Embodying Time in the Brain: A Multi-Dimensional Neuroimaging Meta-Analysis of 95 Duration Processing Studies.

Time is an omnipresent aspect of almost everything we experience internally or in the external world. The experience of time occurs through such an extensive set of contextual factors that, after decades of research, a unified understanding of its neural substrates is still elusive. In this study, following the recent best-practice guidelines, we conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis of 95 carefully-selected neuroimaging papers of duration processing. We categorized the included papers into 14 classes of temporal features according to six categorical dimensions. Then, using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) technique we investigated the convergent activation patterns of each class with a cluster-level family-wise error correction at p < 0.05. The regions most consistently activated across the various timing contexts were the pre-SMA and bilateral insula, consistent with an embodied theory of timing in which abstract representations of duration are rooted in sensorimotor and interoceptive experience, respectively. Moreover, class-specific patterns of activation could be roughly divided according to whether participants were timing auditory sequential stimuli, which additionally activated the dorsal striatum and SMA-proper, or visual single interval stimuli, which additionally activated the right middle frontal and inferior parietal cortices. We conclude that temporal cognition is so entangled with our everyday experience that timing stereotypically common combinations of stimulus characteristics reactivates the sensorimotor systems with which they were first experienced.

Brain waves and landscape settings: emotional responses to attractiveness.

Neuro-architecture is a specific branch of architecture that studies how the physical environment can change our mental processes and influence our behaviors. One of the main purposes of this field is to use changes in brain activities as a measure to quantify attractiveness of the landscapes. In this study, we investigated how changes in elements of attractiveness influence ones' emotional perception and present the related pattern of changes in brain activities. Therefore, we implied five elements of attractiveness including mystery, visual openness, landscape or greenness, walkability, and social interaction using the Delphi method. Then, we made changes in each element separately to make the landscape more attractive and assessed their effects on a group of young adults. We used the self-assessment manikin questionnaire to measure the participants' emotional perception while the participants' brain activities were recorded using a 32-channel EEG while exposed to the landscape images. The results showed that changes in attractive elements of the landscape could significantly improve ones' emotional perception of the landscape. In addition, these changes are perceived by changing the oscillatory pattern of brain activities. We hope these findings could shed a light to use of neural markers in measurement of place attractiveness.

Development of a real-world simulated instrument for evaluating visuospatial working memory: a preliminary psychometric study on older adults.

BACKGROUND: A prevalent challenge in neuropsychological assessment, particularly when utilizing instruments designed for controlled laboratory environments, is that the outcomes may not correspond to an individual's real-life status. Accordingly, assessments of visuospatial working memory (VSWM) conducted in such settings might fail to capture certain facets of this function, as it operates in real life. On the other hand, entirely ecological assessments may risk compromising internal validity. This study aimed to develop an intermediate mode of assessment that measures VSWM in older adults by employing a setting, a task, and a response format that aligns closely with both laboratory and ecological assessments. Furthermore, a preliminary investigation was carried out to study the variations in spatial cognition among different demographic groups. METHODS: In a two-session study, 77 healthy older adults, eight patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and seven patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) were recruited to complete the wayfinding questionnaire (WQ), the Corsi block-tapping task (CBTT), and the Spatial Memory Table (SMT). The SMT is a novel instrument developed specifically for this study, aiming to provide a more accurate measure of VSWM performance in older adults' everyday life. Test-retest and split-half reliabilities, as well as the face, content, concurrent, convergent, and known-groups validities, were analyzed to investigate the psychometric properties of the SMT. RESULTS: The analyses were mainly centered on studying the psychometric properties of the SMT. Test-retest reliability (r = .753, p < .001) and split-half reliability (ρSC = 0.747) were found to be acceptable. Concurrent validity using CBTT (r = .264, p = .021), convergent validity using WQ subscales (navigation and orientation: r = .282, p = .014; distance estimation: r = .261, p = .024), and known-groups validity using the SMT scores among people with MCI and AD (χ2 = 35.194, df = 2, p < .001) were also indicative of the instrument's good validity. Data analysis also revealed acceptable levels of face validity (U = 4.50; p = .095) and content validity (CVR ≥ 0.60). As a result of comparing VSWM and wayfinding variables across genders and education levels, a significant difference was observed for navigation and orientation and spatial anxiety between women and men (p < .05). None of the variables were different among education levels. CONCLUSION: The SMT was found to be a reliable and valid tool for measuring VSWM performance in older adults. Given these findings, the SMT can be regarded as a measure that sufficiently approximates both laboratory and real-life demands for VSWM. Additionally, the instrument demonstrated a preliminary acceptable capacity to differentiate between healthy individuals and those with MCI and AD.

