry, Joint Medical ServicesNorwegian Armed ForcesNorway
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
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4
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Ross LA, Molholm S, Butler JS, Del Bene VA, Brima T, Foxe JJ. Neural correlates of audiovisual narrative speech perception in children and adults on the autism spectrum: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Autism Res 2024; 17:280-310. [PMID: 38334251 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Autistic individuals show substantially reduced benefit from observing visual articulations during audiovisual speech perception, a multisensory integration deficit that is particularly relevant to social communication. This has mostly been studied using simple syllabic or word-level stimuli and it remains unclear how altered lower-level multisensory integration translates to the processing of more complex natural multisensory stimulus environments in autism. Here, functional neuroimaging was used to examine neural correlates of audiovisual gain (AV-gain) in 41 autistic individuals to those of 41 age-matched non-autistic controls when presented with a complex audiovisual narrative. Participants were presented with continuous narration of a story in auditory-alone, visual-alone, and both synchronous and asynchronous audiovisual speech conditions. We hypothesized that previously identified differences in audiovisual speech processing in autism would be characterized by activation differences in brain regions well known to be associated with audiovisual enhancement in neurotypicals. However, our results did not provide evidence for altered processing of auditory alone, visual alone, audiovisual conditions or AV- gain in regions associated with the respective task when comparing activation patterns between groups. Instead, we found that autistic individuals responded with higher activations in mostly frontal regions where the activation to the experimental conditions was below baseline (de-activations) in the control group. These frontal effects were observed in both unisensory and audiovisual conditions, suggesting that these altered activations were not specific to multisensory processing but reflective of more general mechanisms such as an altered disengagement of Default Mode Network processes during the observation of the language stimulus across conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars A Ross
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, The Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
- Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Sophie Molholm
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, The Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - John S Butler
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Technological University Dublin, City Campus, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Victor A Del Bene
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
- Heersink School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Tufikameni Brima
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, The Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - John J Foxe
- The Frederick J. and Marion A. Schindler Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, The Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
- The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory, Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
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5
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Deck BL, Kelkar A, Erickson B, Erani F, McConathey E, Sacchetti D, Faseyitan O, Hamilton R, Medaglia JD. Individual-level functional connectivity predicts cognitive control efficiency. Neuroimage 2023; 283:120386. [PMID: 37820860 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive control (CC) is essential for problem-solving in everyday life, and CC-related deficits occur alongside costly and debilitating disorders. The tri-partite model suggests that CC comprises multiple behaviors, including switching, inhibiting, and updating. Activity within the fronto-parietal control network B (FPCN-B), the dorsal attention network (DAN), the cingulo-opercular network (CON), and the lateral default-mode network (L-DMN) is related to switching and inhibiting behaviors. However, our understanding of how these brain regions interact to bring about cognitive switching and inhibiting in individuals is unclear. In the current study, subjects performed two in-scanner tasks that required switching and inhibiting. We used support vector regression (SVR) models containing individually-estimated functional connectivity between the FPCN-B, DAN, CON and L-DMN to predict switching and inhibiting behaviors. We observed that: inter-network connectivity can predict inhibiting and switching behaviors in individuals, and the L-DMN plays a role in switching and inhibiting behaviors. Therefore, individually estimated inter-network connections are markers of CC behaviors, and CC behaviors may arise due to interactions between a set of networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L Deck
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, 3201 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Apoorva Kelkar
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, 3201 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Brian Erickson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, 3201 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Fareshte Erani
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, 3201 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Eric McConathey
- Department of Neurology, The University of Pennsylvania: Perelman School of Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Daniela Sacchetti
- Department of Neurology, The University of Pennsylvania: Perelman School of Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Olufunsho Faseyitan
- Department of Neurology, The University of Pennsylvania: Perelman School of Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - Roy Hamilton
- Department of Neurology, The University of Pennsylvania: Perelman School of Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA
| | - John D Medaglia
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, 3201 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA; Department of Neurology, The University of Pennsylvania: Perelman School of Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, 19104, PA, USA.
