Article
Neurosciences
Yusuke Haruki, Kenji Ogawa
Summary: Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that the human insular cortex is important in processing internal bodily states, especially interoception. The study found that interoceptive attention is associated with the bilateral dorsal mid-anterior insula, while accurate interoception is linked to the more dorsal anterior portion of the right insula.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Youxue Zhang, Xueli Cai, Mingjun Duan, Hui He
Summary: Worry is a repetitive negative thought that can lead to anxiety disorder, especially in individuals with high worry-proneness. This study investigated the relationship between worry and the interoception network in high worry-proneness individuals. The results showed that deficient insular function may play a key role in high worry in healthy subjects.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Yusuke Haruki, Kenji Ogawa
Summary: This study compared the brain activations associated with attention to cardiac and gastric sensations, and found that gastric attention involved larger brain regions, while cardiac attention selectively activated the right anterior insula. Furthermore, the left dorsal middle insula showed different activation patterns for cardiac and gastric attention. These results demonstrate that attention to cardiac and gastric sensations evoke distinct brain activation patterns, reflecting differences in the functional roles of cardiac and gastric interoceptive awareness.
Article
Neurosciences
Xiaoqian Yu, Zsofia Cohen, Aki Tsuchiyagaito, Gabriella Cochran, Robin Aupperle, Jennifer Stewart, Manpreet Singh, Masaya Misaki, Jerzy Bodurka, Martin Paulus, Namik Kirlic
Summary: Mindfulness training has been found to reduce self-referential processing and promote interoception. This study examined the activity of the insular cortex during real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback-augmented mindfulness training. The findings revealed the specific involvement of insula subregions in this process.
Article
Neurosciences
Celine Maes, Koen Cuypers, Ronald Peeters, Stefan Sunaert, Richard A. E. Edden, Jolien Gooijers, Stephan P. Swinnen
Summary: Recent studies emphasize the important role of the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA in motor performance during aging. Behavioral results indicate poorer motor performance in older adults compared to young adults. Moreover, a transient task-related decrease in GABA+ levels was observed during task execution, which was linked to task-related brain activity patterns.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Dennis F. Lovelock, Ryan E. Tyler, Joyce Besheer
Summary: Interoception, the perception of the body's internal state, plays a crucial role in mental health disorders and addiction pathology. Understanding the physiological responses to alcohol and the brain networks involved in interoceptive processes can provide insights into new therapeutic targets. Considering interoception is important for understanding the processes that drive drinking behavior and relapse.
Review
Biology
Alice Tisserand, Nathalie Philippi, Anne Botzung, Frederic Blanc
Summary: This review explores the relationship between the insula, a brain region, and the self. The insula is a multiconnected region that processes diverse information related to the self. Studies in healthy individuals and those with different conditions reveal the involvement of the insula in various aspects of the self. Damage to the insular cortex may lead to a collapse of the self across different pathologies.
Review
Psychiatry
Amanda Kiemes, Cathy Davies, Matthew J. Kempton, Paulina B. Lukow, Carly Bennallick, James M. Stone, Gemma Modinos
Summary: This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the relationship between H-1-MRS glutamate and/or GABA levels and task-related fMRI signals in the healthy brain. Negative associations were found between local GABA levels and fMRI activation to visual tasks in the occipital lobe, and to emotion processing in the medial prefrontal cortex/ anterior cingulate cortex, while no significant association was found between mPFC/ACC glutamate levels and fMRI activation. Additionally, the review revealed negative associations between GABA levels and local brain activity, and positive associations between glutamate levels and distal brain activity, outside of the H-1-MRS sampling region.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alan S. R. Fermin, Karl Friston, Shigeto Yamawaki
Summary: This study proposes the Insula Hierarchical Modular Adaptive Interoception Control (IMAC) model, suggesting that insula modules, in parallel with the prefrontal cortex and striatum, specialize in higher order interoceptive representations. These representations are contextually recruited to support control of visceral organs and physiological processes, and may serve as a defense against depression.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alan S. R. Fermin, Takafumi Sasaoka, Toru Maekawa, Hui -Ling Chan, Maro G. Machizawa, Go Okada, Yasumasa Okamoto, Shigeto Yamawaki
Summary: This study found a positive correlation between interoceptive awareness (IA), insula volume and intra-insula structural covariance networks. These findings may contribute to the development of non-invasive neuroimaging interventions, such as neurofeedback, to improve IA and prevent the development of mental health problems, such as anxiety disorders.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Benjamin Hebert-Seropian, Olivier Boucher, Daphne Citherlet, Frederique Roy-Cote, Victoria Gravel, Sami Obaid, Alain Bouthillier, Dang Khoa Nguyen