Decoupling of regional neural activity and inter-regional functional connectivity in Alzheimer's disease: a simultaneous PET/MR study.

PURPOSE: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are characterized by both aberrant regional neural activity and disrupted inter-regional functional connectivity (FC). However, the effect of AD/MCI on the coupling between regional neural activity (measured by regional fluorodeoxyglucose imaging (rFDG)) and inter-regional FC (measured by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI)) is poorly understood. METHODS: We scanned 19 patients with MCI, 33 patients with AD, and 26 healthy individuals by simultaneous FDG-PET/rs-fMRI and assessed rFDG and inter-regional FC metrics (i.e., clustering coefficient and degree centrality). Next, we examined the potential moderating effect of disease status (MCI or AD) on the link between rFDG and inter-regional FC metrics using hierarchical moderated multiple regression analysis. We also tested this effect by considering interaction between disease status and inter-regional FC metrics, as well as interaction between disease status and rFDG. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that both rFDG and inter-regional FC metrics were disrupted in MCI and AD. Moreover, AD altered the relationship between rFDG and inter-regional FC metrics. In particular, we found that AD moderated the effect of inter-regional FC metrics of the caudate, parahippocampal gyrus, angular gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, frontal pole, inferior temporal gyrus, middle frontal, lateral occipital, supramarginal gyrus, precuneus, and thalamus on predicting their rFDG. On the other hand, AD moderated the effect of rFDG of the parietal operculum on predicting its inter-regional FC metric. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that AD decoupled the link between regional neural activity and functional segregation and global connectivity across particular brain regions.

Classifying ADHD subtypes/presentations considering the joint effect of three levels of investigation.

AIM: Discriminant validity of the Attention Deficits/Hyperactive Disorders (ADHD) subtypes/presentations is not yet clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate joint contribution of the strongest factors of the three dimensions, namely psychopathology, neuropsychology and electrophysiology for subtyping of presentations. METHOD: A sample of 104 boys aged 7-12 years was subdivided into three groups with ADHD combined (n = 22), inattentive (n = 25) and hyperactive/impulsive subtype (n = 14), and 43 typically developing controls (TDC). Children were investigated regarding the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Integrated Visual and Auditory Test (IVA), and EEG spectral power during eyes closed resting state. Subsequently, statistical analysis included discriminant functional analysis and principle component analysis. RESULTS: Neuropsychological parameters had the highest contribution in classifying of the groups. EEG parameters had no effect on differentiation of the groups, and among the psychopathological parameters, only the oppositional behavioral disorder score contributed to correctly classify 74.3% of the groups. Furthermore, we found four factors with eigenvalues higher than 1 in the ADHD and typical groups, with one factor characterized by four CBCL scales, another one by auditory and visual vigilance, speed and beta band power, the third by auditory and visual prudence, and forth by theta band power. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that ADHD subtypes/presentations can be differentiated from each other at different levels of investigation despite some clinical symptoms overlap. The results suggested that not only psychopathology but also the impairment of sensory processing should be assessed in children with ADHD in order to use this additional information for a jointly multilevel clinical intervention, which may improve treatment success.

Imaging genomics discovery of a new risk variant for Alzheimer's disease in the postsynaptic SHARPIN gene.

Molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) are difficult to investigate, partly because diagnosis lags behind the insidious pathological processes. Therefore, identifying AD neuroimaging markers and their genetic modifiers may help study early mechanisms of neurodegeneration. We aimed to identify brain regions of the highest vulnerability to AD using a data-driven search in the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI, n = 1,100 subjects), and further explored genetic variants affecting this critical brain trait using both ADNI and the younger UK Biobank cohort (n = 8,428 subjects). Tensor-Based Morphometry (TBM) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) identified the limbic system and its interconnecting white-matter as the most AD-vulnerable brain feature. Whole-genome analysis revealed a common variant in SHARPIN that was associated with this imaging feature (rs34173062, p = 2.1 × 10-10 ). This genetic association was validated in the UK Biobank, where it was correlated with entorhinal cortical thickness bilaterally (p = .002 left and p = 8.6 × 10-4 right), and with parental history of AD (p = 2.3 × 10-6 ). Our findings suggest that neuroanatomical variation in the limbic system and AD risk are associated with a novel variant in SHARPIN. The role of this postsynaptic density gene product in ß1-integrin adhesion is in line with the amyloid precursor protein (APP) intracellular signaling pathway and the recent genome-wide evidence.

Alteration of perceived emotion and brain functional connectivity by changing the musical rhythmic pattern.

The arrangement of musical notes and their time intervals, also known as musical rhythm is one of the core elements of music. Nevertheless, the cognitive process and neural mechanism of the human brain that underlay the perception of musical rhythm are poorly understood. In this study, we hypothesized that changes in musical rhythmic patterns alter the emotional content expressed by music and the way it is perceived, that assumably causes specific changes in the brain functional connectome. Therefore, 18 male children aged 10-14 years old were recruited and exposed to 12 musical excerpts while their brain's electrical activity was recorded using a 32-channel EEG recorder. The musical rhythmic patterns were changed by manipulating only note values in beats while keeping time signature and other elements in a fixed state. The experienced emotions were assessed using a 2-dimensional self-assessment manikin questionnaire. The behavioral data showed that an increase in the complexity of musical rhythmic patterns significantly enhances perceived valence and arousal levels. In addition, the pattern of brain functional connectivity was also estimated using the weighted phase lag index and their association with behavioral changes was calculated. Interestingly, the behavioral changes were mainly associated with alteration of brain functional connectivity at the alpha band in the fronto-central connections. These results emphasize the important role of the motor cortical site-fronto-central connections, in the perception of musical rhythmic pattern. These findings may improve conception of the underlying brain mechanism involved in the perception of musical rhythm.

Exploring the neuropsychological basis of behavioral contagion during learning about another agent's social preferences: Evidence from an ERP study.

Social contagion is a pervasive phenomenon and an important social influence that involves the rapid dissemination (propagation) of behaviors, attitudes, emotions, or ideas from one person to another, often without conscious reflection or rational thought. This phenomenon is closely related to conformity, by which a person changes his/her original ideas and attitude and imitates certain behavior of others. Although some behavioral research has been carried out on contagion and conformity, there is very little neuropsychological understanding of these phenomena. Existing research on social influence and conformity has predominantly focused on tasks like mental rotation or rating tasks involving facial expressions, with fewer studies exploring risk preferences and temporal discounting. However, there is a notable gap in the literature when it comes to examining social influence and conformity using other­regarding preference models derived from heterodox economics. To address this research gap, the present study investigates the neuropsychological underpinnings of social contagion by utilizing event­related potentials (ERPs) recorded while subjects engage in mini­dictator games. The behavioral analysis revealed that contagion had an impact on the participants' preferences, leading to a change in their choices. We observed a P300 component in the midline and right posterior during the time window of 200­350 ms after stimulus onset, which showed a significant increase in mean amplitude when participants observed others' behavior, compared to when they made decisions based on their own preferences. Moreover, the lack of late positive potential in the time window of 500­650 ms suggests that the presence of P300 may indicate difficulty in making decisions. In summary, by analyzing both behavioral and ERP data, this study may provide a more comprehensive understanding of the cognitive and neural processes that drive conformity and contagion behavior. Our analysis has the potential to inform policymakers in developing effective interventions for promoting positive social behaviors and reducing negative ones.

Variability of Postural Coordination in Dual-Task Paradigm.

