Diana M.E. Torta

Publications

• 5.74

  Impact points

  Meta-analytic clustering of the insular cortex: Characterizing the meta-analytic connectivity of the insula when involved in active tasks.

  Franco Cauda, Tommaso Costa, Diana M E Torta, Katiuscia Sacco, Federico D'Agata, Sergio Duca, Giuliano Geminiani, Peter T Fox, Alessandro Vercelli

  NeuroImage. 04/2012;

  The human insula has been parcellated on the basis of resting state functional connectivity and diffusion tensor imaging. Little is known about the organization of the insula when involved in active tasks. We explored this issue using a novel meta-analytic clustering approach. We queried the BrainMa... [more] The human insula has been parcellated on the basis of resting state functional connectivity and diffusion tensor imaging. Little is known about the organization of the insula when involved in active tasks. We explored this issue using a novel meta-analytic clustering approach. We queried the BrainMap database asking for papers involving normal subjects that recorded activations in the insular cortex, retrieving 1305 papers, involving 22,872 subjects and a total of 2957 foci. Data were analyzed with several different methodologies, some of which expressly designed for this work. We used meta-analytic connectivity modeling and meta-analytic clustering of data obtained from the BrainMap database. We performed cluster analysis to subdivide the insula in areas with homogeneous connectivity, and density analysis of the activated foci using Voronoi tessellation. Our results confirm and extend previous findings obtained investigating the resting state connectivity of the anterior-posterior and left-right insulae. They indicate, for the first time, that some blocks of the anterior insula play the role of hubs between the anterior and the posterior insulae, as confirmed by their activation in several different paradigms. This finding supports the view that the network to which the anterior insula belongs is related to saliency detection. The insulae of both sides can be parcellated in two clusters, the anterior and the posterior: the anterior is characterized by an attentional pattern of connectivity with frontal, cingulate, parietal, cerebellar and anterior insular highly connected areas, whereas the posterior is characterized by a more local connectivity pattern with connections to sensorimotor, temporal and posterior cingulate areas. This antero-posterior subdivision, better characterized on the right side, results sharper with the connectivity based clusterization than with the behavioral based clusterization. The circuits belonging to the anterior insula are very homogeneous and their blocks in multidimensional scaling of MACM-based profiles are in central position, whereas those belonging to the posterior insula, especially on the left, are located at the periphery and sparse, thus suggesting that the posterior circuits bear a more heterogeneous connectivity. The anterior cluster is mostly activated by cognition, whereas the posterior is mostly activated by interoception, perception and emotion.

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• 2.26

  Impact points

  Dishabituation of laser-evoked EEG responses: dissecting the effect of certain and uncertain changes in stimulus spatial location.

  D M Torta, M Liang, E Valentini, A Mouraux, G D Iannetti

  Experimental brain research. Experimentelle Hirnforschung. Experimentation cerebrale. 02/2012;

  The repetition of nociceptive stimuli of identical modality, intensity and location at short (1 s) and constant inter-stimulus interval (ISI) determines a strong habituation of the corresponding electroencephalographic (EEG) responses. To understand what determines this response habituation, we (1) ... [more] The repetition of nociceptive stimuli of identical modality, intensity and location at short (1 s) and constant inter-stimulus interval (ISI) determines a strong habituation of the corresponding electroencephalographic (EEG) responses. To understand what determines this response habituation, we (1) examined the effect of introducing a selective change in the spatial location of the repeated stimulus (i.e., without altering its modality, intensity and timing), and (2) dissected the relative contribution of bottom-up, stimulus-driven spatial changes and top-down, cognitive expectations of such a change. Multichannel EEG was recorded while participants received a triplet of stimuli (S1-S2-S3) delivered to the hand dorsum at 1-s ISI. S3 was delivered either to the same hand as S1 and S2 or to the other hand, and participants were either explicitly informed or not informed of the location of S3. We found that, unlike the introduction of a change in the sensory modality of the repeated stimulus (Valentini et al. in J Cogn Neurosci 23:2822-2837, 2011), introducing a change in its spatial location did not produce a significant dishabituation of the laser-evoked N1, N2 and P2 peaks, but only a small amplitude increase following the P2 peak, maximal on the hemisphere contralateral to the stimulated hand. Furthermore, the magnitude of the elicited responses was not significantly affected by cognitive expectations. Altogether, these results indicate that bottom-up, stimulus-driven novelty resulting from a change in stimulus spatial location does not revert the habituation caused by repetition suppression, but determines a small increase of neural activity over the contralateral central-parietal cortex, likely reflecting shifts in spatial attention.
• 4.42

  Impact points

  Functional anatomy of cortical areas characterized by Von Economo neurons.

