Modulation of movement-related oscillatory signatures by cognitive interference in healthy aging.

Age-related changes in the neurophysiology underlying motor control are well documented, but whether these changes are specific to motor function or more broadly reflect age-related alterations in fronto-parietal circuitry serving attention and other higher-level processes remains unknown. Herein, we collected high-density magnetoencephalography (MEG) in 72 healthy adults (age 28-63 years) as they completed an adapted version of the multi-source interference task that involved two subtypes of cognitive interference (i.e., flanker and Simon) and their integration (i.e., multi-source). All MEG data were examined for age-related changes in neural oscillatory activity using a whole-brain beamforming approach. Our primary findings indicated robust behavioral differences in task performance based on the type of interference, as well as stronger beta oscillations with increasing age in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (flanker and multi-source conditions), left parietal (flanker and Simon), and medial parietal regions (multi-source). Overall, these data indicate that healthy aging is associated with alterations in higher-order association cortices that are critical for attention and motor control in the context of cognitive interference.

Altered effective connectivity within the cingulo-frontal-parietal cognitive attention networks in chronic low back pain: a dynamic causal modeling study.

Dysfunction of the cingulo-frontal-parietal (CFP) cognitive attention network has been associated with the pathophysiology of chronic low back pain (cLBP). However, the direction of information processing within this network remains largely unknown. We aimed to study the effective connectivity among the CFP regions in 36 cLBP patients and 36 healthy controls by dynamic causal modeling (DCM). Both the resting-state and task-related (Multi-Source Interference Task, MSIT) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected and analyzed. The relationship between the effective connectivity of the CFP regions and clinical measures was also examined. Our results suggested that cLBP had significantly altered resting-state effective connectivity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-to-mid-cingulate cortex (MCC) (increased) and MCC-to-left superior parietal cortex (LPC) (decreased) pathways as compared with healthy controls. MSIT-related DCM suggested that the interference task could significantly increase the effective connectivity of the right superior parietal cortex (RPC)-to-PFC and RPC-to-MCC pathways in cLBP than that in healthy controls. The control task could significantly decrease the effective connectivity of the MCC-to-LPC and MCC-to-RPC pathways in cLBP than that in healthy controls. The endogenous connectivity of the PFC-to-RPC pathway in cLBP was significantly lower than that in healthy controls. No significant correlations were found between the effective connectivity within CFP networks and pain/depression scores in patients with cLBP. In summary, our findings suggested altered effective connectivity in multiple pathways within the CFP network in both resting-state and performing attention-demanding tasks in patients with cLBP, which extends our understanding of attention dysfunction in patients with cLBP.

Cognitive interference processing in adults with childhood craniopharyngioma using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: To assess cognitive interference processing in adults with childhood craniopharyngioma (CP), with and without hypothalamic injury, respectively, in terms of behavioral performance and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity, using the multi-source interference task (MSIT). METHODS: Twenty-eight CP patients (median age 34.5 [29.0-39.5] years) were investigated at median 20.5 (16.3-28.8) years after treatment with surgical resection and in some cases additional radiotherapy (n = 10) and compared to 29 matched controls (median age 37.0 [32.5-42.0] years). The subjects performed the MSIT during fMRI acquisition and behavioral performance in terms of response times (ms) and accuracy performance (%) were recorded. RESULTS: The MSIT activated the cingulo-fronto-parietal (CFP) attention network in both CP patients and controls. No differences were found in behavioral performance nor fMRI activity between CP patients (interference effect 333.9 [287.3-367.1] ms and 3.1 [1.6-5.6]%, respectively) and controls (309.1 [276.4-361.0] ms and 2.6 [1.6-4.9]%). No differences were found in behavioral performance nor fMRI activity between the two subgroups with (332.0 [283.6-353.4] ms and 4.2 [2.3-5.7]%, respectively) and without hypothalamic injury (355.7 [293.7-388.7] ms and 2.1 [1.0-5.2]%, respectively), respectively, and controls. CONCLUSION: Adults with childhood CP performed cognitive interference processing equally well as controls and demonstrated no compensatory fMRI activity in the CFP attention network compared to controls. This was also true for the two subgroups with and without hypothalamic injury. The results can be useful to better characterize this condition, and to optimize treatment and support for these individuals.

