Article
Psychiatry
Jun Sasaki, Toshio Matsubara, Chong Chen, Yuko Fujii, Yoko Fujita, Masako Nakamuta, Kumiko Nitta, Kazuteru Egashira, Takashi Hashimoto, Shin Nakagawa
Summary: This study aimed to determine whether the results of cognitive tasks or brain function during emotional or cognitive tasks can predict relapse in alcohol use disorder. The study included 41 patients with alcohol use disorder who underwent functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure brain activity during emotional go/no-go and verbal fluency tasks. The results showed that decreased activation in the right frontotemporal region during the emotional go/no-go task and increased risk preference were predictors of relapse in alcohol use disorder.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Tom Gilbertson, Douglas Steele
Summary: Optimal decision-making in uncertain circumstances requires flexible behavior, with switches between exploratory and exploitative decisions mediated by the interaction between tonic dopamine and cortical input to the basal ganglia. The model shows that fluctuating levels of tonic dopamine under conditions of uncertainty can lead to either exploration of multiple alternatives or exploitation of high-value choices.
Article
Neurosciences
Kurt M. Fraser, Heather J. Pribut, Patricia H. Janak, Ronald Keiflin
Summary: Reward seeking requires coordination of motor programs. Midbrain dopamine neurons are critical for reinforcement and learning. Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons imbue actions and cues with motivational value, allowing flexible pursuit, whereas substantia nigra (SNc) dopamine neurons support precise, action-specific learning. This heterogeneous dopamine system supports unique forms of instrumental learning and reward-seeking strategies.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Kathryn Biernacki, Catherine E. Myers, Sally Cole, James F. Cavanagh, Travis E. Baker
Summary: A study found that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation at 10 Hz to the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex can increase dopaminergic activity in the dorsal striatum, a region strongly related to reinforcement learning. The experiment showed that participants who received active stimulation performed better in a reinforcement learning task and had a higher learning rate in the computational model.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Loukia Tzavella, Natalia S. Lawrence, Katherine S. Button, Elizabeth A. Hart, Natalie M. Holmes, Kimberley Houghton, Nina Badkar, Ellie Macey, Amy-Jayne Braggins, Felicity C. Murray, Christopher D. Chambers, Rachel C. Adams
Summary: The study found that inhibitory control training did not significantly affect approach bias towards food, but participants were less likely to choose no-go food after training. Further investigation into the mechanisms behind the training effects is warranted.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Shipra Kanjlia, Rita E. Loiotile, Nora Harhen, Marina Bedny
Summary: Studies on occipital cortex plasticity in blindness reveal that a right-lateralized occipital network in blind individuals responds to non-verbal executive processes, including response selection, and connectivity with the prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role in plasticity in blindness.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Yashesh Dhebar, Kalyanmoy Deb, Subramanya Nageshrao, Ling Zhu, Dimitar Filev, Yashesh Deepakkumar Dhebar
Summary: This article proposes a nonlinear decision-tree approach to approximate and explain the control rules of a pretrained black-box deep reinforcement learning agent. The approach uses nonlinear optimization and a hierarchical structure to find simple and interpretable rules while maintaining comparable closed-loop performance.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CYBERNETICS
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Zhenshan Bing, David Lerch, Kai Huang, Alois Knoll
Summary: The subject of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) has developed rapidly and is now applied in various fields. However, artificial agents trained with RL algorithms require large amounts of training data. The concept of meta-reinforcement learning (meta-RL) enables agents to learn new skills from a small amount of experience. This study introduces a training strategy for non-stationary environments and a task representation based on Gaussian mixture models.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PATTERN ANALYSIS AND MACHINE INTELLIGENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Celia C. Beron, Shay Q. Neufeld, Scott W. Linderman, Bernardo L. Sabatini
Summary: In probabilistic and nonstationary environments, mice use internal and external cues to make decisions. The behavior of mice in a task with time-varying reward probabilities is both deterministic and stochastic. Modeling their behavior through equivalent models reveals that mice achieve near-maximal reward rates.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel Tay, John J. McDonald
Summary: This study found a positive correlation between target-enhancement processes and working memory capacity in tasks that require more control, while inhibitory processes were not related to working memory capacity. These findings support the idea that target-enhancement mechanisms control access to working memory in dynamic search tasks.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Hector Octavio Camarena, Oscar Garcia-Leal, Zayra Saldana-Hernandez, Erick Barron
Summary: This experiment analyzed the effects of task complexity on transitive inference in pigeons. It found that performance in the C + D- pair was impaired and preference in the test pair BD was affected. However, this impairment was dependent on individual differences in performance in the C + D- pair.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Kelly M. Martyniuk, Michelle Dandeneau, Peter D. Balsam, Christoph Kellendonk
Summary: The upregulation of D2 receptors in ventral striatal neurons does not affect Pavlovian learning or extinction, nor does it alter No-Go learning. However, there is a delay in the Go component of the task, potentially indicating a learning deficit but may also be due to locomotor hyperactivity.
