An inclusive multivariate approach to neural localization of language components
In this study, we assess areas where a multivariate, pattern-based approach shows high reproducibility across multiple measurements and participants, identifying these areas as multivariate regions of interest (mROI). We then perform a representational similarity analysis (RSA) of an fMRI dataset where participants made familiarity judgments on written words. We also compare those results to univariate regions of interest (uROI) taken from previous sentences > pseudowords contrasts. RSA with word stimuli defined in terms of their semantic distance showed greater correspondence with neural patterns in mROI than uRO...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - May 2, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Neuroanatomical correlates of peripersonal space: bridging the gap between perception, action, emotion and social cognition
AbstractPeripersonal space (PPS) is a construct referring to the portion of space immediately surrounding our bodies, where most of the interactions between the subject and the environment, including other individuals, take place. Decades of animal and human neuroscience research have revealed that the brain holds a separate representation of this region of space: this distinct spatial representation has evolved to ensure proper relevance to stimuli that are close to the body and prompt an appropriate behavioral response. The neural underpinnings of such construct have been thoroughly investigated by different generations ...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 29, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Abnormalities in both stimulus-induced and baseline MEG alpha oscillations in the auditory cortex of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
AbstractThe neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is hypothetically related to the imbalance between neural excitation (E) and inhibition (I). Different studies have revealed that alpha-band (8 –12 Hz) activity in magneto- and electroencephalography (MEG and EEG) may reflect E and I processes and, thus, can be of particular interest in ASD research. Previous findings indicated alterations in event-related and baseline alpha activity in different cortical systems in individuals with ASD, and these abnormalities were associated with core and co-occurring conditions of ASD. However, the knowledge on auditory alpha...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 29, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Anatomical and volumetric description of the guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) brain from an ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging
In this study, we present for the first time a full anatomical description of the Guiana dolphin ’s brain based on high-resolution ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging, providing an exceptional level of brain anatomical details, and enriching our understanding of the species. Brain structures were labeled and volumetric measurements were delineated for many distinguishable structures, including the gray matter and white matter of the cerebral cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, superior and inferior colliculi, thalamus, corpus callosum, ventricles, brainstem and cerebellum. Additionally, we provide the surface anatomy ...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 25, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Can structure predict function at individual level in the human connectome?
AbstractSeveral studies predicting Functional Connectivity (FC) from Structural Connectivity (SC) at individual level have been published in recent years, each promising increased performance and utility. We investigated three of these studies, analyzing whether the results truly represent a meaningful individual-level mapping from SC to FC. Using data from the Human Connectome Project shared accross the three studies, we constructed a predictor by averaging FC of training data and analyzed its performance in the same way. In each case, we found that group average FC is an equivalent or better predictor of individual FC th...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 24, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Functional mapping of the somatosensory cortex using noninvasive fMRI and touch in awake dogs
AbstractDogs are increasingly used as a model for neuroscience due to their ability to undergo functional MRI fully awake and unrestrained, after extensive behavioral training. Still, we know rather little about dogs ’ basic functional neuroanatomy, including how basic perceptual and motor functions are localized in their brains. This is a major shortcoming in interpreting activations obtained in dog fMRI. The aim of this preregistered study was to localize areas associated with somatosensory processing. To th is end, we touchedN = 22 dogs undergoing fMRI scanning on their left and right flanks using a wooden rod. We...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 20, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Recruitment of hippocampal and thalamic pathways to the central amygdala in the control of feeding behavior under novelty
AbstractIt is adaptive to restrict eating under uncertainty, such as during habituation to novel foods and unfamiliar environments. However, sustained restrictive eating can become maladaptive. Currently, the neural substrates of restrictive eating are poorly understood. Using a model of feeding avoidance under novelty, our recent study identified forebrain activation patterns and found evidence that the central nucleus of the amygdala (CEA) is a core integrating node. The current study analyzed the activity of CEA inputs in male and female rats to determine if specific pathways are recruited during feeding under novelty. ...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 16, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Contributions of the left and right thalami to language: A meta-analytic approach
