Brain Cognitive Function Research Articles

Brain Changes in the White Matter of the Brain White Matter Changes and Cognitive Functions in Asymptomatic Patients

We analyzed the relationship between white matter hyperintensities in T2-weighted MR-images (according to Fazekas score) and the state of cognitive functions (total MOCA score) in 65 asymptomatic individuals. A relationship between the presence/number of lesions in the deep white matter of the brain and cognitive status according to the total MOCA score was revealed. The results of cognitive functions assessment also correlated with MRI evaluation of the severity of brain cortex atrophy. The severity of deep white matter lesions according to the Fazekas scale were also associated with end-diastolic blood flow velocities in the middle cerebral, vertebral, and basilar arteries.

Putative adult neurogenesis in palaeognathous birds: The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) and emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae).

In the current study, we examined adult neurogenesis throughout the brain of the common ostrich (Struthio camelus) and emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) using immunohistochemistry for the endogenous markers PCNA which labels proliferating cells, and DCX, which stains immature and migrating neurons. The distribution of PCNA and DCX labelled cells was widespread throughout the brain of both species. The highest density of cells immunoreactive to both markers was observed in the olfactory bulbs and the telencephalon, especially the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle. Proliferative hot spots, identified with strong PCNA and DCX immunolabelling, were identified in the dorsal and ventral poles of the rostral aspects of the lateral ventricles. The density of PCNA immunoreactive cells was less in the telencephalon of the emu compared to the common ostrich. Substantial numbers of PCNA immunoreactive cells were observed in the diencephalon and brainstem, but DCX immunoreactivity was weaker in these regions, preferentially staining axons and dendrites over cell bodies, except in the medial regions of the hypothalamus where distinct DCX immunoreactive cells and fibres were observed. PCNA and DCX immunoreactive cells were readily observed in moderate density in the cortical layers of the cerebellum of both species. The distribution of putative proliferating cells and immature neurons in the brain of the common ostrich and the emu is widespread, far more so than in mammals, and compares with the neognathous birds, and suggests that brain plasticity and neuronal turnover is an important aspect of cognitive brain functions in these birds.

The Contribution of Plasma and Brain Vitamin C on Age and Gender-Related Cognitive Differences: A Mini-Review of the Literature.

There is increasing evidence that sex differences in the brain may contribute to gender-related behavioral differences, including cognitive function. Literature has revealed gender dimorphisms in cognitive function between males and females. Additionally, several risk factors associated with cognitive decline depend on chronological age. It is well recognized that the process of aging is associated with a decline in cognitive ability and brain function. Various explanations may account for these gender-related cognitive differences and age-associated cognitive changes. Recent investigations have highlighted the importance of vitamin C in maintaining brain health and its association with cognitive function in both cognitively intact and impaired cohorts. The present review explores previous literature that has evaluated differences in plasma/brain vitamin C between genders and during aging. It then assesses whether these age and gender-related differences may affect the relationship between plasma/brain vitamin C and cognition. The purpose of this review was to examine the evidence for a link between plasma/brain vitamin C and cognition and the impact of gender and age on this relationship. Epidemiological studies have frequently shown higher vitamin C plasma concentrations in women. Similarly, aging has been systematically associated with reductions in plasma vitamin C levels. A range of animal studies has demonstrated potential gender and age-related differences in vitamin C brain distribution and utilization. The reviewed literature suggests that gender differences in plasma and brain vitamin C may potentially contribute to differences in gender-associated cognitive ability, particularly while females are pre-menopausal. Additionally, we can propose that age-associated differences in plasma and brain vitamin C may be potentially linked to age-associated cognitive differences, with older cohorts appearing more vulnerable to experience declines in plasma vitamin C concentrations alongside compromised vitamin C brain regulation. This review encourages future investigations to take into account both gender and age when assessing the link between plasma vitamin C concentrations and cognitive function. Further large scale investigations are required to assess whether differences in cognitive function between genders and age groups may be causally attributed to plasma vitamin C status and brain distribution and utilization.

