Biology subjects

Sutherland, M. T.

Publications and source records attributed to Sutherland, M. T..

18 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Habenula alterations in resting state functional connectivity among autistic individuals

BackgroundThe reward-based theoretical framework of autism suggests that altered reward circuitry contributes to core symptoms. Recent prior research has revealed autism-related structural alterations in the habenula, a small epithalamic structure associated with motivation and emotion; however, potential alterations in functional connectivity (FC) remain unexplored. MethodsAnatomical and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were accessed for 1,479 participants (N=661 autism; agem: 16.68{+/-}8.23 years) in the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE). To investigate habenula alterations, we conducted a whole-brain resting state FC analysis using manually delineated subject-specific seeds, followed by regression analyses to explore age and brain-behavior interactions. ResultsAcross the entire sample, extensive habenula connectivity was observed within the midbrain dopaminergic reward system. Compared to neurotypical (NT) controls, autistic participants exhibited significantly increased habenular connectivity with the bilateral middle and superior temporal gyri. From childhood to early adulthood, autistic adolescents displayed an accelerated developmental habenula FC trajectory than NTs with the cingulate gyrus. Between groups, habenula hyperconnectivity was inversely associated with behavioral scores for social motivation and communication. ConclusionsThis study provides novel evidence of habenula connectivity alterations in autism, highlighting atypical FC with sensory processing regions. Further findings suggest that habenula circuitry develops differently among autistic adolescents, with links between habenula hyperconnectivity and social behaviors. Taken together, these results contribute to emerging evidence that the dopaminergic reward system may play a critical role in the pathophysiology of autism.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Meta-analytic decoding of the cortical gradient of functional connectivity

Macroscale gradients have emerged as a central principle for understanding functional brain organization. Previous studies have demonstrated that a principal gradient of connectivity in the human brain exists, with unimodal primary sensorimotor regions situated at one end and transmodal regions associated with the default mode network and representative of abstract functioning at the other. The functional significance and interpretation of macroscale gradients remains a central topic of discussion in the neuroimaging community, with some studies demonstrating that gradients may be described using meta-analytic functional decoding techniques. However, additional methodological development is necessary to fully leverage available meta-analytic methods and resources and quantitatively evaluate their relative performance. Here, we conducted a comprehensive series of analyses to investigate and improve the framework of data-driven, meta-analytic methods, thereby establishing a principled approach for gradient segmentation and functional decoding. We found that a two-segment solution determined by a k-means segmentation approach and an LDA-based meta-analysis combined with the NeuroQuery database was the optimal combination of methods for decoding functional connectivity gradients. Finally, we proposed a method for decoding additional components of the gradient decomposition. The current work aims to provide recommendations on best practices and flexible methods for gradient-based functional decoding of fMRI data.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Task-based attentional and default mode connectivity associated with STEM anxiety profiles among university physics students

Attentional control theory (ACT) posits that elevated anxiety increases the probability of re-allocating cognitive resources needed to complete a task to processing anxiety-related stimuli. This process impairs processing efficiency and can lead to reduced performance effectiveness. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students frequently experience STEM-related anxiety, which can interfere with learning and performance and negatively impact student retention and graduation rates. The objective of this study was to extend the ACT framework to investigate the neurobiological associations between STEM-related anxiety and cognitive performance among 123 physics undergraduate students. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four profiles of student STEM-related anxiety, including two profiles that represented the majority of the sample (Low STEM Anxiety; 59.3% and High Math Anxiety; 21.9%) and two additional profiles that were not well represented (High STEM Anxiety; 6.5% and High Science Anxiety; 4.1%). Students underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session in which they performed two tasks involving physics cognition: the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) task and the Physics Knowledge (PK) task. No significant differences were observed in FCI or PK task performance between High Math Anxiety and Low STEM Anxiety students. During the three phases of the FCI task, we found no significant brain connectivity differences during scenario and question presentation, yet we observed significant differences during answer selection within and between the dorsal attention network (DAN), ventral attention network (VAN), and default mode network (DMN). Further, we found significant group differences during the PK task were limited to the DAN, including DAN-VAN and within-DAN connectivity. These results highlight the different cognitive processes required for physics conceptual reasoning compared to physics knowledge retrieval, provide new insight into the underlying brain dynamics associated with anxiety and physics cognition, and confirm the relevance of ACT theory for STEM-related anxiety.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Acculturative orientations among Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study: Associations with caregiver and youth mental health and youth brain function

