Overt and imagined singing of an Italian aria

Activation maps of 16 professional classical singers were evaluated during overt singing and imagined singing of an Italian aria utilizing a sparse sampling functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) technique. Overt singing involved bilateral primary and secondary sensorimotor and auditory cortices but also areas associated with speech and language production. Activation magnitude within the gyri of Heschl (A1) was comparable in both hemispheres. Subcortical motor areas (cerebellum, thalamus, medulla and basal ganglia) were active too. Areas associated with emotional processing showed slight (anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula) activation. Cerebral activation sites during imagined singing were centered on fronto-parietal areas and involved primary and secondary sensorimotor areas in both hemispheres. Areas processing emotions showed intense activation (ACC and bilateral insula, hippocampus and anterior temporal poles, bilateral amygdala). Imagery showed no significant activation in A1. Overt minus imagined singing revealed increased activation in cortical (bilateral primary motor; M1) and subcortical (right cerebellar hemisphere, medulla) motor as well as in sensory areas (primary somatosensory cortex, bilateral A1). Imagined minus overt singing showed enhanced activity in the medial Brodmann's area 6, the ventrolateral and medial prefrontal cortex (PFC), the anterior cingulate cortex and the inferior parietal lobe. Additionally, Wernicke's area and Brocca's area and their homologues were increasingly active during imagery. We conclude that imagined and overt singing involves partly different brain systems in professional singers with more prefrontal and limbic activation and a larger network of higher order associative functions during imagery.     

功能磁共振观察额叶癫痫患者静息态局域一致性

目的 探讨静息状态下额叶癫痫(FLE)患者局域一致性(ReHo)的变化特点.方法 对46例常规结构MRI阴性FLE患者及性别年龄无差异的正常对照组行静息态fMRI,比较 ReHo改变脑区,观察ReHo改变脑区与FLE病程长短的相关性.结果 相比正常对照组,FLE患者ReHo值升高的脑区包括前、中扣带回,双侧岛叶、丘脑及右侧基底核区,ReHo降低脑区包括左侧额上回,左侧颞中、下回及小脑.相关性分析结果显示,FLE患者前、中扣带回,额上回ReHo值与病程长短呈正相关,双侧辅助运动区、右侧枕叶ReHo值与病程呈负相关.结论 FLE患者静息态下脑功能异常,扣带回、岛叶、丘脑及基底核区等区域存在ReHo改变.     

The cerebral control of speech tempo: opposite relationship between speaking rate and BOLD signal changes at striatal and cerebellar structures

So far, only sparse data on the cerebral organization of speech motor control are available. In order to further delineate the neural basis of articulatory functions, fMRI measurements were performed during self-paced syllable repetitions at six different frequencies (2-6 Hz). Bilateral hemodynamic main effects, calculated across all syllable rates considered, emerged within sensorimotor cortex, putamen, thalamus and cerebellum. At the level of the caudatum and the anterior insula, activation was found restricted to the left side. The computation of rate-to-response functions of the BOLD signal revealed a negative linear relationship between syllable frequency and response magnitude within the striatum whereas cortical areas and cerebellar hemispheres exhibited an opposite activation pattern. Dysarthric patients with basal ganglia disorders show unimpaired or even accelerated speaking rate whereas, in contrast, cerebellar dysfunctions give rise to slowed speech tempo which does not fall below a rate of about 3 Hz. The observed rate-to-response profiles of the BOLD signal thus might help to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms of dysarthric deficits in central motor disorders.     