Cognitive function and brain plasticity in a rat model of shift work: role of daily rhythms, sleep and glucocorticoids

Many occupations require operations during the night-time when the internal circadian clock promotes sleep, in many cases resulting in impairments in cognitive performance and brain functioning. Here, we use a rat model to attempt to identify the biological mechanisms underlying such impaired performance. Rats were exposed to forced activity, either in their rest-phase (simulating night-shift work; rest work) or in their active-phase (simulating day-shift work; active work). Sleep, wakefulness and body temperature rhythm were monitored throughout. Following three work shifts, spatial memory performance was tested on the Morris Water Maze task. After 4 weeks washout, the work protocol was repeated, and blood and brain tissue collected. Simulated night-shift work impaired spatial memory and altered biochemical markers of cerebral cortical protein synthesis. Measures of daily rhythm strength were blunted, and sleep drive increased. Individual variation in the data suggested differences in shift work tolerance. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that type of work, changes in daily rhythmicity and changes in sleep drive predict spatial memory performance and expression of brain protein synthesis regulators. Moreover, serum corticosterone levels predicted expression of brain protein synthesis regulators. These findings open new research avenues into the biological mechanisms that underlie individual variation in shift work tolerance.

Pharmacological Evaluation of the Impact of Fluoride-Contaminated Drinking Water on Brain Cognitive Function and Bone Health in Nalgonda and Warangal Rural Districts of Telangana in India

A systematic groundwater analysis was carried out in six villages of Narsampet in Warangal district and two villages of Narketpally in Nalgonda district of Telangana in India. These water samples were collected from respective areas and evaluated under four different categories viz. physico-chemical parameters (such as pH, Electric Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Turbidity, Alkalinity, Hardness, Chloride, Nitrates, Sulphates, Fluoride, Iron content) as per standard methods, behavioral changes i.e. measurement of learning and memory ability of rats (Rectangular maze, Morris water maze, Locomotor activity tests), various biochemical tests for both brain homogenate (Ellaman’s, DPPH, H2O2 Catalase activity assay) and serum (GOD-POD end point Assay, Uricase/POD end point Assay, Modified Biuret end point Assay) and histopathological studies of brain and bones. The results of physico-chemical tests were compared with WHO, BIS standards and the fluoride content of all the water samples was found to be higher than the standards. The results of behavioral tests and biochemical tests indicate the decrease in antioxidant activity and acetylcholine levels in rat brains due to high fluoride induced oxidative stress and increase in the cholinesterase activity. The biochemical tests for assessing bone toxicity reveal an increase in blood glucose and uric acid levels accompanied by decrease in protein levels indicating damage to bones. Histopathological studies indicate damage to the hippocampus region of the brain, nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum of femur bone.

Deterministic characteristics of spontaneous activity detected by multi-fractal analysis in a spiking neural network with long-tailed distributions of synaptic weights.

Cortical neural networks maintain autonomous electrical activity called spontaneous activity that represents the brain's dynamic internal state even in the absence of sensory stimuli. The spatio-temporal complexity of spontaneous activity is strongly related to perceptual, learning, and cognitive brain functions; multi-fractal analysis can be utilized to evaluate the complexity of spontaneous activity. Recent studies have shown that the deterministic dynamic behavior of spontaneous activity especially reflects the topological neural network characteristics and changes of neural network structures. However, it remains unclear whether multi-fractal analysis, recently widely utilized for neural activity, is effective for detecting the complexity of the deterministic dynamic process. To verify this point, we focused on the log-normal distribution of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) to evaluate the multi-fractality of spontaneous activity in a spiking neural network with a log-normal distribution of EPSPs. We found that the spiking activities exhibited multi-fractal characteristics. Moreover, to investigate the presence of a deterministic process in the spiking activity, we conducted a surrogate data analysis against the time-series of spiking activity. The results showed that the spontaneous spiking activity included the deterministic dynamic behavior. Overall, the combination of multi-fractal analysis and surrogate data analysis can detect deterministic complex neural activity. The multi-fractal analysis of neural activity used in this study could be widely utilized for brain modeling and evaluation methods for signals obtained by neuroimaging modalities.