Blue light exposure enhances neural efficiency of the task positive network during a cognitive interference task.

Exposure to light, particularly blue-wavelength light, has been shown to acutely increase brain activation, alertness, and some elementary aspects of cognitive performance such as working memory and emotional anticipation. Whether blue light exposure can have effects on brain activation and performance during more complex cognitive control tasks up to 30 min after light cessation is unknown. In a sample of 32 healthy adults, we examined the effects of a 30 min exposure to either blue (n = 16) or amber control (n = 16) light on subsequent brain activation and performance during the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) measured a half-hour after light exposure. Performance on the MSIT did not differ between the blue and amber conditions. However, brain activation within the task positive network (TPN) to the interference condition was significantly lower in the blue relative to the amber condition, while no group differences were observed for suppression of the default mode network (DMN). These findings suggest that, compared to control, a single exposure to blue light was associated with enhanced neural efficiency, as demonstrated by reduced TPN activation to achieve the same level of performance. Blue light may be an effective method for optimizing neurocognitive performance under some conditions.

Beta and gamma oscillations index cognitive interference effects across a distributed motor network.

The planning and execution of an efficient motor plan is essential to everyday cognitive function, and relies on oscillatory neural responses in both the beta (14-30 â€‹Hz) and gamma (>30 â€‹Hz) bands. Such motor control requires not only the integration of salient information from the environment, but also the inhibition of irrelevant or distracting inputs that often manifest as forms of cognitive interference. While the effects of cognitive interference on motor neural dynamics has been an area of increasing interest recently, it remains unclear whether different subtypes of interference differentially impact these dynamics. We address this issue using magnetoencephalography and a novel adaptation of the Multi-Source Interference Task, wherein two common subtypes of cognitive interference are each presented in isolation, as well as simultaneously. We find evidence for the subtype-invariant indexing of cognitive interference across a widely distributed set of motor regions oscillating in the beta range, including the bilateral primary motor and posterior parietal cortices. Further, we find that superadditive effects of cognitive interference subtypes on behavior are paralleled by gamma oscillations in the contralateral premotor cortex, and determine that these gamma oscillations also predict the superadditive effects on behavior.

Multi-Source Interference Task paradigm to enhance automatic and controlled processes in ADHD.

BACKGROUND: The role of automatic and controlled processes in children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has recently been debated. Most theories on ADHD assume that core deficits are related to controlled processes and executive function. AIMS: The main aim of the present study is to examine automatic and controlled attention in children with ADHD, compared to TD subjects. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Twenty ADHD-I children, 20 with ADHD-C and 20 typical developing children performed the Block-Formed Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) both in incongruent and congruent conditions. OUTCOME AND RESULTS: Results show that clinical groups had a poorer performance than the TD group in both conditions. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study demonstrated that children with ADHD exhibit a deficit both in automatic and controlled processes.

Neural correlates of cognitive dysfunction in fibromyalgia patients: Reduced brain electrical activity during the execution of a cognitive control task.

OBJECTIVES: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a generalized chronic pain syndrome of unknown aetiology. Although FM patients frequently complain of cognitive dysfunction, this is one of the least studied symptoms. Research on brain activity associated with the perceived cognitive impairment is particularly scarce. To address this gap, we recorded the brain electrical activity in participants during a cognitive control task. METHODS: Electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded in 19 FM patients and 22 healthy controls (all women) while they performed the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT). We analyzed the amplitude of the frontal N2 and parietal P3 components elicited in control and interference trials and their relation with reaction times. We also explored the relationship of perceived cognitive dysfunction, assessed using visual analogue scales (VAS) and the Memory Failures of Everyday (MFE-30) test, with N2 and P3 amplitudes. RESULTS: The N2 amplitudes were smaller in FM patients than in controls and were negatively associated with cognitive complaints. Unlike patients, healthy controls showed significant differences in the amplitude of P3 obtained from control vs. interference trials of the MSIT. Smaller N2 and P3 amplitudes were associated to longer reaction times. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest a reduction in frontal brain activity during performance of an interference task, which was associated with the patients' cognitive complaints. Findings on P3 suggest altered modulation of attention according to the task demands in FM patients. Deficits in flexibility in the allocation of attentional resources and cognitive control during complex tasks may explain the dyscognition reported by chronic pain patients.