BackgroundPopulation-based neuroscience offers opportunities to examine important but understudied sociocultural factors, such as acculturation. Acculturation refers to the extent to which an individual retains their cultural heritage and / or adopts the receiving societys culture and is particularly salient among Hispanic/Latinx immigrants. Specific acculturative orientations have been linked to vulnerability to substance use, depression, and suicide and are known to influence family dynamics between caregivers and their children. MethodsWe investigated first- and second-generation Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the ABCD Study and examined how caregivers acculturative orientation impacts their mental health, as well as the mental health of their children. In addition, we evaluated how caregiver orientation is associated with adolescent socio-affiliative neural function in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, insula, and temporoparietal junction. ResultsWe identified two caregiver acculturation profiles: bicultural (retains heritage culture while adopting US culture) and detached (discards heritage culture and rejects US culture). Bicultural caregivers exhibited fewer symptoms of depression, avoidant behaviors, and inattention compared to detached caregivers; further, youth exhibited similar internalizing effects across caregiver profiles. Moreover, youth with bicultural caregivers displayed increased resting-state brain activity in the left insula; however, differences in long-range functional connectivity were not significant. ConclusionsCaregiver acculturation is an important familial-environmental factor in Hispanic/Latinx families linked to significant differences in caregiver and youth mental health and youth insula activity. Future work should examine sociocultural and neurodevelopmental changes across adolescence to assess health outcomes and determine whether localized, corticolimbic brain effects are ultimately translated into long-range connectivity differences.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Extended functional connectivity of convergent structural alterations among individuals with PTSD: A neuroimaging meta-analysis

BackgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder defined by the onset of intrusive, avoidant, negative cognitive or affective, and/or hyperarousal symptoms after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Previous voxel-based morphometry studies have provided insight into structural brain alterations associated with PTSD with notable heterogeneity across these studies. Furthermore, how structural alterations may be associated with brain function, as measured by task-free and task-based functional connectivity, remains to be elucidated. MethodsUsing emergent metaanalytic techniques, we sought to first identify a consensus of structural alterations in PTSD using the anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) approach. Next, we generated functional profiles of identified convergent structural regions utilizing resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and meta-analytic coactivation modeling (MACM) methods. Finally, we performed functional decoding to examine mental functions associated with our ALE, rsFC, and MACM brain characterizations. ResultsWe observed convergent structural alterations in a single region located in the medial prefrontal cortex. The resultant rsFC and MACM maps identified functional connectivity across a widespread, whole-brain network that included frontoparietal and limbic regions. Functional decoding revealed overlapping associations with attention, memory, and emotion processes. ConclusionsConsensus-based functional connectivity was observed in regions of the default mode, salience, and central executive networks, which play a role in the tripartite model of psychopathology. Taken together, these findings have important implications in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms associated with PTSD.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Neural systems underlying RDoC social constructs: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis

Neuroscientists have sought to identify the underlying neural systems supporting social processing that allow interaction and communication, forming social relationships, and navigating the social world. Through the use of NIMHs Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, we evaluated consensus among studies that examined brain activity during social tasks to elucidate regions comprising the "social brain". We examined convergence across tasks corresponding to the four RDoC social constructs, including Affiliation and Attachment, Social Communication, Perception and Understanding of Self, and Perception and Understanding of Others. We performed a series of coordinate-based meta-analyses using the activation likelihood estimate (ALE) method. Meta-analysis was performed on whole-brain coordinates reported from 864 fMRI contrasts using the NiMARE Python package, revealing convergence in medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, temporoparietal junction, bilateral insula, amygdala, fusiform gyrus, precuneus, and thalamus. Additionally, four separate RDoC-based meta-analyses revealed differential convergence associated with the four social constructs. These outcomes highlight the neural support underlying these social constructs and inform future research on alterations among neurotypical and atypical populations.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Denoising physiological data collected during multi-band, multi-echo EPI sequences