  Franco Cauda, Diana M E Torta, Katiuscia Sacco, Federico D'Agata, Elisabetta Geda, Sergio Duca, Giuliano Geminiani, Alessandro Vercelli

  Brain structure & function. 01/2012;

  Von Economo's neurons (VENs) are large, bipolar or corkscrew-shaped neurons located in layers III and V of the frontoinsular and the anterior cingulate cortices. VENs are reported to be altered in pathologies such as frontotemporal dementia and autism, in which the individual's self control ... [more] Von Economo's neurons (VENs) are large, bipolar or corkscrew-shaped neurons located in layers III and V of the frontoinsular and the anterior cingulate cortices. VENs are reported to be altered in pathologies such as frontotemporal dementia and autism, in which the individual's self control is seriously compromised. To investigate the role of VENs in the active human brain, we have explored the functional connectivity of brain areas containing VENs by analyzing resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) in 20 healthy volunteers. Our results show that cortical areas containing VENs form a network of frontoparietal functional connectivity. With the use of fuzzy clustering techniques, we find that this network comprises four sub-networks: the first network cluster resembles a "saliency detection" attentional network, which includes superior frontal cortex (Brodmann's Area, BA 10), inferior parietal lobe, anterior insula, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex; the second cluster, part of a "sensory-motor network", comprises the superior temporal, precentral and postcentral areas; the third cluster consists of frontal ventromedial and ventrodorsal areas constituted by parts of the "anterior default mode network"; and the fourth cluster encompasses dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal, and superior frontal (BA 10) areas, resembling the anterior part of the "dorsal attentional network". Thus, the network that emerges from analyzing functional connectivity among areas that are known to contain VENs is primarily involved in functions of saliency detection and self-regulation. In addition, parts of this network constitute sub-networks that partially overlap with the default mode, the sensory-motor and the dorsal attentional networks.
• 1.10

  Impact points

  Objective and self-reported cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer women treated with chemotherapy: a prospective study.

  N Biglia, V E Bounous, A Malabaila, D Palmisano, D M E Torta, M D'Alonzo, P Sismondi, R Torta

  European journal of cancer care. 12/2011;

  BIGLIA N., BOUNOUS V.E., MALABAILA A., PALMISANO D., TORTA D.M.E., D'ALONZO M., SISMONDI P. & TORTA R. (2012) European Journal of Cancer Care Objective and self-reported cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer women treated with chemotherapy: a prospective study The objective of this study is... [more] BIGLIA N., BOUNOUS V.E., MALABAILA A., PALMISANO D., TORTA D.M.E., D'ALONZO M., SISMONDI P. & TORTA R. (2012) European Journal of Cancer Care Objective and self-reported cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer women treated with chemotherapy: a prospective study The objective of this study is to investigate if changes in cognitive functions can be recognised in patients undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Forty women with breast cancer and without depression underwent cognitive evaluation before and after 6 months of chemotherapy; emotional evaluation was performed before and after 1, 3 and 6 months of chemotherapy. Self-reported cognitive deficit evaluation was included. Global cognitive functioning before starting chemotherapy was good. After 6 months of treatment there was a significant decline in some cognitive functions, particularly involving the attention subdomain. Objective cognitive deficit resulted independent from the emotional status. On the contrary, self-perceived mental dysfunction was unrelated to the objective cognitive decline, but it was associated with depression and anxiety. Breast cancer chemotherapy can induce domain-specific cognitive dysfunction. Patients' self-perception of mental decline is unrelated to objective cognitive deficit. Breast cancer patients negatively judge their cognitive performances if they have a negative emotional functioning.
• 5.74

  Impact points

  Different functions in the cingulate cortex, a meta-analytic connectivity modeling study.

