Absolute Alpha Power Research Articles

Vulnerable at rest? A resting-state EEG study and psychosocial factors of young adult offspring of alcohol-dependent parents

BackgroundOffspring of parents with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are more susceptible to developing AUD, with an estimated heritability of around 50%. Vulnerability to AUD in first-degree relatives is influenced by biological factors, such as spontaneous brain activity, and high-risk psychosocial characteristics. However, existing resting-state EEG studies in AUD offspring have shown inconsistent findings regarding theta, alpha, and beta band frequencies. Additionally, research consistently demonstrates an increased risk of internalizing and externalizing disorders, self-regulation difficulties, and interpersonal issues among AUD offspring. MethodsThis study aimed to investigate the absolute power of theta, alpha, and beta frequencies in young adult offspring with a family history of AUD compared to individuals without family history. The psychosocial profiles of the offspring were also examined in relation to individuals without a family history of AUD. Furthermore, the study sought to explore the potential association between differences in frequency bands and psychosocial variables. Resting-state EEG recordings were obtained from 31 young adult healthy offspring of alcohol-dependent individuals and 43 participants with no family history of AUD (age range: 16–25 years). Participants also completed self-report questionnaires assessing anxiety and depressive symptoms, impulsivity, emotion regulation, and social involvement. ResultsThe results revealed no significant differences in spontaneous brain activity between the offspring and participants without a family history of AUD. However, in terms of psychosocial factors, the offspring exhibited significantly lower social involvement than the control group. ConclusionsThis study does not provide evidence suggesting vulnerability in offspring based on differences in spontaneous brain activity. Moreover, this investigation highlights the importance of interventions aimed at enhancing social connections in offspring. Such interventions can not only reduce the risk of developing AUD, given its strong association with increased feelings of loneliness but also improve the overall well-being of the offspring.

Effects of CPAP treatment on electroencephalographic activity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome during deep sleep: Preliminary findings of a cross-sectional study.

Study objectives: To investigate whether electroencephalographic (EEG) activities during non-rapid eye movement sleep stage 3 (N3) in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients were changed with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment.Methods: A cross-sectional study of EEG activity during N3 sleep was conducted in 15 patients with moderate to severe OSAS without and with CPAP treatment compared to 15 normal controls. The amplitude, and absolute and relative power of delta, theta, alpha and beta waves as well as the absolute power ratio of slow to fast EEG waves (i.e., absolute power of delta and theta waves/absolute power of alpha and beta waves) and the spectral power density of 0-30Hz EEG activities were analyzed.Results: CPAP significantly increased N3 sleep, the absolute and relative powers, amplitudes of delta and theta waves, and absolute power ratio of slow to fast EEG waves, but decreased relative alpha and beta powers during N3 sleep. However, there were no significant differences in those parameters between the OSAS patients with CPAP treatment and normal controls.Conclusions: CPAP prolongs N3 sleep and increases the power and amplitude of slow EEG waves during N3 sleep, which indicates an improvement in sleep quality and further provides evidence for recommendation of CPAP treatment for OSAS patients.

Perception of masculinized or feminized men’s faces and its relation to the menstrual cycle phase of women: Electrophysiological evidence

ABSTRACT Facial perception involves several brain areas: occipital to process visual stimuli, temporal to regulate emotions, and frontal and parietal to activate attention. Emotional processing relates to theta and delta bands in the temporal and frontal areas. We used a longitudinal design with twelve women to investigate whether the absolute power (AP) of areas involved in face perception changed in response to masculinized and feminized men’s faces during the LFP and LP. Results show that the perception of masculinized faces, when compared with feminized faces, modified the AP of delta in the occipital area; the AP of delta, theta, and alpha in the temporal area; and the AP of delta, alpha, and beta in the frontal and parietal areas during the LFP, but not the LP. Furthermore, AP was greater for masculinized faces during the LFP than during the LP. These findings provide new insights into the cortical activity underlying facial masculinity perception during the LFP and LP.

Non-suicidal Self-injury and Quantified Electroencephalogram in Adolescents and Young Adults with Depression.

