At the heart of the ventral attention system: The right anterior insula

Eckert, Mark A.; Menon, Vinod; Walczak, Adam; Ahlstrom, Jayne B.; Denslow, Stewart; Horwitz, Amy R.; Dubno, Judy R.

doi:10.1002/hbm.20688

Cited by 381 publications

(324 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Anterior insula has been implicated in salience processing (i.e., detecting salient stimuli in the external environment) (44,45) and in regulating shifts between introspective and extrospective modes of attention (44,46). Evidence for this proposal comes from structural imaging (44), fMRI studies using activation paradigms (e.g., oddball tasks) (47), functional and effective connectivity studies (46), and investigations using pharmacological manipulations (48).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lag in maturation of the brain’s intrinsic functional architecture in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Sripada

Kessler

Angstadt

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

222

168

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Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common psychiatric disorders of childhood, and there is great interest in understanding its neurobiological basis. A prominent neurodevelopmental hypothesis proposes that ADHD involves a lag in brain maturation. Previous work has found support for this hypothesis, but examinations have been limited to structural features of the brain (e.g., gray matter volume or cortical thickness). More recently, a growing body of work demonstrates that the brain is functionally organized into a number of large-scale networks, and the connections within and between these networks exhibit characteristic patterns of maturation. In this study, we investigated whether individuals with ADHD (age 7.2-21.8 y) exhibit a lag in maturation of the brain's developing functional architecture. Using connectomic methods applied to a large, multisite dataset of resting state scans, we quantified the effect of maturation and the effect of ADHD at more than 400,000 connections throughout the cortex. We found significant and specific maturational lag in connections within default mode network (DMN) and in DMN interconnections with two task positive networks (TPNs): frontoparietal network and ventral attention network. In particular, lag was observed within the midline core of the DMN, as well as in DMN connections with right lateralized prefrontal regions (in frontoparietal network) and anterior insula (in ventral attention network). Current models of the pathophysiology of attention dysfunction in ADHD emphasize altered DMN-TPN interactions. Our finding of maturational lag specifically in connections within and between these networks suggests a developmental etiology for the deficits proposed in these models.resting state | connectomics | default network A ttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a serious neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. One influential neurodevelopmental model of the disorder posits a lag in the maturational trajectories of key features of the brain (1-4). This model has mostly been investigated by examining developmental pathways of structural features of the brain (3,(5)(6)(7)(8). In recent years, however, theorists have increasingly used resting state functional MRI (fMRI)-scanning participants in a task-free resting state-to explore the brain's functional architecture. This work has led to the recognition that the human brain is organized into several large-scale intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs), each associated with specific neurocognitive functions (9, 10). ICNs have been shown to undergo significant maturation from childhood to early adulthood, with individual ICNs exhibiting spatially specific reliable patterns of integration (increased connectivity with age) and segregation (decreased connectivity with age) with other ICNs (11-17). These advances raise possibilities for investigating maturational lag in ADHD in the developing ICN architecture of the brain (18).Independent lines of res...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lag in maturation of the brain’s intrinsic functional architecture in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Sripada

Kessler

Angstadt

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

222

168

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“…In the ventral attention network, the insula also seems to regulate task assignment to frontal cortical regions accessing executive functions. This appears to be independent from the kind of stimuli (i.e., visual or auditory) or response (Eckert et al., 2009). In MS, insular atrophy is related to T2‐lesion load, functional connectivity, and network efficiency.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pattern of gray matter volumes related to retinal thickness and its association with cognitive function in relapsing–remitting MS

