Association between the Pittsburgh sleep quality index and white matter integrity in healthy adults: a whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging study.

Unlabelled: To disclose possible associations between poorer sleep quality and structural brain alterations in a non-psychiatric healthy population, this study investigated the association between the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and brain correlates, using a whole-brain approach. This study included 371 right-handed healthy adults (138 males, mean age: 46.4 ± 14.

Motivated for near impossibility: How task type and reward modulate task enjoyment and the striatal activation for extremely difficult task.

Economic and decision-making theories suppose that people would disengage from a task with near zero success probability, because this implicates little normative utility values. However, humans often are motivated for an extremely challenging task, even without any extrinsic incentives. The current study aimed to address the nature of this challenge-based motivation and its neural correlates.

Association of body mass index and its classifications with gray matter volume in individuals with a wide range of body mass index group: A whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging study.

Aim: To examine the association of body mass index (BMI) [kg/m] and its classifications (underweight [BMI < 18.5], normal [18.5 ≤ BMI < 25], overweight [25 ≤ BMI < 30], and obese [BMI ≥ 30]) with brain structure in individuals with a wide range of BMI group.

Gut permeability and its clinical relevance in schizophrenia.

Aim: We aimed to examine the gut permeability in patients with schizophrenia and its relevance to schizophrenia symptoms, medication, cognitive functions, and blood immune markers.

Methods: We selected 22 patients with schizophrenia (mean age: 37.9 ± 10.

An fMRI Investigation into the Effects of Ketogenic Medium-Chain Triglycerides on Cognitive Function in Elderly Adults: A Pilot Study.

Evidence suggests that oral intake of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which promote the production of ketone bodies, may improve cognitive functions in elderly people; however, the underlying brain mechanisms remain elusive. We tested the hypothesis that cognitive improvement accompanies physiological changes in the brain and reflects the use of ketone bodies as an extra energy source. To this end, by using functional magnetic resonance imaging, cerebral blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals were measured while 20 healthy elderly subjects (14 females and 6 males; mean age: 65.

Effect of Strain Shirota on Improvement in Depressive Symptoms, and Its Association with Abundance of Actinobacteria in Gut Microbiota.

We previously reported lower counts of lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium in the gut microbiota of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), compared with healthy controls. This prompted us to investigate the possible efficacy of a probiotic strain, strain Shirota (LcS; basonym, strain Shirota; daily intake of 8.0 × 10 colony-forming units), in alleviating depressive symptoms.

Performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) in Japanese patients with bipolar and major depressive disorders in euthymic and depressed states.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the cognitive performance of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) stratified by illness phase compared to that of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls.

Methods: Participants were 139 patients with BD (55 euthymic and 84 depressed), 311 patients with MDD (88 euthymic and 223 depressed), and 386 healthy controls who underwent the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised or the Third Edition. They were non-elderly Japanese individuals with normal estimated premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ; >90), group-matched for age, sex, and premorbid IQ.

Corrigendum: Correlation Between the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale- Edition Metrics and Brain Structure in Healthy Individuals: A Whole-Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.

Association between obesity and white matter microstructure impairments in patients with schizophrenia: A whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging study.

Aim: We aimed to examine the possible association of obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30) with symptoms, psychotropic medication, and whole-brain structure in patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: Participants were 65 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (mean age: 37.2 ± 11.

Correlation Between the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale- 3 Edition Metrics and Brain Structure in Healthy Individuals: A Whole-Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Background: The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 3 edition (WAIS-III) is widely used to evaluate the intelligence quotient (IQ). We aimed to investigate the correlation between the WAIS-III metrics and whole-brain structures using magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: The participants were 266 healthy, right-handed individuals (age: 45.

The Neural Basis of Changing Social Norms through Persuasion.

Social norms regulate behavior, and changes in norms have a great impact on society. In most modern societies, norms change through interpersonal communication and persuasive messages found in media. Here, we examined the neural basis of persuasion-induced changes in attitude toward and away from norms using fMRI.

Regional gray matter volume in the posterior precuneus is associated with general self-efficacy.

Motivation in doing a task is influenced not only by the expected outcome of the task but also by the belief that one has in successfully executing the task. Over time, individuals accumulate experiences that contribute toward a general belief in one's overall ability to successfully perform tasks, which is called general self-efficacy (GSE). We investigated the relationship between regional gray matter volume and individual differences in GSE.

Coordinated activation of premotor and ventromedial prefrontal cortices during vicarious reward.