P0730ALTERATION OF BRAIN CONNECTIVITY IN NEUROLOGICALLY ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE

Abstract Background and Aims Our previous study demonstrated that patients in End stage renal disease had decreased structural and functional brain connectivity, and there was significant association between brain connectivity and cognitive function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the alterations of structural and functional connectivity using graph theoretical analysis in the neurologically asymptomatic patients with relatively early stage chronic kidney disease (CKD). Method We prospectively enrolled neurologically asymptomatic 20 patients with CKD stage 3 and 20 healthy controls, and all of the subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). Using data from the structural and functional connectivity matrix based on DTI and rs-fMRI, we calculated network measures, including global efficiency, local efficiency, mean clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, and small-worldness index, and investigated the differences between the patients with CKD and healthy controls. Results The patients with CKD had altered global structural connectivity and preserved functional connectivity compared to healthy controls. The all of the measures of global structural connectivity were significantly different between the patients with CKD and healthy controls. However, all of the measures of global functional connectivity in the CKD patients were not different from those in healthy participants. In the CKD patients, the functional betweenness centrality of the right insular cortex, right occipital pole, and right thalamus was significantly different from that in healthy subjects. The structural betweenness centrality of the left calcarine, right posterior cingulum was significantly different from that in healthy subjects. Conclusion There were significant alterations of global structural connectivity between patients with CKD and control. However, functional connectivity of brain network was preserved in contrast to ESRD patients.

Coherence resonance for neuronal bursting with spike undershoot.

Although the bursting patterns with spike undershoot are involved with the achievement of physiological or cognitive functions of brain with synaptic noise, noise induced-coherence resonance (CR) from resting state or subthreshold oscillations instead of bursting has been widely identified to play positive roles in information process. Instead, in the present paper, CR characterized by the increase firstly and then decease of peak value of power spectrum of spike trains is evoked from a bursting pattern with spike undershoot, which means that the minimal membrane potential within burst is lower than that of the subthreshold oscillations between bursts, while CR cannot be evoked from the bursting pattern without spike undershoot. With bifurcations and fast-slow variable dissection method, the bursting patterns with and without spike undershoot are classified into "Sub-Hopf/Fold" bursting and "Fold/Homoclinic" bursting, respectively. For the bursting with spike undershoot, the trajectory of the subthreshold oscillations is very close to that of the spikes within burst. Therefore, noise can induce more spikes from the subthreshold oscillations and modulate the bursting regularity, which leads to the appearance of CR. For the bursting pattern without spike undershoot, the trajectory of the quiescent state is not close to that of the spikes within burst, and noise cannot induce spikes from the quiescent state between bursts, which is cause for non-CR. The result provides a novel case of CR phenomenon and extends the scopes of CR concept, presents that noise can enhance rather than suppress information of the bursting patterns with spike undershoot, which are helpful for understanding the dynamics and the potential physiological or cognitive functions of the nerve fiber or brain neurons with such bursting patterns.

Effects of multidomain versus single-domain training on executive control and memory in older adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundPrevious research suggests that both cognitive training and physical exercise help to maintain brain health and cognitive functions that decline with age. Some studies indicate that combined interventions may produce larger effects than each intervention alone. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of combined cognitive and physical training compared to cognitive training and physical training alone on executive control and memory functions in healthy older adults.ObjectivesThe main objectives of this four-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) are: to investigate the synergetic effects of a simultaneous, group-based multidomain training program that combines cognitive video-game training with physical exercise, in comparison to those produced by cognitive training combined with physical control activity, physical training combined with cognitive control activity, or a combination of both control activities; to investigate whether event-related potential latencies of the P2 component are shorter and N2 and P3b components assessed in a memory-based task switching task are enhanced after training; and to find out whether possible enhancements persist after a 3-month period without training.MethodsIn this randomized, single-blind, controlled trial, 144 participants will be randomly assigned to one of the four combinations of cognitive training and physical exercise. The cognitive component will be either video-game training (cognitive intervention, CI) or video games not specifically designed to train cognition (cognitive control, CC). The physical exercise component will either emphasize endurance, strength, and music–movement coordination (exercise intervention, EI) or stretching, toning, and relaxation (exercise control, EC).DiscussionThis RCT will investigate the short and long-term effects of multidomain training, compared to cognitive training and physical training alone, on executive control and memory functions in healthy older adults, in comparison with the performance of an active control group.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03823183. Registered on 21 January 2019.

