Institute of Psychology,Chinese Academy Of Sciences
Not a member yet
6627 research outputs found
Sort by
Disrupted thalamo-cortical connectivity in schizophrenia: A morphometric correlation analysis
No full textIncreasing studies have implicated the thalamus in schizophrenia, supporting the view that this structure has an important role in this disorder. Given that extensive reciprocal connections exist between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex, it is believed that disruptions of the thalamo-cortical connections may underlie the multiplicity of schizophrenic symptoms. Therefore, assessing the relationship between the thalamus and the neocortex may provide new insights into the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We analyzed magnetic resonance images from a sample of 101 schizophrenic patients and 101 healthy controls. By assessing the correlation between the thalamic volume and cortical thickness at each vertex on the cortical surface, a thalamo-cortical network was obtained for each group. We compared the patterns of thalamo-cortical connectivity between the two groups. Compared with healthy controls, less distributed cortical regions were identified in the thalamocortical network in patients with schizophrenia. Vertex-wise comparison revealed decreased thalamo-cortical connectivity in bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, the left superior temporal gyrus and the right parieto-occipital region in schizophrenia. The observed disruptions in thalamo-cortical connectivity might be the substrate underlying the wide range of schizophrenic symptoms and provide further evidence to support the notion of schizophrenia as a disorder of brain dysconnectivity. (C) 2014 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved
Multimodal intervention in older adults improves resting-state functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe
No full textThe prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe are particularly vulnerable to the effects of aging. The disconnection between them is suggested to be an important cause of cognitive decline in normal aging. Here, using multimodal intervention training, we investigated the functional plasticity in resting-state connectivity of these two regions in older adults. The multimodal intervention, comprised of cognitive training, Tai Chi exercise, and group counseling, was conducted to explore the regional connectivity changes in the default mode network, as well as changes in prefrontal-based voxel-wise connectivity in the whole brain. Results showed that the intervention selectively affected resting-state functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and medial temporal lobe. Moreover, the strength of resting-state functional connectivity between these regions correlated with individual cognitive performance. Our results suggest that multimodal intervention could postpone the effects of aging and improve the function of the regions that are most heavily influenced by aging, as well as play an important role in preserving the brain and cognition during old age
D-ribosylation induces cognitive impairment through RAGE-dependent astrocytic inflammation
No full textNon-enzymatic glycation of proteins by reducing saccharides for instance D-glucose is an important post-translational modification regulating protein function. Already two centuries ago, D-glucose (Glc) was identified in the urine of diabetic patients. Recently, abnormally high level of D-ribose (Rib) in the urine of type 2 diabetics has been discovered, which is highly active in protein glycation, resulting in the production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Accumulation of AGEs leads to altered cellular function, for example AGE accumulation in the nervous system impairs cognitive ability, yet the mechanisms mediating this process for Rib are unknown. Here we found that treatment with Rib accelerated AGE formation in U251 and U87MG astrocytoma cells and in mouse brain, inducing upregulation of receptor for AGEs (RAGE). Astrocytoma cells with elevated levels of RAGE displayed enhanced activity of the proinflammatory nuclear transcription factor kappaB and increased expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Moreover, injection of Rib induced astrocyte activation in mouse hippocampus and impaired spatial learning and memory abilities. These results indicate that mouse spatial cognitive impairment caused by Rib-derived AGEs is correlated with activation of an astrocyte-mediated, RAGE-dependent inflammatory response. This study may provide insights into the mechanism of Rib-involved cognitive impairments and diabetic encephalopathy
Long-Term Exposure to High Altitude Affects Voluntary Spatial Attention at Early and Late Processing Stages
No full textThe neurocognitive basis of the effect of long-term high altitude exposure on voluntary attention is unclear. Using event related potentials, the high altitude group (people born in low altitude but who had lived at high altitude for 3 years) and the low altitude group (living in low altitude only) were investigated using a voluntary spatial attention discrimination task under high and low perceptual load conditions. The high altitude group responded slower than the low altitude group, while bilateral N1 activity was found only in the high altitude group. The P3 amplitude was smaller in the high altitude compared to the low altitude group only under high perceptual load. These results suggest that long-term exposure to high altitudes causes hemispheric compensation during discrimination processes at early processing stages and reduces attentional resources at late processing stages. In addition, the effect of altitude during the late stage is affected by perceptual load
A REEXAMINATION OF THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE FRAMING EFFECT IN COGNITIVE PROCESSING
No full textWe conducted 2 experiments on the framing effect; recording reaction times in the first using a questionnaire and in the second using a computer-programmed procedure. We found that a positive framing effect caused participants to make faster decisions and show an intuitive, heuristic, decision-making pattern; whereas a negative framing effect caused participants to make slower decisions and show a rational, analytical, decision-making pattern. These results suggest that when decision-making time is not strictly controlled, other potential factors such as individual and cultural differences may influence the robustness of the framing effect
Disrupted cortical network as a vulnerability marker for obsessive-compulsive disorder
