Enhanced amygdala-cingulate connectivity associates with better mood in both healthy and depressive individuals after sleep deprivation.

Sleep loss robustly disrupts mood and emotion regulation in healthy individuals but can have a transient antidepressant effect in a subset of patients with depression. The neural mechanisms underlying this paradoxical effect remain unclear. Previous studies suggest that the amygdala and dorsal nexus (DN) play key roles in depressive mood regulation. Here, we used functional MRI to examine associations between amygdala- and DN-related resting-state connectivity alterations and mood changes after one night of total sleep deprivation (TSD) in both healthy adults and patients with major depressive disorder using strictly controlled in-laboratory studies. Behavioral data showed that TSD increased negative mood in healthy participants but reduced depressive symptoms in 43% of patients. Imaging data showed that TSD enhanced both amygdala- and DN-related connectivity in healthy participants. Moreover, enhanced amygdala connectivity to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) after TSD associated with better mood in healthy participants and antidepressant effects in depressed patients. These findings support the key role of the amygdala-cingulate circuit in mood regulation in both healthy and depressed populations and suggest that rapid antidepressant treatment may target the enhancement of amygdala-ACC connectivity.

Distinct neural dynamics of the observed ostracism effect in decision-making under risk and ambiguity.

Observational ostracism, as a form of social exclusion, can significantly affect human behavior. However, the effects of observed ostracism on risky and ambiguous decision-making and the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. This event-related potential study investigated these issues by involving participants in a wheel-of- fortune task, considering observed ostracism and inclusion contexts. The results showed that the cue-P3 component was more enhanced during the choice phase for risky decisions than for ambiguous decisions in the observed inclusion contexts but not in the observed ostracism contexts. During the outcome evaluation phase, feedback-related negativity amplitudes following both risky and ambiguous decisions were higher in the no-gain condition than in the gain condition in the observed inclusion context. In contrast, this effect was only observed following risky decisions in the observed ostracism context. The feedback-P3 component did not exhibit an observed ostracism effect in risky and ambiguous decision-making tasks. Risk levels further modulated the cue-P3 and feedback-related negativity components, while ambiguity levels further modulated the feedback-P3 components. These findings demonstrate a neural dissociation between risk and ambiguity decision-making during observed ostracism that unfolds from the choice phase to the outcome evaluation phase.

Tumour-associated and non-tumour-associated bacteria co-abundance groups in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gut microbiota is closely related to the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the differences in bacterial co-abundance groups (CAGs) between tumor tissue (TT) and normal tissue (NT), as well as their associations with clinical features, are needed to be clarified. METHODS: Bacterial 16 S rRNA sequencing was performed by using TT samples and NT samples of 251 patients with colorectal cancer. Microbial diversity, taxonomic characteristics, microbial composition, and functional pathways were compared between TT and NT. Hierarchical clustering was used to construct CAGs. RESULTS: Four CAGs were grouped in the hierarchical cluster analysis. CAG 2, which was mainly comprised of pathogenic bacteria, was significantly enriched in TT samples (2.27% in TT vs. 0.78% in NT, p < 0.0001). CAG 4, which was mainly comprised of non-pathogenic bacteria, was significantly enriched in NT samples (0.62% in TT vs. 0.79% in NT, p = 0.0004). In addition, CAG 2 was also significantly associated with tumor microsatellite instability (13.2% in unstable vs. 2.0% in stable, p = 0.016), and CAG 4 was positively correlated with the level of CA199 (r = 0.17, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Our research will deepen our understanding of the interactions among multiple bacteria and offer insights into the potential mechanism of NT to TT transition.

Active vs. computer-based passive decision-making leads to discrepancies in outcome evaluation: evidence from self-reported emotional experience and brain activity.

People prefer active decision-making and induce greater emotional feelings than computer-based passive mode, yet the modulation of decision-making mode on outcome evaluation remains unknown. The present study adopted event-related potentials to investigate the discrepancies in active and computer-based passive mode on outcome evaluation using a card gambling task. The subjective rating results showed that active mode elicited more cognitive effort and stronger emotional feelings than passive mode. For received outcomes, we observed no significant Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN) effect on difference waveshapes (d-FRN) between the 2 modes, but active decision-making elicited larger P300 amplitudes than the passive mode. For unchosen card outcomes, the results revealed larger d-FRN amplitudes of relative valences (Superior - Inferior) in responses to negative feedback in active mode than in passive mode. The averaged P300 results revealed an interplay among outcome feedback, decision-making mode, and relative valence, and the average P300 amplitude elicited by the received loss outcome in the active mode partially mediated the relationship between subjective cognitive effort and negative emotion ratings on loss. Our findings indicate discrepancies between active and computer-based passive modes, and cognitive effort and emotional experience involved in outcome evaluation.