Postural control is influenced by cognition. In most studies, variability of motor output has been considered regardless of variability in patterns of joint coordination. Uncontrolled manifold framework has been applied to decompose the joint's variance in two components. The first component leaves position of the center of mass in anterior-posterior direction (CoMAP) unchanged (VUCM) while the second component is in charge of variations of CoM (VORT). In this study, 30 healthy young volunteers were recruited. The experimental protocol consisted of three random conditions: quiet standing on a narrow wooden block without a cognitive task (NB), quiet standing on a narrow wooden block with an easy cognitive task (NBE), and quiet standing on a narrow wooden block with a difficult cognitive task (NBD). Results showed that CoMAP sway in NB condition was higher than both NBE and NBD conditions (p = .001). VORT in NB condition was higher than NBE and NBD conditions (p = .003). VORT in NB condition was higher than NBE and NBD conditions (p = .003). VUCM was unchanged in all conditions (p = 1.00) and synergy index in NB condition was smaller than NBE and NBD conditions (p = .006). These results showed that postural synergies increased under dual-task conditions.

Dysfunctional feedback processing in male methamphetamine abusers: Evidence from neurophysiological and computational approaches.

Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) as a major public health risk is associated with dysfunctional neural feedback processing. Although dysfunctional feedback processing in people who are substance dependent has been explored in several behavioral, computational, and electrocortical studies, this mechanism in MUDs requires to be well understood. Furthermore, the current understanding of latent components of their behavior such as learning speed and exploration-exploitation dilemma is still limited. In addition, the association between the latent cognitive components and the related neural mechanisms also needs to be explored. Therefore, in this study, the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms of feedback processing of such impairment, and age/gender-matched healthy controls are evaluated within a probabilistic learning task with rewards and punishments. Mathematical modeling results based on the Q-learning paradigm suggested that MUDs show less sensitivity in distinguishing optimal options. Additionally, it may be worth noting that MUDs exhibited a slight decrease in their ability to learn from negative feedback compared to healthy controls. Also through the lens of underlying neural mechanisms, MUDs showed lower theta power at the medial-frontal areas while responding to negative feedback. However, other EEG measures of reinforcement learning including feedback-related negativity, parietal-P300, and activity flow from the medial frontal to lateral prefrontal regions, remained intact in MUDs. On the other hand, the elimination of the linkage between value sensitivity and medial-frontal theta activity in MUDs was observed. The observed dysfunction could be due to the adverse effects of methamphetamine on the cortico-striatal dopamine circuit, which is reflected in the anterior cingulate cortex activity as the most likely region responsible for efficient behavior adjustment. These findings could help us to pave the way toward tailored therapeutic approaches.

A Comparative Evaluation of Error Processing Performance and its Relationship with Cognitive Function in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease, Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Normal Controls Using the Event-Related Potentials.

Background: Some pathological changes occur in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) prior to the onset of clinical symptoms. Objective: In the present study, we aimed to investigate the potential of event-related potential (ERP) components in error processing performance as a neuromarker of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and transition to AD and their relation with cognitive functions. Methods: We conducted an evaluation of 16 patients diagnosed with AD, 16 patients with MCI, and 15 normal controls using three subtests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Testing Automated Battery (CANTAB). The ERP components of error processing were extracted and compared among the three groups using a modified version of the Eriksen flanker task. Additionally, we assessed the correlation between the cognitive results and the ERP components. Results: Significant differences were observed among the three groups in terms of providing correct responses following errors and the amplitude of error-related negativity (ERN). These differences were also significant between all paired groups. Regarding other ERP components of error processing and the peak latency of ERN, no significant differences were observed among the three groups. The findings revealed that the spatial working memory and new learning were correlated with the amplitude of ERN. Conclusions: In the context of error processing performance, both the accuracy of responses following an error and the amplitude of ERN can be considered as indicators of MCI and its progression to AD. The present findings do not support the use of other error processing components as differential markers in the three groups.

Paranormal believers show reduced resting EEG beta band oscillations and inhibitory control than skeptics.

Paranormal believers' thinking is frequently biased by intuitive beliefs. Lack of inhibition of these tempting beliefs is considered a key element in paranormal believers' thinking. However, the brain activity related to inhibitory control in paranormal believers is poorly understood. We examined EEG activities at resting state in alpha, beta, and gamma bands with inhibitory control in paranormal believers and skeptics. The present study shows that paranormal belief is related to the reduced power of the alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands, and reduced inhibitory control. This study may contribute to understanding the differences between believers and skeptics in brain activity related to inhibitory control in paranormal believers.