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Murat Gunduz, Hamza M. A. Lutfi
Summary: Go/no-go execution decisions are crucial for owners in the early stages of construction projects. By restructuring the decision-making process, sustainable results can be achieved. This study establishes decision-tree models for owners, identifies key factors affecting decisions, and validates the models through split-sample testing and statistical analysis. The research introduces Exhaustive CHAID and QUEST models for decision-making, aiming to provide owners with a user-friendly tool for evaluating risk factors and reducing uncertainty in projects.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dominic M. D. Tran, William G. Nicholson, Justin A. Harris, Irina M. Harris, Evan J. Livesey
Summary: This study found that inhibiting motor system activity to former go cues relies on goal-directed cognitive control processes. Under low working memory load, corticospinal excitability to trained stop and go cues was suppressed. Conversely, under high working memory load, cortical suppression to go cues was reduced, indicating the need for executive control mechanisms.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hiroki Nakata, Miho Takezawa, Keita Kamijo, Manabu Shibasaki
Summary: Our study examined modality differences in N2 and P3 components of event-related potentials in somatosensory and auditory Go/No-go paradigms. We found specific features in the somatosensory paradigm, such as shorter peak latency of No-go-N2 and larger peak amplitude of P3, while different findings emerged in the auditory paradigm. Our data suggest weaker relationships between behavioral responses and ERP components in prepubescent children compared to adults using similar paradigms.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Rogdaki, Celine Devroye, Mariasole Ciampoli, Mattia Veronese, Abhishekh Ashok, Robert A. McCutcheon, Sameer Jauhar, Ilaria Bonoldi, Maria Gudbrandsen, Eileen Daly, Therese van Amelsvoort, Marianne Van Den Bree, Michael J. Owen, Federico Turkheimer, Francesco Papaleo, Oliver D. Howes
Summary: Dopaminergic dysfunction is associated with genetic risk for psychosis, particularly in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion. This study found increased striatal dopamine synthesis capacity in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion compared to healthy controls and individuals with 22q11.2 duplication. Furthermore, dopamine synthesis was positively correlated with the severity of psychosis-risk symptoms.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Rogdaki, Celine Devroye, Mariasole Ciampoli, Mattia Veronese, Abhishekh H. Ashok, Robert A. McCutcheon, Sameer Jauhar, Ilaria Bonoldi, Maria Gudbrandsen, Eileen Daly, Therese van Amelsvoort, Marianne Van Den Bree, Michael J. Owen, Federico Turkheimer, Francesco Papaleo, Oliver D. Howes
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Review
Psychology, Clinical
Leigh Townsend, Toby Pillinger, Pierluigi Selvaggi, Mattia Veronese, Federico Turkheimer, Oliver Howes
Summary: This study investigates brain metabolism in patients with schizophrenia and finds evidence of lower glucose metabolism in the frontal cortex, supporting the hypothesis of hypofrontality in schizophrenia. However, there were no consistent alterations in other brain regions.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Pierluigi Selvaggi, Sameer Jauhar, Vasileia Kotoula, Fiona Pepper, Mattia Veronese, Barbara Santangelo, Fernando Zelaya, Federico E. Turkheimer, Mitul A. Mehta, Oliver D. Howes
Summary: This study found significantly lower frontal cortical blood flow in FEP patients before antipsychotic treatment. Additionally, the relative-to-global frontal cerebral blood flow measured before antipsychotic treatment may be associated with treatment response.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Natalie E. Adams, Amirhossein Jafarian, Alistair Perry, Matthew A. Rouse, Alexander D. Shaw, Alexander G. Murley, Thomas E. Cope, W. Richard Bevan-Jones, Luca Passamonti, Duncan Street, Negin Holland, David Nesbitt, Laura E. Hughes, Karl J. Friston, James B. Rowe
Summary: Adams et al. use PET measures of synaptic density to enhance biophysical models of cortical dynamics and demonstrate the link between synaptic loss, neurophysiology, and cognitive deficits. Their inclusion of regional synaptic density in a mesoscale model of human cortical function significantly increases model evidence and predicts individual differences in behavior. This method can be applied to assess the mechanisms of other neurological disorders and test the effects of experimental pharmacology.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Stephen J. Kaar, Judith F. Nottage, Ilinca Angelescu, Tiago Reis Marques, Oliver D. Howes
Summary: A study found that a potassium channel modulator called AUT00206 has a significant effect on frontal resting gamma power in people with schizophrenia, potentially improving their symptoms.
