Article
Neurosciences
Nik Sawe, Tara Srirangarajan, Anshuman Sahoo, Grace S. Tang, Brian Knutson
Summary: The Energy Star label increases activity in neural regions associated with positive affective responses, particularly in more impulsive individuals. Group-averaged NAcc activity can also account for consumer demand for similar sustainable product combinations.
Article
Neurosciences
Alexia Bourgeois, Virginie Sterpenich, Giannina Rita Iannotti, Patrik Vuilleumier
Summary: The study found that reward cues can selectively modulate the Frontal Eye Field (FEF) during attentional shifts, especially after high-predictive cueing to invalid locations. Reward information also modulated FEF connectivity to superior colliculus, striatum, and visual cortex.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lea Roumazeilles, Matthias Schurz, Mathilde Lojkiewiez, Lennart Verhagen, Urs Schuffelgen, Kevin Marche, Ali Mahmoodi, Andrew Emberton, Kelly Simpson, Olivier Joly, Mehdi Khamassi, Matthew F. S. Rushworth, Rogier B. Mars, Jerome Sallet
Summary: The study found that activity in a specific region of the macaque middle superior temporal cortex is modulated by the predictability of social situations, similar to the human TPJ, suggesting a precursor for theory of mind ability in the last common ancestor of human and Old World monkeys.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shai Sabbah, Michael S. Worden, Dimitrios D. Laniado, David M. Berson, Jerome N. Sanes
Summary: Studies with experimental animals have found a neural pathway connecting intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that is involved in mood disorders. This study aimed to investigate whether a similar pathway exists in humans. Functional MRI analysis revealed activation in 26 human brain regions that either decreased or increased monotonically with light intensity, including regions related to visual image formation, motor control, cognition, and emotion. PFC activation was suppressed by light, decreasing monotonically with increasing light intensity. The sustained time course and susceptibility to prior light exposure of light-evoked PFC responses resembled those of ipRGCs. These findings provide a functional link between light exposure and PFC-mediated cognitive and affective phenomena.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Claudia Roswandowitz, Huw Swanborough, Sascha Fruehholz
Summary: Voice signals are processed in both the auditory cortex (AC) and inferior frontal cortex (IFC), with IFC playing a key role in representing higher-order vocal objects and guiding goal-directed behavior in voice processing.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andrew Kislov, Anna Shestakova, Vadim Ushakov, Mario Martinez-Saito, Valeria Beliaeva, Olga Savelo, Aleksey Vasilchuk, Vasily Klucharev
Summary: Neuroimaging studies have shown that using the brain activity of a group of individuals can predict the behavior of an independent group. In this study, the researchers aimed to forecast the aggregate choices in a popular restaurant chain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The study found that activity in the ventral striatum, as defined by a task-specific region of interest, significantly correlated with the one-year sales of the restaurant chain (r = 0.28, p = 0.01). Regression analysis combining ventral striatum activity with objective product characteristics, behavioral, and survey data yielded an R-2 value of 0.33. These results confirm previous studies suggesting that the brain activity of a relatively small number of individuals can predict the choices of a larger independent group.
Article
Neurosciences
Yinghua Yu, Laurentius Huber, Jiajia Yang, Masaki Fukunaga, Yuhui Chai, David C. Jangraw, Gang Chen, Daniel A. Handwerker, Peter J. Molfese, Yoshimichi Ejima, Norihiro Sadato, Jinglong Wu, Peter A. Bandettini
Summary: The human brain continuously generates predictions of sensory input and calculates prediction errors to update internal predictions. Different layers in the human area 3b contribute differently to the processing of temporal prediction error during tactile tasks.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Philip A. Kragel, Michael T. Treadway, Roee Admon, Diego A. Pizzagalli, Emma C. Hahn
Summary: The study develops a human functional magnetic resonance imaging signature to identify the specific brain activity related to states of pleasure. The signature is sensitive to pleasant tastes and affect evoked by humour. These findings provide evidence for the distributed basis of pleasure in humans.