Collecting physiological data during fMRI experiments can improve fMRI data cleaning and contribute to our understanding of psychophysiological processes; however, these recordings are frequently fraught with artifacts from the MRI pulse sequence. Here, we assess data from BIOPAC Systems, Inc., one of the more widely-used manufacturers of physiological monitoring equipment, and evaluate their recommendations for filtering such artifacts from electrocardiogram and electrodermal activity data collected during single-band, single-echo fMRI sequences and extend these recommendations to address artifacts associated with multiband, multi-echo fMRI sequences. While the magnitude and frequencies of artifacts differ with these aspects of pulse sequences, their effects can be mitigated via application of digital filters incorporating slice collection, multiband factor, and repetition time. The implementation of these filters is provided both in interactive online notebooks and an open source denoising tool.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Intelligence and academic performance: Is it all in your head?

Academic performance relies, in part, on intelligence; however, intelligence quotient (IQ) is limited in predicting academic success. Furthermore, while the search for the biological seat of intelligence predates neuroscience itself, its findings remain conflicting. Here, we assess the interplay between IQ, academic performance, and brain connectivity with behavioral and functional MRI data collected from undergraduate students as they completed an active learning or lecture-based semester-long university physics course. IQ (i.e., full-scale WAIS scores) increased significantly pre-to post-instruction, were associated with physics knowledge and reasoning measures, but were unrelated to overall course grade. IQ was related to brain connectivity during physics-related cognition, but connectivity did not mediate IQs association with task performance. These relations depended on students sex and instructional environment, providing evidence that physics classroom environment and pedagogy may have a gendered influence on students performance. Discussion focuses on opportunities to improve physics reasoning skills for all students.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Neural vulnerability and hurricane-related media predict posttraumatic stress in youth

As natural disasters increase in frequency and severity1, 2, mounting evidence reveals that their human toll extends beyond death, injury, and loss. Posttraumatic stress (PTS) can be common among directly exposed individuals, and children are particularly vulnerable3, 4. Curiously, PTS can even be found among youth far removed from harms way, and media-based exposure may partially account for this phenomenon5-8. Unfortunately, susceptibility to media effects has been difficult to characterize because most research is initiated post-event, precluding examination of pre-disaster factors. In this study, we mitigate this issue with data from nearly 400 9-to 11-year-old children collected prior to and after Hurricane Irma. We evaluate whether preexisting neural patterns moderate associations between hurricane experiences and later Irma-related PTS. We show that "dose" of both objective exposure and Irma-related media exposure predicted Irma-related PTS, the latter even among children dwelling thousands of kilometers away from the hurricane. Furthermore, we show, using pre-hurricane functional magnetic resonance imaging data, that neural responses in brain regions associated with anxiety and stress confer particular vulnerability to the psychological effects of hurricane exposure among certain children. Surprisingly, this was even the case for media exposure- we found that that right amygdala reactivity to fearful stimuli moderated the association between Irma-related media exposure and PTS symptoms, with the media-PTS association strongest for children showing pre-hurricane heightened amygdala reactivity to Fear vs Neutral Faces. In contrast, in bilateral orbitofrontal cortex and left parahippocampal gyrus, children showing a weak response to the Fear condition relative to the Neutral condition were especially susceptible to PTS as a result of Irma-related media exposure. Collectively, these findings run counter to outdated "bullseye" models of disaster exposure that assume negative effects are narrowly circumscribed around a disasters geographic epicenter9. In contrast, for some youth with measurable preexisting vulnerability, consumption of extensive disaster-related media appears to offer an alternative pathway to disaster exposure that transcends geography and objective risk. This preventable exposure should be considered in disaster-related mental health efforts.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

The cue-reactivity paradigm: An ensemble of networks driving attention and cognition when viewing drug-related and natural-reward stimuli

