title: Prefrontal Activity and Connectivity with the Basal Ganglia during Performance of Complex Cognitive Tasks Is Associated with Apathy in Healthy Subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Convergent evidence indicates that apathy affects cognitive behavior in different neurological and psychiatric conditions. Studies of clinical populations have also suggested the primary involvement of the prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia in apathy. These brain regions are interconnected at both the structural and functional levels and are deeply involved in cognitive processes, such as working memory and attention. However, it is unclear how apathy modulates brain processing during cognition and whether such a modulation occurs in healthy young subjects. To address this issue, we investigated the link between apathy and prefrontal and basal ganglia function in healthy young individuals. We hypothesized that apathy may be related to sub-optimal activity and connectivity in these brain regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred eleven healthy subjects completed an apathy assessment using the Starkstein's Apathy Scale and underwent fMRI during working memory and attentional performance tasks. Using an ROI approach, we investigated the association of apathy with activity and connectivity in the DLPFC and the basal ganglia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apathy scores correlated positively with prefrontal activity and negatively with prefrontal-basal ganglia connectivity during both working memory and attention tasks. Furthermore, prefrontal activity was inversely related to attentional behavior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that in healthy young subjects, apathy is a trait associated with inefficient cognitive-related prefrontal activity, i.e., it increases the need for prefrontal resources to process cognitive stimuli. Furthermore, apathy may alter the functional relationship between the prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia during cognition.
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124, Bari, Italy.|IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", 71013, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
authors: Leonardo
authors: L
authors: Fazio
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medicine, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124 Bari, Italy and University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', "Pia Fondazione Cardinale G. Panico"-Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, 73039 Tricase, Lecce, Italy.
authors: Giancarlo
authors: G
authors: Logroscino
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Taurisano
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors: Graziella
authors: G
authors: Amico
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors: Tiziana
authors: T
authors: Quarto
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors: Linda Antonella
authors: LA
authors: Antonucci
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medicine, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124 Bari, Italy and University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', "Pia Fondazione Cardinale G. Panico"-Department of Clinical Research in Neurology, 73039 Tricase, Lecce, Italy.
authors: Maria Rosaria
authors: MR
authors: Barulli
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Mancini
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Gelao
authors: University of Perugia-Department of General and Experimental Medicine, 06123, Perugia, Italy.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Ferranti
authors: IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", 71013, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
authors: Teresa
authors: T
authors: Popolizio
authors: University of Bari 'Aldo Moro'-Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience, and Sense Organs, 70124, Bari, Italy.|Bari University Hospital-Psychiatry Unit, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Bertolino
authors: Bari University Hospital-Psychiatry Unit, 70124, Bari, Italy.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Blasi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D057565:Apathy / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001519:Behavior; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis