Source analysis of stimulus-preceding negativity constrained by functional magnetic resonance imaging

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Electrophysiology

Background:

• The stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) is an event-related potential (ERP) linked to anticipation.
• The anterior insular cortex is a hypothesized source of the SPN.
• The precise neural origins of the SPN remain unconfirmed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To precisely identify the neural substrates of the SPN.
• To investigate the role of the anterior insular cortex in SPN generation.
• To elucidate the brain functions associated with SPN.

Main Methods:

• Performed separate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) studies using a time estimation task.
• Utilized fMRI-constrained ERP source analysis to model dipole activities.
• Determined dipole locations based on fMRI activation patterns.

Main Results:

• Significant activation in the right anterior insula preceding feedback stimulus delivery.
• No significant activation in the left anterior insula.
• SPN activity primarily originated from four functional brain networks: salience, reward expectation, perceptual anticipation, and arousal.

Conclusions:

• The SPN is associated with multiple, interacting brain functions.
• The right anterior insula is a significant contributor to SPN generation.
• SPN reflects complex anticipatory processes beyond a single neural source.