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Cognitive reappraisal is associated with reduced emotional distress; however, little is known about the nature of this relationship in autism. This study tested whether autistic traits moderate reappraisal success (i.e., the negative correlation between reappraisal use and emotional symptom severity). Emotional symptoms were assessed using measures of depression, anxiety, and stress. It was hypothesized that more severe autistic traits would be associated with "weaker" reappraisal success across all scales. Data were collected from 377 adults using an on-line survey. Structural equation models found moderation effects for depression and anxiety, but not stress. Contrary to hypotheses, more severe autistic traits were associated with "stronger" reappraisal success. These preliminary results support including reappraisal in emotion regulation treatments for individuals with autistic traits.

Cognitive reappraisal is associated with reduced emotional distress; however, little is known about the nature of this relationship in autism. This study tested whether autistic traits moderate reappraisal success (i.e., the negative correlation between reappraisal use and emotional symptom severity). Emotional symptoms were assessed using measures of depression, anxiety, and stress. It was hypothesized that more severe autistic traits would be associated with weaker reappraisal success across all scales. Data were collected from 377 adults using an on-line survey. Structural equation models found moderation effects for depression and anxiety, but not stress. Contrary to hypotheses, more severe autistic traits were associated with stronger reappraisal success. These preliminary results support including reappraisal in emotion regulation treatments for individuals with autistic traits., Author(s): Gretchen J. Diefenbach [sup.1] [sup.2] , Kimberly T. Stevens [sup.1] , Amanda Dunlap [sup.3] , Alycia M. Nicholson [sup.3] , Olivia N. Grella [sup.3] , Godfrey Pearlson [sup.2] [sup.3] [...]

To explore the temporal sequence of, and the relationship between, the left and right hemispheres (LH and RH) during semantic memory (SM) processing we identified the neural networks involved in the performance of functional MRI semantic object retrieval task (SORT) using group independent component analysis (ICA) in 47 healthy individuals. SORT requires participants to determine whether word pairs describing object features combine to retrieve an object. Functional network connectivity (FNC) was used to assess the correlations between components' time courses. Results showed that semantic left and right hemisphere networks comprise two independent ICA components. The components' time courses were highly correlated and RH activation preceded that of the LH. Moreover, this correlation was significantly stronger in better vs. poorer performers of the SORT. These results indicate an early activation of the RH that is closely followed by activation of the LH, to facilitate performance during word retrieval from SM. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

The article presents the discussion on effective social interactions being integral for thriving in social groups and ultimately to the survival of the individual. Topics include ToM functions being crucial components of social behavior allowing prediction and interpretation of others' behavior and consequent adjustment of one's own behavior; and modifying Domino game confirming the ToM network and assessing the specificity in relation to nonsocial cognitive processes.