The vicarious reward we receive from watching likable others obtaining a positive outcome is a pervasive phenomenon, yet its neural correlates are poorly understood. Here, we conducted a series of functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments to test the hypothesis that the brain areas responsible for action observation and reward processing work in a coordinated fashion during vicarious reward. In the first experiment (manipulation phase), the participant was instructed to cheer for a particular player in a two-player competitive game (Rock-Paper-Scissors).

The neural basis of the imitation drive.

Spontaneous imitation is assumed to underlie the acquisition of important skills by infants, including language and social interaction. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine the neural basis of 'spontaneously' driven imitation, which has not yet been fully investigated. Healthy participants were presented with movie clips of meaningless bimanual actions and instructed to observe and imitate them during an fMRI scan.

The neural bases for valuing social equality.

The neural basis of how humans value and pursue social equality has become a major topic in social neuroscience research. Although recent studies have identified a set of brain regions and possible mechanisms that are involved in the neural processing of equality of outcome between individuals, how the human brain processes equality of opportunity remains unknown. In this review article, first we describe the importance of the distinction between equality of outcome and equality of opportunity, which has been emphasized in philosophy and economics.

Social equality in the number of choice options is represented in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

A distinct aspect of the sense of fairness in humans is that we care not only about equality in material rewards but also about equality in nonmaterial values. One such value is the opportunity to choose freely among many options, often regarded as a fundamental right to economic freedom. In modern developed societies, equal opportunities in work, living, and lifestyle are enforced by antidiscrimination laws.

The neural basis of event simulation: an FMRI study.

Event simulation (ES) is the situational inference process in which perceived event features such as objects, agents, and actions are associated in the brain to represent the whole situation. ES provides a common basis for various cognitive processes, such as perceptual prediction, situational understanding/prediction, and social cognition (such as mentalizing/trait inference). Here, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to elucidate the neural substrates underlying important subdivisions within ES.

Neural Mechanism for Mirrored Self-face Recognition.

Self-face recognition in the mirror is considered to involve multiple processes that integrate 2 perceptual cues: temporal contingency of the visual feedback on one's action (contingency cue) and matching with self-face representation in long-term memory (figurative cue). The aim of this study was to examine the neural bases of these processes by manipulating 2 perceptual cues using a "virtual mirror" system. This system allowed online dynamic presentations of real-time and delayed self- or other facial actions.

Adaptive ability to cope with atypical or novel situations involving tool use: an fMRI approach.

We investigated the neural mechanisms underlying the ability to cope in atypical or novel situations using tools. We hypothesized that two cognitive components support this ability: adaptive coordination (for adapting to situational demands) and cognitive inhibition (for inhibiting the incongruent actions afforded by tools). We had subjects choose novel tools for a given task or choose among familiar tools in an atypical situation, during which we examined cortical activation in their brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

The neural bases underlying social risk perception in purchase decisions.

Social considerations significantly influence daily purchase decisions, and the perception of social risk (i.e., the anticipated disapproval of others) is crucial in dissuading consumers from making purchases.

From social-signal detection to higher social cognition: an fMRI approach.

Implicit or automatic detection of social signals, which discriminate animate, intentional objects in the environment, is essential for higher social cognition and its development. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we identified the neural substrate of detecting simple visual social signals and examined its functional link with the mechanism of inferring another's mental state. Healthy participants were presented with the eye-gaze shift (EG) and self-propelling motion (SP) under both implicit and explicit task conditions.

Compensatory effort parallels midbrain deactivation during mental fatigue: an fMRI study.

Fatigue reflects the functioning of our physiological negative feedback system, which prevents us from overworking. When fatigued, however, we often try to suppress this system in an effort to compensate for the resulting deterioration in performance. Previous studies have suggested that the effect of fatigue on neurovascular demand may be influenced by this compensatory effort.

Irony comprehension: social conceptual knowledge and emotional response.

Verbal irony conveys various emotional messages, from criticism to humor, that differ from the meaning of the actual words. To understand irony, we need conceptual knowledge of irony in addition to an understanding of context. We investigated the neural mechanism of irony comprehension, focusing on two overlooked issues: conceptual knowledge and emotional response.

Rhythm information represented in the fronto-parieto-cerebellar motor system.

Rhythm is an essential element of human culture, particularly in language and music. To acquire language or music, we have to perceive the sensory inputs, organize them into structured sequences as rhythms, actively hold the rhythm information in mind, and use the information when we reproduce or mimic the same rhythm. Previous brain imaging studies have elucidated brain regions related to the perception and production of rhythms.

Neural correlates of the difference between working memory speed and simple sensorimotor speed: an fMRI study.

The difference between the speed of simple cognitive processes and the speed of complex cognitive processes has various psychological correlates. However, the neural correlates of this difference have not yet been investigated. In this study, we focused on working memory (WM) for typical complex cognitive processes.