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Ghiglino D, Floris F, De Tommaso D, Kompatsiari K, Chevalier P, Priolo T, Wykowska A. Artificial scaffolding: Augmenting social cognition by means of robot technology. Autism Res 2023; 16:997-1008. [PMID: 36847354 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
The concept of scaffolding refers to the support that the environment provides in the acquisition and consolidation of new abilities. Technological advancements allow for support in the acquisition of cognitive capabilities, such as second language acquisition using simple smartphone applications There is, however, one domain of cognition that has been scarcely addressed in the context of technologically assisted scaffolding: social cognition. We explored the possibility of supporting the acquisition of social competencies of a group of children with autism spectrum disorder engaged in a rehabilitation program (age = 5.8 ± 1.14, 10 females, 33 males) by designing two robot-assisted training protocols tailored to Theory of Mind competencies. One protocol was performed with a humanoid robot and the other (control) with a non-anthropomorphic robot. We analyzed changes in NEPSY-II scores before and after the training using mixed effects models. Our results showed that activities with the humanoid significantly improved NEPSY-II scores on the ToM scale. We claim that the motor repertoire of humanoids makes them ideal platforms for artificial scaffolding of social skills in individuals with autism, as they can evoke similar social mechanisms to those elicited in human-human interaction, without providing the same social pressure that another human might exert.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Ghiglino
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Federica Floris
- Piccolo Cottolengo Genovese di Don Orione, Don Orione Italia, Genoa, Italy.,SIDiN, Società Italiana Disturbi del Neurosviluppo, Florence, Italy
| | - Davide De Tommaso
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Kyveli Kompatsiari
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Pauline Chevalier
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Tiziana Priolo
- Piccolo Cottolengo Genovese di Don Orione, Don Orione Italia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Agnieszka Wykowska
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
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2
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Chevalier P, Ghiglino D, Floris F, Priolo T, Wykowska A. Visual and Hearing Sensitivity Affect Robot-Based Training for Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Robot AI 2022; 8:748853. [PMID: 35096980 PMCID: PMC8790526 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.748853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the impact of sensory sensitivity during robot-assisted training for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Indeed, user-adaptation for robot-based therapies could help users to focus on the training, and thus improve the benefits of the interactions. Children diagnosed with ASD often suffer from sensory sensitivity, and can show hyper or hypo-reactivity to sensory events, such as reacting strongly or not at all to sounds, movements, or touch. Considering it during robot therapies may improve the overall interaction. In the present study, thirty-four children diagnosed with ASD underwent a joint attention training with the robot Cozmo. The eight session training was embedded in the standard therapy. The children were screened for their sensory sensitivity with the Sensory Profile Checklist Revised. Their social skills were screened before and after the training with the Early Social Communication Scale. We recorded their performance and the amount of feedback they were receiving from the therapist through animations of happy and sad emotions played on the robot. Our results showed that visual and hearing sensitivity influenced the improvements of the skill to initiate joint attention. Also, the therapists of individuals with a high sensitivity to hearing chose to play fewer animations of the robot during the training phase of the robot activity. The animations did not include sounds, but the robot was producing motor noise. These results are supporting the idea that sensory sensitivity of children diagnosed with ASD should be screened prior to engaging the children in robot-assisted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- P. Chevalier
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
| | - D. Ghiglino
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
- DIBRIS, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - F. Floris
- Piccolo Cottolengo Genovese di Don Orione, Genoa, Italy
| | - T. Priolo
- Piccolo Cottolengo Genovese di Don Orione, Genoa, Italy
| | - A. Wykowska
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Genoa, Italy
- *Correspondence: A. Wykowska,
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Marchesi S, Bossi F, Ghiglino D, De Tommaso D, Wykowska A. I Am Looking for Your Mind: Pupil Dilation Predicts Individual Differences in Sensitivity to Hints of Human-Likeness in Robot Behavior. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:653537. [PMID: 34222350 PMCID: PMC8249729 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.653537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of artificial agents in our everyday lives is continuously increasing. Hence, the question of how human social cognition mechanisms are activated in interactions with artificial agents, such as humanoid robots, is frequently being asked. One interesting question is whether humans perceive humanoid robots as mere artifacts (interpreting their behavior with reference to their function, thereby adopting the design stance) or as intentional agents (interpreting their behavior with reference to mental states, thereby adopting the intentional stance). Due to their humanlike appearance, humanoid robots might be capable of evoking the intentional stance. On the other hand, the knowledge that humanoid robots are only artifacts should call for adopting the design stance. Thus, observing a humanoid robot might evoke a cognitive conflict between the natural tendency of adopting the intentional stance and the knowledge about the actual nature of robots, which should elicit the design stance. In the present study, we investigated the cognitive conflict hypothesis by measuring participants’ pupil dilation during the completion of the InStance Test. Prior to each pupillary recording, participants were instructed to observe the humanoid robot iCub behaving in two different ways (either machine-like or humanlike behavior). Results showed that pupil dilation and response time patterns were predictive of individual biases in the adoption of the intentional or design stance in the IST. These results may suggest individual differences in mental effort and cognitive flexibility in reading and interpreting the behavior of an artificial agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Marchesi