We present an exploratory cross-sectional analysis of the effect of season and weather on Freesurfer-derived brain volumes from a sample of 3,279 healthy individuals collected on two MRI scanners in Hartford, CT, USA over a 15 year period. Weather and seasonal effects were analyzed using a single linear regression model with age, sex, motion, scan sequence, time-of-day, month of the year, and the deviation from average barometric pressure, air temperature, and humidity, as covariates. FDR correction for multiple comparisons was applied to groups of non-overlapping ROIs. Significant negative relationships were found between the left- and right- cerebellum cortex and pressure (t = -2.25, p = 0.049; t = -2.771, p = 0.017). Significant positive relationships were found between left- and right- cerebellum cortex and white matter between the comparisons of January/June and January/September. Significant negative relationships were found between several subcortical ROIs for the summer months compared to January. An opposing effect was observed between the supra- and infra-tentorium, with opposite effect directions in winter and summer. Cohen's d effect sizes from monthly comparisons were similar to those reported in recent psychiatric big-data publications, raising the possibility that seasonal changes and weather may be confounds in large cohort studies. Additionally, changes in brain volume due to natural environmental variation have not been reported before and may have implications for weather-related and seasonal ailments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of the human brain span multiple spatial scales, from connectivity associated with a specific region/network to the global organization, each representing different brain mechanisms. Yet brain reconfigurations at different spatial scales are seldom explored and whether they are associated with the neural aspects of brain disorders is far from understood. In this study, we introduced a dynamic measure called step‐wise functional network reconfiguration (sFNR) to characterize how brain configuration rewires at different spatial scales. We applied sFNR to two independent datasets, one includes 160 healthy controls (HCs) and 151 patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and the other one includes 314 HCs and 255 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We found that both SZ and ASD have increased whole‐brain sFNR and sFNR between cerebellar and subcortical/sensorimotor domains. At the ICN level, the abnormalities in SZ are mainly located in ICNs within subcortical, sensory, and cerebellar domains, while the abnormalities in ASD are more widespread across domains. Interestingly, the overlap SZ‐ASD abnormality in sFNR between cerebellar and sensorimotor domains was correlated with the reasoning‐problem‐solving performance in SZ (r = −.1652, p =.0058) as well as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule in ASD (r =.1853, p =.0077). Our findings suggest that dynamic reconfiguration deficits may represent a key intersecting point for SZ and ASD. The investigation of brain dynamics at different spatial scales can provide comprehensive insights into the functional reconfiguration, which might advance our knowledge of cognitive decline and other pathophysiology in brain disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Recent evidence suggests that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) might be effective in treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Cognitive models of GAD highlight the role of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) in precipitating and maintaining worry, and it has been hypothesized that patients with GAD exhibit decision‐making deficits under uncertain conditions. Improving understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits associated with IU may lead to the identification of novel rTMS treatment targets and optimization of treatment parameters. The current report describes two interrelated studies designed to identify and verify a potential neural target for rTMS treatment of GAD. Methods: Study I explored the integrity of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and amygdala neural networks, which underlie decision making under conditions of uncertainty, in GAD. Individuals diagnosed with GAD (n = 31) and healthy controls (n = 20) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) gambling task that manipulated uncertainty using high versus low error rates. In a subsequent randomized‐controlled trial (Study II), a subset of the GAD sample (n = 16) completed the fMRI gambling task again after 30 sessions of active versus sham rTMS (1 Hz, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) to investigate the modulation of functional networks and symptoms. Results: In Study I, participants with GAD demonstrated impairments in PFC‐PFC and PFC‐amygdala functional connectivity (FC) mostly during the high uncertainty condition. In Study II, one region of interest pair, dorsal anterior cingulate (ACC) – subgenual ACC, showed “normalization” of FC following active, but not sham, rTMS, and neural changes were associated with improvement in worry symptoms. Conclusions: These results outline a possible treatment mechanism of rTMS in GAD, and pave the way for future studies of treatment optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite over 400 peer-reviewed structural MRI publications documenting neuroanatomic abnormalities in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, the confounding effects of head motion and the regional specificity of these defects are unclear. Using a large cohort of individuals scanned on the same research dedicated MRI with broadly similar protocols, we observe reduced cortical thickness indices in both illnesses, though less pronounced in bipolar disorder. While schizophrenia ( n = 226) was associated with wide-spread surface area reductions, bipolar disorder ( n = 227) and healthy comparison subjects ( n = 370) did not differ. We replicate earlier reports that head motion (estimated from time-series data) influences surface area and cortical thickness measurements and demonstrate that motion influences a portion, but not all, of the observed between-group structural differences. Although the effect sizes for these differences were small to medium, when global indices were covaried during vertex-level analyses, between-group effects became nonsignificant. This analysis raises doubts about the regional specificity of structural brain changes, possible in contrast to functional changes, in affective and psychotic illnesses as measured with current imaging technology. Given that both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder showed cortical thickness reductions, but only schizophrenia showed surface area changes, and assuming these measures are influenced by at least partially unique sets of biological factors, then our results could indicate some degree of specificity between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3757-3770, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Individuals with a positive family history for alcoholism (FHP) have shown differences from family-history-negative (FHN) individuals in the neural correlates of reward processing. FHP, compared to FHN individuals, demonstrate relatively diminished ventral striatal activation during anticipation of monetary rewards, and the degree of ventral striatal activation shows an inverse correlation with specific impulsivity measures in alcohol-dependent individuals. Rewards in socially interactive contexts relate importantly to addictive propensities, yet have not been examined with respect to how their neural underpinnings relate to impulsivity-related measures. Here we describe impulsivity measures in FHN and FHP individuals as they relate to a socially interactive functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task. Methods: Forty FHP and 29 FHN subjects without histories of Axis-I disorders completed a socially interactive Domino task during functional magnetic resonance imaging and completed self-report and behavioral impulsivity-related assessments. Results: FHP compared to FHN individuals showed higher scores (p = .004) on one impulsivity-related factor relating to both compulsivity (Padua Inventory) and reward/punishment sensitivity (Sensitivity to Punishment/Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire). Multiple regression analysis within a reward-related network revealed a correlation between risk-taking (involving another impulsivity-related factor, the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART)) and right ventral striatum activation under reward >punishment contrast (p<0.05 FWE corrected) in the social task. Conclusions: Behavioral risk-taking scores may be more closely associated with neural correlates of reward responsiveness in socially interactive contexts than are FH status or impulsivity-related self-report measures. These findings suggest that risk-taking assessments be examined further in socially interactive settings relevant to addictive behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cocaine addiction is characterized by impulsivity, impaired social relationships, and abnormal mesocorticolimbic reward processing, but their interrelationships relative to stages of cocaine addiction are unclear. We assessed blood-oxygenationlevel dependent (BOLD) signal in ventral and dorsal striatum during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in current (CCD; n = 30) and former (FCD; n = 28) cocaine dependent subjects as well as healthy control (HC; n = 31) subjects while playing an interactive competitive Domino game involving risk-taking and reward/punishment processing. Out-ofscanner impulsivity-related measures were also collected. Although both FCD and CCD subjects scored significantly higher on impulsivity-related measures than did HC subjects, only FCD subjects had differences in striatal activation, specifically showing hypoactivation during their response to gains versus losses in right dorsal caudate, a brain region linked to habituation, cocaine craving and addiction maintenance. Right caudate activity in FCD subjects also correlated negatively with impulsivity-related measures of self-reported compulsivity and sensitivity to reward. These findings suggest that remitted cocaine dependence is associated with striatal dysfunction during social reward processing in a manner linked to compulsivity and reward sensitivity measures. Future research should investigate the extent to which such differences might reflect underlying vulnerabilities linked to cocaine-using propensities (e.g., relapses). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the impact of exercise training on the hippocampal volume of humans. It provides an overview on hippocampus which is the main site of memory and learning in the brain. It also discusses the use of a custom graphics software program in the study in generating the volumetric measurements of humans.

