Browsing by Author "Tang, Yi-Yuan (TTU)"
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Item Altered patterns of fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and regional homogeneity in abstinent methamphetamine-dependent users(2021) Xie, An; Wu, Qiuxia (TTU); Yang, Winson Fu Zun (TTU); Qi, Chang; Liao, Yanhui; Wang, Xuyi; Hao, Wei; Tang, Yi-Yuan (TTU); Liu, Jianbin; Liu, Tieqiao; Tang, JinsongMethamphetamine (MA) could induce functional and structural brain alterations in dependent subjects. However, few studies have investigated resting-state activity in methamphetamine-dependent subjects (MADs). We aimed to investigate alterations of brain activity during resting-state in MADs using fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and regional homogeneity (ReHo). We analyzed fALFF and ReHo between MADs (n = 70) and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 84) and performed regression analysis using MA use variables. Compared to HCs, abstinent MADs showed increased fALFF and ReHo values in the bilateral striatum, decreased fALFF in the left inferior frontal gyrus, and decreased ReHo in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, sensorimotor cortex, and left precuneus. We also observed the fALFF values of bilateral striatum were positively correlated with the age of first MA use, and negatively correlated with the duration of MA use. The fALFF value of right striatum was also positively correlated with the duration of abstinence. The alterations of spontaneous cerebral activity in abstinent MADs may help us probe into the neurological pathophysiology underlying MA-related dysfunction and recovery. Since MADs with higher fALFF in the right striatum had shorter MA use and longer abstinence, the increased fALFF in the right striatum might implicate early recovery during abstinence.Item Cultural Differences in Donation Decision-Making(2015) Wang, Yan; Tang, Yi-Yuan (TTU); Wang, JinjunDecisions to help those in need are essential for human development and survival. Previous studies have demonstrated the “identified effect”, in which one identifiable individual typically invokes stronger feelings of compassion and receives greater aid than statistical victim. However, this preference might be influenced by cultural differences. In the current study, Chinese respondents’ ratings of distress and sympathy and their willingness to contribute are greater for a group of sick children than an individual. In the U.S., greater willingness to help and sympathy are elicited by an identified victim in comparison with an unidentified one. The different results may demonstrate the importance of cultural differences when trying to understand people’s prosocial behavior.Item Exercise in Aging: Be Balanced(2021) Gronek, Joanna; Boraczyński, Michał; Gronek, Piotr; Wieliński, Dariusz; Tarnas, Jacek; Marszałek, Sławomir; Tang, Yi-Yuan (TTU)The beneficial effects of exercise are recognized for preventing physical and cognitive decline during the aging process. However, there is still a gap concerning recommended intensity, volume, frequency and mode of exercise especially for older people. The aim of this study was to investigate an appropriate type of physical activity (PA) model for healthy aging. A commentary of the influence of PA and exercise on healthy aging through an online search of the databases Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. Two living groups can be considered as potential references: modern hunter-gatherer small-scale population and master athletes. Greater physical activity is proposed for healthy aging than that recommended by WHO. Additionally, mindfulness meditation techniques during exercise are recommended especially for persons practicing long-duration exercises. Complex and compound exercise and workouts should include challenging exercises adjusted and balanced to provide clients, especially older people, with noticeable changes and progress.Item Fluid Attention in Education: Conceptual and Neurobiological Framework(2021) Bruya, Brian; Tang, Yi-Yuan (TTU)Attention is indispensable to our learning, performance, relationships, health, and daily life, and yet laboratory studies of attention have only scratched the surface of these lived varieties of attention. In this article, we begin with William James' theory of derived involuntary attention, which has largely been ignored in laboratory research. We then show that there is a gap in our attention vocabulary and the theory that underpins it, which depend on an incomplete voluntary/involuntary dichotomy. The negative effects of this dichotomy stretch beyond laboratory research to clinical diagnosis, influencing how we understand so-called attention deficits. To fill the gap between voluntary and involuntary, we introduce a third kind of attention—fluid attention (also called postvoluntary attention), which is goal-directed and selective, like voluntary attention, but also effortless and drawn to its source, like involuntary attention. Fluid attention is a rediscovery of James' derived involuntary attention. A distinguishing feature of fluid attention is its motivational component, which, we show, neurophysiologically also reveals a gap in the neurocognitive literature on attention. Recognizing fluid attention as fundamentally motivational allows ADHD to be redefined as a motivational rather than an attentional deficit, which we go on to show has significant implications for both special and regular education. "The stream of our thought is like a river. On the whole easy simple flowing predominates in it, the drift of things is with the pull of gravity, and effortless attention is the rule." -William James, Principles of PsychologyItem Mapping Smoking Addiction Using Effective Connectivity Analysis(2016) Tang, Rongxiang; Razi, Adeel; Friston, Karl J.; Tang, Yi-Yuan (TTU)Prefrontal and parietal cortex, including the default mode network (DMN; medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and posterior cingulate cortex, PCC), have been implicated in addiction. Nonetheless, it remains unclear which brain regions play a crucial role in smoking addiction and the relationship among these regions. Since functional connectivity only measures correlations, addiction-related changes in effective connectivity (directed information flow) among these distributed brain regions remain largely unknown. Here we applied spectral dynamic causal modeling (spDCM) to resting state fMRI to characterize changes in effective connectivity among core regions in smoking addiction. Compared to nonsmokers, smokers had reduced effective connectivity from PCC to mPFC and from RIPL to mPFC, a higher self-inhibition within PCC and a reduction in the amplitude of endogenous neuronal fluctuations driving the mPFC. These results indicate that spDCM can differentiate the functional architectures between the two groups, and may provide insight into the brain mechanisms underlying smoking addiction. Our results also suggest that future brain-based prevention and intervention in addiction should consider the amelioration of mPFC-PCC-IPL circuits.Item Short-term meditation increases blood flow in anterior cingulate cortex and insula(2015) Tang, Yi-Yuan (TTU); Lu, Qilin; Feng, Hongbo; Tang, Rongxiang; Posner, Michael I.Asymmetry in frontal electrical activity has been reported to be associated with positive mood. One form of mindfulness meditation, integrative body-mind training (IBMT) improves positive mood and neuroplasticity. The purpose of this study is to determine whether short-term IBMT improves mood and induces frontal asymmetry. This study showed that 5-days (30-min per day) IBMT significantly enhanced cerebral blood flow (CBF) in subgenual/adjacent ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), medial prefrontal cortex and insula. The results showed that both IBMT and relaxation training increased left laterality of CBF, but only IBMT improved CBF in left ACC and insula, critical brain areas in self-regulation.Item Ventral-subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and self-transcendence(2013) Tang, Yi-Yuan (TTU); Tang, RongxiangSelf-transcendence (ST) is one of specific human experiences often related to harmony with nature or feeling oneness with others or the self as an integral part of the whole universe. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) is a widely used personality measure, and ST is one of personality dimensions (Cloninger, 1994; Cloninger et al., 1994). Previous studies showed that ST has significant positive correlation with the sgACC encompassing a ventromedial portion of the prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) using TCI and PET scan (Hakamata et al., 2013). Meanwhile, sgACC/vmPFC activity has been shown to be significantly decreased in patients with anxiety, major depression and mood disorders (Drevets et al., 2008; Shin and Liberzon, 2010; Kühn and Gallinat, 2013). Altogether, these findings suggest that sgACC/vmPFC play an important role in emotion regulation and ST (Hakamata et al., 2013).