Anterior Paracingulate Cortex Research Articles

Re-imaging the intentional stance.

The commonly used paradigm to investigate Dennet's ‘intentional stance’ compares neural activation when participants compete with a human versus a computer. This paradigm confounds whether the opponent is natural or artificial and whether it is intentional or an automaton. This functional magnetic resonance imaging study is, to our knowledge, the first to investigate the intentional stance by orthogonally varying perceptions of the opponents' intentionality (responding actively or passively according to a script) and embodiment (human or a computer). The mere perception of the opponent (whether human or computer) as intentional activated the mentalizing network: the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) bilaterally, right temporal pole, anterior paracingulate cortex (aPCC) and the precuneus. Interacting with humans versus computers induced activations in a more circumscribed right lateralized subnetwork within the mentalizing network, consisting of the TPJ and the aPCC, possibly reflective of the tendency to spontaneously attribute intentionality to humans. The interaction between intentionality (active versus passive) and opponent (human versus computer) recruited the left frontal pole, possibly in response to violations of the default intentional stance towards humans and computers. Employing an orthogonal design is important to adequately capture Dennett's conception of the intentional stance as a mentalizing strategy that can apply equally well to humans and other intentional agents.

Nicotine withdrawal alters neural responses to psychosocial stress.

Psychosocial stress is considered to be an important mechanism underlying smoking behavior and relapse. Thus, understanding the effects of acute nicotine withdrawal on responses to stress is important to intervene to prevent stress-induced relapse. The current study investigated the neural correlates of psychosocial stress during acute nicotine withdrawal in chronic smokers. Thirty-nine treatment-seeking smokers were randomized to one of two conditions (abstinent 24h (n = 21) or smoking as usual (n = 18)). They were then exposed to the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST), a psychosocial stress task consisting of difficult mental arithmetic problems while receiving negative performance feedback while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subjective measures of stress increased following the MIST, compared to baseline. Whole brain between-group analysis identified significant activation clusters in four regions for the stress induction minus control contrast: inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), anterior/para cingulate cortex (ACC), precuneus, and supramarginal gyrus (SMG). In all regions, the deprived group showed significantly greater activation compared to the non-deprived group. No significant correlations were found between subjective stress and BOLD signal activation (ps > 0.07). This study provides new evidence that brain regions previously shown to be predictive of relapse, such as the precuneus and IFG, display heightened neural responses to stress during nicotine deprivation. These data identify the brain regions that may be associated with withdrawal-related stress responses. Increased stress-related activation during nicotine withdrawal may identify those most vulnerable to relapse and represent a target for novel pharmacological intervention.

Orbitofrontal and limbic signatures of empathic concern and intentional harm in the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia

Perceiving and evaluating intentional harms in an interpersonal context engages both cognitive and emotional domains. This process involves inference of intentions, moral judgment, and, crucially, empathy towards others' suffering. This latter skill is notably impaired in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). However, the relationship between regional brain atrophy in bvFTD and deficits in the above-mentioned abilities is not well understood. The present study investigated how gray matter (GM) atrophy in bvFTD patients correlates with the perception and evaluation of harmful actions (attribution of intentionality, evaluation of harmful behavior, empathic concern, and moral judgment). First, we compared the behavioral performance of 26 bvFTD patients and 23 healthy controls on an experimental task (ET) indexing intentionality, empathy, and moral cognition during evaluation of harmful actions. Second, we compared GM volume in patients and controls using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Third, we examined brain regions where atrophy might be associated with specific impairments in the patient group. Finally, we explored whether the patients' deficits in intentionality comprehension and empathic concern could be partially explained by regional GM atrophy or impairments in other relevant factors, such as executive functions (EFs). In bvFTD patients, atrophy of limbic structures (amygdala and anterior paracingulate cortex – APC) was related to impairments in intentionality comprehension, while atrophy of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) was associated with empathic concern deficits. Intentionality comprehension impairments were predicted by EFs and orbitofrontal atrophy predicted deficits in empathic concern. Thus, although the perception and evaluation of harmful actions are variously compromised in bvFTD, deficits in empathic concern may be central to this syndrome as they are associated with one of the earliest atrophied region. More generally, our results shed light on social cognition deficits in bvFTD and may have important clinical implications.