Distinct inter-brain synchronization patterns underlying group decision-making under uncertainty with partners in different interpersonal relationships.

Humans may behave in different manners when making decisions with friends and strangers. Whether the interpersonal relationship and the characteristics of the individuals in the group affected the group decision-making under uncertainty in the real-time interaction remains unknown. Using the turn-based Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), the present study examined the group decision-making propensity under uncertainty with partners in different interpersonal relationships and interpersonal orientations. Corresponding inter-brain synchronization (IBS) patterns at the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were also uncovered with the fNIRS-based hyperscanning approach. Behavioral results identified that dyads in the friend group exhibited the uncertainty-averse propensity when comparing with the stranger group. The fNIRS results reported that feedback-related IBS at the left inferior frontal gyrus (l-IFG) and medial frontopolar cortex (mFPC) during different feedbacks was modulated by interpersonal relationships. The IBS at all channels in the PFC during the positive and negative feedbacks, respectively, predicted the decision-making propensity under uncertainty in the stranger and friend groups based on the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. The moderating role of the social value orientation (SVO) was also verified in the mediation effect of the dyad closeness on the decision-making propensity under uncertainty via the IBS at the right lateral frontopolar cortex (r-FPC). These findings demonstrated disparate behavioral responses and inter-brain synchronization patterns underlying group decision-making under uncertainty with partners in different interpersonal relationships.

Correction to: High sensation seeking is associated with behavioral and neural insensitivity to increased negative outcomes during decision-making under uncertainty.

The original article unfortunately had "?" in place of "훥 "on few lines and those are corrected below.

Test-retest reliability of cerebral blood flow for assessing brain function at rest and during a vigilance task.

Arterial spin labeled (ASL) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly used to assess regional brain activity and cerebrovascular function in both healthy and clinical populations. ASL perfusion imaging provides a quantitative measure of regional brain activity by determining absolute cerebral blood flow (CBF) values at a resting state or during task performance. However, the comparative reliability of these ASL measures is not well characterized. It is also unclear whether the test-retest reliability of absolute CBF or task-induced CBF change measures would be comparable to the reliability of task performance. In this study, fifteen healthy participants were scanned three times in a strictly controlled in-laboratory study while at rest and during performing a simple and reliable psychomotor vigilance test (PVT). The reliability of absolute CBF and task-induced CBF changes was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and compared to that of task performance. Absolute CBF showed excellent test-retest reliability across the three scans for both resting and PVT scans. The reliability of regional absolute CBF was comparable to that of behavioral measures of PVT performance, and was slightly higher during PVT scans as compared with resting scans. Task-induced regional CBF changes demonstrated only poor to moderate reliability across three scans. These findings suggest that absolute CBF measures are more reliable than task-induced CBF changes for characterizing regional brain function, especially for longitudinal and clinical studies.

High sensation seeking is associated with behavioral and neural insensitivity to increased negative outcomes during decision-making under uncertainty.

High-level sensation seeking (HSS) has been linked to a range of risky and unhealthy behavior; however, the neural mechanisms underlying such linkage remain unclear. In the present study, we used event-related potential (ERP) with a Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) to investigate how sensation seeking modulates brain responses to sequential decision-making with variable reward/loss outcome magnitudes. Behavior data showed that decision-making behavior was significantly affected by the large compared with the small magnitude of monetary outcome in the BART for individuals with low-level sensation seeking (LSS), but not for individuals with HSS. Similarly, HSS individuals displayed no changes in feedback-related negativity (FRN) in response to negative outcomes from decision-making with large or small reward/loss magnitudes, whereas LSS individuals showed greater FRN in response to decision-making with large loss magnitude than those with small loss magnitude. In addition, FRN amplitude differences correlated with decision-making behavior changes from small to large outcome magnitude for LSS, while such correlation was not observed for HSS. These findings suggest that a high-level of sensation seeking is associated with behavioral and neural insensitivity to increased negative outcome during decision-making under uncertainty, which may lead to greater risky behavior in these individuals when facing potential loss.

Brain activation in response to bladder filling in healthy adults: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.

AIMS: Recent studies have used different neuroimaging techniques and identified various brain regions that are activated during bladder filling. However, there is a lack of consensus regarding which of these brain regions regulate the process of urine storage. The aim of this meta-analysis is to identify brain regions that are commonly activated during bladder filling in healthy adults across different studies. METHODS: PubMed was searched for neuroimaging studies investigating the effects of bladder filling on regional brain activation. Studies were excluded if they did not report brain activation differences from whole-brain group analysis by comparing the state of bladder filling with the state of bladder rest. The current version of the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) approach was used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: We identified 14 neuroimaging studies examining brain activation in response to experimental bladder filling in 181 healthy subjects, which reported 89 foci for ALE analysis. The meta-analysis revealed significant activation in multiple brain regions including thalamus (bilaterally), right insula, cerebellum, and brainstem (bilaterally). CONCLUSIONS: Several key brain regions involved in sensory processing are commonly activated during bladder filling in healthy adults across different studies. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:960-965, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Resting spontaneous activity in the default mode network predicts performance decline during prolonged attention workload.

After continuous and prolonged cognitive workload, people typically show reduced behavioral performance and increased feelings of fatigue, which are known as "time-on-task (TOT) effects". Although TOT effects are pervasive in modern life, their underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we induced TOT effects by administering a 20-min continuous psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) to a group of 16 healthy adults and used resting-state blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine spontaneous brain activity changes associated with fatigue and performance. Behaviorally, subjects displayed robust TOT effects, as reflected by increasingly slower reaction times as the test progressed and higher self-reported mental fatigue ratings after the 20-min PVT. Compared to pre-test measurements, subjects exhibited reduced amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in the default mode network (DMN) and increased ALFF in the thalamus after the test. Subjects also exhibited reduced anti-correlations between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and right middle prefrontal cortex after the test. Moreover, pre-test resting ALFF in the PCC and medial prefrontal cortex (MePFC) predicted subjects' subsequent performance decline; individuals with higher ALFF in these regions exhibited more stable reaction times throughout the 20-min PVT. These results support the important role of both task-positive and task-negative networks in mediating TOT effects and suggest that spontaneous activity measured by resting-state BOLD fMRI may be a marker of mental fatigue.

Fate of sulfur and chlorine during co-incineration of municipal solid waste and industrial organic solid waste.

In China, the co-incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) with industrial organic solid waste (IOSW) is increasingly adopted. Compared with MSW, IOSW contains higher levels of sulfur (S) and chlorine (Cl), presenting significant challenges for controlling S/Cl emissions in MSW incineration plants. In this study, the impact of co-incinerating IOSW was investigated in a 500 t/d incinerator grate, focusing on the emissions and transformation behaviors of S/Cl. IOSW, with a consistent sulfur content of about 0.22 wt% and a more variable chlorine content averaging 0.53 wt%, contains over 40 % organic sulfur and >90 % organic chlorine, higher than in MSW. The results of co-incineration experiments showed that the median SO2 concentration in the flue gas was stable at 50 mg/m3, while HCl concentration decreased initially and then increased as the co-incineration ratio of IOSW rose from 20 % to 40 %. Furthermore, the concentrations of SO2 and HCl were not significantly influenced by wind flow but were positively affected by the rising furnace temperatures. Besides, the co-incineration ratio had minimal impact on sulfur in fly ash before deacidification, primarily derived from the gas stream. However, the (Na + K)/Cl ratio in fly ash progressively increased from 1.5 to 1.9, and the Ca content decreased from 0.35 % to 0.15 % as the co-incineration ratio rose to 40 %, indicating more chlorine migration into the fly ash at higher co-incineration rates. This research offers essential guidance for effectively controlling pollutant emissions during the co-incineration of IOSW, specifically the S/Cl pollutants.

Assessment of risk-taking and impulsive behaviors: A comparison between three tasks.

The balloon analogue risk task (BART), the delay discounting task (DDT), and the Iowa gambling task (IGT) are increasingly used for the assessment of risk-taking and impulsive behaviors. This study examined the reliability of and relationships between these three tasks in healthy Chinese subjects. The BART and DDT showed moderate to high test-retest reliability across three test sessions. However, the IGT showed low reliability for the first two sessions but high reliability for the last two sessions. Between tasks, only the BART and IGT showed significant correlations at the last two sessions, while no other correlations were found. These findings support the view that impulsivity is a complex construct with no single personality trait underlying the disposition for impulsive behaviors.

A negative emotional context disrupts the framing effect on outcome evaluation in decision making under uncertainty: An ERP study.

