Two Neural Networks for Laughter: A Tractography Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Gerbella ◽  
C Pinardi ◽  
G Di Cesare ◽  
G Rizzolatti ◽  
F Caruana
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Internal Capsule ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Temporal Pole ◽  
Complex Motor ◽  
Frontal Operculum ◽  
Descending Projections

Abstract Laughter is a complex motor behavior occurring in both emotional and nonemotional contexts. Here, we investigated whether the different functions of laughter are mediated by distinct networks and, if this is the case, which are the white matter tracts sustaining them. We performed a multifiber tractography investigation placing seeds in regions involved in laughter production, as identified by previous intracerebral electrical stimulation studies in humans: the pregenual anterior cingulate (pACC), ventral temporal pole (TPv), frontal operculum (FO), presupplementary motor cortex, and ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens (VS/NAcc). The primary motor cortex (M1) and two subcortical territories were also studied to trace the descending projections. Results provided evidence for the existence of two relatively distinct networks. A first network, including pACC, TPv, and VS/NAcc, is interconnected through the anterior cingulate bundle, the accumbofrontal tract, and the uncinate fasciculus, reaching the brainstem throughout the mamillo-tegmental tract. This network is likely involved in the production of emotional laughter. A second network, anchored to FO and M1, projects to the brainstem motor nuclei through the internal capsule. It is most likely the neural basis of nonemotional and conversational laughter. The two networks interact throughout the pre-SMA that is connected to both pACC and FO.

Functional Properties of Neurons in the Primate Tongue Primary Motor Cortex During Swallowing

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 1516-1530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth E. Martin ◽  
Gregory M. Murray ◽  
Pentti Kemppainen ◽  
Yuji Masuda ◽  
Barry J. Sessle
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Functional Properties ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Electromyographic Activity ◽  
Related Activity ◽  
Tongue Protrusion ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Tongue Movements

Martin, Ruth E., Gregory M. Murray, Pentti Kemppainen, Yuji Masuda, and Barry J. Sessle. Functional properties of neurons in the primate tongue primary motor cortex during swallowing. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 1516–1530, 1997. Recent studies conducted in our laboratory have suggested that the tongue primary motor cortex (i.e., tongue-MI) plays a critical role in the control of voluntary tongue movements in the primate. However, the possible involvement of tongue-MI in semiautomatic tongue movements, such as those in swallowing, remains unkown. Therefore the present study was undertakein in attempts to address whether tongue-MI plays a role in the semiautomatic tongue movements produced during swallowing. Extracellular single neuron recordings were obtained from tongue-MI, defined by intracortical microstimulation (ICMS), in two awake monkeys as they performed three types of swallowing (swallowing of a juice reward after successful tongue task performance, nontask-related swallowing of a liquid bolus, and nontask-related swallowing of a solid bolus) as well as a trained tongue-protrusion task. Electromyographic activity was recorded simultaneously from various orofacial and laryngeal muscles. In addition, the afferent input to each tongue-MI neuron and ICMS-evoked motor output characteristics at each neuronal recording site were determined. Neurons were considered to show swallow and/or tongue-protrusion task-related activity if a statistically significant difference in firing rate was seen in association with these behaviors compared with that observed during a control pretrial period. Of a total of 80 neurons recorded along 40 microelectrode penetrations in the ICMS-defined tongue-MI, 69% showed significant alterations of activity in relation to the swallowing of a juice reward, whereas 66% exhibited significant modulations of firing in association with performance of the trained tongue-protrusion task. Moreover, 48% showed significant alterations of firing in relation to both swallowing and the tongue-protrusion task. These findings suggest that the region of cortex involved in swallowing includes MI and that tongue-MI may play a role in the regulation of semiautomatic tongue movement, in addition to trained motor behavior. Swallow-related tongue-MI neurons exhibited a variety of swallow-related activity patterns and were distributed throughout the ICMS-defined tongue-MI at sites where ICMS evoked a variety of types of tongue movements. These findings are consistent with the view that multiple efferent zones for the production of tongue movements are activated in swallowing. Many swallow-related tongue-MI neurons had an orofacial mechanoreceptive field, particularly on the tongue dorsum, supporting the view that afferent inputs may be involved in the regulation of the swallowing synergy.

scholarly journals Protective role of mirtazapine in adult female Mecp2+/− mice and patients with Rett syndrome

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Flores Gutiérrez ◽  
Claudio De Felice ◽  
Giulia Natali ◽  
Silvia Leoncini ◽  
Cinzia Signorini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Rett Syndrome ◽  
Adult Female ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Barrel Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
Long Term Treatment