Feedback on Trait or Action Impacts on Caudate and Paracingulum Activity.

There is a general conception that positive associations to one’s trait, e.g. ‘I’m clever’, are beneficial for cognitive performance. Scientific evidence shows that this is a simplification. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study we used written trial-based trait feedback ‘you are clever’, or task feedback ‘your choice was correct’, on each correct response of a rule-switching task, to investigate how the character of positive self-associations influences performance outcome. Twenty participants took part in this crossover design study. We found that trait feedback was less beneficial for motivation and performance improvement, and resulting in enhanced neural activation on more difficult bivalent rule trials. This indicates that the task was treated as more complex in this condition. For example, ‘you are clever’ feedback led to enhanced activation in anterior caudate nucleus, an area known to process uncertainty. We further observed that activation in anterior paracingulate cortex was sensitive to whether self-reflection was imposed by external feedback or generated from internal processes, where the latter activation correlated positively with performance when following after task feedback. Our results illustrate how feedback can evoke self-reflections that either help or hinder motivation and performance, most likely by impacting on processes of uncertainty. The results support social psychological models stipulating that trait focus take resources away from task focus.

Selective theory of mind impairment and cerebellar atrophy: a case report

The cerebellum is recognized as an affect and cognition modulator, besides the traditional role of movement coordinator [1]. Bidirectional connections exist between the cerebellum and cortical structures involved in the regulation of different cognitive and emotional processes [1–3]. Stoodley and Schmahmann [3] supported a functional dichotomy of the cerebellum: the anterior portion would control the sensory-motor system, while the posterior portion would control the cognitive–affective functions. Schmahmann and Sherman [4] defined the ‘‘cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome’’ (CCAS) as a pattern of deficits in language, visuospatial abilities, executive functioning and affective regulation. The affective component includes changes in personality, lack of inhibitory regulation, inappropriate behaviour, altered mood regulation, blunting of affect, obsessive–compulsive tendencies, and psychotic thinking [4]. These symptoms may be secondary to an impairment of social cognition, the capacity to construct mental representations of social relations and to flexibly use them in the social environment. Social cognition comprehends theory of mind (ToM), one’s perspective taking, empathy, the appreciation of behavior appropriateness, and the understanding of conventional and moral rules, resulting an important prerequisite to successful behavior [5]. ToM, the reading of others’ mental states (beliefs, intentions, desires), allows distinguishing mental states that have a basis in reality from lies, metaphors, persuasion, or delusion [6]. Indeed, in psychiatric patients, some psycho-behavioural symptoms were related to ToM deficit [6]. Functional imaging and clinico-pathological studies indicated that a widely distributed neuronal system underlies ToM, especially the anterior paracingulate cortex, superior temporal sulci, temporal poles, and the dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex [7–11]. A study of autism and abnormalities of the cerebellar hemispheres, vermis, and lobules, suggested an involvement of the cerebellum [12]. The cerebellum is linked, through different neural pathways, to the associative and paralimbic cortex that are linked to the regulation of the emotions and social behaviour [4]. Research on connectivity also evidenced that bi-directional pathways link the left lateral cerebellum and the right posterior superior temporal sulcus, supporting a role for the cerebellum in a wide range of social cognitive functions [13]. Few clinical studies addressed the relationship between the cerebellum and ToM, reporting conflicting results: ToM impairment in the absence of emotion attribution and appreciation of social situation deficits in patients with cerebellar siderosis or atrophy [12, 14, 15] or normal ToM functions in patients with cerebellar stroke [16]. Given the differences in the patient samples and ToM tasks, these results are scarcely comparable, preventing general conclusions. Within this research framework, it is interesting to evaluate the case of a right-handed, 65-year-old patient with 8-year education, who was admitted to hospital due to progressive gait and limb ataxia and dysarthria. Neurologic symptoms began at age 63, with progressive walking A. Parente, V. Manfredi, and A. Tarallo have contributed equally to this work.

