Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Emotions can impact cognition by exerting both enhancing (e.g., better memory for emotional events) and impairing (e.g., increased emotional distractibility) effects (reviewed in ¹). Complementing our recent protocol ² describing a method that allows investigation of the neural correlates of the memory-enhancing effect of emotion (see also ^{1, 3-5}), here we present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of the detrimental impact of emotion on cognition. The main feature of this method is that it allows identification of reciprocal modulations between activity in a ventral neural system, involved in ''hot'' emotion processing (HotEmo system), and a dorsal system, involved in higher-level ''cold'' cognitive/executive processing (ColdEx system), which are linked to cognitive performance and to individual variations in behavior (reviewed in ¹). Since its initial introduction ⁶, this design has proven particularly versatile and influential in the elucidation of various aspects concerning the neural correlates of the detrimental impact of emotional distraction on cognition, with a focus on working memory (WM), and of coping with such distraction ^7,11, in both healthy ^8-11 and clinical participants ^12-14.     

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

The ability to control/regulate emotions is an important coping mechanism in the face of emotionally stressful situations. Although significant progress has been made in understanding conscious/deliberate emotion regulation (ER), less is known about non-conscious/automatic ER and the associated neural correlates. This is in part due to the problems inherent in the unitary concepts of automatic and conscious processing¹. Here, we present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of both deliberate and automatic ER using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This protocol allows new avenues of inquiry into various aspects of ER. For instance, the experimental design allows manipulation of the goal to regulate emotion (conscious vs. non-conscious), as well as the intensity of the emotional challenge (high vs. low). Moreover, it allows investigation of both immediate (emotion perception) and long-term effects (emotional memory) of ER strategies on emotion processing. Therefore, this protocol may contribute to better understanding of the neural mechanisms of emotion regulation in healthy behaviour, and to gaining insight into possible causes of deficits in depression and anxiety disorders in which emotion dysregulation is often among the core debilitating features.Download video file.^{(86M, mov)}     

脑功能成像用于疼痛相关情绪的研究进展

本文综述了近年来脑功能成像技术应用于疼痛情绪研究的进展,介绍了不同的皮层亚区和皮层下结构在疼痛相关情绪的产生和调控中的作用.指明了扣带回、前额叶皮质、岛叶、海马结构和杏仁核在疼痛相关情绪产生以调控过程中所起的作用.     

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Recollection of emotional autobiographical memories (AMs) is important to healthy cognitive and affective functioning ¹ - remembering positive AMs is associated with increased personal well-being and self-esteem ², whereas remembering and ruminating on negative AMs may lead to affective disorders ³. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the brain mechanisms underlying AM retrieval in general (reviewed in ^{4, 5}), less is known about the effect of emotion on the subjective re-experience of AMs and the associated neural correlates. This is in part due to the fact that, unlike the investigations of the emotion effect on memory for laboratory-based microevents (reviewed in ^{6, 7-9}), often times AM studies do not have a clear focus on the emotional aspects of remembering personal events (but see ¹⁰). Here, we present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of recollecting emotional AMs using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Cues for these memories are collected prior to scanning by means of an autobiographical memory questionnaire (AMQ), therefore allowing for proper selection of emotional AMs based on their phenomenological properties (i.e., intensity, vividness, personal significance). This protocol can be used in healthy and clinical populations alike.Download video file.^{(70M, mov)}     

