Laser technique for anatomical-functional study of the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Sanchez-Huerta ◽  
Adan Hernandez ◽  
Griselda Ayala ◽  
Javier Marroquin ◽  
Adriana B. Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Study ◽  
Laser Technique ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Choice-dependent cross-modal interaction in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengyao Zheng ◽  
Jinghong Xu ◽  
Les Keniston ◽  
Jing Wu ◽  
Song Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Simultaneous Presentation ◽  
Enhancement Effect ◽  
Modal Interaction ◽  
Visual Cue ◽  
Neural Activities ◽  
Forced Choice Tasks ◽  
Choice Tasks ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Cross-modal interaction (CMI) could significantly influence the perceptional or decision-making process in many circumstances. However, it remains poorly understood what integrative strategies are employed by the brain to deal with different task contexts. To explore it, we examined neural activities of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats performing cue-guided two-alternative forced-choice tasks. In a task requiring rats to discriminate stimuli based on auditory cue, the simultaneous presentation of an uninformative visual cue substantially strengthened mPFC neurons' capability of auditory discrimination mainly through enhancing the response to the preferred cue. Doing this also increased the number of neurons revealing a cue preference. If the task was changed slightly and a visual cue, like the auditory, denoted a specific behavioral direction, mPFC neurons frequently showed a different CMI pattern with an effect of cross-modal enhancement best evoked in information-congruent multisensory trials. In a choice free task, however, the majority of neurons failed to show a cross-modal enhancement effect and cue preference. These results indicate that CMI at the neuronal level is context-dependent in a way that differs from what has been shown in previous studies.

scholarly journals Integrating memories: Congruency and reactivation aid memory integration through reinstatement of prior knowledge

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlieke T.R. van Kesteren ◽  
Paul Rignanese ◽  
Pierre G. Gianferrara ◽  
Lydia Krabbendam ◽  
Martijn Meeter
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Prior Knowledge ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Knowledge Building ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Memory Integration ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Parahippocampal Place Area

AbstractBuilding consistent knowledge schemas that organize information and guide future learning is of great importance in everyday life. Such knowledge building is suggested to occur through reinstatement of prior knowledge during new learning in stimulus-specific brain regions. This process is proposed to yield integration of new with old memories, supported by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and medial temporal lobe (MTL). Possibly as a consequence, congruency of new information with prior knowledge is known to enhance subsequent memory. Yet, it is unknown how reactivation and congruency interact to optimize memory integration processes that lead to knowledge schemas. To investigate this question, we here used an adapted AB-AC inference paradigm in combination with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Participants first studied an AB-association followed by an AC-association, so B (a scene) and C (an object) were indirectly linked through their common association with A (an unknown pseudoword). BC-associations were either congruent or incongruent with prior knowledge (e.g. a bathduck or a hammer in a bathroom), and participants were asked to report subjective reactivation strength for B while learning AC. Behaviorally, both the congruency and reactivation measures enhanced memory integration. In the brain, these behavioral effects related to univariate and multivariate parametric effects of congruency and reactivation on activity patterns in the MTL, mPFC, and Parahippocampal Place Area (PPA). Moreover, mPFC exhibited larger connectivity with the PPA for more congruent associations. These outcomes provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying memory integration enhancement, which can be important for educational learning.Significance statementHow does our brain build knowledge through integrating information that is learned at different periods in time? This question is important in everyday learning situations such as educational settings. Using an inference paradigm, we here set out to investigate how congruency with, and active reactivation of previously learned information affects memory integration processes in the brain. Both these factors were found to relate to activity in memory-related regions such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the hippocampus. Moreover, activity in the parahippocampal place area (PPA), assumed to reflect reinstatement of the previously learned associate, was found to predict subjective reactivation strength. These results show how we can moderate memory integration processes to enhance subsequent knowledge building.

scholarly journals Schema support for forming inferences in the human brain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Philippe Paulus ◽  
Carlo Vignali ◽  
Marc N Coutanche
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Neural Representations ◽  
Memory Integration ◽  
New Information ◽  
Neural Integration ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Memory Schema ◽  
The Brain

Associative inference, the process of drawing novel links between existing knowledge to rapidly integrate associated information, is supported by the hippocampus and neocortex. Within the neocortex, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in the rapid cortical learning of new information that is congruent with an existing framework of knowledge, or schema. How the brain integrates associations to form inferences, specifically how inferences are represented, is not well understood. In this study, we investigate how the brain uses schemas to facilitate memory integration in an associative inference paradigm (A-B-C-D). We conducted two event-related fMRI experiments in which participants retrieved previously learned direct (AB, BC, CD) and inferred (AC, AD) associations between word pairs for items that are schema congruent or incongruent. Additionally, we investigated how two factors known to affect memory, a delay with sleep, and reward, modulate the neural integration of associations within, and between, schema. Schema congruency was found to benefit the integration of associates, but only when retrieval immediately follows learning. RSA revealed that neural patterns of inferred pairs (AC) in the PHc, mPFC, and posHPC were more similar to their constituents (AB and BC) when the items were schema congruent, suggesting that schema facilitates the assimilation of paired items into a single inferred unit containing all associated elements. Furthermore, a delay with sleep, but not reward, impacted the assimilation of inferred pairs. Our findings reveal that the neural representations of overlapping associations are integrated into novel representations through the support of memory schema.

scholarly journals Proteomic Profiling of Astrocytic O-GlcNAc Transferase-Related Proteins in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Fan ◽  
Qiu-Ling Zhong ◽  
Ran Mo ◽  
Cheng-Lin Lu ◽  
Jing Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Transferase Activity ◽  
Proteomic Profiling ◽  
Major Energy Source ◽  
Altered Proteins ◽  
Glcnac Transferase ◽  
Related Proteins ◽  
The Brain

