RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The ascending arousal system promotes optimal performance through meso-scale network integration in a visuospatial attentional task
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.12.04.412551
DO 10.1101/2020.12.04.412551
A1 Gabriel Wainstein
A1 Daniel Rojas-Libano
A1 Dag Alnæs
A1 Knut K. Kolskår
A1 Tor Endestad
A1 Bruno Laeng
A1 Tomas Ossandon
A1 Nicolás Crossley
A1 Elie Matar
A1 James M. Shine
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/12/06/2020.12.04.412551.abstract
AB There is evidence that the autonomic nervous system provides important constraints over ongoing cognitive function, however there is currently a lack of direct empirical evidence for how this interaction manifests in the brain. Here, we examine the role of ascending arousal and attentional load on large-scale network dynamics by combining pupillometry, functional MRI, and graph theoretical analysis to analyze data from a visual motion-tracking task with a parametric load manipulation. We found that attentional load effects were observable in measures of pupil diameter and in a set of brain regions that parametrically modulated their BOLD activity and meso-scale network-level integration. In addition, the regional patterns of network configuration were predicted by the distribution of the adrenergic receptor density. Our results provide confirmatory evidence for adaptive gain theory and strengthen the relationship between ascending noradrenergic tone, large-scale network integration, and cognitive task performance.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.