High frequency rTMS modulation of the sensorimotor networks: behavioral changes and fMRI correlates

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the primary motor cortex (M1) may induce functional modulation of motor performance and sensory perception. To address the underlying neurophysiological modulation following 10 Hz rTMS applied over M1, we examined cortical activation using 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), as well as the associated motor and sensory behavioral changes. The motor performance measure involved a sequential finger motor task that was also used as an activation task during fMRI. For sensory assessment, current perception threshold was measured before and after rTMS outside the MR scanner, and noxious mechanical stimulation was used as an activation task during fMRI. We found that significant activation in the bilateral basal ganglia, left superior frontal gyrus, bilateral pre-SMA, right medial temporal lobe, right inferior parietal lobe, and right cerebellar hemisphere correlated with enhanced motor performance in subjects that received real rTMS compared with sham-stimulated controls. Conversely, significant deactivation in the right superior and middle frontal gyri, bilateral postcentral and bilateral cingulate gyri, left SMA, right insula, right basal ganglia, and right cerebellar hemisphere were associated with an increase in the sensory threshold. Our findings reveal that rTMS induced rapid changes in the sensorimotor networks associated with sensory perception and motor performance and demonstrate the complexity of such intervention.     

Basal ganglia and supplementary motor area subtend duration perception: an fMRI study

Brain imaging studies on duration perception usually report the activation of a network that includes the frontal and mesiofrontal cortex (supplementary motor area, SMA), parietal cortex, and subcortical areas (basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum). To address the question of the specific involvement of these structures in temporal processing, we contrasted two visual discrimination tasks in which the relevant stimulus dimension was either its intensity or its duration. Eleven adults had to indicate (by pressing one of two keys) whether they thought the duration or the intensity of a light (LED) was equal to (right hand) or different from (left hand) that of a previously presented standard. In a control task, subjects had to press one of the two keys at random. A similar broad network was observed in both the duration-minus-control and intensity-minus-control comparisons. The intensity-minus-duration comparison pointed out activation in areas known to participate in cognitive operations on visual stimuli: right occipital gyrus, fusiform gyri, hippocampus, precuneus, and intraparietal sulcus. In contrast, the duration-minus-intensity comparison indicated activation of a complex network that included the basal ganglia, SMA, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal cortex, and temporal cortex. These structures form several subnetworks, each possibly in charge of specific time-coding operations in humans. The SMA and basal ganglia may be implicated in the time-keeping mechanism, and the frontal-parietal areas may be involved in the attentional and mnemonic operations required for encoding and retrieving duration information.     

Force related activations in rhythmic sequence production

Brain imaging studies have implicated the basal ganglia in the scaling of movement velocity. Basal ganglia activation has also been reported for movement timing. We investigated the neural correlates of scaling of force and time in the production of rhythmic motor sequences using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the human brain. Participants (N = 13) were imaged while squeezing a rigid force transducer in a near isometric manner between thumb and index finger, to reproduce four different rhythmic sequences. The responses were separated by either equal (600 ms) or alternating (400, 800 ms) intervals, and produced with either equal (12 N) or alternating (8, 16 N) forces pulses. Intervals and force levels were balanced across each condition. The primary motor cortex (M1), supplementary motor area (SMA), basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum were activated during the production of sequences marked by equal interval and force. There was no reliable main effect of alternating interval. In contrast, greater activation of these regions was associated with the extra demands of responding with alternating force pulses. We interpret the data as identifying a significant role of the BG in the control of force. In addition, the results indicate the importance of monitoring force when studying brain activation associated with motor timing.     

Clustered functional MRI of overt speech production

To investigate the neural network of overt speech production, event-related fMRI was performed in 9 young healthy adult volunteers. A clustered image acquisition technique was chosen to minimize speech-related movement artifacts. Functional images were acquired during the production of oral movements and of speech of increasing complexity (isolated vowel as well as monosyllabic and trisyllabic utterances). This imaging technique and behavioral task enabled depiction of the articulo-phonologic network of speech production from the supplementary motor area at the cranial end to the red nucleus at the caudal end. Speaking a single vowel and performing simple oral movements involved very similar activation of the cortical and subcortical motor systems. More complex, polysyllabic utterances were associated with additional activation in the bilateral cerebellum, reflecting increased demand on speech motor control, and additional activation in the bilateral temporal cortex, reflecting the stronger involvement of phonologic processing.     