NATURE HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Keita Umejima, Isso Nakamura, Naoki Fukui, Mihoko Zushi, Hiroki Narita, Kuniyoshi L. Sakai
Summary: Left-to-right surface linear arrangements of human languages are a combination of the core language system and systems unrelated to language. Merge-generable dependencies, characterized by hierarchically structured linguistic expressions, were tested using a Subject-Predicate matching task. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed separate cortical networks involved in Merge-generable and memory-based ordering dependencies. The findings provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying syntactic processing and support the notion of distinct brain regions for different linguistic processes.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Sreenivasan Meyyappan, Abhijit Rajan, George R. Mangun, Mingzhou Ding
Summary: Feature-based visual attention relies on the inferior frontal junction (IFJ) for control, while the debate continues regarding its role in spatial attention control. Functional connectivity between the right IFJ and visual cortex (V4) is associated with subsequent attentional selection of targets and behavioral performance during feature attention, but not during spatial attention.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Peter Stiers, Alexandros Goulas
Summary: This study shows that the striatum is an integrated part of the cognitive brain network in humans. The striatum can distinguish different cognitive tasks and forms functional coupling with the prefrontal cortex.
Article
Neurosciences
Philip R. Corlett, Jessica A. Mollick, Hedy Kober
Summary: This study used a multi-level kernel-based density meta-analysis to explore prediction error signals in the midbrain and insula during reward, punishment, action, cognition, and perception tasks. The findings demonstrated the existence of domain-specific error signals and provided valuable insight into cognitive functions and dysfunctions in humans and other animals.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
M. A. G. Martens, F. A. Kennedy McConnell, N. Filippini, C. E. Mackay, P. J. Harrison, E. M. Tunbridge
Summary: Dopamine has complex effects on cerebral circulation, and its regulation by COMT can influence regional cerebral blood flow. This study found that COMT genotype and the COMT inhibitor tolcapone both affect cerebral perfusion, with different regions of the brain being influenced by each factor.
Article
Neurosciences
Noriko Sakurai, Kazuaki Nagasaka, Shingo Takahashi, Satoshi Kasai, Hideaki Onishi, Naoki Kodama
Summary: This study used fMRI to investigate the differences between auditory and audiovisual stimulation in terms of brain activation and the effects of ASMR. The results showed that audiovisual stimulation activated the visual cortex, while auditory stimulation activated both the visual and auditory cortex. However, there were no significant differences in mood between the two types of stimulation according to the questionnaire. This suggests that there might be differences in mental health effects between auditory and audiovisual stimulation.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Jessica N. Goedhoop, Bastijn J. G. van den Boom, Rhiannon Robke, Felice Veen, Lizz Fellinger, Wouter van Elzelingen, Tara Arbab, Ingo Willuhn
Summary: This study systematically investigates the role of dopamine in processing aversive stimuli and finds that NAC dopamine primarily tracks the prediction and duration of aversive events, rather than aversive prediction errors.
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Josiah K. Leong, Tiffany C. Ho, Natalie L. Colich, Lucinda Sisk, Brian Knutson, Ian H. Gotlib
Summary: Adolescents' motivation to approach or avoid incentives may change, and advances in neuroimaging allow researchers to study specific brain circuits underlying these changes. Research found that the structural white-matter tract connecting the anterior insula and nucleus accumbens could predict future motivation. The study provides insights into the links between brain structure, function, and future motivation in adolescents.
DEVELOPMENTAL COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Psychiatry
Claudia B. Padula, Lea-Tereza Tenekedjieva, Daniel M. McCalley, Hanaa Al-Dasouqi, Colleen A. Hanlon, Leanne M. Williams, F. Andrew Kozel, Brian Knutson, Timothy C. Durazzo, Jerome A. Yesavage, Michelle R. Madore
Summary: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is difficult to treat, and two-thirds of individuals relapse after treatment. Recent studies have found that modulating the salience network (SN) through neuromodulation approaches, particularly by stimulating the anterior insula or dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, may be an effective therapeutic strategy.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Nik Sawe, Tara Srirangarajan, Anshuman Sahoo, Grace S. Tang, Brian Knutson
Summary: The Energy Star label increases activity in neural regions associated with positive affective responses, particularly in more impulsive individuals. Group-averaged NAcc activity can also account for consumer demand for similar sustainable product combinations.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Piotr Winkielman, Jennifer L. Trujillo, Boris Bornemann, Brian Knutson, Martin P. Paulus
Summary: Emotional facial expressions can have a valence-specific influence on decisions, increasing the likelihood of risky choices when positive expressions are present.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Erkin Asutay, Alexander Genevsky, J. Paul Hamilton, Daniel Vastfjall
Summary: This article investigates the fluctuation of affect in a moment-to-moment fashion and how it is shaped by visual images and previously experienced affect. The findings suggest that momentary affect is a continuous process influenced by recent input and internal state, and sensitive to the affective context and its uncertainty.