: This study investigated the association between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and quantified electroencephalogram (QEEG) in patients with depression. We aimed to identify clinical features of NSSI and differences in QEEG findings. : This retrospective study used the medical records of 52 inpatients with major depressive episodes, aged from 15 to 30. The patients were categorized according to their history of NSSI. Their main diagnosis and sex were also considered. To evaluate clinical symptoms, self-reported scales were used. The absolute power and the Z-scores of various waves were included. : NSSI was associated with suicidal ideations (p = 0.001) and trauma history (p = 0.014). In the binary logistic regression analysis, the Z-score of absolute alpha power was higher on the FP2 node (p = 0.029), lower on the F4 node (p = 0.029) in the NSSI group. The absolute high beta power in the NSSI group was higher on the FP2 and the F3 node, but lower on the F7 and F8 node. Patients with NSSI showed higher Z-score of the absolute delta power at the FP2 node (p = 0.044). The absolute gamma power was higher on the FP2 (p = 0.012) and the F3 node (0.043), lower on the FP1 (p = 0.019) and the F7 node (0.018) in the NSSI group. The absolute high gamma power at the FP2 (p = 0.017) and F8 nodes (p = 0.045) were higher in the NSSI group. : Patients with NSSI may have clinical features distinct from those of patients without NSSI. QEEG results have shown some differences, although it is less applicable due to some limitations.

Changes in absolute alpha power during execution, imagination and observation of a finger movement task

Background: Neurons that fire both during execution and observation of a motor act, called mirror neurons, provide strong evidence of its existence in humans. Real, observed and imagined movements seem to share most of the same neural pathways. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms and functional processes of the different areas and the integration of information between the observation and imagined systems. Objective: Compare alpha absolute power levels in sensorimotor areas between real, imagined and observed movement conditions. Methods: The sample consisted of a group of 12 healthy young individuals (4 men and 8 women), right-handed and with mean age of 30 ± 10. The task consisted of 4 blocks of 20 trials of rhythmic flexion-extension movements of the index finger by pressing the left button of a mouse properly fixed on a table. The activation level was analyzed by measuring the absolute power of the alpha band (8-13hz). Results: ANOVA with repeated measures showed that in the real condition, alpha absolute power was higher in the electrodes Cz, P3 and Pz compared to the electrode C3. In the imagined condition, the electrodes P3 and Pz presented higher alpha absolute power compared to the electrode C3. For the observed condition, electrodes P3, Pz and P4 presented higher alpha power compared to the electrode C3. In addition, higher alpha absolute power was observed in the electrode Pz compared to the electrodes Cz and C4. Conclusion: Higher alpha activation was observed on the electrode C3 in all conditions. These findings indicate that the observed movement also shares neural circuits when compared to the real and imagined movements. It was observed that in all conditions there was a significant decrease in alpha power on the C3 electrode, which indicates activation of the motor cortex in a similar way in the conditions.

Pre-task Intrinsic Cortical Activity inNovice andExperienced Military Specialists: A Cross-sectional Study.

Neuroscience studies brain dynamics through the analysis of electrical signals. Cortical activity estimated by electroencephalography brings accurate information about perceptions of human behavior. The examination of resting states in relation to subsequent behaviors indicates that intrinsic cortical activity (ICA) has implications for decision-making processes, especially when inserted in the context of military activities and associated with stress. The objective of this study was to compare the absolute alpha power (AAP) in the ICA in the pre-task moment of novice specialized military (NG) with experienced (ExpG), associating with the level of stress. This was a cross-sectional, observational study with 19 military personnel (32.1 years old), divided into NG (10) and ExpG (9). The ICA was the outcome variable, with the level of stress and the time of specialization in military tasks as the exposure variables. ICA analysis were carried out based on the cortical areas to compare the ICA of the NG with that of the ExpG. The association of stress level with ICA was estimated by linear regression via linear models. There was a significant difference in almost all cortical areas, and the averages were always higher in Exp. The high stress level was associated with greater AAP both for the NG and for the ExpG, and at the medium level, the AAP was obtained, varying according to each cortical area. The AAP in ExpG was significantly higher than that in NG, indicating a lower level of cortical activity and greater efficiency in sensory, motor, and visual tasks.