不出声与出声图片命名任务神经激活机制差异的功能磁共振成像

目的 采用功能磁共振成像(fMRI)技术观察执行不出声和出声图片命名任务时大脑活动的差异.方法 在10名健康志愿者(24～27岁)分别进行不出声和出声图片命名时,同时采集其脑部的fMRI数据,通过分析处理获得执行不同任务时的头动结果及脑功能区统计激活图.结果 不出声任务的平均头动和最大头动低于出声任务,但差异无统计学意义(P=0.23).不出声图片命名的神经激活网络包括双侧枕回及小脑、双侧辅助运动区、中央后回、双侧额下回和前扣带回.出声图片命名时除在上述不出声时的激活区有更强激活外,还激活了双侧中央前回(BA4)、双侧后上颞回、左侧前上颞回、双侧丘脑及基底节区、左侧岛叶.结论 不出声和出声图片命名的神经处理网络及环节互不相同,两种任务不能相互替代.     

High opiate receptor binding potential in the human lateral pain system

To determine how opiate receptor distribution is co-localized with the distribution of nociceptive areas in the human brain, eleven male healthy volunteers underwent one PET scan with the subtype-nonselective opioidergic radioligand [(18)F]fluoroethyl-diprenorphine under resting conditions. The binding potential (BP), a parameter for the regional cerebral opioid receptor availability, was computed using the occipital cortex as reference region. The following regions of interest (ROIs) were defined on individual MR images: thalamus, sensory motor strip (SI/MI area), frontal operculum, parietal operculum, anterior insular cortex, posterior insular cortex, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; peri- and subgenual part of "classical ACC" only), midcingulate cortex (MCC, posterior part of "classical ACC"), putamen, caudate nucleus and the amygdala. BP for [(18)F]fluoroethyl-diprenorphine was lowest in the sensory motor strip (0.30). Highest BP was found in thalamus (1.36), basal ganglia (putamen 1.22, caudate 1.16) and amygdala (1.21). In the cingulate cortex, ACC (1.11) had higher BP than MCC (0.86). In the operculo-insular region, we found high BPs in all ROIs: anterior insula (1.16), posterior insula (1.05), frontal operculum (0.99) and parietal operculum (0.77). Factor analysis of interindividual variability of opiate receptor BP revealed four factors (95% explained variance): (1) operculo-insular areas, ACC, MCC and putamen, (2) amygdala and thalamus, (3) caudate and thalamus, (4) SI/MI and MCC. Nociceptive areas of the lateral pain system (frontoparietal operculum and insula) have opiate receptor BPs significantly higher than SI/MI, comparable to anterior and midcingulate areas of the medial pain system. These findings suggest that the cortical anti-nociceptive effects of opiates are not only mediated by ACC and MCC, but also by the operculo-insular cortex, if it can be assumed that opioid binding mediates anti-nociception in those structures.     

正常人体针灸效应功能性磁共振成像的研究

目的评价针刺体表穴位对脑部相应区域的功能性磁共振成像(fMRI)表现。方法17例健康志愿者，在1，5TMRI仪上进行针刺足三里(S36)、阳陵泉(G34)的实时动态fMRI检查，观察并分析针刺效果明显者的脑部功能变化情况，判断针刺效果及其意义。结果17例志愿者中13例检查成功，可见躯体感觉运动区(SMC)、运动前区(PMC)、副运动区(SMA)激活明显，额叶前部、扣带回、尾状核头部、豆状核及丘脑、岛叶、岛盖皮质大多有大面积明显激活，小脑和桥脑也可见有激活，在左侧丘脑、SMA、SMC、PMC激活区附近有信号减低的现象，但激活的像素数不多；信号减低区包括两侧额叶内侧面皮质，双侧扣带回前部皮质，两侧海马区，右侧眶回、基底节、尾状核头部等。结论针刺对脑部相关穴位的治疗效应显著，可产生广泛而复杂的脑功能变化，fMRI可清楚显示针刺效应引起的脑部功能变化，是针刺机制及效应良好且直观的评价途径。     

