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Marcel Brass - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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There is more into 'doing' than 'knowing': The function of the right Inferior Frontal Sulcus is specific for implementing versus memorising verbal instructions.
NeuroImage, 2016Co-Authors: Jelle Demanet, Baptist Liefooghe, Egbert Hartstra, Dorit Wenke, Jan De Houwer, Marcel BrassAbstract:In the present study we examine the mechanism underlying the human ability to implement newly instructed stimulus-response mappings for their future application. We introduce a novel procedure in which we can investigate the processes underlying such implementation while controlling for more general working-memory demands. The results indicate that a region within the dorso-lateral preFrontal cortex (DLPFC) in the vicinity of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS) is specifically recruited when new instructions are implemented compared to when new instructions are memorised. In addition, we observed that this area is more strongly activated when task performance is effective. Together, these findings suggest that the DLPFC, and more specific the IFS, plays an important role during the formation of procedural representations in working memory.
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co activation based parcellation of the lateral preFrontal cortex delineates the Inferior Frontal junction area
Cerebral Cortex, 2016Co-Authors: Paul S Muhlekarbe, Marcel Brass, Jan Derrfuss, Margaret T Lynn, Franz X Neubert, Simon B EickhoffAbstract:The Inferior Frontal junction (IFJ) area, a small region in the posterior lateral preFrontal cortex (LPFC), has received increasing interest in recent years due to its central involvement in the control of action, attention, and memory. Yet, both its function and anatomy remain controversial. Here, we employed a meta-analytic parcellation of the left LPFC to show that the IFJ can be isolated based on its specific functional connections. A seed region, oriented along the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS), was subdivided via cluster analyses of voxel-wise whole-brain co-activation patterns. The ensuing clusters were characterized by their unique connections, the functional profiles of associated experiments, and an independent topic mapping approach. A cluster at the posterior end of the IFS matched previous descriptions of the IFJ in location and extent and could be distinguished from a more caudal cluster involved in motorcontrol, a more ventral cluster involved in linguistic processing,and 3more rostral clustersinvolved in otheraspectsof cognitivecontrol. Overall, our findingshighlightthattheIFJconstitutesacore functional unit within the Frontal lobe and delineate its borders. Implications for the IFJ’s role in human cognition and the organizational principles of the Frontal lobe are discussed.
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The implementation of verbal instructions: Dissociating motor preparation from the formation of stimulus–response associations
NeuroImage, 2012Co-Authors: Egbert Hartstra, Florian Waszak, Marcel BrassAbstract:Only recently, brain imaging research has started to investigate the transformation of verbal instructions into efficient behavior. A Frontal-parietal network has been consistently shown to be involved in this context. The existing studies, however do not allow distinguishing brain regions that are involved in creating the stimulus response link (S-R link) and brain areas involved in response preparation proper. The aim of the current study was to dissociate brain regions associated with these different functions. In order to do so, we adopted a paradigm in which instructions were given using two successive instruction cues. Each cue instructing one component of an S-R mapping, enabling the identification of areas that are involved in representing response information and areas that play a role in setting up the link between stimulus and response information. Results show that premotor cortices, pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and anterior intraparietal sul-cus (IPS) are engaged in representing and preparing the instructed response. Importantly, the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS, including the Inferior Frontal junction (IFJ)) was engaged in the formation of the stimulus and response link. It is concluded that during the implementation of verbal instructions IFS/IFJ transforms these instructions to guide modality specific areas needed to perform the upcoming task.
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The implementation of verbal instructions: dissociating motor preparation from the formation of stimulus-response associations.
