Brain signatures of catastrophic events: Emotion, salience, and cognitive control.

Anticipatory brain activity makes it possible to predict the occurrence of expected situations. However, events such as traffic accidents are statistically unpredictable and can generate catastrophic consequences. This study investigates the brain activity and effective connectivity associated with anticipating and processing such unexpected, unavoidable accidents. We asked 161 participants to ride a motorcycle simulator while recording their electroencephalographic activity. Of these, 90 participants experienced at least one accident while driving. We conducted both within-subjects and between-subjects comparisons. During the pre-accident period, the right inferior parietal lobe (IPL), left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and right insula showed higher activity in the accident condition. In the post-accident period, the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex, right IPL, bilateral ACC, and middle and superior frontal gyrus also showed increased activity in the accident condition. We observed greater effective connectivity within the nodes of the limbic network (LN) and between the nodes of the attentional networks in the pre-accident period. In the post-accident period, we also observed greater effective connectivity between networks, from the ventral attention network (VAN) to the somatomotor network and from nodes in the visual network, VAN, and default mode network to nodes in the frontoparietal network, LN, and attentional networks. This suggests that activating salience-related processes and emotional processing allows the anticipation of accidents. Once an accident has occurred, integration and valuation of the new information takes place, and control processes are initiated to adapt behavior to the new demands of the environment.

Characterising and differentiating cognitive and motor speed in older adults: structural equation modelling on a UK longitudinal birth cohort.

OBJECTIVES: Information processing speed (IPS) has been proposed to be a key component in healthy ageing and cognitive functioning. Yet, current studies lack a consistent definition and specific influential characteristics. This study aimed to investigate IPS as a multifaceted concept by differentiating cognitive and motor IPS. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective data analysis using data from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (a population-based cohort of UK adults born in 1946) at childhood (ages 8, 11 and 15) and adulthood (ages 60-64 and 68-70). Using structural equation modelling, we constructed two models of IPS with 2124 and 1776 participants, respectively. OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures of interest included IPS (ie, letter cancellation, simple and choice reaction time), intelligence (ie, childhood intelligence and National Adult Reading Test), verbal memory, socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive functions measured by the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III, as well as a variety of health indexes. RESULTS: We found distinct predictors for cognitive and motor IPS and how they relate to other cognitive functions in old age. In our first model, SES and antipsychotic medication usage emerged as significant predictors for cognitive IPS, intelligence and smoking as predictors for motor IPS while both share sex, memory and antiepileptic medication usage as common predictors. Notably, all differences between both IPS types ran in the same direction except for sex differences, with women performing better than men in cognitive IPS and vice versa in motor IPS. The second model showed that both IPS measures, as well as intelligence, memory, antipsychotic and sedative medication usage, explain cognitive functions later in life. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results shed further light on IPS as a whole by showing there are distinct types and that these measures directly relate to other cognitive functions.

Brain changes following mindfulness: Reduced caudate volume is associated with decreased positive urgency.

Mindfulness training has been shown to improve psychological health and general well-being. However, it is unclear which brain and personality systems may be affected by this practice for improving adaptive behavior and quality of life. The present study explores the effects of a 5-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) at the neuroanatomical level and its relationship with dispositional mindfulness and impulsivity. Sixty-six risky drivers were quasi-randomly assigned to a mindfulness training group (MT) or a control group (N). Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the UPPS-P impulsivity scale twice, at baseline and after receiving the MBI. We observed that MBI changes dispositional mindfulness in the non-reactivity and observing facets. Further, we observed that the magnitude of change in impulsivity was associated with the change in dispositional mindfulness. Whole-brain voxel-wise analysis revealed that the volume of the right caudate nucleus of the MT group (n = 27) showed a reduction compared to that of the control group (n = 33), which increased in terms of the pre-post measurement (MT=-1.76 mm3; N = 6.31 mm3). We also observed that reduced caudate nucleus volume correlated with decreased positive urgency in the MT group. Taken together, our results show that MBI improves the skills of observing and non-reactivity to inner experience, while producing changes in the structure of the caudate nucleus. These structural changes are associated with a reduction in impulsivity levels, decreasing the tendency to act rashly in situations that generate positive emotions and thus facilitating more adaptive behavior.

Relationships between Personality Traits and Brain Gray Matter Are Different in Risky and Non-risky Drivers.

Personality traits such as impulsivity or sensitivity to rewards and punishments have been associated with risky driving behavior, but it is still unclear how brain anatomy is related to these traits as a function of risky driving. In the present study, we explore the neuroanatomical basis of risky driving behavior and how the level of risk-taking influences the relationship between the traits of impulsivity and sensitivity to rewards and punishments and brain gray matter volume. One hundred forty-four participants with different risk-taking tendencies assessed by real-life driving situations underwent MRI. Personality traits were assessed with self-report measures. We observed that the total gray matter volume varied as a function of risky driving tendencies, with higher risk individuals showing lower gray matter volumes. Similar results were found for volumes of brain areas involved in the reward and cognitive control networks, such as the frontotemporal, parietal, limbic, and cerebellar cortices. We have also shown that sensitivity to reward and punishment and impulsivity are differentially related to gray matter volumes as a function of risky driving tendencies. Highly risky individuals show lower absolute correlations with gray matter volumes than less risk-prone individuals. Taken together, our results show that risky drivers differ in the brain structure of the areas involved in reward processing, cognitive control, and behavioral modulation, which may lead to dysfunctional decision-making and riskier driving behavior.