BackgroundThe cue-reactivity paradigm is a widely adopted neuroimaging probe engendering brain activity linked with attentional, affective, and reward processes following presentation of appetitive stimuli. Given the multiple mental operations invoked, we sought to decompose cue-related brain activity into constituent components employing emergent meta-analytic techniques when considering drug and natural reward-related cues. MethodsWe conducted multiple coordinate-based meta-analyses delineating common and distinct brain activity convergence across cue-reactivity studies (N=196 articles) involving drug (n=133) or natural reward-related (n=63) visual stimuli. Subsequently, we characterized the connectivity profiles of identified brain regions by using them as seeds in task-independent and task-dependent functional connectivity analyses. Using hierarchical clustering on these connectivity profiles, we grouped cue-related brain regions into subnetworks. Functional decoding was then employed to characterize mental operations linked with each subnetwork. ResultsAcross all studies, pooled activity convergence was observed in the striatum, amygdala, thalamus, cingulate, insula, and multiple frontal, parietal, and occipital regions. Drug-distinct convergence (drug>natural) was observed notably in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and temporal and parietal regions, whereas distinct natural reward convergence (natural>drug) was observed in thalamic, insular, orbitofrontal, and occipital regions. Hierarchical clustering using each regions connectivity profiles identified six subnetworks, involving: 1) occipital and thalamic (lateral geniculate nucleus) regions functionally linked with early visual processing, 2) occipital-temporal regions associated with higher level visual association, 3) parietal-frontal regions linked with cognitive control mechanisms, 4) posterior and ventral insula as well as anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) functionally linked with salient event detection, 5) nucleus accumbens, PCC, precuneus, ACC, and thalamus (mediodorsal) associated with subjective valuation, and 6) bilateral amygdalae, orbitofrontal, and dorsal insula regions linked with affective processes. ConclusionsThese outcomes suggest multifaceted brain activity during the cue-reactivity paradigm can be decomposed into more elemental processes and indicate that while drugs of abuse usurp the brains natural reward processing system, some regions appear distinctly related to drug cue-reactivity (e.g., PCC, dlPFC).

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Common and distinct brain activity associated with risky and ambiguous decision-making

Two often-studied forms of uncertain decision-making (DM) are risky-DM (outcome probabilities known) and ambiguous-DM (outcome probabilities unknown). While DM in general is associated with activation of several brain regions, previous neuroimaging efforts suggest a dissociation between activity linked with risky and ambiguous choices. However, the common and distinct neurobiological correlates associated with risky- and ambiguous-DM, as well as their specificity when compared to perceptual-DM (as a control condition), remains to be clarified. We conducted multiple meta-analyses on neuroimaging results from 151 studies to characterize common and domain-specific brain activity during risky-, ambiguous-, and perceptual-DM. When considering all DM tasks, convergent activity was observed in brain regions considered to be consituents of the canonical salience, valuation, and executive control networks. When considering subgroups of studies, risky-DM (vs. perceptual-DM) was linked with convergent activity in the striatum and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), regions associated with reward-related processes (determined by objective functional decoding). When considering ambiguous-DM (vs. perceptual-DM), activity convergence was observed in the lateral prefrontal cortex and insula, regions implicated in affectively-neutral mental processes (e.g., cognitive control and behavioral responding; determined by functional decoding). An exploratory meta-analysis comparing brain activity between substance users and non-users during risky-DM identified reduced convergent activity among users in the striatum, cingulate, and thalamus. Taken together, these findings suggest a dissociation of brain regions linked with risky- and ambiguous-DM reflecting possible differential functionality and highlight brain alterations potentially contributing to poor decision-making in the context of substance use disorders.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Meta-analytic clustering dissociates brain activity and behavior profiles across reward processing paradigms

