Social aloofness is associated with non-social explore-exploit decisions.

How humans resolve the explore-exploit dilemma in decision making is central to how we flexibly interact with both social and non-social aspects of dynamic environments. However, how individual differences in the cognitive computations underlying exploration relate to social and non-social psychological flexibility traits remains unclear. To test this, we probed decision-making strategies in a cognitive flexibility task, a restless three-armed bandit task, and examined how individual differences in cognitive strategy related to social and non-social traits measured by the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ), a well-validated, clinically-relevant, community instrument, in a large (N = 1001) online sample.

Dynamic prefrontal coupling coordinates adaptive decision-making.

Adaptive decision-making requires flexibly maintaining or changing behavior in response to uncertainty. While the dorsomedial (dmPFC) and dorsolateral (dIPFC) prefrontal cortex are each essential for this ability, how they coordinate to drive adaptation remains unknown. Using intracranial EEG recordings from human participants performing a dynamic reward task, we identified distinct, frequency-specific computations: dmPFC high-gamma activity encoded uncertainty before stay decisions but transitioned to prediction error before switches, while theta activity shifted from uncertainty to value representation.

Individual differences in sequential decision-making.

1People differ widely in how they make decisions in uncertain environments. While many studies leverage this variability to measure differences in specific cognitive processes and parameters, the key dimension(s) of individual variability in uncertain decision-making tasks has not been identified. Here, we analyzed behavioral data from 1001 participants performing a restless three-armed bandit task, where reward probabilities fluctuated unpredictably over time.

Flexible and Probabilistic Topology Tracking With Partial Optimal Transport.

In this paper, we present a flexible and probabilistic framework for tracking topological features in time-varying scalar fields using merge trees and partial optimal transport. Merge trees are topological descriptors that record the evolution of connected components in the sublevel sets of scalar fields. We present a new technique for modeling and comparing merge trees using tools from partial optimal transport.

Cultural Differences in Vicarious Optimism.

Prosocial behavior is affected by the beliefs people have about others. The maintenance of these beliefs is biased: people are optimistic when updating beliefs about the future of others they care about. This vicarious optimism influences prosocial behavior and might be shaped by the culture people live in.

Distinct Computational Mechanisms of Uncertainty Processing Explain Opposing Exploratory Behaviors in Anxiety and Apathy.

Background: Decision making in uncertain environments can lead to varied outcomes, and how we process those outcomes may depend on our emotional state. Understanding how individuals interpret the sources of uncertainty is crucial for understanding adaptive behavior and mental well-being. Uncertainty can be broadly categorized into 2 components: volatility and stochasticity.

Multiscale Analysis Reveals Hippocampal Subfield Vulnerabilities to Chronic Cortisol Overexposure: Evidence From Cushing's Disease.

Background: Chronic cortisol overexposure plays a significant role in the development of neuropathological changes associated with neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The hippocampus, the primary target of cortisol, may exhibit characteristic regional responses due to its internal heterogeneity. In this study, we explored structural and functional alterations of hippocampal (HP) subfields in Cushing's disease (CD), an endogenous model of chronic cortisol overexposure.

In-Situ Sulfuration of Ni(OH) to Heterostructured NiS/Ni(OH)@Ni Catalyst for Efficient Water Splitting.

The exploring and developing non-precious transition metal-based catalysts for practical water electrolysis with the low cost, high efficiency and easy macroscopic preparation was still a challenge. Herein, NiS/Ni(OH) heterojunction with different sulfuration time was proposed and hydrothermally synthesized using a simple two-step approach, which served as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for water splitting in alkaline solution at industrial temperature. Among these catalysts, NiS/Ni(OH)-5h displayed the smallest overpotentials (237 mV@100 mA cm and 360 mV@100 mA cm) for OER and HER at room temperature, along with low Tafel slopes of 62.

Generation and Characterization of a Novel Knockin Mouse Model Expressing PSEN1 D385A: Implications for Investigating Herbal Drug Effects in γ-Secretase Activity.

Background: Presenilin (PSEN, PS) is essential for γ-secretase function, and mutations can disrupt amyloid-β (Aβ) production in familial Alzheimer's disease. Targeting γ-secretase is complex due to its broad involvement in physiological processes.

Objective: Our aim was to create a novel knockin (KI) mouse model expressing PSEN1 D385A mutation and investigate the efficacy of a Geniposide and Ginsenoside Rg1 combination (NeuroProtect modified formula, NP-2) in restoring γ-secretase activity.

Distinct computational mechanisms of uncertainty processing explain opposing exploratory behaviors in anxiety and apathy.

Decision-making in uncertain environments often leads to varied outcomes. Understanding how individuals interpret the causes of unexpected feedback is crucial for adaptive behavior and mental well-being. Uncertainty can be broadly categorized into two components: volatility and stochasticity.

Structural network topologies are associated with deep brain stimulation outcomes in Meige syndrome.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective therapy for Meige syndrome (MS). However, the DBS efficacy varies across MS patients and the factors contributing to the variable responses remain enigmatic. We aim to explain the difference in DBS efficacy from a network perspective.

