Biology subjects

Perrucci, M. G.

Publications and source records attributed to Perrucci, M. G..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

The prospective sense of agency is rooted in local and global properties of intrinsic functional brain networks

The sense of agency (SoA) refers to a constitutional aspect of the self describing the extent to which individuals feel in control over their actions and consequences thereof. Although the SoA has been associated with mental health and well-being, it is still unknown how interindividual variability in the SoA is embedded in the intrinsic brain organization. We hypothesized that the prospective component of an implicit SoA is associated with brain networks related to SoA and sensorimotor predictions on multiple spatial scales. We replicated previous findings by showing a significant prospective SoA as indicated by intentional binding effects. Then, using task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and graph analysis, we analyzed associations between intentional binding effects and the intrinsic brain organization at regional, modular, and whole-brain scales. The results showed that inter-modular connections of a fronto-parietal module including the premotor cortex, supramarginal gyrus, and dorsal precuneus are associated with individual differences in prospective intentional binding. Notably, prospective intentional binding effects were also related to global brain modularity within a specific structural resolution range. These findings suggest that an implicit SoA generated through sensorimotor predictions relies on the intrinsic organization of the brain connectome on both local and global scales.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Disentangling functional connectivity effects of age and expertise in long-term meditators

The effects of intensive meditation practices on the functional and structural organization of the human brain have been addressed by a growing number of neuroscientific studies. However, the different modulations of meditation expertise and of ageing, in the underlying brain areas and networks, have not yet been fully elucidated. These effects should be distinguished in order to clarify how long-term meditation can modulate the connectivity between brain areas. To address this issue, we tested whether meditation expertise and age can be predicted from the multivariate pattern of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging connectivity, in Theravada Buddhist monks with long-term practice in two different meditation forms: Focused Attention (FA) and Open Monitoring (OM). We found that functional connectivity patterns in both meditation forms can be used to predict expertise and age of long-term meditators. Our findings suggest that meditation expertise is associated with meditation-specific brain networks modulations, while age-related modifications are general and independent from the meditation type. Specifically, expertise modulated patterns during FA meditation include nodes and connections implicated in focusing, sustaining and monitoring attention, while the predictive patterns during OM meditation include nodes associated with cognitive and affective monitoring. Thus, the two forms of meditation may differentially contribute to counteract the effects of neurocognitive decline with ageing by neuroplasticity of brain networks.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

The impact of body posture on intrinsic brain activity: the role of beta power at rest

1.Tying the hands behind the back has detrimental effect of sensorimotor perceptual tasks. Here we provide evidence that beta band oscillatory activity in a resting state condition might have a crucial role in such detrimental effects. EEG activity in a resting state condition was measured from thirty participants in two different body posture conditions. In one condition participants were required to keep their hands freely resting on the table. In the other condition, participants were required to keep the hands tied behind their back. Increased beta power was observed in the left inferior frontal gyrus (l-IFG) during the tied hands condition compared to the free hands condition. A control study ruled out alternative explanations including muscle tension that might have affected the EEG data. Our findings provide new insight on how body postural manipulations impact on perceptual tasks and intrinsic brain activity.

neuroscience↗