Tractography-based DBS lead repositioning improves outcome in refractory OCD and depression
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) has been used to treat refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression, but outcomes are variable, with some patients not responding to this form of invasive neuromodulation. A lack of benefit in some patients may be due to suboptimal positioning of DBS leads. Recently, studies have suggested that specific white matter tracts within the ALIC are associated with improved outcomes. Here, we present the case of a patient who initially had a modest improvement in OCD and depressive symptoms after receiving DBS within the ALIC. Subseq...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - February 7, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Examining resting state functional connectivity and frequency power analysis in adults who stutter compared to adults who do not stutter
ConclusionThe results highlight disrupted functional connectivity in AWS at resting state, particularly in speech-related and associated areas. Given the complex neurological basis of developmental stuttering, robust neural markers are closely linked to this phenomenon. These markers include imbalanced activity within brain regions associated with speech and motor functions, coupled with impaired functional connectivity between these regions. The cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical system governs the dynamic interplay between cortical regions, with SMA as a key cortical site. It is hypothesized that the aberrant resting...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - February 5, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Unlocking the neural mechanisms of consumer loan evaluations: an fNIRS and ML-based consumer neuroscience study
This study conducts a comprehensive exploration of the neurocognitive processes underlying consumer credit decision-making using cutting-edge techniques from neuroscience and machine learning (ML). Employing functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), the research examines the hemodynamic responses of participants while evaluating diverse credit offers.MethodsThe experimental phase of this study investigates the hemodynamic responses collected from 39 healthy participants with respect to different loan offers. This study integrates fNIRS data with advanced ML algorithms, specifically Extreme Gradient Boosting, CatBoost,...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - February 5, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Cognitive outcomes in patients with essential tremor treated with deep brain stimulation: a systematic review
ConclusionSignificant cognitive decline after VIM or cZi/PSA DBS in ET patients appears to be rare. Future prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to meticulously study the effect of the location, laterality, and stimulation parameters of the active contacts on cognitive outcomes while considering possible medication change post-DBS, timing, standard neuropsychological battery, practice effects, the timing of assessment, and effect size as potential confounders. (Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - February 2, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Corrigendum: Don't forget the boundary problem! How EM field topology can address the overlooked cousin to the binding problem for consciousness
(Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - February 1, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
A comprehensive dataset for home appliance control using ERP-based BCIs with the application of inter-subject transfer learning
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have a potential to revolutionize human-computer interaction by enabling direct links between the brain and computer systems. Recent studies are increasingly focusing on practical applications of BCIs—e.g., home appliance control just by thoughts. One of the non-invasive BCIs using electroencephalography (EEG) capitalizes on event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to target stimuli and have shown promise in controlling home appliance. In this paper, we present a comprehensive dataset of online ERP-based BCIs for controlling various home appliances in diverse stimulus presentation envi...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - February 1, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Time-delay estimation in biomechanical stability: a scoping review
Despite its high-level of robustness and versatility, the human sensorimotor control system regularly encounters and manages various noises, non-linearities, uncertainties, redundancies, and delays. These delays, which are critical to biomechanical stability, occur in various parts of the system and include sensory, signal transmission, CNS processing, as well as muscle activation delays. Despite the relevance of accurate estimation and prediction of the various time delays, the current literature reflects major discrepancy with regards to existing prediction and estimation methods. This scoping review was conducted with t...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 31, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
How accurate are coordinate systems being used for transcranial magnetic stimulation?
In this study we investigated how an average Talairach coordinate from 50 healthy individuals is close to the actual location of the hand area of the primary motor cortex to investigate if that elicit a motor response in the hand; thus, investigating the fitness and accuracy of the Talairach coordinate system. We performed this experiment on six individuals (ages 61–82). When applying TMS single pulses to hand area with the given Talairach coordinate system adjusted with the MRI of each participant, three participants had involuntary twitch and three participants had no consistent physical response, as corroborated by el...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 30, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Patricia Goldman-Rakic: a pioneer and leader in frontal lobe research
Our understanding of the organization of the frontal cortex can be traced back to the experimental studies in the late 1800s by Fritsch and Hitzig on the frontal cortex of dogs and the frontal cortex of monkeys by Ferrier. These studies and many other studies that followed focused on motor functions, but halfway through the 20th century, very little was understood about the role of the frontal lobe in the control of other functions, and it was generally thought that the frontal lobe did not play a significant role in cognition. One result was that studies of cortical functions in cognition were carried out largely on parie...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 29, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Predictive power of gait and gait-related cognitive measures in amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a machine learning analysis
This study aimed to evaluate the predictive power of gait disorders and gait-related neuropsychological performances for future AD diagnosis in aMCI through machine learning (ML).MethodsA sample of 253 aMCI (stable, converter) individuals were included. We explored the predictive accuracy of four predictors (gait profile plus MMSE, DSST, and TMT-B) previously identified as critical for the conversion from aMCI to AD within a 36-month follow-up. Supervised ML algorithms (Support Vector Machine [SVM], Logistic Regression, and k-Nearest Neighbors) were trained on 70% of the dataset, and feature importance was evaluated for th...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 29, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Is badfiction processed differently by the human brain? An electrophysical study on reading experience
In this study, we investigate how differences in literary quality resonate in the human brain. Modifying a series of stimuli previously used in studies of the emotional potential of Harry Potter, we alternate passages from the original novels with passages from imitative and intentionally poorly written fanfiction. EEG data shows how the three text types are processed differently by the brain. Comparing the brain activity of the readers for the various text types, we see a difference in the absolute power but not in the relative power of the frequency bands. Reading badfiction evokes the lowest activity. However, the funct...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 26, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Recent developments and future avenues for human corticospinal neuroimaging
Non-invasive neuroimaging serves as a valuable tool for investigating the mechanisms within the central nervous system (CNS) related to somatosensory and motor processing, emotions, memory, cognition, and other functions. Despite the extensive use of brain imaging, spinal cord imaging has received relatively less attention, regardless of its potential to study peripheral communications with the brain and the descending corticospinal systems. To comprehensively understand the neural mechanisms underlying human sensory and motor functions, particularly in pathological conditions, simultaneous examination of neuronal activity...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 25, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Imagining emotions in storyworlds: physiological narrated perception and emotional mental imagery
This study explores the presentation of fictional characters’ physiological processes as a prompt for readers’ embodied experience of storyworlds through the metonymic activation of self-relevant emotion schemata. To this purpose, the presentation of characters’ internal physiological processes in two fictional samples of similar length – Rosemary Timperley’s 1955 ghost story “Harry” and chapter one in Ewan McEwan’s 2002 novel Atonement – is analysed. The findings suggests that these descriptions enrich the imagined nature of narrative emotions through underspecification, and increase opportunities for pe...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 24, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Effect of material properties on emotion: a virtual reality study
DiscussionThe present work is the first to establish this strong relationship between specular reflections induced by material properties and aroused emotions. (Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 24, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
Listening to your partner: serotonin increases male responsiveness to female vocal signals in mice
The context surrounding vocal communication can have a strong influence on how vocal signals are perceived. The serotonergic system is well-positioned for modulating the perception of communication signals according to context, because serotonergic neurons are responsive to social context, influence social behavior, and innervate auditory regions. Animals like lab mice can be excellent models for exploring how serotonin affects the primary neural systems involved in vocal perception, including within central auditory regions like the inferior colliculus (IC). Within the IC, serotonergic activity reflects not only the prese...
Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience - January 24, 2024 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research