Reward learning is a ubiquitous cognitive mechanism guiding adaptive choices and behaviors, and when impaired, can lead to considerable mental health consequences. Reward-related functional neuroimaging studies have begun to implicate networks of brain regions essential for processing various peripheral influences (e.g., risk, subjective preference, delay, social context) involved in the multifaceted reward processing construct. To provide a more complete neurocognitive perspective on reward processing that synthesizes findings across the literature while also appreciating these peripheral influences, we utilized emerging meta-analytic techniques to elucidate brain regions, and in turn networks, consistently engaged in distinct aspects of reward processing. Using a data-driven, meta-analytic, k-means clustering approach, we dissociated seven meta-analytic groupings (MAGs) of neuroimaging results (i.e., brain activity maps) from 749 experimental contrasts across 176 reward processing studies involving 13,358 healthy participants. We then performed an exploratory functional decoding approach to gain insight into the putative functions associated with each MAG. We identified a seven-MAG clustering solution which represented dissociable patterns of convergent brain activity across reward processing tasks. Additionally, our functional decoding analyses revealed that each of these MAGs mapped onto discrete behavior profiles that suggested specialized roles in predicting value (MAG-1 & MAG-2) and processing a variety of emotional (MAG-3), external (MAG-4 & MAG-5), and internal (MAG-6 & MAG-7) influences across reward processing paradigms. These findings support and extend aspects of well-accepted reward learning theories and highlight large-scale brain network activity associated with distinct aspects of reward processing.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Sex and pedagogy influences in learning-related reorganization of brain activity

Physics is a challenging academic pursuit in which university students regularly struggle to achieve success. Female students tend to perform negatively on introductory physics conceptual assessments compared to their male peers; however, active-learning classroom curricula are known to broadly improve performance on these tests. Here, we used fMRI to delineate physics-related brain activity in 107 students and probed for changes following a semester of active-learning or lecture-based physics instruction. Large-scale reorganization of brain activity accompanying learning occurred in a mixed frontoparietal and default mode network. Sex differences were observed in frontoparietal, default mode, and primary visual areas before and after instruction. Regions showing significant pedagogy, sex, and time interactions were revealed during physics retrieval, suggesting the type of class students complete may influence sex differences in how students retrieve information. These results reveal potentially elucidating sex and pedagogy differences underlying the neural mechanisms supporting physics learning.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Habenular and striatal activity during performance feedback are differentially linked with state-like and trait-like aspects of tobacco use disorder

Although tobacco use disorder is linked with functional alterations in the striatum, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and insula, preclinical evidence also implicates the habenula as a contributor to negative reinforcement mechanisms maintaining nicotine use. The habenula is a small and understudied epithalamic nucleus involved in reward and aversive processing that is hypothesized to be hyperactive during nicotine withdrawal thereby contributing to anhedonia. In a pharmacologic fMRI study involving administration of nicotine and varenicline, two relatively efficacious cessation aids, we utilized a positive and negative performance feedback task previously shown to differentially activate the striatum and habenula. By administering these nicotinic drugs (vs. placebos) to both overnight abstinent smokers (n=24) and nonsmokers (n=20), we delineated feedback-related functional alterations both as a function of a chronic smoking history (trait: smokers vs. nonsmokers) and as a function of drug administration (state: nicotine, varenicline). We observed that smokers showed less ventral striatal responsivity to positive feedback, an alteration not mitigated by drug administration, but rather correlated with higher trait-level addiction severity among smokers and elevated self-reported negative affect across all participants. Conversely, nicotine administration reduced habenula activity following both positive and negative feedback among abstinent smokers, but not nonsmokers; greater habenula activity correlated with elevated abstinence-induced, state-level tobacco craving among smokers and elevated social anhedonia across all participants. These outcomes highlight a dissociation between neurobiological processes linked with the trait of dependence severity and with the state of acute nicotine withdrawal. Interventions simultaneously targeting both aspects may improve currently poor cessation outcomes.\n\nOne-sentence teaserIn a pharmacological fMRI study, e dissociate brain alterations in the habenula linked with nicotine withdrawal and striatal alterations linked with addiction.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Brain activity links performance in science reasoning with conceptual approach