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.,Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Bossi
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.,IMT School for Advanced Studies, Lucca, Italy
| | - Davide Ghiglino
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.,Dipartimento di Informatica, Bioingegneria, Robotica e Ingegneria dei Sistemi, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Davide De Tommaso
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Agnieszka Wykowska
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
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Ghiglino D, Willemse C, De Tommaso D, Wykowska A. Mind the Eyes: Artificial Agents' Eye Movements Modulate Attentional Engagement and Anthropomorphic Attribution. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:642796. [PMID: 34124174 PMCID: PMC8192967 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.642796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Artificial agents are on their way to interact with us daily. Thus, the design of embodied artificial agents that can easily cooperate with humans is crucial for their deployment in social scenarios. Endowing artificial agents with human-like behavior may boost individuals' engagement during the interaction. We tested this hypothesis in two screen-based experiments. In the first one, we compared attentional engagement displayed by participants while they observed the same set of behaviors displayed by an avatar of a humanoid robot and a human. In the second experiment, we assessed the individuals' tendency to attribute anthropomorphic traits towards the same agents displaying the same behaviors. The results of both experiments suggest that individuals need less effort to process and interpret an artificial agent's behavior when it closely resembles one of a human being. Our results support the idea that including subtle hints of human-likeness in artificial agents' behaviors would ease the communication between them and the human counterpart during interactive scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Ghiglino
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
- DIBRIS, Università Degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Cesco Willemse
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Davide De Tommaso
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
| | - Agnieszka Wykowska
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy
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5
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Vai B, Cazzetta S, Ghiglino D, Parenti L, Saibene G, Toti M, Verga C, Wykowska A, Benedetti F. Risk Perception and Media in Shaping Protective Behaviors: Insights From the Early Phase of COVID-19 Italian Outbreak. Front Psychol 2020; 11:563426. [PMID: 33250809 PMCID: PMC7674945 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.563426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In the absence of target treatments or vaccination, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic can be impeded by effectively implementing containment measures and behaviors. This relies on individuals’ adoption of protective behaviors, their perceived risk, and the use and trust of information sources. During a health emergency, receiving timely and accurate information enables individuals to take appropriate actions to protect themselves, shaping their risk perception. Italy was the first western country plagued by COVID-19 and one of the most affected in the early phase. During this period, we surveyed 2,223 Italians before the national lockdown. A quarter of the sample perceived COVID-19 less threatening than flu and would not vaccinate, if a vaccine was available. Besides, most people perceived containment measures, based on social distancing or wearing masks, not useful. This perceived utility was related to COVID-19 threat perception and efficacy beliefs. All these measures were associated with the use of media and their truthfulness: participants declared to mainly use the Internet, while health organizations’ websites were the most trusted. Although social networks were frequently used, they were rated lower for trustfulness. Our data differ from those obtained in other community samples, suggesting the relevance to explore changes across different countries and during the different phases of the pandemic. Understanding these phenomena, and how people access the media, may contribute to improve the efficacy of containment measures, tailoring specific policies and health communications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Vai
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.,Fondazione Centro San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Cazzetta
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Michelle Toti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Verga
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Benedetti
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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6
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Poletti S, Leone G, Hoogenboezem TA, Ghiglino D, Vai B, de Wit H, Wijkhuijs AJM, Locatelli C, Colombo C, Drexhage HA, Benedetti F. Markers of neuroinflammation influence measures of cortical thickness in bipolar depression. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2019; 285:64-66. [PMID: 30785023 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
We tested if peripheral levels of cytokines and chemokines associate to grey matter volumes, cortical thickness and fMRI neural responses to a moral valence decision task in bipolar patients. ICAM1 and CCL4 negatively correlated with cortical thickness in Inferior Temporal Gyrus, and sCD25 in Parahippocampal Gyrus. TNF-α, Interleukine-8, and CCL2 correlated positively with cortical thickness in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, and with lower BOLD responses to negative stimuli. Markers of immune activation are associated with measures of brain structural and functional integrity in bipolar depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Poletti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
| | - Giovanni Leone
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
| | - Thomas A Hoogenboezem
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Davide Ghiglino
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
| | - Benedetta Vai
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
| | - Harm de Wit
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Clara Locatelli
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
| | - Cristina Colombo