Abstract Background Rett syndrome (RTT), an X-linked neurodevelopmental rare disease mainly caused by MECP2-gene mutations, is a prototypic intellectual disability disorder. Reversibility of RTT-like phenotypes in an adult mouse model lacking the Mecp2-gene has given hope of treating the disease at any age. However, adult RTT patients still urge for new treatments. Given the relationship between RTT and monoamine deficiency, we investigated mirtazapine (MTZ), a noradrenergic and specific-serotonergic antidepressant, as a potential treatment. Methods Adult heterozygous-Mecp2 (HET) female mice (6-months old) were treated for 30 days with 10 mg/kg MTZ and assessed for general health, motor skills, motor learning, and anxiety. Motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, and amygdala were analyzed for parvalbumin expression. Eighty RTT adult female patients harboring a pathogenic MECP2 mutation were randomly assigned to treatment to MTZ for insomnia and mood disorders (mean age = 23.1 ± 7.5 years, range = 16–47 years; mean MTZ-treatment duration = 1.64 ± 1.0 years, range = 0.08–5.0 years). Rett clinical severity scale (RCSS) and motor behavior assessment scale (MBAS) were retrospectively analyzed. Results In HET mice, MTZ preserved motor learning from deterioration and normalized parvalbumin levels in the primary motor cortex. Moreover, MTZ rescued the aberrant open-arm preference behavior observed in HET mice in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and normalized parvalbumin expression in the barrel cortex. Since whisker clipping also abolished the EPM-related phenotype, we propose it is due to sensory hypersensitivity. In patients, MTZ slowed disease progression or induced significant improvements for 10/16 MBAS-items of the M1 social behavior area: 4/7 items of the M2 oro-facial/respiratory area and 8/14 items of the M3 motor/physical signs area. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence that long-term treatment of adult female heterozygous Mecp2tm1.1Bird mice and adult Rett patients with the antidepressant mirtazapine is well tolerated and that it protects from disease progression and improves motor, sensory, and behavioral symptoms.

Functional properties of single neurons in the face primary motor cortex of the primate. II. Relations with trained orofacial motor behavior

1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 759-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Murray ◽  
B. J. Sessle
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Afferent Input ◽  
Single Neurons ◽  
Tongue Protrusion ◽  
Input And Output ◽  
The Face ◽  
Tongue Movements

1. The previous paper has described in detail the input and output features of single neurons located at sites within primate face motor cortex from which intracortical microstimulation (ICMS, less than or equal to 20 microA) evoked tongue movements at the lowest threshold ("tongue-MI" sites); for comparative purposes, we also reported on the input and output features of a smaller number of neurons recorded at sites from which ICMS could evoke jaw movements ("jaw-MI" sites), facial movements ("face-MI" sites), or, at a few sites, tongue movements and, at the same threshold intensity, either a jaw movement or a facial movement. 2. Our findings of an extensive and diverse representation of sites within face motor cortex of monkeys for the generation of elemental components of tongue movement, and the relatively few sites from which jaw-closing movements could be evoked, were consistent with our recent observations that reversible, cooling-induced inactivation of the face motor cortex severely impaired the performance by monkeys of a tongue-protrusion task but had only relatively minor effects on the performance of a biting task. In an attempt to establish a neuronal correlate for these different behavioral relations, the present study has documented the task-related activities of those single neurons that were characterized in the previous paper in terms of afferent input and ICMS-defined output features. 3. Each task required the development and maintenance by each monkey of a fixed force level for a minimum period of time to obtain a fruit-juice reward. During one or both of these tasks, we characterized the activities of 231 single face motor cortical neurons that were located at the above-mentioned ICMS-defined sites. Neurons were said to be related to a particular task if they showed statistically significant differences in firing rates during the task in comparison with a control pretrial period (PTP). 4. In tongue-MI, there was a significantly higher proportion of neurons (63% of 156 neurons tested) that were related to the tongue-protrusion task than to the biting task (15% of 65). However, in jaw-MI the proportion of neurons that were biting task-related (63% of 19) was significantly higher than the proportion related to the tongue-protrusion task (11% of 9); the proportion of biting task-related neurons at ICMS-defined jaw-closing sites was also higher than that at jaw-opening sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals Parallel Information Processing in Motor Systems: Intracerebral Recordings of Readiness Potential and CNV in Human Subjects

