Article
Neurosciences
Barbara Tomasino, Cinzia Canderan, Carolina Bonivento, Raffaella Rumiati
Summary: Theory of Mind (ToM) is the process of experiencing the mental states and/or emotions of others. In this study, the mechanisms involved in directing participants' attention towards specific states were investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The analysis of brain activity evoked by the modified ToM task revealed a widespread common network involved in affective ToM, as well as selective involvement of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) in body sensation.
SOCIAL COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Xiaoxia Zhang, Linling Li, Gan Huang, Li Zhang, Zhen Liang, Li Shi, Zhiguo Zhang
Summary: This study conducted a multisensory fMRI experiment on 80 healthy participants to investigate nociceptive-specific brain regions, distinguishing between nociceptive-specific regions and nociceptive-preferential regions. The results identified brain regions specifically or preferentially involved in nociceptive sensory input, such as different parts of cortical regions like insula and cingulate gyrus, shedding light on the functional integrations and segregations of nociceptive-related regions.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Psychiatry
Olena V. Bogdanova, Volodymyr B. Bogdanov, Adrien Pizano, Manuel Bouvard, Jean-Rene Cazalets, Nicholas Mellen, Anouck Amestoy
Summary: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that often coexists with pain-related issues. Research has found complex physiological changes in pain perception among individuals with ASD, and social factors are also believed to influence their pain responses. Consistent methodology and individualized assessment tools are needed for pain assessment in this population.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Bo-Ram Kim, Ji-Won Hur, Da-Som Park, Hye-Ri Moon, Sung-Won Choi
Summary: Despite increasing knowledge about the brain mechanisms underlying major depressive disorder, this fMRI study examined the neural responses to emotional faces among unmedicated individuals with MDD and their relationship with dysfunctional attitudes. The findings highlighted the association between hyperactivity in the inferior frontal gyrus during negative facial emotion processing and dysfunctional attitudes among people with MDD, suggesting the need for further research on cognitive models of depression.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Di Yang, Hengheng Tao, Hongxin Ge, Zuoshan Li, Yuanyan Hu, Jing Meng
Summary: Individuals with autistic traits exhibit altered perceptions and emotional processing of social-negative emotions.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neuroimaging
Han-Gue Jo, Olga Wudarczyk, Marcel Leclerc, Christina Regenbogen, Angelika Lampert, Markus Rothermel, Ute Habel
Summary: This study used fMRI to investigate the mechanisms by which the brain modulates the pain experience under concurrent odorant stimulation, and found that the amygdalae play an important role in pain perception and exhibit functional couplings with other brain regions.
BRAIN IMAGING AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Antigona Martinez, Russell H. Tobe, Pablo A. Gaspar, Daniel Malinsky, Elisa C. Dias, Pejman Sehatpour, Peter Lakatos, Gaurav H. Patel, Dalton H. Bermudez, Gail Silipo, Daniel C. Javitt
Summary: The study found deficits in facial emotion recognition ability in patients with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders, which may be related to reduced activation in early visual regions and the superior temporal sulcus.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Andrew J. Lampi, Vikram K. Jaswal
Summary: One common feature of autism is flat affect, but some mothers of autistic children can identify their children's emotions from limited facial expression information. However, this parenting experience does not affect how they perceive emotion on other people's faces, at least in the case of happiness and sadness.
COLLABRA-PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Junhai Xu, Haibin Dong, Na Li, Zeyu Wang, Fei Guo, Jianguo Wei, Jianwu Dang
Summary: This study used dynamic facial expressions and emotional speech stimuli to explore the perception mechanism of speech emotion in audio-visual modality. The results showed that the bilateral amygdala is associated with processing positive and negative emotions, while the left posterior insula and the left anterior superior temporal gyrus play important roles in the perception of multimodal speech emotion.
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Peter Mende-Siedlecki, Jingrun Lin, Sloan Ferron, Christopher Gibbons, Alexis Drain, Azaadeh Goharzad
Summary: Racial bias in pain perception is associated with a general bias in recognizing negative emotion on Black male faces, but the effects of target race on pain perception are particularly robust and have distinct consequences for gaps in treatment. However, endorsement of racialized threat stereotypes does not reliably affect gaps in pain perception.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Chun-Chun Weng, Ning Wang, Yu-Han Zhang, Jin-Yan Wang, Fei Luo
Summary: Pain has sensory, emotional, and cognitive components. This study found that electrical stimulation-induced pain affects temporal sensitivity and that pain-related emotional and cognitive factors are associated with the processing of time perception.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Laura Druesedau, Anja Schoba, Annette Conzelmann, Alexander Sokolov, Martin Hautzinger, Tobias J. Renner, Gottfried M. Barth
Summary: The study developed a new structured group psychotherapy program, TuTASS, focusing on improving emotion and body perception in patients with ASD. Results showed a significant decrease in symptoms related to emotional and social issues, externalizing behavior, and attentional and schizoid-compulsive behavior post-training, as reported by parents and patients through standardized questionnaires.