NeuroImage, 2012Co-Authors: Egbert Hartstra, Florian Waszak, Marcel BrassAbstract:Only recently, brain imaging research has started to investigate the transformation of verbal instructions into efficient behavior. A Frontal–parietal network has been consistently shown to be involved in this context. The existing studies, however do not allow distinguishing brain regions that are involved in creating the stimulus response link (S–R link) and brain areas involved in response preparation proper. The aim of the current study was to dissociate brain regions associated with these different functions. In order to do so, we adopted a paradigm in which instructions were given using two successive instruction cues. Each cue instructing one component of an S–R mapping, enabling the identification of areas that are involved in representing response information and areas that play a role in setting up the link between stimulus and response information. Results show that premotor cortices, pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and anterior intraparietal Sulcus (IPS) are engaged in representing and preparing the instructed response. Importantly, the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS, including the Inferior Frontal junction (IFJ)) was engaged in the formation of the stimulus and response link. It is concluded that during the implementation of verbal instructions IFS/IFJ transforms these instructions to guide modality specific areas needed to perform the upcoming task.
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Neural activations at the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus: interindividual variability, reliability, and association with sulcal morphology.
Human brain mapping, 2009Co-Authors: Jan Derrfuss, Marcel Brass, D. Yves Von Cramon, Gabriele Lohmann, Katrin AmuntsAbstract:The sulcal morphology of the human Frontal lobe is highly variable. Although the structural images usually acquired in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies provide information about this interindividual variability, this information is only rarely used to relate structure and function. Here, we investigated the spatial relationship between posterior frontolateral activations in a task-switching paradigm and the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus (Inferior Frontal junction, IFJ) on an individual-subject basis. Results show that, although variable in terms of stereotaxic coordinates, the posterior frontolateral activations observed in task-switching are consistently and reliably located at the IFJ in the brains of individual participants. The IFJ shares such consistent localization with other nonprimary areas as motion-sensitive area V5/MT and the Frontal eye field. Building on tension-based models of morphogenesis, this structure-function correspondence might indicate that the cytoarchitectonic area underlying activations of the IFJ develops at early stages of cortical folding.
D. Yves Von Cramon - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Neural activations at the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus: interindividual variability, reliability, and association with sulcal morphology.
Human brain mapping, 2009Co-Authors: Jan Derrfuss, Marcel Brass, D. Yves Von Cramon, Gabriele Lohmann, Katrin AmuntsAbstract:The sulcal morphology of the human Frontal lobe is highly variable. Although the structural images usually acquired in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies provide information about this interindividual variability, this information is only rarely used to relate structure and function. Here, we investigated the spatial relationship between posterior frontolateral activations in a task-switching paradigm and the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus (Inferior Frontal junction, IFJ) on an individual-subject basis. Results show that, although variable in terms of stereotaxic coordinates, the posterior frontolateral activations observed in task-switching are consistently and reliably located at the IFJ in the brains of individual participants. The IFJ shares such consistent localization with other nonprimary areas as motion-sensitive area V5/MT and the Frontal eye field. Building on tension-based models of morphogenesis, this structure-function correspondence might indicate that the cytoarchitectonic area underlying activations of the IFJ develops at early stages of cortical folding.
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Task-order coordination in dual-task performance and the lateral preFrontal cortex: an event-related fMRI study
Psychological research, 2005Co-Authors: André J. Szameitat, D. Yves Von Cramon, Jöran Lepsien, Annette Sterr, Torsten SchubertAbstract:A crucial demand in dual tasks suffering from a capacity limited processing mechanism is task-order scheduling, i.e. the control of the order in which the two component tasks are processed by this limited processing mechanism. The present study aims to test whether the lateral preFrontal cortex (LPFC) is associated with this demand. For this, 15 participants performed a psychological refractory paradigm (PRP) type dual task in an event-related functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) experiment. In detail, two choice reaction tasks, a visual (response with right hand) and an auditory (response with left hand), were presented with a temporal offset of 200 ms, while the participants were required to respond to the tasks in the order of their presentation. Importantly, the presentation order of the tasks changed randomly. Based on previous evidence, we argue that trials in which the present task order changed as compared to the previous trial (different-order trials) impose higher demands on task coordination than same-order trials do. The analyses showed that cortical areas along the posterior part of the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus as well as the right posterior middle Frontal gyrus were more strongly activated in different-order than in same-order trials, thus supporting the conclusion that one function of the LPFC for dual-task performance is the temporal coordination of two tasks. Furthermore, it is discussed that the present findings favour the active scheduling over the passive queuing hypothesis of dual-task processing.