The framing effect refers to the phenomenon that different descriptions of the same option lead to a shift in the choice of the decision maker. Several studies have found that emotional contexts irrelevant to a decision in progress still influence the framing effect on decision making. However, little is known about the potential role of emotional contexts in the framing effect on outcome evaluation under uncertainty and the related neural mechanisms. The present study measured event-related potentials (ERPs) to capture the time series of brain activities during the processing of gain- and loss-framed choices and outcomes primed with neutral and negative emotional contexts. The results revealed that in the neutral emotional context, the P300 amplitudes following both positive and negative feedback were greater in the gain-framed condition than those in the loss-framed condition, demonstrating a framing effect, whereas in the negative emotional context, this effect was unstable and observed only following negative feedback. In contrast, regardless of whether the feedback was positive or negative, the framing effect on the feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitudes was insensitive to neutral and negative emotional contexts. Furthermore, the time-frequency analysis showed that the framing effect on the theta power related to the FRN was also insensitive to neutral and negative emotional contexts. Our findings suggest that brain responses to framing effects on outcome evaluation in a later cognitive appraisal stage of decision making under uncertainty may depend on the emotional context, as the effects were observed only following negative feedback in the negative emotional context.

Exploring the roles of fear and powerlessness in the relationship between perceived risk of the COVID-19 pandemic and information-avoidance behavior.

The COVID-19 has seriously impacted various aspects of the society on a global scale. However, it is still unclear how perceived risk influences epidemic information-avoidance behavior which generally helps us understand public information avoidance. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the perceived epidemic risk and information-avoidance behavior and the mediating role of fear and powerlessness during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. A total of 557 Chinese respondents with COVID-19 treated in modular hospitals ranging from 16 to 72 years old were recruited and completed questionnaires in the face-to-face manner containing scales of the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19, fear, powerlessness, and information-avoidance behavior. To test the conceptual model, we adopted structural equation modeling (SEM) with the perceived risk of the COVID-19 pandemic as a predictor, fear and powerlessness as mediating variables, and information-avoidance behavior as the outcome. The results indicated a significant and positive association between the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 and information-avoidance behavior. Powerlessness acted as the mediator between the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 and information-avoidance behavior. The perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 influenced information-avoidance behavior through fear and powerlessness in turn. Findings from this study implied that public health managers should consider the mediating roles of negative emotions such as fear and powerlessness for coping with behaviors in public health emergencies, especially the information avoidance behaviors related to risk perception.

Two inconsistent rounds of feedback enhance the framing effect: Coding two consecutive outcome evaluations.

Previous experience often guides people's decision-making. How the corresponding consecutive outcomes in the gain-loss frame modulate feedback evaluation in dynamic situations remains unclear. In this study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) with a Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) to investigate the effect of the consistency with previous feedback on current choices under the gain-loss frame and the neural mechanism by coding ERP signals evoked by consecutive outcomes among adults (N = 42). Results indicated that the framing effect on feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitudes following current feedback in decision-making was insensitive to prior feedback. In contrast, the P300 amplitudes following two inconsistent consecutive rounds of feedback were greater than that following two consistent consecutive rounds of feedback in the gain frame, while this effect was absent in the loss frame, revealing a more significant valance-framing effect. These findings demonstrate that two inconsistent rounds of feedback enhance the framing effect, and suggest that the framing effect is sensitive to prior feedback in a late cognitive appraisal stage in decision-making under uncertainty, rather than in an early feedback processing stage. The present study provides novel insights into how consecutive outcomes in the gain-loss frame modulate feedback evaluation in dynamic situations.

Money priming enhances sensitivity to the outcome feedback of decision-making under uncertainty: Evidence from an ERP study.

Money is the most common medium of exchange and plays an important role in our daily life. However, current literature has not yet specifically touched on the influence of money priming on decision-making behaviour under uncertainty and related neural mechanisms. In this study, we used event-related potentials with an adapted version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) paradigm to examine brain activity related to the effects of money priming on outcome evaluation in decision-making under uncertainty. Reward positivity (RewP) and P300 components were analysed with respect to feedback valence (win vs. loss) and priming condition (money vs. neutral). The ERP results demonstrated that when individuals made decisions after having been primed with the monetary concept, the positive outcome feedback evoked a larger RewP component than after they had been primed with neutral stimuli. Conversely, there was no significant money priming effect when the outcome feedback was negative. In contrast, when individuals made decisions after having been primed with the monetary concept, the negative outcome feedback evoked a larger P300 than after they had been primed with neutral stimuli, whereas there was no significant money priming effect when the outcome feedback was positive. Our findings, thus, indicate that the brain response to money priming effects on the outcome evaluation in the BART occurs at both an early semi-automatic processing stage and a later cognitive appraisal stage. They further suggest that individuals prefer achieving financial gains at first and then focus on preventing financial losses in the money priming condition relative to the neutral priming condition.

