News
09.02.2010
Information for students: PraktikantIn gesucht.
04.02.2010
New publications:
- Beste, C., Willemssen, R., Saft, C., & Falkenstein, M., Response inhibition subprocesses and dopaminergic pathways: basal ganglia disease effects, Neuropsychologia, 2010, 48: 366-373.
- Beste, C., Baune, B. T., Domschke, K., Falkenstein, M., & Konrad, C., Paradoxical association of the brain-derived-neurotrophic factor val66met genotype with response inhibition, Neuroscience, 2010, 166: 178-184.
- Pogatzki-Zahn, E.M., Wagner, C., Meinhardt-Renner, A., Burgmer, M., Beste, C., Zahn, P. K., & Pfleiderer, B., Coding of incisional pain in the brain: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in human volunteers, Anesthesiology, 2010, 112: 406-417.
02.02.2010
New publication: Ocklenburg, S., Hirnstein, M., Hausmann, M., & Lewald, J., Auditory space perception in left- and right-handers, Brain & Cognition, 2010, 72: 210-217.
Contact
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Fakultät für Psychologie
AE Biopsychologie
GAFO 05/618
D-44801 Bochum
Phone: +49 - 234 - 32 - 28213
Fax: +49 - 234 - 32 - 14377
Email: biopsychologie@rub.de
Homepage: http://www.bio.psy.rub.de
News & Views
How different dopaminergic pathways affect different subprocesses of inhibiting a response
Response inhibition is a component of executive functions, which can be divided into distinct subprocesses by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). These subprocesses are (pre)-motor inhibition and inhibition monitoring, which are probably reflected by distinct ERP-components. We asked, if these subprocesses may depend on distinct basal ganglia subsystems. We examined response inhibition processes in an extended sample of young and elderly subjects, patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Huntington’ disease (HD). This combination of groups also allow us to study whether, and to what degree, pathological basal ganglia changes and healthy aging have similar and/or different effects on these processes. Indeed subprocesses of response inhibition are differentially modulated by distinct basal ganglia circuits. Processes related to (pre)-motor inhibition appear to be modulated by the nigrostriatal system, and are sensitive to aging and age-related basal ganglia diseases (i.e. PD). Parkinson’s disease induces additive effects of aging and pathology. In contrast, inhibition monitoring is most likely modulated by the mesocortico-limbic dopamine system. These processes are equally affected in healthy aging and both basal ganglia diseases (i.e. PD, HD).
News & Views
How risk alleles for basal ganglia dysfunctions confer an advantage for specific executive functions
Response inhibition is a basic executive function which is dysfunctional in various basal ganglia diseases. The brain-derived-neurotrophic-factor (BDNF) plays an important pathophysiological role in these diseases. In the current study we examined the functional relevance of the BDNF val66met polymorphism for response inhibition processes in 57 healthy human subjects using event-related potentials (ERPs), which likely reflect different aspects of inhibition. The results show that the BDNF val66met polymorphism selectively modulates the pre-motor subprocesses of response inhibition. Response inhibition was better in the val/met-met/met group, since this group committed fewer false alarms, and their Nogo-N2 was larger, compared to the val/val group. This is the first study showing that met alleles of the BDNF val66met polymorphism confer an advantage for a specific cognitive function. We propose a neuronal model how this advantage gets manifest on a neuronal level.
Beste, C., Baune, B. T., Domschke, K., Falkenstein, M., & Konrad, C., Paradoxical association of the brain-derived-neurotrophic factor val66met genotype with response inhibition, Neuroscience, 2010, 166: 178-184.
News & Views
The relevance of subcortical structures vs. cortical structures for pain perception – an fMRI study
Peripheral and central mechanisms of pain from incision differs from inflammatory or chronic pain. It is expected that brain activation patterns differ with pain type but have not been studied in humans. In this study, the activation of different brain areas after an experimental surgical incision was assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging, and the pathophysiological role of distinct brain activation patterns for pain perception after incision was analyzed. Functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis showed a distinct temporal profile of activity within specific brain regions during and after the injury. Lateralization (predominantly contralateral to the incision) and increased brain activity of the somatosensory cortex, frontal cortex, and limbic system were observed in subjects after incision, when compared with individuals receiving sham procedure. Peak brain activation occurred about 2 min after incision and decreased subsequently. Basal ganglia structures and especially the caudate nucleus were activated shortly after incision. Lateron activity persists in neocortical structures, but was absent in basal ganglia structures. A distinct correlation between evoked pain ratings and brain activity was observed for the anterior cingulate cortex, insular cortex, thalamus, frontal cortex, and somatosensory cortex. These findings show different and distinct cortical and subcortical activation patterns over a relevant time period after incision. Pain sensitivity hereby has an influence on the activity profile. This may have important implications for encoding ongoing pain after a tissue injury, for example, resting pain in postoperative patients.
News & Views
How handedness affects auditory space perception
Several studies have shown that handedness has an impact on visual spatial abilities. However, the relationship of handedness and spatial processing in the auditory modality has remained largely unclear. To investigate this relationship, scientist from Durham University (England), the Ifado in Dortmund and the Ruhr-University of Bochum assessed auditory space perception in left- and right-handers in a dark, anechoic, and sound-proof room. Interestingly, participants showed a bias in sound localization that was to the side contralateral to the preferred hand. This partially parallels findings in the visual modality as left-handers typically have a more rightward bias in visual line bisection compared with right-handers. Despite the differences in neural processing of auditory and visual spatial information these findings show similar effects of lateral preference on auditory and visual spatial perception. This suggests that supramodal neural processes are involved in the mechanisms generating laterality in space perception.
Award
Das menschliche Gehirn - ein Mal- und Bastelkurs
In January 2008 the seminar "Das menschliche Gehirn - ein Mal- und Bastelkurs" (The human brain - a painting- and craftsmanship course) of the Biopsychology department was awarded on the conference "Kompetenzorientiert lehren und lernen an der RUB" for exemplary teaching.
As a result this film was made to show the concept and the realization of the seminar to a broad community.
If you enjoyed it please distribute the web location to people who might be interested in it.