Mind Brain Research Articles

Human reasoning on social interactions in ecological contexts: insights from the theory of mind brain circuits.

The relationship between neural social cognition patterns and performance on social cognition tasks in daily life is a topic of debate, with key consideration given to the extent to which theory of mind (ToM) brain circuits share properties reflecting everyday social functioning. To test the efficacy of ecological stimuli in eliciting brain activation within the ToM brain circuits, we adapted the Edinburgh Social Cognition test social scenarios, consisting of dynamic ecological contextually embedded social stimuli, to a fMRI paradigm. Forty-two adults (21 men, mean age ± SD = 34.19 years ±12.57) were enrolled and underwent an fMRI assessment which consisted of a ToM task using the Edinburgh Social Cognition test scenarios. We used the same stimuli to prompt implicit (movie viewing) and explicit (silent and two-choice answers) reasoning on cognitive and affective mental states. The fMRI analysis was based on the classical random effect analysis. Group inferences were complemented with supplemental analyses using overlap maps to assess inter-subject variability. We found that explicit mentalizing reasoning yielded wide neural activations when two-choice answers were used. We also observed that the nature of ToM reasoning, that is, affective or cognitive, played a significant role in activating different neural circuits. The ESCoT stimuli were particularly effective in evoking ToM core neural underpinnings and elicited executive frontal loops. Future work may employ the task in a clinical setting to investigate ToM network reorganization and plasticity.

Protocol and preregistration for the CODEC project: measuring, modelling and mechanistically understanding the nature of cognitive variability in early childhood

BackgroundChildren’s cognitive performance fluctuates across multiple timescales. However, fluctuations have often been neglected in favour of research into average cognitive performance, limiting the unique insights into cognitive abilities and development that cognitive variability may afford. Preliminary evidence suggests that greater variability is associated with increased symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders, and differences in behavioural and neural functioning. The relative dearth of empirical work on variability, historically limited due to a lack of suitable data and quantitative methodology, has left crucial questions unanswered, which the CODEC (COgnitive Dynamics in Early Childhood) study aims to address.MethodThe CODEC cohort is an accelerated 3-year longitudinal study which encompasses 600 7-to-10-year-old children. Each year includes a ‘burst’ week (3 times per day, 5 days per week) of cognitive measurements on five cognitive domains (reasoning, working memory, processing speed, vocabulary, exploration), conducted both in classrooms and at home through experience sampling assessments. We also measure academic outcomes and external factors hypothesised to predict cognitive variability, including sleep, mood, motivation and background noise. A subset of 200 children (CODEC-MRI) are invited for two deep phenotyping sessions (in year 1 and year 3 of the study), including structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, eye-tracking, parental measurements and questionnaire-based demographic and psychosocial measures. We will quantify developmental differences and changes in variability using Dynamic Structural Equation Modelling, allowing us to simultaneously capture variability and the multilevel structure of trials nested in sessions, days, children and classrooms.DiscussionCODEC’s unique design allows us to measure variability across a range of different cognitive domains, ages, and temporal resolutions. The deep-phenotyping arm allows us to test hypotheses concerning variability, including the role of mind wandering, strategy exploration, mood, sleep, and brain structure. Due to CODEC’s longitudinal nature, we are able to quantify which measures of variability at baseline predict long-term outcomes. In summary, the CODEC study is a unique longitudinal study combining experience sampling, an accelerated longitudinal ‘burst’ design, deep phenotyping, and cutting-edge statistical methodologies to better understand the nature, causes, and consequences of cognitive variability in children.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov - NCT06330090

Adverse childhood experiences differently affect Theory of Mind brain networks in schizophrenia and healthy controls

