Exploring anterior thalamus functional connectivity with cortical regions in prospective memory with ultra-high-field functional MRI.

IF 4.1 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY
Brain communications Pub Date : 2025-04-08 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1093/braincomms/fcaf135
Luke Flanagan, Bruno de Matos Mansur, Christoph Reichert, Anni Richter, Soroosh Golbabaei, Jasmin M Kizilirmak, Catherine M Sweeney-Reed
{"title":"Exploring anterior thalamus functional connectivity with cortical regions in prospective memory with ultra-high-field functional MRI.","authors":"Luke Flanagan, Bruno de Matos Mansur, Christoph Reichert, Anni Richter, Soroosh Golbabaei, Jasmin M Kizilirmak, Catherine M Sweeney-Reed","doi":"10.1093/braincomms/fcaf135","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prospective memory, or memory for future intentions, engages particular cortical regions. Lesion studies also implicate the thalamus, with prospective memory deterioration following thalamic stroke. Neuroimaging, anatomical and lesion studies suggest the anterior nuclei of the thalamus (ANT), in particular, are involved in episodic memory, with electrophysiological studies suggesting an active role in selecting neural assemblies underlying particular memory traces. Here, we hypothesized that the ANT are engaged in realizing prospectively-encoded intentions, detectable using ultra-high-field strength functional MRI. Using a within-subject design, participants (<i>N</i> = 14; age 20-35 years) performed an ongoing n-back working memory task with two cognitive loads, each with and without a prospective memory component, during 7-Tesla functional MRI. Seed-to-voxel whole brain functional connectivity analyses were performed to establish whether including a prospective memory component in an ongoing task results in greater connectivity between ANT and cortical regions engaged in prospective memory. Repeated measures ANOVAs were applied to behavioral and connectivity measures, with the factors <i>Task Type</i> (with prospective memory or not) and <i>N-Back</i> (2-back or 3-back). Response accuracy was greater and reaction times faster without the prospective memory component, and accuracy was higher in the 2- than 3-back condition. <i>Task Type</i> had a main effect on connectivity with an ANT seed, with greater ANT-DLPFC and ANT-STG connectivity when including a prospective memory component. <i>Post hoc</i> testing based on a significant interaction showed greater ANT-DLPFC connectivity (p-FWE = 0.007) when prospective memory was included with the low cognitive load and ANT-STG connectivity (p-FWE = 0.019) with the high cognitive load ongoing task. Direct comparison showed greater functional connectivity between these areas and the ANT than dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus (DMNT) during prospective remembering. Enhanced ANT-DLPFC connectivity, a brain region with an established role in strategic monitoring for prospective memory cues, arose with a low cognitive load ongoing task that enabled monitoring. This connectivity was significantly less on direct comparison with increasing the cognitive load of the ongoing task without prospective memory, suggesting specificity for prospective memory. Greater ANT-STG connectivity on prospective memory inclusion in the higher cognitive load ongoing task fits with reported STG activation on prospective memory through spontaneous retrieval. Lower connectivity on direct comparison with a DMNT seed suggests ANT specificity. The findings fit with a coordinating role for the ANT in prospective remembering. Given the small sample, these findings should be considered preliminary, with replication required.