Die neuinwertsetzung von betriebsbrachen in traditionellen industrieregionen. Ein Vergleich zwischen Lüttich und Sheffield

in Matznetter, W.; Musil, R. (Eds.) Europa: metropolen in wandel (2011)

Neural and cognitive bases of upper limb apraxia in corticobasal degeneration

in Neurology (2001), 57(7), 1259-1268

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the neural and cognitive bases of upper limb apraxia in corticobasal degeneration (CBD). METHODS: Eighteen patients with CBD underwent a cognitive neuropsychological assessment ... [more ▼]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the neural and cognitive bases of upper limb apraxia in corticobasal degeneration (CBD). METHODS: Eighteen patients with CBD underwent a cognitive neuropsychological assessment of apraxia and resting [(18)F]-fluorodeoxyglucose PET scanning. Two complementary measures of apraxia were computed for each modality of gesture production. First, a performance score measured error frequency during gesture execution. Second, as a more stringent test of the integrity of the praxis system, the correction score measured the patient's ability to correct his or her errors on a second attempt. For each measure type, a cut-off score for the presence of apraxia was defined with regard to healthy controls. Using each cut-off score, the regional cerebral glucose metabolism of patients with CBD with apraxia (i.e., performing below cut-off score) was compared with that of patients with CBD without apraxia. RESULTS: Mean performance scores were below normal values in all modalities. Anterior cingulate hypometabolism predominated in patients with CBD who performed below the cut-off performance score. At variance, mean correction scores were below normal values for gesture imitation only. Hypometabolism in superior parietal lobule and supplementary motor area characterized patients with CBD who were unable to correct their errors at the same rate as control subjects did. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct neural networks underlie distinct aspects of the upper limb apraxic deficits in CBD. Extending previous findings of gesture production deficits in CBD, the use of complementary measures of apraxic behavior discloses a visuoimitative upper limb apraxia in CBD, underlain by a metabolic decrease in a parietofrontal neural network. [less ▲]

The neural basis of personal goal processing when envisioning future events

in Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (2010), 22

Abstract Episodic future thinking allows humans to mentally simulate virtually infinite future possibilities, yet this device is fundamentally goal-directed and should not be equated with fantasizing or ... [more ▼]

Abstract Episodic future thinking allows humans to mentally simulate virtually infinite future possibilities, yet this device is fundamentally goal-directed and should not be equated with fantasizing or wishful thinking. The purpose of this functional magnetic resonance imaging study was to investigate the neural basis of such goal-directed processing during future-event simulation. Participants were scanned while they imagined future events that were related to their personal goals (personal future events) and future events that were plausible but unrelated to their personal goals (nonpersonal future events). Results showed that imaging personal future events elicited stronger activation in ventral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) compared to imaging nonpersonal future events. Moreover, these brain activations overlapped with activations elicited by a second task that assessed semantic self-knowledge (i.e., making judgments on one's own personality traits), suggesting that ventral MPFC and PCC mediate self-referential processing across different functional domains. It is suggested that these brain regions may support a collection of processes that evaluate, code, and contextualize the relevance of mental representations with regard to personal goals. The implications of these findings for the understanding of the function instantiated by the default network of the brain are also discussed. [less ▲]

The neural correlate of (un)awareness: lessons from the vegetative state

in Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2005), 9(12), 556-559

Consciousness has two main components: wakefulness and awareness. The vegetative state is characterized by wakefulness without awareness. Recent functional neuroimaging results have shown that some parts ... [more ▼]

Consciousness has two main components: wakefulness and awareness. The vegetative state is characterized by wakefulness without awareness. Recent functional neuroimaging results have shown that some parts of the cortex are still functioning in 'vegetative' patients. External stimulation, such as a painful stimulus, still activates 'primary' sensory cortices in these patients but these areas are functionally disconnected from 'higher order' associative areas needed for awareness. Such studies are disentangling the neural correlates of the vegetative state from the minimally conscious state, and have major clinical consequences in addition to empirical importance for the understanding of consciousness. [less ▲]

The neural correlate of consciousness: lessons from coma related states

Scientific conference (2009)