Patients with schizophrenia (SZ) show impairments in both affective and cognitive dimensions of theory of mind (ToM). SZ are also particularly vulnerable to detrimental effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACE), influencing the overall course of the disorder and fostering poor social functioning. ACE associate with long-lasting detrimental effects on brain structure, function, and connectivity in regions involved in ToM. Here, we investigated whether ToM networks are differentially affected by ACEs in healthy controls (HC) and SZ, and if these effects can predict the disorder clinical outcome. 26 HC and 33 SZ performed a ToM task during an fMRI session. Whole-brain functional response and connectivity (FC) were extracted, investigating the interaction between ACEs and diagnosis. FC values significantly affected by ACEs were entered in a cross-validated LASSO regression predicting Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and task performance. ACEs and diagnosis showed a widespread interaction at both affective and cognitive tasks, including connectivity between vmPFC, ACC, precentral and postcentral gyri, insula, PCC, precuneus, parahippocampal gyrus, temporal pole, thalamus, and cerebellum, and functional response in the ACC, thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus and putamen. FC predicted the PANSS score, the fantasy dimension of IRI, and the AToM response latency. Our results highlight the crucial role of early stress in differentially shaping ToM related brain networks in HC and SZ. These effects can also partially explain the clinical and behavioral outcomes of the disorder, extending our knowledge of the effects of ACEs.

The Neural Basis of Our Responses to Reading Novels: On Being Moved, the Motion in Emotion

Telling tales and reading have been a part of human activity for a very long time. We review in brief the anthropological evidence, then the emergence of the 'modern novel'. This explores in narratives the psychological reflections of the characters concerned with life circumstances including loss, abandonment, despair, illness, dying, and death. We report findings that the response of crying to a novel occurs as often as to music, not reported before: both 'move us'. We note what several critics and authors imply about the imagined world of 'novel space' which emphasizes the active not passive nature of reading dramatic action, the latter being embedded and embodied within us. This touches on the mind–brain problem. We provide a brief introduction to neuroscientific work with brain imaging revealing how cerebral networks to do with theory of mind and brain structures that are the basis of our movements are involved with the very act of reading words and narratives. Emotional tearing is an exclusive attribute of Homo sapiens, and crying can have positive benefits for mental health. We argue that bibliotherapy needs greater attention than has been the case at present. We also suggest that telling tales and the 'modern novel' are closely allied to the development of the consciousness of Homo sapiens.

The Story of the Brain's Becoming-Mind

Can the brain become mind? If the question seems strange, aberrant even, it is perhaps due to the way the problem brain–mind is commonly presented, where what's repeatedly asked is whether the brain is or isn’t ‘mind’. Yet, if we take Deleuze and Guattari's provocation seriously, in the Conclusion of What is Philosophy?, the problem is radically recast: even if speculatively, that is, properly philosophically or conceptually, the brain, for them, involves its own becoming, both in terms of its ‘becoming-subject’ and ‘becoming-mind’, as ‘Thought-brain’. I will explore references within Deleuze's philosophy in relation to the brain, namely in The Logic of Sense and his work on cinema, as I try to work out what this fantastic story (with necropolitical undertones) may in fact look like, the one where the brain not simply is but becomes, and in becoming, becomes mind…

Causal potency of consciousness in the physical world

The evolution of the human mind through natural selection mandates that our conscious experiences are causally potent in order to leave a tangible impact on the surrounding physical world. Any attempt to construct a functional theory of the conscious mind within the framework of classical physics, however, inevitably leads to causally impotent conscious experiences in direct contradiction to evolution theory. Here, we derive several rigorous theorems that identify the origin of the latter impasse in the mathematical properties of ordinary differential equations employed in combination with the alleged functional production of the mind by the brain. Then, we demonstrate that a mind–brain theory consistent with causally potent conscious experiences is provided by modern quantum physics, in which the unobservable conscious mind is reductively identified with the quantum state of the brain and the observable brain is constructed by the physical measurement of quantum brain observables. The resulting quantum stochastic dynamics obtained from sequential quantum measurements of the brain is governed by stochastic differential equations, which permit genuine free will exercised through sequential conscious choices of future courses of action. Thus, quantum reductionism provides a solid theoretical foundation for the causal potency of consciousness, free will and cultural transmission.