Understanding how students learn is crucial for helping them succeed. We examined brain function in 107 undergraduate students during a task known to be challenging for many students - physics problem solving - to characterize underlying neural mechanisms and determine how these support comprehension and proficiency. Further, we applied module analysis to response distributions, defining groups of students who answered using similar physics conceptions, and probed for brain differences linked with different conceptual approaches. We found integrated executive, attentional, visual motion, and default mode brain systems cooperate to achieve sequential and sustained physics-related cognition. While accuracy alone did not predict brain function, dissociable brain patterns were observed when students solved problems using different physics conceptions, and increased success was linked to conceptual coherence. Our analyses demonstrate that episodic associations and control processes operate in tandem to support physics reasoning, offering insight into effective classroom practices to promote student success.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Sex differences in brain correlates of STEM anxiety

Anxiety is known to dysregulate the salience, default mode, and central executive networks of the human brain, yet this phenomenon has not been fully explored across the STEM learning experience, where anxiety can impact negatively academic performance. Here, we evaluated anxiety and large-scale brain connectivity in 101 undergraduate physics students. We found sex differences in STEM-related but not clinical anxiety, with longitudinal increases in science anxiety observed for both female and male students. Sex-specific impacts of STEM anxiety on brain connectivity emerged, with male students exhibiting distinct inter-network connectivity for STEM and clinical anxiety and female students demonstrating no significant within-sex correlations. Anxiety was negatively correlated with academic performance in sex-specific ways at both pre-and post-instruction. Moreover, math anxiety in male students mediated the relation between default mode-salience connectivity and course grade. Together, these results reveal complex sex differences in the neural mechanisms driving how anxiety impacts STEM learning.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Image processing and analysis methods for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study is an ongoing, nationwide study of the effects of environmental influences on behavioral and brain development in adolescents. The ABCD Study is a collaborative effort, including a Coordinating Center, 21 data acquisition sites across the United States, and a Data Analysis and Informatics Center (DAIC). The main objective of the study is to recruit and assess over eleven thousand 9-10-year-olds and follow them over the course of 10 years to characterize normative brain and cognitive development, the many factors that influence brain development, and the effects of those factors on mental health and other outcomes. The study employs state-of-the-art multimodal brain imaging, cognitive and clinical assessments, bioassays, and careful assessment of substance use, environment, psychopathological symptoms, and social functioning. The data will provide a resource of unprecedented scale and depth for studying typical and atypical development. Here, we describe the baseline neuroimaging processing and subject-level analysis methods used by the ABCD DAIC in the centralized processing and extraction of neuroanatomical and functional imaging phenotypes. Neuroimaging processing and analyses include modality-specific corrections for distortions and motion, brain segmentation and cortical surface reconstruction derived from structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), analysis of brain microstructure using diffusion MRI (dMRI), task-related analysis of functional MRI (fMRI), and functional connectivity analysis of resting-state fMRI.\n\nHighlightsO_LIAn overview of the MRI processing pipeline for the ABCD Study\nC_LIO_LIA discussion on the challenges of large, multisite population studies\nC_LIO_LIA methodological reference for users of publicly shared data from the ABCD Study\nC_LI

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2017

Cooperating yet distinct brain networks engaged during naturalistic paradigms: A meta-analysis of functional MRI results

Cognitive processes do not occur by pure insertion and instead depend on the full complement of co-occurring mental processes, including perceptual and motor functions. As such, there is limited ecological validity to human neuroimaging experiments that use highly controlled tasks to isolate mental processes of interest. However, a growing literature shows how dynamic, interactive tasks have allowed researchers to study cognition as it more naturally occurs. Collective analysis across such neuroimaging experiments may answer broader questions regarding how naturalistic cognition is biologically distributed throughout the brain. We applied an unbiased, data-driven, meta-analytic approach that uses k-means clustering to identify core brain networks engaged across the naturalistic functional neuroimaging literature. Functional decoding allowed us to, then, delineate how information is distributed between these networks throughout the execution of dynamical cognition in realistic settings. This analysis revealed seven recurrent patterns of brain activation, representing sensory, domain-specific, and attentional neural networks that support the cognitive demands of naturalistic paradigms. Though gaps in the literature remain, these results suggest that naturalistic fMRI paradigms recruit a common set of networks that that allow both separate processing of different streams of information and integration of relevant information to enable flexible cognition and complex behavior.

neuroscience↗