编者按: 脑成像与脑网络

揭示脑的奥秘是人类面临的最大挑战之一。神经元是构成神经系统结构与功能的基本单位。神经元与神经元之间通过突触实现信息交互,并构成神经环路或神经网络。神经环路有局部的,也有跨脑区或长程的,甚至全脑尺度的。神经环路则是脑实现神经信息处理的基本单元。若干神经环路构成脑网络。脑网络研究已经成为脑功能与脑疾病研究领域的热点。 在国家自然科学基金委员会和科技部“973计划”等项目的支持下,我国科学家在这一领域已经开展了卓有成效的工作。2011年第393次香山科学会议“脑网络组及其临床应用的前沿科学问题”曾对此进行过比较深入的研讨。为促进对该领域现状及发展的了解,本期汇集了2篇述评和2篇研究论文,作为脑成像与脑网络专题发表,以飨读者。 利用9.4T功能磁共振成像(fMRI)获得轻度麻醉状态下大鼠静息状态及刺激激活的数据,通过互相关分析构建节点之间的相关系数矩阵并计算相应的网络参数,赖永秀等人报道了大鼠感觉运动系统静息态脑网络的研究成果,发现感觉运动系统在静息态时的脑网络具有小世界属性。 扩散磁共振成像(dMRI)的出现为大脑结构与功能研究提供了全新的检测手段,雷皓等报道了小动物高分辨扩散磁共振成像数据分析方法,为小动物脑dMRI研究提供了统一图像模板与完善的计算方法,对于检测神经纤维微观结构的变化,以及临床诊断,将具有极其重要的意义。 神经环路功能变化的实时在体监测是研究脑网络不可或缺的手段,曾绍群等评述了基于声光偏转器的快速无惯性随机扫描双光子显微成像技术的研究进展及发展趋势,指出该技术的进一步发展将为神经活动观测提供一种全新的方法,从而极大地推动脑科学研究的发展。 针对哺乳动物全脑的神经元网络成像,龚辉等从空间分辨率、探测范围、数据配准和成像速度等方面评述了光学显微水平全脑成像方法的研究进展,并讨论所面临的挑战。他们指出,要在全脑尺度获取突起水平分辨率的结构与功能数据,光学成像方法最为成熟。华中科技大学研制的MOST系统,率先获得了一系列高分辨率的完整大脑解剖数据集,该成果将在神经元网络的构建和脑功能与疾病研究中发挥重要作用。 我们期待更多、更好的有关脑成像与脑网络的论文发表,以更广泛和深入地促进我国脑科学研究领域的学术交流。     

内隐情绪实验及脑机制研究进展

传统情绪研究多集中意识层面进行探讨,伴随心理学思潮的变迁和研究范式的更新,内隐情绪逐渐被越来越多的研究者所关注.从最早的认知无意识到情绪无意识,从近代实验研究证明内隐情绪现象的存在到运用脑成像技术对内隐情绪脑机制进行了更精深的探索.本文在对内隐情绪相关实验及脑机制研究进行思考的基础上,指出今后研究的重点有内隐情绪发生的脑功能定位、功能连通性、个体差异、结合社会背景进行研究以及内隐情绪的应用研究.     

Investigation of Inter-Slice Magnetization Transfer Effects as a New Method for MTR Imaging of the Human Brain

We present a new method for magnetization transfer (MT) ratio imaging in the brain that requires no separate saturation pulse. Interslice MT effects that are inherent to multi-slice balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) imaging were controlled via an interslice delay time to generate MT-weighted (0 s delay) and reference images (5–8 s delay) for MT ratio (MTR) imaging of the brain. The effects of varying flip angle and phase encoding (PE) order were investigated experimentally in normal, healthy subjects. Values of up to ∼50% and ∼40% were observed for white and gray matter MTR. Centric PE showed larger MTR, higher SNR, and better contrast between white and gray matter than linear PE. Simulations of a two-pool model of MT agreed well with in vivo MTR values. Simulations were also used to investigate the effects of varying acquisition parameters, and the effects of varying flip angle, PE steps, and interslice delay are discussed. Lastly, we demonstrated reduced banding with a non-balanced SSFP-FID sequence and showed preliminary results of interslice MTR imaging of meningioma.     

脑科学和脑功能MR成像

目的：在对大脑认知功能进行脑功能成像研究之中,随着磁共振成像技术的发展,人们现在可以对脑的认知功能,如视觉、运动、语言和记忆等功能中枢进行成像。本文首先介绍了脑科学的发展历程,并从脑功能MR成像的方法出发,分析了其成像机理,探讨了用脑功能MR成像为手段对脑科学—认知科学进行的方法研究,最后对脑功能MR成像应用于脑科学的研究作了展望。     

Combining Brain Imaging with Microarray: Isolating Molecules Underlying the Physiologic Disorders of the Brain

Many diseases of the nervous system cause dysfunction by impairing neuronal physiology more than by altering brain anatomy--including age-related cognitive decline, most psychiatric disorders, and even the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. The absence of clear anatomical markers makes it difficult to identify targeted cells, which in turn impedes attempts to isolate the pathogenic molecules that cause physiologic disruption. Here we show how brain imaging and microarray can be used as complimentary techniques that together can characterize the cellular and molecular aspects of this class of diseases.     

磁共振波谱成像结合扩散加权成像在脑胶质瘤及脑转移瘤鉴别诊断中的意义

目的:评估磁共振波谱成像(Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy,1H-MRS)联合磁共振扩散加权成像(Diffusion Weighted Imaging,DWI)在鉴别脑胶质瘤及孤立的脑转移瘤中的作用。方法:应用3.0T磁共振扫描仪,对临床手术确诊及组织病理学诊断证实的49例脑肿瘤患者(35例多形性胶质母细胞瘤,14例脑转移瘤)进行常规磁共振成像、磁共振波谱成像及磁共振扩散加权成像,并并对获得的数据进一步测量瘤内及瘤周区的代谢比、N-乙酰天门冬氨酸(NAA)、胆碱(Cho)、肌酸(Cr)值以及表观弥散系数(ADC值),分析两肿瘤组之间不同参数的统计学差异。此外,我们研究了感兴趣区域(ROI)的大小对肿瘤区域的病变扩散性能潜在影响。结果:胶质母细胞瘤瘤周N-乙酰天门冬氨酸(NAA)、肌酸(Cr),胆碱(Cho)/Cr,Cho/NAA和r CBV显著高于颅内转移瘤(P0.05);ADC值在两肿瘤组之间无显著差异(P0.05)。结论:在瘤周区1H-MRS有助于鉴别胶质母细胞瘤与单发的脑转移瘤。在瘤内扩散性的定量特性依赖ROI大小的设置。     

Transmission of Facial Expressions of Emotion Co-Evolved with Their Efficient Decoding in the Brain: Behavioral and Brain Evidence

Competent social organisms will read the social signals of their peers. In primates, the face has evolved to transmit the organism''s internal emotional state. Adaptive action suggests that the brain of the receiver has co-evolved to efficiently decode expression signals. Here, we review and integrate the evidence for this hypothesis. With a computational approach, we co-examined facial expressions as signals for data transmission and the brain as receiver and decoder of these signals. First, we show in a model observer that facial expressions form a lowly correlated signal set. Second, using time-resolved EEG data, we show how the brain uses spatial frequency information impinging on the retina to decorrelate expression categories. Between 140 to 200 ms following stimulus onset, independently in the left and right hemispheres, an information processing mechanism starts locally with encoding the eye, irrespective of expression, followed by a zooming out to processing the entire face, followed by a zooming back in to diagnostic features (e.g. the opened eyes in “fear”, the mouth in “happy”). A model categorizer demonstrates that at 200 ms, the left and right brain have represented enough information to predict behavioral categorization performance.     

Live Imaging of the Zebrafish Embryonic Brain by Confocal Microscopy

In this video, we demonstrate the method our lab has developed to analyze the cell shape changes and rearrangements required to bend and fold the developing zebrafish brain (Gutzman et al, 2008). Such analysis affords a new understanding of the underlying cell biology required for development of the 3D structure of the vertebrate brain, and significantly increases our ability to study neural tube morphogenesis. The embryonic zebrafish brain is shaped beginning at 18 hours post fertilization (hpf) as the ventricles within the neuroepithelium inflate. By 24 hpf, the initial steps of neural tube morphogenesis are complete. Using the method described here, embryos at the one cell stage are injected with mRNA encoding membrane-targeted green fluorescent protein (memGFP). After injection and incubation, the embryo, now between 18 and 24 hpf, is mounted, inverted, in agarose and imaged by confocal microscopy. Notably, the zebrafish embryo is transparent making it an ideal system for fluorescent imaging. While our analyses have focused on the midbrain-hindbrain boundary and the hindbrain, this method could be extended for analysis of any region in the zebrafish to a depth of 80-100 μm.Open in a separate windowClick here to view.^{(44M, flv)}     

Super-Resolution Imaging of the Extracellular Space in Living Brain Tissue

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