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Kathrin Habig, Heidrun H. Kraemer, Gothje Lautenschlaeger, Bertram Walter, Christoph Best
Summary: The study aimed to define a functional map of multimodal sensory processing within the human thalamus using functional MRI. The results showed bilateral thalamic activations for touch, mechanical pain, and vestibular stimulation, but no activation for heat pain. Stimulation on the left body side resulted in stronger activation patterns. Changes in activity within the thalamic nuclei depending on the stimulation interval suggest that stimuli are processed in a thalamic network.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Etienne Abassi, Liuba Papeo
Summary: Research on face perception has revealed highly specialized visual mechanisms. By studying the processing of facing dyads, category-specific activity has been found in the visual cortex. This activity shows face-like signatures of configural processing and can predict an individual's visual perception performance of body dyads. In addition, individual performance in body dyad perception is correlated with social sensitivity.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Genevieve Patterson, Kaitlin K. Cummings, Jiwon Jung, Nana J. Okada, Nim Tottenham, Susan Y. Bookheimer, Mirella Dapretto, Shulamite A. Green
Summary: The study found that the sensory environment plays a crucial role in how youth with ASD process social information. Increasing attention to social cues helps ASD youth engage in higher-order social cognition. However, the effectiveness of interventions may depend on individual differences in sensory over-responsivity, emphasizing the importance of pre-screening for sensory challenges before social interventions.
JOURNAL OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Lisa Dinkler, Kahoko Yasumitsu-Lovell, Masamitsu Eitoku, Mikiya Fujieda, Narufumi Suganuma, Yuhei Hatakenaka, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Rachel Bryant-Waugh, Maria Rastam, Christopher Gillberg
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of children screening positive for ARFID in a Japanese birth cohort using a new parent-reported screening tool, and found that half of the children met diagnostic criteria based on psychosocial impairment alone while the other half met criteria relating to physical impairment. Sensory sensitivity to food characteristics and lack of interest in eating were the most prevalent drivers of food avoidance.
Review
Neurosciences
Chieh-En Jane Tseng, Christopher J. McDougle, Jacob M. Hooker, Nicole R. Zurcher
Summary: The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unknown, but gene-environment interactions, mediated through epigenetic mechanisms, are thought to be a key contributing factor. Prenatal environmental factors have been shown to be associated with both increased risk of ASD and altered histone deacetylases (HDACs) or acetylation levels. Alterations in histone acetylation, which lead to changes in gene transcription, may play a key role in ASD.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Paolo Masulli, Martyna Galazka, David Eberhard, Jakob Asberg Johnels, Christopher Gillberg, Eva Billstedt, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Tobias S. Andersen
Summary: Gaze patterns during face perception can predict autistic traits and depression symptoms. A data-driven method was used to analyze gaze patterns and their relation to diagnostic test scores, offering an alternative approach to gaze data analysis.
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Jakob Asberg Johnels, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Maria Sundqvist, Martyna A. Galazka
Summary: This study found that children with dyslexia did not significantly differ from typically developing children in their face processing abilities. However, they were slower and more variable in their responses. Additionally, in typically developing children, increased eye gaze towards the eyes was associated with better face memory.
DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Astrid Wiggers, Hakan Ashina, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Abhay Sagare, Berislav Zlokovic, Martin Lauritzen, Messoud Ashina
Summary: Migraine is a neurological disease involving peptides that can induce vasodilation and affect pain transmission. There is debate whether these peptides act within or outside the central nervous system. Dysfunction of brain barriers during migraine attacks is speculated to facilitate the passage of migraine-inducing peptides into the central nervous system.
JOURNAL OF HEADACHE AND PAIN
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Ludovica Brusaferri, Zeynab Alshelh, Daniel Martins, Minhae Kim, Akila Weerasekera, Hope Housman, Erin J. Morrissey, Paulina C. Knight, Kelly A. Castro-Blanco, Daniel S. Albrecht, Chieh-En Tseng, Nicole R. Zuercher, Eva-Maria Ratai, Oluwaseun Akeju, Meena M. Makary, Ciprian Catana, Nathaniel D. Mercaldo, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Mattia Veronese, Federico Turkheimer, Bruce R. Rosen, Jacob M. Hooker, Marco L. Loggia
Summary: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the brain health of uninfected individuals has been underexplored. However, research has shown that pandemic-related stressors may lead to neuroinflammation, resulting in symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, and depression.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Rune Hackert Christensen, Cedric Gollion, Faisal Mohammad Amin, Michael A. Moskowitz, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Messoud Ashina
Summary: Neuroinflammation plays an important role in migraine, and neuroimaging can be used to investigate and locate neuroinflammation in vivo. However, a comprehensive overview of imaging evidence of neuroinflammation in migraine is still lacking. Existing studies have mainly focused on vascular permeability as a marker of neuroinflammation, but more sensitive techniques and imaging tracers are needed to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical findings.
