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Recent work has demonstrated the feasibility of simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Virtually no systematic comparisons between EEG recorded inside and outside the MR scanner have been conducted, and it is unknown if different kinds of frequency mix, topography, and domain-specific processing are uniformly recordable within the scanner environment. The aim of the study was to investigate several typical EEG waveforms in the same subjects inside the magnet during fMRI and outside the MR examination room. We examined whether uniform artifact subtraction allows the extraction of these different EEG waveforms inside the scanner during EPI scanning to the same extent as outside the scanner. Three well-established experiments were conducted, eliciting steady state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP), lateralized readiness potentials (LRP), and frontal theta enhancement induced by mental addition. All waveforms could be extracted from the EEG recorded during fMRI. Substantially no differences in these waveforms of interest were found between gradient-switching and intermediate epochs during fMRI (only the SSVEP-experiment was designed for a comparison of gradient-with intermediate epochs), or between waveforms recorded inside the scanner during EPI scanning and outside the MR examination room (all experiments). However, non-specific amplitude differences were found between inside and outside recorded EEG at lateral electrodes, which were not in any interaction with the effects of interest. The source of these differences requires further exploration. The high concordance of activation patterns with published results demonstrates that EPI-images could be acquired during EEG recording without significant distortion.

Theta increases with workload and is associated with numerous processes including working memory, problem solving, encoding, or self monitoring. These processes, in turn, involve numerous structures of the brain. However, the relationship between regional brain activity and the occurrence of theta remains unclear. In the present study, simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings were used to investigate the functional topography of theta. EEG-theta was enhanced by mental arithmetic-induced workload. For the EEG-constrained fMRI analysis, theta-reference time-series were extracted from the EEG, reflecting the strength of theta occurrence during the time course of the experiment. Theta occurrence was mainly associated with activation of the insular cortex, hippocampus, superior temporal areas, cingulate cortex, superior parietal, and frontal areas. Though observation of temporal and insular activation is in accord with the theory that theta specifically reflects encoding processes, the involvement of several other brain regions implies that surface-recorded theta represents comprehensive functional brain states rather than specific processes in the brain. The results provide further evidence for the concept that emergent theta band oscillations represent dynamic functional binding of widely distributed cortical assemblies, essential for cognitive processing. This binding process may form the source of surface-recorded EEG theta.

The majority of neuroimaging studies on affective processing have indicated that there are specific brain structures, which are selectively responsive to fear and disgust. Whereas the amygdala is assumed to be fear-related, the insular cortex is most likely involved in disgust processing. Since these findings are mainly a result of studies focusing exclusively either on fear, or on disgust, but rarely on both emotions together, the present experiment explored the neural effects of viewing disgusting and fear-inducing pictures in contrast to neutral pictures. This was done by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with 19 subjects (nine males, ten females), who also gave affective ratings for the presented pictures. The fear and the disgust pictures were able to induce the target emotions and they received comparable valence and arousal ratings. The processing of both aversive picture types was associated with an increased brain activation in the occipital-temporal lobe, in the prefrontal cortex, and in the thalamus. The amygdala was significantly activated by disgusting, but not by fear-inducing, pictures. Thus, our data are in contrast with the idea of highly emotion-specific brain structures and rather suggest the existence of a common affective circuit.

Patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are characterized by dysregulated neuronal processing of disorder-specific and also unspecific affective stimuli. In the present study, we investigated whether generic fear-inducing, disgust-inducing, and neutral stimuli can be decoded from brain patterns of single fMRI time samples of individual OCD patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, we tested whether differences in the underlying encoding provide information to classify subjects into groups (OCD patients or healthy controls). Two pattern classification analyses were conducted. In analysis 1, we used a classifier to decode the category of a currently viewed picture from extended fMRI patterns of single time samples (TR=3s) in individual subjects for several pairs of categories. In analysis 2, we used a searchlight approach to predict subjects' diagnostic status based on local brain patterns. In analysis 1, we obtained significant accuracies for the separation of fear-eliciting from neutral pictures in OCD patients and healthy controls. Separation of disgust-inducing from neutral pictures was significant in healthy controls. In analysis 2, we identified diagnostic information for the presence of OCD in the orbitofrontal cortex, and in the caudate nucleus. Accuracy obtained in these regions was 100% (p<10(-6)). To summarize our findings, by using multivariate pattern classification techniques we were able to identify neurobiological markers providing reliable diagnostic information about OCD. The classifier-based fMRI paradigms proposed here might be integrated in future diagnostic procedures and treatment concepts.

Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging was applied to identify cortical areas involved in maintaining target information in working memory used for an upcoming grasping action. Participants had to grasp with their thumb and index finger of the dominant right hand three-dimensional objects of different size and orientation. Reaching-to-grasp movements were performed without visual feedback either immediately after object presentation or after a variable delay of 2-12 s. The right inferior parietal cortex demonstrated sustained neural activity throughout the delay, which overlapped with activity observed during encoding of the grasp target. Immediate and delayed grasping activated similar motor-related brain areas and showed no differential activity. The results suggest that the right inferior parietal cortex plays an important functional role in working memory maintenance of grasp-related information. Moreover, our findings confirm the assumption that brain areas engaged in maintaining information are also involved in encoding the same information, and thus extend previous findings on working memory function of the posterior parietal cortex in saccadic behavior to reach-to-grasp movements.

Findings from animal as well as human neuroimaging studies suggest that reward delivery is associated with the activation of subcortical limbic and prefrontal brain regions, including the thalamus, the striatum, the anterior cingulate and the prefrontal cortex. The aim of the present study was to explore if these reward-sensitive regions are also activated during the anticipation of reinforcers that vary with regard to their motivational value. A differential conditioning paradigm was performed, with the presentation of a rewarded reaction time task serving as the unconditioned stimulus (US). Depending on their reaction time, subjects were given (or not given) a monetary reward, or were presented with a verbal feedback consisting of being fast or slow. In a third control condition no task needed to be executed. Each of the three conditions was introduced by a different visual cue (CS). Brain activation of 27 subjects was recorded using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results showed significant activation of the substantia nigra, thalamic, striatal, and orbitofrontal brain regions as well as of the insula and the anterior cingulate during the presentation of a CS signalling a rewarded task. The anticipation of a monetary reward produced stronger activation in these regions than the anticipation of positive verbal feedback. The results are interpreted as reflecting the motivation-dependent reactivity of the brain reward system with highly motivating stimuli (monetary reward) leading to a stronger activation than those less motivating ones (verbal reward).

Cerebral reorganization may limit the effects of central nervous system tissue damage on cognition in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study investigated fMRI activation patterns in patients with relapsing-remitting MS and healthy control subjects during performance of a delayed recognition task. As intended, fMRI task performance was similar in the MS and the control group, whereas neuropsychological testing revealed reduced performance in the patient group on the Paced Serial Addition Test, a reference task for the assessment of cognitive function in MS. Patients overall showed more activation in left posterior parietal cortex than healthy control subjects. Global gray matter atrophy in the patient group was associated with low PASAT scores. In a multiple regression analysis including white matter lesion load and gray matter atrophy as covariates, PASAT performance correlated with activation in left posterior parietal cortex and right anterior midfrontal gyrus, indicating a reallocation of neuronal resources to help preserve function. Global gray matter atrophy correlated with activation in bilateral prefrontal cortex, dorsal ACC and left posterior parietal cortex and, furthermore, was associated with a low degree of deactivation in rostral ACC, suggesting neural inefficiency and consistent with a reduced capacity to modulate between frontoparietal task-associated activation and 'default network' activity. The current study provides evidence that altered brain activation in MS patients has two distinct components, one related to compensatory processes and one to neural inefficiency associated with tissue damage.

Cognitive deficits affecting memory, attention and speed of information processing are common in multiple sclerosis (MS). The mechanisms of cognitive impairment remain unclear. Here, we examined the association between neuropsychological test performance and brain atrophy in a group of mildly disabled patients with relapsing-remitting MS. We applied voxel-based morphometry (SPM2) to investigate the distribution of brain atrophy in relation to cognitive performance. Patients had lower scores than control subjects on tests of memory and executive function, including the PASAT, Digit Span Backward and a test of short-term verbal memory (Memo). Among patients, but not healthy controls, performance on the PASAT, a comprehensive measure of cognitive function and reference task for the cognitive evaluation of MS-patients, correlated with global grey matter volume as well as with grey matter volume in regions associated with working memory and executive function, including bilateral prefrontal cortex, precentral gyrus and superior parietal cortex as well as right cerebellum. Compared to healthy subjects, patients showed a volume reduction in left temporal and prefrontal cortex, recently identified as areas predominantly affected by diffuse brain atrophy in MS. A comparison of low performers in the patient group with their matched control subjects showed more extensive and bilateral temporal and frontal volume reductions as well as bilateral parietal volume loss, compatible with the progression of atrophy found in more advanced MS-patients. These findings indicate that MS-related deficits in cognition are closely associated with cortical atrophy.

The aim of this fMRI study was to explore brain structures that are involved in the processing of erotic and disgust-inducing pictures. The stimuli were chosen to trigger approach and withdrawal tendencies, respectively. By adding sadomasochistic (SM) scenes to the design and examining 12 subjects with and 12 subjects without sadomasochistic preferences, we introduced a picture category that induced erotic pleasure in one sample and disgust in the other sample. Since we also presented neutral pictures, all subjects viewed pictures of four different categories: neutral, disgust-inducing, erotic, and SM erotic pictures. The analysis indicated that several brain structures are commonly involved in the processing of disgust-inducing and erotic pictures (occipital cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, and the amygdala). The ventral striatum was specifically activated when subjects saw highly sexually arousing pictures. This indicates the involvement of the human reward system during the processing of visual erotica.