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a key part of the brain networks that are closely related to the regulation of behavior, acts as a key regulator in emotion, social cognition, and decision making. Astrocytes are the majority cell type of glial cells, which play a significant role in a number of processes and establish a suitable environment for the functioning of neurons, including the brain energy metabolism. Astrocyte’s dysfunction in the mPFC has been implicated in various neuropsychiatric disorders. Glucose is a major energy source in the brain. In glucose metabolism, part of glucose is used to convert UDP-GlcNAc as a donor molecule for O-GlcNAcylation, which is controlled by a group of enzymes, O-GlcNAc transferase enzyme (OGT), and O-GlcNAcase (OGA). However, the role of O-GlcNAcylation in astrocytes is almost completely unknown. Our research showed that astrocytic OGT could influence the expression of proteins in the mPFC. Most of these altered proteins participate in metabolic processes, transferase activity, and biosynthetic processes. GFAP, an astrocyte maker, was increased after OGT deletion. These results provide a framework for further study on the role of astrocytic OGT/O-GlcNAcylation in the mPFC.

Equality versus self-interest in the brain: Differential roles of anterior insula and medial prefrontal cortex

NeuroImage ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Civai ◽  
Cristiano Crescentini ◽  
Aldo Rustichini ◽  
Raffaella Ida Rumiati
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Insula ◽  
Self Interest ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals Choice-dependent cross-modal interaction in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengyao Zheng ◽  
Jinghong Xu ◽  
Les Keniston ◽  
Jing Wu ◽  
Song Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Simultaneous Presentation ◽  
Enhancement Effect ◽  
Modal Interaction ◽  
Visual Cue ◽  
Neural Activities ◽  
Forced Choice Tasks ◽  
Choice Tasks ◽  
The Brain

AbstractCross-modal interaction (CMI) could significantly influence the perceptional or decision-making process in many circumstances. However, it remains poorly understood what integrative strategies are employed by the brain to deal with different task contexts. To explore it, we examined neural activities of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats performing cue-guided two-alternative forced-choice tasks. In a task requiring rats to discriminate stimuli based on auditory cue, the simultaneous presentation of an uninformative visual cue substantially strengthened mPFC neurons' capability of auditory discrimination mainly through enhancing the response to the preferred cue. Doing this also increased the number of neurons revealing a cue preference. If the task was changed slightly and a visual cue, like the auditory, denoted a specific behavioral direction, mPFC neurons frequently showed a different CMI pattern with an effect of cross-modal enhancement best evoked in information-congruent multisensory trials. In a choice free task, however, the majority of neurons failed to show a cross-modal enhancement effect and cue preference. These results indicate that CMI at the neuronal level is context-dependent in a way that differs from what has been shown in previous studies.

scholarly journals FTY720 (Fingolimod), a modulator of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors, increases baseline hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis activity and alters behaviors relevant to affect and anxiety

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian F Corbett ◽  
Sandra Luz ◽  
Nathan Sotuyo ◽  
Jiah Pearson-Leary ◽  
Athena Zuppa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Forced Swim Test ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Sphingosine 1 Phosphate ◽  
Hpa Axis Activity ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Pituitary Adrenal Axis

FTY720 (fingolimod) is an analog of sphingosine, a ubiquitous sphingolipid. Phosphorylated FTY720 (FTY720-P) non-selectively binds to sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors (S1PRs) and regulates multiple cellular processes including cell proliferation, inflammation, and angiogenesis. We recently demonstrated that S1PR3 expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats promotes stress resilience and that S1PR3 expression in blood may serve as a biomarker for PTSD. Here we investigate the effects of FTY720 in regulating the stress response. We found that single and repeated intraperitoneal injections of FTY720 increased baseline plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone concentrations. FTY720 also mitigated restraint-induced increases in ACTH and corticosterone. FTY720 reduced social anxiety- and despair-like behavior as assessed by increased social interaction time and reduced time spent immobile in the Porsolt forced swim test. In blood, FTY720 administration reduced lymphocyte and reticulocyte counts, but raised erythrocyte counts. FTY720 also reduced mRNA of angiopoietin 1, endothelin 1, plasminogen 1, Vegf-B, and Mmp2 in the medial prefrontal cortex, suggesting that FTY720 reduced angiogenesis. The antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like effects of FTY720 may be attributed to reduced angiogenesis as increased stress-induced blood vessel density in the brain contributes to depression- and anxiety-like behavior in rats. Together, these results suggest that S1PRs regulate baseline HPA axis activity but reduces social anxiety and despair providing further evidence that S1PRs are important and novel regulators of stress-related functions.

Why People Are Always Thinking about Themselves: Medial Prefrontal Cortex Activity during Rest Primes Self-referential Processing

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 714-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan L. Meyer ◽  
Matthew D. Lieberman
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Referential Processing ◽  
Medial Pfc ◽  
The Brain

Humans have a tendency to think about themselves. What generates this self-focus? One clue may come from the observation that the same part of the brain that supports self-reflection—the medial pFC (MPFC/Brodmann's area 10 [BA 10])—also spontaneously engages by default whenever the brain is free from external demands to attention. Here, we test the possibility that the default tendency to engage MPFC/BA 10 primes self-referential thinking. Participants underwent fMRI while alternating between brief periods of rest and experimental tasks in which they thought about their own traits, another person's traits, or another location's traits. Greater default engagement in MPFC/BA 10 during momentary breaks preferentially facilitated task performance on subsequent self-reflection trials on a moment-to-moment basis. These results suggest that reflexively engaging MPFC/BA 10 by default may nudge self-referential thinking, perhaps explaining why humans think about themselves so readily.

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