Higher Glutamate to Glutamine Ratios in Occipital Regions in Women With Migraine During the Interictal State

Glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) are strongly compartmentalized (in neurons for Glu and in astrocytes for Gln). The visual cortex is the brain region with a higher neuron/astrocyte ratio (the highest neuronal density and the relatively lowest density of astrocytes). Elevations in extracellular Glu or potassium above certain thresholds are likely candidates to be the final common steps in the multiple distinct processes that can lead to cortical spreading depression. Astrocytes play a key role in this phenomenon, by acting as a sink for extracellular Glu and potassium, as well as generally acting as a buffer for the ionic and neurochemical changes that initiate and propagate cortical spreading depression. The purpose of this study was to quantify Glu and Gln to generate Glu/Gln ratios in women with migraine during the interictal state compared with healthy control women. Twenty-seven patients with migraine (8 with aura and 19 without aura) and 19 matched healthy controls were included in the study. We performed proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the anterior paracingulate cortex and occipital cortex (OC). Spectral analysis was performed by LCModel, allowing a separation of Glu and Gln using a 3T machine. The main result was a significantly higher Glu/Gln ratio in the OC of migraine patients compared with healthy control subjects (4.87 for migraineurs [standard deviation (SD) = 2.74] and 3.42 for controls [SD = 1.52], P = .042). We also observed higher Glu levels (6.98 for migraineurs [SD = 0.85] and 6.22 for controls [SD = 0.97], P = .007) and Glu/creatine + phosphocreatine ratio (1.18 for migraineurs [SD = 0.18] and 1.00 for controls [SD = 0.16], P = .001) in anterior paracingulate cortex in migraine patients but saw no differences in Glu/Gln ratio (2.79 for migraineurs [SD = 1.11] and 2.63 for controls [SD = 1.61], P = .68). These findings are consistent with glutamatergic differences in migraine patients during the interictal period compared with healthy controls. We hypothesize that an increased Glu/Gln ratio could arise from neuronal-glial coupling of glutamatergic metabolism differences or an increased neuron/astrocyte ratio in the OC.

Progressive changes in a recognition memory network in Parkinson's disease

BackgroundIn a previous functional MRI (fMRI) study, we found that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) presented with dysfunctions in the recruitment of recognition memory networks. We aimed to investigate the...

Damage to the left ventromedial prefrontal cortex impacts affective theory of mind

Studies investigating theory of mind (ToM) abilities (i.e. ability to understand and predict others' mental states) have revealed that affective and cognitive functions play a significant role and that each of those functions are associated with distinct neural networks. Cognitive facets of ToM have implicated the medial prefrontal cortex, temporo-parietal junction and the anterior paracingulate cortex, whereas affective facets have implicated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Although the vmPFC has repeatedly shown to be critical for affective functions, knowledge regarding the exact role of the left and right vmPFC in affective ToM is still obscure. Here, we compared performances of 30 patients with left, right and bilateral vmPFC lesions to two comparison groups (one without and one with brain injuries) on the Faux Pas Recognition task measuring the facets of ToM. We also investigated whether any deficits may be associated with other emotional measures, namely emotional empathy and emotional intelligence. Our results extend earlier findings by showing that the vmPFC is associated with abilities in affective ToM. More importantly, our results revealed that the left, and not the right vmPFC as indicated previously, is involved in affective ToM and that this deficit is associated with emotional intelligence.