  D M Torta, F Cauda

  NeuroImage. 03/2011; 56(4):2157-72.

  The cingulate cortex is a structurally heterogeneous brain region involved in emotional, cognitive and motor tasks. With the aim of identifying which behavioral domains are associated with the activation of the cingulate cortex, we performed a structure based-meta-analysis using the activation likel... [more] The cingulate cortex is a structurally heterogeneous brain region involved in emotional, cognitive and motor tasks. With the aim of identifying which behavioral domains are associated with the activation of the cingulate cortex, we performed a structure based-meta-analysis using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE), which assesses statistical significant convergence of neuroimaging studies using the BrainMap database. To map the meta-analytic coactivation maps of the cingulate cortex (MACM), we subdivided the parenchyma along the rostro-caudal axis in 12 bilateral equispaced ROIs. ROIs were not chosen according to previously suggested subdivisions, as to obtain a completely data-driven result. Studies were included with one or more activation coordinates in at least one of the 12 pre-defined ROIs. The meta-analytic connectivity profile and behavioral domains profiles were identified for each ROI. Cluster analysis was then performed on the MACM and behavioral domains to group together ROIs with similar profiles. The results showed that the cingulate cortex can be divided in three clusters according to the MACM parcellation and in four according to the behavioral domain-based parcellation. In addition, a behavioral-domain based meta-analysis was conducted and the spatial consistency of functional connectivity patterns across different domain-related ALE results was evaluated by computing probabilistic maps. These maps identified some portions of the cingulate cortex as involved in several tasks. Our results showed the existence of a more specific functional characterization of some portions of the cingulate cortex but also a great multifunctionality of others. By analyzing a large number of studies, structure based meta-analysis can greatly contribute to new insights in the functional significance of brain activations and in the role of specific brain areas in behavior.

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• 9.49

  Impact points

  Unawareness of deficits in Alzheimer's disease: role of the cingulate cortex.

  Martina Amanzio, Diana M E Torta, Katiuscia Sacco, Franco Cauda, Federico D'Agata, Sergio Duca, Daniela Leotta, Sara Palermo, Giuliano C Geminiani

  Brain : a journal of neurology. 03/2011; 134(Pt 4):1061-76.

  Unawareness of deficits is a symptom of Alzheimer's disease that can be observed even in the early stages of the disease. The frontal hypoperfusion associated with reduced awareness of deficits has led to suggestions of the existence of a hypofunctioning prefrontal pathway involving the right do... [more] Unawareness of deficits is a symptom of Alzheimer's disease that can be observed even in the early stages of the disease. The frontal hypoperfusion associated with reduced awareness of deficits has led to suggestions of the existence of a hypofunctioning prefrontal pathway involving the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobe, anterior cingulate gyri and limbic structures. Since this network plays an important role in response inhibition competence and patients with Alzheimer's disease who are unaware of their deficits exhibit impaired performance in response inhibition tasks, we predicted a relationship between unawareness of deficits and cingulate hypofunctionality. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of 29 patients with Alzheimer's disease (15 aware and 14 unaware of their disturbances), rating unawareness according to the Awareness of Deficit Questionnaire-Dementia scale. The cognitive domain was investigated by means of a wide battery including tests on executive functioning, memory and language. Neuropsychiatric aspects were investigated using batteries on behavioural mood changes, such as apathy and disinhibition. Cingulate functionality was assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging, while patients performed a go/no-go task. In accordance with our hypotheses, unaware patients showed reduced task-sensitive activity in the right anterior cingulate area (Brodmann area 24) and in the rostral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 10). Unaware patients also showed reduced activity in the right post-central gyrus (Brodmann area 2), in the associative cortical areas such as the right parietotemporal-occipital junction (Brodmann area 39) and the left temporal gyrus (Brodmann areas 21 and 38), in the striatum and in the cerebellum. These findings suggest that the unawareness of deficits in early Alzheimer's disease is associated with reduced functional recruitment of the cingulofrontal and parietotemporal regions. Furthermore, in line with previous findings, we also found apathy and disinhibition to be prominent features of the first behavioural changes in unaware patients.

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• 5.37

  Impact points

  The analgesic effect of crossing the arms.

