scholarly journals Theory of mind and neurocognitive functioning in schizophrenia

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-85
Author(s):  
E.E. Rumyantseva
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Social Perception ◽  
Mental Model ◽  
Neurocognitive Functioning ◽  
Parietal Region ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Schizophrenia Subject ◽  
Number Of Authors

The aim of this work was to study the problem of interrelation between theory of mind and neurocognitive functioning in schizophrenia. Tasks: analysis of the literature on the problem of interrelation of theory of mind and neurocognitive functioning in schizophrenia. Subject of research: interrelation of theory of mind and neurocognitive functioning. Research hypothesis: the state of the mental model correlated with neurocognitive functioning. Registered a decline in the functioning of theory of mind in schizophrenia. It is known that hypofrontality in schizophrenia determines the reduction of social perception. A number of authors allocate structures in the brain, providing mental models: regions of the medial prefrontal cortex and posttemporal areas, including the temporo parietal region. Some studies found relationship between the theory of mind and memory, executive functions. However, there are studies, which has not been found the interrelation between theory of mind and neurocognitive functioning. Nonetheless, some studies concluded that currently there is no consensus about the influence of neurocognitive functioning on the theory of mind in schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Representation, Control, or Reasoning? Distinct Functions for Theory of Mind within the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte E. Hartwright ◽  
Ian A. Apperly ◽  
Peter C. Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Behavioral Task ◽  
Medial Pfc ◽  
Different Parts

The medial pFC (mPFC) is frequently reported to play a central role in Theory of Mind (ToM). However, the contribution of this large cortical region in ToM is not well understood. Combining a novel behavioral task with fMRI, we sought to demonstrate functional divisions between dorsal and rostral mPFC. All conditions of the task required the representation of mental states (beliefs and desires). The level of demands on cognitive control (high vs. low) and the nature of the demands on reasoning (deductive vs. abductive) were varied orthogonally between conditions. Activation in dorsal mPFC was modulated by the need for control, whereas rostral mPFC was modulated by reasoning demands. These findings fit with previously suggested domain-general functions for different parts of mPFC and suggest that these functions are recruited selectively in the service of ToM.

Is the Human Brain Unique?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack M. Gorman
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
The Future ◽  
Mind And Brain ◽  
The Brain

Some scientists now argue that humans are really not superior to other species, including our nearest genetic neighbors, chimpanzees and bonobos. Indeed, those animals seem capable of many things previously thought to be uniquely human, including a sense of the future, empathy, depression, and theory of mind. However, it is clear that humans alone produce speech, dominate the globe, and have several brain diseases like schizophrenia. There are three possible sources within the brain for these differences in brain function: in the structure of the brain, in genes coding for proteins in the brain, and in the level of expression of genes in the brain. There is evidence that all three are the case, giving us a place to look for the intersection of the human mind and brain: the expression of genes within neurons of the prefrontal cortex.

Inhibiting the posterior medial prefrontal cortex by rTMS decreases the discrepancy between self and other in Theory of Mind reasoning

2014 ◽  
Vol 274 ◽  
pp. 312-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Schuwerk ◽  
Martin Schecklmann ◽  
Berthold Langguth ◽  
Katrin Döhnel ◽  
Beate Sodian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Self And Other

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 The Effects of Tryptamine Psychedelics in the Brain: A meta-Analysis of Functional and Review of Molecular Imaging Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Castelhano ◽  
Gisela Lima ◽  
Marta Teixeira ◽  
Carla Soares ◽  
Marta Pais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Molecular Mimicry ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
The Brain

There is an increasing interest in the neural effects of psychoactive drugs, in particular tryptamine psychedelics, which has been incremented by the proposal that they have potential therapeutic benefits, based on their molecular mimicry of serotonin. It is widely believed that they act mainly through 5HT2A receptors but their effects on neural activation of distinct brain systems are not fully understood. We performed a quantitative meta-analysis of brain imaging studies to investigate the effects of substances within this class (e.g., LSD, Psilocybin, DMT, Ayahuasca) in the brain from a molecular and functional point of view. We investigated the question whether the changes in activation patterns and connectivity map into regions with larger 5HT1A/5HT2A receptor binding, as expected from indolaemine hallucinogens (in spite of the often reported emphasis only on 5HT2AR). We did indeed find that regions with changed connectivity and/or activation patterns match regions with high density of 5HT2A receptors, namely visual BA19, visual fusiform regions in BA37, dorsal anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, and regions involved in theory of mind such as the surpramarginal gyrus, and temporal cortex (rich in 5HT1A receptors). However, we also found relevant patterns in other brain regions such as dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Moreover, many of the above-mentioned regions also have a significant density of both 5HT1A/5HT2A receptors, and available PET studies on the effects of psychedelics on receptor occupancy are still quite scarce, precluding a metanalytic approach. Finally, we found a robust neuromodulatory effect in the right amygdala. In sum, the available evidence points towards strong neuromodulatory effects of tryptamine psychedelics in key brain regions involved in mental imagery, theory of mind and affective regulation, pointing to potential therapeutic applications of this class of substances.

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.

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