scholarly journals Neural systems of cognitive demand avoidance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceyda Sayalı ◽  
David Badre
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Avoidance Behavior ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Partial Support ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Demand Selection ◽  
Control Hypothesis ◽  
Reward Network

AbstractCognitive effort is typically aversive, evident in people’s tendency to avoid cognitively demanding tasks. The ‘cost of control’ hypothesis suggests that engagement of cognitive control systems of the brain makes a task costly and the currency of that cost is a reduction in anticipated rewards. However, prior studies have relied on binary hard versus easy task subtractions to manipulate cognitive effort and so have not tested this hypothesis in “dose-response” fashion. In a sample of 50 participants, we parametrically manipulated the level of effort during fMRI scanning by systematically increasing cognitive control demands during a demand-selection paradigm over six levels. As expected, frontoparietal control network (FPN) activity increased, and reward network activity decreased, as control demands increased across tasks. However, avoidance behavior was not attributable to the change in FPN activity, lending only partial support to the cost of control hypothesis. By contrast, we unexpectedly observed that the deactivation of a task-negative brain network corresponding to the Default Mode Network (DMN) across levels of the cognitive control manipulation predicted the change in avoidance. In summary, we find partial support for the cost of control hypothesis, while highlighting the role of task-negative brain networks in modulating effort avoidance behavior.

scholarly journals Progesterone modulates theta oscillations in the frontal-parietal network

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Riddle ◽  
Sangtae Ahn ◽  
Trevor McPherson ◽  
Susan Girdler ◽  
Flavio Frohlich
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Specific Effect ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Theta Oscillations ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Frontal Midline Theta ◽  
Phase Amplitude ◽  
Oscillatory Network

AbstractThe neuroactive metabolites of the steroid hormones progesterone (P4) and testosterone (T) are GABAergic modulators that influence cognitive control, yet the specific effect of P4 and T on brain network activity remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated if a fundamental oscillatory network activity pattern related to cognitive control, frontal midline theta (FMT) oscillations, are modulated by steroids hormones, P4 and T. We measured the concentration P4 and T using salivary enzyme immunoassay and FMT oscillations using high-density electroencephalography (EEG) during the eyes-open resting state in fifty-five healthy female and male participants. Electrical brain activity was analyzed using Morlet wavelet convolution, beamformer source localization, background noise spectral fitting, and phase amplitude coupling analysis. Steroid hormone concentrations and biological sex were used as predictors for scalp and source-estimated theta oscillations and for top-down theta-gamma phase amplitude coupling. Elevated concentrations of P4 predicted increased FMT oscillatory amplitude across both sexes, and no relationship was found with T. The positive correlation with P4 was specific to the frontal-midline electrodes and survived correction for the background noise of the brain. Using source localization, FMT oscillations were localized to the frontal-parietal network. Additionally, theta amplitude within the frontal-parietal network, but not the default mode network, positively correlated with P4 concentration. Finally, P4 concentration correlated with increased coupling between FMT phase and posterior gamma amplitude. Our results suggest that P4 concentration modulates brain activity via upregulation of theta oscillations in the frontal-parietal network and increased top-down control over posterior cortical sites.Significance StatementThe neuroactive metabolites of the steroid hormones progesterone (P4) and testosterone (T) are GABAergic modulators that influence cognitive control, yet the specific effect of P4 and T on brain network activity remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated if a fundamental oscillatory network activity pattern related to cognitive control, frontal midline theta (FMT) oscillations, are modulated by steroids hormones, P4 and T. Our results suggest that P4 concentration modulates brain activity via upregulation of theta oscillations in the frontal-parietal network and increased top-down control over posterior cortical sites.

scholarly journals Quantifying the cost of cognitive stability and flexibility

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danae Papadopetraki ◽  
Monja I. Froböse ◽  
Andrew Westbrook ◽  
Bram B. Zandbelt ◽  
Roshan Cools
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Delayed Response ◽  
Cognitive Stability ◽  
Effort Discounting ◽  
Memory Representations ◽  
The Cost

