Biology subjects

VanMeter, J. W.

Publications and source records attributed to VanMeter, J. W..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Risk-related decision making evokes distinct brain activation patterns in reward evaluation regions in substance use naïve versus non-naïve adolescents

Identifying brain and behavioral precursors to substance use (SU) may guide interventions that delay initiation in youth at risk for SU disorders (SUD). Heightened reward-sensitivity and risk-taking may confer risk for SUD. In a longitudinal, prospective study, we characterized behavioral and neural profiles associated with reward-sensitivity and risk-taking in substance-naive adolescents, examining whether they differed as a function of SU initiation at 18- and 36-months follow-up. Adolescents (N=70; 11.1-14.0 years) completed a reward-related decision-making task (Wheel of Fortune (WOF)) while undergoing functional MRI. Measures of reward sensitivity (Behavioral Inhibition System-Behavioral Approach System; BIS-BAS), impulsive decision-making (delay discounting task), and SUD risk (Drug Use Screening Inventory, Revised (DUSI-R)) were collected at baseline. Baseline metrics were compared for youth who did (SI; n=27) and did not (SN; n=43) initiate SU at follow-up. While groups displayed similar discounting and risk taking behavior, SI youth showed more variable patterns of activation in left insular cortex during high-risk selections, and left anterior cingulate cortex in response to rewarded outcomes. SI participants scored higher on the DUSI-R and BAS subscales. Results suggest differences in brain regions critical in the development and experience of SUDs may precede SU and serve as a biomarker for SUD risk.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

MRI Brain Templates of the Male Yucatan Minipig

The pig is growing in popularity as an experimental animal because its gyrencephalic brain is similar to humans. Currently, however, there is a lack of appropriate brain templates to support functional and structural neuroimaging pipelines. The primary contribution of this work is an average volume from an iterative, non-linear registration of 70 male Yucatan minipig subjects whose ages ranged from five to seven months. In addition, several aspects of this study are unique, including the comparison of linear and non-linear template generation, the characterization of a large and homogeneous cohort, an analysis of effective resolution after averaging, and the evaluation of potential within template bias as well as a comparison with a template from another minipig species using a "left-out" validation set. We found that within our highly homogeneous co-hort, non-linear registration produced better templates, but only marginally so. Although our T1-weighted data were resolution limited, we preserved effective resolution across the multi-subject average, produced templates that have high gray-white matter contrast, and demonstrated superior registration accuracy compared to the only known alternative minipig template.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Auditory-Vestibulomotor Temporal Processing and Crossmodal Plasticity for Musical Rhythm in the Early Blind

The auditory dorsal stream (ADS) is a cortical brain network responsible for sensorimotor control and integration, including spatiotemporal processing. Although spatiotemporal movement of the head and body involves input from the vestibular system, and despite the wealth of evidence for the strong coupling between the vestibular and visual systems, very little is known about how vestibular information is integrated with auditory-motor inputs in the ADS. There is also no evidence addressing to what extent auditory-vestibulomotor integration is affected by early visual deprivation. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and motion capture technology we show that in a task of sensorimotor temporal processing ( feeling the beat), the ADS includes an extension to parietoinsular vestibular cortex (PIVC) and to subcortical regions including basal ganglia and vestibular cerebellum. This circuit is engaged after sensorimotor synchronization training, during beat recognition, and is preserved in the early blind. The strength of activation of PIVC in the early blind correlates with a measure of lifetime physical spatial activity, suggesting that experience with vestibular stimulation via physical spatial activities might compensate for any negative effects of early blindness, and thus reinforcing the potential beneficial effects of mobility training. Finally, rhythmic entrainment provides an effective tool for studying auditory-vestibulomotor integration and music appreciation, and for developing music- and movement-based interventions for early blind individuals.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Altered cortical development and psychiatric symptom risk in adolescents exposed to maternal stress in utero

ObjectiveMaternal exposure to stress during pregnancy is associated with increased risk for cognitive and behavioral sequelae in offspring. Animal research demonstrates exposure to stress during gestation has effects on brain structure. In humans, however, little is known about the enduring effects of in utero exposure to maternal stress on brain morphology. We examine whether maternal report of stressful events during pregnancy is associated with brain structure and behavior in adolescents. MethodWe compare gray matter morphometry of typically-developing early adolescents (11-14 years of age, mean 12.7) based on presence/absence of maternal report of stressful event(s) during pregnancy: prenatal stress (PS; n=28), no prenatal stress (NS; n=55). The Drug Use Survey Index Revised (DUSI-R) assessed adolescent risk for problematic behaviors. Exclusionary criteria included pre-term birth, low birth weight, and maternal substance use during pregnancy. Groups were equivalent for demographic (age, sex, IQ, SES, race/ethnicity), and birth measures (weight, length). ResultsCompared to NS peers, adolescents in the PS group exhibited increased gray matter volume in bilateral posterior parietal cortex (PPC): bilateral intraparietal sulcus, left superior parietal lobule and inferior parietal lobule. Additionally, the PS group displayed greater risk for psychiatric symptoms and family system dysfunction, as assessed via DUSI-R subscales. ConclusionThis study provides evidence for the enduring neurodevelopmental effects of exposure to maternal stress while in utero, suggesting the dynamic alterations in brain structure that occur during the adolescent critical period may unmask the latent effects of gestational stress on brain morphology and increase subsequent risk for psychiatric symptomatology.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Dietary long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are related to impulse control and anterior cingulate function in adolescents

Impulse control, an emergent function modulated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), helps to dampen risky behaviors during adolescence. Influences on PFC maturation during this period may contribute to variations in impulse control. Availability of omega-3 fatty acids, an essential dietary nutrient integral to neuronal structure and function, may be one such influence. This study examined whether intake of energy-adjusted long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) + docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) was related to variation in impulse control and PFC activity during performance of an inhibitory task in adolescents (n= 87; 51.7% female, mean age 13.3+1.1 years) enrolled in a longitudinal neuroimaging study. Intake of DHA+EPA was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and adjusted for total energy intake. Inhibitory control was assessed using caregiver rating scale (BRIEF Inhibit subscale) and task performance (false alarm rate) on a Go/No-Go task performed during functional MRI. Reported intake of long-chain omega-3 was positively associated with caregiver ratings of adolescent ability to control impulses (p=0.017) and there was a trend for an association between intake and task-based impulse control (p=0.072). Furthermore, a regression of BOLD response within PFC during successful impulse control (Correct No-Go versus Incorrect NoGo) with energy-adjusted DHA+EPA intake revealed that adolescents reporting lower intakes display greater activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate, potentially suggestive of a possible lag in cortical development. The present results suggest that dietary omega-3 fatty acids are related to development of both impulse control and function of the dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus in normative adolescent development. Insufficiency of dietary omega-3 fatty acids during this developmental period may be a factor which hinders development of behavioral control.

neuroscience↗