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6
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Chiou R, Cox CR, Lambon Ralph MA. Bipartite functional fractionation within the neural system for social cognition supports the psychological continuity of self versus other. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:1277-1299. [PMID: 35394005 PMCID: PMC9930627 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Research of social neuroscience establishes that regions in the brain's default-mode network (DN) and semantic network (SN) are engaged by socio-cognitive tasks. Research of the human connectome shows that DN and SN regions are both situated at the transmodal end of a cortical gradient but differ in their loci along this gradient. Here we integrated these 2 bodies of research, used the psychological continuity of self versus other as a "test-case," and used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate whether these 2 networks would encode social concepts differently. We found a robust dissociation between the DN and SN-while both networks contained sufficient information for decoding broad-stroke distinction of social categories, the DN carried more generalizable information for cross-classifying across social distance and emotive valence than did the SN. We also found that the overarching distinction of self versus other was a principal divider of the representational space while social distance was an auxiliary factor (subdivision, nested within the principal dimension), and this representational landscape was more manifested in the DN than in the SN. Taken together, our findings demonstrate how insights from connectome research can benefit social neuroscience and have implications for clarifying the 2 networks' differential contributions to social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher R Cox
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, LA 70803, Baton Rouge, United States
| | - Matthew A Lambon Ralph
- MRC Cognition & Brain Science Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
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7
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Oliveira-Silva P, Maia L, Coutinho J, Moreno AF, Penalba L, Frank B, Soares JM, Sampaio A, Gonçalves ÓF. Nodes of the default mode network implicated in the quality of empathic responses: A clinical perspective of the empathic response. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100319. [PMID: 36168601 PMCID: PMC9485908 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Oliveira-Silva
- HNL - Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory, CEDH – Research Centre for Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
- Corresponding author.
| | - Liliana Maia
- Neuropsychophysiology Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Joana Coutinho
- Neuropsychophysiology Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana Filipa Moreno
- HNL - Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory, CEDH – Research Centre for Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | - Lucia Penalba
- HNL - Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory, CEDH – Research Centre for Human Development, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Porto, Portugal
| | | | - José Miguel Soares
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Health Sciences, ICVS, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal, Portugal
| | - Adriana Sampaio
- Neuropsychophysiology Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Óscar F. Gonçalves
- Proaction Lab, CINEICC – Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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8
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Krieger-Redwood K, Steward A, Gao Z, Wang X, Halai A, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. Creativity in verbal associations is linked to semantic control. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5135-5147. [PMID: 36222614 PMCID: PMC10152057 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although memory is known to play a key role in creativity, previous studies have not isolated the critical component processes and networks. We asked participants to generate links between words that ranged from strongly related to completely unrelated in long-term memory, delineating the neurocognitive processes that underpin more unusual versus stereotypical patterns of retrieval. More creative responses to strongly associated word-pairs were associated with greater engagement of episodic memory: in highly familiar situations, semantic, and episodic stores converge on the same information enabling participants to form a personal link between items. This pattern of retrieval was associated with greater engagement of core default mode network (DMN). In contrast, more creative responses to weakly associated word-pairs were associated with the controlled retrieval of less dominant semantic information and greater recruitment of the semantic control network, which overlaps with the dorsomedial subsystem of DMN. Although both controlled semantic and episodic patterns of retrieval are associated with activation within DMN, these processes show little overlap in activation. These findings demonstrate that controlled aspects of semantic cognition play an important role in verbal creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katya Krieger-Redwood
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Steward
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians-Universität, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 17, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Zhiyao Gao
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Xiuyi Wang
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.,CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Ajay Halai
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Rd, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Smallwood
- Department of Psychology, Humphrey Hall, 62 Arch Street, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Jefferies
- Department of Psychology, York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
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9
