Robert Leech
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Articles by Robert Leech
Opportunities and pitfalls of data contextualization in neuroimaging
Abstract Understanding the mechanisms of brain function and dysfunction is at the core of the neuroscience mission. However, the field’s grasp of causal relationships between brain properties has been hindered by a focus on single modalities that neglects the complex interplay between the features found at different neural scales.
The spatial layout of antagonistic brain regions is explicable based on geometric principles - Communications Biology
Abstract Brain activity emerges in a dynamic landscape of regional increases and decreases that span the cortex. Increases in activity during a cognitive task are often assumed to reflect the processing of task-relevant information, while reductions can be interpreted as suppression of irrelevant activity to facilitate task goals. Here, we explore the relationship between task-induced increases and decreases in activity from a geometric perspective.
Multimodal gradients unify local and global cortical organization - Nature Communications
Abstract Functional specialization of brain areas and subregions, as well as their integration into large-scale networks, are key principles in neuroscience. Consolidating both local and global perspectives on cortical organization, however, remains challenging. Here, we present an approach to integrate inter- and intra-areal similarities of microstructure, structural connectivity, and functional interactions.
DySCo: A general framework for dynamic functional connectivity
Results DySCo is a framework for dynamic Functional Connectivity analyses. The Theory (see The DySCo theory) starts from known linear algebra facts to build the framework.
Self-reports map the landscape of task states derived from brain imaging - Communications Psychology
Abstract Psychological states influence our happiness and productivity; however, estimates of their impact have historically been assumed to be limited by the accuracy with which introspection can quantify them. Over the last two decades, studies have shown that introspective descriptions of psychological states correlate with objective indicators of cognition, including task performance and metrics of brain function, using techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Publisher Correction: Personality traits vary in their association with brain activity across situations - Communications Biology
Correction to: Communications Biology (2024) 7:1498; https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-07061-0; Article published online 12 Nov 2024 The original version of this Article contained an error in Figure 2 in which one of the red asterisks was not rendered properly during production. The correct version of Fig. 2 is: which replaces the previous incorrect version: The error/errors have been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
Combining Real‐Time Neuroimaging With Machine Learning to Study Attention to Familiar Faces During Infancy: A Proof of Principle Study
1 Introduction Attention allocation to social stimuli (social attention) in the first months of age is crucial for the development of the social brain (Johnson et al. 2009, Johnson 2011; Klein, Shepherd, and Platt 2009). From birth, infants are drawn to the faces of their caregivers (Sugden and Moulson 2019). Newborns can distinguish between the face of their mother and a stranger, provided they have been able to hear the mother's voice (Burnham 1993).
Personality traits vary in their association with brain activity across situations - Communications Biology
Abstract Human cognition supports complex behaviour across a range of situations, and traits (e.g. personality) influence how we react in these different contexts. Although viewing traits as situationally grounded is common in social sciences, often studies attempting to link brain activity to human traits examine brain-trait associations in a single task, or, under passive conditions like wakeful rest.
The spatial layout of antagonistic brain regions are explicable based on geometric principles
Abstract Brain activity emerges in a dynamic landscape of regional increases and decreases that span the cortex. Increases in activity during a cognitive task are often assumed to reflect the processing of task-relevant information, while reductions can be interpreted as suppression of irrelevant activity to facilitate task goals. Here, we explore the relationship between task-induced increases and decreases in activity from a geometric perspective.
The impact of heterogeneous spatial autocorrelation on comparisons of brain maps
Abstract It is increasingly common to statistically compare macroscopic brain maps to assess how spatially similar they are. Due to the presence of spatial autocorrelation, statistical inference can be challenging; to address this, random permutation approaches based on null models are widely used. Here, we show how that the presence of heterogeneity in the spatial autocorrelation across brain maps may affect statistical inference in common approaches for spatially correlated maps.
DySCo: a general framework for dynamic Functional Connectivity
Abstract A crucial challenge in neuroscience involves characterising brain dynamics from high-dimensional brain recordings. Dynamic Functional Connectivity (dFC) is an analysis paradigm that aims to address this challenge. dFC consists of a time-varying matrix (dFC matrix) expressing how pairwise interactions across brain areas change with time.