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Internally generated and directly cued task sets: an investigation with fMRI.
Neuropsychologia, 2005Co-Authors: Birte U. Forstmann, Marcel Brass, Iring Koch, D. Yves Von CramonAbstract:Abstract It is widely acknowledged that the preFrontal cortex (PFC) plays a major role for goal-directed behaviour. In this context it is usually necessary to coordinate environmental information and internally represented intentions. Such goal-directed “endogenous control processes” can be investigated with the task-switching paradigm in which participants are required to alternate between different tasks. In the present study, we aimed at investigating different degrees of endogenous control by introducing two cue types with varying directness of the cue-task association. The “transition cues” informed the participants about repeating or switching the task but not about the task identity. Contrary to that, the “task cues” were directly associated with the upcoming task set. Since the transition cues are not directly associated with the task set they should require a higher demand of endogenous control than the task cues. The comparison of both cue types revealed frontolateral as well as frontomedian activations for the transition cue. We assume that the frontolateral activation reflects the coordination of information within working memory (WM) and the frontomedian cortex reflects the higher demand for endogenous control. Furthermore, regions of interest (ROIs) analyses indicate an important role for anterior regions along the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus and frontomedian wall. This is suggested to reflect a functional gradient in anterior–posterior direction which is linked to the relative degree of required endogenous control.
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Cognitive control in the posterior frontolateral cortex: evidence from common activations in task coordination, interference control, and working memory.
NeuroImage, 2004Co-Authors: Jan Derrfuss, Marcel Brass, D. Yves Von CramonAbstract:Cognitive control has often been associated with activations of middorsolateral preFrontal cortex. However, recent evidence highlights the importance of a more posterior frontolateral region around the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus (the Inferior Frontal junction area, IFJ). In the present experiment, we investigated the involvement of the IFJ in a task-switching paradigm, a manual Stroop task, and a verbal n-back task in a within-session within-group design. After computing contrasts for the individual tasks, the resulting z maps were overlaid to identify areas commonly activated by these tasks. Common activations were found in the IFJ, in the pre-SMA extending into mesial BA 8, in the middle Frontal gyrus bordering the Inferior Frontal Sulcus, in the anterior insula, and in parietal and thalamic regions. These results indicate the existence of a network of preFrontal, parietal, and subcortical regions mediating cognitive control in task coordination, interference control, and working memory. In particular, the results provide evidence for the assumption that, in the frontolateral cortex, not only the middorsolateral region but also the IFJ plays an important role in cognitive control.
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Decomposing Components of Task Preparation with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2004Co-Authors: Marcel Brass, D. Yves Von CramonAbstract:It is widely acknowledged that the preFrontal cortex plays a major role in cognitive control processes. One important experimental paradigm for investigating such higher order cognitive control is the task-switching paradigm. This paradigm investigates the ability to switch flexibly between different task situations. In this context, it has been found that participants are able to anticipatorily prepare an upcoming task. This ability has been assumed to reflect endogenous cognitive control. However, it is difficult to isolate task preparation process from task execution using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the present study, we introduce a new experimental manipulation to investigate task preparation with fMRI. By manipulating the number of times a task was prepared, we could demonstrate that the left Inferior Frontal junction (IFJ) area (near the junction of Inferior Frontal Sulcus and Inferior precentral Sulcus), the right Inferior Frontal gyrus, and the right intraparietal Sulcus are involved in task preparation. By manipulating the cue-task mapping, we could further show that this activation is not related to cue encoding but to the updating of the relevant task representation. Based on these and previous results, we assume that the IFJ area constitutes a functionally separable division of the lateral preFrontal cortex. Finally, our data suggest that task preparation does not differ for switch and repetition trials in paradigms with a high proportion of switch trials, casting doubt on the assumption that an independent task set reconfiguration process takes place in the preparation interval.
