Neurocognitive Networks Research Articles

Intrinsic Functional Hypoconnectivity in Core Neurocognitive Networks Suggests Central Nervous System Pathology in Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Pilot Study.

Exact low resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA) was recorded from nineteen EEG channels in nine patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and 9 healthy controls to assess current source density and functional connectivity, a physiological measure of similarity between pairs of distributed regions of interest, between groups. Current source density and functional connectivity were measured using eLORETA software. We found significantly decreased eLORETA source analysis oscillations in the occipital, parietal, posterior cingulate, and posterior temporal lobes in Alpha and Alpha-2. For connectivity analysis, we assessed functional connectivity within Menon triple network model of neuropathology. We found support for all three networks of the triple network model, namely the central executive network (CEN), salience network (SN), and the default mode network (DMN) indicating hypo-connectivity in the Delta, Alpha, and Alpha-2 frequency bands in patients with ME compared to controls. In addition to the current source density resting state dysfunction in the occipital, parietal, posterior temporal and posterior cingulate, the disrupted connectivity of the CEN, SN, and DMN appears to be involved in cognitive impairment for patients with ME. This research suggests that disruptions in these regions and networks could be a neurobiological feature of the disorder, representing underlying neural dysfunction.

Salience and Default Mode Network Coupling Predicts Cognition in Aging and Parkinson's Disease.

Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson's disease (PD). Three neurocognitive networks support efficient cognition: the salience network, the default mode network, and the central executive network. The salience network is thought to switch between activating and deactivating the default mode and central executive networks. Anti-correlated interactions between the salience and default mode networks in particular are necessary for efficient cognition. Our previous work demonstrated altered functional coupling between the neurocognitive networks in non-demented individuals with PD compared to age-matched control participants. Here, we aim to identify associations between cognition and functional coupling between these neurocognitive networks in the same group of participants. We investigated the extent to which intrinsic functional coupling among these neurocognitive networks is related to cognitive performance across three neuropsychological domains: executive functioning, psychomotor speed, and verbal memory. Twenty-four non-demented individuals with mild to moderate PD and 20 control participants were scanned at rest and evaluated on three neuropsychological domains. PD participants were impaired on tests from all three domains compared to control participants. Our imaging results demonstrated that successful cognition across healthy aging and Parkinson's disease participants was related to anti-correlated coupling between the salience and default mode networks. Individuals with poorer performance scores across groups demonstrated more positive salience network/default-mode network coupling. Successful cognition relies on healthy coupling between the salience and default mode networks, which may become dysfunctional in PD. These results can help inform non-pharmacological interventions (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) targeting these specific networks before they become vulnerable in early stages of Parkinson's disease.

Knowledge network model with neurocognitive processing capabilities

The prime focus of scientists and the researchers in the field of intelligent systems is oriented to understand and replicate information processing functionalities of the human brain network. There have been continuous efforts to develop an intelligent knowledge system that incorporates the neuronal processes involved in cognition. In this paper the authors give some details of their unique work on the development of a knowledge system with information processing functionalities moving toward cognitive processing of the human brain, using intelligent links and nodes with processing capabilities. The existing knowledge systems connect only the pieces of information represented by nodes of a network and connect nodes using connectors, referred as edges. The edge is an attribute defining a relationship (e.g. isA, hasA) between the nodes. These edges lack cognitive properties, and the nodes lack functional processing to support efficient information transfer between nodes. The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the characteristics of a neurocognitive knowledge network model (NCKM) developed by the authors. NCKM is a knowledge network with nodes and links developed to provide methods that deal with the cognitive processes of the human brain, useful for efficient information processing. These cognitive processes provide self-directivity and learning within the network for intelligent knowledge retrieval. This work opens up a pathway to ingrain cognitive and neuronal characteristics for information processing into knowledge networks.

Under-reactive but easily distracted: An fMRI investigation of attentional capture in autism spectrum disorder

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), salient behaviorally-relevant information often fails to capture attention, while subtle behaviorally-irrelevant details commonly induce a state of distraction. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neurocognitive networks underlying attentional capture in sixteen high-functioning children and adolescents with ASD and twenty-one typically developing (TD) individuals. Participants completed a rapid serial visual presentation paradigm designed to investigate activation of attentional networks to behaviorally-relevant targets and contingent attention capture by task-irrelevant distractors. In individuals with ASD, target stimuli failed to trigger bottom-up activation of the ventral attentional network and the cerebellum. Additionally, the ASD group showed no differences in behavior or occipital activation associated with contingent attentional capture. Rather, results suggest that to-be-ignored distractors that shared either task-relevant or irrelevant features captured attention in ASD. Results indicate that individuals with ASD may be under-reactive to behaviorally-relevant stimuli, unable to filter irrelevant information, and that both top-down and bottom-up attention networks function atypically in ASD. Lastly, deficits in target-related processing were associated with autism symptomatology, providing further support for the hypothesis that non-social attentional processes and their neurofunctional underpinnings may play a significant role in the development of sociocommunicative impairments in ASD.

