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Individual response time relates to balanced activity in ventral attention and default mode networks.

Noémie Ligot1*, Xavier De Tiège1, Philippe Peigneux2, Pierre Krystkowiak3, 4, Clémence Simonin5, 6, John Van Naemen7, Michel Monclus7, Simon Lacroix7 and Serge Goldman1, 7
  • 1 ULB-Hôpital Erasme, LCFC - Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau, Belgium
  • 2 ULB - Université Libre de Bruxelles, UR2NF - Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Unit, Belgium
  • 3 Université Lille Nord de France, EA 4559 - Laboratoire de Neurosciences Fonctionnelles et Pathologie, France
  • 4 University Hospital, Department of Neurology, France
  • 5 Université Lille Nord de France, UDSL, France
  • 6 CHRU Lille, Movement Disorder Department, France
  • 7 ULB-Hôpital Erasme, PET/Biomedical Cyclotron Unit, Belgium

In a defined task, inter-individual differences in response time (RT) are typically observed. Still, little is known regarding the neural correlate underlying these RT variations across individual (Parasuraman and Jiang, 2012).
To investigate the cerebral networks underlying the inter-individual RT differences, 12 healthy adult volunteers were scanned with O-15 labeled water positron emission tomography while performing an auditory motor task with (5 scans) and without interference (5 scans). Using the mean RT (mRT) for each scan as a covariate of interest, correlation analyses identified brain regions in which perfusion varied (positively and negatively) with mRT. To corroborate the result obtained by correlation analyses, subtractive analyses were applied to compare task-related activation and deactivation between fast and slow responders.
Perfusion was positively correlated with mRT in an extended network of brain areas (precuneus, anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) previously described as nodes of the default-mode network (DMN). Subtractive analysis showed that perfusion was significantly decreased in these brain regions in the fast responders compared to the slow ones. Brain regions showing a significant negative correlation with mRT were the two key regions of the ventral attention system, i.e. the right temporo-parietal junction and the right inferior frontal gyrus (pars triangularis). Subtractive analysis showed an increased perfusion in these brain regions in the fast responders compared to the slow ones.
The DMN is a connected ensemble of brain areas in which neuronal activity is suppressed during execution of cognitively demanding or engaging tasks (Raichle et al., 2001). Previous studies, mainly based on intra-individual variations, have shown that magnitude of DMN suppression relates to task load and execution performance (Anticevic et al., 2010; Ossandon et al., 2011; Singh and Fawcett, 2008). This study, focused on inter-individual variations, shows an opposite relation between performance — mRT — and activity in DMN on one side, and ventral attention network on the other side. So, for the execution of a cognitive-motor task, performance across individuals might vary in function of the balanced activity in attention and default-mode networks (Raichle, 2009).

References

Anticevic, A., Repovs, G., Shulman, G.L., and Barch, D.M. (2010). When less is more: TPJ and default network deactivation during encoding predicts working memory performance. Neuroimage 49, 2638-2648.
Ossandon, T., Jerbi, K., Vidal, J.R., Bayle, D.J., Henaff, M.A., Jung, J., Minotti, L., Bertrand, O., Kahane, P., and Lachaux, J.P. (2011). Transient suppression of broadband gamma power in the default-mode network is correlated with task complexity and subject performance. J Neurosci 31, 14521-14530.
Parasuraman, R., and Jiang, Y. (2012). Individual differences in cognition, affect, and performance: behavioral, neuroimaging, and molecular genetic approaches. Neuroimage 59, 70-82.
Raichle, M.E. (2009). A paradigm shift in functional brain imaging. J Neurosci 29, 12729-12734.
Raichle, M.E., Macleod, A.M., Snyder, A.Z., Powers, W.J., Gusnard, D.A., and Shulman, G.L. (2001). A default mode of brain function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98, 676-682.
Singh, K.D., and Fawcett, I.P. (2008). Transient and linearly graded deactivation of the human default-mode network by a visual detection task. Neuroimage 41, 100-112.

Keywords: Response Time, Default Mode Network, ventral attention network, positron emission tomography, individual differences

Conference: Belgian Brain Council, Liège, Belgium, 27 Oct - 27 Oct, 2012.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Topic: Higher Brain Functions in health and disease: cognition and memory

Citation: Ligot N, De Tiège X, Peigneux P, Krystkowiak P, Simonin C, Van Naemen J, Monclus M, Lacroix S and Goldman S (2012). Individual response time relates to balanced activity in ventral attention and default mode networks.. Conference Abstract: Belgian Brain Council. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.210.00025

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Received: 10 Sep 2012; Published Online: 12 Sep 2012.

* Correspondence: Dr. Noémie Ligot, ULB-Hôpital Erasme, LCFC - Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau, Brussels, Belgium, nligot@ulb.ac.be