1
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Kang J, Li Y, Lv S, Hao P, Li X. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on brain activity and cortical functional connectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1407267. [PMID: 38812483 PMCID: PMC11135472 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1407267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has emerged as a therapeutic option to mitigate symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our study investigated the effects of a two-week regimen of tDCS targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in children with ASD, examining changes in rhythmic brain activity and alterations in functional connectivity within key neural networks: the default mode network (DMN), sensorimotor network (SMN), and dorsal attention network (DAN). Methods We enrolled twenty-six children with ASD and assigned them randomly to either an active stimulation group (n=13) or a sham stimulation group (n=13). The active group received tDCS at an intensity of 1mA to the left DLPFC for a combined duration of 10 days. Differences in electrical brain activity were pinpointed using standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA), while functional connectivity was assessed via lagged phase synchronization. Results Compared to the typically developing children, children with ASD exhibited lower current source density across all frequency bands. Post-treatment, the active stimulation group demonstrated a significant increase in both current source density and resting state network connectivity. Such changes were not observed in the sham stimulation group. Conclusion tDCS targeting the DLPFC may bolster brain functional connectivity in patients with ASD, offering a substantive groundwork for potential clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiannan Kang
- College of Electronic & Information Engineering, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Yuqi Li
- College of Electronic & Information Engineering, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Shuaikang Lv
- College of Electronic & Information Engineering, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Pengfei Hao
- College of Electronic & Information Engineering, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Xiaoli Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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2
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Barresi G, Ayaz H, Seigneur JM, Di Pino G, Bertolaso M. Editorial: Augmenting human experience and performance through interaction technologies. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1356658. [PMID: 38515966 PMCID: PMC10956473 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1356658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Giacinto Barresi
- Rehab Technologies Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Hasan Ayaz
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Drexel Solutions Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- A. J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Injury Research and Prevention, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | - Giovanni Di Pino
- NEXT: Neurophysiology and Neuroengineering of Human-Technology Interaction Research Unit, Universitá Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Marta Bertolaso
- Research Unit of Philosophy of Science and Human Development, Universitá Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
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3
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Chen Q, Ji H, Shang Q. The association between the diversity of online activities on smartphones and cognitive function among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:547. [PMID: 38383336 PMCID: PMC10882890 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17932-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many studies have shown that using smartphones can improve cognitive function, but no studies have shown the effect of the diversity of online activities on cognitive function. Therefore, this study explores the association between the diversity of online activity on smartphones and cognitive function among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults. METHODS A total of 13,347 Chinese middle-aged and elderly participants were used in the final analysis. Multivariate linear regression models were used to explore the relationships among the frequency of smartphone use, number of online activities, various activities, and cognitive function. RESULTS We found that 2,143 respondents (16.1%) used smartphones, and the top three online activities were watching news (80.3%), posting moments (72.4%), and chatting (68.0%) among all smartphone users to access the internet. After adjusting for all covariates, we found that the increase in the frequency of smartphone use and the number of online activities were correlated with a higher cognitive score. Moreover, some online activities, such as watching news (β:0.5, 95% CI:0.2-0.8), posting moments (β:0.4, 95% CI:0.2-0.7) playing games (β:0.3, 95% CI:0.03-0.6) and making mobile payments (β:0.3, 95% CI:0.1-0.5) were independently associated with good cognitive function. DISCUSSION In the middle-aged and elderly population, smartphone use plays an important role in cognitive function. Considering the increasing prevalence of smartphones among middle-aged and elderly individuals, this study can provide references and insights for health education and in-depth scientific research related to internet usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Chen
- College of Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 250300, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Haoqiang Ji
- School of Public Health, Shandong University, 250012, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
- Shandong University, 44 West Wenhua Road, Lixia District, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China.
| | - Qingxin Shang
- College of Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 250300, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 4655 Daxue Road, Changqing District, Jinan City, Shandong Province, China.
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4
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Khan A, Mosbacher JA, Vogel SE, Binder M, Wehovz M, Moshammer A, Halverscheid S, Pustelnik K, Nitsche MA, Tong RKY, Grabner RH. Modulation of resting-state networks following repetitive transcranial alternating current stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1643-1655. [PMID: 37436503 PMCID: PMC10471656 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02667-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) offers a unique method to temporarily manipulate the activity of the stimulated brain region in a frequency-dependent manner. However, it is not clear if repetitive modulation of ongoing oscillatory activity with tACS over multiple days can induce changes in grey matter resting-state functional connectivity and white matter structural integrity. The current study addresses this question by applying multiple-session theta band stimulation on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) during arithmetic training. Fifty healthy participants (25 males and 25 females) were randomly assigned to the experimental and sham groups, half of the participants received individually adjusted theta band tACS, and half received sham stimulation. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance (rs-fMRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data were collected before and after 3 days of tACS-supported procedural learning training. Resting-state network analysis showed a significant increase in connectivity for the frontoparietal network (FPN) with the precuneus cortex. Seed-based analysis with a seed defined at the primary stimulation site showed an increase in connectivity with the precuneus cortex, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and lateral occipital cortex. There were no effects on the structural integrity of white matter tracts as measured by fractional anisotropy, and on behavioral measures. In conclusion, the study suggests that multi-session task-associated tACS can produce significant changes in resting-state functional connectivity; however, changes in functional connectivity do not necessarily translate to changes in white matter structure or behavioral performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahsan Khan
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Biomedical Engineering Department, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jochen A Mosbacher
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Stephan E Vogel
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Mira Binder
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Michael Wehovz
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Arnulf Moshammer
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Kolja Pustelnik
- Mathematics Institute, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
- Protestant Hospital of Bethel Foundation, Bielefeld University, University Hospital OWL, University Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and University Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Raymond Kai-Yu Tong
- Biomedical Engineering Department, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Roland H Grabner
- Educational Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
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5
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Mark JA, Ayaz H, Callan DE. Simultaneous fMRI and tDCS for Enhancing Training of Flight Tasks. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1024. [PMID: 37508957 PMCID: PMC10377527 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13071024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a gap in our understanding of how best to apply transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance learning in complex, realistic, and multifocus tasks such as aviation. Our goal is to assess the effects of tDCS and feedback training on task performance, brain activity, and connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Experienced glider pilots were recruited to perform a one-day, three-run flight-simulator task involving varying difficulty conditions and a secondary auditory task, mimicking real flight requirements. The stimulation group (versus sham) received 1.5 mA high-definition HD-tDCS to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) for 30 min during the training. Whole-brain fMRI was collected before, during, and after stimulation. Active stimulation improved piloting performance both during and post-training, particularly in novice pilots. The fMRI revealed a number of tDCS-induced effects on brain activation, including an increase in the left cerebellum and bilateral basal ganglia for the most difficult conditions, an increase in DLPFC activation and connectivity to the cerebellum during stimulation, and an inhibition in the secondary task-related auditory cortex and Broca's area. Here, we show that stimulation increases activity and connectivity in flight-related brain areas, particularly in novices, and increases the brain's ability to focus on flying and ignore distractors. These findings can guide applied neurostimulation in real pilot training to enhance skill acquisition and can be applied widely in other complex perceptual-motor real-world tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse A Mark
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Hasan Ayaz
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Drexel Solutions Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Injury Research and Prevention, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Daniel E Callan
- Brain Information Communication Research Laboratory, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan
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6
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Muñoz JM, Borbón D. Equal access to mental augmentation: Should it be a fundamental right? Brain Stimul 2023; 16:1094-1096. [PMID: 37268292 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- José M Muñoz
- Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States.