Social and Non-social Brain Areas in Risk Behaviour: The Role of Social Context.

The human brain contains social areas that become active when interacting with another human. These are located in the ventral prefrontal and mediodorsal cortices, adjacent to areas involved in reward processing and cognitive control. Human behaviour is strongly influenced by the social context. This is particularly evident when observing greater risk propensity in the presence of a peer, particularly during adolescence and emerging adulthood. We explored the widely held view that enhanced risk propensity is the consequence of weak cognitive control. We used brain activity, estimated from EEG recordings in a sample of 114 emerging adult dyads whilst performing a risk perception task, to predict risk behaviour in a subsequent driving simulation task. Being with a peer reduced the ability to discriminate riskiness in images of traffic scenes, biased responses towards the perception of no-risk, and increased the rate of accidents in the driving simulation. Risk perception involved three sets of clusters showing activity only when being with a peer, only when being alone, and in both social contexts. Functional connectivity between the clusters accounted for the later driving simulation performance depending on the peer's presence. In the light of our findings, greater risk-taking, when a peer is present, seems to be triggered by the activation of a different, less efficient brain network for risk-processing.

There Is More to Mindfulness Than Emotion Regulation: A Study on Brain Structural Networks.

Dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation are two psychological constructs closely interrelated, and both appear to improve with the long-term practice of mindfulness meditation. These constructs appear to be related to subcortical, prefrontal, and posterior brain areas involved in emotional processing, cognitive control, self-awareness, and mind wandering. However, no studies have yet discerned the neural basis of dispositional mindfulness that are minimally associated with emotion regulation. In the present study, we use a novel brain structural network analysis approach to study the relationship between structural networks and dispositional mindfulness, measured with two different and widely used instruments [Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)], taking into account the effect of emotion regulation difficulties. We observed a number of different brain regions associated with the different scales and dimensions. The total score of FFMQ and MAAS overlap with the bilateral parahippocampal and fusiform gyri. Additionally, MAAS scores were related to the bilateral hippocampus and the FFMQ total score to the right insula and bilateral amygdala. These results indicate that, depending on the instrument used, the characteristics measured could differ and could also involve different brain systems. However, it seems that brain areas related to emotional reactivity and semantic processing are generally related to Dispositional or trait mindfulness (DM), regardless of the instrument used.

Risk proneness modulates the impact of impulsivity on brain functional connectivity.

Impulsivity and sensation seeking are considered to be among the most important personality traits involved in risk-taking behavior. This study is focused on whether the association of these personality traits and brain functional connectivity depends on individuals' risk proneness. Risk proneness was assessed with the DOSPERT-30 scale and corroborated with performance in a motorcycle simulator. The associations of impulsivity- and sensation seeking-related traits with the between and within coupling of seven major brain functional networks, estimated from electroencefalograma (EEG) recordings, differ according to whether an individual is risk prone or not. In risk-prone individuals, (lack of) premeditation enhanced the coupling of the ventral attention and limbic networks. At the same time, emotion seeking increased the coupling of the frontoparietal network and the default mode networks (DMNs). Finally, (lack of) perseverance had a positive impact on the coupling of anterior temporal nodes of the limbic network whilst having a negative impact on some frontal nodes of the frontoparietal network and the DMNs. In general, the results suggest that the predisposition to behave riskily modulates the way in which impulsivity traits are linked to brain functionality, seemingly making the brain networks prepare for an immediate, automatic, and maladaptive response.

Repeat Traffic Offenders Improve Their Performance in Risky Driving Situations and Have Fewer Accidents Following a Mindfulness-Based Intervention.

Risky decision-making is highly influenced by emotions and can lead to fatal consequences. Attempts to reduce risk-taking include the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), which have shown promising results for both emotion regulation (ER) and risk-taking. However, it is still unclear whether improved emotion regulation is the mechanism responsible for reduced risk-taking. In the present study, we explore the effect of a 5-week MBI on risky driving in a group of repeat traffic offenders by comparing them with non-repeat offenders and repeat offenders without training. We evaluated the driving behavior of the participants through a driving simulation, and self-reported emotion regulation, both before and after the intervention. At baseline, poor emotion regulation was related to a more unstable driving behavior, and speeding. The group that received mindfulness training showed improved performance during risky driving situations and had fewer accidents, although their overall driving behavior remained largely unchanged. The observed trend toward improved emotion regulation was not significant. We discuss whether other effects of MBI - such as self-regulation of attention - could underlie the observed reduction in risky driving in the initial stages. Nonetheless, our findings still confirm the close relationship between emotion regulation skills and risky driving.