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy; University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
| | - Hemmo A Drexhage
- Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Francesco Benedetti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano, Italy
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7
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Marchesi S, Ghiglino D, Ciardo F, Perez-Osorio J, Baykara E, Wykowska A. Do We Adopt the Intentional Stance Toward Humanoid Robots? Front Psychol 2019; 10:450. [PMID: 30930808 PMCID: PMC6428708 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In daily social interactions, we need to be able to navigate efficiently through our social environment. According to Dennett (1971), explaining and predicting others' behavior with reference to mental states (adopting the intentional stance) allows efficient social interaction. Today we also routinely interact with artificial agents: from Apple's Siri to GPS navigation systems. In the near future, we might start casually interacting with robots. This paper addresses the question of whether adopting the intentional stance can also occur with respect to artificial agents. We propose a new tool to explore if people adopt the intentional stance toward an artificial agent (humanoid robot). The tool consists in a questionnaire that probes participants' stance by requiring them to choose the likelihood of an explanation (mentalistic vs. mechanistic) of a behavior of a robot iCub depicted in a naturalistic scenario (a sequence of photographs). The results of the first study conducted with this questionnaire showed that although the explanations were somewhat biased toward the mechanistic stance, a substantial number of mentalistic explanations were also given. This suggests that it is possible to induce adoption of the intentional stance toward artificial agents, at least in some contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Marchesi
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction Unit, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
- School of Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Davide Ghiglino
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction Unit, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
- Dipartimento di Informatica, Bioingegneria, Robotica e Ingegneria dei Sistemi, Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesca Ciardo
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction Unit, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Jairo Perez-Osorio
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction Unit, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Ebru Baykara
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction Unit, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Agnieszka Wykowska
- Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction Unit, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
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Vai B, Sforzini L, Visintini R, Riberto M, Bulgarelli C, Ghiglino D, Melloni E, Bollettini I, Poletti S, Maffei C, Benedetti F. Corticolimbic Connectivity Mediates the Relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Symptom Severity in Borderline Personality Disorder. Neuropsychobiology 2018; 76:105-115. [PMID: 29860262 DOI: 10.1159/000487961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The interaction between biological and environmental factors (especially adverse childhood experiences, ACEs) plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of borderline personality disorder (BPD). These factors act influencing BPD core features such as pervasive instability in affect regulation, impulse control, social cognition, and interpersonal relationships. In line with this perspective, abnormalities in social cognition and related neurobiological underpinnings could mediate the relationship between ACEs and psychopathological manifestations in adulthood. In a sample of 14 females, functional connectivity (FC) analyses were performed modeling the interaction between ACEs and corticolimbic dysregulation during emotional processing and its relationship with BPD symptom severity. ACEs were associated with a dampening of the negative FC between (1) the right amygdala (Amy) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and between (2) the left Amy and bilateral DLPFC, right precuneus, left cerebellum and left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex during emotional processing. The connectivity between right Amy and DLPFC mediates the relationship between childhood adversities and BPD symptomatology. Furthermore, the negative FC between Amy and DLPFC, postcentral gyrus, the vermis of cerebellum and precuneus was also associated with BPD symptom severity, with a weaker negative coupling between Amy and these regions being related to a worse BPD psychopathology. Our results confirm the role of ACEs in contributing to social cognition impairments in BPD and related symptomatology from a neurobiological perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Vai
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy.,Department of Human Studies, Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta, Rome, Italy.,Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo (CERMAC), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Sforzini
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaele Visintini
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
| | - Martina Riberto
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Bulgarelli
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy.,Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Davide Ghiglino
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Melloni
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
| | - Irene Bollettini
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Poletti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy.,Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo (CERMAC), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Cesare Maffei
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Benedetti
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Scientific Institute Ospedale San Raffaele, University Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy.,Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo (CERMAC), Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
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9