| | - Diego Borbón
- Center for Studies on Genetics and Law, Research Group on Biological Sciences and Law, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
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7
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Carrillo-Ruiz JD, Carrillo-Márquez JR, Beltrán JQ, Jiménez-Ponce F, García-Muñoz L, Navarro-Olvera JL, Márquez-Franco R, Velasco F. Innovative perspectives in limbic surgery using deep brain stimulation. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1167244. [PMID: 37274213 PMCID: PMC10233042 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1167244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Limbic surgery is one of the most attractive and retaken fields of functional neurosurgery in the last two decades. Psychiatric surgery emerged from the incipient work of Moniz and Lima lesioning the prefrontal cortex in agitated patients. Since the onset of stereotactic and functional neurosurgery with Spiegel and Wycis, the treatment of mental diseases gave attention to refractory illnesses mainly with the use of thalamotomies. Neurosis and some psychotic symptoms were treated by them. Several indications when lesioning the brain were included: obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and aggressiveness among others with a diversity of targets. The indiscriminately use of anatomical sites without enough scientific evidence, and uncertainly defined criteria for selecting patients merged with a deficiency in ethical aspects, brought a lack of procedures for a long time: only select clinics allowed this surgery around the world from 1950 to the 1990s. In 1999, Nuttin et al. began a new chapter in limbic surgery with the use of Deep Brain Stimulation, based on the experience of pain, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy. The efforts were focused on different targets to treat depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Nevertheless, other diseases were added to use neuromodulation. The goal of this article is to show the new opportunities to treat neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Damián Carrillo-Ruiz
- Stereotactic, Functional & Radiosurgery Unit of Neurosurgery Service, Mexico General Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
- Research Direction, Mexico General Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
- Neuroscience Coordination, Psychology Faculty, Anahuac University, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - José Rodrigo Carrillo-Márquez
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Anahuac University, Mexico City, Mexico
- Alpha Health Sciences Leadership Program, Anahuac University, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jesús Quetzalcóatl Beltrán
- Stereotactic, Functional & Radiosurgery Unit of Neurosurgery Service, Mexico General Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fiacro Jiménez-Ponce
- Stereotactic, Functional & Radiosurgery Unit of Neurosurgery Service, Mexico General Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luis García-Muñoz
- Stereotactic, Functional & Radiosurgery Unit of Neurosurgery Service, Mexico General Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - José Luis Navarro-Olvera
- Stereotactic, Functional & Radiosurgery Unit of Neurosurgery Service, Mexico General Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - René Márquez-Franco
- Stereotactic, Functional & Radiosurgery Unit of Neurosurgery Service, Mexico General Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Francisco Velasco
- Stereotactic, Functional & Radiosurgery Unit of Neurosurgery Service, Mexico General Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
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8
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Escrichs A, Sanz Perl Y, Martínez-Molina N, Biarnes C, Garre-Olmo J, Fernández-Real JM, Ramos R, Martí R, Pamplona R, Brugada R, Serena J, Ramió-Torrentà L, Coll-De-Tuero G, Gallart L, Barretina J, Vilanova JC, Mayneris-Perxachs J, Saba L, Pedraza S, Kringelbach ML, Puig J, Deco G. The effect of external stimulation on functional networks in the aging healthy human brain. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:235-245. [PMID: 35311898 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the brain changes occurring during aging can provide new insights for developing treatments that alleviate or reverse cognitive decline. Neurostimulation techniques have emerged as potential treatments for brain disorders and to improve cognitive functions. Nevertheless, given the ethical restrictions of neurostimulation approaches, in silico perturbation protocols based on causal whole-brain models are fundamental to gaining a mechanistic understanding of brain dynamics. Furthermore, this strategy could serve to identify neurophysiological biomarkers differentiating between age groups through an exhaustive exploration of the global effect of all possible local perturbations. Here, we used a resting-state fMRI dataset divided into middle-aged (N =310, <65 years) and older adults (N =310, $\geq $65) to characterize brain states in each group as a probabilistic metastable substate (PMS) space. We showed that the older group exhibited a reduced capability to access a metastable substate that overlaps with the rich club. Then, we fitted the PMS to a whole-brain model and applied in silico stimulations in each node to force transitions from the brain states of the older- to the middle-aged group. We found that the precuneus was the best stimulation target. Overall, these findings could have important implications for designing neurostimulation interventions for reversing the effects of aging on whole-brain dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anira Escrichs
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Yonatan Sanz Perl
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Noelia Martínez-Molina
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carles Biarnes
- Department of Radiology (IDI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
| | - Josep Garre-Olmo
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.,Institut d'Assistència Sanitària, Salt, Girona, Spain
| | - José Manuel Fernández-Real
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.,Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, IDIBGI, Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, and CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Girona, Spain
| | - Rafel Ramos
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.,Vascular Health Research Group of Girona (ISV-Girona), Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol (IDIAP Jordi Gol), Girona, Spain.,Primary Care Services, Catalan Institute of Health (ICS), Girona, Spain
| | - Ruth Martí
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Vascular Health Research Group of Girona (ISV-Girona), Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol (IDIAP Jordi Gol), Girona, Spain.,Primary Care Services, Catalan Institute of Health (ICS), Girona, Spain
| | - Reinald Pamplona
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lleida-IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Ramon Brugada
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.,Cardiovascular Genetics Center, IDIBGI, CIBER-CV, Girona, Spain
| | - Joaquin Serena
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.,Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
| | - Lluís Ramió-Torrentà
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.,Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
| | - Gabriel Coll-De-Tuero
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.,Vascular Health Research Group of Girona (ISV-Girona), Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol (IDIAP Jordi Gol), Girona, Spain.,CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Luís Gallart
- Biobanc, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Spain
| | - Jordi Barretina
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain
| | - Joan C Vilanova
- Department of Radiology (IDI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Jordi Mayneris-Perxachs
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Nutrition, IDIBGI, Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, and CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Girona, Spain
| | - Luca Saba
- Department of Radiology, AOU Cagliari, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Salvador Pedraza
- Department of Radiology (IDI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Josep Puig
- Department of Radiology (IDI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr Josep Trueta, Girona, Spain.,Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.,Institut d'Assistència Sanitària, Salt, Girona, Spain
| | - Gustavo Deco
- Computational Neuroscience Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institució Catalana de la Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.,Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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9
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Cancel LM, Silas D, Bikson M, Tarbell JM. Direct current stimulation modulates gene expression in isolated astrocytes with implications for glia-mediated plasticity. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17964. [PMID: 36289296 PMCID: PMC9606293 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22394-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
While the applications of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) across brain disease and cognition are diverse, they rely on changes in brain function outlasting stimulation. The cellular mechanisms of DCS leading to brain plasticity have been studied, but the role of astrocytes remains unaddressed. We previously predicted that during tDCS current is concentrated across the blood brain-barrier. This will amplify exposure of endothelial cells (ECs) that form blood vessels and of astrocytes that wrap around them. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of tDCS on the gene expression by astrocytes or ECs. DCS (0.1 or 1 mA, 10 min) was applied to monolayers of mouse brain ECs or human astrocytes. Gene expression of a set of neuroactive genes were measured using RT-qPCR. Expression was assessed immediately or 1 h after DCS. Because we previously showed that DCS can produce electroosmotic flow and fluid shear stress known to influence EC and astrocyte function, we compared three interventions: pressure-driven flow across the monolayer alone, pressure-driven flow plus DCS, and DCS alone with flow blocked. We show that DCS can directly modulate gene expression in astrocytes (notably FOS and BDNF), independent of but synergistic with pressure-driven flow gene expression. In ECs, pressure-driven flow activates genes expression with no evidence of further contribution from DCS. In ECs, DCS alone produced mixed effects including an upregulation of FGF9 and downregulation of NTF3. We propose a new adjunct mechanism for tDCS based on glial meditated plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limary M Cancel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, Steinman Hall, Room 404C, 160 Convent Ave, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - Dharia Silas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, Steinman Hall, Room 404C, 160 Convent Ave, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - Marom Bikson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, Steinman Hall, Room 404C, 160 Convent Ave, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - John M Tarbell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, Steinman Hall, Room 404C, 160 Convent Ave, New York, NY, 10031, USA.
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10
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Jangwan NS, Ashraf GM, Ram V, Singh V, Alghamdi BS, Abuzenadah AM, Singh MF. Brain augmentation and neuroscience technologies: current applications, challenges, ethics and future prospects. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 16:1000495. [PMID: 36211589 PMCID: PMC9538357 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.1000495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Ever since the dawn of antiquity, people have strived to improve their cognitive abilities. From the advent of the wheel to the development of artificial intelligence, technology has had a profound leverage on civilization. Cognitive enhancement or augmentation of brain functions has become a trending topic both in academic and public debates in improving physical and mental abilities. The last years have seen a plethora of suggestions for boosting cognitive functions and biochemical, physical, and behavioral strategies are being explored in the field of cognitive enhancement. Despite expansion of behavioral and biochemical approaches, various physical strategies are known to boost mental abilities in diseased and healthy individuals. Clinical applications of neuroscience technologies offer alternatives to pharmaceutical approaches and devices for diseases that have been fatal, so far. Importantly, the distinctive aspect of these technologies, which shapes their existing and anticipated participation in brain augmentations, is used to compare and contrast them. As a preview of the next two decades of progress in brain augmentation, this article presents a plausible estimation of the many neuroscience technologies, their virtues, demerits, and applications. The review also focuses on the ethical implications and challenges linked to modern neuroscientific technology. There are times when it looks as if ethics discussions are more concerned with the hypothetical than with the factual. We conclude by providing recommendations for potential future studies and development areas, taking into account future advancements in neuroscience innovation for brain enhancement, analyzing historical patterns, considering neuroethics and looking at other related forecasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitish Singh Jangwan
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Sardar Bhagwan Singh University, Balawala, India
| | - Ghulam Md Ashraf
- Pre-Clinical Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Veerma Ram
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Sardar Bhagwan Singh University, Balawala, India
| | - Vinod Singh
- Prabha Harji Lal College of Pharmacy and Paraclinical Sciences, University of Jammu, Jammu, India
| | - Badrah S. Alghamdi
- Pre-Clinical Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Physiology, Neuroscience Unit, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adel Mohammad Abuzenadah
- Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mamta F. Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Sardar Bhagwan Singh University, Balawala, India