Gait disturbance associated with white matter changes: A gait analysis and blood flow study

To clarify the mechanisms underlying gait disturbance secondary to age-related white matter changes (ARWMC), cerebral perfusion was investigated during treadmill walking. Twenty subjects with extensive hyperintensities in the periventricular and deep white matter on T₂-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) were recruited. The ARWMC subjects were classified into gait-disturbed (GD) and non-GD groups according to clinical criteria. All the subjects underwent gait analyses and cerebral perfusion measurements during both gait and rest by using single photon emission computed tomography. The GD group showed greater double support time/phase and stride width, and slower walking velocity, than the non-GD group. In an analysis of pooled data from all the subjects, gait-induced increases in cerebral perfusion were observed in the supplementary motor areas (SMA), lateral premotor cortex (PMC), primary motor and somatosensory areas, visual areas, basal ganglia and cerebellum. A between-group comparison of gait-induced perfusion changes showed relative underactivation of the SMA, thalamus and basal ganglia, together with relative overactivation of the PMC, in the GD group compared with the non-GD group. In a separate correlation analysis including all the subjects, as the double support phase was longer (that was, gait disturbance was more severe), the gait-induced perfusion changes were proportionally reduced in the SMA, visual cortex, and thalamus. The present study suggests that abnormalities in the basal ganglia–thalamo–cortical loops partly explain gait disturbance observed in a subset of subjects with ARWMC.     

脑电监测在癫痫患者间期皮层和皮层下高代谢灶判读中的应用

  目的  探讨癫痫患者无临床发作情况下¹⁸F-氟脱氧葡萄糖(¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose, ¹⁸F-FDG)正电子发射计算机断层(positron emission tomography, PET)脑显像呈现高代谢时脑电监测的应用价值。  方法  对北京协和医院2008年1月至2014年3月共3例无临床发作的间期情况下¹⁸F-FDG PET脑显像呈现皮层或皮层下高代谢的癫痫患者, 静脉注射安定抑制皮层放电, 在脑电监测确认无皮层异常放电时复查¹⁸F-FDG PET脑显像, 并对比两次显像结果。  结果  病例1为颞叶癫痫患者, 在无临床发作时¹⁸F-FDG PET显像除发现右颞低代谢外, 右额部分皮层及同侧基底节、丘脑及左侧小脑局灶代谢增高。脑电监测下抑制皮层放电后的¹⁸F-FDG PET显像示原额叶皮层及同侧基底节、丘脑、对侧小脑高代谢灶消失。表明该患者上述高代谢灶为颞叶外皮层潜在致痫灶亚临床放电所致, 同时证实了致痫灶与同侧基底节丘脑、对侧小脑之间的神经传导。此例改变了先前单纯前颞叶切除术的临床决策。病例2的间期¹⁸F-FDG PET显像发现右侧大片额叶皮层高代谢, 脑电监测下抑制临床下放电后, 原皮层高代谢仍存在, 原同侧基底节、对侧小脑的高代谢已不明显, 证实皮层存在高代谢的基础病变(炎症), 而基底节丘脑为继发功能改变, 确定了病变性质及范围。病例3为颞叶癫痫患者, 临床及脑电无法确定癫痫起源部位, 磁共振成像未见明显异常。¹⁸F-FDG PET显像在无临床发作的情况下左侧海马区呈高代谢, 脑电监测下在明确的间期状态复查¹⁸F-FDG PET脑显像, 左侧海马区仍为高代谢。提示该部位存在基础病变(肿瘤), 帮助临床确定手术部位。  结论  癫痫患者无临床发作情况下¹⁸F-FDG PET显像呈现高代谢图像时, 在脑电监测下确认绝对的间期状态时复查¹⁸F-FDG PET显像, 有助于分析高代谢的病因及明确病变范围, 帮助作出临床决策。     