Spanish validation of the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT-30) Scale / Validación de la versión española de la escala de toma de riesgos en dominios específicos (DOSPERT-30)

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a Spanish version of the short Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT- 30) scale, measuring risk-taking behavior, risk perception, and expected beneficial consequences (from taking risks) in fi ve life domains: ethics, finance, health/security, recreational, and social decisions. METHOD: The scale was back-translated, and administered online to 826 participants. Validity evidence was tested using correlations with construct-related instruments (UPPS-P and SSS-V), as well as using factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability was calculated with the ordinal Alpha coefficient, and gender differences were considered. RESULTS: Internal consistency was good, and factor analysis confirmed the five factors proposed by the authors. With respect to the external validity, high correlations with the positive urgency and the sensation seeking subscales of the UPPS-P, as well as with the thrill and adventure seeking and disinhibition subscales of the SSS-V were found. Finally, gender differences were found in all subscales and domains, with men tending to take more risks, perceive less risk and expect more beneficial consequences, except for the social domain where an inverse pattern was found. CONCLUSIONS: As these findings are in line with the original version, they indicate the scale was successfully adapted

ANTECEDENTES: la escala de toma de riesgos en dominios específicos (DOSPERT-30) evalúa la propensión a comportamientos de riesgo, la percepción del riesgo y los beneficios esperados en 5 dominios (ética, finanzas, salud/seguridad, recreativo y social). El objetivo del presente estudio fue validar una versión española de esta escala. MÉTODO: tras realizar la adaptación mediante una traducción inversa se aplicó el cuestionario a 826 participantes. Se exploró la relación con otros instrumentos (UPPS-P y SSS) y la estructura interna para aportar evidencias de validez. Se calculó el coeficiente de fiabilidad ordinal para cada dimensión y diferencias de género fueron consideradas. RESULTADOS: se obtuvieron índices adecuados de ajuste a una estructura pentafactorial. Los coeficientes de fiabilidad para cada dimensión fueron adecuados. Con respecto a las evidencias de validez, se encontró relación con los factores de búsqueda de sensaciones y urgencia positiva (UPPS-P) y con búsqueda de emociones y desinhibición (SSS). Las diferencias de género mostraron que los hombres tomaron más riesgos, percibieron menos riesgo y esperaron más beneficios en todos los dominios, exceptuando el social, donde la relación fue inversa. CONCLUSIONES: la versión española del DOSPERT-30 presenta buenas propiedades psicométricas y puede considerarse un buen instrumento para el estudio del comportamiento de riesgo

Spanish validation of the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT-30) Scale.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a Spanish version of the short Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT-30) scale, measuring risk-taking behavior, risk perception, and expected beneficial consequences (from taking risks) in five life domains: ethics, finance, health/security, recreational, and social decisions. METHOD: The scale was back-translated, and administered online to 826 participants. Validity evidence was tested using correlations with construct-related instruments (UPPS-P and SSS-V), as well as using factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability was calculated with the ordinal Alpha coefficient, and gender differences were considered. RESULTS: Internal consistency was good, and factor analysis confirmed the five factors proposed by the authors. With respect to the external validity, high correlations with the positive urgency and the sensation seeking subscales of the UPPS-P, as well as with the thrill and adventure seeking and disinhibition subscales of the SSS-V were found. Finally, gender differences were found in all subscales and domains, with men tending to take more risks, perceive less risk and expect more beneficial consequences, except for the social domain where an inverse pattern was found. CONCLUSIONS: As these findings are in line with the original version, they indicate the scale was successfully adapted.

Gray matter atrophy is associated with functional connectivity reorganization during the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) execution in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We explored the relationship between gray matter atrophy and reorganization of functional connectivity in multiple sclerosis patients during execution of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients and 15 healthy controls were selected for the study. Atrophy was determined using voxel-based morphometry, and atrophy-related connectivity changes were assessed using psychophysiological interaction analysis. Group differences, and correlations with PASAT performance and radiological variables were also examined. RESULTS: Gray matter atrophy in MS patients was circumscribed to the bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus/precuneus. Compared with controls, patients showed stronger connectivity between the left posterior cingulate gyrus/precuneus, and the left middle temporal gyrus and left cerebellum. A regression analysis in controls showed a negative correlation between PASAT scores and functional connectivity between: (1) the left posterior cingulate gyrus/precuneus, and left pre/postcentral gyri and left occipital gyrus, and (2) the right posterior cingulate gyrus/precuneus, and bilateral cerebellum and left pre/postcentral gyri. Patients showed a negative correlation between brain parenchymal fraction and functional connectivity between the left posterior cingulate gyrus/precuneus and left cerebellum. CONCLUSION: Patients with early MS and little brain damage presented more connectivity during PASAT execution, which may be interpreted as compensatory processes that help preserve cognitive functions.