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Mirifar A, Keil A, Ehrlenspiel F. Neurofeedback and neural self-regulation: a new perspective based on allostasis. Rev Neurosci 2022; 33:607-629. [PMID: 35122709 PMCID: PMC9381001 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2021-0133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The field of neurofeedback training (NFT) has seen growing interest and an expansion of scope, resulting in a steadily increasing number of publications addressing different aspects of NFT. This development has been accompanied by a debate about the underlying mechanisms and expected outcomes. Recent developments in the understanding of psychophysiological regulation have cast doubt on the validity of control systems theory, the principal framework traditionally used to characterize NFT. The present article reviews the theoretical and empirical aspects of NFT and proposes a predictive framework based on the concept of allostasis. Specifically, we conceptualize NFT as an adaptation to changing contingencies. In an allostasis four-stage model, NFT involves (a) perceiving relations between demands and set-points, (b) learning to apply collected patterns (experience) to predict future output, (c) determining efficient set-points, and (d) adapting brain activity to the desired ("set") state. This model also identifies boundaries for what changes can be expected from a neurofeedback intervention and outlines a time frame for such changes to occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Mirifar
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Chair of Sport Psychology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
- Institute of Sports Science, Leibniz UniversityHannover, Germany
| | - Andreas Keil
- Center for the Study of Emotion & Attention, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Felix Ehrlenspiel
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Chair of Sport Psychology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
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12
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Clark KB. Smart Device-Driven Corticolimbic Plasticity in Cognitive-Emotional Restructuring of Space-Related Neuropsychiatric Disease and Injury. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:236. [PMID: 35207523 PMCID: PMC8875345 DOI: 10.3390/life12020236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Escalating government and commercial efforts to plan and deploy viable manned near-to-deep solar system exploration and habitation over the coming decades now drives next-generation space medicine innovations. The application of cutting-edge precision medicine, such as brain stimulation techniques, provides powerful clinical and field/flight situation methods to selectively control vagal tone and neuroendocrine-modulated corticolimbic plasticity, which is affected by prolonged cosmic radiation exposure, social isolation or crowding, and weightlessness in constricted operational non-terran locales. Earth-based clinical research demonstrates that brain stimulation approaches may be combined with novel psychotherapeutic integrated memory structure rationales for the corrective reconsolidation of arousing or emotional experiences, autobiographical memories, semantic schema, and other cognitive structures to enhance neuropsychiatric patient outcomes. Such smart cotherapies or countermeasures, which exploit natural, pharmaceutical, and minimally invasive neuroprosthesis-driven nervous system activity, may optimize the cognitive-emotional restructuring of astronauts suffering from space-related neuropsychiatric disease and injury, including mood, affect, and anxiety symptoms of any potential severity and pathophysiology. An appreciation of improved neuropsychiatric healthcare through the merging of new or rediscovered smart theragnostic medical technologies, capable of rendering personalized neuroplasticity training and managed psychotherapeutic treatment protocols, will reveal deeper insights into the illness states experienced by astronauts. Future work in this area should emphasize the ethical role of telemedicine and/or digital clinicians to advance the (semi)autonomous, technology-assisted medical prophylaxis, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and compliance of astronauts for elevated health, safety, and performance in remote extreme space and extraterrestrial environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin B. Clark
- Felidae Conservation Fund, Mill Valley, CA 94941, USA;
- Cures Within Reach, Chicago, IL 60602, USA
- Domain and Campus Champions Program, NSF Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Multi-Omics and Systems Biology Analysis Working Group, NASA GeneLab, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94035, USA
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA NfoLD, NASA Astrobiology Program, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94035, USA
- Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD 21046, USA
- Expert Network, Penn Center for Innovation, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Peace Innovation Institute, The Hague 2511, Netherlands and Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
- Shared Interest Group for Natural and Artificial Intelligence (sigNAI), Max Planck Alumni Association, 14057 Berlin, Germany
- Nanotechnology and Biometrics Councils, Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), New York, NY 10016-5997, USA
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Pimenta LDS, de Araújo ELM, Silva JPDS, França JJ, Brito PNA, de Holanda LJ, Lindquist AR, Lopez LCS, Andrade SM. Effects of Synergism of Mindfulness Practice Associated With Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation in Chronic Migraine: Pilot, Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Clinical Trial. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:769619. [PMID: 34955789 PMCID: PMC8692277 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.769619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic migraine is a difficult disease to diagnose, and its pathophysiology remains undefined. Its symptoms affect the quality of life and daily living tasks of the affected person, leading to momentary disability. This is a pilot, randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial study with female patients between 18 and 65 years old with chronic migraine. The patients underwent twelve mindfulness sessions paired with anodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), with current intensity of 2 mA applied for 20 min, three times a week for 4 weeks. In addition, 20 min of mindfulness home practices were performed by guided meditation audio files. A total of 30 participants were evaluated after the treatment, and these were subdivided into two groups—active tDCS and sham tDCS, both set to mindfulness practice. The FFMQ-BR (Five Facet of Mindfulness Questionnaire), MIDAS (Migraine Disability Assessment), and HIT-6 (Headache Impact Test) questionnaires were used to evaluate the outcomes. After the treatment, the active mindfulness and tDCS group showed better results in all outcomes. The sham group also showed improvements, but with smaller effect sizes compared to the active group. The only significant difference in the intergroup analysis was the outcome evaluated by HIT-6 in the post treatment result. Our results provide the first therapeutic evidence of mindfulness practices associated with left DLPFC anodal tDCS with a consequent increase in the level of full attention and analgesic benefits in the clinical symptoms of patients with chronic migraine.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ana Raquel Lindquist
- Graduate Program in Physical Therapy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | | | - Suellen Marinho Andrade
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil
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Kranou-Economidou D, Kambanaros M. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Working Memory Training to Address Language Impairments in Aphasia: A Case Study. Behav Neurol 2021; 2021:9164543. [PMID: 34868389 PMCID: PMC8639281 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9164543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traditionally, people with aphasia (PWA) are treated with impairment-based language therapy to improve receptive and expressive language skills. In addition to language deficits, PWA are often affected by some level of working memory (WM) impairments. Both language and working memory impairments combined have a negative impact on PWA's quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the application of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) combined with computerized WM training will result in near-ransfer effects (i.e., trained WM) and far-transfer effects (i.e., untrained language tasks) and have a positive effect on the quality of life of PWA. METHODS The participant was a 63-year-old Greek-Cypriot male who presented with mild receptive aphasia and short-term memory difficulties. Treatment was carried out using a multiple baseline (MB) design composed of a pretherapy or baseline testing phase, a therapy phase, and a posttherapy/follow-up phase. The treatment program involved iTBS application to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), an area responsible for WM, for 10 consecutive sessions. The participant received a 3-minute iTBS application followed by 30-minute computer-assisted WM training. Outcome measures included a WM screening test, a standardized aphasia test, a nonverbal intelligence test, story-telling speech samples, a procedural discourse task, and a questionnaire addressing quality of life. These measures were performed three times before the treatment, immediately upon completion of the treatment, and once during follow-up testing at 3 months posttreatment. RESULTS We found a beneficial effect of iTBS and WM training on naming, reading, WM, reasoning, narrative, communication efficiency, and quality of life (QoL). Implications for Rehabilitation. Noninvasive brain stimulation combined with computerized WM training may be used in aphasia rehabilitation to improve WM and generalize to language improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Kambanaros
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol 3036, Cyprus
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Chowdhury AR, Graham PL, Schofield D, Cunich M, Nicholas M. Cost-effectiveness of Multidisciplinary Interventions for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Narrative Review. Clin J Pain 2021; 38:197-207. [PMID: 34812772 PMCID: PMC8823904 DOI: 10.1097/ajp.0000000000001009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults is a global health and economic problem. The aim of this paper was to systematically review and determine what proportion of multidisciplinary approaches to managing chronic musculoskeletal pain are cost-effective. MATERIALS AND METHODS The EconLit, Embase, and PubMed electronic databases were searched for randomized and nonrandomized economic evaluation studies of nonpharmaceutical multidisciplinary chronic pain management interventions published from inception through to August 2019. RESULTS Seven studies comprising 2095 patients were included. All studies involved diverse multidisciplinary teams in one or more of the study arms. All studies involved chronic (both chronic and subacute) low back pain and were economic evaluations from either a societal or health care perspective. Two of the 3 studies that reported on a multidisciplinary pain intervention compared with nonmultidisciplinary intervention concluded favorable cost-effectiveness based on cost per quality adjusted life years gained, 1 study was not found to be cost-effective. Cost-effectiveness of the multidisciplinary intervention of interest was also not established by another 3-arm study. Two studies compared 2 multidisciplinary interventions; neither of these could definitively declare cost-effectiveness. The remaining study indicated the intervention by a multidisciplinary team was more effective but at a higher cost. None of the included studies used decision models to estimate long-term health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of multidisciplinary programs. DISCUSSION There are few studies on the cost-effectiveness of multidisciplinary chronic pain management interventions. This study encourages additional rigorous economic evaluations of multidisciplinary models for chronic pain management. Economic evaluations that enable extrapolating costs and effects of multidisciplinary programs beyond the time horizon of clinical trials may be more informative for clinicians and health administrators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Petra L. Graham
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Macquarie University
| | - Deborah Schofield
- Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine (GenIMPACT), Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University, Sydney
| | - Michelle Cunich
- Charles Perkins Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health (Central Clinical School), The University of Sydney
- Sydney Institute for Women, Children and their Families, Sydney Local Health District
- Sydney Health Economics Collaborative, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the Left Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal Cortex in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Neural Plast 2021; 2021:6627507. [PMID: 34257640 PMCID: PMC8245257 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6627507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been applied to relieve symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this prospective, parallel, single-blinded, randomized study, we investigate the modulation effect of three-week tDCS treatment at the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in children with ASD. 47 children with ASD were enrolled, and 40 (20 in each group) completed the study. The primary outcomes are Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), and the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R). We found that children with ASD can tolerate three-week tDCS treatment with no serious adverse events detected. A within-group comparison showed that real tDCS, but not sham tDCS, can significantly reduce the scores of CARS, Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and general impressions in CARS (15th item). Real tDCS produced significant score reduction in the CSHQ and in CARS general impressions when compared to the effects of sham tDCS. The pilot study suggests that three-week left DLPFC tDCS is well-tolerated and may hold potential in relieving some symptoms in children with ASD.