脑电监测在癫痫患者间期皮层和皮层下高代谢灶的判读中的应用

目的　探讨癫痫患者无临床发作情况下18F氟脱氧葡萄糖(18Ffluorodeoxyglucose,18FFDG)正电子发射计算机断层 (positron emission tomography, PET)脑显像呈现高代谢时脑电监测的应用价值。 方法　对北京协和医院2008年1月至2014年3月共3例无临床发作的间期情况下18FFDG PET脑显像呈现皮层或皮层下高代谢的癫痫患者, 静脉注射安定抑制皮层放电，在脑电监测确认无皮层异常放电时复查18FFDG PET脑显像，并对比两次显像结果。结果　病例1为颞叶癫痫患者，在无临床发作时18FFDG PET显像除发现右颞低代谢外，右额部分皮层及同侧基底节、丘脑及左侧小脑局灶代谢增高。脑电监测下抑制皮层放电后的18FFDG PET显像示原额叶皮层及同侧基底节、丘脑、对侧小脑高代谢灶消失。表明该患者上述高代谢灶为颞叶外皮层潜在致痫灶亚临床放电所致，同时证实了致痫灶与同侧基底节丘脑、对侧小脑之间的神经传导。此例改变了先前单纯前颞叶切除术的临床决策。病例2的间期18FFDG PET显像发现右侧大片额叶皮层高代谢，脑电监测下抑制临床下放电后，原皮层高代谢仍存在，原同侧基底节、对侧小脑的高代谢已不明显,证实皮层存在高代谢的基础病变(炎症)，而基底节丘脑为继发功能改变，确定了病变性质及范围。病例3为颞叶癫痫患者，临床及脑电无法确定癫痫起源部位，磁共振成像未见明显异常。18FFDG PET显像在无临床发作的情况下左侧海马区呈高代谢，脑电监测下在明确的间期状态复查18FFDG PET脑显像，左侧海马区仍为高代谢。提示该部位存在基础病变(肿瘤),帮助临床确定手术部位。 结论　癫痫患者无临床发作情况下18FFDG PET显像呈现高代谢图像时，在脑电监测下确认绝对的间期状态时复查18FFDG PET显像，有助于分析高代谢的病因及明确病变范围，帮助作出临床决策。     

A role of the basal ganglia and midbrain nuclei for initiation of motor sequences

The mesial premotor cortex is crucial for planning sequential procedures and movement initiation. With event-related (ER) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) it has been possible to separate mesial premotor activation before, during, and after self-initiated movements and, thereby, to distinguish advance planning from execution. The mesial premotor cortex is part of distributed cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical networks but, to date, the subcortical contributions to self-initiated movements are far less well understood. Using ER fMRI at 3T in 12 right-handed male volunteers, we studied the subcortical activation preceding an automated four-digit finger sequence that was either self-initiated or triggered externally by a visual cue. Beyond typical cortical activation increases in fronto-parietal regions, both initiation modes induced consistent subcortical activation in basal ganglia, midbrain (substantia nigra), and ipsilateral cerebellum. The planning phase of the internally initiated condition, when contrasted with the externally triggered condition, was associated with enhanced activity in frontal regions (mesial premotor cortex/rostral cingulate zone, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), parietal regions (precuneus, inferior parietal cortex, encroaching onto V5/MT), insula, contralateral anterior putamen and midbrain (bilateral red nucleus/subthalamic nucleus). These data demonstrate the impact of initiation mode on planning-related activity in the ventral basal ganglia and interconnected midbrain nuclei, thereby stressing the crucial role of distributed cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical networks for self-initiated automated motor repertoires. Involvement of the substantia nigra during planning, as shown here, indicates dopaminergic gating of motor sequences.     

