posterior cingulate cortex
Research Papers
Application of functional connectivity neurofeedback in patients with treatment-resistant depression: A preliminary report
Functional connectivity neurofeedback (FCNef) is a technique that modulates synchronous neural activity through training and is being investigated as a potential novel treatment for patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression (TRD). An FCNef protocol, based on the analysis of resting-state functional imaging data from a large cohort of depressed individuals, has been proposed to promote negative functional connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex (DLPFC-PCC FC). This study aimed to assess the therapeutic efficacy and practicality of the protocol in a small sample of TRD patients. Of the six patients recruited, five completed the FCNef sessions. Depression and rumination scores significantly improved post-treatment, however, there were no significant changes in DLPFC-PCC FC. The study demonstrated efficacy of FCNef in ameliorating depressive symptoms, yet, it also indicated that the training itself may be burdensome for depressed patients, as evidenced by participants reporting fatigue (one of whom dropped out). Thus, a more efficient and less burdensome protocol is needed for future investigations and applications.
View Full Paper →Self-regulation of the posterior cingulate cortex with real-time fMRI neurofeedback augmented mindfulness training in healthy adolescents: A nonrandomized feasibility study
Mindfulness training (MT) promotes the development of one's ability to observe and attend to internal and external experiences with objectivity and nonjudgment with evidence to improve psychological well-being. Real-time functional MRI neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) is a noninvasive method of modulating activity of a brain region or circuit. The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) has been hypothesized to be an important hub instantiating a mindful state. This nonrandomized, single-arm study examined the feasibility and tolerability of training typically developing adolescents to self-regulate the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) using rtfMRI-nf during MT. Thirty-four adolescents (mean age: 15 years; 14 females) completed the neurofeedback augmented mindfulness training task, including Focus-on-Breath (MT), Describe (self-referential thinking), and Rest conditions, across three neurofeedback and two non-neurofeedback runs (Observe, Transfer). Self-report assessments demonstrated the feasibility and tolerability of the task. Neurofeedback runs differed significantly from non-neurofeedback runs for the Focus-on-Breath versus Describe contrast, characterized by decreased activity in the PCC during the Focus-on-Breath condition (z = -2.38 to -6.27). MT neurofeedback neural representation further involved the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior insula, hippocampus, and amygdala. State awareness of physical sensations increased following rtfMRI-nf and was maintained at 1-week follow-up (Cohens' d = 0.69). Findings demonstrate feasibility and tolerability of rtfMRI-nf in healthy adolescents, replicates the role of PCC in MT, and demonstrate a potential neuromodulatory mechanism to leverage and streamline the learning of mindfulness practice. ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier #NCT04053582; August 12, 2019).
View Full Paper →Influencing connectivity and cross-frequency coupling by real-time source localized neurofeedback of the posterior cingulate cortex reduces tinnitus related distress
Background: In this study we are using source localized neurofeedback to moderate tinnitus related distress by influencing neural activity of the target region as well as the connectivity within the default network. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that up-training alpha and down-training beta and gamma activity in the posterior cingulate cortex has a moderating effect on tinnitus related distress by influencing neural activity of the target region as well as the connectivity within the default network and other functionally connected brain areas. Methods: Fifty-eight patients with chronic tinnitus were included in the study. Twenty-three tinnitus patients received neurofeedback training of the posterior cingulate cortex with the aim of up-training alpha and down-training beta and gamma activity, while 17 patients underwent training of the lingual gyrus as a control situation. A second control group consisted of 18 tinnitus patients on a waiting list for future tinnitus treatment. Results: This study revealed that neurofeedback training of the posterior cingulate cortex results in a significant decrease of tinnitus related distress. No significant effect on neural activity of the target region could be obtained. However, functional and effectivity connectivity changes were demonstrated between remote brain regions or functional networks as well as by altering cross frequency coupling of the posterior cingulate cortex. Conclusion: This suggests that neurofeedback could remove the information, processed in beta and gamma, from the carrier wave, alpha, which transports the high frequency information and influences the salience attributed to the tinnitus sound. Based on the observation that much pathology is the result of an abnormal functional connectivity within and between neural networks various pathologies should be considered eligible candidates for the application of source localized EEG based neurofeedback training.
View Full Paper →Real-time fMRI links subjective experience with brain activity during focused attention
Recent advances in brain imaging have improved the measure of neural processes related to perceptual, cognitive and affective functions, yet the relation between brain activity and subjective experience remains poorly characterized. In part, it is a challenge to obtain reliable accounts of participant's experience in such studies. Here we addressed this limitation by utilizing experienced meditators who are expert in introspection. We tested a novel method to link objective and subjective data, using real-time fMRI (rt-fMRI) to provide participants with feedback of their own brain activity during an ongoing task. We provided real-time feedback during a focused attention task from the posterior cingulate cortex, a hub of the default mode network shown to be activated during mind-wandering and deactivated during meditation. In a first experiment, both meditators and non-meditators reported significant correspondence between the feedback graph and their subjective experience of focused attention and mind-wandering. When instructed to volitionally decrease the feedback graph, meditators, but not non-meditators, showed significant deactivation of the posterior cingulate cortex. We were able to replicate these results in a separate group of meditators using a novel step-wise rt-fMRI discovery protocol in which participants were not provided with prior knowledge of the expected relationship between their experience and the feedback graph (i.e., focused attention versus mind-wandering). These findings support the feasibility of using rt-fMRI to link objective measures of brain activity with reports of ongoing subjective experience in cognitive neuroscience research, and demonstrate the generalization of expertise in introspective awareness to novel contexts.
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