JOURNAL OF HEADACHE AND PAIN
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Louis-Marie Terrier, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Christophe Destrieux
Summary: The trigeminal system plays a crucial role in facial and dural sensitivity and is also involved in brain nociceptive innervation. Understanding its anatomical arrangement is key to understanding the pathophysiology of various conditions and developing innovative treatments. This review provides a structured presentation of the trigeminal system and explores its organization, modulation, reflexes, and treatment approaches.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jannis Muller, Tim Sinnecker, Maria Janina Wendebourg, Regina Schlager, Jens Kuhle, Sabine Schadelin, Pascal Benkert, Tobias Derfuss, Philippe Cattin, Christoph Jud, Florian Spiess, Michael Amann, Therese Lincke, Muhamed Barakovic, Alessandro Cagol, Charidimos Tsagkas, Katrin Parmar, Anne-Katrin Probstel, Sophia Reimann, Susanna Asseyer, Ankelien Duchow, Alexander Brandt, Klemens Ruprecht, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Shoko Fukumoto, Mitsuru Watanabe, Katsuhisa Masaki, Takuya Matsushita, Noriko Isobe, Jun-Ichi Kira, Ludwig Kappos, Jens Wurfel, Cristina Granziera, Friedemann Paul, Ozgur Yaldizli
Summary: This study found that the choroid plexus volume was larger in patients with MS compared to those with NMOSD, healthy controls, and migraine patients. In contrast to NMOSD, the volume of the choroid plexus in MS was associated with the number of T2-weighted lesions.
NEUROLOGY-NEUROIMMUNOLOGY & NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Nouchine Hadjikhani, Martyna Galazka, Tal Kenet, Robert Joseph, Jakob Asberg Johnels
Summary: Many high functioning autistic individuals face challenges in daily living skills and have poor outcomes in employment, relationships, and quality of life. The difference between non-verbal intelligence and emotional processing in autism is significant, and this gap is related to self-perceived emotional/social difficulties.
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Psychology
Max Thorsson, Martyna A. Galazka, Jakob Asberg Johnels, Nouchine Hadjikhani
Summary: Quantification of face-to-face interaction can provide relevant information in cognitive and psychological science research. Current glint-dependent solutions have limitations such as data loss and the inconvenience of wearables. We propose a novel eye-tracking solution using a dual-camera system and deep learning to overcome these limitations. Our data demonstrate accurate gaze classification and capture of subtle differences in interpersonal gaze synchrony during face-to-face interaction.
ATTENTION PERCEPTION & PSYCHOPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Max Thorsson, Martyna A. Galazka, Parisa Hajjari, Elisabeth Fernell, Jonathan Delafield-Butt, Christopher Gillberg, Mats Johnson, Jakob Asberg Johnels, Nouchine Hadjikhani
Summary: This study used a bespoke tablet-based motor coordination test called SpaceSwipe to assess motor coordination in children with PANS. It found that SpaceSwipe can accurately predict motor coordination scores from the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration.
EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Nouchine Hadjikhani, Jakob Asberg Johnels
Summary: An interesting phenomenon in the primate face detection system is the perception of illusory faces in objects, known as pareidolia. In autistic individuals, pareidolic objects increase amygdala activation and engage the face-processing cortical network significantly more compared to non-autistic individuals. This suggests an oversensitive subcortical face processing system in autism, possibly due to early imbalances in the excitatory and inhibitory systems.
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
Michael Datko, Zev Schuman-Olivier, Ludovica Brusaferri, Hope Housman, Sarasa Tohyama, Kassandra Round, Ronald Garcia, Randy Gollub, Robert Edwards, Bruce Rosen, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Hsinlin Cheng, Marco Loggia, Vitaly Napadow
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
Hope Housman, Ludovica Brusaferri, Michael Datko, Sarasa Tohyama, Kassandra Round, Ronald G. Garcia Gomez, Randy L. Gollub, Robert R. Edwards, Meena Makary, Bruce R. Rosen, Hsinlin T. Cheng, Zev Schuman-Olivier, Vitaly Napadow, Nouchine Hadjikhani, Marco Loggia, Athinoula A. Martinos