The functional neuroanatomy of coordinated orofacial movements: sparse sampling fMRI of whistling

Whistling serves as a model for a skilful coordinated orofacial movement with sensorimotor integration of auditory and proprioceptive input. The neural substrate of whistling was investigated by sparse sampling functional MRI (fMRI) where the motor task occurred during a silent interval between successive image acquisitions to minimize task-related imaging artefacts. Whistling recruited a symmetrically represented neural network including primary motor and ventral premotor cortex (PMv), SMA, cingulate gyrus, basal ganglia, primary and secondary somatosensory cortex, amygdala, thalamus and cerebellum. A temporal analysis revealed higher activity of left sensory cortex, right PMv and cerebellum during late execution compared to initiation of whistling. Task-related signal changes in right PMv and right paravermal cerebellum were found to correlate with the amplitude of the whistle sound in a separate correlation analysis. The findings emphasize the role of ventral premotor cortex, cerebellum and somatosensory areas as integrators of afferent input within a distributed orofacial sensorimotor network.     

Significant differences in central imaging of histamine-induced itch between atopic dermatitis and healthy subjects

Background/aim: This is the first investigation of the central processing of itch in the brain in 8 subjects with atopic dermatitis (AD) in comparison to 6 healthy controls (HC), comparing histamine‐induced itch related activations in the frontal, prefrontal, parietal, cingulate cortex, thalamus, basal ganglia and cerebellum. Methods: We employed 1% histamine‐dihydrochlorid‐iontophoresis of the left hand, recorded H₂ ¹⁵O‐PET‐scans and perception of itch intensity on a numeric rating scale. Results: There was no significant difference in perceived itch intensity between AD and HC. Significant increase in rCBF was found in HC in the contralateral somatosensory and motor cortex, midcingulate gyrus, and ipsilateral prefrontal cortex; in AD: in the contralateral thalamus, somatosensory, motor and prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, in the ipsilateral precentral, prefrontal, orbitofrontal cortex, insula, pallidum and cerebellum. More brain sites were activated in AD than in HC. Activation in AD was significantly higher in the contralateral thalamus, ipsilateral caudate and pallidum. Conclusions: We interpret our findings as possible central correlates of changes in the motor system in subjects with chronic itch, with activation of the basal ganglia possibly correlating to the vicious itch‐scratch‐circle in subjects with chronic itching skin diseases. However, further neuroimaging studies in healthy subjects and also in different skin diseases are needed to understand the complex mechanisms of the processing of itch.     

Distinct striatal regions for planning and executing novel and automated movement sequences

The basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuits are viewed as segregated parallel feed back loops crucially involved in motor control, cognition, and emotional processing. Their role in planning novel, as compared to overlearned movement patterns is as yet not well defined. We tested for the involvement of the associative striatum (caudate/anterior putamen) in the generation of novel movement patterns, which is a critical cognitive requirement for non-routine motor behavior. Using event related functional MRI in 14 right-handed male subjects, we analyzed brain activity in the planning phase of four digit finger sequences. Subjects either executed a single overlearned four digit sequence (RECALL), or self-determined four digit sequences of varying order (GENERATE). In both conditions, RECALL and GENERATE, planning was associated with activation in mesial/lateral premotor cortices, motor cingulate cortex, superior parietal cortex, basal ganglia, insula, thalamus, and midbrain nuclei. When contrasting the planning phase of GENERATE with the planning phase of RECALL, there was significantly higher activation within this distributed network. At the level of the basal ganglia, the planning phase of GENERATE was associated with differentially higher activation located specifically within the associative striatum bilaterally. On the other hand, the execution phase during both conditions was associated with a shift of activity towards the posterior part of the putamen. Our data show the specific involvement of the associative striatum during the planning of non-routine movement patterns and illustrate the propagation of activity from rostral to dorsal basal ganglia sites during different stages of motor processing.     

