Brain function relies on coordination and communication between regions, known as functional connectivity. The default mode network (DMN) and central executive network (CEN) are large-scale networks critical for cognition and are typically anticorrelated. Schizophrenia (SZ) is characterized by disruptions in this connectivity, contributing to cognitive and perceptual difficulties. Emerging research suggests that autonomic signals, such as heart rate variability (HRV), help organize brain activity by modulating functional connectivity and that this process is disrupted in SZ. This study tested whether deficient HRV modulation of resting-state connectivity contributes to cognitive dysfunction or clinical symptoms in SZ. As described in Sargent et al. (in preparation), HRV modulation of resting-state connectivity was calculated as the difference between maximum HRV-phase connectivity and the time-averaged alpha band connectivity. In the whole sample, a positive correlation between HRV modulation of DMN connectivity and MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) composite score suggested an association between stronger HRV-related modulation of DMN connectivity and better cognition, although this relationship is not significant within individual diagnostic groups. HRV modulation of CEN connectivity and clinical symptoms were not significantly correlated. Understanding the link between autonomic function in HRV and brain connectivity may advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms and cognitive deficits underlying SZ.

Previous research has shown that people tend to ascribe value to effort expenditure, affecting judgments of others’ motivation as well as decision making and cooperative intent. In addition, prior work suggests that athletes value effort expenditure differently compared to non-athletes. Potentially, athletes’ valuation of effort may shape moral perceptions of effort-based decisions. This study will empirically examine whether athletic participation shapes perceptions of effort expenditure and later economic, trust-based decisions. Specifically, we hypothesize that participants who actively engage in sports will be more sensitive to learning others’ effort preferences. Exploratory analyses will test whether those who actively participate in team-based sports will trust high and low effort targets with similar amounts of money. In this study, 100 undergraduates will observe targets choose between completing a high-effort task for a larger reward or a low-effort task for a smaller reward. Then, participants will complete a trust game with the targets they observed. In the trust game, the participants must decide whether to share a high or low reward with the target. Finally, participants will complete personality and demographics questionnaires, including questions about their participation in sports. The findings of this study may help expand our understanding on trust-based decision making and the influence of sport participation in shaping biases about effort.

Sensory over-responsivity (SOR) is a behavior characterized by strong negative reactions towards everyday sensory stimuli, commonly seen in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). SOR is correlated with social cognition, with evidence suggesting executive functioning (EF) may play a role in this relationship. However, the relationship between these three factors remains unclear. The present study will examine the relationship between SOR and social cognition, and whether EF impacts this correlation among ASD youth. Thirty-one ASD individuals, aged seven to 18, completed the Conners 3 Short Assessment measuring executive functioning. Following the questionnaires, participants completed an irony comprehension task with 16 social vignettes ending in either a sincere or ironic phrase. Participants indicated whether the speaker meant what they said. Half the trials were presented with aversive sensory stimuli with the other half presented with explicit instruction to “pay attention to the vocal tone and faces” of the vignette’s characters. We plan to conduct a set of linear regressions evaluating the indirect effect of EF on SOR and social cognition. We hypothesize that the relationship between SOR and social cognition is mediated by EF. These findings will expand knowledge on the relationship between EF, SOR, and social cognition, aiding in individualized clinical interventions that consider all three factors in ASD youth.

Rodent behavioral testing is critical in the investigation of disease etiology to develop novel therapeutics. Although there are many existing assays used to test learning and memory in mice, most are limited by long training protocols, aversive conditions, or poor replicability. We propose leveraging naturalistic rodent behaviors in the open field test to improve replicability and translational validity. In novel environments, mice demonstrate heightened locomotor activity that decreases with repeated exposure, a behavioral pattern indicating environmental memory. We will compare young (3-4 months) versus aged (12-14 months) mice across three 15-minute sessions spaced 24 hours apart. Sessions 1 and 2 will occur in the same open field, Open Field A, whereas Session 3 introduces the novel context, Open Field B. Because aged mice are affected by memory deficits, we hypothesize that they will show impaired intersession habituation and maintain high locomotor activity across all sessions. In contrast, young mice should exhibit robust habituation through reduced locomotion in Session 2, while re-expressing high novelty-induced activity during Session 3. In a second phase, we will apply machine learning to identify additional behavioral features (rearing, grooming, thigmotaxis) that correlate with environmental familiarity and memory retention. This approach will validate a sensitive, ethologically relevant assay for detecting hippocampal-dependent memory impairments in mice.

This abstract has been withheld from publication.