Distinctive and Complementary Roles of Default Mode Network Subsystems in Semantic Cognition
Materials and Methods The present study investigated DMN activity in five independent published fMRI datasets. The key materials and methods are described below but additional details about each dataset are available in previous publications (Study 1: Zhang et al., 2022; Study 2: Krieger-Redwood et al., 2015; Study 3: Hoffman et al., 2015; Study 4: Lanzoni et al., 2020; Study 5: Shao et al., 2022).
AI: a powerful new tool for managing safety risks
Artificial intelligence (AI) and technological developments have been talking points for many years. Many of us have been using and embracing this technology for years in both our working and daily lives – often without thinking about it. Likewise, we’ve seen jobs in manufacturing, health, engineering and many other sectors changed by technology.
Backstage pass: how do festival organisers keep staff and visitors safe?
Festival sites have much in common with construction sites when it comes to physical hazards such as working at height, moving machinery and working outdoors. Or, as Tim Roberts, director of The Event Safety Shop (TESS), puts it: “People falling off things, people falling into holes, vehicles and plant machinery movement, and exposure to the elements outside”.
Distinctive and complementary roles of default mode network subsystems in semantic cognition
Abstract The default mode network (DMN) typically deactivates to external tasks, yet supports semantic cognition. It comprises medial temporal (MT), core, and fronto-temporal (FT) subsystems, but its functional organisation is unclear: the requirement for perceptual coupling versus decoupling, input modality (visual/verbal), type of information (social/spatial) and control demands all potentially affect its recruitment.
Hybrid work – don’t let it become a pain in the neck | British Safety Council
In the ever-evolving landscape of modern work environments, the hybrid model has emerged as a promising solution, offering flexibility and efficiency for both companies and employees. However, amid its many benefits, there lies a lurking threat to employee health: musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Defined as disorders affecting the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and other soft tissues, MSDs are prevalent among seated employees, with studies indicating an alarming rise in recent years.
Variation in spatial dependencies across the cortical mantle discriminates the functional behaviour of primary and association cortex - Nature Communications
Abstract Recent theories of cortical organisation suggest features of function emerge from the spatial arrangement of brain regions. For example, association cortex is located furthest from systems involved in action and perception. Association cortex is also ‘interdigitated’ with adjacent regions having different patterns of functional connectivity.
Variation in spatial dependencies across the cortical mantle discriminates the functional behaviour of primary and association cortex
New Results doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.13.523934 Abstract Recent theories of cortical organisation maintain that important features of brain function emerge through the spatial arrangement of regions of cortex. For example, areas of association cortex are located in regions of cortex furthest from sensory and motor cortex. Association cortex is also interdigitated since adjacent regions can have relatively different patterns of functional connectivity.
“It’s not rocket science” and “It’s not brain surgery”-“It’s a walk in the park”: prospective comparative study
Research “It’s not rocket... “It’s not rocket science” and “It’s not brain surgery”—“It’s a walk in the park”: prospective comparative study Research Christmas 2021: What if . . .?
The default mode network in cognition: a topographical perspective
1. Davis, M. The role of the amygdala in fear and anxiety. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 15, 353–375 (1992). CAS PubMed Article PubMed Central Google Scholar 2. Milner, B., Corkin, S. & Teuber, H.-L. Further analysis of the hippocampal amnesic syndrome: 14-year follow-up study of HM. Neuropsychologia 6, 215–234 (1968). Article Google Scholar 3. Silbersweig, D. A. et al.
Dynamic network coding of working-memory domains and working-memory processes
Abstract The classic mapping of distinct aspects of working memory (WM) to mutually exclusive brain areas is at odds with the distributed processing mechanisms proposed by contemporary network science theory. Here, we use machine-learning to determine how aspects of WM are dynamically coded in the human brain.
Financial gain‐ and loss‐related BOLD signals in the human ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra pars compacta
Neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC) play central roles in reward‐related behaviours. Non‐human animal studies suggest that these neurons also process aversive events.
The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs
The main aim of this paper is to introduce a new theory of conscious states that incorporates principles of physics, neurobiology, and psychoanalysis.
The role of the posterior cingulate cortex in cognition and disease
Introduction The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) forms part of the posteromedial cortex. It is highly anatomically connected (Hagmann et al., 2008), has a high baseline metabolic rate (Raichle et al., 2001), and is a central part of the default mode network (DMN) (Buckner et al., 2008). Despite its importance in health and disease, the PCC is notably absent from many systems-level models of brain function, and there is no clear consensus about its function (Leech et al., 2012).
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