Functional neuroanatomy of meditation: A review and meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging investigations

Bipolar Disorder: Imaging State Versus Trait

Anterior Cingulate Cortex: Unique Role in Cognition and Emotion

Explore-exploit research faces challenges in generalizability due to a limited theoretical basis for exploration and exploitation. Neuroimaging can help identify whether explore-exploit decisions involve an opponent processing system to address this issue. Thus, we conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis (N=23 studies) finding activation in the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, and anterior cingulate cortex during exploration versus exploitation, which provides some evidence for opponent processing. However, the conjunction of explore-exploit decisions was associated with activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, suggesting that these brain regions do not engage in opponent processing. Furthermore, exploratory analyses revealed heterogeneity in brain responses between task types during exploration and exploitation respectively. Coupled with results suggesting that activation during exploration and exploitation decisions is generally more similar than it is different suggests that there remain significant challenges in characterizing explore-exploit decision making. Nonetheless, dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex activation differentiate explore and exploit decisions and identifying these responses can aid in targeted interventions aimed at manipulating these decisions.

This study aims to investigate whether intranetwork dynamic functional connectivity and causal interactions of the salience network is altered in the interictal term of migraine. Thirty-two healthy controls, 37 migraineurs without aura, and 20 migraineurs with aura were recruited. Participants underwent a T1-weighted scan and resting-state fMRI protocol inside a 1.5T MR scanner. We obtained average spatial maps of resting-state networks using group independent component analysis, which yielded subject-specific time series through a dual regression approach. Salience network regions of interest (bilateral insulae and prefrontal cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) were obtained from the group average map through cluster-based thresholding. To describe intranetwork connectivity, average and dynamic conditional correlation was calculated. Causal interactions between the default-mode, dorsal attention, and salience network were characterised by spectral Granger's causality. Time-averaged correlation was lower between the right insula and prefrontal cortex in migraine without aura vs with aura and healthy controls (P < 0.038, P < 0.037). Variance of dynamic conditional correlation was higher in migraine with aura vs healthy controls and migraine with aura vs without aura between the right insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (P < 0.011, P < 0.026), and in migraine with aura vs healthy controls between the dorsal anterior cingulate and left prefrontal cortex (P < 0.021). Causality was weaker in the <0.05 Hz frequency range between the salience and dorsal attention networks in migraine with aura (P < 0.032). Overall, migraineurs with aura exhibit more fluctuating connections in the salience network, which also affect network interactions, and could be connected to altered cortical excitability and increased sensory gain.

Brain Areas Coactivating with Motor Cortex During Chronic Motor Tics and Intentional Movements

Meditation is generally described as being in the present moment or being alert in the present moment, instead of constantly struggling to change or to become. Meditation is an essential part of Yoga philosophy and the seventh limb of Astanga Yoga described by sage Patanjali in the ancient text Patanjali Yoga Sutra. Yoga including meditation, is an ancient technique invented to unite the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness, however, scientific studies have demonstrated the vast health advantages associated with it. Mindfulness as a non-judgmental awareness of the present-moment is also a part of yoga philosophy, however, most of the mindfulness practices those are being practiced in modern days are also rooted in Buddhist philosophy. Some well-known meditation techniques are Buddhist meditations, Hindu meditations, Chinese meditations, Christian meditation, Islamic meditations, Guided meditations etc. Meditation influences brain systems involved in attention, awareness, memory, sensory integration, emotion regulation, and higher-order cognitive functions. Meditation has also been found to be very effective in relieving stress, regulating emotions and promoting mental health. A significant increase in grey matter volume was found in the meditators as compared to non-meditators. The larger grey matter volume overall, and with regional enlargement in several right hemispheric cortical and subcortical brain regions are associated with sustained attention, self-control, compassion and interoceptive perception. Several functional neuroimaging studies showed that some brain regions are recruited consistently across different meditation techniques including insula, pre/supplementary motor cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and frontopolar cortex.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by self-regulation deficits, including impulsivity and affective lability. Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) is an evidence-based treatment proven to reduce symptoms across multiple cognitive-emotional domains in BPD. This pilot study aimed to investigate neural activation associated with, and predictive of, clinical improvement in emotional and behavioral regulation in BPD following TFP. BPD subjects (n = 10) were scanned pre- and post-TFP treatment using a within-subjects design. A disorder-specific emotional-linguistic go/no-go functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm was used to probe the interaction between negative emotional processing and inhibitory control. Analyses demonstrated significant treatment-related effects with relative increased dorsal prefrontal (dorsal anterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal, and frontopolar cortices) activation, and relative decreased ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and hippocampal activation following treatment. Clinical improvement in constraint correlated positively with relative increased left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex activation. Clinical improvement in affective lability correlated positively with left posterior-medial orbitofrontal cortex/ventral striatum activation, and negatively with right amygdala/parahippocampal activation. Post-treatment improvements in constraint were predicted by pre-treatment right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex hypoactivation, and pre-treatment left posterior-medial orbitofrontal cortex/ventral striatum hypoactivation predicted improvements in affective lability. These preliminary findings demonstrate potential TFP-associated alterations in frontolimbic circuitry and begin to identify neural mechanisms associated with a psychodynamically oriented psychotherapy.