Deficits in frontoparietal activation and anterior insula functional connectivity during regulation of cognitive-affective interference in bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVES: Bipolar disorders (BD) are characterized by emotion and cognitive dysregulation. Mapping deficits in the neurocircuitry of cognitive-affective regulation allows for potential identification of intervention targets. This study used functional MRI data in BD patients and healthy controls during performance on a task requiring cognitive and inhibitory control superimposed on affective images, assessing cognitive and affective interference. METHODS: Functional MRI data were collected from 39 BD patients and 36 healthy controls during performance on the Multi-Source Interference Task overlaid on images from the International Affective Picture System (MSIT-IAPS). Analyses examined patterns of activation in a priori regions implicated in cognitive and emotional processing. Functional connectivity to the anterior insula during task performance was also examined, given this region's role in emotion-cognition integration. RESULTS: BD patients showed significantly less activation during cognitive interference trials in inferior parietal lobule, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, mid-cingulate, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex regardless of affective valence. BD patients showed deviations in functional connectivity with anterior insula in regions of the default mode and frontoparietal control networks during negatively valenced cognitive interference trials. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show disruptions in cognitive regulation and inhibitory control in BD patients in the presence of irrelevant affective distractors. Results of this study suggest one pathway to dysregulation in BD is through inefficient integration of affective and cognitive information, and highlight the importance of developing interventions that target emotion-cognition integration in BD.

Prefrontal cortex activation during cognitive interference in nonsuicidal self-injury.

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), deliberate behavior resulting in self-inflicted damage to oneself, is common, particularly among female adolescents, and may be a form of maladaptive emotion regulation. Cognitive interference, a specific type of processing associated with inhibiting prepotent responses in favor of less automatic ones, is utilized in treatment strategies to shift patients' thoughts and behaviors away from maladaptive responses and replace them with more adaptive ones. We examined cognitive interference processing using the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) in females with NSSI behavior (n=15) and healthy control females (n=15). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected concurrently. Results revealed similar between-group performance on the MSIT; however, women with NSSI behavior exhibited altered patterns of neural activation during the MSIT. Specifically, the NSSI group demonstrated increased cingulate cortex (CC) and decreased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation compared to the control group. Further, within the NSSI group, DLPFC activation inversely correlated with emotional reactivity and self-reported impulsivity, suggesting that decreased DLPFC activation is associated with poorer emotional control and increased impulsivity. Taken together, these results indicate that women with NSSI behavior utilize different cortical areas during cognitive interference processing, which may have broader implications regarding the treatment efficacy of cognitive-based therapies.

Neural correlates of interference resolution in the multi-source interference task: a meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies.

BACKGROUND: Interference resolution refers to cognitive control processes enabling one to focus on task-related information while filtering out unrelated information. But the exact neural areas, which underlie a specific cognitive task on interference resolution, are still equivocal. The multi-source interference task (MSIT), as a particular cognitive task, is a well-established experimental paradigm used to evaluate interference resolution. Studies combining the MSIT with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have shown that the MSIT evokes the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and cingulate-frontal-parietal cognitive-attentional networks. However, these brain areas have not been evaluated quantitatively and these findings have not been replicated. METHODS: In the current study, we firstly report a voxel-based meta-analysis of functional brain activation associated with the MSIT so as to identify the localization of interference resolution in such a specific cognitive task. Articles on MSIT-related fMRI published between 2003 and July 2017 were eligible. The electronic databases searched included PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar. Differential BOLD activation patterns between the incongruent and congruent condition were meta-analyzed in anisotropic effect-size signed differential mapping software. RESULTS: Robustness meta-analysis indicated that two significant activation clusters were shown to have reliable functional activity in comparisons between incongruent and congruent conditions. The first reliable activation cluster, which included the dACC, medial prefrontal cortex, supplementary motor area, replicated the previous MSIT-related fMRI study results. Furthermore, we found another reliable activation cluster comprising areas of the right insula, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right lenticular nucleus-putamen, which were not typically discussed in previous MSIT-related fMRI studies. CONCLUSIONS: The current meta-analysis study presents the reliable brain activation patterns on MSIT. These findings suggest that the cingulate-frontal-striatum network and right insula may allow control demands to resolve interference on MSIT. These results provide new insights into the neural mechanisms underlying interference resolution.