Investigation of properties change in the reacted molten salts after molten chlorides cyclic thermal treatment of toxic MSWI fly ash.

To realize the thermal detoxification of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash in a relatively mild environment, molten salts thermal treatment technology was proposed in our previous research, which showed good effects. To investigate the properties of molten salts (NaCl-CaCl2) during cycling reusing, the change of the main components and the physical properties of the used molten salts were estimated. Results showed that the salts in fly ash would dissolve into molten salts. During this process, the concentration of K+, SO42- kept increasing while Cl- was decreased. The changing trend of Na+ and Ca2+ was dependent on the ratio of Ca/Na in raw fly ash. Ca(OH)2 in fly ash would react with CaCl2 to form CaClOH. Moreover, the introduction of the salt components on the thermal properties of molten salts were also studied. The melting point hardly changed by NaCl, CaSO4, and SiO2. Nevertheless, it was lowered to 431 °C with 15% CaCO3 addition, while increased to 523 °C with 20% KCl. Besides, there were no significant influences on the viscosity, stability, and thermal diffusivity of molten salts. KCl had the greatest influence on the specific heat capacity of molten salt, with an increase of about 20%.

Inter-brain neural mechanism underlying turn-based interaction under acute stress in women: a hyperscanning study using functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

With the ever-changing social environment, stress has exerted a substantial influence on social interaction. The present study examined the underlying cognitive and neural mechanism on how acute stress affected the real-time cooperative and competitive interaction with four hypothesized path models. We used the hyperscanning technique based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device to examine brain-to-brain coherence within the dyads engaging Pattern Game under acute stress manipulated through Trier Social Stress Test for Groups. Behavioral results showed stressed dyads exhibited better cooperative performance and higher self-other overlap level during the cooperative session than dyads in the control group. The fNIRS results identified higher interpersonal brain synchronization in the right temporal-parietal junction (r-TPJ) stronger Granger causality from partner-to-builder during the cooperative session in the stress group when compared with the control group. Our results corroborated better performance in the cooperative context and further identified that brain-to-brain coherence in r-TPJ and self-other overlap serially mediated the effect of acute stress on cooperative performance.

State Boredom Partially Accounts for Gender Differences in Novel Lexicon Learning.

Gender plays an important role in various aspects of second language acquisition, including lexicon learning. Many studies have suggested that compared to males, females are less likely to experience boredom, one of the frequently experienced deactivating negative emotions that may impair language learning. However, the contribution of boredom to gender-related differences in lexicon learning remains unclear. To address this question, here we conducted two experiments with a large sample of over 1,000 college students to explore the relationships between gender differences in boredom and lexicon learning. In Experiment 1, a cohort of 527 participants (238 males) completed the trait and state boredom scales as well as a novel lexicon learning task without awareness of the testing process. In Experiment 2, an independent cohort of 506 participants (228 males) completed the same novel lexicon learning task with prior knowledge of the testing procedure. Results from both experiments consistently showed significant differences between female and male participants in the rate of forgetting words and the state boredom scores, with female participants performing better than male participants. Furthermore, differences in state boredom scores partially explained differences in the rate of forgetting words between female and male participants. These findings demonstrate a novel contribution of state boredom to gender differences in lexicon learning, which provides new insights into better language-learning ability in females.

Social relationship modulates advisor's brain response to advice-giving outcome evaluation: Evidence from an event-related potential study.

Introduction: Advice-giving is a double-edged sword in social interaction, which could bring benefits or considerable losses for the advisee. However, whether the social relationship affects the time course of advisor's brain response to outcome evaluation after the advice-giving remains unclear. Methods: In the present study, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the modulation of social relationships on advisor's outcome feedback processing after the advice-giving and related neural activities. Results: The results showed larger feedback-related negativity (FRN) to a loss than to a gain both when the friends accepted and rejected the advice, whereas this effect only existed when the strangers rejected the advice, but not when they accepted it. In contrast, the P3 results demonstrated the enhanced neural sensitivity when the strangers accepted the advice than rejected it despite leading to a loss, while a larger P3 amplitude was found when the friends accepted the advice than rejected it and brought a gain. The theta oscillation results in the friend group revealed stronger theta power to loss when the advisee accepted the advice than rejected it. However, this effect was absent in the stranger group. Discussion: These results suggested that outcome evaluation in advice-giving was not only influenced by feedback valence and social reward, but also modulated by social relationships. Our findings contributed to the understanding of the neural mechanisms of advice-giving outcome evaluation in a social context.