Excessive coupling of the salience network with intrinsic neurocognitive brain networks during rectal distension in adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome: a preliminary report.

The neural network mechanisms underlying visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are incompletely understood. It has been proposed that an intrinsic salience network plays an important role in chronic pain and IBS symptoms. Using neuroimaging, we examined brain responses to rectal distension in adolescent IBS patients, focusing on determining the alteration of salience network integrity in IBS and its functional implications in current theoretical frameworks. We hypothesized that (i) brain responses to visceral stimulation in adolescents are similar to those in adults, and (ii) IBS is associated with an altered salience network interaction with other neurocognitive networks, particularly the default mode network (DMN) and executive control network (ECN), as predicted by the theoretical models. Irritable bowel syndrome patients and controls received subliminal and liminal rectal distension during imaging. Stimulus-induced brain activations were determined. Salience network integrity was evaluated by the functional connectivity of its seed regions activated by rectal distension in the insular and cingulate cortices. Compared with controls, IBS patients demonstrated greater activation to rectal distension in neural structures of the homeostatic afferent and emotional arousal networks, especially the anterior cingulate and insular cortices. Greater brain responses to liminal vs subliminal distension were observed in both groups. Particularly, IBS is uniquely associated with an excessive coupling of the salience network with the DMN and ECN in their key frontal and parietal node areas. Our study provided consistent evidence supporting the theoretical predictions of altered salience network functioning as a neuropathological mechanism of IBS symptoms.

Dissociable roles of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and fornix in face and place perception.

We tested a novel hypothesis, generated from representational accounts of medial temporal lobe (MTL) function, that the major white matter tracts converging on perirhinal cortex (PrC) and hippocampus (HC) would be differentially involved in face and scene perception, respectively. Diffusion tensor imaging was applied in healthy participants alongside an odd-one-out paradigm sensitive to PrC and HC lesions in animals and humans. Microstructure of inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF, connecting occipital and ventro-anterior temporal lobe, including PrC) and fornix (the main HC input/output pathway) correlated with accuracy on odd-one-out judgements involving faces and scenes, respectively. Similarly, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response in PrC and HC, elicited during oddity judgements, was correlated with face and scene oddity performance, respectively. We also observed associations between ILF and fornix microstructure and category-selective BOLD response in PrC and HC, respectively. These striking three-way associations highlight functionally dissociable, structurally instantiated MTL neurocognitive networks for complex face and scene perception.

Neural correlates of creative thinking and schizotypy

Empirical studies indicate a link between creativity and schizotypal personality traits, where individuals who score highly on schizotypy measures also display greater levels of creative behaviour. However, the exact nature of this relationship is not yet clear, with only a few studies examining this association using neuroimaging methods. In the present study, the neural substrates of creative thinking were assessed with a drawing task paradigm in healthy individuals using fMRI. These regions were then statistically correlated with the participants’ level of schizotypy as measured by the Oxford–Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (O-LIFE), which is a questionnaire consisting of four dimensions. Neural activations associated with the creativity task were observed in bilateral inferior temporal gyri, left insula, left parietal lobule, right angular gyrus, as well as regions in the prefrontal cortex. This widespread pattern of activation suggests that creative thinking utilises multiple neurocognitive networks, with creative production being the result of collaboration between these regions. Furthermore, the correlational analyses found the Unusual Experiences factor of the O-LIFE to be the most common dimension associated with these areas, followed by the Impulsive Nonconformity dimension. These correlations were negative, indicating that individuals who scored the highest in these factors displayed the least amount of activation when performing the creative task. This is in line with the idea that ‘less is more’ for creativity, where the deactivation of specific cortical areas may facilitate creativity. Thus, these findings contribute to the evidence of a common neural basis between creativity and schizotypy.

Competition between frontal lobe functions and implicit sequence learning: evidence from the long-term effects of alcohol.