Quantitative Electroencephalography and Balance Test Correlations in Patients with Chronic Patellofemoral Pain.

Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG) is a tool helping better understand the electrical activity of the brain and a non-invasive method to assess cortical activity. To date, the brain activity of patients with chronic patellofemoral pain (PFP) has not been investigated. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of PFP on higher levels of the central nervous system by assessing the correlation between QEEG and modified excursion balance test (mSEBT) in patients with PFP. Twenty-two patients with chronic PFP participated in this observational study. Their cortical electrical activity was recorded in a resting state with their eyes open, via a 32-channel QEEG. C3, C4, and Cz were considered as regions of interest. In addition to QEEG, the balance performance of the participants was evaluated via mSEBT. The obtained findings revealed a negative and moderate to high correlation between theta absolute power and posteromedial direction of mSEBT in C4 (P 0.000, r -0.68), Cz (P 0.001, r -0.66), and C3 (P 0.000, r -0.70). Additionally, a significantly close correlation is between alpha absolute power in C3 (P 0.001, r -0.70), C4 (P 0.000, r -0.71), and Cz (P 0.000, r -0.74) and the posteromedial direction of mSEBT. No significant correlations were between the other two directions of mSEBT, alpha, and theta. According to our results, balance impairment in patients with chronic PFP correlated with their QEEG neurodynamics. Moreover, our findings demonstrated the efficiency of QEEG as a neuromodulation method for patients with PFP.

EEG-ERP Correlates of Cognitive Dysfunction in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has been shown to affect the psychological and cognitive status of a woman. However, amidst various conflicting reports in this regard, very few studies attempted to assess these aspects objectively using electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potential (ERP). To assess changes in neurocognitive and psychological parameters of PCOS women without any other comorbidities. PCOS women aged 18 years to 35 years, diagnosed from obstetrics and gynecology OPD who are otherwise free of any other comorbidities, were assessed for psychological status (anxiety and depression using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory, respectively). Thereafter, a cognitive assessment was done subjectively by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) questionnaire and objectively by using EEG [absolute and relative power of alpha, beta, and theta waves along with theta/beta ratios (TBR) and theta/alpha ratio (TAR)] and P300 amplitude and latency of ERP during a visual oddball paradigm task in control (n = 30) and PCOS (n = 37) subjects. PCOS women showed significantly higher anxiety and depression scores along with low MoCA scores. Significantly reduced absolute alpha, increased frontal beta, and markedly increased theta (relative) power with increased TAR in the PCOS group were seen. Also, a significant reduction in P300 amplitude with prolonged latency during the visual oddball paradigm task was evident in them. Reduced alpha and higher theta activity with increased TAR are indicative of poor neural processing ability. Reduced P300 amplitude with more latency also suggests a cognitive decline, which is corroborated by reduced MoCA scores. Our study objectively indicates the presence of subclinical cognitive impairment in PCOS patients even without any comorbidities.

Associations between REM‐sleep EEG spectral power, the cholinergic basal forebrain volume and episodic memory in ageing

AbstractBackgroundOur research team has demonstrated that quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) slowing during rapid‐eye movement (REM) sleep is a more powerful tool to discriminate patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer Disease (AD) from healthy controls than waking EEG. Cortical activation during REM sleep highly depends on the cholinergic basal forebrain system (BFCS) neurons, while other neuronal systems are less active compared to wakefulness. However, the BFCS degenerates early in AD. Here, we tested the hypothesis that REM sleep EEG activity could be strongly associated with neurodegeneration of the BFCS, before the onset of dementia.Method134 participants (mean age 68.45 ± 7.8 years; 52 women; 61 with MCI) underwent a polysomnography, structural magnetic resonance imaging, and a neuropsychological evaluation. T1‐weighted images were preprocessed using CAT12 and the DARTEL algorithm, and the JuBrain Anatomy Toolbox was used to extract bilateral BFCS volumes (i.e., Ch1‐2‐3, Ch4 and total volume). Based on prior evidence, theta (4‐8Hz) and alpha (8‐13Hz) absolute EEG power during REM sleep were computed on temporal electrodes (T3‐T4‐T5‐T6). A composite episodic memory score was calculated as the mean of Z‐scores obtained on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test immediate and delayed free recalls. Multiple regressions were performed between (i) spectral power values or (ii) episodic memory performance, and basal forebrain volumes controlling for age, sex, the apnea‐hypopnea index, and the total intracranial volume. Complementary analyses were performed by stratifying the cohort by sex.ResultBoth Ch4 (r=0.24, p=0.006) and total BFCS (r=0.25, p=0.005) volumes were positively associated with episodic memory performance. Ch4 (r=‐0.21; p=0.025) and total BFCS (r=‐0.22; p=0.02) volumes were negatively associated with temporal theta power. Moreover, total BFCS (r=‐0.22; p=0.023) volumes were negatively associated with temporal alpha power. Sex‐stratified analyses revealed that the associations between BFCS volumes, REM‐sleep spectral power and episodic memory were significant in women, but not in men.ConclusionThese results confirmed that cortical activation during REM sleep is sensitive to volume loss in the BFCS, a cholinergic region known to degenerate early in AD. Why this association was only observed in women is intriguing and will need further investigation.