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Brambilla M, Dinkelbach L, Bigler A, Williams J, Zokaei N, Cohen Kadosh R, Brem AK. The Effect of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cognitive Training Outcome in Healthy Aging. Front Neurol 2021; 12:625359. [PMID: 33767658 PMCID: PMC7985554 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.625359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objective: Aging is associated with a decline in attentional and executive abilities, which are linked to physiological, structural, and functional brain changes. A variety of novel non-invasive brain stimulation methods have been probed in terms of their neuroenhancement efficacy in the last decade; one that holds significant promise is transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) that delivers an alternate current at random amplitude and frequency. The aim of this study was to investigate whether repeated sessions of tRNS applied as an add-on to cognitive training (CT) may induce long-term near and far transfer cognitive improvements. Methods: In this sham-controlled, randomized, double-blinded study forty-two older adults (age range 60-86 years) were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups that received 20 min of 0.705 mA tRNS (N = 14), 1 mA tRNS (N = 14), or sham tRNS (N = 19) combined with 30 min of CT of executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory). tRNS was applied bilaterally over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices for five sessions. The primary outcome (non-verbal logical reasoning) and other cognitive functions (attention, memory, executive functions) were assessed before and after the intervention and at a 1-month follow-up. Results: Non-verbal logical reasoning, inhibitory control and reaction time improved significantly over time, but stimulation did not differentially affect this improvement. These changes occurred during CT, while no further improvement was observed during follow-up. Performance change in logical reasoning was significantly correlated with age in the group receiving 1 mA tRNS, indicating that older participants profited more from tRNS than younger participants. Performance change in non-verbal working memory was significantly correlated with age in the group receiving sham tRNS, indicating that in contrast to active tRNS, older participants in the sham group declined more than younger participants. Interpretation: CT induced cognitive improvements in all treatment groups, but tRNS did not modulate most of these cognitive improvements. However, the effect of tRNS depended on age in some cognitive functions. We discuss possible explanations leading to this result that can help to improve the design of future neuroenhancement studies in older populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Brambilla
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Biomedical and Clinical Sciences Department, Center for Research and Treatment on Cognitive Dysfunctions, “Luigi Sacco” Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lars Dinkelbach
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich Heine University, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Annelien Bigler
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joseph Williams
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nahid Zokaei
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Roi Cohen Kadosh
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anna-Katharine Brem
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation and Division for Cognitive Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Gibson BC, Heinrich M, Mullins TS, Yu AB, Hansberger JT, Clark VP. Baseline Differences in Anxiety Affect Attention and tDCS-Mediated Learning. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:541369. [PMID: 33746721 PMCID: PMC7965943 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.541369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Variable responses to transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) protocols across individuals are widely reported, but the reasons behind this variation are unclear. This includes tDCS protocols meant to improve attention. Attentional control is impacted by top-down and bottom-up processes, and this relationship is affected by state characteristics such as anxiety. According to Attentional Control Theory, anxiety biases attention towards bottom-up and stimulus-driven processing. The goal of this study was to explore the extent to which differences in state anxiety and related measures affect visual attention and category learning, both with and without the influence of tDCS. Using discovery learning, participants were trained to classify pictures of European streets into two categories while receiving 30 min of 2.0 mA anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS over the rVLPFC. The pictures were classifiable according to two separate rules, one stimulus and one hypothesis-driven. The Remote Associates Test (RAT), Profile of Mood States, and Attention Networks Task (ANT) were used to understand the effects of individual differences at baseline on subsequent tDCS-mediated learning. Multinomial logistic regression was fit to predict rule learning based on the baseline measures, with subjects classified according to whether they used the stimulus-driven or hypothesis-driven rule to classify the pictures. The overall model showed a classification accuracy of 74.1%. The type of tDCS stimulation applied, attentional orienting score, and self-reported mood were significant predictors of different categories of rule learning. These results indicate that anxiety can influence the quality of subjects' attention at the onset of the task and that these attentional differences can influence tDCS-mediated category learning during the rapid assessment of visual scenes. These findings have implications for understanding the complex interactions that give rise to the variability in response to tDCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C. Gibson
- Department of Psychology, Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- The Mind Research Network of the Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Melissa Heinrich
- Department of Psychology, Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Teagan S. Mullins
- Department of Psychology, Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Alfred B. Yu
- DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Human Research, and Engineering Directorate, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, United States
| | - Jeffrey T. Hansberger
- DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, Human Research, and Engineering Directorate, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, United States
| | - Vincent P. Clark
- Department of Psychology, Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- The Mind Research Network of the Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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Lehmann N, Villringer A, Taubert M. Intrinsic Connectivity Changes Mediate the Beneficial Effect of Cardiovascular Exercise on Sustained Visual Attention. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa075. [PMID: 34296135 PMCID: PMC8152900 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular exercise (CE) is an evidence-based healthy lifestyle strategy. Yet, little is known about its effects on brain and cognition in young adults. Furthermore, evidence supporting a causal path linking CE to human cognitive performance via neuroplasticity is currently lacking. To understand the brain networks that mediate the CE-cognition relationship, we conducted a longitudinal, controlled trial with healthy human participants to compare the effects of a 2-week CE intervention against a non-CE control group on cognitive performance. Concomitantly, we used structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural mechanisms mediating between CE and cognition. On the behavioral level, we found that CE improved sustained attention, but not processing speed or short-term memory. Using graph theoretical measures and statistical mediation analysis, we found that a localized increase in eigenvector centrality in the left middle frontal gyrus, probably reflecting changes within an attention-related network, conveyed the effect of CE on cognition. Finally, we found CE-induced changes in white matter microstructure that correlated with intrinsic connectivity changes (intermodal correlation). These results suggest that CE is a promising intervention strategy to improve sustained attention via brain plasticity in young, healthy adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Lehmann
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, Institute III, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg 39104, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Mind and Brain Institute, Charité and Humboldt University, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Marco Taubert
- Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Human Sciences, Institute III, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg 39104, Germany
- Center for Behavioral and Brain Science (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg 39106, Germany
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Sakakibara E. The polysemy of psychotropic drugs: continuity and overlap between neuroenhancement, treatment, prevention, pain relief, and pleasure-seeking in a clinical setting. BMC Med Ethics 2020; 21:54. [PMID: 32631307 PMCID: PMC7336425 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-020-00497-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enhancement involves the use of biomedical technologies to improve human capacities beyond therapeutic purposes. It has been well documented that enhancement is sometimes difficult to distinguish from treatment. As a subtype of enhancement, neuroenhancement aims to improve one's cognitive or emotional capacities. MAIN BODY This article proposes that the notion of neuroenhancement deserves special attention among enhancements in general, because apart from the notion of treatment, it also overlaps with other concepts such as prevention, pain relief, and pleasure seeking. Regarding prevention, patients' mental endurance can be enhanced when a patient is prescribed a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for the purpose of preventing the relapse of depression following a stressful situation. As for pain relief, psychiatrists use medication to alleviate distress in patients who experience various types of anxiety; the alleviation of distress is equal to psychological pain relief, but is also an enhancement of the patient's temperamental traits. Regarding pleasure seeking, insidious transition exists between neuroenhancement and pleasure seeking when using psychotropic drugs. It is well known that people use psychostimulants for recreational purposes and to induce overconfidence in one's performance. The polysemy of psychotropics derives from their effects on human sensibility. Therefore, when using psychotropic agents, psychiatrists should pay close attention to what the agent is used for on each patient in each situation, and explicitly share the continuity and overlap in the purpose of prescribing a medication with the patients to make a better clinical decision. CONCLUSIONS The notion of neuroenhancement overlaps not only with the notion of treatment, but also with other concepts of prevention, pain relief, and pleasure seeking. The continuity between those concepts makes the issues concerning the prescription of psychotropic drugs subtler. Psychiatrists should explicitly share the continuity with the patients to make a better clinical decision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eisuke Sakakibara
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, The University of Tokyo Hospital, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan.
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Joshi S, Herrera RR, Springett DN, Weedon BD, Ramirez DZM, Holloway C, Dawes H, Ayaz H. Neuroergonomic Assessment of Wheelchair Control Using Mobile fNIRS. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2020; 28:1488-1496. [PMID: 32386159 PMCID: PMC7598937 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2020.2992382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
For over two centuries, the wheelchair has been one of the most common assistive devices for individuals with locomotor impairments without many modifications. Wheelchair control is a complex motor task that increases both the physical and cognitive workload. New wheelchair interfaces, including Power Assisted devices, can further augment users by reducing the required physical effort, however little is known on the mental effort implications. In this study, we adopted a neuroergonomic approach utilizing mobile and wireless functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) based brain monitoring of physically active participants. 48 volunteers (30 novice and 18 experienced) self-propelled on a wheelchair with and without a PowerAssist interface in both simple and complex realistic environments. Results indicated that as expected, the complex more difficult environment led to lower task performance complemented by higher prefrontal cortex activity compared to the simple environment. The use of the PowerAssist feature had significantly lower brain activation compared to traditional manual control only for novices. Expertise led to a lower brain activation pattern within the middle frontal gyrus, complemented by performance metrics that involve lower cognitive workload. Results here confirm the potential of the Neuroergonomic approach and that direct neural activity measures can complement and enhance task performance metrics. We conclude that the cognitive workload benefits of PowerAssist are more directed to new users and difficult settings. The approach demonstrated here can be utilized in future studies to enable greater personalization and understanding of mobility interfaces within real-world dynamic environments.
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Li X, Zhang J, Li XD, Cui W, Su R. Neurofeedback Training for Brain Functional Connectivity Improvement in Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Med Biol Eng 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40846-020-00531-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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24
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Pichiorri F, Mattia D. Brain-computer interfaces in neurologic rehabilitation practice. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2020; 168:101-116. [PMID: 32164846 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-63934-9.00009-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) for neurologic rehabilitation are based on the assumption that by retraining the brain to specific activities, an ultimate improvement of function can be expected. In this chapter, we review the present status, key determinants, and future directions of the clinical use of BCI in neurorehabilitation. The recent advancements in noninvasive BCIs as a therapeutic tool to promote functional motor recovery by inducing neuroplasticity are described, focusing on stroke as it represents the major cause of long-term motor disability. The relevance of recent findings on BCI use in spinal cord injury beyond the control of neuroprosthetic devices to restore motor function is briefly discussed. In a dedicated section, we examine the potential role of BCI technology in the domain of cognitive function recovery by instantiating BCIs in the long history of neurofeedback and some emerging BCI paradigms to address cognitive rehabilitation are highlighted. Despite the knowledge acquired over the last decade and the growing number of studies providing evidence for clinical efficacy of BCI in motor rehabilitation, an exhaustive deployment of this technology in clinical practice is still on its way. The pipeline to translate BCI to clinical practice in neurorehabilitation is the subject of this chapter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floriana Pichiorri
- Neuroelectrical Imaging and Brain Computer Interface Laboratory, Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Donatella Mattia
- Neuroelectrical Imaging and Brain Computer Interface Laboratory, Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
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25
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Franzmeier N, Düzel E, Jessen F, Buerger K, Levin J, Duering M, Dichgans M, Haass C, Suárez-Calvet M, Fagan AM, Paumier K, Benzinger T, Masters CL, Morris JC, Perneczky R, Janowitz D, Catak C, Wolfsgruber S, Wagner M, Teipel S, Kilimann I, Ramirez A, Rossor M, Jucker M, Chhatwal J, Spottke A, Boecker H, Brosseron F, Falkai P, Fliessbach K, Heneka MT, Laske C, Nestor P, Peters O, Fuentes M, Menne F, Priller J, Spruth EJ, Franke C, Schneider A, Kofler B, Westerteicher C, Speck O, Wiltfang J, Bartels C, Araque Caballero MÁ, Metzger C, Bittner D, Weiner M, Lee JH, Salloway S, Danek A, Goate A, Schofield PR, Bateman RJ, Ewers M. Left frontal hub connectivity delays cognitive impairment in autosomal-dominant and sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Brain 2019; 141:1186-1200. [PMID: 29462334 PMCID: PMC5888938 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awy008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease vary in their ability to sustain cognitive abilities in the presence of brain pathology. A major open question is which brain mechanisms may support higher reserve capacity, i.e. relatively high cognitive performance at a given level of Alzheimer’s pathology. Higher functional MRI-assessed functional connectivity of a hub in the left frontal cortex is a core candidate brain mechanism underlying reserve as it is associated with education (i.e. a protective factor often associated with higher reserve) and attenuated cognitive impairment in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. However, no study has yet assessed whether such hub connectivity of the left frontal cortex supports reserve throughout the evolution of pathological brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease, including the presymptomatic stage when cognitive decline is subtle. To address this research gap, we obtained cross-sectional resting state functional MRI in 74 participants with autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease, 55 controls from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network and 75 amyloid-positive elderly participants, as well as 41 amyloid-negative cognitively normal elderly subjects from the German Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases multicentre study on biomarkers in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease. For each participant, global left frontal cortex connectivity was computed as the average resting state functional connectivity between the left frontal cortex (seed) and each voxel in the grey matter. As a marker of disease stage, we applied estimated years from symptom onset in autosomal dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrospinal fluid tau levels in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease cases. In both autosomal dominant and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease patients, higher levels of left frontal cortex connectivity were correlated with greater education. For autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease, a significant left frontal cortex connectivity × estimated years of onset interaction was found, indicating slower decline of memory and global cognition at higher levels of connectivity. Similarly, in sporadic amyloid-positive elderly subjects, the effect of tau on cognition was attenuated at higher levels of left frontal cortex connectivity. Polynomial regression analysis showed that the trajectory of cognitive decline was shifted towards a later stage of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with higher levels of left frontal cortex connectivity. Together, our findings suggest that higher resilience against the development of cognitive impairment throughout the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease is at least partially attributable to higher left frontal cortex-hub connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolai Franzmeier