AbstractExerting cognitive control is well known to be accompanied by a subjective effort cost and people are generally biased to avoid it. However, the nature of cognitive control costs is currently unclear. Recent theorizing suggests that the cost of cognitive effort serves as a motivational signal to bias the system away from excessive focusing (i.e. cognitive stability) and towards more cognitive flexibility. We asked whether the effort cost of cognitive stability is higher than that of cognitive flexibility. Specifically, we tested this prediction in the domain of working memory by using (i) a delayed response paradigm that allows us to manipulate demands for stability (distractor resistance) and flexibility (flexible updating) of working memory representations, as well as (ii) a subsequent cognitive effort discounting paradigm that allows us to quantify the subjective effort costs assigned to performing the delayed response paradigm. We show strong evidence, in two different samples (28 and 62 participants respectively) that subjective cost increases as a function of demand. Moreover, we demonstrate that the subjective cost of performing a task requiring cognitive stability (distractor resistance) is higher than that requiring flexible updating, supporting the hypothesis that the subjective effort cost of cognitive stability is higher than that of flexibility.

scholarly journals Information about task progress modulates cognitive demand avoidance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Devine ◽  
A. Ross Otto
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Demand ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Selection Task ◽  
Control Task ◽  
Activity Avoidance ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Demand Selection ◽  
Cognitively Demanding Tasks ◽  
Temporal Progress

People tend to avoid engaging in cognitively demanding tasks unless it is ‘worth our while’—that is, if the benefits outweigh the costs of effortful action. Yet, we seemingly partake in a variety of effortful mental activities (e.g. playing chess, completing Sudoku puzzles) because they impart a sense of progress. Here, we examine the possibility that information about progress—specifically, the number of trials completed of a demanding cognitive control task, relative to the total number of trials to be completed—reduces individuals’ aversion to cognitively effort activity, across four experiments. In Experiment 1, we provide an initial demonstration that presenting progress information reduces individuals’ avoidance of cognitively demanding activity avoidance using a variant of the well-characterized Demand Selection Task (DST). The subsequent experiments buttress this finding using a more sophisticated within-subjects versions of the DST, independently manipulating progress information and demand level to further demonstrate that, 1) people prefer receiving information about temporal progress in a task, and 2) all else being equal, individuals will choose to exert greater levels of cognitive effort when it confers information about their progress in a task. Together, these results suggest that progress information can motivate cognitive effort expenditure and, in some cases, override individuals’ default bias towards demand avoidance.

scholarly journals Acute Psychosocial Stress Increases Cognitive-Effort Avoidance

2021 ◽  
pp. 095679762110054
Author(s):  
Mario Bogdanov ◽  
Jonas P. Nitschke ◽  
Sophia LoParco ◽  
Jennifer A. Bartz ◽  
A. Ross Otto
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Task Switching ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Switching Performance ◽  
Within Subjects ◽  
Demand Selection ◽  
Control Application ◽  
And Control

Adverse effects following acute stress are traditionally thought to reflect functional impairments of central executive-dependent cognitive-control processes. However, recent evidence demonstrates that cognitive-control application is perceived as effortful and aversive, indicating that stress-related decrements in cognitive performance could denote decreased motivation to expend effort instead. To investigate this hypothesis, we tested 40 young, healthy individuals (20 female, 20 male) under both stress and control conditions in a 2-day study that had a within-subjects design. Cognitive-effort avoidance was assessed using the demand-selection task, in which participants chose between performing low-demand and high-demand variants of a task-switching paradigm. We found that acute stress indeed increased participants’ preference for less demanding behavior, whereas task-switching performance remained intact. Additional Bayesian and multiverse analyses confirmed the robustness of this effect. Our findings provide novel insights into how stressful experiences shape behavior by modulating our motivation to employ cognitive control.

scholarly journals Energy constraints on brain network formation

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kosuke Takagi
Keyword(s):  
Network Formation ◽  
Cost Minimization ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Rich Functionality ◽  
Energy Constraints ◽  
Dependent Form ◽  
Statistical Similarity ◽  
Simple Ratio ◽  
The Brain

