Toward a functional contextualist neuroscience –some considerations

ACBS WC8 Reno June 22nd 2010

Benjamin Schoendorff MSc benjamin.schoendorff@gmail.com

Aim of talk

Look at some cool studies

Propose a possible way forward for neuroscience that could help better integration with a functional contextualistperspective

Hide my vast ignorance of the subject

Goal of a functional contextualist neuroscience

Prediction and influence of behavior

Precision, depth and scope

Give non-reductive accounts across levels (psychological/neurobiological)

Criteria:Consistency across levelsClinical utilityProcess-based

(Fletcher, Hayes, Schoendorff 2010)

Words of caution for funkycons…

Neuroscientists tend to look for :The neural basis of

[social] cognition. brain areas that are

responsible for [empathy]representations [of others’ pain]

I like to think of the brain as a muscle

ACT processes

Acceptance

Defusion

Present moment

Self-as-context

Values

Committed action

Mid-level termsMapping onto clinically relevant processesContextually definedLargely interactingAs yet no neuroscience studies of ACT processes But interesting studies nonetheless…

Mindfulness and neuroscience

Lots of studies…But mindfulness topographically

(meditation)rather than functionally definedNo point-to-point mapping of the four ACT

mindfulness processes:

Acceptance

Defusion

Present moment

Self-as-context

Values

Committed action

Attentional effects

3 months meditation retreatAttentional blink paradigm

Brefczynski-Lewis et al 2007

EGGZZAN3QPG2WQEGGZZAN3QPWQ

Attention is plastic

More plasticity

Increased cortical thickness in Anterior Insula (Lazar 2005, Hölzel 2008)

Activation of insula consistent across studies (eg: Farb et al. 2007)

Main findings

Meditation activates and strengthens Attentional networks

and performanceInsula

Clinical relevance?

Meditation is good? Is that for neuroscience to validate? What brain activations/plastic changes

correlate with clinically relevant change?

Perhaps insular habituation to interoceptive stimuli reduces avoidance and anxiety?

Contrast with exposure therapy?

Meditation on the brain…

Are topographically different forms of meditation functionally similar ?

Are topographically similar forms of meditation functionally different ?

What are the clinically relevant brain activations ?

More clinical relevance

Empathy in context

Empathy (pain, disgust, taste, touch) Anterior Cingulate, Secondary somatosensory cortex, Anterior insula

(Hein & Singer. 2008)

Perspective-taking : Medial prefrontal cortex, Temporal pole, Superior temporal sulcus, Temporal junction

Empathy and social cognitionaffective state (excludes perspective-taking) isomorphic to another person’s state

(excludes sympathy) elicited by observation or imagination of

another’s affective state (excludes self-observation)

one knows that the other person is the source of one’s own affective state (excludes contagion) (deVignemont & Singer 2005)

Empathy in context

Automatic or contextual response?

Empathy pathways activation modulated by : sex of observer, attention, intensity of painful stimulus, affective link between observer and sufferer, rationale for pain (de Vignemont & Singer 06) or even whether observer is vegetarian/omnivorous (Betti et al. 2009)

What of RFT-designed experiments…

Empathy in contextOmnivore Vegetarian Vegan

(Fillippi et al. 2010)Likely plastic

Values-sensitive

Empathy in context - synchrony

‘Empathic resonance’ in the shape of γ-band coherence in SI and MI cortices when observing painful stimulation of another’s hand (Betti et al 2009)

So role of networks rather than areas…Wider brain context (Lutz et al. 2008)

Compassion and admiration

The first values-driven neuroscientific study? (Immordino-Yang et al. 2009)

Compassion for social painAdmiration for moral virtue

Empathy for physical painAdmiration for physical skill

AV/CSP produced more activation in regions involved in homeostatic regulation : ACC, AI, HT

AS/CPP produced more activation in regions related to the musculoskeletal system : PI, LPC (inc SMG) SPL

A cool study for ACT

(Immordino-Yang et al. 2009)

Role of TPJ and mPFC

Central role in social cognition processes: Intentionality, ToM,

Integration of non-simultaneous perceptions (relational framing?)

(Overwalle 2009)(Immordino-Yang et al. 2009)

Dn300 fronto-central

parieto occipital

dN400 fronto-parietal for equivalence

RFT and neuroscienceWork on equivalence classes

Reflexivity vs Equivalence (arbitrarily derived from previous training)

Unrelated equivalence

Unrelated reflexivity

Early component matching effect on reflexivity, late component equivalence matching effect P3

(Yoro et al. 2009)

Tentative conclusionsFunctions of contextual neuroscience ?

Consistency across level

eg: experiential avoidance and left hemishphere in avoiding unpleasant images (Cochrane et al 2008)

Perhaps more interesting to look from point of view of RFT processes

Clinical utility ?