Neural activity during attentional conflict predicts reduction in tinnitus perception following rTMS.

BACKGROUND: Subjective idiopathic tinnitus is an intrusive, distracting, and potentially disabling disorder characterized by phantom perception of sounds. Although tinnitus has no approved pharmacologic treatment, recent evidence supports the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to alleviate tinnitus symptoms. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Repetitive TMS delivered over the middle superior temporal gyrus (STG) may alter ratings of tinnitus awareness and annoyance more than loudness due to change in attentional processing. STG has reciprocal connections to regions of the prefrontal cortex that mediate attention. To probe the hypothesized influence of STG stimulation on attention, a subset of patients with tinnitus enrolled in an rTMS clinical trial [n = 12, 9 male, mean (sd) age = 49 (15) years] underwent an attentional conflict task before and after rTMS treatment in a repeated-measures functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. METHODS: The Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT), a Stroop-based visual attentional conflict fMRI task, was used to map participants' neural processing of attentional conflict prior to rTMS intervention (Baseline) and after three rTMS intervention arms: Sham, 1 Hz, and 10 Hz (four sessions per arm, 1800 pulses per session, delivered @110% of the motor threshold over the posterior superior temporal gyrus). RESULTS: All measures of tinnitus severity (awareness, loudness, and annoyance) improved with 1 Hz rTMS intervention; however, the greatest and most robust changes were observed for ratings of tinnitus awareness (mean 16% reduction in severity from Baseline, p < 0.01). The MSIT elicited a similar pattern of neural activation among tinnitus participants at Baseline compared to an independent sample of 43 healthy comparison adults (r = 0.801, p = 0.001). Linear regression with bootstrap resampling showed that greater recruitment of bilateral prefrontal and bilateral parietal regions by MSIT at Baseline corresponded with poorer treatment response. Individual regions' activities explained 37-67% variance in participant treatment response, with left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex's MSIT activity at Baseline explaining the greatest reduction in tinnitus awareness following 1 Hz stimulation. Although left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity at Baseline also predicted reduction in tinnitus loudness and annoyance (∼50% variance explained), these symptoms were more strongly predicted by right middle occipital cortex (∼70% variance explained) - suggesting that the neural predictors of symptom-specific treatment outcomes may be dissociable. CONCLUSION: These candidate neural reactivity markers of treatment response have potential clinical value in identifying tinnitus sufferers who would or would not therapeutically benefit from rTMS intervention.

Decreased Cingulate Cortex activation during cognitive control processing in bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive deficits are well-documented in patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) and may impact the efficacy of psychotherapy. Cognitive control, a form of executive functioning, is often used therapeutically to shift patients' thoughts and behaviors from automatic, maladaptive responses to adaptive coping strategies. This study examined cognitive control processing in patients with BPD using the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT). METHOD: Twenty-nine patients diagnosed with BPD and 21 healthy control (HC) subjects completed the MSIT with concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). RESULTS: Patients with BPD generally performed worse on the MSIT relative to HC participants; the BPD group had significantly lower performance accuracy and made more omission errors. Further, fMRI analyses revealed differential patterns of activation between the groups during the MSIT. Region of interest (ROI) analyses revealed that relative to HC participants, patients with BPD activated significantly fewer voxels within the cingulate cortex (CC) and more voxels within prefrontal cortex (PFC), although the PFC findings did not survive more stringent significance thresholds. LIMITATIONS: Patients and HCs were not matched for age, sex, and premorbid verbal IQ, however, these variables were controlled for statistically. Medication usage in the BPD group may have possibly impacted the results. Given a priori hypotheses, ROI analyses were utilized. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased CC activation and increased PFC activation may be associated with impaired cognitive control, demonstrated by BPD patients when completing the MSIT. Identifying the neural mechanisms which underlie key cognitive abnormalities in BPD may aid in clarifying the pathophysiology of this disorder and inform selection of potential targets for cognition remediation in BPD.