2000 ◽  
Vol 7 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Rektor
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Readiness Potential ◽  
Task Context ◽  
Subcortical Structures ◽  
Depth Electrodes ◽  
Simultaneous Activation

We performed intracerebral recordings of Readiness Potential (RP) and Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) with simple repetitive distal limb movement in candidates for epilepsy surgery. In 26 patients (in Paris), depth electrodes were located in various cortical structures; in eight patients (in Brno), in the basal ganglia and the cortex. RPs were displayed in the conteral primary motor cortex, conteral somato-sensory cortex, and bilaterally in the SMA and the caudal part of the anterior cingulate cortices. CNVs were recorded in the same cortical regiom as the RP, as well as in the ipsilateral primary motor cortex, and bilaterally in the premotor fronto-lateral, parietal superior, and middle temporal regions. In the basal ganglia, the RP was recorded in the putamen in six of seven patients, and in the head of the caudate nucleus and the pallidum in the only patient with electrodes in these recording sites. We suggest that our results are consistent with a long-lasting, simultaneous activation of cortical and subcortical structures, before and during self-paced and stimulus-triggered movements. The particular regiom that are simultaneously active may be determined by the task context.

scholarly journals Corticocortical Connections of the Rostral Forelimb Area in Rats: A Quantitative Tract-Tracing Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward T Urban ◽  
Mariko Nishibe ◽  
Scott Barbay ◽  
David J Guggenmos ◽  
Randolph J Nudo
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Corticocortical Connections ◽  
Cortical Connections ◽  
Efferent Projections ◽  
Biotinylated Dextran

AbstractThe rostral forelimb area (RFA) in the rat is considered to be a premotor cortical region based primarily on its efferent projections to the primary motor cortex. The purpose of the present study was to identify corticocortical connections of RFA, and to describe the relative strength of connections with other cortical areas. This will allow us to better understand the broader cortical network in which RFA participates, and thus, determine its function in motor behavior. In the present study, the RFA of adult male Long-Evans rats (n=6) was identified using intracortical microstimulation techniques and injected with the tract tracer, biotinylated dextran amine (BDA). In post-mortem tissue, location of BDA-labeled terminal boutons and neuronal somata were plotted and superimposed on cortical field boundaries. The results demonstrated that the RFA has dense to moderate reciprocal connections with primary motor cortex, the frontal cortex medial and lateral to RFA, primary somatosensory cortex (S1), and lateral somatosensory areas. Importantly, S1 connections were dense to moderate in dysgranular zones, but sparse to negligible in granular zones. Cortical connections of RFA in rat are strikingly similar to cortical connections of the ventral premotor cortex in non-human primates, suggesting that these areas share similar functions.

scholarly journals Anodal tDCS over Primary Motor Cortex Provides No Advantage to Learning Motor Sequences via Observation

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dace Apšvalka ◽  
Richard Ramsey ◽  
Emily S. Cross
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Skill Acquisition ◽  
Observational Learning ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Motor Representation ◽  
Sham Stimulation ◽  
Learning By Observation ◽  
Observational Practice

When learning a new motor skill, we benefit from watching others. It has been suggested that observation of others’ actions can build a motor representation in the observer, and as such, physical and observational learning might share a similar neural basis. If physical and observational learning share a similar neural basis, then motor cortex stimulation during observational practice should similarly enhance learning by observation as it does through physical practice. Here, we used transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) to address whether anodal stimulation to M1 during observational training facilitates skill acquisition. Participants learned keypress sequences across four consecutive days of observational practice while receiving active or sham stimulation over M1. The results demonstrated that active stimulation provided no advantage to skill learning over sham stimulation. Further, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence in favour of the null hypothesis across our dependent measures. Our findings therefore provide no support for the hypothesis that excitatory M1 stimulation can enhance observational learning in a similar manner to physical learning. More generally, the results add to a growing literature that suggests that the effects of tDCS tend to be small, inconsistent, and hard to replicate. Future tDCS research should consider these factors when designing experimental procedures.

scholarly journals Cortical Representations of Transversus Abdominis and Multifidus Muscles Were Discrete in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: Evidence Elicited by TMS

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Xin Li ◽  
Howe Liu ◽  
Le Ge ◽  
Yifeng Yan ◽  
Wai Leung Ambrose Lo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Back Pain ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Transversus Abdominis ◽  
Chronic Lower Back Pain ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Healthy Group ◽  
The Right