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Feodor-Lynen Straße 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Emrah Düzel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Frank Jessen
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924 Cologne, Germany
| | - Katharina Buerger
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Feodor-Lynen Straße 17, 81377 Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Munich, Germany
| | - Johannes Levin
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Munich, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Marco Duering
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Feodor-Lynen Straße 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Dichgans
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Feodor-Lynen Straße 17, 81377 Munich, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Munich, Germany.,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Haass
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Munich, Germany.,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany.,Biomedical Center, Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Marc Suárez-Calvet
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Munich, Germany.,Biomedical Center, Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Anne M Fagan
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.,Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Katrina Paumier
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Tammie Benzinger
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.,Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Colin L Masters
- The Florey Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - John C Morris
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.,Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Robert Perneczky
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Nußbaumstr. 7, 80336 Munich, Germany.,Neuroepidemiology and Ageing Research Unit, School of Public Health, The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, Exhibition Road, SW7 2AZ London, UK.,West London Mental Health Trust, 13 Uxbridge Road, UB1 3EU London, UK
| | - Daniel Janowitz
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Feodor-Lynen Straße 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Cihan Catak
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Feodor-Lynen Straße 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Steffen Wolfsgruber
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael Wagner
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefan Teipel
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany.,Department of Psychosomatic, University of Rostock, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock, Germany
| | - Ingo Kilimann
- Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany
| | - Alfredo Ramirez
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924 Cologne, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin Rossor
- Dementia Research Centre, University College London, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Mathias Jucker
- Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jasmeer Chhatwal
- Departments of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown HealthCare Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown HealthCare Center, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA
| | - Annika Spottke
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Henning Boecker
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Radiology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Frederic Brosseron
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Peter Falkai
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Nußbaumstr. 7, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Klaus Fliessbach
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael T Heneka
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Christoph Laske
- Dementia Research Centre, University College London, Queen Square, London, UK.,Section for Dementia Research, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter Nestor
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany.,Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Oliver Peters
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Manuel Fuentes
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Menne
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Josef Priller
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Eike J Spruth
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christiana Franke
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Schneider
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Barbara Kofler
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Christine Westerteicher
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 27, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Oliver Speck
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany.,Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.,Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jens Wiltfang
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Goettingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen, University of Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075 Goettingen, Germany.,iBiMED, Medical Sciences Department, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Claudia Bartels
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen, University of Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Miguel Ángel Araque Caballero
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Feodor-Lynen Straße 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Coraline Metzger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Bittner
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Michael Weiner
- University of California at San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA94143, USA
| | - Jae-Hong Lee
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
| | - Stephen Salloway
- Department of Neurology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Adrian Danek
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Munich, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Alison Goate
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.,Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer's Disease, Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Peter R Schofield
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker Street Randwick, Sydney 2031, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
| | - Randall J Bateman
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.,Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.,Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael Ewers
- Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU, Feodor-Lynen Straße 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
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26
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Lefaucheur JP. Boosting physical exercise with cortical stimulation or brain doping using tDCS: Fact or myth? Neurophysiol Clin 2019; 49:95-98. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neucli.2019.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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27
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Cinel C, Valeriani D, Poli R. Neurotechnologies for Human Cognitive Augmentation: Current State of the Art and Future Prospects. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:13. [PMID: 30766483 PMCID: PMC6365771 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in neuroscience have paved the way to innovative applications that cognitively augment and enhance humans in a variety of contexts. This paper aims at providing a snapshot of the current state of the art and a motivated forecast of the most likely developments in the next two decades. Firstly, we survey the main neuroscience technologies for both observing and influencing brain activity, which are necessary ingredients for human cognitive augmentation. We also compare and contrast such technologies, as their individual characteristics (e.g., spatio-temporal resolution, invasiveness, portability, energy requirements, and cost) influence their current and future role in human cognitive augmentation. Secondly, we chart the state of the art on neurotechnologies for human cognitive augmentation, keeping an eye both on the applications that already exist and those that are emerging or are likely to emerge in the next two decades. Particularly, we consider applications in the areas of communication, cognitive enhancement, memory, attention monitoring/enhancement, situation awareness and complex problem solving, and we look at what fraction of the population might benefit from such technologies and at the demands they impose in terms of user training. Thirdly, we briefly review the ethical issues associated with current neuroscience technologies. These are important because they may differentially influence both present and future research on (and adoption of) neurotechnologies for human cognitive augmentation: an inferior technology with no significant ethical issues may thrive while a superior technology causing widespread ethical concerns may end up being outlawed. Finally, based on the lessons learned in our analysis, using past trends and considering other related forecasts, we attempt to forecast the most likely future developments of neuroscience technology for human cognitive augmentation and provide informed recommendations for promising future research and exploitation avenues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Cinel
- Brain Computer Interfaces and Neural Engineering Laboratory, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Davide Valeriani
- Brain Computer Interfaces and Neural Engineering Laboratory, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
- Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Riccardo Poli
- Brain Computer Interfaces and Neural Engineering Laboratory, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
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28
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Hanley CJ, Tales A. Anodal tDCS improves attentional control in older adults. Exp Gerontol 2018; 115:88-95. [PMID: 30500351 DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2018.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) facilitates cognitive enhancement by directly increasing neuroplasticity, and has shown promising results as an external intervention to attenuate age-related cognitive decline. However, stimulation protocols have failed to account for age-associated changes in brain structure and the present literature omits investigation of attentional control, despite the occurrence of substantial inhibitory processing deficits with age. To provide new insight into the benefits of tDCS, the objective of this study was to develop an age-optimised stimulation protocol in which key parameters (amplitude, duration, and electrode configuration) were selected in accordance with knowledge of stimulation effects, specific to the ageing brain. Participants (mean age 66.5 years) completed three sessions of double-blind, anodal or sham stimulation, in conjunction with a novel task switching paradigm, which was designed to reflect the complexities of simultaneously monitoring and updating stimulus representations. The results show that those who had anodal tDCS exhibited an acute, post-stimulation increase in task switching speed (p < .01, d = 1.36). Although the sham group was subject to the same task exposure, only the anodal stimulation group experienced a performance gain, thus emphasising the efficacy of active brain stimulation. For the first time, this study demonstrates the utility of stimulation protocols tailored specifically for use with older adults, targeted towards the modulation of attentional control. This finding has critical implications for cognitive health and encourages the use of age-optimised tDCS as a viable method for enhancing executive function in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J Hanley
- Department of Psychology, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, UK.
| | - Andrea Tales
- The Centre for Innovative Ageing, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, UK
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29
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Curtin A, Ayaz H. The Age of Neuroergonomics: Towards Ubiquitous and Continuous Measurement of Brain Function with fNIRS. JAPANESE PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/jpr.12227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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30
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Mindfulness-based training with transcranial direct current stimulation modulates neuronal resource allocation in working memory: A randomized pilot study with a nonequivalent control group. Heliyon 2018; 4:e00685. [PMID: 30094362 PMCID: PMC6077241 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mindfulness-based training (MBT) and transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) methods such as direct current stimulation (tDCS) have demonstrated promise for the augmentation of cognitive abilities. The current study investigated the potential compatibility of concurrent “electrical” MBT and tDCS (or eMBT) by testing its combined effects on behavioral and neurophysiological indices of working memory (WM) and attentional resource allocation. Thirty-four healthy participants were randomly assigned to either a MBT task with tDCS group (eMBT) or an active control training task with sham tDCS (Control) group. Training lasted 4-weeks, with up to twenty MBT sessions and with up to eight of those sessions that were eMBT sessions. Electroencephalography was acquired during varying WM load conditions using the n-back task (1-, 2-, 3-back), along with performance on complex WM span tasks (operation and symmetry span) and fluid intelligence measures (Ravens and Shipley) before and after training. Improved performance was observed only on the 3-back and spatial span tasks for eMBT but not the Control group. During 3-back performance in the eMBT group, an increase in P3 amplitude and theta power at electrode site Pz was also observed, along with a simultaneous decrease in frontal midline P3 amplitude and theta power compared to the Control group. These results are consistent with the neural efficiency hypothesis, where higher cognitive capacity was associated with more distributed brain activity (i.e., increase in parietal and decrease in frontal amplitudes). Future longitudinal studies are called upon to further examine the direct contributions of tDCS on MBT by assessing the differential effects of electrode montage, polarity, current strength and a direct contrast between the eMBT and MBT conditions on performance and neuroimaging outcome data. While preliminary, the current results provided evidence for the potential compatibility of using eMBT to modulate WM capacity through the allocation of attention and its neurophysiological correlates.
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31
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Cancel LM, Arias K, Bikson M, Tarbell JM. Direct current stimulation of endothelial monolayers induces a transient and reversible increase in transport due to the electroosmotic effect. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9265. [PMID: 29915178 PMCID: PMC6006334 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27524-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effects of direct current stimulation (DCS) on fluid and solute transport across endothelial cell (EC) monolayers in vitro. Our motivation was transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) that has been investigated for treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, to enhance neurorehabilitation, and to change cognition in healthy subjects. The mechanisms underlying this diversity of applications remain under investigation. To address the possible role of blood-brain barrier (BBB) changes during tDCS, we applied direct current to cultured EC monolayers in a specially designed chamber that generated spatially uniform direct current. DCS induced fluid and solute movement across EC layers that persisted only for the duration of the stimulation suggesting an electroosmosis mechanism. The direction of induced transport reversed with DCS polarity - a hallmark of the electroosmotic effect. The magnitude of DCS-induced flow was linearly correlated to the magnitude of the applied current. A mathematical model based on a two-pore description of the endothelial transport barrier and a Helmholtz model of the electrical double layer describes the experimental data accurately and predicts enhanced significance of this mechanism in less permeable monolayers. This study demonstrates that DCS transiently alters the transport function of the BBB suggesting a new adjunct mechanism of tDCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limary M Cancel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, USA
| | - Katherin Arias
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, USA
| | - Marom Bikson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, USA
| | - John M Tarbell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, USA.