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Brian Knutson, Tara Srirangarajan
Summary: Combining new neuroscientific techniques with reductive approaches that consider central brain components in time and space has generated significant progress, allowing researchers to move from description and explanation to prediction and control. This progress promises to improve human health and well-being.
JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura M. Hack, Xue Zhang, Boris D. Heifets, Trisha Suppes, Peter J. van Roessel, Jerome A. Yesavage, Nancy J. Gray, Rachel Hilton, Claire Bertrand, Carolyn I. Rodriguez, Karl Deisseroth, Brian Knutson, Leanne M. Williams
Summary: The neural mechanisms underlying ketamine-induced altered states of consciousness are not well understood. In this study, the authors show that depersonalization and dissociative amnesia related to ketamine have opposing effects on the activity of the right anterior insula in response to social threat.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Neurosciences
Xue Zhang, Laura Hack, Boris Heifets, Trisha Suppes, Peter van Roessel, Jerome Yesavage, Nancy Gray, Rachel Hilton, Carolyn Rodriguez, Karl Deisseroth, Brian Knutson, Leanne Williams
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Neurosciences
Xue Zhang, Laura Hack, Boris Heifets, Trisha Suppes, Peter Van Roessel, Jerome Yesavage, Nancy Gray, Rachel Hilton, Carolyn Rodriguez, Karl Deisseroth, Brian Knutson, Leanne Williams
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Neurosciences
Laura Hack, Xue Zhang, Boris Heifets, Trisha Suppes, Peter van Roessel, Jerome Yesavage, Nancy Gray, Rachel Hilton, Carolyn Rodriguez, Karl Deisseroth, Brian Knutson, Leanne Williams
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Elizabeth Blevins, Michael Ko, Bokyung Park, Yang Qu, Brian Knutson, Jeanne L. Tsai
Summary: European Americans view high-intensity, open-mouthed 'excited' smiles more positively than Chinese due to their value on excitement and other high arousal positive states. This is supported by greater NAcc activity in European Americans when receiving excited smiles. These cultural differences are related to real-world relationships.
SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kimberly C. Doell, Marc G. Berman, Gregory N. Bratman, Brian Knutson, Simone Kuhn, Claus Lamm, Sabine Pahl, Nik Sawe, Jay J. Van Bavel, Mathew P. White, Tobias Brosch
Summary: This paper argues that neuroscience can contribute significantly to the fight against climate change by studying its impact on the human brain, adaptation strategies, decision-making processes, and communication strategies. It provides a framework and roadmap for organizing and prioritizing neuroscience research in this domain. The paper also calls on neuroscientists to join broader scientific efforts in tackling the existential environmental threats Earth is currently facing.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Loreen Tisdall, Kelly H. MacNiven, Claudia B. Padula, Josiah K. Leong, Brian Knutson
Summary: Diffusion tractography can predict relapse in patients with stimulant use disorder, and lowered diffusion metrics in the tract from the anterior insula to the NAcc are associated with subsequent relapse.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Neurosciences
Xue Zhang, Laura Hack, Jacob Brawer, Nancy Gray, Boris Heifets, Trisha Suppes, Peter van Roessel, Carolyn Rodriguez, Brian Knutson, Leanne Williams
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Neurosciences
Laura M. Hack, Xue Zhang, Jacob Brawer, Nancy Gray, Boris Heifets, Trisha Suppes, Peter van Roessel, Carolyn Rodriguez, Brian Knutson, Leanne Williams
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)