Modulation of Heart and Brain Function by Surah Al-Rehman Recitation Among Distressed Diabetic Patients in Pakistan.

Distress causes psychophysiological alterations that affect autonomic function. The current study explores psychophysiological modulation in diabetic distress in response to Surah Al-Rehman recitation. A single-group experimental study with before and after intervention assessments was conducted during April 2018 to February 2019 in which participants (n = 10) listened to Surah Al-Rehman recitation. Blood pressure, blood glucose, cortisol, ECG and EEG were recorded before and after recitation. Significant reduction in systolic blood pressure, increase in low frequency and absolute alpha power at Fp2 were observed. Heartbeat evoked potentials (HEP) were also significantly modulated at Fp1, Fp2 and F4. These findings suggest that Surah Al-Rehman modulated baroreflex activity thereby reducing sympathetic activity and improved heart brain coherence as reflected by HEP.

Clinical and Electroencephalography Assessment of the Effects of Brivaracetam in the Treatment of Drug-Resistant Focal Epilepsy.

Introduction: Our aim was to evaluate the clinical and electroencephalographic effects of brivaracetam (BRV) in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. BRV is a new antiepileptic drug (AED) with a high affinity for vesicle protein 2A (SV2A) and recently approved as adjunctive therapy for focal onset seizures. Methods: In this observational study of six-month duration, BRV (50-200 mg) was administered to 76 patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy, who were ≥16-year-old and who suffered from daily, weekly, monthly and yearly recurrent seizures. At baseline and after six months of follow-up, we performed a neurological visit, neuropsychological tests: Quality of life in epilepsy-31 (QOLIE31), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Intrapersonal Emotional Quotient (IEQ) and an electroencephalogram (EEG; inspective and quantitative analysis). Twenty-four patients underwent an overnight switch from levetiracetam (LEV) to BRV. Results: Seizure frequency of the 54 patients remaining at six months was reduced >50% in 29.6% of cases (responders), <50% in 31.5% (non-responders 1), while it remained unchanged in 38.8% (non-responders 2). Twenty-nine percent of patients early discontinued BRV because of lack of efficacy or minor adverse effects (AEs) like irritability, asthenia or headache. Neuropsychological tests in 28 patients demonstrated a significant improvement in I-EPI scores (p=0.04). Comparable results have been found in the subgroup of patients who switched from LEV to BRV. The EEG quantitative analysis showed a significant reduction of alpha absolute power at six months (p=0.03). Theta band power resulted significantly superior in non-responders than in responders (p=0.03). Furthermore, the δ+θ/α+β index resulted more elevated in patients with AEs than in patients without. Conclusions: BRV showed discrete results in terms of efficacy, safety and tolerability, with a good behavioural profile. BRV reduces the power of the alpha band, in correlation with its sedative effects but not with its minor efficacy. Furthermore, the increase in theta band power can be considered as a predictor of scarce response to treatment, while an increase in the δ+θ/α+β index could be a possible predictor of AEs occurrence.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation changes cognitive/motor tasks performance: An absolute alpha and beta power study

