Biology subjects

Campanella, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Campanella, F..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A caudate-centered network for alexithymia derived from patients with brain tumors

Alexithymia is a trait characterized by impaired emotional awareness. Previous accounts examining the neurobiological underpinnings of this trait have centered on a variety of structures, and alexithymia-causing lesions occur in disparate locations. We use lesion network mapping to derive a neural circuit for alexithymia. In a neurosurgical cohort of 45 patients with gliomas (19 female; aged 18-75 years), we compute each lesion's connectivity to the rest of the brain using a normative connectome (n = 1,000) and relate these connectivity maps to preoperative Toronto Alexithymia Scale scores using permutation testing. Lesions associated with higher alexithymia are connected to a common network that includes the bilateral caudate heads (right greater than left) and the anterior cingulate cortex, peaking in the right caudate head (family-wise error-corrected p < 0.05). The network converges with coordinates from an independent meta-analysis of gray matter volume in alexithymia (13 of 14 coordinates positive; p = 0.0004). Of the three subscales, difficulty identifying feelings localized to this network. Within the striatum, the network spans the executive and limbic subdivisions. These findings suggest a caudate-centered circuit, at the interface of affective and executive systems, that unifies disparate lesion locations.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Lesion Network Localization of a Stable Personality Trait

ObjectiveTo identify a convergent neuroanatomical substrate for novelty seeking (NS), a stable personality trait, which could serve as a therapeutic target for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). MethodsWe analyzed two independent datasets (total n=136) in which the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to document alterations across 7 stable personality traits before and after brain lesions surgically induced by glioma resection. Using lesion network mapping, we examined whether alterations in NS were causally associated with lesions to specific brain networks. We assessed for strength of replication across datasets and specificity against other personality traits. ResultsLesion locations that are linked to NS map to a common brain with its largest cluster in the dorsal cingulate. This map was specific to NS relative to other personality traits and overlapped with prior published neuroimaging findings related to the term "novelty". Utilizing a pre-computed connectome, we also derived a map highlighting potential targets for non-invasive brain stimulation that may alter this stable personality trait. ConclusionsWe derived and cross-validated a brain network that is functionally connected to lesions that are causally responsible for the stable personality trait "novelty seeking". Lesions to this network were associated with changes in NS. This includes a superficial node within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex that may serve as a promising TMS target to modulate or protect against abnormal NS.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Cognitive and affective Theory of Mind double dissociation after parietal and temporal lobe tumors

Extensive neuroimaging literature suggests that understanding others thoughts and emotions engages a wide network encompassing parietal, temporal and medial frontal brain areas. However, the causal role played by these regions in social inferential abilities is still unclear. Moreover very little is known about ToM deficits in brain tumours and whether potential anatomical substrates are comparable to those identified in fMRI literature. This study evaluated the performance of 105 tumour patients, before and immediately after brain surgery, on a cartoon-based non-verbal task evaluating Cognitive (Intention Attribution) and Affective (Emotion Attribution) ToM, as well as a non-social control condition (Causal Inference). Across multiple analyses, we found converging evidence of a double dissociation between patients with right superior parietal damage, selectively impaired in Intention Attribution, and those with right antero-medial temporal lesion, exhibiting deficits only in Emotion attribution. Instead, patients with damage to the frontal cortex were impaired in all kinds of inferential processes, including those from the non-social control conditions. Overall, our data provides novel reliable causal evidence of segregation between different aspects of the ToM network from both the cognitive and also the anatomical point of view.

neuroscience↗