Intentional social distance regulation alters affective responses towards victims of violence: An FMRI study

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate brain processes underlying control of emotional responses towards a person in distress by cognitive social distance modulation. fMRI and peripheral physiological responses (startle response and electrodermal activity) were recorded from 24 women while they watched victim-offender scenes and modulated their social distance to the victim by cognitive reappraisal. We found that emotional responses, including startle eyeblink and amygdala responses, can effectively be modulated by social distance modulation. Furthermore, our data provide evidence that activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the anterior paracingulate cortex (aPCC), two brain regions that have previously been associated with brain processes related to distant and close others, is differentially modulated by intentional social distance modulation: activity in the dmPFC increased with increasing disengagement from the victim and activity in the aPCC increased with increasing engagement with the victim. We suggest that these two regions play opposing roles in cognitive modulation of social distance and affective responses towards persons in distress that enable the adaptive and flexible social behavior observed in humans.

576 Cortical Folding Patterns of Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Paracingulate Cortex in Genetic High Risk for Psychosis

576 Cortical Folding Patterns of Anterior Cingulate Cortex and Paracingulate Cortex in Genetic High Risk for Psychosis

Priming for self-esteem influences the monitoring of one’s own performance

Social cues have subtle effects on a person, often without them being aware. One explanation for this influence involves implicit priming of trait associations. To study this effect, we activated implicit associations in participants of ‘being Clever’ or ‘being Stupid’ that were task relevant, and studied its behavioural impact on an independent cognitive task (the n-back task). Activating a representation of ‘Clever’ caused participants to slow their reaction times after errors on the working memory task, while the reverse pattern was seen for associations to ‘Stupid’. Critically, these behavioural effects were absent in control conditions. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we show that the neural basis of this effect involves the anterior paracingulate cortex (area 32) where activity tracked the observed behavioural pattern, increasing its activity during error monitoring in the ‘Clever’ condition and decreasing in the ‘Stupid’ condition. The data provide a quantitative demonstration of how implicit cues, which specifically target a person’s self-concept, influences the way we react to our own behaviour and point to the anterior paracingulate cortex as a critical cortical locus for mediating these self-concept related behavioural regulations.

Brain mapping of psychological processes with psychometric scales: An fMRI method for social neuroscience

Introduction The functional neuroimaging literature has used many stimuli (e.g., games, pictures, sounds) in fMRI studies to induce activation in brain areas related to psychological processes. To improve the link among psychological processes and their brain mapping, this study integrates the theory of measurement in the social sciences with the functional neuroimaging literature to propose a simple method that localizes the neural correlates of psychological processes using psychometric scales as stimuli to induce brain activation. Materials and methods Two fMRI studies were performed to illustrate this method with 30 subjects who responded to psychometric scales for four psychological processes on 7-point Likert-type anchors while their brains were being scanned in an fMRI. The first study examined two psychological processes–trust and distrust–whose neural correlates are known. The second study examined two psychological processes specific to technology use context–perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use–whose neural correlates are still unknown. Results Results from the first fMRI study confirmed the neural correlates of trust in the caudate nucleus, putamen, anterior paracingulate cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex and of distrust in the amygdala and insular cortex, thus confirming the literature. The second fMRI study identified the neural correlates of perceived usefulness in the anterior cingulate cortex, caudate nucleus, and insular cortex and perceived ease of use in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which are consistent with the technology use literature. Discussion The proposed brain mapping method with psychometric scales can inform the neurological nature of psychological processes, challenge existing measurement assumptions, and help advance brain mapping.

PW01-154 - Brain activation during irony tasks in euthymic bipolar patients - a functional MRI study of social cognition

