The brain under stress—A systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of changes in BOLD signal associated with acute stress exposure

in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2021), 124

Eye tracking correlates of acute alcohol consumption: A systematic and critical review.

in Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews (2020), 108

Eye tracking has emerged as a reliable neuroscience tool indexing the eye movements' correlates of impairments resulting from alcohol-use disorders, ranging from perceptive abilities to high-level ... [more ▼]

Eye tracking has emerged as a reliable neuroscience tool indexing the eye movements' correlates of impairments resulting from alcohol-use disorders, ranging from perceptive abilities to high-level cognitive functions. This systematic review, following PRISMA guidelines, encompasses all human studies using eye tracking in participants presenting acute alcohol consumption. A literature search was conducted in PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus, and a standardized methodological quality assessment was performed. Eye tracking studies were classified according to the processes measured (perception, attentional bias, memory, executive functions, prevention message processing). Eye tracking data centrally showed a global visuo-motor impairment (related to reduced cerebellar functioning) following alcohol intoxication, together with reduced memory and inhibitory control of eye movements. Conversely, the impact of such intoxication on alcohol-related attentional bias is still debated. The limits of this literature have been identified, leading to the emergence of new research avenues to increase the understanding of eye movements during alcohol intoxication, and to the proposal of guidelines for future research. [less ▲]

Is there room for attentional impairments in binge drinking? A commentary on Carbia et al. (2018).

in Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews (2019), 98

Binge drinking is an excessive pattern of alcohol use, highly prevalent in adolescents and young adults. Several studies have explored the cognitive impairments associated with binge drinking, and Carbia ... [more ▼]

Binge drinking is an excessive pattern of alcohol use, highly prevalent in adolescents and young adults. Several studies have explored the cognitive impairments associated with binge drinking, and Carbia et al. (2018) recently proposed a systematic review of these impairments. Although this review offers an insightful and up-to-date synthesis of this research field, the authors concluded that binge drinking is not associated with attentional impairments. We argue that such conclusion is premature. We identified published studies not mentioned by Carbia et al. (2018), which documented attentional impairments in binge drinking. In particular, a differential exploration of attentional networks has suggested that binge drinkers not only exhibit impairments for the executive control of attention, but also for its alerting network. We thus recommend a better consideration of attention in future experimental and translational research agendas. [less ▲]

A systematic review on heart rate variability in Bulimia Nervosa

in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2016), 63

Eating disorders are associated with alterations of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Heart rate variability (HRV) provides a readily available index of ANS function. While ANS dysfunction indexed by ... [more ▼]

Eating disorders are associated with alterations of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Heart rate variability (HRV) provides a readily available index of ANS function. While ANS dysfunction indexed by HRV in Anorexia Nervosa has been addressed in previous reviews, here we aimed to review the current evidence on HRV in Bulimia Nervosa (BN). A systematic literature search in Web of Science, PsycInfo, Scopus, and PubMed identified 17 studies reporting HRV in patients with BN. Studies described (i) differences in resting state HRV in patients with BN compared to controls, (ii) alterations in the stress response in BN indexed by HRV, and (iii) treatment effects on HRV in patients with BN. Despite a number of conflicting results, we conclude that BN is characterized by increased resting state vagally-mediated HRV and an impaired stress-response. Intervention-studies suggest that altered ANS-activity in BN is at least partially reversible. Future studies on the complex relation between BN and HRV should investigate the effect of comorbid disorders, subtypes of BN, and mechanisms affecting treatment outcome. [less ▲]

Action effect anticipation: neurophysiological basis and functional consequences.

in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2012), 36(2), 943-59

Voluntary actions are thought to be selected with respect to their intended goal. Converging data suggests that medial frontal cortex plays a crucial role in linking actions to their predicted effects ... [more ▼]

Voluntary actions are thought to be selected with respect to their intended goal. Converging data suggests that medial frontal cortex plays a crucial role in linking actions to their predicted effects. Recent neuroimaging data also suggests that during action selection, the brain pre-activities the representation of the predicted action effect. We review evidence of action effect prediction, both in terms of its neurophysiological basis as well as its functional consequences. By assuming that action preparation includes activation of the predicted sensory consequences of the action, we provide a mechanism to understand sensory attenuation and intentional binding. In this account, sensory attenuation results from more difficult discrimination between the observed action effect and the pre-activation of the predicted effect, as compared to when no (or incorrect) prediction is present. Similarly, a predicted action effect should also reach the threshold of awareness faster (intentional binding), if its perceptual representation is pre-activated. By comparing this potential mechanism to mental imagery and repetition suppression we propose a possible neural basis for the processing of predicted action effects. [less ▲]