Torsten Schubert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Dissociable neural effects of task order control and task set maintenance during dual-task processing
Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2008Co-Authors: Christine Stelzel, Antje Kraft, Stephan A. Brandt, Torsten SchubertAbstract:The functional relevance of the lateral preFrontal cortex (lPFC) for the ability to process two tasks simultaneously has been debated extensively in previous studies that employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of dual-task processing. In the present fMRI study, we shed new light on this debate by directly comparing the lPFC activity changes for two cognitive functions commonly associated with dual-task performance: task order control and task set maintenance. We manipulated both functions in a 2 2 integrated parametric design. The fMRI data revealed a functional-neuroanatomical dissociation for the lPFC. Regions surrounding the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the middle Frontal gyrus were exclusively associated with task order control but not with increased demands on task set maintenance during dual-task processing. The only lPFC region associated with task set maintenance was located in the left anterior insula. Outside the lPFC, we found dissociable regions for task order control and task set maintenance bilaterally in the premotor cortices with more rostral premotor activity for task order control and more caudal premotor activity for task set maintenance. In addition, task order control activated the intraparietal sulci bilaterally. Our data clearly suggest that task order control is a separable cognitive mechanism in dual-task situations that is related to activity changes in the lPFC and that can be dissociated from task set maintenance.
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The neural effect of stimulus-response modality compatibility on dual-task performance: an fMRI study.
Psychological research, 2005Co-Authors: Christine Stelzel, Torsten Schubert, Eric H. Schumacher, Mark D‘espositoAbstract:Recent fMRI studies suggest that the Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS) is involved in the coordination of interfering processes in dual-task situations. The present study aims to further specify this assumption by investigating whether the compatibility between stimulus and response modalities modulates dual-task-related activity along the IFS. It has been shown behaviorally that the degree of interference, as measured by dual-task costs, increases in modality-incompatible conditions (e.g. visual–vocal tasks combined with auditory–manual tasks) as compared to modality-compatible conditions (e.g. visual–manual tasks combined with auditory–vocal tasks). Using fMRI, we measured IFS activity when participants performed modality-compatible and modality-incompatible single and dual tasks. Behaviorally, we replicated the finding of higher dual-task costs for modality-incompatible tasks compared to modality-compatible tasks. The fMRI data revealed higher activity along the IFS in modality-incompatible dual tasks compared with modality-compatible dual tasks when inter-individual variability in functional brain organization is taken into account. We argue that in addition to temporal order coordination (Szameitat et al., 2002), the IFS is involved in the coordination of cognitive processes associated with the concurrent mapping of sensory information onto corresponding motor responses in dual-task situations.
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Task-order coordination in dual-task performance and the lateral preFrontal cortex: an event-related fMRI study
Psychological research, 2005Co-Authors: André J. Szameitat, D. Yves Von Cramon, Jöran Lepsien, Annette Sterr, Torsten SchubertAbstract:A crucial demand in dual tasks suffering from a capacity limited processing mechanism is task-order scheduling, i.e. the control of the order in which the two component tasks are processed by this limited processing mechanism. The present study aims to test whether the lateral preFrontal cortex (LPFC) is associated with this demand. For this, 15 participants performed a psychological refractory paradigm (PRP) type dual task in an event-related functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) experiment. In detail, two choice reaction tasks, a visual (response with right hand) and an auditory (response with left hand), were presented with a temporal offset of 200 ms, while the participants were required to respond to the tasks in the order of their presentation. Importantly, the presentation order of the tasks changed randomly. Based on previous evidence, we argue that trials in which the present task order changed as compared to the previous trial (different-order trials) impose higher demands on task coordination than same-order trials do. The analyses showed that cortical areas along the posterior part of the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus as well as the right posterior middle Frontal gyrus were more strongly activated in different-order than in same-order trials, thus supporting the conclusion that one function of the LPFC for dual-task performance is the temporal coordination of two tasks. Furthermore, it is discussed that the present findings favour the active scheduling over the passive queuing hypothesis of dual-task processing.