The relevance of fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation to interference effect.

Growing evidence has indicated a potential connection between resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) signal and cognitive performance. However, the relationship between intrinsic neural activity and behavioral interference effect on cognitive control has been poorly understood. In the present study, seventy-eight healthy subjects underwent RS-fMRI and performed Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT). The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) was measured as an indicator of intrinsic brain activity. The difference in reaction times between interference and control conditions in MSIT was evaluated as interference effect. Then we examined the associations between fALFF and interference effect using partial correlation analysis controlling for age, gender and mean framewise displacement. The results demonstrated that fALFF values in orbital prefrontal cortex (OPFC) and right inferior frontal cortex (IFC) were negatively correlated with the interference effect in MSIT. The findings manifest that OPFC and right IFC may influence the processing efficiency of cognitive conflict and play a crucial role in cognitive control.

Error related negativity and multi-source interference task in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-combined type / La negatividad relacionada al error en una tarea de interferencia multifuente en niños con trastorno por déficit de atención-hiperactividad tipo combinado

Objective To compare performance of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders-combined (ADHD-C) type with control children in multi-source interference task (MSIT) evaluated by means of error related negativity (ERN). Method We studied 12 children with ADHD-C type with a median age of 7 years, control children were age- and gender-matched. Children performed MSIT and simultaneous recording of ERN. Results We found no differences in MSIT parameters among groups. We found no differences in ERN variables between groups. We found a significant association of ERN amplitude with MSIT in children with ADHD-C type. Some correlation went in positive direction (frequency of hits and MSIT amplitude), and others in negative direction (frequency of errors and RT in MSIT). Conclusion Children with ADHD-C type exhibited a significant association between ERN amplitude with MSIT. These results underline participation of a cingulo-fronto-parietal network and could help in the comprehension of pathophysiological mechanisms of ADHD. .

Objetivo Comparar el rendimiento de un grupo de niños con trastorno por déficit de atención-hiperactividad de tipo combinado (TDAH-C), con niños controles, en la tarea de interferencia multi-fuente (TIMF), evaluado por la negatividad relacionada al error (NRE). Método Estudiamos 12 niños con TDAH-C con una mediana de 7 años, los controles estuvieron pareados por edad y género. Los niños realizaron la TIMF con registros simultáneos de NRE. Resultados No encontramos diferencias en los parámetros de la TIMF entre grupos. No encontramos diferencias en las variables de la NRE entre grupos. Encontramos asociaciones significativas entre la amplitud de la NRE en niños con TDAH-C. Una correlación fue en dirección positiva: (frecuencia de aciertos y amplitud de TIMF), y otras fueron en dirección negativa (frecuencia de errores y el tiempo de respuesta en la TIMF). Conclusión Los niños con TDAH-C presentan una asociación significativa entre la amplitud de la NRE con la TIMF. Los resultados sugieren la participación de la red cíngulo-fronto-parietal y pueden ayudar en la comprensión de los mecanismos fisiopatológicos del TDAH-C. .

Small-World Brain Functional Networks in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Revealed by EEG Synchrony.

We investigated the topologic properties of human brain attention-related functional networks associated with Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) performance using electroencephalography (EEG). Data were obtained from 13 children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 13 normal control children. Functional connectivity between all pairwise combinations of EEG channels was established by calculating synchronization likelihood (SL). The cluster coefficients and path lengths were computed as a function of degree K. The results showed that brain attention functional networks of normal control subjects had efficient small-world topologic properties, whereas these topologic properties were altered in ADHD. In particular, increased local characteristics combined with decreased global characteristics in ADHD led to a disorder-related shift of the network topologic structure toward ordered networks. These findings are consistent with a hypothesis of dysfunctional segregation and integration of the brain in ADHD, and enhance our understanding of the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism of this illness.