Conclusion: The current findings show that the language-relevant network extends beyond the classical left perisylvian cortices and spans bilateral cortical, bilateral subcortical (bilateral thalamus, bilateral basal ganglia) and right cerebellar regions. (Source: Anatomy and Embryology)
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 16, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
The degeneration of locus coeruleus occurring during Alzheimer ’s disease clinical progression: a neuroimaging follow-up investigation
AbstractThe noradrenergic nucleus Locus Coeruleus (LC) is precociously involved in Alzheimer ’s Disease (AD) pathology, and its degeneration progresses during the course of the disease. Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), researchers showed also in vivo in patients the disruption of LC, which can be observed both in Mild Cognitively Impaired individuals and AD demented patients. In th is study, we report the results of a follow-up neuroradiological assessment, in which we evaluated the LC degeneration overtime in a group of cognitively impaired patients, submitted to MRI both at baseline and at the end of a 2.5-year ...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 16, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Involvement of the claustrum in the cortico-basal ganglia circuitry: connectional study in the non-human primate
AbstractThe claustrum is an ancient telencephalic subcortical structure displaying extensive, reciprocal connections with much of the cortex and receiving projections from thalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus. This structure has a general role in modulating cortical excitability and is considered to be engaged in different cognitive and motor functions, such as sensory integration and perceptual binding, salience-guided attention, top-down executive functions, as well as in the control of brain states, such as sleep and its interhemispheric integration. The present study is the first to describe in detail a projection from ...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 14, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Function-guided differences of arcuate fascicle and inferior fronto-occipital fascicle tractography as diagnostic indicators for surgical risk stratification
ConclusionFunctionally relevant qualitative and quantitative differences in AF and IFOF provide a pre- and postoperative pathophysiological and clinically relevant diagnostic indicator that supports surgical risk stratification. (Source: Anatomy and Embryology)
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 10, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Common and specific activations supporting optic flow processing and navigation as revealed by a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies
AbstractOptic flow provides useful information in service of spatial navigation. However, whether brain networks supporting these two functions overlap is still unclear. Here we used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to assess the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and spatial navigation and their specific neural activations. Since computational and connectivity evidence suggests that visual input from optic flow provides information mainly during egocentric navigation, we further tested the correspondence between brain correlates of optic flow processing and that of both egocentric and a...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 9, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Wernicke ’s functional neuroanatomy model of language turns 150: what became of its psychological reflex arcs?
AbstractWernicke (Der aphasische Symptomencomplex: Eine psychologische Studie auf anatomischer Basis. Cohn und Weigert, Breslau. https://wellcomecollection.org/works/dwv5w9rw, 1874) proposed a model of the functional neuroanatomy of spoken word repetition, production, and comprehension. At the heart of this epoch-making model are psychological reflex arcs underpinned by fiber tracts connecting sensory to motor areas. Here, I evaluate the central assumption of psychological reflex arcs in light of what we have learned about language in the brain during the past 150 years. I first describe Wernicke’s 1874 model and the...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 6, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Galaninergic and hypercapnia-activated neuronal projections to the ventral respiratory column
This study aimed to identify sources of galaninergic input to the VRC that contribute to central respiratory chemoreception. We employed a combination of retrograde neuronal tracing, in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry to investigate VRC-projecting neurons that synthesise galanin mRNA. In an additional series of experiments, we used acute hypercapnia exposure (10% CO2, 1 h) and c-Fos immunohistochemistry to ascertain which galaninergic nuclei projecting to the VRC are activated. Our findings reveal that a total of 30 brain nuclei and 51 subnuclei project to the VRC, with 12 of these containing galaninergic neu...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - April 5, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
Effect of anticipatory multisensory integration on sensory –motor performance
Abstract
Multisensory integration (MSI) is a phenomenon that occurs in sensory areas after the presentation of multimodal stimuli. Nowadays, little is known about the anticipatory top-down processes taking place in the preparation stage of processing before the stimulus onset. Considering that the top-down modulation of modality-specific inputs might affect the MSI process, this study attempts to understand whether the direct modulation of the MSI process, beyond the well-known sensory effects, may lead to additional changes in multisensory processing also in non-sensory areas (i.e., those related to task preparation an...
Source: Anatomy and Embryology - March 28, 2024 Category: Anatomy Source Type: research