The direct connections from the cortex to the subthalamic nucleus (STN), the so-called hyperdirect pathway, is known for the cortical motor areas and plays a top–down executive control on basal ganglia (BG). However, little was known regarding the projections onto the STN from anterior and ventral prefrontal regions involved in more integrated functions such as decision making or reward related processes. The large-scale study by Haynes and Haber aimed to trace the hyperdirect pathway from different territories of the prefrontal cortex and motor areas to determine the levels of convergence and segregation of these projections onto the different subterritories of the STN. Their first objective was to delineate all frontal inputs to the STN in monkeys, extending to primate those already described in rodents (Berendse and Groenewegen, 1991). They impressively targeted many areas constitutive of four prefrontal regions: ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and dorsal prefrontal cortex (dPFC), and established that all of them project onto the STN. These cortices are differentially involved in cognitive, motivational and emotional processes. Do these distinct information funnel in the STN or remain processed separately by STN subterritories? The second objective was to delineate a limbic STN based on the topography of the projections from areas of the vmPFC, OFC, and dACC, involved in reward-related processes. The authors mapped the limbic part of the STN from the medial tip of the nucleus to the lateral part of the LH. However, since not all areas from the vmPFC and OFC and other limbic cortices have been investigated, the study does not allow to assess the exact extent of this limbic STN. Finally, the authors examined the convergence and/or segregation of cortico-STN fibers from motor, cognitive and limbic cortical areas. The central part of the STN receives overlapping projections from the majority of labeled cortical afferences. However, motor projections to the dorsal lateral extremities seem to be isolated from those forming the limbic territories, located at the medial tip of the nucleus.

Schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by brain network dysfunction, particularly during behavioral tasks that depend on frontal and hippocampal mechanisms. Here, we investigated network profiles of the regions of the frontal cortex during memory encoding and retrieval, phases of processing essential to associative memory. Schizophrenia patients (n = 12) and healthy control (HC) subjects (n = 10) participated in an established object-location associative memory paradigm that drives frontal-hippocampal interactions. Network profiles were modeled of both the dorsal prefrontal (dPFC) and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as seeds using psychophysiological interaction analyses, a robust framework for investigating seed-based connectivity in specific task contexts. The choice of seeds was motivated by previous evidence of involvement of these regions during associative memory. Differences between patients and controls were evaluated using second-level analyses of variance (ANOVA) with seed (dPFC vs. dACC), group (patients vs. controls), and memory process (encoding and retrieval) as factors. Patients showed a pattern of exaggerated modulation by each of the dACC and the dPFC during memory encoding and retrieval. Furthermore, group by memory process interactions were observed within regions of the hippocampus. In schizophrenia patients, relatively diminished modulation during encoding was associated with increased modulation during retrieval. These results suggest a pattern of complex dysfunctional network signatures of critical forebrain regions in schizophrenia. Evidence of dysfunctional frontal-medial temporal lobe network signatures in schizophrenia is consistent with the illness’ characterization as a disconnection syndrome.

Children with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) may develop a wide array of neurological symptoms, but associated cerebral physiologic changes are poorly understood. We examined cerebral hemodynamic properties of pediatric LCH using arterial spin-labeling (ASL) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A retrospective study was performed in 23 children with biopsy-proven LCH. Analysis was performed on routine brain MRI obtained before or after therapy. Region of interest (ROI) methodology was used to determine ASL cerebral blood flow (CBF) (mL/100g/min) in the following bilateral regions: angular gyrus, anterior prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and hippocampus. Quantile (median) regression was performed for each ROI location. CBF patterns were compared between pre- and posttreatment LCH patients as well as with age-matched healthy controls. Significantly reduced CBF was seen in posttreatment children with LCH compared to age-matched controls in angular gyrus (P=.046), anterior prefrontal cortex (P=.039), and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (P=.023). Further analysis revealed dominant perfusion abnormalities in the right hemisphere. No significant perfusion differences were observed in the hippocampus or orbitofrontal cortex. Perfusion in specific cerebral regions may be consistently reduced in children with LCH, and may represent effects of underlying disease physiology and/or sequelae of chemotherapy. Studies that combine a formal cognitive assessment and hemodynamic data may further provide insight into perfusion deficits associated with the disease and the potential neurotoxic effects in children treated by chemotherapy.