ObjectivesDeficits of social cognition are a relevant predictor of functioning and outcome. Several studies have found that euthymic bipolar patients perform worse in social cognition tasks than healthy controls. Some data show a higher relapse risk in bipolar patients with concomitant mentalization deficits. However, relatively little is known about the neurobiological base of these deficits.Methods12 euthymic bipolar I patients and 14 age- and IQ-matched healthy controls underwent event-related functional MRI study while performing 15 irony, and 15 control tasks (auditory stimulus) in the scanner. Both within group (irony versus control task) and random effects between group analyses were performed on fMRI data.ResultsBipolar patients were significantly compromised in their ability to appropriately answer irony tasks. Bipolar patients showed a reduced activation in right cingulate, right anterior paracingulate cortex, right precuneus, left superior parietal lobule, left hippocampus, left insula in comparison to healthy controls. However, bipolar patients brain activation was significantly increased in the left inferior frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, and left secondary somatosensory cortex.ConclusionsThe findings of this neuroimaging study suggest that euthymic bipolar patients are restricted in their ability to mentalize fully. They show less activation in brain regions involved in mental imaginery, emotional processing and self-representation. Therefore, bipolar patients have difficulties in understanding others’ intentions and emotions, which impacts on interpersonal relationships and the functional outcome.

Reply to Commentaries

The comments of Emde and Reis are a further confirmation of the self asserting of the paradigm of intersubjectivity in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. The roots of the paradigm can be traced back to Mead in the field of psychology and to Sullivan in psychoanalysis. But what gives further strength to the intersubjectivity paradigm is the validation that comes from the discovery—in neurobiology—of the mirror system. However, it is important to draw a distinction between a more immediate and automatic mode of interacting with other people and a second mode based on mentalizing, that is, the ability to explain and predict other people's behavior by attributing independent mental states to them. While the first mode of interacting is based on the mirror system, the second one seems to be connected to the Anterior Paracingulate Cortex. Of course these observations have important implications for psychoanalytic theory, not only for the developmental theory but also for the therapeutic technique.

Medial Prefrontal Cortex, Secondary Hyperalgesia, and the Default Mode Network

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which encompasses the anterior paracingulate cortex and extends rostrally along the medial frontal wall, has recently received a considerable amount of scientific inquiry as a distinct subregion of the frontal lobe. This is, in part, because the mPFC is involved

Functional MRI Reveals Compromised Neural Integrity of the Face Processing Network in Congenital Prosopagnosia

The summed activity of multiple nodes of a distributed cortical network supports face recognition in humans, including "core" ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOTC) regions, and "extended" regions outside VOTC. Many individuals with congenital prosopagnosia-an impairment in face processing-exhibit normal blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) activation in the core VOTC regions. These individuals evince a reduction in the structural integrity of the white matter tracts connecting VOTC to anterior temporal and frontal cortices, part of the "extended" face network. The impairment in congenital prosopagnosia may arise, therefore, not from a dysfunction of the core VOTC areas but from a failure to propagate signals between the intact VOTC and the extended nodes of the network. Using the fMR adaptation paradigm with famous and unknown faces, we show that individuals with congenital prosopagnosia evince normal adaptation effects in VOTC, indicating sensitivity to facial identity, but show no differential activation for familiar versus unknown faces outside VOTC, particularly in the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex and the anterior paracingulate cortex. Normal BOLD activation in VOTC is thus insufficient to subserve intact face recognition, and disrupted information propagation between VOTC and the extended face processing network may explain the functional impairment in congenital prosopagnosia.

Species-specific distributions of tyrosine hydroxylase–immunoreactive neurons in the prefrontal cortex of anthropoid primates

In this study, we assessed the distribution of cortical neurons immunoreactive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in prefrontal cortical regions of humans and nonhuman primate species. Immunohistochemical methods were used to visualize TH-immunoreactive (TH-ir) neurons in areas 9 (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) and 32 (anterior paracingulate cortex). The study sample included humans, great apes (chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, orangutan), one lesser ape (siamang), and Old World monkeys (golden guenon, patas monkey, olive baboon, moor macaque, black and white colobus, and François' langur). The percentage of neurons within the cortex expressing TH was quantified using computer-assisted stereology. TH-ir neurons were present in layers V and VI and the subjacent white matter in each of the Old World monkey species, the siamang, and in humans. TH-ir cells were also occasionally observed in layer III of human, siamang, baboon, colobus, and François' langur cortex. Cortical cells expressing TH were notably absent in each of the great ape species. Quantitative analyses did not reveal a phylogenetic trend for percentage of TH-ir neurons in these cortical areas among species. Interestingly, humans and monkey species exhibited a bilaminar pattern of TH-ir axon distributions within prefrontal regions, with layers I–II and layers V–VI having the densest contingent of axons. In contrast, the great apes had a different pattern of laminar innervation, with a remarkably denser distribution of TH-ir axons within layer III. It is possible that the catecholaminergic afferent input to layer III in chimpanzees and other great apes covaries with loss of TH-ir cells within the cortical mantle.