A translational approach to the mind–brain–body connection.

A translational approach to the mind–brain–body connection.

Professor SUN Shen-tian's experience in acupuncture treatment of depression based on "psychosomatic medicine"

This paper introduces professor SUN Shen-tian's clinical thoughts and his characteristics of acupuncture techniques for the treatment of depression based on "psychosomatic medicine". Professor SUN, the master of traditional Chinese medicine, believes that depression refers to comorbidity of "heart mind" and "body", resulting from the "body-mind" disharmony, specially dominated by the emotional disorder. This disease is located in the brain, with the injury of mind and closely related to the heart and liver dysfunction. In pathogenesis, the dysfunction of brain mind and the unhealthy conditions of body and mind are involved. The treatment should focus on "regulating the mind, improving the intelligence, co-modulating the abdominal and brain functions and treating the physical and mental disorders". Baihui (GV 20), Ningshen (Extra) and emotional area on the head are selected as the main points to benefit the intelligence and calming down the mind; the abdominal region 1 and region 8 of "Sun's abdominal acupuncture" are used as the main points of the abdomen to regulate the brain functions. The point prescription is modified according to the symptoms and etiologies. The repeated transcranial acupuncture stimulation and electroacupuncture at low frequency (2 Hz) are crucial to the therapeutic effect. Reliving anxious emotions is specially considered before acupuncture, and the mind is protected and deqi is consolidated during acupuncture.

The different effect of adverse childhood experiences on Theory of Mind brain networks in schizophrenia and healthy controls

IntroductionDeficit in Theory of Mind (ToM) is a core feature of schizophrenia (SZ), while adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can contribute to worsen ToM abilities through their effect on brain functioning, structure and connectivity.ObjectivesHere, we investigated the effects of ACEs on brain functional connectivity (FC) during an affective and cognitive ToM task (AToM, CToM) in healthy control (HC) and SZ, and whether FC can predict the performance at the ToM task and patients’ symptoms severity.MethodsThe sample included 26 HC and 33 SZ. In an fMRI session, participants performed a ToM task targeting affective and cognitive domains. Whole-brain FC patterns of local correlation (LC) and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) were extracted. The significant MVPA clusters were used as seeds in further seed-based connectivity analyses. Second-level analyses were modelled to investigate the interaction between ACEs, the diagnosis, and the task, corrected for age, sex, and equivalent doses of chlorpromazine (p<0.05 FWE). FC values significantly affected by ACEs (Risky Family Questionnaire) were entered in a cross-validated LASSO regression predicting symptoms severity (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, PANSS) and task performance measures (accuracy and response time).ResultsIn AToM, LC showed significant different effects of ACE between HC and SZ in frontal pole, caudate and cerebellum. MVPA showed significant widespread interaction in cortico-limbic regions, including prefrontal cortex, precuneus, insula, parahippocampus, cingulate cortex, temporal pole, thalamus, and cerebellum in AToM and CToM. SBC analyses found significant target regions in the frontal pole, cerebellum, pre and postcentral gyrus, precuneus, lateral occipital cortex, angular gyrus, and paracingulate gyrus. LASSO regression predicted PANSS score (R2=0.49) and AToM response latency time (R2=0.37).ConclusionsOur findings highlighted a widespread different effect of ACEs on brain FC in ToM networks in HC and SZ. Notably, the FC in these regions is predictive of behavioral ToM performance and clinical outcomes.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

