RESUMEN
Sense of agency is the experience of control over one's own action and its consequent outcomes. The perceived time between a motor action and its consequent sensory outcomes (e.g., a flash of light) is shorter for a voluntary than involuntary action, a phenomenon known as intentional binding, which has been used extensively as an implicit measure of sense of agency. We developed a novel task in which participants had to respond whether a flash appeared immediately or with a delay relative to their voluntary action. We found that under high, but not low, uncertainty about the perceived time between voluntary finger movement and a subsequent flash of light, a prediction signal was generated in the right inferior parietal lobule prior to motor action. This prediction signal was linked to the emergence of a sudden insight solution (colloquially referred to as "Aha!" moment) in the right superior temporal gyrus prior to response. Single-trial event-related potential analysis revealed a reliable correlation between amplitudes of premotor and preresponse activities. The results suggest the existence of a predictive mechanism under high uncertainty about the timing of the sensory consequences of a voluntary motor action. The results are in line with the optimal cue integration theory of sense of agency, which states that both predictive and postdictive agency cues are crucial for the formation of sense of agency and the weight of each type of cue (predictive or postdictive) depends on their availability and reliability.NEW & NOTEWORTHY According to the optimal cue integration theory, the formation of sense of agency relies on both predictive and postdictive agency cues and how they are weighted based on their availability and reliability. Using a novel paradigm, we show for the first time a possible existence of a prediction signal prior to voluntary movement, which appears when postdictive agency cues (i.e., the judgment of the time between voluntary movement and a subsequent flash) are not reliable.
Asunto(s)
Lateralidad Funcional/fisiología , Intención , Lóbulo Parietal/fisiología , Tiempo de Reacción/fisiología , Lóbulo Temporal/fisiología , Incertidumbre , Adulto , Femenino , Predicción , Humanos , Juicio/fisiología , Masculino , Estimulación Luminosa/métodos , Desempeño Psicomotor/fisiología , Percepción del Tiempo/fisiología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: A growing number of neuroimaging studies suggest distinct neural changes in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Whether such changes may show similar spatial patterns across distinct neural features within and between specific IBD is unclear. To address this question, we used multivariate multimodal data fusion analysis to investigate structure/function modulation in remitted patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: Patients with IBD (n = 46; n = 31 with CD, n = 15 with UC) in stable remission and 17 healthy controls (HC) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) as well as cognitive testing. Anxiety, depression, and fatigue were assessed using self-rating questionnaires. sMRI data were analyzed via voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and rs-fMRI data via amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFFs) and regional homogeneity (ReHo). Detection of cross-information between VBM, ALFF, and ReHo was conducted by means of a joint independent component analysis (jICA), followed by group-inference statistics. KEY RESULTS: Joint independent component analysis detected structural alterations in middle frontal and temporal regions (VBM), and functional changes in the superior frontal gyrus (ReHo) and the medial as well as inferior frontal, inferior temporal, rectal, and subcallosal gyrus (ALFF). One joint component of extracted features of the three modalities differed significantly between IBD patients and controls (p = 0.03), and most distinctly between HC and patients with UC. CONCLUSIONS AND INFERENCES: Using a multivariate data fusion technique, this study provides further evidence to brain alterations in IBD. The data suggest distinct neural differences between CD and UC, particularly in frontotemporal regions.
Asunto(s)
Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedades Inflamatorias del Intestino/diagnóstico por imagen , Adulto , Ansiedad/psicología , Mapeo Encefálico , Cognición , Colitis Ulcerosa/diagnóstico por imagen , Colitis Ulcerosa/psicología , Enfermedad de Crohn/diagnóstico por imagen , Enfermedad de Crohn/psicología , Depresión/psicología , Fatiga/psicología , Femenino , Humanos , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador , Enfermedades Inflamatorias del Intestino/psicología , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neuroimagen , Pruebas Neuropsicológicas , AutoinformeRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Most mothers feel an immediate, strong emotional bond with their newborn. On a neurobiological level, this is accompanied with the activation of the brain reward systems, including the striatum. However, approximately 10% of all mothers report difficulties to bond emotionally with their infant and display impaired reward responses to the interaction with their infant which might have long-term negative effects for the child's development. As previous studies suggest that activation of the striatal reward system can be regulated through functional MRI (fMRI)-based neurofeedback (NFB), we have designed and investigate fMRI-NFB training to treat maternal bonding difficulties. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In the planned trial, mothers will be presented pictures of their infant and real-time fMRI (rtfMRI), peripheral measures, neural, endocrine, psychophysiological and behavioural measures will be assessed. Mothers with bonding difficulties (n=68) will be randomised to one of two double-blind intervention groups at 4-6 months postpartum. They will participate in three repeated NFB training sessions with rtfMRI-NFB training to increase activation of (a) the ventral striatum or (b) the anterior cingulate. Interview data and real-time mother-infant interaction behaviour pre-intervention, post-intervention and at follow-up will serve as clinical outcome measures. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Study procedures are in line with the recommendations of the World Medical Association (revised Declaration of Helsinki) and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty, s-450/2017, Heidelberg University. All participants will provide written informed consent after receiving a detailed oral and written explanation of all procedures and can withdraw their consent at any time without negative consequence. Results will be internationally published and disseminated, to further the discussion on non-pharmacological treatment options in complex mental disorders. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00014570; Pre-results.