Impact of negative links on the structural balance of brain functional network during emotion processing.

Activation of specific brain areas and synchrony between them has a major role in process of emotions. Nevertheless, impact of anti-synchrony (negative links) in this process still requires to be understood. In this study, we hypothesized that quantity and topology of negative links could influence a network stability by changing of quality of its triadic associations. Therefore, a group of healthy participants were exposed to pleasant and unpleasant images while their brain responses were recorded. Subsequently, functional connectivity networks were estimated and quantity of negative links, balanced and imbalanced triads, tendency to make negative hubs, and balance energy levels of two conditions were compared. The findings indicated that perception of pleasant stimuli was associated with higher amount of negative links with a lower tendency to make a hub in theta band; while the opposite scenario was observed in beta band. It was accompanied with smaller number of imbalanced triads and more stable network in theta band, and smaller number of balanced triads and less stable network in beta band. The findings highlighted that inter regional communications require less changes to receive new information from unpleasant stimuli, although by decrement in beta band stability prepares the network for the upcoming events.

The Brain Networks Basis for Deductive and Inductive Reasoning: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Introduction: Frontoparietal (FPN) and cingulo-opercular network (CON) control cognitive functions needed in deductive and inductive reasoning via different functional frameworks. The FPN is a fast intuitive system while the CON is slow and analytical. The default-interventionist model presents a serial view of the interaction between intuitive and analytic cognitive systems. This study aims to examine the activity pattern of the FPN and CON from the perspective of the default-interventionist model via reasoning. Methods: We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate cingulo-opercular and frontoparietal network activities in 24 healthy university students during Raven and Wason reasoning tasks. Due to the different operation times of the CON and FPN, the reaction time was assessed as a behavioral factor. Results: During Raven's advanced progressive matrices (RAPM) test, both the CON and FPN were activated. Also, with the increase in the difficulty level of the Raven test, a linear increase in response time was observed. In contrast, during the Wason's selection task (WST) test, only the activity of FPN was observed. Conclusion: The results of the study support the hypothesis that the default-interventionist model of dual-process theory provides an accurate explanation of the cognitive mechanisms involved in reasoning. Thus, the response method (intuitive/analytical) determines which cognitive skills and brain regions are involved in responding. Highlights: The cingulo-opercular and fronto-parietal networks (FPNs) control cognitive functions and processes.The frontoparietal network is a fast intuitive system that utilizes short-time attention which is compatible with type 1 processing. In contrast, the cingulo-opercular network (CON) is an analytical time-consuming system that utilizes attention and working memory for a longer time, compatible with type 2 processing.The default-interventionist model of a dual-process theory states that our behaviors are controlled by type 1 processing unless we are confronted with novel and complex problems in which we have no prior experiences. Plain Language Summary: The present study examined the activity of two task-based brain networks through performing diffrent type of reasoning tasks. Fronto-parietal and Cingulo-opercular are the two task-based brain networks that are responsible for cognitive control. These two brain networks direct the way to use cognitive skills and executive functions which are necessary to perform cognitive tasks especially higher-order ones as reasoning tasks. Since the two types of inductive and deductive reasoning tasks requier two different bottom-up and top-down cognitive control respectively, different cognitive skills would be needed which affect the activity of fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular brain networks. Our results showed that through inductive reasoning task which examined by RAVEN, both of the fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular brain networks were activated but deductive reasoning task which examined by Wason Selection Card test, just the fronto-parietal brain network was activated. It seems that in the case of deductive reasoninf task, there is a higher probability of errors which lead to giving less correct responses. Based on our results, subjects paid not enough attention to details, so had failure to update informations that leaded to responding with errors. Inactivity of cingulo-opercular network through dedeuctive reasoning task clearly showed that the bottom-up cognitive control did not happen successfully. As a result of that, information processing did not proceed properly.

The Role of Cognitive Control in Paranormal Beliefs: A Study Based on Performance in Go/No-go Task.