A case for chaos theory inclusion in neuropsychoanalytic modeling

ABSTRACT This paper provides a review of the current evidence of chaoticity at various scales of the brain–mind as well as the application of nonlinear tools in clinical practice. Based on these data, a hypothesis is formulated that the brain–mind at various scales can operate in linear, nonlinear, or hybrid modes, such as chaotic functioning accompanied by noise. A thesis formulated by Mark Solms that living systems must minimize Shannon’s entropy of physical states (sensory entropy) is considered. Based on the data presented in this paper, minimization of entropy in that sense appears to be describing only a part of the complex brain–mind dynamics. Studies evaluating measures of entropy specifically developed for real living systems such as discrete timescale entropy (ApEn) suggest that a decrease in EEG entropy can be observed in some neuronal processes (e.g. progression from wakefulness to deep sleep); however, EEG entropy is observed to be increasing at other times and in other modes of brain–mind functioning (e.g. progression from deep sleep to REM to wakefulness; and from vegetative state to wakefulness). The clinical implications are discussed. This paper proposes that it would be theoretically and clinically beneficial for future revisions of neuropsychoanalytic models to consider including the chaos theory framework.

THE WORLD, CREATED BY HUMAN MINDS

The article is about the absence of independent physical presence of the ideas formatted by the brain mind, though each individual may act upon the ideas or the encoded information created by the brain, which we call a process. These ideas may be stored mentally, which could be remembered by the individual, or physically stored in the language used by the individual. The ideas created by the brain is generally using a language or a figure represented by an image or material, which represents the object or the idea. The mental image or the idea represents a physical reality or a functional state, allowing the person to work upon the physical entity. The mind could create several entities, using language or symbolically, which may not have a real presence in the world.The mind has created several such entities and even represented them physically by materials or symbolically. People have been creating mental ideas of divine forces and visualizing the, and believe such forces really exist and control them and the world. The mental concepts could be symbolic and one could visualize them if they could be treated with an image. Sensory abilities may help visual or auditory appearances of them or have sensorial experiences with them if their brain is going through a hallucinatory state. We have already reported the phantom phenomenon when the affected person experiences a limb or body, which is truly absent in the person. The orbitofrontal cortex is engaged in social conditioning, and when the input signals do not reach this area, violent responses may be made at the amygdala level.

The effect of adverse childhood experiences on theory of mind brain networks: association with clinical and behavioural outcomes in schizophrenia

The effect of adverse childhood experiences on theory of mind brain networks: association with clinical and behavioural outcomes in schizophrenia

Present mind in aging brain: Neural associations of dispositional mindfulness in cognitive decline

AbstractBackgroundSubjects at risk of dementia, such as subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), present with specific clinical symptoms, as well as functional and structural changes within the brain. Dispositional mindfulness (DM) has been linked to better cognitive performance and is associated with activation and grey matter volume of specific brain regions. It is yet unknown how DM is related to cognitive and neural parameters of those at risk of dementia.ObjectiveTo estimate the association of DM with cognitive functions, brain volumetry, functional connectivity and gray matter integrity in key regions relevant for cognition (hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex) and self‐awareness (ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), posterior cingulate cortex) in SCD and MCI subjects.Methods79 non‐demented older adults with memory complaints ((SCD = 48, MCI = 31) were assessed by neuropsychological tests, MRI volumetry, resting‐state fMRI‐derived connectivity and DTI. Dispositional mindfulness was examined with Breath Counting Task (BCT).ResultsParticipants with MCI showed significantly worse BCT performance in comparison to SCD (p˂0.001). In MCI, BCT performance was positively associated with connectivity (p˂0.001) and negatively related to mean gray matter diffusivity (p˂0.05) in vmPFC. No other significant associations were found between DM, MRI measures and neuropsychological variables in either group.ConclusionWorse cognition in subjects at risk of dementia may be reflected in changes in DM. Lower connectivity and worse gray matter integrity of vmPFC in MCI could play a role in the worsening of DM in this population. Longitudinal studies are needed to further clarify the relatedness of DM and neural changes elicited by neurodegeneration in people at higher risk of dementia.

