The ascending arousal system promotes optimal performance through meso-scale network integration in a visuospatial attentional task

Wainstein, G.; Rojas-Libano, D.; Alnæs, D.; Kolskår, K. K.; Endestad, T.; Laeng, B.; Ossandón, T.; Crossley, N.; Matar, E.; Shine, J.

doi:10.1101/2020.12.04.412551

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.12.04.412551

The ascending arousal system promotes optimal performance through meso-scale network integration in a visuospatial attentional task

Wainstein, G.·Rojas-Libano, D.·Alnæs, D.·Kolskår, K. K.·Endestad, T.·Laeng, B.·Ossandón, T.·Crossley, N.·Matar, E.·Shine, J.

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Abstract

Previous research has shown that the autonomic nervous system provides essential constraints over ongoing cognitive function. However, there is currently a relative lack of direct empirical evidence for how this interaction manifests in the brain at the macro-scale level. Here, we examine the role of ascending arousal and attentional load on large-scale network dynamics by combining pupillometry, functional MRI and graph theoretical analysis to analyze data from a visual motion-tracking task with a parametric load manipulation. We found that attentional load effects were observable in measures of pupil diameter and in a set of brain regions that parametrically modulated their BOLD activity and meso-scale network-level integration. In addition, the regional patterns of network reconfiguration were correlated with the spatial distribution of the 2a adrenergic receptor. Our results further solidify the relationship between ascending noradrenergic activity, large-scale network integration, and cognitive task performance. Author SummaryIn our daily lives, it is usual to encounter highly demanding cognitive tasks. They have been traditionally regarded as challenges that are solved mainly through cerebral activity, specifically via information-processing steps carried by neurons in the cerebral cortex. Activity in cortical networks thus constitutes a key factor for improving our understanding cognitive processes. However, recent evidence has shown that evolutionary older players in the central nervous system, such as brainstems ascending modulatory systems, might play an equally important role in diverse cognitive mechanisms. Our article examines the role of the ascending arousal system on large-scale network dynamics by combining pupillometry, functional MRI and graph theoretical analysis.

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Wainstein, G., Rojas-Libano, D., Alnæs, D., Kolskår, K. K., Endestad, T., Laeng, B., Ossandón, T., Crossley, N., Matar, E., Shine, J.. 2020-12-06. The ascending arousal system promotes optimal performance through meso-scale network integration in a visuospatial attentional task. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.04.412551

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