Journal article
A thalamo-centric neural signature for restructuring negative self-beliefs
Trevor Steward, Po-Han Kung, Christopher G Davey, Bradford A Moffat, Rebecca K Glarin, Alec J Jamieson, Kim L Felmingham, Ben J Harrison
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY | SPRINGERNATURE | Published : 2022
Abstract
Negative self-beliefs are a core feature of psychopathology. Despite this, we have a limited understanding of the brain mechanisms by which negative self-beliefs are cognitively restructured. Using a novel paradigm, we had participants use Socratic questioning techniques to restructure negative beliefs during ultra-high resolution 7-Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (UHF 7 T fMRI) scanning. Cognitive restructuring elicited prominent activation in a fronto-striato-thalamic circuit, including the mediodorsal thalamus (MD), a group of deep subcortical nuclei believed to synchronize and integrate prefrontal cortex activity, but which has seldom been directly examined with fMRI due to i..
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Grants
Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)
Awarded by NHMRC/MRFF Investigator Grant
Awarded by NHMRC Career Development Fellowship
Funding Acknowledgements
This study was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) Project Grant (1161897) to BJH. Trevor Steward is supported by a NHMRC/MRFF Investigator Grant (MRF1193736), a BBRF Young Investigator Grant, and a University of Melbourne McKenzie Fellowship. CGD was supported by an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (1141738). BJH was supported by a NHMRC Career Development Fellowship (1124472). The authors thank Cristian Stella and Lisa Incerti for their contributions to data collection, and the participants for their involvement in the study. We acknowledge the facilities, and the scientific and technical assistance of the Australian National Imaging Facility, a National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) capability, at the Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit (MBCIU), The University of Melbourne. The multiband fMRI sequence was generously supported by a research collaboration agreement with CMRR, University of Minnesota and the MP2RAGE works in progress sequence was provided by Siemens Healthineers (Germany) as advanced works in progress package. The authors thank Matthew L. Dixon for their comprehensive and thoughtful peer review report.