Neural correlates of "hot" and "cold" emotional processing : a multilevel approach to the functional anatomy of emotion

in Neuroimage (2003), 18(4), 938-949

The neural correlates of two hypothesized emotional processing modes, i.e., schematic and propositional modes, were investigated with positron emission tomography. Nineteen subjects performed an emotional ... [more ▼]

The neural correlates of two hypothesized emotional processing modes, i.e., schematic and propositional modes, were investigated with positron emission tomography. Nineteen subjects performed an emotional mental imagery task while mentally repeating sentences linked to the meaning of the imagery script. In the schematic conditions, participants repeated metaphoric sentences, whereas in the propositional conditions, the sentences were explicit questions about specific emotional appraisals of the imagery scenario. Five types of emotional scripts were proposed to the subjects (happiness, anger, affection, sadness, and a neutral scenario). The results supported the hypothesized distinction between schematic and propositional emotional processing modes. Specifically, schematic mode was associated with increased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex whereas propositional mode was associated with activation of the anterolateral prefrontal cortex. In addition, interaction analyses showed that schematic versus propositional processing of happiness (compared with the neutral scenario) was associated with increased activity in the ventral striatum whereas "schematic anger" was tentatively associated with activation of the ventral pallidum. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved. [less ▲]

Neural correlates of anosognosia for cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease

in Human Brain Mapping (2006), 27(7), 588-597

We explored the neural substrate of anosognosia for cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Two hundred nine patients with mild to moderate dementia and their caregivers assessed patients ... [more ▼]

We explored the neural substrate of anosognosia for cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Two hundred nine patients with mild to moderate dementia and their caregivers assessed patients' cognitive impairment by answering a structured questionnaire. Subjects rated 13 cognitive domains as not impaired or associated with mild, moderate, severe, or very severe difficulties, and a sum score was calculated. Two measures of anosognosia were derived. A patient's self assessment, unconfounded by objective measurements of cognitive deficits such as dementia severity and episodic memory impairment, provided an estimate of impaired self-evaluative judgment about cognition in AD. Impaired self-evaluation was related to a decrease in brain metabolism measured with 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in orbital prefrontal cortex and in medial temporal structures. In a cognitive model of anosognosia, medial temporal dysfunction might impair a comparison mechanism between current information on cognition and personal knowledge. Hypoactivity in orbitofrontal cortex may not allow AD patients to update the qualitative judgment associated with their impaired cognitive abilities. Caregivers perceived greater cognitive impairments than patients did. The discrepancy score between caregiver's and patient's evaluations, an other measure of anosognosia, was negatively related to metabolic activity located in the temporoparietal junction, consistent with an impairment of self-referential processes and perspective taking in AD. [less ▲]

Neural correlates of cognitive control at the item specific level in the Stroop task

Poster (2010, May 04)

The neural correlates of conscious awareness revealed by the study of coma and related states

Conference (2012)

Neural correlates of counting of sequential sensory and motor events in the human brain.

in NeuroImage (2006), 31(2), 649-60

Little is known about the ability to enumerate small numbers of successive stimuli and movements. It is possible that there exist neural substrates that are consistently recruited both to count sensory ... [more ▼]

Little is known about the ability to enumerate small numbers of successive stimuli and movements. It is possible that there exist neural substrates that are consistently recruited both to count sensory stimuli from different modalities and for counting movements executed by different effectors. Here, we identify a network of areas that was involved in enumerating small numbers of auditory, visual, and somatosensory stimuli, and in enumerating sequential movements of hands and feet, in the bilateral premotor cortex, presupplementary motor area, posterior temporal cortex, and thalamus. The most significant consistent activation across sensory and motor counting conditions was found in the lateral premotor cortex. Lateral premotor activation was not dependent on movement preparation, stimulus presentation timing, or number word verbalization. Movement counting, but not sensory counting, activated the anterior parietal cortex. This anterior parietal area may correspond to an area recruited for movement counting identified by recent single-neuron studies in monkeys. These results suggest that overlapping but not identical networks of areas are involved in counting sequences of sensory stimuli and sequences of movements in the human brain. [less ▲]