A letter to the editor is presented on test regarding the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to neuroimaging and hoarding disorder in a 58-year-old woman.

Background: The neural basis of formal thought disorder (FTD) is unknown. An influential theory is that FTD results from impaired semantic memory processing. We explored the neural correlates of semantic memory retrieval in schizophrenia using an imaging task assessing semantic object recall. Method: Sixteen healthy control subjects and sixteen schizophrenia patients whose FTD symptoms were measured with the Thought Disorder Index completed a verbal object-recall task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants viewed two words describing object features that either evoked (object recall) or did not evoke a semantic concept. Results: Schizophrenia patients tended to overrecall objects for feature pairs that did not describe the same object. Functionally, rostral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activation in patients positively correlated with FTD severity during both correct recalled and overrecalled trials. Compared with control subjects, during object recalling, patients overactivated bilateral ACC, temporooccipital junctions, temporal poles and parahippocampi, right inferior frontal gyrus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, but underactivated inferior parietal lobules. Conclusions: Our results support impaired semantic memory retrieval as underlying FTD pathophysiology. Schizophrenia patients showed abnormal activations of brain areas involved in semantic memory, verbal working memory, and initiation and suppression of conflicting responses, which were associated with semantic overrecall and FTD. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The Semantic Object Retrieval Task (SORT) requires participants to indicate whether word pairs recall a third object. Schizophrenia individuals (SZ) tend to report associations between nonassociated word pairs; this overretrieval is related to formal thought disorder (FTD). Since semantic memory impairments and psychosis are also found in bipolar disorder (BP), we examined whether SORT impairments and their relationship to symptoms are also present in BP. Methods: Participants (n = 239; healthy control subjects [HC] = 133; BP = 32; SZ = 74) completed SORT while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. Results: Retrieval accuracy negatively correlated with negative symptoms and no-retrieval accuracy negatively correlated with FTD severity in SZ but not BP. Retrieval versus no-retrieval trials activated a distributed fronto-parieto-temporal network; bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL) activity was larger in HC versus SZ and HC versus BP, with no difference in SZ versus BP. Right IPL activity positively correlated with positive and general psychosis symptoms in SZ but not BP. Conclusions: SZ reported more associations between unrelated word pairs than HC; this overretrieval increased with FTD severity. Schizophrenia individuals were also more likely to fail to find associations between related word pairs; this underretrieval increased with negative symptom severity. fMRI symptom correlations in IPL in SZ are consistent with arguments that IPL abnormality relates to loosening of associations in SZ. By comparison, BP showed intermediate impairments on SORT, uncorrelated with symptoms, suggesting that the relationship between SORT performance, fMRI activity, and psychotic symptoms is schizophrenia-specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]