No full textMorphological alterations of brain structure are generally assumed to be involved in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Yet, little is known about the morphological connectivity properties of structural brain networks in OCD or about the heritability of those morphological connectivity properties. To better understand these properties, we conducted a study that defined three different groups: OCD group with 30 subjects, siblings group with 19 subjects, and matched controls group with 30 subjects. A structural brain network was constructed using 68 cortical regions of each subject within their respective group (i.e., one brain network for each group). Both small-worldness and modularity were measured to reflect the morphological connectivity properties of each constructed structural brain network. When compared to the matched controls, the structural brain networks of patients with OCD indeed exhibited atypical small-worldness and modularity. Specifically, small-worldness showed decreased local efficiency, and modularity showed reduced intra-connectivity in Module III (default mode network) and increased interconnectivity between Module I (executive function) and Module II (cognitive control/spatial). Intriguingly, the structured brain networks of the unaffected siblings showed similar small-worldness and modularity as OCD patients. Based on the atypical structural brain networks observed in OCD patients and their unaffected siblings, abnormal small-worldness and modularity may indicate a candidate endophenotype for OCD
Disrutpted resting-state functional architecture of the brain after 45-day simulated microgravity
No full textLong-term spaceflight induces both physiological and psychological changes in astronauts. To understand the neural mechanisms underlying these physiological and psychological changes, it is critical to investigate the effects of microgravity on the functional architecture of the brain. In this study, we used resting-state functional M RI (rs-fMR I) to study whether the functional architecture of the brain is altered after 45 days of -6 degrees head-down tilt (HDT) bed rest, which is a reliable model for the simulation of microgravity. Sixteen healthy male volunteers underwent rs-fMRI scans before and after 45 days of -6 degrees HDT bed rest. Specifically, we used a commonly employed graph-based measure of network organization, i.e., degree centrality (DC), to perform a full-brain exploration of the regions that were influenced by simulated microgravity. We subsequently examined the functional connectivities of these regions using a seed-based resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis. We found decreased DC in two regions, the left anterior insula (aINS) and the anterior part of the middle cingulate cortex (MCC; also called the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in many studies), in the male volunteers after 45 days of -6 degrees HDT bed rest. Furthermore, seed-based RSFC analyses revealed that a functional network anchored in the aINS and MCC was particularly influenced by simulated microgravity. These results provide evidence that simulated microgravity alters the resting-state functional architecture of the brains of males and suggest that the processing of salience information, which is primarily subserved by the aINS MCC functional network, is particularly influenced by spaceflight. The current findings provide a new perspective for understanding the relationships between microgravity, cognitive function, autonomic neural function, and central neural activity
Attentional bias toward safety predicts safety behaviors
No full textSafety studies have primarily focused on how explicit processes and measures affect safety behavior and subsequent accidents and injuries. Recently, safety researchers have paid greater attention to the role of implicit processes. Our research focuses on the role of attentional bias toward safety (ABS) in workplace safety. ABS is a basic, early-stage cognitive process involving the automatic and selective allocation of attentional resources toward safety cues, which reflect the implicit motivational state of employees regarding safety goal. In this study, we used two reaction time-based paradigms to measure the ABS of employees in three studies: two modified Stroop tasks (Studies 1 and 2) and a visual dot-probe task (Study 3). Results revealed that employees with better safety behavior showed significant ABS (Study 2), and greater ABS than employees with poorer safety behavior (Studies 1 and 2). Moreover, ABS was positively associated with the perceived safety climate and safety motivation of employees, both of which mediate the effect of ABS on safety behavior (Study 3). These results contributed to a deeper understanding of how early-stage automatic perceptual processing affects safety behavior. The practical implications of these results were also discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Development of self-control in children aged 3 to 9 years: Perspective from a dual-systems model
No full textThe current study tested a set of interrelated theoretical propositions based on a dual-systems model of self-control. Data were collected from 2135 children aged 3 to 9 years. The results suggest that (a) there was positive growth in good self-control, whereas poor control remained relatively stable; and (b) girls performed better than boys on tests of good self-control. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for a dual-systems model of self-control theory and future empirical work
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated glutamate transmission in nucleus accumbens plays a more important role than that in dorsal striatum in cognitive flexibility
No full textCognitive flexibility is a critical ability for adapting to an ever-changing environment in humans and animals. Deficits in cognitive flexibility are observed in most schizophrenia patients. Previous studies reported that the medial prefrontal cortex-to-ventral striatum and orbital frontal cortex-to-dorsal striatum circuits play important roles in extra- and intra-dimensional strategy switching, respectively. However, the precise function of striatal subregions in flexible behaviors is still unclear. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are major glutamate receptors in the striatum that receive glutamatergic projections from the frontal cortex. The membrane insertion of Ca2+-permeable alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptors (AMPARs) depends on NMDAR activation and is required in learning and memory processes. In the present study, we measured set shifting and reversal learning performance in operant chambers in rats and assessed the effects of blocking NMDARs and Ca2+-permeable AMPARs in striatal subregions on behavioral flexibility. The blockade of NMDARs in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core by AP5 impaired set-shifting ability by causing a failure to modify prior learning. The suppression of NMDAR-mediated transmission in the NAc shell induced a deficit in set shifting by disrupting the learning and maintenance of novel strategies. During reversal learning, infusions of AP5 into the NAc shell and core impaired the ability to learn and maintain new strategies. However, behavioral flexibility was not significantly affected by blocking NMDARs in the dorsal striatum. We also found that the blockade of Ca2+-permeable AMPARs by NASPM in any subregion of the striatum did not affect strategy switching. These findings suggest that NMDAR-mediated glutamate transmission in the NAc contributes more to cognitive execution compared with the dorsal striatum
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Institute of Psychology,Chinese Academy Of Sciences? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!