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Chiou R, Jefferies E, Duncan J, Humphreys GF, Lambon Ralph MA. A middle ground where executive control meets semantics: the neural substrates of semantic control are topographically sandwiched between the multiple-demand and default-mode systems. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4512-4526. [PMID: 36130101 PMCID: PMC10110444 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic control is the capability to operate on meaningful representations, selectively focusing on certain aspects of meaning while purposefully ignoring other aspects based on one's behavioral aim. This ability is especially vital for comprehending figurative/ambiguous language. It remains unclear why and how regions involved in semantic control seem reliably juxtaposed alongside other functionally specialized regions in the association cortex, prompting speculation about the relationship between topography and function. We investigated this issue by characterizing how semantic control regions topographically relate to the default-mode network (associated with memory and abstract cognition) and multiple-demand network (associated with executive control). Topographically, we established that semantic control areas were sandwiched by the default-mode and multi-demand networks, forming an orderly arrangement observed both at the individual and group level. Functionally, semantic control regions exhibited "hybrid" responses, fusing generic preferences for cognitively demanding operation (multiple-demand) and for meaningful representations (default-mode) into a domain-specific preference for difficult operation on meaningful representations. When projected onto the principal gradient of human connectome, the neural activity of semantic control showed a robustly dissociable trajectory from visuospatial control, implying different roles in the functional transition from sensation to cognition. We discuss why the hybrid functional profile of semantic control regions might result from their intermediate topographical positions on the cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocco Chiou
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK
| | | | - John Duncan
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Gina F Humphreys
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
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10
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Mancuso L, Cavuoti-Cabanillas S, Liloia D, Manuello J, Buzi G, Cauda F, Costa T. Tasks activating the default mode network map multiple functional systems. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:1711-1734. [PMID: 35179638 PMCID: PMC9098625 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02467-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent developments in network neuroscience suggest reconsidering what we thought we knew about the default mode network (DMN). Although this network has always been seen as unitary and associated with the resting state, a new deconstructive line of research is pointing out that the DMN could be divided into multiple subsystems supporting different functions. By now, it is well known that the DMN is not only deactivated by tasks, but also involved in affective, mnestic, and social paradigms, among others. Nonetheless, it is starting to become clear that the array of activities in which it is involved, might also be extended to more extrinsic functions. The present meta-analytic study is meant to push this boundary a bit further. The BrainMap database was searched for all experimental paradigms activating the DMN, and their activation likelihood estimation maps were then computed. An additional map of task-induced deactivations was also created. A multidimensional scaling indicated that such maps could be arranged along an anatomo-psychological gradient, which goes from midline core activations, associated with the most internal functions, to that of lateral cortices, involved in more external tasks. Further multivariate investigations suggested that such extrinsic mode is especially related to reward, semantic, and emotional functions. However, an important finding was that the various activation maps were often different from the canonical representation of the resting-state DMN, sometimes overlapping with it only in some peripheral nodes, and including external regions such as the insula. Altogether, our findings suggest that the intrinsic-extrinsic opposition may be better understood in the form of a continuous scale, rather than a dichotomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Mancuso
- FOCUS Lab Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Giuseppe Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Donato Liloia
- FOCUS Lab Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Giuseppe Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Jordi Manuello
- FOCUS Lab Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Giuseppe Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Giulia Buzi
- FOCUS Lab Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Giuseppe Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
| | - Franco Cauda
- FOCUS Lab Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Giuseppe Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Tommaso Costa
- FOCUS Lab Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Giuseppe Verdi 10, 10124, Turin, Italy.
- GCS-fMRI, Koelliker Hospital and Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
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11
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Williams KA, Numssen O, Hartwigsen G. Task-specific network interactions across key cognitive domains. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5050-5071. [PMID: 35158372 PMCID: PMC9667178 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cognition is organized in distributed networks in the brain. Although distinct specialized networks have been identified for different cognitive functions, previous work also emphasizes the overlap of key cognitive domains in higher level association areas. The majority of previous studies focused on network overlap and dissociation during resting states whereas task-related network interactions across cognitive domains remain largely unexplored. A better understanding of network overlap and dissociation during different cognitive tasks may elucidate flexible (re-)distribution of resources during human cognition. The present study addresses this issue by providing a broad characterization of large-scale network dynamics in three key cognitive domains. Combining prototypical tasks of the larger domains of attention, language, and social cognition with whole-brain multivariate activity and connectivity approaches, we provide a spatiotemporal characterization of multiple large-scale, overlapping networks that differentially interact across cognitive domains. We show that network activity and interactions increase with increased cognitive complexity across domains. Interaction patterns reveal a common core structure across domains as well as dissociable domain-specific network activity. The observed patterns of activation and deactivation of overlapping and strongly coupled networks provide insight beyond region-specific activity within a particular cognitive domain toward a network perspective approach across diverse key cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen A Williams
- Address correspondence to Kathleen A. Williams, Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Ole Numssen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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12
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Zhang M, Bernhardt BC, Wang X, Varga D, Krieger-Redwood K, Royer J, Rodríguez-Cruces R, Vos de Wael R, Margulies DS, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. Perceptual coupling and decoupling of the default mode network during mind-wandering and reading. eLife 2022; 11:74011. [PMID: 35311643 PMCID: PMC8937216 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