正常人三种模式手指运动时脑激活区域的功能磁共振研究

目的　研究简单动作 (反复连续的手指对指动作 )、随意动作 (抓物体 )和假想动作三种运动模式时 ,脑功能区域的活动机制。方法　利用功能磁共振 (fMRI)影像技术分别摄取 1 0例正常人的利手和非利手在不同运动模式下的双侧脑激活区域 ,再进行机制分析。结果　随意动作时 ,脑同侧激活区的数目多于简单动作 (P <0 .0 5) ,而对侧无明显差异。在简单动作和随意动作中 ,无论利手或非利手 ,主要的激活区为对侧的初级感觉运动皮质 (SM1 ) ,但非利手也可激活同侧少量的SM1。另外 ,脑双侧辅助运动区 (SMA)、前运动区 (PMA) ,对侧顶上小叶 ,同侧小脑也有明显激活 ;偶见基底节激活。假想动作时主要激活额上回、额中回、顶上小叶 ,另见少量扣带回、小脑、脑干、中央旁小叶、基底节处激活。结论　利手的简单动作支配主要在对侧脑SM1 ,而双侧的SM1参与了非利手的简单动作。随意动作属于复杂动作 ,参与动作的区域多于简单动作 ,且双侧SMA均参与 ,可能与双手协调、记忆动作模式的选择、动作顺序的执行有关。假想动作时主要由SMA、PMA支配。该机制对脑卒中的运动训练具有指导意义     

The effect of appraisal level on processing of emotional prosody in meaningless speech

In visual perception of emotional stimuli, low- and high-level appraisal processes have been found to engage different neural structures. Beyond emotional facial expression, emotional prosody is an important auditory cue for social interaction. Neuroimaging studies have proposed a network for emotional prosody processing that involves a right temporal input region and explicit evaluation in bilateral prefrontal areas. However, the comparison of different appraisal levels has so far relied upon using linguistic instructions during low-level processing, which might confound effects of processing level and linguistic task. In order to circumvent this problem, we examined processing of emotional prosody in meaningless speech during gender labelling (implicit, low-level appraisal) and emotion labelling (explicit, high-level appraisal). While bilateral amygdala, left superior temporal sulcus and right parietal areas showed stronger blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses during implicit processing, areas with stronger BOLD responses during explicit processing included the left inferior frontal gyrus, bilateral parietal, anterior cingulate and supplemental motor cortex. Emotional versus neutral prosody evoked BOLD responses in right superior temporal gyrus, bilateral anterior cingulate, left inferior frontal gyrus, insula and bilateral putamen. Basal ganglia and right anterior cingulate responses to emotional versus neutral prosody were particularly pronounced during explicit processing. These results are in line with an amygdala-prefrontal-cingulate network controlling different appraisal levels, and suggest a specific role of the left inferior frontal gyrus in explicit evaluation of emotional prosody. In addition to brain areas commonly related to prosody processing, our results suggest specific functions of anterior cingulate and basal ganglia in detecting emotional prosody, particularly when explicit identification is necessary.     

Neural correlates of the complexity of rhythmic finger tapping

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we studied the neural correlates of the complexity of rhythmic finger tapping. Our experiments measured the brain activity of 13 subjects performing rhythmic tapping on a response box with multistable rhythms of 1 to 5 different interresponse intervals. From the button press response times, we constructed phase portraits where we identified the number of clusters of periodic points in a rhythm that corresponded to the number of different beats of the rhythm performed. We then constructed a statistical model for correlation analysis involving the following behavioral parameters: rate of tapping and number of beats in a rhythm. The tapping rate correlated with the brain activity in the ipsilateral pre/postcentral gyrus, and the number of beats (complexity) was correlated with activations in the primary motor cortex, supplementary motor area, basal ganglia, thalamus, and cerebellum. A region of interest (ROI) average analysis showed that the complexity of a rhythm had a differential correlation with the activity in these regions. The cerebellum and the thalamus showed increasing activity, and the basal ganglia showed decreasing activity with complexity of a rhythm. These results identify the areas involved in a rhythm generation and the modulation of brain activity with the complexity.