The voluntary movement demands integration between cognitive and motor functions. During the initial stages of motor learning until mastery of a new motor task, and during a demanding task that is not automatic, cognitive and motor functions can be perceived as independent from each other. Areas used for actually performing motor tasks are essentially the same used by Motor Imagery (MI). The main objective of this study was to investigate inhibition effects on cognitive functions of motor skills induced by low-frequency (1 Hz) Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) at the sensory-motor integration site (Cz). In particular, the goal was to examine absolute alpha and beta power changes on frontal regions during Execution, Action observation, and Motor Imagery of finger movement tasks. Eleven healthy, right-handed volunteers of both sexes (5 males, 6 females; mean age 28 ± 5 years), with no history of psychiatric or neurological disorders, participated in the experiment. The execution task consisted of the subject flexing and extending the index finger. The action observation task involved watching a video of the same movement. The motor imagery task was imagining the flexion and extension of the index finger movement. After performing the tasks randomly, subjects were submitted to 15 min of low-frequency rTMS and performed the tasks again. All tasks were executed simultaneously with EEG signals recording. Our results demonstrated a significant interaction between rTMS and the three tasks in almost all analyzed regions showing that rTMS can affect the frontal region regarding Execution, Action observation, and Motor Imagery tasks.

Quantitative Electroencephalography Findings in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus

Objective. Diabetes mellitus (DM) causes structural central nervous system (CNS) impairment, and this situation can be detected by quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) findings before cognitive impairment is clinically observed. The main aim of this study is to uncover the effect of DM on brain function. Since QEEG reflects the CNS functioning, particularly in cognitive aspects, we expected electrophysiological clues to be found for prevention and follow-up in DM-related cognitive decline. Since a majority of the psychiatric population have cognitive dysfunction, we have given particular attention to those people. It was stated that a decrease was observed in the posterior cortical alpha power due to the hippocampal atrophy by several previous studies and we hypothesize that decreased alpha power will be observed also in DM. Methods. This study included 2094 psychiatric patients, 207 of whom were diagnosed with DM and 1887 of whom were not diagnosed with DM, and QEEG recordings were performed. Eyes-closed electroencephalography data were segmented into consecutive 2 s epochs. Fourier analysis was performed by averaging across 2 s epochs without artifacts. The absolute alpha power in the occipital regions (O1 and O2) of patients with and without DM was compared. Results. In the DM group, a decrease in the absolute alpha, alpha 1, and alpha 2 power in O1 and O2 was observed in comparison with the control group. It was determined that the type of psychiatric diagnosis did not affect QEEG findings. Conclusion. The decrease in absolute alpha power observed in patients diagnosed with DM may be related to the CNS impairment in DM. QEEG findings in DM can be useful while monitoring the CNS impairment, diagnosing DM-related dementia, in the follow-up of the cognitive process, constructing the protocols for electrophysiological interventions like neurofeedback and transcranial magnetic stimulation and monitoring the response to treatment.

Analyzing Brain Activities in Response To Music and Video Stimulants

Studying the effects of different stimulants on the brain is an ongoing research aiming to discover the activities and reactions of the brain. In this sake, we propose a study to show the impact of external stimuli on the human brain. The implementation includes 50 subjects exposed to four various stimuli while recording EEG. First, a control experiment is done where EEG is recorded in the absence of any stimulation. Then, EEG is recorded while the subjects are watching two consecutive sections from nature and violence videos, listening to sections of classical music and then heavy music. The recorded signals are analysed through EEGLAB. The power spectral densities are computed and an analysed. The results showed a decrease in alpha absolute power was observed in 68.1% subjects when watching the nature movie, and in 72.34% subjects when watching the violence video. An increase in alpha and beta absolute power was detected in 70.45% of subjects when listening to the heavy music. Relative power spectral density showed a significant increase of delta rhythm upon watching the video of natural scenes, and a significant increase of alpha rhythm when listening to classical music. ANOVA test is also used to verify if any effect of the stimuli can be observed on each frequency bands. The results showed that the delta rhythm’s highest values were obtained in reaction to the natural scenes video and that there is a significant relationship between alpha rhythms and the stimulus due to Classical music.