Event Abstract Back to Event Functional Connectivity between Distinct Subregions within Rostral Prefrontal Cortex (BA 10) and Other Brain Areas: A Cluster Analysis P W Burgess1, S. J. Gilbert1 and G. Gonen Yaacovi1* 1 Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Queen Square, United Kingdom The rostral PFC has distinctive features that distinguish it from other regions in the brain. However, the functions of this area have not been researched thoroughly. In the present study a cluster analysis of 102 functional neuroimaging studies (using positron emission tomography/functional magnetic resonance imaging) was performed in order to examine the functional connectivity between distinct regions within the rostral prefrontal cortex and other areas in the brain. The cluster analysis evaluated three subdivisions within the rostral prefrontal cortex: medial-lateral, caudal-rostral, and superior-inferior. The strongest and most distinct evidence for functional connectivity was found along the medial-lateral axis where medial rostral prefrontal cortex tended to be co-activated with clusters in the right and left temporal lobe and the right limbic lobe, while lateral rostral prefrontal cortex tended to be co-activated with clusters in the right and left frontal lobe and the right parietal lobe. These findings place important constraints on theorizing about both the function and the connections of the rostral PFC in relation to other brain regions. Conference: The 20th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference, The frontal lobes, Toronto, Canada, 22 Mar - 26 Mar, 2010. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Cognitive Neuroscience Citation: Burgess P, Gilbert SJ and Gonen Yaacovi G (2010). Functional Connectivity between Distinct Subregions within Rostral Prefrontal Cortex (BA 10) and Other Brain Areas: A Cluster Analysis. Conference Abstract: The 20th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference, The frontal lobes. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2010.14.00120 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Jun 2010; Published Online: 30 Jun 2010. * Correspondence: G. Gonen Yaacovi, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom, g.gonen@ucl.ac.uk Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers P W Burgess S. J Gilbert G. Gonen Yaacovi Google P W Burgess S. J Gilbert G. Gonen Yaacovi Google Scholar P W Burgess S. J Gilbert G. Gonen Yaacovi PubMed P W Burgess S. J Gilbert G. Gonen Yaacovi Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Functional neuroimaging studies in normal humans suggest that dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) plays an important role in cognitive control. This brain area is reliably activated when tasks require the ongoing adjustment of the allocation of attention. The dACC has come to occupy a central role in theories of attention and cognitive control, which hold that dACC either monitors response conflict, signalling the need for adjustments in cognitive processes, or directly mediates such adjustments. However, functional imaging results cannot establish that a brain area is necessary for a particular cognitive process. This requires evidence from loss-of-function studies. Here we assessed cognitive control in four human subjects with damage to dACC and 12 age- and education-matched control subjects using several measures drawn from the functional imaging literature. All four subjects with dACC damage showed normal adjustments in performance following manipulation of response conflict in both Stroop and go-no go tasks. Furthermore, damage to the dACC did not impair the phenomenon of post-error slowing, nor alter the ability to adjust performance in response to explicit speed or accuracy instructions. Thus, cognitive control, as assessed by four different measures in two different tasks, appears to be intact in these subjects, arguing against a necessary role for dACC in this process.

Distinct functional connectivity associated with lateral versus medial rostral prefrontal cortex: A meta-analysis

Prenatal manganese exposure and intrinsic functional connectivity of emotional brain areas in children

Aggression is a worldwide issue that has significant consequences for both the victims and societies. However, aggression may vary in its underlying motivation (i.e., reactive versus proactive) and the forms in which it occurs (i.e., physical versus verbal). Yet, functional brain correlates differentiating these types remains largely unknown. A systematic search was conducted up to May 1st 2023, using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, to identify relevant functional neuroimaging studies that included measures of General Aggression, Reactive Aggression, Proactive Aggression, Physical Aggression and Verbal Aggression. Coordinate-based meta-analysis was conducted using both spatial convergence (ALE) and effect-size (SDM-PSI) approaches. Sixty-seven functional neuroimaging studies met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis revealed similar yet distinct neural correlates for General Aggression (i.e., Amygdala, Precuneus, Intraparietal Sulcus, Angular and Middle Temporal Gyri), Reactive Aggression (i.e., Amygdala, Periaqueductal Grey, Posterior Insula, & Central Opercular Cortex), Proactive Aggression (i.e., Septal Area, & Amygdala), Physical Aggression (i.e., Dorsal Premotor Cortex, Dorsal Caudate, & Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex), and Verbal (i.e., Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex). Exploratory analyses revealed the importance of affective, cognitive and social cognition processes as well as serotoninergic, dopaminergic, and cholinergic systems in the neural underpinnings of aggressive behaviors. Our findings highlight the importance of examining the types of aggression (i.e., motivation and forms) within a transdiagnostic framework. Therefore, characterizing the neurobiological substrates of aggression may expand our search for targeted neuromodulation and pharmacological treatments.