CLINICAL EEG AND NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Els F. Halff, Grazia Rutigliano, Anna Garcia-Hidalgo, Oliver D. Howes
Summary: Schizophrenia is a major health burden and new treatment approaches are needed. Targeting the trace amine (TA) system shows potential, as supported by genetic, preclinical, and clinical evidence. The trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) is positioned to modulate key brain circuits for schizophrenia through its localization and function. Animal studies using TAAR1 agonists have shown promising results in inhibiting dopamine and serotonin activity, enhancing glutamatergic function, and improving symptoms and cognitive measures. Clinical trials of TAAR1 agonists may address unmet needs in the treatment of schizophrenia, including psychotic and negative symptoms and tolerability issues.
TRENDS IN NEUROSCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Psychiatry
Oliver D. Howes, Luke Baxter
Article
Clinical Neurology
Harry Costello, Yumeya Yamamori, Suzanne Reeves, Anette-Eleonore Schrag, Robert Howard, Jonathan P. Roiser
Summary: This study found that dopaminergic dysfunction in the midbrain is associated with motivational symptoms such as apathy and anhedonia in Parkinson's disease (PD), and this association becomes evident as the disease progresses. These findings can inform intervention strategies for improving the treatment of PD patients.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY NEUROSURGERY AND PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Lancelot Da Costa, Noor Sajid, Thomas Parr, Karl Friston, Ryan Smith
Summary: Active inference is a probabilistic framework based on the principle of minimizing free energy, used for modeling the behavior of biological and artificial agents. It has been successfully applied to various situations involving reward maximization, often yielding comparable or superior results to alternative approaches. This article explores the connection between reward maximization and active inference and demonstrates the conditions under which active inference produces the optimal solution to the Bellman equation, a fundamental equation in reinforcement learning and control. Additionally, it introduces a new recursive active inference scheme that can produce Bellman optimal actions on any finite temporal horizon.
NEURAL COMPUTATION
(2023)
Letter
Neurosciences
Brett J. Kagan, Adeel Razi, Anjali Bhat, Andy C. Kitchen, Nhi T. Tran, Forough Habibollahi, Moein Khajehnejad, Bradyn J. Parker, Ben Rollo, Karl J. Friston
Article
Neurosciences
R. L. Carhart-Harris, S. Chandaria, D. E. Erritzoe, A. Gazzaley, M. Girn, H. Kettner, P. A. M. Mediano, D. J. Nutt, F. E. Rosa, L. Roseman, C. Timmermann, B. Weiss, R. J. Zeifman, K. J. Friston
Summary: This theoretical article proposes a new model of a general factor of psychopathology, using the concept of 'canalization'. It distinguishes between two types of plasticity: 'TEMP' and 'canalization', which can be differentiated by their relationship to precision or inverse variance. The authors argue that 'pathological' phenotypes develop through mechanisms of canalization and increased model precision, as a response to adversity and distress. They suggest that TEMP, along with psychological support, can counter canalization and offer experiments and measures to test their hypotheses.
Article
Psychiatry
Elias Wagner, Dan Siskind, Peter Falkai, Oliver Howes, Christoph Correll, Jimmy Lee, William G. Honer, John M. Kane, Emilio Fernandez-Egea, Thomas R. E. Barnes, Alkomiet Hasan
Summary: This study conducted an online Delphi survey to develop consensus recommendations for the optimization of clozapine monotherapy. The recommendations include specific treatment options for certain symptoms and management of side effects. The study results provide guidance for clinical decision-making and future research in treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Federico E. Turkheimer, Mattia Veronese, Valeria Mondelli, Diana Cash, Carmine M. Pariante
Summary: Current research suggests that immune mediators related to chronic somatic disorders have significant effects on brain function in mood disorders. Anti-inflammatory therapies are being explored as adjunctive treatments to standard antidepressants to improve efficacy, especially in non-responsive patients. Biomarkers are needed to personalize these therapies for optimal outcomes, along with a better understanding of the interaction between peripheral immunity and brain function. This proposal presents a modified model of periphery-brain interactions, suggesting that brain barriers play a crucial role in the pathophysiology and treatment resistance of mood disorders, particularly in patients with mild peripheral inflammation.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Christini Katsanevaki, Andre M. Bastos, Hayriye Cagnan, Conrado A. Bosman, Karl J. Friston, Pascal Fries
Summary: Selective attention enhances the influence of specific synaptic inputs on higher-area neurons, enabling preferential routing of attended stimuli. Presynaptic circuits, influenced by top-down attentional signals, play a crucial role in selective routing by selectively entraining postsynaptic neurons. The study demonstrates that attentional modulation of intrinsic connections in the visual cortex mediates selective entrainment, providing an explanation for the observed phenomenon.