While reading, our mind can wander to unrelated autobiographical information, creating a perceptually decoupled state detrimental to narrative comprehension. To understand how this mind-wandering state emerges, we asked whether retrieving autobiographical content necessitates functional disengagement from visual input. In Experiment 1, brain activity was recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in an experimental situation mimicking naturally occurring mind-wandering, allowing us to precisely delineate neural regions involved in memory and reading. Individuals read expository texts and ignored personally relevant autobiographical memories, as well as the opposite situation. Medial regions of the default mode network (DMN) were recruited during memory retrieval. In contrast, left temporal and lateral prefrontal regions of the DMN, as well as ventral visual cortex, were recruited when reading for comprehension. Experiment two used functional connectivity both at rest and during tasks to establish that (i) DMN regions linked to memory are more functionally decoupled from regions of ventral visual cortex than regions in the same network engaged when reading; and (ii) individuals with more self-generated mental contents and poorer comprehension, while reading in the lab, showed more decoupling between visually connected DMN sites important for reading and primary visual cortex. A similar pattern of connectivity was found in Experiment 1, with greater coupling between this DMN site and visual cortex when participants reported greater focus on reading in the face of conflict from autobiographical memory cues; moreover, the retrieval of personally relevant memories increased the decoupling of these sites. These converging data suggest we lose track of the narrative when our minds wander because generating autobiographical mental content relies on cortical regions within the DMN which are functionally decoupled from ventral visual regions engaged during reading. As your eyes scan these words, you may be thinking about what to make for dinner, how to address an unexpected hurdle at work, or how many emails are sitting, unread, in your inbox. This type of mind-wandering disrupts our focus and limits how much information we comprehend, whilst also being conducive to creative thinking and problem-solving. Despite being an everyday occurrence, exactly how our mind wanders remains elusive. One possible explanation is that the brain disengages from visual information from the external world and turns its attention inwards. A greater understanding of which neural circuits are involved in this process could reveal insights about focus, attention, and reading comprehension. Here, Zhang et al. investigated whether the brain becomes disengaged from visual input when our mind wanders while reading. Recalling personal events was used as a proxy for mind-wandering. Brain activity was recorded as participants were shown written statements; sometimes these were preceded by cues to personal memories. People were asked to focus on reading the statements or they were instructed to concentrate on their memories while ignoring the text. The analyses showed that recalling memories and reading stimulated distinct parts of the brain, which were in direct competition during mind-wandering. Further work examined how these regions were functionally connected. In individuals who remained focused on reading despite memory cues, the areas activated by reading showed strong links to the visual cortex. Conversely, these reading-related areas became ‘decoupled’ from visual processing centres in people who were focusing more on their internal thoughts. These results shed light on why we lose track of what we are reading when our mind wanders: recalling personal memories activates certain brain areas which are functionally decoupled from the regions involved in processing external information – such as the words on a page. In summary, the work by Zhang et al. builds a mechanistic understanding of mind-wandering, a natural feature of our daily brain activity. These insights may help to inform future interventions in education to improve reading, comprehension and focus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meichao Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Xiuyi Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Dominika Varga
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jessica Royer
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Raúl Rodríguez-Cruces
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Reinder Vos de Wael
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Centre (UMR 8002), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Paris, Paris, France
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Spatially Adjacent Regions in Posterior Cingulate Cortex Represent Familiar Faces at Different Levels of Complexity. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9807-9826. [PMID: 34670848 PMCID: PMC8612644 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1580-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensive research has shown that perceptual information of faces is processed in a network of hierarchically-organized areas within ventral temporal cortex. For familiar and famous faces, perceptual processing of faces is normally accompanied by extraction of semantic knowledge about the social status of persons. Semantic processing of familiar faces could entail progressive stages of information abstraction. However, the cortical mechanisms supporting multistage processing of familiar faces have not been characterized. Here, using an event-related fMRI experiment, familiar faces from four celebrity groups (actors, singers, politicians, and football players) and unfamiliar faces were presented to the human subjects (both males and females) while they were engaged in a face categorization task. We systematically explored the cortical representations for faces, familiar faces, subcategories of familiar faces, and familiar face identities using whole-brain univariate analysis, searchlight-based multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA), and functional connectivity analysis. Convergent evidence from all these analyses revealed a set of overlapping regions within posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) that contained decodable fMRI responses for representing different levels of semantic knowledge about familiar faces. Our results suggest a multistage pathway in PCC for processing semantic information of faces, analogous to the multistage pathway in ventral temporal cortex for processing perceptual information of faces.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recognizing familiar faces is an important component of social communications. Previous research has shown that a distributed network of brain areas is involved in processing the semantic information of familiar faces. However, it is not clear how different levels of semantic information are represented in the brain. Here, we evaluated the multivariate response patterns across the entire cortex to discover the areas that contain information for familiar faces, subcategories of familiar faces, and identities of familiar faces. The searchlight maps revealed that different levels of semantic information are represented in topographically adjacent areas within posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). The results suggest that semantic processing of faces is mediated through progressive stages of information abstraction in PCC.