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Collective responses in electrical activities of neurons under field coupling. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1349. [PMID: 29358677 PMCID: PMC5778049 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19858-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Synapse coupling can benefit signal exchange between neurons and information encoding for neurons, and the collective behaviors such as synchronization and pattern selection in neuronal network are often discussed under chemical or electric synapse coupling. Electromagnetic induction is considered at molecular level when ion currents flow across the membrane and the ion concentration is fluctuated. Magnetic flux describes the effect of time-varying electromagnetic field, and memristor bridges the membrane potential and magnetic flux according to the dimensionalization requirement. Indeed, field coupling can contribute to the signal exchange between neurons by triggering superposition of electric field when synapse coupling is not available. A chain network is designed to investigate the modulation of field coupling on the collective behaviors in neuronal network connected by electric synapse between adjacent neurons. In the chain network, the contribution of field coupling from each neuron is described by introducing appropriate weight dependent on the position distance between two neurons. Statistical factor of synchronization is calculated by changing the external stimulus and weight of field coupling. It is found that the synchronization degree is dependent on the coupling intensity and weight, the synchronization, pattern selection of network connected with gap junction can be modulated by field coupling.
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Giovannella M, Ibañez D, Gregori-Pla C, Kacprzak M, Mitjà G, Ruffini G, Durduran T. Concurrent measurement of cerebral hemodynamics and electroencephalography during transcranial direct current stimulation. NEUROPHOTONICS 2018; 5:015001. [PMID: 29392156 PMCID: PMC5784784 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.5.1.015001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is currently being used for research and treatment of some neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, as well as for improvement of cognitive functions. In order to better understand cerebral response to the stimulation and to redefine protocols and dosage, its effects must be monitored. To this end, we have used functional diffuse correlation spectroscopy (fDCS) and time-resolved functional near-infrared spectroscopy (TR-fNIRS) together with electroencephalography (EEG) during and after stimulation of the frontal cortex. Twenty subjects participated in two sessions of stimulation with two different polarity montages and twelve also underwent a sham session. Cerebral blood flow and oxyhemoglobin concentration increased during and after active stimulation in the region under the stimulation electrode while deoxyhemoglobin concentration decreased. The EEG spectrum displayed statistically significant power changes across different stimulation sessions in delta (2 to 4 Hz), theta (4 to 8 Hz), and beta (12 to 18 Hz) bands. Results suggest that fDCS and TR-fNIRS can be employed as neuromonitors of the effects of transcranial electrical stimulation and can be used together with EEG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Giovannella
- ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
- Address all correspondence to: Martina Giovannella, E-mail:
| | | | - Clara Gregori-Pla
- ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michal Kacprzak
- ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Giulio Ruffini
- Starlab, Barcelona, Spain
- Neuroelectrics Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Turgut Durduran
- ICFO-Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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Nasehi M, Soltanpour R, Ebrahimi-Ghiri M, Zarrabian S, Zarrindast MR. Interference effects of transcranial direct current stimulation over the right frontal cortex and adrenergic system on conditioned fear. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:3407-3416. [PMID: 28887641 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4722-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The effects of pharmacological interventions on fear memory have widely been studied, but there are very few studies about the effects of brain electrical stimulation on fear memory function. OBJECTIVE Therefore, our aim was to determine whether anodal/cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right frontal cortex would modify propranolol-induced contextual and auditory fear memory deficits, before or after training. METHODS The adult NMRI male mice were randomly assigned into three groups: the sham group, the anodal tDCS group, and the cathodal tDCS group. Fear memories were evaluated using a classical fear conditioning apparatus. RESULTS While the anodal stimulation did not affect fear retrieval, post-training cathodal stimulation improved fear memory retrieval. Regardless of when propranolol (0.1 mg/kg) was administered, it impaired fear memory retrieval. However, when anodal stimulation and propranolol were applied prior to the training, contextual fear memory retrieval was increased and auditory fear memory was reversed. An enhanced contextual retrieval was also observed when propranolol was administered prior to the training and stimulation occurred after the training. Only when the stimulation occurred prior to the training and propranolol was administered after the training was there a selective improvement in contextual fear memory retrieval, leaving the auditory fear memory retrieval impaired. Interestingly, cathodal stimulation improved the effects of propranolol on auditory fear memory only when it occurred prior to the training. CONCLUSION The results highlight possible improving effects for anodal/cathodal tDCS on propranolol-induced deficits on fear memories. The timing of the interventions related to the specific phases of memory formation is important in modulating fear behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Nasehi
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Reyhaneh Soltanpour
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Islamic Azad University, Garmsar Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Shahram Zarrabian
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Department of Pharmacology School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 13145-784, Tehran, Iran. .,Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. .,Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. .,Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran. .,University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Curtin A, Sun J, Ayaz H, Qian Z, Onaral B, Wang J, Tong S. Evaluation of evoked responses to pulse-matched high frequency and intermittent theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation using simultaneous functional near-infrared spectroscopy. NEUROPHOTONICS 2017; 4:041405. [PMID: 28840157 PMCID: PMC5559641 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.4.4.041405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive method used to excite or inhibit cortical activity for experimental, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions. However, nonmotor regions of the brain targeted in TMS therapies, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), offer no extrinsic response to stimulation, resulting in a need for a practical method for the evaluation of treatment. We sought to determine the capability of a continuous-wave light emitting diodes (LED)-based functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system to measure evoked cortical hemoglobin changes in the DLPFC during the simultaneous application of TMS to the left-DLPFC under brief stimulation paradigms used in the clinic. Seventeen healthy participants received short TMS trains at F3 in four different stimulation conditions (single pulse, high frequency, intermittent theta burst, and sham) while adjacent fNIRS measurements were recorded. Ten 2-s trains of each stimulation type were delivered with an intertrial interval of 40 s. Results indicated that high-frequency stimulation produces a larger and more evident response than other measured conditions. These findings show that a continuous-wave LED-based fNIRS system can be used to measure TMS-evoked responses and that future TMS applications can benefit from concurrent assessment of localized cortical activation changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Curtin
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai, China
- Drexel University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Junfeng Sun
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai, China
| | - Hasan Ayaz
- Drexel University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Family and Community Health, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, The Division of General Pediatrics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Zhenying Qian
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Banu Onaral
- Drexel University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Jijun Wang
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Shanbao Tong
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai, China
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Campanella S, Schroder E, Monnart A, Vanderhasselt MA, Duprat R, Rabijns M, Kornreich C, Verbanck P, Baeken C. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right Frontal Inferior Cortex Decreases Neural Activity Needed to Achieve Inhibition: A Double-Blind ERP Study in a Male Population. Clin EEG Neurosci 2017; 48:176-188. [PMID: 27170671 DOI: 10.1177/1550059416645977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Inhibitory control refers to the ability to inhibit an action once it has been initiated. Impaired inhibitory control plays a key role in triggering relapse in some pathological states, such as addictions. Therefore, a major challenge of current research is to establish new methods to strengthen inhibitory control in these "high-risk" populations. In this attempt, the right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC), a neural correlate crucial for inhibitory control, was modulated using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Healthy participants (n = 31) were presented with a "Go/No-go" task, a well-known paradigm to measure inhibitory control. During this task, an event-related potential (ERP) recording (T1; 32 channels) was performed. One subgroup (n = 15) was randomly assigned to a condition with tDCS (anodal electrode was placed on the rIFC and the cathodal on the neck); and the other group (n = 16) to a condition with sham (placebo) tDCS. After one 20- minute neuromodulation session, all participants were confronted again with the same ERP Go/No-go task (T2). To ensure that potential tDCS effects were specific to inhibition, ERPs to a face-detection task were also recorded at T1 and T2 in both subgroups. The rate of commission errors on the Go/No-go task was similar between T1 and T2 in both neuromodulation groups. However, the amplitude of the P3d component, indexing the inhibition function per se, was reduced at T2 as compared with T1. This effect was specific for participants in the tDCS (and not sham) condition for correctly inhibited trials. No difference in the P3 component was observable between both subgroups at T1 and T2 for the face detection task. Overall, the present data indicate that boosting the rIFC specifically enhances inhibitory skills by decreasing the neural activity needed to correctly inhibit a response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elisa Schroder
- 1 CHU Brugmann-Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Aurore Monnart
- 1 CHU Brugmann-Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Charles Kornreich
- 1 CHU Brugmann-Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Paul Verbanck
- 1 CHU Brugmann-Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- 2 Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,3 University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
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Fortenbaugh FC, DeGutis J, Esterman M. Recent theoretical, neural, and clinical advances in sustained attention research. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2017; 1396:70-91. [PMID: 28260249 PMCID: PMC5522184 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 12/27/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Models of attention often distinguish among attention subtypes, with classic models separating orienting, switching, and sustaining functions. Compared with other forms of attention, the neurophysiological basis of sustaining attention has received far less notice, yet it is known that momentary failures of sustained attention can have far-ranging negative effects in healthy individuals, and lasting sustained attention deficits are pervasive in clinical populations. In recent years, however, there has been increased interest in characterizing moment-to-moment fluctuations in sustained attention, in addition to the overall vigilance decrement, and understanding how these neurocognitive systems change over the life span and across various clinical populations. The use of novel neuroimaging paradigms and statistical approaches has allowed for better characterization of the neural networks supporting sustained attention and has highlighted dynamic interactions within and across multiple distributed networks that predict behavioral performance. These advances have also provided potential biomarkers to identify individuals with sustained attention deficits. These findings have led to new theoretical models explaining why sustaining focused attention is a challenge for individuals and form the basis for the next generation of sustained attention research, which seeks to accurately diagnose and develop theoretically driven treatments for sustained attention deficits that affect a variety of clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca C. Fortenbaugh
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans (NeRVe) Center, VA Boston Healthcare System
- Boston Attention & Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System
- Geriatric Research, Education, & Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
| | - Joseph DeGutis
- Boston Attention & Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System
- Geriatric Research, Education, & Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
| | - Michael Esterman
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans (NeRVe) Center, VA Boston Healthcare System
- Boston Attention & Learning Laboratory, VA Boston Healthcare System
- Geriatric Research, Education, & Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Boston Healthcare System
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine