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Functional neuroanatomy of interference in overlapping dual tasks: an fMRI study
Brain research. Cognitive brain research, 2003Co-Authors: Torsten Schubert, André J. SzameitatAbstract:A basic characteristic of the human action and cognition system is the occurrence of interference when participants attempt to perform two tasks at the same time. Such interference has been studied for a long time with so-called overlapping dual tasks, where two stimuli presented in rapid succession require separate responses. As an indicator of interference, reaction times on the second stimulus increase the smaller the interval between both tasks. While most behavioral studies investigated the temporal dynamics of the interference, we focused on the functional neuroanatomy of overlapping dual-task performance by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were asked to perform two choice reaction tasks concurrently [Pashler, Psychol. Bull., 116 (1994) 220-244]. When activation in this overlapping dual-task situation was compared with the summed activation of the single component tasks, activation in the preFrontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital cortices was detected. These data suggest that the processing of the overlapping dual tasks requires an extensive and distributed network of processing centers. However, the main focus of the dual-task-related activation was located in regions surrounding the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus. Based on our findings and on findings of other recent neuroimaging studies, we argue that activation of the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus reflects increased synaptic activity related to the need to manage interfering information in order to determine the appropriate action.
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Localization of Executive Functions in Dual-Task Performance with fMRI
Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 2002Co-Authors: André J. Szameitat, Torsten Schubert, Karsten Muller, D. Yves Von CramonAbstract:We report a study that investigated the neuroanatomical correlates of executive functions in dual-task performance with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants performed an auditory and a visual three-choice reaction task either separately as single tasks or concurrently as dual tasks. In the dual-task condition, two stimuli were presented in rapid succession to ensure interference between the component tasks (psychological refractory period). The behavioral data showed considerable performance decrements in the dual-task compared to the single-task condition. Dual-task-related activation was detected with two different neuroimaging methods. First, we determined dual-task-related activation according to the method of cognitive subtraction. For that purpose, activation in the dual-task was compared directly with activation in the single-task conditions. This analysis revealed that cortical areas along the Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS), the middle Frontal gyrus (MFG), and the intraparietal Sulcus (IPS) are involved in dual-task performance. The results of the subtraction method were validated with the method of parametric manipulation. For this purpose, a second dual-task condition was introduced, where the difficulty of the dual-task coordination was increased compared with the first dual-task condition. As expected, behavioral dual-task performance decreased with increased dual-task difficulty. Furthermore, the increased dual-task difficulty led to an increase of activation in those cortical regions that proved to be dual-task related with the subtraction method, that is, the IFS, the MFG, and the IPS. These results support the conclusion that dorsolateral preFrontal and superior parietal cortices are involved in the coordination of concurrent and interfering task processing.
Egbert Hartstra - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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There is more into 'doing' than 'knowing': The function of the right Inferior Frontal Sulcus is specific for implementing versus memorising verbal instructions.
NeuroImage, 2016Co-Authors: Jelle Demanet, Baptist Liefooghe, Egbert Hartstra, Dorit Wenke, Jan De Houwer, Marcel BrassAbstract:In the present study we examine the mechanism underlying the human ability to implement newly instructed stimulus-response mappings for their future application. We introduce a novel procedure in which we can investigate the processes underlying such implementation while controlling for more general working-memory demands. The results indicate that a region within the dorso-lateral preFrontal cortex (DLPFC) in the vicinity of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS) is specifically recruited when new instructions are implemented compared to when new instructions are memorised. In addition, we observed that this area is more strongly activated when task performance is effective. Together, these findings suggest that the DLPFC, and more specific the IFS, plays an important role during the formation of procedural representations in working memory.
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The implementation of verbal instructions: Dissociating motor preparation from the formation of stimulus–response associations
NeuroImage, 2012Co-Authors: Egbert Hartstra, Florian Waszak, Marcel BrassAbstract:Only recently, brain imaging research has started to investigate the transformation of verbal instructions into efficient behavior. A Frontal-parietal network has been consistently shown to be involved in this context. The existing studies, however do not allow distinguishing brain regions that are involved in creating the stimulus response link (S-R link) and brain areas involved in response preparation proper. The aim of the current study was to dissociate brain regions associated with these different functions. In order to do so, we adopted a paradigm in which instructions were given using two successive instruction cues. Each cue instructing one component of an S-R mapping, enabling the identification of areas that are involved in representing response information and areas that play a role in setting up the link between stimulus and response information. Results show that premotor cortices, pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and anterior intraparietal sul-cus (IPS) are engaged in representing and preparing the instructed response. Importantly, the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS, including the Inferior Frontal junction (IFJ)) was engaged in the formation of the stimulus and response link. It is concluded that during the implementation of verbal instructions IFS/IFJ transforms these instructions to guide modality specific areas needed to perform the upcoming task.