  A Gallace, D M E Torta, G L Moseley, G D Iannetti

  Pain. 03/2011; 152(6):1418-23.

  The ability to determine precisely the location of sensory stimuli is fundamental to how we interact with the world; indeed, to our survival. Crossing the hands over the body midline impairs this ability to localize tactile stimuli. We hypothesized that crossing the arms would modulate the intensity... [more] The ability to determine precisely the location of sensory stimuli is fundamental to how we interact with the world; indeed, to our survival. Crossing the hands over the body midline impairs this ability to localize tactile stimuli. We hypothesized that crossing the arms would modulate the intensity of pain evoked by noxious stimulation of the hand. In two separate experiments, we show (1) that the intensity of both laser-evoked painful sensations and electrically-evoked nonpainful sensations were decreased when the arms were crossed over the midline, and (2) that these effects were associated with changes in the multimodal cortical processing of somatosensory information. Critically, there was no change in the somatosensory-specific cortical processing of somatosensory information. Besides studies showing relief of phantom limb pain using mirrors, this is the first evidence that impeding the processes by which the brain localises a noxious stimulus can reduce pain, and that this effect reflects modulation of multimodal neural activities. By showing that the neural mechanisms by which pain emerges from nociception represent a possible target for analgesia, we raise the possibility of novel approaches to the treatment of painful clinical conditions. Crossing the arms over the midline impairs multimodal processing of somatosensory stimuli and induces significant analgesia to noxious hand stimulation.

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• 5.38

  Impact points

  Dishabituation of laser-evoked EEG responses: dissecting the effect of certain and uncertain changes in stimulus modality.

  Elia Valentini, Diana M E Torta, André Mouraux, Gian Domenico Iannetti

  Journal of cognitive neuroscience. 01/2011; 23(10):2822-37.

  The repetition of nociceptive stimuli of identical modality, intensity, and location at short and constant interstimulus intervals (ISIs) determines a strong habituation of the corresponding EEG responses, without affecting the subjective perception of pain. To understand what determines this respon... [more] The repetition of nociceptive stimuli of identical modality, intensity, and location at short and constant interstimulus intervals (ISIs) determines a strong habituation of the corresponding EEG responses, without affecting the subjective perception of pain. To understand what determines this response habituation, we (i) examined the effect of introducing a change in the modality of the repeated stimulus, and (ii) dissected the relative contribution of bottom-up, stimulus-driven changes in modality and top-down, cognitive expectations of such a change, on both laser-evoked and auditory-evoked EEG responses. Multichannel EEG was recorded while participants received trains of three stimuli (S1-S2-S3, a triplet) delivered to the hand dorsum at 1-sec ISI. S3 belonged either to the same modality as S1 and S2 or to the other modality. In addition, participants were either explicitly informed or not informed of the modality of S3. We found that introducing a change in stimulus modality produced a significant dishabituation of the laser-evoked N1, N2, and P2 waves; the auditory N1 and P2 waves; and the laser- and auditory-induced event-related synchronization and desynchronization. In contrast, the lack of explicit knowledge of a possible change in the sensory modality of the stimulus (i.e., uncertainty) only increased the ascending portion of the laser-evoked and auditory-evoked P2 wave. Altogether, these results indicate that bottom-up novelty resulting from the change of stimulus modality, and not top-down cognitive expectations, plays a major role in determining the habituation of these brain responses.
• 2.90

  Impact points

  Dissociation between time reproduction of actions and of intervals in patients with Parkinson's disease.

  Diana Maria Elena Torta, Lorys Castelli, Luca Latini-Corazzini, Alessandra Banche, Leonardo Lopiano, Giuliano Geminiani

  Journal of neurology. 03/2010; 257(8):1356-61.