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Chen N, Yang M, Zhou M, Xiao J, Guo J, He L. L-carnitine for cognitive enhancement in people without cognitive impairment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2017; 3:CD009374. [PMID: 28349514 PMCID: PMC6464592 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd009374.pub3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Safe interventions to enhance cognitive function in cognitively healthy people would be very valuable for several reasons, including a better quality of life and professional success. While L-carnitine has been reported to enhance cognitive function in some conditions, its efficacy is disputed. The evidence of its efficacy for cognitively healthy people has not previously been systematically reviewed. OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and safety of L-carnitine for the enhancement of cognitive function in people without cognitive impairment. SEARCH METHODS We searched ALOIS, the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group's Specialized Register, on 4 November 2016. We used the search terms 'L-carnitine' or 'acetyl-L-carnitine' or 'propionyl-L-carnitine' or 'ALC' or 'PLC' or 'ALCAR' or 'ALPAR'. We ran additional separate searches in several other sources to ensure that we retrieved the most up-to-date results. We also reviewed the bibliographies of the randomised controlled trials identified and contacted the authors and known experts in the field and pharmaceutical companies to identify additional published or unpublished data. SELECTION CRITERIA Eligible trials were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs, parallel-group or cross-over, that compared L-carnitine or its derivatives, acetyl-L-carnitine or propionyl-L-carnitine, at any dose and for any length of treatment, with placebo or no treatment in cognitively healthy people of any age and either gender. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Two review authors independently selected trials and evaluated the methodological quality, then extracted and analysed data from the included trials. MAIN RESULTS Only two RCTs were eligible. One was a cross-over trial with 18 participants. The other randomised 400 participants to one of four treatments, of which two (L-carnitine and placebo) were relevant to this review, but the exact numbers of participants in these two treatment groups was not reported. All participants were young adults. Methodological details were poorly reported, and we considered the risk of bias in both studies to be unclear. The trials assessed different cognitive outcomes. We could extract cognitive data on approximately 200 participants from one trial. We found no evidence that L-carnitine has any effect on reaction time, vigilance, immediate memory, or delayed recall after three days of treatment. This trial report stated that there was a small number of adverse effects, none of which were serious. The small cross-over trial also reported no effect of L-carnitine on cognition, but did not provide data; no information was provided on adverse effects. We considered the available evidence to be of very low quality for all reported outcomes. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Due to the limited number of included trials, short-term treatment, and inadequate reporting, we were unable to draw any conclusions about the efficacy or safety of L-carnitine for cognitive enhancement in healthy adults. Well-designed, randomised, placebo-controlled trials of L-carnitine for cognition enhancement in cognitively healthy people, with large samples and relatively long-term follow-up, are still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Chen
- West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDepartment of NeurologyNo. 37, Guo Xue XiangChengduSichuanChina610041
| | - Mi Yang
- West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDepartment of NeurologyNo. 37, Guo Xue XiangChengduSichuanChina610041
| | - Muke Zhou
- West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDepartment of NeurologyNo. 37, Guo Xue XiangChengduSichuanChina610041
| | - Jing Xiao
- West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDepartment of NeurologyNo. 37, Guo Xue XiangChengduSichuanChina610041
| | - Jian Guo
- West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDepartment of NeurologyNo. 37, Guo Xue XiangChengduSichuanChina610041
| | - Li He
- West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityDepartment of NeurologyNo. 37, Guo Xue XiangChengduSichuanChina610041
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Voarino N, Dubljević V, Racine E. tDCS for Memory Enhancement: Analysis of the Speculative Aspects of Ethical Issues. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 10:678. [PMID: 28123362 PMCID: PMC5225120 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising technology to enhance cognitive and physical performance. One of the major areas of interest is the enhancement of memory function in healthy individuals. The early arrival of tDCS on the market for lifestyle uses and cognitive enhancement purposes lead to the voicing of some important ethical concerns, especially because, to date, there are no official guidelines or evaluation procedures to tackle these issues. The aim of this article is to review ethical issues related to uses of tDCS for memory enhancement found in the ethics and neuroscience literature and to evaluate how realistic and scientifically well-founded these concerns are? In order to evaluate how plausible or speculative each issue is, we applied the methodological framework described by Racine et al. (2014) for “informed and reflective” speculation in bioethics. This framework could be succinctly presented as requiring: (1) the explicit acknowledgment of factual assumptions and identification of the value attributed to them; (2) the validation of these assumptions with interdisciplinary literature; and (3) the adoption of a broad perspective to support more comprehensive reflection on normative issues. We identified four major considerations associated with the development of tDCS for memory enhancement: safety, autonomy, justice and authenticity. In order to assess the seriousness and likelihood of harm related to each of these concerns, we analyzed the assumptions underlying the ethical issues, and the level of evidence for each of them. We identified seven distinct assumptions: prevalence, social acceptance, efficacy, ideological stance (bioconservative vs. libertarian), potential for misuse, long term side effects, and the delivery of complete and clear information. We conclude that ethical discussion about memory enhancement via tDCS sometimes involves undue speculation, and closer attention to scientific and social facts would bring a more nuanced analysis. At this time, the most realistic concerns are related to safety and violation of users’ autonomy by a breach of informed consent, as potential immediate and long-term health risks to private users remain unknown or not well defined. Clear and complete information about these risks must be provided to research participants and consumers of tDCS products or related services. Broader public education initiatives and warnings would also be worthwhile to reach those who are constructing their own tDCS devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Voarino
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Université de Montréal, McGill UniversityMontreal, QC, Canada; Bioethics Programme, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health (ÉSPUM), Université de MontréalMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Veljko Dubljević
- North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, NC, USA; Neuroethics Research Unit, Institut de recherches cliniques de MontréalMontreal, QC, Canada
| | - Eric Racine
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Université de Montréal, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
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Brand R, Wolff W, Ziegler M. Drugs As Instruments: Describing and Testing a Behavioral Approach to the Study of Neuroenhancement. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1226. [PMID: 27582720 PMCID: PMC4987358 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroenhancement (NE) is the non-medical use of psychoactive substances to produce a subjective enhancement in psychological functioning and experience. So far empirical investigations of individuals' motivation for NE however have been hampered by the lack of theoretical foundation. This study aimed to apply drug instrumentalization theory to user motivation for NE. We argue that NE should be defined and analyzed from a behavioral perspective rather than in terms of the characteristics of substances used for NE. In the empirical study we explored user behavior by analyzing relationships between drug options (use over-the-counter products, prescription drugs, illicit drugs) and postulated drug instrumentalization goals (e.g., improved cognitive performance, counteracting fatigue, improved social interaction). Questionnaire data from 1438 university students were subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to address the question of whether analysis of drug instrumentalization should be based on the assumption that users are aiming to achieve a certain goal and choose their drug accordingly or whether NE behavior is more strongly rooted in a decision to try or use a certain drug option. We used factor mixture modeling to explore whether users could be separated into qualitatively different groups defined by a shared "goal × drug option" configuration. Our results indicate, first, that individuals' decisions about NE are eventually based on personal attitude to drug options (e.g., willingness to use an over-the-counter product but not to abuse prescription drugs) rather than motivated by desire to achieve a specific goal (e.g., fighting tiredness) for which different drug options might be tried. Second, data analyses suggested two qualitatively different classes of users. Both predominantly used over-the-counter products, but "neuroenhancers" might be characterized by a higher propensity to instrumentalize over-the-counter products for virtually all investigated goals whereas "fatigue-fighters" might be inclined to use over-the-counter products exclusively to fight fatigue. We believe that psychological investigations like these are essential, especially for designing programs to prevent risky behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Brand
- Sport and Exercise Psychology, University of PotsdamPotsdam, Germany
| | - Wanja Wolff
- Department of Sport Science, Sport Psychology, University of KonstanzKonstanz, Germany
| | - Matthias Ziegler
- Department of Psychology, Psychological Diagnostics, Humboldt Universität zu BerlinBerlin, Germany
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Disner SG, Beevers CG, Gonzalez-Lima F. Transcranial Laser Stimulation as Neuroenhancement for Attention Bias Modification in Adults with Elevated Depression Symptoms. Brain Stimul 2016; 9:780-787. [PMID: 27267860 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2016.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Revised: 04/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low-level light therapy (LLLT) with transcranial laser is a non-invasive form of neuroenhancement shown to regulate neuronal metabolism and cognition. Attention bias modification (ABM) is a cognitive intervention designed to improve depression by decreasing negative attentional bias, but to date its efficacy has been inconclusive. Adjunctive neuroenhancement to augment clinical effectiveness has shown promise, particularly for individuals who respond positively to the primary intervention. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS This randomized, sham-controlled proof-of-principle study is the first to test the hypothesis that augmentative LLLT will improve the effects of ABM among adults with elevated symptoms of depression. METHODS Fifty-one adult participants with elevated symptoms of depression received ABM before and after laser stimulation and were randomized to one of three conditions: right forehead, left forehead, or sham. Participants repeated LLLT two days later and were assessed for depression symptoms one and two weeks later. RESULTS A significant three-way interaction between LLLT condition, ABM response, and time indicated that right LLLT led to greater symptom improvement among participants whose attention was responsive to ABM (i.e., attention was directed away from negative stimuli). Minimal change in depression was observed in the left and sham LLLT. CONCLUSIONS The beneficial effects of ABM on depression symptoms may be enhanced when paired with adjunctive interventions such as right prefrontal LLLT; however, cognitive response to ABM likely moderates the impact of neuroenhancement. The results suggest that larger clinical trials examining the efficacy of using photoneuromodulation to augment cognitive training are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth G Disner
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Mental Health Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Christopher G Beevers
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Mental Health Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Francisco Gonzalez-Lima
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Neuromodulation of conditioned placebo/nocebo in heat pain: anodal vs cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Pain 2016; 156:1342-1347. [PMID: 25806605 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Placebo and nocebo play an important role in clinical practice and medical research. Modulating placebo/nocebo responses using noninvasive brain stimulation methods, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), has the potential to harness these effects to therapeutic benefit in a clinical setting. In this study, we assessed the effect of anodal and cathodal tDCS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) on conditioned placebo/nocebo cue response to heat pain. Two matched groups of healthy volunteers were subjected to an identical session of conditioning, during which low and high cues (abstract images) were associated with low and high pain levels, respectively. Twenty-minute 2-mA tDCS (either anodal or cathodal) over the rDLPFC was applied. The influence of tDCS current polarity (anodal vs cathodal) on placebo and nocebo was assessed, using subjects' pain ratings in response to identical pain preceded by the conditioned high or low cues. The duration of cue presentation varied to allow either fully conscious or subliminal processing. Significant placebo and nocebo effects in the anodal but not the cathodal group were elicited with the conditioning paradigm. This study provides evidence of a possibility to modulate the conditioned placebo and nocebo effect by changing the excitability of the rDLPFC using tDCS.