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The implementation of verbal instructions: dissociating motor preparation from the formation of stimulus-response associations.
NeuroImage, 2012Co-Authors: Egbert Hartstra, Florian Waszak, Marcel BrassAbstract:Only recently, brain imaging research has started to investigate the transformation of verbal instructions into efficient behavior. A Frontal–parietal network has been consistently shown to be involved in this context. The existing studies, however do not allow distinguishing brain regions that are involved in creating the stimulus response link (S–R link) and brain areas involved in response preparation proper. The aim of the current study was to dissociate brain regions associated with these different functions. In order to do so, we adopted a paradigm in which instructions were given using two successive instruction cues. Each cue instructing one component of an S–R mapping, enabling the identification of areas that are involved in representing response information and areas that play a role in setting up the link between stimulus and response information. Results show that premotor cortices, pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and anterior intraparietal Sulcus (IPS) are engaged in representing and preparing the instructed response. Importantly, the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS, including the Inferior Frontal junction (IFJ)) was engaged in the formation of the stimulus and response link. It is concluded that during the implementation of verbal instructions IFS/IFJ transforms these instructions to guide modality specific areas needed to perform the upcoming task.
Jan Derrfuss - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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co activation based parcellation of the lateral preFrontal cortex delineates the Inferior Frontal junction area
Cerebral Cortex, 2016Co-Authors: Paul S Muhlekarbe, Marcel Brass, Jan Derrfuss, Margaret T Lynn, Franz X Neubert, Simon B EickhoffAbstract:The Inferior Frontal junction (IFJ) area, a small region in the posterior lateral preFrontal cortex (LPFC), has received increasing interest in recent years due to its central involvement in the control of action, attention, and memory. Yet, both its function and anatomy remain controversial. Here, we employed a meta-analytic parcellation of the left LPFC to show that the IFJ can be isolated based on its specific functional connections. A seed region, oriented along the left Inferior Frontal Sulcus (IFS), was subdivided via cluster analyses of voxel-wise whole-brain co-activation patterns. The ensuing clusters were characterized by their unique connections, the functional profiles of associated experiments, and an independent topic mapping approach. A cluster at the posterior end of the IFS matched previous descriptions of the IFJ in location and extent and could be distinguished from a more caudal cluster involved in motorcontrol, a more ventral cluster involved in linguistic processing,and 3more rostral clustersinvolved in otheraspectsof cognitivecontrol. Overall, our findingshighlightthattheIFJconstitutesacore functional unit within the Frontal lobe and delineate its borders. Implications for the IFJ’s role in human cognition and the organizational principles of the Frontal lobe are discussed.
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Functional organization of the left Inferior precentral Sulcus: Dissociating the Inferior Frontal eye field and the Inferior Frontal junction
NeuroImage, 2011Co-Authors: Jan Derrfuss, Christian J. Fiebach, D. Y. Von Cramon, V.l. Vogt, Marc TittgemeyerAbstract:Two eye fields have been described in the human lateral Frontal cortex: the Frontal eye field (FEF) and the Inferior Frontal eye field (iFEF). The FEF has been extensively studied and has been found to lie at the ventral part of the superior precentral Sulcus. Much less research, however, has focused on the iFEF. Recently, it was suggested that the iFEF is located at the dorsal part of the Inferior precentral Sulcus. A similar location was proposed for the Inferior Frontal junction area (IFJ), an area thought to be involved in cognitive control processes. The present study used fMRI to clarify the topographical and functional relationship of the iFEF and the IFJ in the left hemispheres of individual participants. The results show that both the iFEF and the IFJ are indeed located at the dorsal part of the Inferior precentral Sulcus. Nevertheless, the activations were spatially dissociable in every individual examined. The IFJ was located more towards the depth of the Inferior precentral Sulcus, close to the junction with the Inferior Frontal Sulcus, whereas the iFEF assumed a more lateral, posterior and superior position. Furthermore, the results provided evidence for a functional double dissociation: the iFEF was activated only in a comparison of saccades vs. button presses, but not in a comparison of incongruent vs. congruent Stroop conditions, while the opposite pattern was found at the IFJ. These results provide evidence for a spatial and functional dissociation of two directly adjacent areas in the left posterior Frontal lobe.
