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Published on: August 12, 2019
Network Localization of Spontaneous Confabulation
James R Bateman1, Michael A Ferguson1, C Alan Anderson1
1Department of Neurology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., and Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Salisbury VA Medical Center, Salisbury, N.C. (Bateman); Department of Neurology and Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (Ferguson, Fox); Behavioral Neurology Section, Department of Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora (Anderson, Arciniegas); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque (Arciniegas); Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences and Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto (Gilboa); Department of Neurology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va. (Berman).
Spontaneous confabulation, a symptom of false memories, is linked to a distinct brain network. This network connects to the mammillary bodies and differs from those associated with delusions or amnesia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neurology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Spontaneous confabulation involves patients presenting false memories as true.
- Understanding the neuroanatomical basis of confabulation is crucial for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
- Its relationship with other neurological symptoms like delusions and amnesia requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the neuroanatomical substrate of spontaneous confabulation.
- To evaluate the functional brain network associated with confabulation.
- To compare this network with those linked to delusions and amnesia.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search identified 25 lesion locations associated with spontaneous confabulation.
- A large connectome database (N=1,000) was used to map functional brain networks.
- Networks were compared to those from lesions associated with nonspecific symptoms (N=135), delusions (N=32), and amnesia (N=53).
Main Results:
- Lesions causing spontaneous confabulation formed a single, functionally connected brain network.
- All identified lesions were connected to the mammillary bodies (p<0.05).
- This connectivity pattern was specific to confabulation compared to delusions or nonspecific symptoms (p<0.05) and showed greater connectivity to the orbitofrontal cortex than amnesia (p<0.05).
Conclusions:
- Spontaneous confabulation is associated with a distinct, functionally connected brain network.
- This network partially overlaps with, but is distinct from, networks implicated in delusions and amnesia.
- These findings provide novel insights into the neuroanatomical underpinnings of spontaneous confabulation.