Summary: The insula, located deep within the Sylvian fissure, is considered one of the least understood regions of the human brain, but recent evidence suggests its key role in gustation, interoception, cognitive and emotional processes, and food intake control. Patients who underwent insular resections reported alterations in appetite, mostly characterized by a persistent reduction, with behavioral signs of dysfunctional interoceptive and gustatory functions. This research enhances our understanding of food intake mechanisms and may lead to new treatments for eating disorders.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jason A. Avery, Alexander G. Liu, John E. Ingeholm, Stephen J. Gotts, Alex Martin
Summary: Research has shown that viewing pictures of food triggers automatic retrieval of specific taste quality information associated with the depicted foods within the taste cortex, but the patterns of neural activity elicited by pictures and their associated tastes are unrelated.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Yuri Terasawa, Kentaro Oba, Yuki Motomura, Ruri Katsunuma, Hiroki Murakami, Yoshiya Moriguchi
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between interoceptive processing in emotional context and difficulties in recognizing self-emotions in alexithymia. High alexithymia participants showed attenuated functional connectivity within their 'interoception network' when focusing on interoception, but enhanced connectivity when focusing on anxiety about pain.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Celine Maes, Koen Cuypers, Kirstin-Friederike Heise, Richard A. E. Edden, Jolien Gooijers, Stephan P. Swinnen
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between GABA levels and motor performance across different brain regions and age groups. Older adults performed worse on bimanual tasks and exhibited lower GABA levels in certain brain regions, while the association between GABA levels and performance varied between young and older adults for different motor tasks. These findings advance the understanding of the role of GABA in motor performance in the context of aging.
Article
Psychiatry
Lisa C. Krishnamurthy, Isabella Paredes Spir, Natalie O. Rocha, Brian J. Soher, Edward J. Auerbach, Bruce A. Crosson, Venkatagiri Krishnamurthy
Summary: This study investigates the association of GABA+ and Glx with language-based BOLD hemodynamics in an aging model. Despite not replicating previous findings, the study identifies relationships with the dispersion component of the hemodynamic response function, particularly in older participants. The data suggests that task demands are supported by neurometabolites depending on task difficulty, and highlights the importance of multimodal task-fMRI and MRS studies in understanding aging brain physiology.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Biophysics
Bernard Lanz, Alireza Abaei, Olivier Braissant, In-Young Choi, Cristina Cudalbu, Pierre-Gilles Henry, Rolf Gruetter, Firat Kara, Kejal Kantarci, Phil Lee, Norbert W. Lutz, Malorzata Marjanska, Vladimir Mlynarik, Volker Rasche, Lijing Xin, Julien Valette
Summary: In vivo MRS is a non-invasive measurement technique used in humans and animal models to study metabolite concentrations, metabolic rates, and modifications. In preclinical studies, rodent models are used to study brain metabolism, providing additional biochemical information compared to clinical studies. High-field preclinical MRS has its own properties and technical limitations.
NMR IN BIOMEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ana Herrera-Melendez, Anna Stippl, Sabine Aust, Milan Scheidegger, Erich Seifritz, Isabella Heuser-Collier, Christian Otte, Malek Bajbouj, Simone Grimm, Matti Gaertner
Summary: This study investigated the impact of ketamine on rapid symptom improvement in depressive patients and found that patients with a larger baseline volume of the bilateral rostral anterior cingulate cortex were more likely to experience rapid symptom reduction. No volumetric changes were observed 24 hours post-treatment.
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Renee Lipka, Eike Ahlers, Thomas L. Reed, Malin Karstens, Vu Nguyen, Malek Bajbouj, Roi Cohen Kadosh
Summary: Current research on transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) as an alternative treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) suggests that tES can improve cognitive functions and alleviate clinical symptoms in ADHD patients. However, the treatment efficacy is influenced by two main factors: the heterogeneity of tES protocols used in different studies and patient profiles affecting responses to tES.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Vuong Truong, Paul Z. Cheng, Hsin-Chien Lee, Timothy J. Lane, Tzu-Yu Hsu, Niall W. Duncan
Summary: Research using magnetic resonance spectroscopy found no differences in occipital GABA and Glx concentrations between patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and healthy controls. Extended analysis also did not find correlations between metabolite concentrations and depressive symptoms. Overall, studies suggest that previously reported differences in GABA and Glx levels between MDD patients and controls may have been influenced by factors such as measurement accuracy.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH-NEUROIMAGING
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Kerem Boge, Inge Hahne, Niklas Bergmann, Katja Wingenfeld, Marco Zierhut, Neil Thomas, Thi Minh Tam Ta, Malek Bajbouj, Eric Hahn
Summary: This study conducted a randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based group therapy for in-patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, showing that the intervention was feasible, acceptable, and effective in improving mindfulness levels and negative symptoms. Further research is warranted to determine the long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this promising intervention.
SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Diana Rayes, Carine Karnouk, Dana Churbaji, Lena Walther, Malek Bajbouj
Summary: The study found that faith and religious practices play a significant role in the mental health and social integration of refugee populations in Germany. Individuals with stronger commitments to faith were more likely to utilize faith-based coping strategies, such as prayer and reciting scripture, to navigate displacement and integration challenges.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Malek Bajbouj, Patricia Panneck, Sibylle-Maria Winter, Carlos Ajami, Jihad Alabdullah, Max Benedikt Burger, Anja Haberlandner, Eric Hahn, Andreas Heinz, Isabella Heuser, Armin Hoyer, Ulrike Kluge, Marion Aichberger, Dimitris Repantis, Stefanie Schreiter, Joachim Seybold, Igor Sutej
Summary: The study investigated the distress patterns in refugees in Berlin and the feasibility of a newly established outpatient clinic. It found that a significant number of refugees from different backgrounds suffered from mental disorders, with depression, PTSD, and adjustment disorder being the most common diagnoses. The findings suggest that a central, low-threshold clinic can effectively provide psychiatric consultations to refugees, helping them overcome barriers in host communities.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Lena Walther, Julia Amann, Uwe Flick, Thi Minh Tam Ta, Malek Bajbouj, Eric Hahn
Summary: The study identifies nine themes related to refugee resilience, with four themes showing manifestations of resilience and five themes capturing factors that facilitate resilience. Social support, seeing migration as an opportunity, being a parent, and being young are important factors for promoting resilience among refugees.
Article
Neurosciences
Anne Weigand, Lisa Edelkraut, Markus Conrad, Simone Grimm, Malek Bajbouj
Summary: The study shows that colored light exposure can affect cognitive-emotional effects differently, with blue light enhancing accuracy for positive stimuli and green light enhancing accuracy for negative stimuli. The findings suggest that light exposure plays a role in the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation.
Review
Psychiatry
Andreas Hoell, Eirini Kourmpeli, Hans Joachim Salize, Andreas Heinz, Frank Padberg, Ute Habel, Inge Kamp-Becker, Edgar Hoehne, Kerem Boege, Malek Bajbouj
Summary: The study found that the prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms in refugees and asylum seekers in Germany are notably high, exceeding the rates in the general German population. However, due to high heterogeneity, pooled prevalence rates should be interpreted with caution.
Review
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Marco M. Zierhut, Renaldo M. Bernard, Eleanor Turner, Sara Mohamad, Eric Hahn, Malek Bajbouj
Summary: ECT holds promise as a treatment option for negative symptoms in schizophrenia, but the existing evidence is limited and methodological shortcomings are present. Future research should focus on negative symptoms, include longer follow up periods, incorporate control groups, and possibly establish multicentered studies to improve the study population.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Elizabeth McManus, Hamied Haroon, Niall W. Duncan, Rebecca Elliott, Nils Muhlert
Summary: Repeated exposure to highly stressful experiences can affect brain structure, cognitive ability, and mental health. This study found that higher levels of childhood stress were associated with reduced connectivity in certain brain regions in females, while higher levels of adulthood stress were associated with similar changes in males. Both childhood and adulthood stress were linked to decreases in executive function and working memory in both males and females, as well as an increased risk of mental health problems. The findings suggest that stress-related changes in brain microstructure may mediate the effects of stress on cognitive and mental health outcomes.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Niall W. Duncan, Russell Shean
Summary: Scientific conferences are increasingly including online aspects, with some becoming entirely virtual and others adopting hybrid models. The development of virtual conference participation has the potential to reduce environmental impact and increase equitable access, but it also raises concerns about the reduction in informal communication between attendees.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Evgeny A. Parfenov, Niall W. Duncan
Summary: This study observed the performance changes in the heartbeat counting task and the visual counting task, and compared the performance between the two tasks. The results showed that the performance in the heartbeat counting task remained stable across repetitions, while the performance in the visual counting task decreased over time. There was a positive correlation between the performance in the two tasks. These findings raise questions about the interpretation of the heartbeat counting task as a measure of interoception.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Kerem Boege, Eric Hahn, Judith Strasser, Stephanie Schweininger, Malek Bajbouj, Carine Karnouk
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the perspectives, perceptions, and expectations of Syrian refugees, internally displaced persons, and KRI host community members concerning mental health care in the governorate of Duhok. Results revealed high overall satisfaction with services and effects of therapy, with more ambivalent ratings for bias and stigma.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Jose Sanchez-Bornot, Roberto C. Sotero, J. A. Scott Kelso, Ozguer Simsek, Damien Coyle
Summary: This study proposes a multi-penalized state-space model for analyzing unobserved dynamics, using a data-driven regularization method. Novel algorithms are developed to solve the model, and a cross-validation method is introduced to evaluate regularization parameters. The effectiveness of this method is validated through simulations and real data analysis, enabling a more accurate exploration of cognitive brain functions.