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Neural activations at the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus: interindividual variability, reliability, and association with sulcal morphology.
Human brain mapping, 2009Co-Authors: Jan Derrfuss, Marcel Brass, D. Yves Von Cramon, Gabriele Lohmann, Katrin AmuntsAbstract:The sulcal morphology of the human Frontal lobe is highly variable. Although the structural images usually acquired in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies provide information about this interindividual variability, this information is only rarely used to relate structure and function. Here, we investigated the spatial relationship between posterior frontolateral activations in a task-switching paradigm and the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus (Inferior Frontal junction, IFJ) on an individual-subject basis. Results show that, although variable in terms of stereotaxic coordinates, the posterior frontolateral activations observed in task-switching are consistently and reliably located at the IFJ in the brains of individual participants. The IFJ shares such consistent localization with other nonprimary areas as motion-sensitive area V5/MT and the Frontal eye field. Building on tension-based models of morphogenesis, this structure-function correspondence might indicate that the cytoarchitectonic area underlying activations of the IFJ develops at early stages of cortical folding.
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involvement of the Inferior Frontal junction in cognitive control meta analyses of switching and stroop studies
Human Brain Mapping, 2005Co-Authors: Jan Derrfuss, Marcel Brass, Jane Neumann, Yves D Von CramonAbstract:There is growing evidence that a specific region in the posterior frontolateral cortex is involved intimately in cognitive control processes. This region, located in the vicinity of the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus, was termed the Inferior Frontal junction (IFJ). The IFJ was shown to be involved in the updating of task representations and to be activated commonly in a within-subject investigation of a task-switching paradigm, the Stroop task, and a verbal n-back task. Here, we investigate the involvement of the IFJ in cognitive control by employing a meta-analytic approach. Two quantitative meta-analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies were conducted. One meta-analysis included Frontal activations from task-switching, set-shifting, and stimulus-response (S-R) reversal studies, the other included Frontal activations from color-word Stroop studies. Results showed highly significant clustering of activations in the IFJ in both analyses. These results provide strong evidence for the consistent involvement of the IFJ in both switching and Stroop paradigms. Furthermore, they support our concept of areal specialization in the frontolateral cortex, which posits that it is not only the middorsolateral part that plays an important role in cognitive control, but also the IFJ. Finally, our results demonstrate how quantitative meta-analyses can be used to test hypotheses about the involvement of specific brain regions in cognitive control.
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Cognitive control in the posterior frontolateral cortex: evidence from common activations in task coordination, interference control, and working memory.
NeuroImage, 2004Co-Authors: Jan Derrfuss, Marcel Brass, D. Yves Von CramonAbstract:Cognitive control has often been associated with activations of middorsolateral preFrontal cortex. However, recent evidence highlights the importance of a more posterior frontolateral region around the junction of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus and the Inferior precentral Sulcus (the Inferior Frontal junction area, IFJ). In the present experiment, we investigated the involvement of the IFJ in a task-switching paradigm, a manual Stroop task, and a verbal n-back task in a within-session within-group design. After computing contrasts for the individual tasks, the resulting z maps were overlaid to identify areas commonly activated by these tasks. Common activations were found in the IFJ, in the pre-SMA extending into mesial BA 8, in the middle Frontal gyrus bordering the Inferior Frontal Sulcus, in the anterior insula, and in parietal and thalamic regions. These results indicate the existence of a network of preFrontal, parietal, and subcortical regions mediating cognitive control in task coordination, interference control, and working memory. In particular, the results provide evidence for the assumption that, in the frontolateral cortex, not only the middorsolateral region but also the IFJ plays an important role in cognitive control.