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Poletti S, Riberto M, Vai B, Ghiglino D, Lorenzi C, Vitali A, Brioschi S, Locatelli C, Serretti A, Colombo C, Benedetti F. A Glutamate Transporter EAAT1 Gene Variant Influences Amygdala Functional Connectivity in Bipolar Disorder. J Mol Neurosci 2018; 65:536-545. [PMID: 30073554 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-018-1138-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe illness characterized by recurrent depressive and manic episodes and by emotional dysregulation. Altered cortico-limbic connectivity could account for typical symptoms of the disorder such as mood instability, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive deficits. Functional connectivity positively associated with glutamatergic neurotransmission. The inactivation of glutamate is handled by a series of glutamate transporters, among them, the excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1) which is modulated by a SNP rs2731880 (C/T) where the C allele leads to increased EAAT1 expression and glutamate uptake. We hypothesized that rs2731880 would affect cortico-limbic functional connectivity during an implicit affective processing task. Sixty-eight BD patients underwent fMRI scanning during implicit processing of fearful and angry faces. We explored the effect of rs2731880 on the strength of functional connectivity from the amygdalae to the whole brain. A significant activation in response to emotional processing was observed in two main clusters encompassing the right and left amygdala. Amygdalae to whole-brain functional connectivity analyses revealed a significant interaction between rs2731880 and the task (emotional stimuli vs geometric shapes) for the functional connections between the right amygdala and right subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. Post-hoc analyses revealed that T/T patients showed a significant negative connectivity between the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex compared to C carriers. T/T subjects also performed significantly better in the face-matching task than rs2731880*C carriers. Our findings reveal an EAAT1 genotype-associated difference in cortico-limbic connectivity during affective regulation, possibly identifying a neurobiological underpinning of emotional dysfunction in BD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Poletti
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
| | - Martina Riberto
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Benedetta Vai
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Ghiglino
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Lorenzi
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Alice Vitali
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Brioschi
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Clara Locatelli
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Serretti
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Cristina Colombo
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Benedetti
- Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute and University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
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10
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Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect the development of social cognition (and identify a risk factor for several physical and mental disorders). Theory of Mind (ToM) is a key predictor of social functioning, mental health, and quality of life. No previous study explored the effect of mild ACEs on the neural correlates of ToM in healthy humans. In 23 healthy participants, we used brain blood oxygen level-dependent fMRI to study the effect of ACEs on the neural responses to tasks targeting affective and cognitive ToM. Results pointed out an association between ACEs and a lower neural response in the vermis of the cerebellum (r = -.85), precentral gyrus, and inferior frontal operculum (putative Mirror Neural System, r = -.78) during affective ToM. A lower recruitment of these brain regions, paralleled by the same performance, could express an increased neural efficacy in inferring affective mental states driven by previous experience, in this case, ACEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Vai
- a Department of Clinical Neurosciences , Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
- b Department of Human Studies , Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta , Roma , Italy
- c C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo) , Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
| | - Martina Riberto
- a Department of Clinical Neurosciences , Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
| | - Davide Ghiglino
- a Department of Clinical Neurosciences , Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
| | - Irene Bollettini
- a Department of Clinical Neurosciences , Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
- c C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo) , Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
| | - Andrea Falini
- c C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo) , Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
- d Department of Neuroradiology , San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University , Milan , Italy
| | - Francesco Benedetti
- a Department of Clinical Neurosciences , Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
- c C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo) , Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
| | - Sara Poletti
- a Department of Clinical Neurosciences , Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
- c C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo) , Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele , Milan , Italy
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Vai B, Riberto M, Ghiglino D, Poletti S, Bollettini I, Lorenzi C, Colombo C, Benedetti F. A 5-HT 1Areceptor promoter polymorphism influences fronto-limbic functional connectivity and depression severity in bipolar disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2017; 270:1-7. [PMID: 28985530 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Vai
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Milan, Italy; C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo), University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
| | - Martina Riberto
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Ghiglino
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Poletti
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Milan, Italy; C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo), University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Irene Bollettini
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Milan, Italy; C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo), University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Lorenzi
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Colombo
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Benedetti
- IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Milan, Italy; C.E.R.M.A.C. (Centro di Eccellenza Risonanza Magnetica ad Alto Campo), University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
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