Determining the Effects of Voice Pitch on Adolescent Perception, Subconscious Bias, and Marketing Success Using Electroencephalography

A company’s success largely depends on marketing; however, implicit biases may impact the perception and potency of advertisements. Voice pitch affects perceived authoritativeness, competency, and leadership capacity. Pitch also correlates with greater popularity in online influencers. This study employed neuromarketing techniques to quantify effects of bias caused by differences in voice pitch using affordable electroencephalogram (EEG). To determine the influence of voice pitch on marketing success, we collected subjective perception ratings (confidence, trustworthiness, and willingness to try) while subjects (n = 26) listened to sets of recordings of male-voiced and female-voiced advertisements with varying pitches. Subjects gave significantly higher ratings for male-voiced advertisements of low pitch and female-voiced advertisements of mid and low pitch. Additionally, we used EEG to measure levels of three brain wave frequency bands: theta, alpha, and beta bands. We found significant correlations between higher ratings and high levels of theta and alpha absolute power. We also found correlations between higher ratings and lower magnitude of frontal asymmetry, which measures difference in activity between the left and right prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that examining certain measures of brain activity collected using an affordable EEG could predict advertising effectiveness, which may be invaluable in future neuromarketing research. Understanding voice pitch and other factors that cause implicit bias may allow significant advances in marketing, facilitating business success.

A study on EEG feature extraction and classification in autistic children based on singular spectrum analysis method.

IntroductionThe clinical diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) depends on rating scale evaluation, which introduces subjectivity. Thus, objective indicators of ASD are of great interest to clinicians. In this study, we sought biomarkers from resting‐state electroencephalography (EEG) data that could be used to accurately distinguish children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children.MethodsWe recorded resting‐state EEG from 46 children with ASD and 63 age‐matched TD children aged 3 to 5 years. We applied singular spectrum analysis (SSA) to the EEG sequences to eliminate noise components and accurately extract the alpha rhythm.ResultsWhen we used individualized alpha peak frequency (iAPF) and individualized alpha absolute power (iABP) as features for a linear support vector machine, ASD versus TD classification accuracy was 92.7%.ConclusionThis study suggested that our methods have potential to assist in clinical diagnosis.

Psychiatry to dermatology; panic disorder

ObjectiveAnxiety is commonly observed together with skin diseases and can aggravate them, while skin diseases can increase anxiety. The relationship of skin diseases observed in panic disorder with quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) findings has not been investigated yet. The aim of this study is to compare the absolute alpha and delta power of panic disorder patients with and without skin disease. Methods246 panic disorder patients, 19 of whom had skin disease and 227 of whom did not have skin disease, were included in the study. Panic disorder severity scale (PDSS) scores of patients were recorded, and QEEG recording was performed. Absolute alpha and delta power and PDSS scores were compared between the two groups. ResultsIt was found that the absolute delta power in the left hemisphere was lower and PDSS scores were higher in the patients with skin diseases compared to the control group. In the patients with skin disease, decreased delta power in the left hemisphere may cause impairment in the processing of positive emotions and may cause trait anxiety. ConclusionTrait anxiety may increase susceptibility to skin diseases by disrupting cutaneous homeostasis resulting from the prolonged sympathetic nervous system activation.

Relationship of background electroencephalogram with cognitive impairment in patients with alcohol dependence

A significant number of studies have focused on the neurophysiological basis of cognitive dysfunction among individuals with neurological and psychiatric disorders, including alcoholism. However, the neural correlates of cognitive deficits in alcohol dependence are still not clear enough.&#x0D; The purposeof the study: to identify the relationship of background electroencephalogram indicators with cognitive disorders in patients with alcohol dependence.&#x0D; Material and methods.107patients with alcohol dependence aged 30 to 60years after detoxification were examined. The background electroencephalogram was recorded with closed eyes for 2min. The values of the absolute spectral power of theta, alpha and beta rhythms were analyzed. The study of the level of Executive functioning was conducted using the Go/Nogo test. The level of spatially working memory was evaluated using the Corsi Block-Tapping test.&#x0D; Results.Data analysis revealed statistically significant correlations between the spectral power of the alpha rhythm in the occipital cortex and the number of errors per inhibitory signal (Nogo) in the Go/Nogo problem (r=0.287; p=0.025). There were also statistically significant correlations between the values of alpha-rhythm spectral power and working memory in the Corsi test in the parietal cortex (r=0.273; p=0.037), occipital cortex (r=0.316; p=0.015) and temporal cortex (r=0.359; p=0.005). There were no statistically significant correlations of beta and theta rhythms with the results of cognitive tests (p0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion.Thus, all of the above results indicate that the background EEG indicators, in particular the spectral power of alpha activity, can with a certain probability indicate violations of cognitive functioning (inhibitory control and working memory) in patients with alcohol dependence.