Motivation to do Well Enhances Responses to Errors and Self-Monitoring

Humans are unique in being able to reflect on their own performance. For example, we are more motivated to do well on a task when we are told that our abilities are being evaluated. We set out to study the effect of self-motivation on a working memory task. By telling one group of participants that we were assessing their cognitive abilities, and another group that we were simply optimizing task parameters, we managed to enhance the motivation to do well in the first group. We matched the performance between the groups. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, the motivated group showed enhanced activity when making errors. This activity was extensive, including the anterior paracingulate cortex, lateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex. These areas showed enhanced interaction with each other. The anterior paracingulate activity correlated with self-image ratings, and overlapped with activity when participants explicitly reflected upon their performance. We suggest that the motivation to do well leads to treating errors as being in conflict with one's ideals for oneself.

Two Takes on the Social Brain: A Comparison of Theory of Mind Tasks

We compared two tasks that are widely used in research on mentalizing--false belief stories and animations of rigid geometric shapes that depict social interactions--to investigate whether the neural systems that mediate the representation of others' mental states are consistent across these tasks. Whereas false belief stories activated primarily the anterior paracingulate cortex (APC), the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus (PCC/PC), and the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ)--components of the distributed neural system for theory of mind (ToM)--the social animations activated an extensive region along nearly the full extent of the superior temporal sulcus, including a locus in the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), as well as the frontal operculum and inferior parietal lobule (IPL)--components of the distributed neural system for action understanding--and the fusiform gyrus. These results suggest that the representation of covert mental states that may predict behavior and the representation of intentions that are implied by perceived actions involve distinct neural systems. These results show that the TPJ and the pSTS play dissociable roles in mentalizing and are parts of different distributed neural systems. Because the social animations do not depict articulated body movements, these results also highlight that the perception of the kinematics of actions is not necessary to activate the mirror neuron system, suggesting that this system plays a general role in the representation of intentions and goals of actions. Furthermore, these results suggest that the fusiform gyrus plays a general role in the representation of visual stimuli that signify agency, independent of visual form.

The intentional network: How the brain reads varieties of intentions

Social neuroscience provides insights into the neural correlates of the human capacity to explain and predict other people's intentions, a capacity that lies at the core of the Theory of Mind (ToM) mechanism. Results from neuroimaging research describe a widely distributed neural system underlying ToM, including the right and left temporo-parietal junctions (TPJ), the precuneus, and the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Nevertheless, there is disagreement in the literature concerning the key region for the ToM network. Some authors point to the MPFC, others to the right TPJ. In the effort to make a contribution to the debate, we propose a model of a dynamic ToM network consisting of four regions. We also introduce a novel theoretical distinction among varieties of intention, which differ by the nature of an individual's pursued goal (private or social) and by the social interaction's temporal dimension (present or future). Our results confirm the crucial role of both the MPFC and the right TPJ, but show that these areas are differentially engaged depending on the nature of the intention involved. Whereas the right TPJ and the precuneus are necessary for processing all types of prior intentions, the left TPJ and the anterior paracingulate cortex are specifically involved in the understanding of social intention. More specifically, the left TPJ is activated only when a subset of social intentions are involved (communicative intentions). Taken together, these results demonstrate the progressive recruitment of the ToM network along the theoretical dimensions introduced in the present paper.