Rosalba Morese

Neural correlates underlying the comprehension of deceitful and ironic communicative intentions

Neuroimaging studies have shown that a left fronto-temporo-parietal cerebral network is recruited in the comprehension of both deceitful and ironic speech acts. However, no studies to date have directly compared neural activation during the comprehension of these pragmatic phenomena. We used fMRI to investigate the existence of common and specific neural circuits underlying the comprehension of the same speech act, uttered with different communicative intentions, i.e., of being sincere, deceitful or ironic. In particular, the novelty of the present study is that it explores the existence of a specific cerebral area involved in the recognition of irony versus deceit. We presented 23 healthy participants with 48 context stories each followed by a target sentence. For each story we designed different versions eliciting, respectively, different pragmatic interpretations of the same target sentence - literal, deceitful or ironic-. We kept the semantic and syntactic complexity of the target sentence constant across the conditions. Our results showed that the recognition of ironic communicative intention activated the left temporo-parietal junction (lTPJ), the left inferior frontal gyrus (lIFG), the left middle frontal gyrus (lMFG), the left middle temporal gyrus (lMTG), and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC). Comprehension of deceitful communicative intention activated the lIFG, the lMFG, and the lDLPFC. fMRI analysis revealed that a left fronto-temporal network-including the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the middle frontal gyrus (MFG)-is activated in both irony and deceit recognition. The original result of the present investigation is that the lMTG was found to be more active in the comprehension of ironic versus deceitful communicative intention, thus suggesting its specific role in irony recognition. To conclude, our results showed that common cerebral areas are recruited in the comprehension of both pragmatic phenomena, while the lMTG has a key role in the recognition of ironic versus deceitful communicative intention.

Anxiety-dependent modulation of motor responses to pain expectancy

Abstract The relationship between pain expectancy and motor system plays a crucial role in the human defensive system. Here, we took advantage of the inhibitory modulation of the motor pathway to the muscle of the hand receiving painful stimuli, by recording motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). We employed a classical conditioning paradigm in which neutral (visual and auditory) stimuli were conditioned by pairing either painful or not-painful stimuli (electric shocks) in separated groups. Only the Pain Group showed clear motor responses: i.e. a significant decrease in MEPs amplitude, with respect to the neutral condition, not only in conditioning stimuli, when actual shocks were paired with neutral stimuli, but also in conditioned stimuli, when shocks were only expected. Significant differences between the two groups suggest that the MEPs decrease is specific for pain expectancy and does not pertain to anticipation in general. Furthermore, in the Pain Group, a significant negative correlation between physiological responses to conditioned stimuli and the participants’ anxiety traits was found: the lower the MEPs amplitude, the higher the participants’ anxiety scores. The present findings suggest that, in order for defensive motor responses to occur, actual pain is not necessary; rather, anxiety-dependent pain expectancy can be sufficient.

Group Membership Modulates the Neural Circuitry Underlying Third Party Punishment

This research aims to explore the neural correlates involved in altruistic punishment, parochial altruism and anti-social punishment, using the Third-Party Punishment (TPP) game. In particular, this study considered these punishment behaviors in in-group vs. out-group game settings, to compare how people behave with members of their own national group and with members of another national group. The results showed that participants act altruistically to protect in-group members. This study indicates that norm violation in in-group (but not in out-group) settings results in increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and temporo-parietal junction, brain regions involved in the mentalizing network, as the third-party attempts to understand or justify in-group members’ behavior. Finally, exploratory analysis during anti-social punishment behavior showed brain activation recruitment of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, an area associated with altered regulation of emotions.

Third-party punishment: altruistic and anti-social behaviours in in-group and out-group settings

ABSTRACT This study aims at exploring the decision-making process involved in third-party punishment (TPP) within an economic frame, using the TPP game. We investigated altruistic punishment, that is, the behaviour of spending ones own money, with no personal gain, to punish those who violate the norms of cooperation. We analysed this behaviour, in an in-group and out-group game setting, to compare how individuals behave with members of their own group (in-group) and with members of another group (out-group). In particular, groups were defined on a real nationality basis (Chinese or Italian). Our results showed altruistic punishment behaviour in both experimental groups and this tendency emerged as more prominent when faced with unfair play towards a member of ones own group. Furthermore, both groups exhibited a propensity for anti-social punishment behaviour: many participants spent small amounts of money to punish fair behaviour, regardless of national group membership.

Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) and vulnerability to stress: A preliminary study on electrodermal activity during stress

This study investigated the predictive validity of the ten Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) variables from the Stress and Distress domain, by testing whether they predicted increased sympathetic reactivity to a mild, laboratory-induced stress, occurred one week after Rorschach administration. A relatively small student sample (N=52) contributed to this research: During a first meeting (T1) participants were administered the Rorschach task according to R-PAS guidelines; about one week later (T2) their electrodermal activity (EDA) was recorded during exposure to a mild laboratory stress-inducing task. Based on literature indicating that exposure to stress tends to increase physiological vulnerability/reactivity to stressful situations, we anticipated that Stress and Distress R-PAS variables measured at T1 would positively correlate with increased sympathetic reactivity to stress at T2, as indicated by greater EDA changes from baseline to stress and recovery. Results partially confirmed our hypotheses: (a) the mean of and (b) the majority of the Stress and Distress R-PAS variables were significantly correlated, in the expected direction, with medium and medium to large effect sizes.

Impulse control disorder and response-inhibition alterations in Parkinson’s disease. A rare case of totally absent functionality of the medial-prefrontal cortex and review of literature

This report illustrates a Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient with impulse-control disorder (ICD) and selective impairment in response-inhibition abilities as revealed by the performance in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) anterior cingulate cortex - sensitive go-nogo task. In line with hypothesis on the role of response-inhibition disabilities in the arising of impulsivity in PD, the patient completely failed the go-nogo task. Moreover, fMRI acquisition revealed absent task-sensitive activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal, and orbitofrontal cortices for the contrast nogo versus go, which signifying that a hypo-function of this network could be associated with ICD. A fronto-striatal and cingulo-frontal dysfunction may reflect impairment in metacognitive-executive abilities (such as response-inhibition, action monitoring, and error awareness) and promote compulsive repetition of behavior. Response-inhibition tasks may be useful in PD post-diagnostic phase, to better identify individuals at risk of developing ICD with dopaminergic medication.

Role of the Cingulate Cortex in Dyskinesias-Reduced-Self-Awareness: An fMRI Study on Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Objectives: The detection of dyskinesias-reduced-self-awareness (DRSA), in Parkinson’s disease (PD), was previously associated to executive and metacognitive deficits mainly due to dopaminergic overstimulation of mesocorticolimbic circuits. Response-inhibition dysfunction is often observed in PD. Apart from being engaged in response-inhibition tasks, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), is part of a functional system based on self-awareness and engaged across cognitive, affective and behavioural contexts. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between response-inhibition disabilities and DRSA using whole-brain event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), over the course of a specific executive task. Methods: Twenty-seven cognitively preserved idiopathic PD patients – presenting motor fluctuations and dyskinesias – were studied. They underwent a neurological and neuropsychological evaluation. The presence of DRSA was assessed using the Dyskinesias Subtracted-Index (DS-I). Cingulate functionality was evaluated with fMRI, while patients performed an ACC-sensitive GO-NoGO task. Association between blood oxygenation level dependent response over the whole-brain during the response-inhibition task and DS-I scores was investigated by regression analysis. Results: The presence of DRSA was associated with reduced functional recruitment in the bilateral ACC, bilateral anterior insular cortex and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (pFWE<0.05). Moreover, DS-I scores significantly correlated with percent errors on the NoGO condition (r = 0.491, pFWE = 0.009). Discussion: These preliminary findings add evidence to the relevant role of executive dysfunctions in DRSA pathogenesis beyond the effects of chronic dopaminergic treatment, with a key leading role played by ACC as part of a functionally impaired response-inhibition network. Imaging biomarkers for DRSA are important to be studied, especially when the neuropsychological assessment seems to be normal.