Introduction: Cognitive control plays a role in human behavior and mental processes and affects paranormal beliefs. This study aims to investigate the role of cognitive control in paranormal beliefs using the go/no-go task. Methods: A total of 92 people were selected based on low, middle, and high scores in the revised paranormal belief scale (R-PBS) and assigned to 3 groups. The groups included 30 severe paranormal believers (13 females with a mean age of 25.3 years), 31 mild paranormal believers (14 females with a mean age of 26.4 years), and 31 skeptics (16 females with a mean age of 25.8 years). All participants were tested on the go/no-go task. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted with the given groups (severe paranormal believers, mild paranormal believers, and skeptics) as the independent variable and the go/no-go subscales scores as dependent variables. Results: The findings showed a significant difference between the mean scores in errors of go (F(2, 89)=7.20, P=0.01), errors of no-go (F(2, 89)=11.81, P=0.01), and reaction time (F(2, 89)=21.46, P=0.01) between the groups. Conclusion: The severe and mild paranormal believers had lower accuracy and slower reaction times than the skeptics group. Therefore, severe paranormal believers and mild paranormal believers had a weakness in all go/no-go subscale scores. This finding suggests that paranormal beliefs may be related to poor cognitive control. Highlights: Believers show weak cognitive control.Skeptics perform better in accuracy and reaction time.Paranormal beliefs linked to poor cognitive control. Plain Language Summary: This study explores why some people strongly believe in paranormal phenomena while others don't. This study investigated the connection between cognitive control (our ability to manage thoughts and behavior) and paranormal beliefs. They found that individuals with stronger paranormal beliefs had poorer cognitive control, as they made more errors and had slower reaction times compared to skeptics. However, it's important to note that this study doesn't prove causation; it only highlights a potential link that needs more research. Understanding this connection is important because it helps us grasp why some people are more prone to believing in paranormal events. It also opens up avenues for studying how cognitive control affects human behavior and thinking. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the relationship between cognitive control and paranormal beliefs, contributing to our understanding of human behavior and belief systems. More research can further deepen our knowledge of why people hold different beliefs and how cognitive processes influence those beliefs.

A wide range of Deep Brain Stimulation of the nucleus accumbens shell time independently reduces the extinction period and prevents the reinstatement of methamphetamine-seeking behavior in rats.

Methamphetamine (METH) addiction is a significant public health issue, and standard medical therapies are often not curative. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has recently shown the potential to cure addiction by modulating neural activity in specific brain circuits. Recent studies have revealed that the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) could serve as a promising target in treating addiction. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of NAcSh high- or low-frequency stimulation (HFS or LFS) in the different time points of application on the extinction and reinstatement of the METH-conditioned place preference (CPP). LFS or HFS (10 or 130 Hz, 150-200 µA, 100 µs) was delivered to the NAcSh for 30 min non-simultaneous (in a distinct non-drug environment) or simultaneous (in a drug-paired context) of the drug-free extinction sessions. The obtained results showed that both non-simultaneous and simultaneous treatments by HFS and LFS notably reduced the extinction period of METH-induced CPP. Furthermore, the data indicated that both non-synchronous and synchronous HFS prevented METH-primed reinstatement, while only the LFS synchronized group could block the reinstatement of METH-seeking behavior. The results also demonstrated that HFS was more effective than LFS in attenuating METH-primed reinstatement, and applying HFS synchronous was significantly more effective than HFS non-synchronous in reducing the relapse of drug-seeking. In conclusion, the current study's results suggest that DBS of the NAcSh in a wide range of frequencies (LFS and HFS) could affect addiction-related behaviors. However, it should be considered that the frequency and timing of DBS administration are among the critical determining factors.

Distinct suppressing effects of deep brain stimulation in the orbitofrontal cortex on the development, extinction, and reinstatement of methamphetamine-seeking behaviors.