</p>","PeriodicalId":93915,"journal":{"name":"Brain communications","volume":"7 2","pages":"fcaf135"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12018800/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Brain communications","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf135","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Prospective memory, or memory for future intentions, engages particular cortical regions. Lesion studies also implicate the thalamus, with prospective memory deterioration following thalamic stroke. Neuroimaging, anatomical and lesion studies suggest the anterior nuclei of the thalamus (ANT), in particular, are involved in episodic memory, with electrophysiological studies suggesting an active role in selecting neural assemblies underlying particular memory traces. Here, we hypothesized that the ANT are engaged in realizing prospectively-encoded intentions, detectable using ultra-high-field strength functional MRI. Using a within-subject design, participants (N = 14; age 20-35 years) performed an ongoing n-back working memory task with two cognitive loads, each with and without a prospective memory component, during 7-Tesla functional MRI. Seed-to-voxel whole brain functional connectivity analyses were performed to establish whether including a prospective memory component in an ongoing task results in greater connectivity between ANT and cortical regions engaged in prospective memory. Repeated measures ANOVAs were applied to behavioral and connectivity measures, with the factors Task Type (with prospective memory or not) and N-Back (2-back or 3-back). Response accuracy was greater and reaction times faster without the prospective memory component, and accuracy was higher in the 2- than 3-back condition. Task Type had a main effect on connectivity with an ANT seed, with greater ANT-DLPFC and ANT-STG connectivity when including a prospective memory component. Post hoc testing based on a significant interaction showed greater ANT-DLPFC connectivity (p-FWE = 0.007) when prospective memory was included with the low cognitive load and ANT-STG connectivity (p-FWE = 0.019) with the high cognitive load ongoing task. Direct comparison showed greater functional connectivity between these areas and the ANT than dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus (DMNT) during prospective remembering. Enhanced ANT-DLPFC connectivity, a brain region with an established role in strategic monitoring for prospective memory cues, arose with a low cognitive load ongoing task that enabled monitoring. This connectivity was significantly less on direct comparison with increasing the cognitive load of the ongoing task without prospective memory, suggesting specificity for prospective memory. Greater ANT-STG connectivity on prospective memory inclusion in the higher cognitive load ongoing task fits with reported STG activation on prospective memory through spontaneous retrieval. Lower connectivity on direct comparison with a DMNT seed suggests ANT specificity. The findings fit with a coordinating role for the ANT in prospective remembering. Given the small sample, these findings should be considered preliminary, with replication required.

利用超高场功能MRI研究前瞻记忆中丘脑前部与皮质区域的功能连接。
前瞻记忆,或对未来意图的记忆,涉及特定的大脑皮层区域。损伤研究也涉及丘脑,丘脑中风后前瞻记忆退化。神经影像学、解剖学和病变研究表明,特别是丘脑前核(ANT)与情景记忆有关,电生理学研究表明,它在选择特定记忆痕迹下的神经组合方面发挥着积极作用。在这里,我们假设蚂蚁参与实现前瞻性编码的意图,使用超高场强功能MRI检测。采用主题内设计,参与者(N = 14;年龄20-35岁)在7-特斯拉功能MRI期间进行了两种认知负荷的n-back工作记忆任务,每种负荷都有和没有前瞻性记忆成分。我们进行了种子到体素的全脑功能连通性分析,以确定在正在进行的任务中包含前瞻性记忆成分是否会导致ANT与参与前瞻性记忆的皮质区域之间的连通性增强。重复测量方差分析应用于行为和连通性测量,因素任务类型(具有前瞻性记忆或不具有前瞻性记忆)和N-Back (2-back或3-back)。无前瞻记忆组的反应正确率更高,反应时间更快,2- back组的反应正确率高于3-back组。任务类型对ANT种子的连通性有主要影响,当包含前瞻性记忆成分时,ANT- dlpfc和ANT- stg的连通性更大。基于显著交互作用的事后检验显示,当前瞻性记忆被纳入低认知负荷时,anti - dlpfc连通性(p-FWE = 0.007)更高,而当前瞻性记忆被纳入高认知负荷时,anti - stg连通性(p-FWE = 0.019)更高。直接比较表明,在前瞻记忆过程中,这些区域与丘脑背内侧核(DMNT)之间的功能连通性更强。增强的ANT-DLPFC连通性,一个在前瞻性记忆线索的战略监测中起既定作用的大脑区域,出现在低认知负荷的持续任务中,使监测成为可能。这种连通性明显低于在没有前瞻记忆的情况下增加正在进行的任务的认知负荷,这表明前瞻记忆具有特异性。在高认知负荷的持续任务中,前瞻记忆包含中有更大的反-STG连通性,这与已报道的自发性检索中前瞻记忆中STG的激活相吻合。与DMNT种子直接比较,较低的连通性表明ANT特异性。这些发现与ANT在前瞻性记忆中的协调作用相吻合。由于样本量小,这些发现应该被认为是初步的,需要重复。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
CiteScore
7.00
自引率
0.00%
发文量
0
审稿时长
6 weeks
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信