Histomorphological analysis of perfusion parameters and CNS lymphatic vessels in mice: an experimental method study.

To investigate the distribution and characteristics of lymphatic vessels within the central nervous system, we focus on the meninges of the spinal cord and brain parenchyma in mice. Additionally, we aim to provide experimental methods for obtaining optimal imaging and clear structures of lymphatic vessels, while optimizing the perfusion parameters to improve histomorphological quality. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups, with each group assigned a specific perfusion parameter based on perfusion volumes and temperatures.

In-situ substitution and community dynamics modeling for enhanced safety in Chinese rice wine brewing.

This research paper focuses on the application of the "Design-Build-Test-Learn" framework to design and evaluate a synthetic microbial community aimed at studying the impact of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) interactions and fitness on the formation of biogenic amines (BAs) in Chinese rice wine (CRW). The study reveals a close correlation between the assembly model of LAB and the accumulation of BAs in CRW, and multiple interactions were observed between amine-producing and non-amine-producing LAB, including commensalism, amensalism, and competition. The commensalism among amine-producing LAB was found to promote BAs accumulation through metabolic cross-feeding of amino acids.

Dynamic functional connectivity changes associated with psychiatric traits and cognitive deficits in Cushing's disease.

Cushing's disease is a rare neuroendocrine disorder with excessive endogenous cortisol, impaired cognition, and psychiatric symptoms. Evidence from resting-state fMRI revealed the abnormalities of static brain connectivity in patients with Cushing's disease (CD patients). However, it is unknown whether the CD patients' dynamic functional connectivity would be abnormal and whether the dynamic features are associated with deficits in cognition and psychopathological symptoms.

A low dimensional manifold of human exploratory behavior reveals opposing roles for apathy and anxiety.

Exploration-exploitation decision-making is a feature of daily life that is altered in a number of neuropsychiatric conditions. Humans display a range of exploration and exploitation behaviors, which can be affected by apathy and anxiety. It remains unknown how factors underlying decision-making generate the spectrum of observed exploration-exploitation behavior and how they relate to states of anxiety and apathy.

The Mandarin Chinese auditory emotions stimulus database: A validated set of Chinese pseudo-sentences.

Emotional prosody is fully embedded in language and can be influenced by the linguistic properties of a specific language. Considering the limitations of existing Chinese auditory stimulus database studies, we developed and validated an emotional auditory stimuli database composed of Chinese pseudo-sentences, recorded by six professional actors in Mandarin Chinese. Emotional expressions included happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, pleasant surprise, and neutrality.

Visual Affective Stimulus Database: A Validated Set of Short Videos.

Two hundred and ninety-nine videos representing four categories (people, animals, objects, and scenes) were standardized using Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018, with a unified duration of 3 s, a resolution of 1080 pixels/inch, and a size of 1920 × 1080 mm. One-hundred and sixteen participants (mean age 22.60 ± 2.

Interactive Structure-aware Blending of Diverse Edge Bundling Visualizations.

Many edge bundling techniques (i.e., data simplification as a support for data visualization and decision making) exist but they are not directly applicable to any kind of dataset and their parameters are often too abstract and difficult to set up.

Oxytocin modulates social value representations in the amygdala.

Humans exhibit considerable variation in how they value their own interest relative to the interests of others. Deciphering the neural codes representing potential rewards for self and others is crucial for understanding social decision-making. Here we integrate computational modeling with functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural representation of social value and the modulation by oxytocin, a nine-amino acid neuropeptide, in participants evaluating monetary allocations to self and other (self-other allocations).

Neural representations of the multidimensional self in the cortical midline structures.

Self-concept consists of self-identity that distinguishes self from other people and knowledge that describes one's own attributes in different dimensions. Because self-concept plays a fundamental role in individuals' social functioning and mental health, behavioral studies have examined cognitive processes of self-identity and self-knowledge extensively. Nevertheless, how different dimensions of the self-concept are organized in multi-voxel neural patterns remains elusive.

Placebo treatment facilitates social trust and approach behavior.

Placebo effect refers to beneficial changes induced by the use of inert treatment, such as placebo-induced relief of physical pain and attenuation of negative affect. To date, we know little about whether placebo treatment could facilitate social functioning, a crucial aspect for well-being of a social species. In the present study, we develop and validate a paradigm to induce placebo effects on social trust and approach behavior (social placebo effect), and show robust evidence that placebo treatment promotes trust in others and increases preference for a closer interpersonal distance.

Neural substrates underlying the effects of oxytocin: a quantitative meta-analysis of pharmaco-imaging studies.

The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin (OT) is crucial in social adaptation and used to treat emotional and social deficits. Here, we conducted a systematic, quantitative meta-analysis of functional-MRI studies intranasally administering OT (IN-OT) to uncover neural substrates underlying the IN-OT effects and to elucidate differential IN-OT effects between healthy and clinical populations. Meta-analyses were conducted on 66 IN-OT fMRI studies, stratified by psychopathology, valence and sex.