AbstractEnergy constraints are a fundamental limitation of the brain, which is physically embedded in a restricted space. The collective dynamics of neurons through connections enable the brain to achieve rich functionality, but building connections and maintaining activity come at a high cost. The effects of reducing these costs can be found in the characteristic structures of the brain network. Nevertheless, the mechanism by which energy constraints affect the organization and formation of the neuronal network in the brain is unclear. Here, it is shown that a simple model based on cost minimization can reproduce structures characteristic of the brain network. With reference to the behavior of neurons in real brains, the cost function was introduced in an activity-dependent form correlating the activity cost and the wiring cost as a simple ratio. Cost reduction of this ratio resulted in strengthening connections, especially at highly activated nodes, and induced the formation of large clusters. Regarding these network features, statistical similarity was confirmed by comparison to connectome datasets from various real brains. The findings indicate that these networks share an efficient structure maintained with low costs, both for activity and for wiring. These results imply the crucial role of energy constraints in regulating the network activity and structure of the brain.

scholarly journals Detecting functional connectivity disruptions in a translational pediatric traumatic brain injury porcine model using resting-state and task-based fMRI

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Simchick ◽  
Kelly M. Scheulin ◽  
Wenwu Sun ◽  
Sydney E. Sneed ◽  
Madison M. Fagan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Anatomical Structures ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
And Task

AbstractFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has significant potential to evaluate changes in brain network activity after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and enable early prognosis of potential functional (e.g., motor, cognitive, behavior) deficits. In this study, resting-state and task-based fMRI (rs- and tb-fMRI) were utilized to examine network changes in a pediatric porcine TBI model that has increased predictive potential in the development of novel therapies. rs- and tb-fMRI were performed one day post-TBI in piglets. Activation maps were generated using group independent component analysis (ICA) and sparse dictionary learning (sDL). Activation maps were compared to pig reference functional connectivity atlases and evaluated using Pearson spatial correlation coefficients and mean ratios. Nonparametric permutation analyses were used to determine significantly different activation areas between the TBI and healthy control groups. Significantly lower Pearson values and mean ratios were observed in the visual, executive control, and sensorimotor networks for TBI piglets compared to controls. Significant differences were also observed within several specific individual anatomical structures within each network. In conclusion, both rs- and tb-fMRI demonstrate the ability to detect functional connectivity disruptions in a translational TBI piglet model, and these disruptions can be traced to specific affected anatomical structures.

Brain Network Dysfunction in Poststroke Delirium and Spatial Neglect: An fMRI Study

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Boukrina ◽  
Mateusz Kowalczyk ◽  
Yury Koush ◽  
Yekyung Kong ◽  
A.M. Barrett
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Spatial Neglect ◽  
Stroke Recovery ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Brain Disorder ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
The Right ◽  
Right Hemisphere Stroke

Background and Purpose: Delirium, an acute reduction in cognitive functioning, hinders stroke recovery and contributes to cognitive decline. Right-hemisphere stroke is linked with higher delirium incidence, likely, due to the prevalence of spatial neglect (SN), a right-brain disorder of spatial processing. This study tested if symptoms of delirium and SN after right-hemisphere stroke are associated with abnormal function of the right-dominant neural networks specialized for maintaining attention, orientation, and arousal. Methods: Twenty-nine participants with right-hemisphere ischemic stroke undergoing acute rehabilitation completed delirium and SN assessments and functional neuroimaging scans. Whole-brain functional connectivity of 4 right-hemisphere seed regions in the cortical-subcortical arousal and attention networks was assessed for its relationship to validated SN and delirium severity measures. Results: Of 29 patients, 6 (21%) met the diagnostic criteria for delirium and 16 (55%) for SN. Decreased connectivity of the right basal forebrain to brain stem and basal ganglia predicted more severe SN. Increased connectivity of the arousal and attention network regions with the parietal, frontal, and temporal structures in the unaffected hemisphere was also found in more severe delirium and SN. Conclusions: Delirium and SN are associated with decreased arousal network activity and an imbalance of cortico-subcortical hemispheric connectivity. Better understanding of neural correlates of poststroke delirium and SN will lead to improved neuroscience-based treatment development for these disorders.

scholarly journals Catecholaminergic modulation of the cost of cognitive control in healthy older adults

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. e0229294
Author(s):  
Monja I. Froböse ◽  
Andrew Westbrook ◽  
Mirjam Bloemendaal ◽  
Esther Aarts ◽  
Roshan Cools
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
The Cost
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