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Sacco K, Galetto V, Dimitri D, Geda E, Perotti F, Zettin M, Geminiani GC. Concomitant Use of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Computer-Assisted Training for the Rehabilitation of Attention in Traumatic Brain Injured Patients: Behavioral and Neuroimaging Results. Front Behav Neurosci 2016; 10:57. [PMID: 27065823 PMCID: PMC4814724 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Divided attention (DA), the ability to distribute cognitive resources among two or more simultaneous tasks, may be severely compromised after traumatic brain injury (TBI), resulting in problems with numerous activities involved with daily living. So far, no research has investigated whether the use of non-invasive brain stimulation associated with neuropsychological rehabilitation might contribute to the recovery of such cognitive function. The main purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of 10 transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) sessions combined with computer-assisted training; it also intended to explore the neural modifications induced by the treatment. Thirty-two patients with severe TBI participated in the study: 16 were part of the experimental group, and 16 part of the control group. The treatment included 20’ of tDCS, administered twice a day for 5 days. The electrodes were placed on the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex. Their location varied across patients and it depended on each participant’s specific area of damage. The control group received sham tDCS. After each tDCS session, the patient received computer-assisted cognitive training on DA for 40’. The results showed that the experimental group significantly improved in DA performance between pre- and post-treatment, showing faster reaction times (RTs), and fewer omissions. No improvement was detected between the baseline assessment (i.e., 1 month before treatment) and the pre-training assessment, or within the control group. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, obtained on the experimental group during a DA task, showed post-treatment lower cerebral activations in the right superior temporal gyrus (BA 42), right and left middle frontal gyrus (BA 6), right postcentral gyrus (BA 3) and left inferior frontal gyrus (BA 9). We interpreted such neural changes as normalization of previously abnormal hyperactivations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katiuscia Sacco
- Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of TurinTurin, Italy; Neuroscience Institute of Turin, University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | - Valentina Galetto
- Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of TurinTurin, Italy; Centro PuzzleTurin, Italy
| | - Danilo Dimitri
- Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of TurinTurin, Italy; Centro PuzzleTurin, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Geda
- Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin Turin, Italy
| | - Francesca Perotti
- Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Turin Turin, Italy
| | - Marina Zettin
- Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of TurinTurin, Italy; Centro PuzzleTurin, Italy
| | - Giuliano C Geminiani
- Imaging and Cerebral Plasticity Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of TurinTurin, Italy; Neuroscience Institute of Turin, University of TurinTurin, Italy
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44
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Besson P, Perrey S, Teo WP, Muthalib M. Commentary: Cumulative effects of anodal and priming cathodal tDCS on pegboard test performance and motor cortical excitability. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:70. [PMID: 26973492 PMCID: PMC4771759 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Besson
- EuroMov, University of Montpellier Montpellier, France
| | | | - Wei-Peng Teo
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Abstract
ABSTRACT. Neural enhancement represents recovery of function that has been lost due to injury or disease pathology. Restoration of functional ability is the objective. For example, a neuroprosthetic to replace a forearm and hand lost to the ravages of war or industrial accident. However, the same basic constructs used for neural enhancement after injury could amplify abilities that are already in the natural normal range. That is, neural enhancement technologies to restore function and improve daily abilities for independent living could be used to improve so-called normal function to ultimate function. Approaching that functional level by use and integration of technology takes us toward the concept of a new species. This new subspecies—homo sapiens technologicus—is one that uses technology not just to assist but to change its own inherent biological function. The author uses examples from prosthetics and neuroprosthetics to address the issue of the limitations of constructs on the accepted range of human performance ability and aims to provide a cautionary view toward reflection on where our science may take the entire species.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Paul Zehr
- a Rehabilitation Neuroscience Laboratory , University of Victoria , Canada
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46
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Brand R, Koch H. Using Caffeine Pills for Performance Enhancement. An Experimental Study on University Students' Willingness and Their Intention to Try Neuroenhancements. Front Psychol 2016; 7:101. [PMID: 26903909 PMCID: PMC4746440 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research has indicated that university students sometimes use caffeine pills for neuroenhancement (NE; non-medical use of psychoactive substances or technology to produce a subjective enhancement in psychological functioning and experience), especially during exam preparation. In our factorial survey experiment, we manipulated the evidence participants were given about the prevalence of NE amongst peers and measured the resulting effects on the psychological predictors included in the Prototype-Willingness Model of risk behavior. Two hundred and thirty-one university students were randomized to a high prevalence condition (read faked research results overstating usage of caffeine pills amongst peers by a factor of 5; 50%), low prevalence condition (half the estimated prevalence; 5%) or control condition (no information about peer prevalence). Structural equation modeling confirmed that our participants’ willingness and intention to use caffeine pills in the next exam period could be explained by their past use of neuroenhancers, attitude to NE and subjective norm about use of caffeine pills whilst image of the typical user was a much less important factor. Provision of inaccurate information about prevalence reduced the predictive power of attitude with respect to willingness by 40-45%. This may be because receiving information about peer prevalence which does not fit with their perception of the social norm causes people to question their attitude. Prevalence information might exert a deterrent effect on NE via the attitude-willingness association. We argue that research into NE and deterrence of associated risk behaviors should be informed by psychological theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Brand
- Sport and Exercise Psychology, University of Potsdam Potsdam, Germany
| | - Helen Koch
- Sport and Exercise Psychology, University of Potsdam Potsdam, Germany
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47
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Sandrini M, Manenti R, Brambilla M, Cobelli C, Cohen LG, Cotelli M. Older adults get episodic memory boosting from noninvasive stimulation of prefrontal cortex during learning. Neurobiol Aging 2015; 39:210-216. [PMID: 26923418 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Episodic memory displays the largest degree of age-related decline, a process that is accelerated in pathological conditions such as amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Previous studies have shown that the left lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) contributes to the encoding of episodic memories along the life span. The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to test the hypothesis that anodal trascranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left lateral PFC during the learning phase would enhance delayed recall of verbal episodic memories in elderly individuals. Older adults learned a list of words while receiving anodal or placebo (sham) tDCS. Memory recall was tested 48 hours and 1 month later. The results showed that anodal tDCS strengthened episodic memories, an effect indicated by enhanced delayed recall (48 hours) compared to placebo stimulation (Cohen's d effect size = 1.01). The observation that PFC-tDCS during learning can boost verbal episodic memory in the elderly opens up the possibility to design-specific neurorehabilitation protocols targeted to conditions that affect episodic memory such as mild cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Sandrini
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK
| | - Rosa Manenti
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Michela Brambilla
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Chiara Cobelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Leonardo G Cohen
- Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, USA
| | - Maria Cotelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
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48
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Chan AS, Han YMY, Sze SL, Lau EM. Neuroenhancement of Memory for Children with Autism by a Mind-Body Exercise. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1893. [PMID: 26696946 PMCID: PMC4676196 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The memory deficits found in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be caused by the lack of an effective strategy to aid memory. The executive control of memory processing is mediated largely by the timely coupling between frontal and posterior brain regions. The present study aimed to explore the potential effect of a Chinese mind–body exercise, namely Nei Gong, for enhancing learning and memory in children with ASD, and the possible neural basis of the improvement. Sixty-six children with ASD were randomly assigned to groups receiving Nei Gong training (NGT), progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training, or no training for 1 month. Before and after training, the participants were tested individually on a computerized visual memory task while EEG signals were acquired during the memory encoding phase. Children in the NGT group demonstrated significantly enhanced memory performance and more effective use of a memory strategy, which was not observed in the other two groups. Furthermore, the improved memory after NGT was consistent with findings of elevated EEG theta coherence between frontal and posterior brain regions, a measure of functional coupling. The scalp EEG signals were localized by the standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography method and found to originate from a neural network that promotes effective memory processing, including the prefrontal cortex, the parietal cortex, and the medial and inferior temporal cortex. This alteration in neural processing was not found in children receiving PMR or in those who received no training. The present findings suggest that the mind–body exercise program may have the potential effect on modulating neural functional connectivity underlying memory processing and hence enhance memory functions in individuals with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes S Chan
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China ; Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China ; Henan Songshan Research Institute for Chanwuyi Henan, China
| | - Yvonne M Y Han
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong, China
| | - Sophia L Sze
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China ; Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China
| | - Eliza M Lau
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China
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Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Address Mild Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Study. Behav Neurol 2015; 2015:287843. [PMID: 26160997 PMCID: PMC4487699 DOI: 10.1155/2015/287843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 02/05/2015] [Accepted: 04/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique with potential to improve memory. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which still lacks a specific therapy, is a clinical syndrome associated with increased risk of dementia. This study aims to assess the effects of high-frequency repetitive TMS (HF rTMS) on everyday memory of the elderly with MCI. We conducted a double-blinded randomized sham-controlled trial using rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Thirty-four elderly outpatients meeting Petersen's MCI criteria were randomly assigned to receive 10 sessions of either active TMS or sham, 10 Hz rTMS at 110% of motor threshold, 2,000 pulses per session. Neuropsychological assessment at baseline, after the last session (10th) and at one-month follow-up, was applied. ANOVA on the primary efficacy measure, the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test, revealed a significant group-by-time interaction (p = 0.05), favoring the active group. The improvement was kept after one month. Other neuropsychological tests were heterogeneous. rTMS at 10 Hz enhanced everyday memory in elderly with MCI after 10 sessions. These findings suggest that rTMS might be effective as a therapy for MCI and probably a tool to delay deterioration.
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50
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Zehr EP. Future think: cautiously optimistic about brain augmentation using tissue engineering and machine interface. Front Syst Neurosci 2015; 9:72. [PMID: 26042003 PMCID: PMC4436819 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2015.00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- E Paul Zehr
- Rehabilitation Neuroscience Laboratory, University Victoria Victoria, BC, Canada ; Human Discovery Science, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries Vancouver, BC, Canada ; Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria Victoria, BC, Canada ; Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria BC, Canada ; School of Exercise Science, Physical, and Health Education, University of Victoria Victoria, BC, Canada ; Zanshin Consulting, Inc. Victoria, BC, Canada
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