Introduction. The transversus abdominis (TVA) and multifidus (MF) muscles are the main segmental spinal stabilizers that are controlled by the primary motor cortex of the brain. However, relocations of the muscle representation in the motor cortex may occur after chronic lower back pain (cLBP); it still needs more evidence to be proven. The current study was aimed at applying transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate the changes of representation of TVA and MF muscles at the cortical network in individuals with cLBP. Methods. Twenty-four patients with cLBP and 12 age-matched healthy individuals were recruited. Responses of TVA and MF to TMS during muscle contraction were monitored and mapped over the contralateral cortex using a standardized grid cap. Maps of the center of gravity (CoG), area, volume, and latency were analyzed, and the asymmetry index was also computed and compared. Results. The locations of MF CoG in cLBP individuals were posterior and lateral to the CoG locations in healthy individuals. In the healthy group, the locations of TVA and MF CoG were closed to each other in both the left and right hemispheres. In the cLBP group, these two locations were next to each other in the right hemisphere but discrete in the left hemisphere. In the cLBP group, the cortical motor map of TVA and MF were mutually symmetric in five out of eleven (45.5%) subjects and leftward asymmetric in four out of ten (40.0%) subjects. Conclusions. Neural representations of TVA and MF muscles were closely organized in both the right and left motor cortices in the healthy group but were discretely organized in the left motor cortex in the cLBP group. This provides strong support for the neural basis of pathokinesiology and clinical treatment of cLBP.

scholarly journals Methods for quantitative susceptibility and R2* mapping in whole post-mortem brains at 7T

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaoyue Wang ◽  
Sean Foxley ◽  
Olaf Ansorge ◽  
Sarah Bangerter-Christensen ◽  
Mark Chiew ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Susceptibility ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Proteolipid Protein ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Local Concentration ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Iron Storage ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Brain Data

AbstractSusceptibility weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is sensitive to the local concentration of iron and myelin. Here, we describe a robust image processing pipeline for quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and R2* mapping of fixed post-mortem, whole-brain data. Using this pipeline, we compare the resulting quantitative maps in brains from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and controls, with validation against iron and myelin histology.Twelve post-mortem brains were scanned with a multi-echo gradient echo sequence at 7T, from which susceptibility and R2* maps were generated. Semi-quantitative histological analysis for ferritin (the principal iron storage protein) and myelin proteolipid protein was performed in the primary motor, anterior cingulate and visual cortices.Magnetic susceptibility and R2* values in primary motor cortex were higher in ALS compared to control brains. Magnetic susceptibility and R2* showed positive correlations with both myelin and ferritin estimates from histology. Four out of nine ALS brains exhibited clearly visible hyperintense susceptibility and R2* values in the primary motor cortex.Our results demonstrate the potential for MRI-histology studies in whole, fixed post-mortem brains to investigate the biophysical source of susceptibility weighted MRI signals in neurodegenerative diseases like ALS.

scholarly journals Layer specificity of inputs from supplementary motor area and dorsal premotor cortex to primary motor cortex in macaque monkeys

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taihei Ninomiya ◽  
Ken-ichi Inoue ◽  
Eiji Hoshi ◽  
Masahiko Takada
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Tracer Injection ◽  
Macaque Monkeys ◽  
Motor Information

AbstractThe primate frontal lobe processes diverse motor information in parallel through multiple motor-related areas. For example, the supplementary motor area (SMA) is mainly involved in internally-triggered movements, whereas the premotor cortex (PM) is highly responsible for externally-guided movements. The primary motor cortex (M1) deals with both aspects of movements to execute a single motor behavior. To elucidate how the cortical motor system is structured to process a variety of information, the laminar distribution patterns of signals were examined between SMA and M1, or PM and M1 in macaque monkeys by using dual anterograde tract-tracing. Dense terminal labeling was observed in layers 1 and upper 2/3 of M1 after one tracer injection into SMA, another tracer injection into the dorsal division of PM resulted in prominent labeling in the deeper portion of layer 2/3. Weaker labeling was also visible in layer 5 in both cases. On the other hand, inputs from M1 terminated in both the superficial and the deep layers of SMA and PM. The present data indicate that distinct types of motor information are arranged in M1 in a layer-specific fashion to be orchestrated through a microcircuit within M1.

scholarly journals Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ Modulates Motor Behavior and Primary Motor Cortex Output Through Receptors Located in Substantia Nigra Reticulata

2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Marti ◽  
Riccardo Viaro ◽  
Remo Guerrini ◽  
Gianfranco Franchi ◽  
Michele Morari
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Substantia Nigra ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Orphanin Fq ◽  
Substantia Nigra Reticulata
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