Implicit sequence learning is a fundamental mechanism that underlies the acquisition of motor, cognitive and social skills. The relationship between implicit learning and executive functions is still debated due to the overlapping fronto-striatal networks. According to the framework of competitive neurocognitive networks, disrupting specific frontal lobe functions, such as executive functions, increases performance on implicit learning tasks. The aim of our study was to explore the nature of such a relationship by investigating the effect of long-term regular alcohol intake on implicit sequence learning. Since alcohol dependency impairs executive functions, we expected intact or even better implicit learning in patient group compared to the healthy controls based on the competitive relationship between these neurocognitive networks. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the long-term effects of alcohol dependency both on implicit learning and on executive functions requiring different but partly overlapping neurocognitive networks. Here, we show weaker executive functions but intact implicit learning in the alcohol-dependent group compared to the controls. Moreover, we found negative correlation between these functions in both groups. Our results confirm the competitive relationship between the fronto-striatal networks underlying implicit sequence learning and executive functions and suggest that the functional integrity of this relationship is unaltered in the alcohol-dependent group despite the weaker frontal lobe functions.

Task-sensitive reconfiguration of corticocortical 6-20 Hz oscillatory coherence in naturalistic human performance.

Electrophysiological oscillatory coherence between brain regions has been proposed to facilitate functional long‐range connectivity within neurocognitive networks. This notion is supported by intracortical recordings of coherence in singled‐out corticocortical connections in the primate cortex. However, the manner in which this operational principle manifests in the task‐sensitive connectivity that supports human naturalistic performance remains undercharacterized. Here, we demonstrate task‐sensitive reconfiguration of global patterns of coherent connectivity in association with a set of easier and more demanding naturalistic tasks, ranging from picture comparison to speech comprehension and object manipulation. Based on whole‐cortex neuromagnetic recording in healthy behaving individuals, the task‐sensitive component of long‐range corticocortical coherence was mapped at spectrally narrow‐band oscillatory frequencies between 6 and 20 Hz (theta to alpha and low‐beta bands). This data‐driven cortical mapping unveiled markedly distinct and topologically task‐relevant spatiospectral connectivity patterns for the different tasks. The results demonstrate semistable oscillatory states relevant for neurocognitive processing. The present findings decisively link human behavior to corticocortical coherence at oscillatory frequencies that are widely thought to convey long‐range, feedback‐type neural interaction in cortical functional networks. Hum Brain Mapp 36:2455–2469, 2015. © 2015 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc..

Decreased Resting-State Connectivity between Neurocognitive Networks in Treatment Resistant Depression.

Approximately one-third of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not achieve remission after various treatment options and develop treatment resistant depression (TRD). So far, little is known about the pathophysiology of TRD. Studies in MDD patients showed aberrant functional connectivity (FC) of three “core” neurocognitive networks: the salience network (SN), cognitive control network (CCN), and default mode network (DMN). We used a cross-sectional design and performed resting-state FC MRI to assess connectivity of the SN, CCN, and both anterior and posterior DMN in 17 severe TRD, 18 non-TRD, and 18 healthy control (HC) subjects. Relative to both non-TRD and HC subjects, TRD patients showed decreased FC between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and angular gyrus, which suggests reduced FC between the CCN and DMN, and reduced FC between the medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus/cuneus, which suggests reduced FC between the anterior and posterior DMN. No significant differences in SN FC were observed. Our results suggest that TRD is characterized by a disturbance in neurocognitive networks relative to non-TRD and HC.

Getting on the same page: The neural basis for social coordination deficits in behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration

For social interactions to be successful, individuals must establish shared mental representations that allow them to reach a common understanding and “get on the same page”. We refer to this process as social coordination. While examples of social coordination are ubiquitous in daily life, relatively little is known about the neuroanatomic basis of this complex behavior. This is particularly true in a language context, as previous studies have used overly complex paradigms to study this. Although traditional views of language processing and the recent interactive-alignment account of conversation focus on peri-Sylvian regions, our model of social coordination predicts prefrontal involvement. To test this hypothesis, we examine the neural basis of social coordination during conversational exchanges in non-aphasic patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal degeneration (bvFTD). bvFTD patients show impairments in executive function and social comportment due to disease in frontal and anterior temporal regions. To investigate social coordination in bvFTD, we developed a novel language-based task that assesses patients' ability to convey an object's description to a conversational partner. Experimental conditions manipulated the amount of information shared by the participant and the conversational partner, and the associated working memory demands. Our results indicate that, although patients did not have difficulty identifying the features of the objects, they did produce descriptions that included insufficient or inappropriate adjectives and thus struggled to communicate effectively. Impaired performance was related to gray matter atrophy particularly in medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices. Our findings suggest an important role for non-language brain areas that belong to a large-scale neurocognitive network for social coordination.