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Gonzalez Alam TRDJ, Mckeown BLA, Gao Z, Bernhardt B, Vos de Wael R, Margulies DS, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. A tale of two gradients: differences between the left and right hemispheres predict semantic cognition. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:631-654. [PMID: 34510282 PMCID: PMC8844158 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02374-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Decomposition of whole-brain functional connectivity patterns reveals a principal gradient that captures the separation of sensorimotor cortex from heteromodal regions in the default mode network (DMN). Functional homotopy is strongest in sensorimotor areas, and weakest in heteromodal cortices, suggesting there may be differences between the left and right hemispheres (LH/RH) in the principal gradient, especially towards its apex. This study characterised hemispheric differences in the position of large-scale cortical networks along the principal gradient, and their functional significance. We collected resting-state fMRI and semantic, working memory and non-verbal reasoning performance in 175 + healthy volunteers. We then extracted the principal gradient of connectivity for each participant, tested which networks showed significant hemispheric differences on the gradient, and regressed participants’ behavioural efficiency in tasks outside the scanner against interhemispheric gradient differences for each network. LH showed a higher overall principal gradient value, consistent with its role in heteromodal semantic cognition. One frontotemporal control subnetwork was linked to individual differences in semantic cognition: when it was nearer heteromodal DMN on the principal gradient in LH, participants showed more efficient semantic retrieval—and this network also showed a strong hemispheric difference in response to semantic demands but not working memory load in a separate study. In contrast, when a dorsal attention subnetwork was closer to the heteromodal end of the principal gradient in RH, participants showed better visual reasoning. Lateralization of function may reflect differences in connectivity between control and heteromodal regions in LH, and attention and visual regions in RH.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zhiyao Gao
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Reinder Vos de Wael
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daniel S Margulies
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002, Paris, France
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15
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Chiou R. We Need Deeper Understanding About the Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Moral Righteousness in an Era of Online Vigilantism and Cancel Culture. AJOB Neurosci 2020; 11:297-299. [PMID: 33196355 DOI: 10.1080/21507740.2020.1830872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Wen T, Mitchell DJ, Duncan J. The Functional Convergence and Heterogeneity of Social, Episodic, and Self-Referential Thought in the Default Mode Network. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5915-5929. [PMID: 32572493 PMCID: PMC7116230 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) is engaged in a variety of cognitive settings, including social, semantic, temporal, spatial, and self-related tasks.
Andrews-Hanna et al. (2010;
Andrews-Hanna 2012) proposed that the DMN consists of three distinct functional–anatomical subsystems—a dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC) subsystem that supports social cognition; a medial temporal lobe (MTL) subsystem that contributes to memory-based scene construction; and a set of midline core hubs that are especially involved in processing self-referential information. We examined activity in the DMN subsystems during six different tasks: 1) theory of mind, 2) moral dilemmas, 3) autobiographical memory, 4) spatial navigation, 5) self/other adjective judgment, and 6) a rest condition. At a broad level, we observed similar whole-brain activity maps for the six contrasts, and some response to every contrast in each of the three subsystems. In more detail, both univariate analysis and multivariate activity patterns showed partial functional separation, especially between dMPFC and MTL subsystems, though with less support for common activity across the midline core. Integrating social, spatial, self-related, and other aspects of a cognitive situation or episode, multiple components of the DMN may work closely together to provide the broad context for current mental activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Wen
- Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Medical Research Council, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Daniel J Mitchell
- Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Medical Research Council, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - John Duncan
- Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Medical Research Council, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
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