  Alterations in temporal estimation have been observed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and have been associated to dopaminergic dysfunction. Nevertheless, levodopa treatment and deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (DBS-STN) have been shown to improve motor deficits and tem... [more] Alterations in temporal estimation have been observed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and have been associated to dopaminergic dysfunction. Nevertheless, levodopa treatment and deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (DBS-STN) have been shown to improve motor deficits and temporal estimation skills in such patients. So far, temporal estimation tasks in PD patients have evaluated the ability to reproduce intervals of time, but never the duration of an action. Here we investigated: (1) the ability of PD patients to reproduce the duration of their previous actions as compared to their ability to reproduce intervals of time and (2) the effect that DBS-STN has on both skills. Nineteen PD patients with DBS-STN and 19 controls were requested to reproduce the duration of an action and that of an interval of time. The patients were tested in the following treatment conditions: on stimulation/off medication, off stimulation/off medication and off stimulation/on medication. The results demonstrated that patients in the off stimulation/off medication condition under-reproduced the duration of their actions while accurately reproducing the duration of time intervals. The accuracy of the performance improved significantly in both treatment regimens. Our results indicate that in PD patients the ability to reproduce motor acts can be dissociated from that of reproducing time intervals and that it can be improved by the administration of medical or surgical treatment.

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• 2.55

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  On the role of dopamine replacement therapy in decision-making, working memory, and reward in Parkinson's disease: Does the therapy-dose matter?

  Diana Maria Elena Torta, Lorys Castelli, Maurizio Zibetti, Leonardo Lopiano, Giuliano Geminiani

  Brain and cognition. 06/2009;

  BACKGROUND: Dopaminergic therapy proved to ameliorate motor deficits in Parkinson's disease but its effects on behavior and cognition vary according to factors that include, among others, the evolution of the disease and the nature of the task that is tested. This study addressed the question of... [more] BACKGROUND: Dopaminergic therapy proved to ameliorate motor deficits in Parkinson's disease but its effects on behavior and cognition vary according to factors that include, among others, the evolution of the disease and the nature of the task that is tested. This study addressed the question of whether, in moderate to advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) with motor fluctuations, changes in decision-making and sensitivity to reward occur and to what extent dopaminergic therapy plays a role. METHODS: Fifteen PD patients (On and Off medication) and thirteen healthy controls were compared on two different tasks which analyzed decision-making processes (the Cambridge Gamble Task, CGT) and working memory abilities with and without the prospect of reward (modified N-back task). RESULTS: We found that the PD patients were unable to choose an optimal betting strategy and were impulsive in their choices relative to the control group. Further, a detrimental dose-dependent effect of dopaminergic therapy was detected, meaning that those patients who were taking higher doses of therapy were more impulsive in selecting bets and more impaired in making probabilistic choices. Such a dose-dependent effect was not found on the N-back task. However, the results of the PD group in this task supported indirect evidence of the amelioration of performance in rewarded conditions. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the detrimental effects of dopaminergic therapy may be dose-related and that the interaction between monetary reward and dopaminergic therapy can affect and improve some cognitive abilities, such as working memory.

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• 1.33

  Impact points

  Reward pathways in Parkinson's disease: clinical and theoretical implications.

  Diana M E Torta, Lorys Castelli

  Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences. 05/2008; 62(2):203-13.

  AIMS: The mesolimbic and mesocortical circuits are particularly involved in reward-related behavior in humans. Because these systems may be in some way altered in Parkinson's disease (PD), it is likely that some psychiatric manifestations of PD, such as hedonistic homeostatic dysregulation and p... [more] AIMS: The mesolimbic and mesocortical circuits are particularly involved in reward-related behavior in humans. Because these systems may be in some way altered in Parkinson's disease (PD), it is likely that some psychiatric manifestations of PD, such as hedonistic homeostatic dysregulation and pathological gambling, as well as impulsive decision making, may be ascribed to their involvement. The aim of the current article was to review recent literature on this topic in order to analyze whether these disturbances share a common ground and whether actual theoretical frameworks on addiction prove a useful tool for their interpretation. METHODS: Data were identified on searches of MEDLINE/PubMed databases from relevant articles published up until March 2007. RESULTS: All clinical manifestations (hedonistic homeostatic dysregulation, pathological gambling and impulsive decision making) seem to share a common multifaceted ground in which factors related to antiparkinsonian therapy, premorbid personality and progression of disease interact. Theoretical interpretations and conclusions drawn from experimental studies may help to shed light on the underlying pathological mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: Further studies are needed to analyze why, despite a common ground, only some patients develop those neuropsychiatric complications described here.

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