Mathematically gifted adolescents mobilize enhanced workspace configuration of theta cortical network during deductive reasoning

Previous studies have established the importance of the fronto-parietal brain network in the information processing of reasoning. At the level of cortical source analysis, this eletroencepalogram (EEG) study investigates the functional reorganization of the theta-band (4–8Hz) neurocognitive network of mathematically gifted adolescents during deductive reasoning. Depending on the dense increase of long-range phase synchronizations in the reasoning process, math-gifted adolescents show more significant adaptive reorganization and enhanced “workspace” configuration in the theta network as compared with average-ability control subjects. The salient areas are mainly located in the anterior cortical vertices of the fronto-parietal network. Further correlation analyses have shown that the enhanced workspace configuration with respect to the global topological metrics of the theta network in math-gifted subjects is correlated with the intensive frontal midline theta (fm theta) response that is related to strong neural effort for cognitive events. These results suggest that by investing more cognitive resources math-gifted adolescents temporally mobilize an enhanced task-related global neuronal workspace, which is manifested as a highly integrated fronto-parietal information processing network during the reasoning process.

Altered intrinsic functional coupling between core neurocognitive networks in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is largely attributed to disruptions in the nigrostriatal dopamine system. These neurodegenerative changes may also have a more global effect on intrinsic brain organization at the cortical level. Functional brain connectivity between neurocognitive systems related to cognitive processing is critical for effective neural communication, and is disrupted across neurological disorders. Three core neurocognitive networks have been established as playing a critical role in the pathophysiology of many neurological disorders: the default-mode network (DMN), the salience network (SN), and the central executive network (CEN). In healthy adults, DMN–CEN interactions are anti-correlated while SN–CEN interactions are strongly positively correlated even at rest, when individuals are not engaging in any task. These intrinsic between-network interactions at rest are necessary for efficient suppression of the DMN and activation of the CEN during a range of cognitive tasks. To identify whether these network interactions are disrupted in individuals with PD, we used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) to compare between-network connectivity between 24 PD participants and 20 age-matched controls (MC). In comparison to the MC, individuals with PD showed significantly less SN–CEN coupling and greater DMN–CEN coupling during rest. Disease severity, an index of striatal dysfunction, was related to reduced functional coupling between the striatum and SN. These results demonstrate that individuals with PD have a dysfunctional pattern of interaction between core neurocognitive networks compared to what is found in healthy individuals, and that interaction between the SN and the striatum is even more profoundly disrupted in those with greater disease severity.

Reduced fiber integrity and cognitive control in adolescents with internet gaming disorder

The association between the impaired cognitive control and brain regional abnormalities in Internet gaming disorder (IGD) adolescents had been validated in numerous studies. However, few studies focused on the role of the salience network (SN), which regulates dynamic communication among brain core neurocognitive networks to modulate cognitive control. Seventeen IGD adolescents and 17 healthy controls participated in the study. By combining resting-state functional connectivity and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography methods, we examined the changes of functional and structural connections within SN in IGD adolescents. The color-word Stroop task was employed to assess the impaired cognitive control in IGD adolescents. Correlation analysis was carried out to investigate the relationship between the neuroimaging indices and behavior performance in IGD adolescents. The impaired cognitive control in IGD was validated by more errors during the incongruent condition in color-word Stroop task. The right SN tract showed the decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in IGD adolescents, though no significant differences of functional connectivity were detected. Moreover, the FA values of the right SN tract were negatively correlated with the errors during the incongruent condition in IGD adolescents. Our results revealed the disturbed structural connectivity within SN in IGD adolescents, which may be related with impaired cognitive control. It is hoped that the brain–behavior relationship from network perspective may enhance the understanding of IGD.

Resilience of developing brain networks to interictal epileptiform discharges is associated with cognitive outcome.