A Possible Case of Censorship of Submissions on the Nature of Consciousness

To advance the scientific understanding of consciousness, one should be open to theoretical pluralism to freely develop and rigorously test a wide diversity of paradigm candidates and communicate the ideas and findings to the scientific community. Science development is jeopardized when journals tend to present a field’s state-of-the-art findings in a biased or misguided way or suppress investigations of a particular perspective. We describe the challenges and pitfalls we faced as guest editors during the editorial review process of a special issue of the journal Frontiers on “The Nature of Consciousness” and how we responded to it. We describe and discuss how the journal staff overruled our editorial role to enforce what was very likely academic censorship. We then offer a couple of recommendations to authors and editors that may face similar issues. We believe that following these recommendations will ultimately contribute to practical and theoretical advances in the understanding the nature of consciousness and the mind–brain relation.

Some Thoughts on AI Stimulated by Michael Wooldridge’s Book “The Road to Conscious Machines. The Story of AI”

Following a brief over view of the contents of Michael Wooldridge's book I give an account of my own background in computing and AI. I then cover a range of topics stimulated by reading the book including machine learning's relationship to AI, applications to medical areas, the need to consider probabilistic effects on decisions, the importance of self-reproduction and whether AI can be made moral. I finish with a discussion of the mind–brain relationship and what makes us human.

Differential Tracking of Linguistic vs. Mental State Content in Naturalistic Stimuli by Language and Theory of Mind (ToM) Brain Networks.

Language and social cognition, especially the ability to reason about mental states, known as theory of mind (ToM), are deeply related in development and everyday use. However, whether these cognitive faculties rely on distinct, overlapping, or the same mechanisms remains debated. Some evidence suggests that, by adulthood, language and ToM draw on largely distinct-though plausibly interacting-cortical networks. However, the broad topography of these networks is similar, and some have emphasized the importance of social content / communicative intent in the linguistic signal for eliciting responses in the language areas. Here, we combine the power of individual-subject functional localization with the naturalistic-cognition inter-subject correlation approach to illuminate the language-ToM relationship. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we recorded neural activity as participants (n = 43) listened to stories and dialogues with mental state content (+linguistic, +ToM), viewed silent animations and live action films with mental state content but no language (-linguistic, +ToM), or listened to an expository text (+linguistic, -ToM). The ToM network robustly tracked stimuli rich in mental state information regardless of whether mental states were conveyed linguistically or non-linguistically, while tracking a +linguistic / -ToM stimulus only weakly. In contrast, the language network tracked linguistic stimuli more strongly than (a) non-linguistic stimuli, and than (b) the ToM network, and showed reliable tracking even for the linguistic condition devoid of mental state content. These findings suggest that in spite of their indisputably close links, language and ToM dissociate robustly in their neural substrates-and thus plausibly cognitive mechanisms-including during the processing of rich naturalistic materials.

Interactions between central nervous system and peripheral metabolic organs.

According to Descartes, minds and bodies are distinct kinds of "substance", and they cannot have causal interactions. However, in neuroscience, the two-way interaction between the brain and peripheral organs is an emerging field of research. Several lines of evidence highlight the importance of such interactions. For example, the peripheral metabolic systems are overwhelmingly regulated by the mind (brain), and anxiety and depression greatly affect the functioning of these systems. Also, psychological stress can cause a variety of physical symptoms, such as bone loss. Moreover, the gut microbiota appears to play a key role in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Mechanistically, as the command center of the body, the brain can regulate our internal organs and glands through the autonomic nervous system and neuroendocrine system, although it is generally considered to be outside the realm of voluntary control. The autonomic nervous system itself can be further subdivided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic division functions a bit like the accelerator pedal on a car, and the parasympathetic division functions as the brake. The high center of the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system is the hypothalamus, which contains several subnuclei that control several basic physiological functions, such as the digestion of food and regulation of body temperature. Also, numerous peripheral signals contribute to the regulation of brain functions. Gastrointestinal (GI) hormones, insulin, and leptin are transported into the brain, where they regulate innate behaviors such as feeding, and they are also involved in emotional and cognitive functions. The brain can recognize peripheral inflammatory cytokines and induce a transient syndrome called sick behavior (SB), characterized by fatigue, reduced physical and social activity, and cognitive impairment. In summary, knowledge of the biological basis of the interactions between the central nervous system and peripheral organs will promote the full understanding of how our body works and the rational treatment of disorders. Thus, we summarize current development in our understanding of five types of central-peripheral interactions, including neural control of adipose tissues, energy expenditure, bone metabolism, feeding involving the brain-gut axis and gut microbiota. These interactions are essential for maintaining vital bodily functions, which result in homeostasis, i.e., a natural balance in the body's systems.