Excitation of the Pre-frontal and Primary Visual Cortex in Response to Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation in Retinal Degeneration Mice

Retinal degeneration (rd) is one of the leading causes of blindness in the modern world today. Various strategies including electrical stimulation are being researched for the restoration of partial or complete vision. Previous studies have demonstrated that the effectiveness of electrical stimulation in somatosensory, frontal and visual cortices is dependent on stimulation parameters including stimulation frequency and brain states. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of applying a prolonged electrical stimulation on the eye of rd mice with various stimulation frequencies, in awake and anesthetized brain states. We recorded spontaneous electrocorticogram (ECoG) neural activity in prefrontal cortex and primary visual cortex in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) after prolonged (5-day) transcorneal electrical stimulation (pTES) at various frequencies (2, 10, and 20 Hz). We evaluated the absolute power and coherence of spontaneous ECoG neural activities in contralateral primary visual cortex (contra Vcx) and contralateral pre-frontal cortex (contra PFx). Under the awake state, the absolute power of theta, alpha and beta oscillations in contra Vcx, at 10 Hz stimulation, was higher than in the sham group. Under the anesthetized state, the absolute power of medium-, high-, and ultra-high gamma oscillations in the contra PFx, at 2 Hz stimulation, was higher than in the sham group. We also observed that the ultra-high gamma band coherence in contra Vcx-contra PFx was higher than in the sham group, with both 10 and 20 Hz stimulation frequencies. Our results showed that pTES modulates rd brain oscillations in a frequency and brain state-dependent manner. These findings suggest that non-invasive electrical stimulation of retina changes patterns of neural oscillations in the brain circuitry. This also provides a starting point for investigating the sustained effect of electrical stimulation of the retina to brain activities.

Effectiveness of an Integrated Intervention Program for Alcoholism: Electrophysiological Findings.

Background:Neuroelectrophysiological measures such as electroencephalograms (EEGs) in resting state and event-related potentials (ERPs) provide valuable information about the vulnerability and treatment-related changes in persons with alcoholism. This study examined the effectiveness of an Integrated Intervention Program for Alcoholism (IIPA) using electrophysiological measures.Methods:Fifty individuals with early onset of alcohol dependence participated. They were grouped randomly into two: the treatment as usual (TAU) group and the treatment group, matched on age (±1 year) and education (±1 year). eyes closed and resting state EEGs and ERPs on cognitive tasks (flanker task, alcohol Go/No-Go task, and single outcome gambling task) were recorded before and after treatment. The TAU group received pharmacotherapy, six days/week yoga sessions, and three sessions/week group therapy on relapse prevention while the treatment group received IIPA along with usual treatment (except yoga) for 18 days.Results:There was no significant difference between the groups pre-treatment. RM-ANOVA for pre- and post-treatment stages showed a significant difference between the two groups in the absolute power of alpha, beta, theta, and delta, during eye closure, in the resting-state EEGs. The treatment group showed significantly larger N200/N2 amplitude in congruent and incongruent conditions (flanker task), N200/N2 amplitude for alcohol No-Go, P300/P3 amplitude for neutral No-Go on alcohol Go/No-Go task, and outcome-related positivity (ORP) amplitude on single outcome gambling task.Conclusion:This exploratory study suggests that IIPA is effective for enhancing relaxation state and attentiveness, decreasing hyperarousal, and ameliorating neurocognitive dysfunctions of conflict-monitoring, response inhibition, and reward processing.