The effects of interictal epileptiform discharges on neurocognitive development in children with medically-intractable epilepsy are poorly understood. Such discharges may have a deleterious effect on the brain's intrinsic connectivity networks, which reflect the organization of functional networks at rest, and in turn on neurocognitive development. Using a combined functional magnetic resonance imaging-magnetoencephalography approach, we examine the effects of interictal epileptiform discharges on intrinsic connectivity networks and neurocognitive outcome. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine the location of regions comprising various intrinsic connectivity networks in 26 children (7-17 years), and magnetoencephalography data were reconstructed from these locations. Inter-regional phase synchronization was then calculated across interictal epileptiform discharges and graph theoretical analysis was applied to measure event-related changes in network topology in the peri-discharge period. The magnitude of change in network topology (network resilience/vulnerability) to interictal epileptiform discharges was associated with neurocognitive outcomes and functional magnetic resonance imaging networks using dual regression. Three main findings are reported: (i) large-scale network changes precede and follow interictal epileptiform discharges; (ii) the resilience of network topologies to interictal discharges is associated with stronger resting-state network connectivity; and (iii) vulnerability to interictal discharges is associated with worse neurocognitive outcomes. By combining the spatial resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging with the temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography, we describe the effects of interictal epileptiform discharges on neurophysiological synchrony in intrinsic connectivity networks and establish the impact of interictal disruption of functional networks on cognitive outcome in children with epilepsy. The association between interictal discharges, network changes and neurocognitive outcomes suggests that it is of clinical importance to suppress discharges to foster more typical brain network development in children with focal epilepsy.

Optimized Gamma Synchronization Enhances Functional Binding of Fronto-Parietal Cortices in Mathematically Gifted Adolescents during Deductive Reasoning.

As enhanced fronto-parietal network has been suggested to support reasoning ability of math-gifted adolescents, the main goal of this EEG source analysis is to investigate the temporal binding of the gamma-band (30–60 Hz) synchronization between frontal and parietal cortices in adolescents with exceptional mathematical ability, including the functional connectivity of gamma neurocognitive network, the temporal dynamics of fronto-parietal network (phase-locking durations and network lability in time domain), and the self-organized criticality of synchronizing oscillation. Compared with the average-ability subjects, the math-gifted adolescents show a highly integrated fronto-parietal network due to distant gamma phase-locking oscillations, which is indicated by lower modularity of the global network topology, more “connector bridges” between the frontal and parietal cortices and less “connector hubs” in the sensorimotor cortex. The time domain analysis finds that, while maintaining more stable phase dynamics of the fronto-parietal coupling, the math-gifted adolescents are characterized by more extensive fronto-parietal connection reconfiguration. The results from sample fitting in the power-law model further find that the phase-locking durations in the math-gifted brain abides by a wider interval of the power-law distribution. This phase-lock distribution mechanism could represent a relatively optimized pattern for the functional binding of frontal–parietal network, which underlies stable fronto-parietal connectivity and increases flexibility of timely network reconfiguration.

The function of neurocognitive networks: Comment on “Understanding brain networks and brain organization” by Pessoa

Pessoa [5] has performed a valuable service by reviewing the extant literature on brain networks and making a number of interesting proposals about their cognitive function. The term function is at the core of understanding the brain networks of cognition, or neurocognitive networks (NCNs) [1]. The great Russian neuropsychologist, Luria [4], defined brain function as the common task executed by a distributed brain network of complex dynamic structures united by the demands of cognition. Casting Luria in a modern light, we can say that function emerges from the interactions of brain regions in NCNs as they dynamically self-organize according to cognitive demands. Pessoa rightly details the mapping between brain function and structure, emphasizing both its pluripotency (one structure having multiple functions) and degeneracy (many structures having the same function). However, he fails to consider the potential importance of a one-to-one mapping between NCNs and function. If NCNs are uniquely composed of specific collections of brain areas, then each NCN has a unique function determined by that composition. Luria’s definition implies that NCNs are highly versatile: by dynamically uniting brain areas in a large number of different combinations as demanded by a broad range of cognitive demands, they perform a wide variety of functions. However, the attribution of function to an NCN may not always be straightforward given the limited repertoire of available behavioral paradigms, the lack of knowledge of the cognitive demands required, and the imprecision of NCN measurement. As an example of this difficulty, the function “face recognition” may be attributed to a distributed set of ventral occipital and temporal regions that are active when subjects recognize faces, but “face recognition” may not adequately describe all the functions of the various NCNs that involve these areas. The composition, and hence the function, of NCNs may be idiosyncratic, changing with the cognitive demands imposed by a particular behavior performed by a given individual. Finally, for Pessoa, functional connectivity is largely undirected and measured by correlation. This emphasis ignores the directedness of structural connectivity in the brain: the axons of neurons in the brain leave the soma, travel