Social Interaction With an Anonymous Opponent Requires Increased Involvement of the Theory of Mind Neural System: An fMRI Study.

An anonymous interaction might facilitate provoking behavior and modify the engagement of theory of mind (TOM) brain mechanisms. However, the effect of anonymity when processing unfair behavior of an opponent remains largely unknown. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study applied the Taylor aggression paradigm, introducing an anonymous opponent to this task. Thirty-nine healthy right-handed subjects were included in the statistical analysis (13 males/26 females, mean age 24.5 ± 3.6 years). A player winning the reaction-time game could subtract money from the opponent during the task. Participants behaved similarly to both introduced and anonymous opponents. However, when an anonymous opponent (when compared to the introduced opponent) subtracted money, the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) demonstrated an increased BOLD signal and increased functional connectivity with the left IFG. Further, increased functional connectivity between the right IFG, the right temporal parietal junction and precuneus was observed during the perception of high provocation (subtracting a large amount of money) from the anonymous compared to the introduced opponent. We speculate that the neural changes may underlie different inferences about the opponents’ mental states. The idea that this reorganization of the TOM network reflects the attempt to understand the opponent by “completing” socially relevant details requires further investigation.

Global Scientific Production on Neuroeducation: An Analysis in Scopus, 2010 – 2020

The main characteristics of publications on neuroeducation by authors worldwide are described. A descriptive and retrospective analysis of articles 276 indexed in the Scopus database during the period 2010 to 2020 is performed, this database was chosen for having high quality scientific journals. The results indicate that the world scientific production is distributed in 10 documentary types, highlighting the publications of research articles (55.43%), the United States is the country with the highest production, followed by Canada, United Kingdom and Spain. The worldwide scientific production is visible in publications 139, Mind Brain and Education (United Kingdom) is the journal with the highest number of publications, followed by Frontiers In Psychology (Switzerland). The authors are mainly affiliated to European institutions, being Birkbeck, University of London (United Kingdom), the institution with the highest scientific production, also appears the Jaume I University, Iberoamerican institution with the highest production in this region. Finally, it was found that the most used keywords were the descriptors neuroeducation and neuropedagogy. We conclude that there is still a need for further research on neuroeducation and its implications for educational practice and policy based on knowledge of brain functioning. Even so, scientific production continues to be minimal compared to other psychoeducational variables, so it is necessary to increase international collaboration in research, based on institutions or groups of academics and professionals from different regions.

Psychobiotic Therapy: Method to Reinforce the Immune System.

Psychobiotics are probiotic microorganisms that beneficially affect the central nervous system functions mediated by the gut-brain axis, improving the host’s immune system. Psychobiotic microorganisms can regulate brain pathways and serotonin production (mood controller). The main microbial genera with psychobiotic characteristics are Lactobacillus, Lactococcus and Bifidobacterium. The daily consumption of psychobiotics is called “Psychobiotic Therapy”. Psychobio-tic therapy has proven antidepressant/anxiolytic properties. Psychobiotic therapy can be used to boost the host’s immune balance against pathogens, for example: virus, bacteria and fungus. Thus, psychobiotic therapy can be a promising strategy to improve and/or maintain the quality of life of people who are healthy or who suffer from anxiety/stress disorders, intestinal dysbiosis and even immunosuppressed people. This is such a hot theme it can surely only be a matter of time for psychobiotic therapy offers an “alternative treatment”, but scientific, for people diagnosed with a variety of mental/immunological disorders. Instead of targeting the mind (brain), we could go for the gut. “This new way of looking at mental health linked to gut health is literally looking at health upside down”.