AIMS: The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is implicated in compulsive drug-seeking and relapse, the characteristics that result in addiction treatment failure. Structural and functional impairments within the OFC have been detected in many substance use disorders (SUDs). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is proposed as a promising therapeutic option in treating SUDs. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the potential efficacy of DBS application on the various stages of the methamphetamine-conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in rats. MAIN METHODS: Electrodes were implanted unilaterally in the rat's right OFC. DBS in the form of high- or low-frequency stimulation (HFS: 130 Hz, LFS: 13 Hz) was applied during the 5-day conditioning phase (a daily 30-min session) or extinction period (30-min session, daily, ten days) of methamphetamine-induced CPP in two separate sets of experiments. Following extinction, place preference was reinstated by injecting a priming dose of methamphetamine (0.25 mg/kg). KEY FINDINGS: The HFS and LFS significantly decreased the methamphetamine place preference when applied over the conditioning period. In the extinction experiment, only HFS could remarkably accelerate the extinction of reward-context associations and even reduce the methamphetamine-induced reinstatement of seeking behaviors. SIGNIFICANCE: Conclusively, DBS administration in the OFC demonstrated some positive results, including suppressing effects on the development, maintenance, and relapse of methamphetamine-seeking behavior. These findings encourage conducting more preclinical studies to strongly suggest a wide range of DBS applications in cortical areas such as OFC as an efficient treatment modality for psychostimulant use disorder.

The Effect of Modeling Methods on Mirror Neuron Activity and a Motor Skill Acquisition and Retention.

Introduction: Mirror neurons have been suggested as a potential neural mechanism of observational learning. This study aims to investigate the effect of self-modeling, skilled model, and learning model on mu rhythm suppression and golf putting acquisition and retention. Methods: The study was conducted on 45 male volunteer students (aged 19.4±0.37 years) in three experimental groups, self-modeling, skilled, and learning models with six sessions of physical and observational training in three periods of pre-test, acquisition, and retention. In the pre-test, after the initial familiarity with the skill, participants performed 10 golf putting actions while scores were recorded. Then, electrical brain waves in C3, C4, and Cz regions were recorded during the observation of 10 golf putting actions by their group-related models. The acquisition period consisted of golf putting training during six sessions, each consisting of six blocks of 10 trials. Before each training block, participants observed golf putting related to their group 10 times in the form of a video. Acquisition and delayed retention tests were also performed by recording scores of 10 golf putting actions, as well as recording electrical brain waves while observing the skill performed by the related model. Results: Mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the mu rhythm suppression in the pre-test was more in the self-modeling group compared to the skilled model and learning model groups, but this suppression was not significantly different in all three groups in the acquisition and retention tests. In putting task variables, all three groups that had no significant difference in the pre-test period made considerable progress in learning the desired skill from the pre-test to the acquisition test, and this progress was somewhat stable until the retention test. Also, both in the acquisition and retention periods, the self-modeling group showed better performance than the other two groups; however, no significant difference was observed between these groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that the model-observer similarity is a crucial factor in modeling interventions and can affect the rate of mu rhythm suppression.

Sleep Micro-Macro-structures in Psychophysiological Insomnia. PSG Study.

Study Objectives: To address sleep micro-macro-structures in psychophysiological insomnia (PPI) as denoted by cyclic alternating pattern (CAP), Sleep spindles, and hyperarousal as microstructures and sleep characteristics such as sleep stages' variables, and heart rate as macrostructures. Methods: Two statistical populations, with 20 participants in each, are addressed: good sleepers (GS) and patients with psychophysiological insomnia (PPI). The sleep polysomnography (PSG) for one night was performed and sleep macro-micro-structures extraction was implemented for each participant. Cyclic alternating patterns were scored manually and other structures were monitored by the original PSG's device software. Analytical methods are used to dissect the results. Result: The findings imply: (a) psychophysiological insomnia is characterized by CAP differences from good sleepers which are associated with hyperarousal; (b) Regarding microstructure, more microarousals in sleep stages caused more number of wake index. (c) The ratio of sleep stages, sleep latency and heart rate as sleep macrostructure are significantly changed. (d) There is no significant difference between PPI and GS groups on spindles length in our research. Conclusion: Regarding all sleep disorders and especially PPI, CAP variables, EEG arousals, and sleep spindles as microstructures and Total Sleep Time, Sleep Latency, number of waking, REM duration, and Heart Rate as macrostructures were found to be critical for the diagnosis of psychophysiological insomnia The analysis contributes to understanding better approaches in the quantitative specification of psychophysiological insomnia compare to good sleepers.