et al. 2016

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BackgroundNeurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be investigated in the visual system as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows examining structural integrity in detail. The association between thickness of retinal layers and focal cortical volumes beyond the primary visual system has not been thoroughly investigated.ObjectiveTo investigate the association between focal cortical volume and thickness of retinal layers.MethodsFifty‐four patients (relapsing–remitting MS, mean age 40.5 years, mean disease duration 7.6 years, median EDSS 2) underwent OCT and MRI. The association between focal cortical volume and OCT measurements was investigated with voxel‐based morphometry (VBM). Patterns of association were determined with Yeo's functional network atlas and the Harvard‐Oxford cortical atlas. We used GEE models with cortical volumes from the FreeSurfer parcellation to confirm VBM results. Post hoc, we analyzed the association between OCT, focal cortical volumes, and an extended neuropsychological assessment in a subgroup of 14 patients.ResultsMacular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL) and ganglion cell /inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) showed a robust association with mainly the insular cortex and the cingulate cortex. VBM findings were confirmed with FreeSurfer volumes. The post hoc analysis detected significant correlations between both OCT outcomes and cognition.ConclusionBesides the primary visual system, OCT outcomes show a correlation pattern with cortical regions that are known to be important for cognitive performance, predominantly the insula in both hemispheres. Thus, OCT should be further investigated as a marker for neurodegeneration in MS.

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“…Right prefrontal and insular areas were reported to be engaged in response inhibition (Dambacher et al 2014;Eckert et al 2009). Thus, in addition to the focus on momentary experience, the increased right prefrontal and insular alpha activity also agrees with an increased executive control needed for upholding the detached non-discursive mental state during Zazen.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zazen meditation and no-task resting EEG compared with LORETA intracortical source localization

Faber¹,

Lehmann²,

Gianotti

et al. 2014

Cogn Process

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Meditation is a self-induced and willfully initiated practice that alters the state of consciousness. The meditation practice of Zazen, like many other meditation practices, aims at disregarding intrusive thoughts while controlling body posture. It is an open monitoring meditation characterized by detached moment-to-moment awareness and reduced conceptual thinking and self-reference. Which brain areas differ in electric activity during Zazen compared to task-free resting? Since scalp electroencephalography (EEG) waveforms are reference-dependent, conclusions about the localization of active brain areas are ambiguous. Computing intracerebral source models from the scalp EEG data solves this problem. In the present study we applied source modeling using low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) to 58-channel scalp EEG data recorded from 15 experienced Zen meditators during Zazen and no-task resting. Zazen compared to no-task resting showed increased alpha-1 and alpha-2 frequency activity in an exclusively right-lateralized cluster extending from prefrontal areas including the insula to parts of the somatosensory and motor cortices and temporal areas. Zazen also showed decreased alpha and beta-2 activity in the left angular gyrus and decreased beta-1 and beta-2 activity in a large bilateral posterior cluster comprising the visual cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex and the parietal cortex. The results include parts of the default mode network and suggest enhanced automatic memory and emotion processing, reduced conceptual thinking and self-reference on a less judgmental, i.e., more detached moment-to-moment basis during Zazen compared to no-task resting. Computing intracerebral source models from the scalp EEG data solves this problem. In the present study we applied source modeling using low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) to 58-channel scalp EEG data recorded from 15 experienced Zen meditators during Zazen and no-task resting. Zazen compared to no-task resting showed increased alpha-1 and alpha-2 frequency activity in an exclusively right-lateralized cluster extending from prefrontal areas including the insula to parts of the somatosensory and motor cortices and temporal areas. Zazen also showed decreased alpha and beta-2 activity in the left angular gyrus and decreased beta-1 and beta-2 activity in a large bilateral posterior cluster comprising the visual cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex and the parietal cortex. The results include parts of the default mode network and suggest enhanced automatic memory and emotion processing, reduced conceptual thinking and self-reference on a less judgmental, i.e., more detached moment-to-moment basis during Zazen compared to no-task resting.

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At the heart of the ventral attention system: The right anterior insula

Cited by 381 publications

References 71 publications

Lag in maturation of the brain’s intrinsic functional architecture in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Lag in maturation of the brain’s intrinsic functional architecture in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Pattern of gray matter volumes related to retinal thickness and its association with cognitive function in relapsing–remitting MS

Zazen meditation and no-task resting EEG compared with LORETA intracortical source localization

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