Dysconnectivity of neurocognitive networks at rest in very-preterm born adults

Advances in neonatal medicine have resulted in a larger proportion of preterm-born individuals reaching adulthood. Their increased liability to psychiatric illness and impairments of cognition and behaviour intimate lasting cerebral consequences; however, the central physiological disturbances remain unclear. Of fundamental importance to efficient brain function is the coordination and contextually-relevant recruitment of neural networks. Large-scale distributed networks emerge perinatally and increase in hierarchical complexity through development. Preterm-born individuals exhibit systematic reductions in correlation strength within these networks during infancy. Here, we investigate resting-state functional connectivity in functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 29 very-preterm (VPT)-born adults and 23 term-born controls. Neurocognitive networks were identified with spatial independent component analysis conducted using the Infomax algorithm and employing Icasso procedures to enhance component robustness. Network spatial focus and spectral power were not generally significantly affected by preterm birth. By contrast, Granger-causality analysis of the time courses of network activity revealed widespread reductions in between-network connectivity in the preterm group, particularly along paths including salience-network features. The potential clinical relevance of these Granger-causal measurements was suggested by linear discriminant analysis of topological representations of connection strength, which classified individuals by group with a maximal accuracy of 86%. Functional connections from the striatal salience network to the posterior default mode network informed this classification most powerfully. In the VPT-born group it was additionally found that perinatal factors significantly moderated the relationship between executive function (which was reduced in the VPT-born as compared with the term-born group) and generalised partial directed coherence. Together these findings show that resting-state functional connectivity of preterm-born individuals remains compromised in adulthood; and present consistent evidence that the striatal salience network is preferentially affected. Therapeutic practices directed at strengthening within-network cohesion and fine-tuning between-network inter-relations may have the potential to mitigate the cognitive, behavioural and psychiatric repercussions of preterm birth.

Stepping into others’ shoes: a cognitive perspective on target audience orientation in written translation

This paper suggests what might allow translators to orient themselves towards their target audience in the translation process. To shed light on translators’ ability to put themselves into their target audience’s shoes, I adopt a cognitive perspective by drawing on current findings from psychology, cognitive science and neuroscience. I depart from the notion of target audience as applied to written translation. Aspects to this concept and the terminology of audience in translation studies are briefly discussed. Then I turn to translation process research to examine two empirical studies and one theoretical paper for insights into researching translators’ target audience orientation. Next, I introduce concepts from social cognition research that might contribute to give a cognitive account of translators’ behavior towards the target audience. I then touch upon the relation of the functional neurocognitive network presumably supporting target audience orientation with other neurocognitive networks that seem particularly relevant to translation. As a complement, I present a research design for empirically verifying my claim about what enables translators’ target audience orientation, and gaining further insight into the relations between target audience orientation, translation process and translation product. Finally, some conclusions about the benefits of this type of research are offered.

Too hard to control: compromised pain anticipation and modulation in mild traumatic brain injury

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is a vulnerability factor for the development of pain-related conditions above and beyond those related to comorbid traumatic and emotional symptoms. We acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on a validated pain anticipation task and tested the hypotheses that individuals with a reported history of MTBI, compared with healthy comparison subjects, would show increased brain response to pain anticipation and ineffective pain modulation after controlling for psychiatric symptoms. Eighteen male subjects with a reported history of blast-related MTBI related to combat, and eighteen healthy male subjects with no reported history of MTBI (healthy controls) underwent fMRI during an event-related experimental pain paradigm with cued high or low intensity painful heat stimuli. No subjects in either group met diagnostic criteria for current mood or anxiety disorder. We found that relative to healthy comparison subjects, after controlling for traumatic and depressive symptoms, participants with a reported history of MTBI showed significantly stronger activations within midbrain periaqueductual grey (PAG), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and cuneus during pain anticipation. Furthermore, we found that brain injury was a significant moderator of the relationship between anticipatory PAG activation and reported subjective pain. Our results suggest that a potentially disrupted neurocognitive anticipatory network may result from damage to the endogenous pain modulatory system and underlie difficulties with regulatory pain processing following MTBI. In other words, our findings are consistent with a notion that brain injury makes it more difficult to control acute pain. Understanding these mechanisms of dysfunctional acute pain processing following MTBI may help shed light on the underlying causes of increased vulnerability for the development of pain-related conditions in this population.