Development of a Chinese Chess Robotic System for the Elderly Using Convolutional Neural Networks

According to the data from Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) in 2018, it is estimated that 10 million new dementia patients will be added worldwide, and the global dementia population is estimated to be 50 million. Due to a decline in the birth rate and the development and great progress of medical technology, the proportion of elderly people has risen annually in Taiwan. In fact, Taiwan has become one of the fastest-growing aged countries in the world. Consequently, problems related to aging societies will emerge. Dementia is one of most prevailing aging-related diseases, with a great influence on daily life and a great economic burden. Dementia is not a single disease, but a combination of symptoms. There is currently no medicine that can cure dementia. Finding preventive measures for dementia has become a public concern. Older people should actively increase brain-protective factors and reduce risk factors in their lives to reduce the risk of dementia and even prevent the occurrence of dementia. Studies have shown that engaging in mental or creative activities that stimulate brain function has a relative risk reduction of nearly 50%. Elderly people should develop the habit of life-long learning to strengthen effective neural bonds between brain cells and preserve brain cognitive functions. Playing chess is one of the suggested activities. This paper aimed to develop a Chinese robotic chess system for the elderly. It mainly uses a camera to capture the contour of the Chinese chessman, recognizes the character and location of the chessman, and then transmits this information to the robotic arm, which will grab and place the chessman in the appropriate position on the chessboard. The camera image is transmitted to MATLAB for image recognition. The character of the chessman is recognized by convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Forward and inverse kinematics are used to manipulate the robotic arm. Even if the chessmen are arbitrarily placed, the experiment showed that their coordinates can be found through the camera as long as they are located within the working scope of the camera and the robotic arm. For black chessmen, no matter how many degrees they are rotated, they can be recognized correctly, while the red ones can be recognized 100% of the time within 90° of rotation and 98.7% with more than a 90° rotation.

New Concepts on the Implementation of Motor and Cognitive Functions in the Brain: Facts and Hypotheses

The rapid development of neurosciences in the past two decades has led to the emergence of new experimentally based facts and increased the number of hypotheses on the implementation of motor and cognitive brain functions. The purpose of the review is to present the most important part of this new material; this should be taken into consideration in planning and conducting both fundamental and applied research on brain functions.

Species Classification for Neuroscience Literature Based on Span of Interest Using Sequence-to-Sequence Learning Model.

Large-scale neuroscience literature call for effective methods to mine the knowledge from species perspective to link the brain and neuroscience communities, neurorobotics, computing devices, and AI research communities. Structured knowledge can motivate researchers to better understand the functionality and structure of the brain and link the related resources and components. However, the abstracts of massive scientific works do not explicitly mention the species. Therefore, in addition to dictionary-based methods, we need to mine species using cognitive computing models that are more like the human reading process, and these methods can take advantage of the rich information in the literature. We also enable the model to automatically distinguish whether the mentioned species is the main research subject. Distinguishing the two situations can generate value at different levels of knowledge management. We propose SpecExplorer project which is used to explore the knowledge associations of different species for brain and neuroscience. This project frees humans from the tedious task of classifying neuroscience literature by species. Species classification task belongs to the multi-label classification which is more complex than the single-label classification due to the correlation between labels. To resolve this problem, we present the sequence-to-sequence classification framework to adaptively assign multiple species to the literature. To model the structure information of documents, we propose the hierarchical attentive decoding (HAD) to extract span of interest (SOI) for predicting each species. We create three datasets from PubMed and PMC corpora. We present two versions of annotation criteria (mention-based annotation and semantic-based annotation) for species research. Experiments demonstrate that our approach achieves improvements in the final results. Finally, we perform species-based analysis of brain diseases, brain cognitive functions, and proteins related to the hippocampus and provide potential research directions for certain species.

Modulation of gamma oscillations as a possible therapeutic tool for neuropsychiatric diseases: A review and perspective

Gamma oscillations (30–80 Hz) are well-known for their role in cortical signal transmission and cognitive brain functions. Aberrant gamma activity has been observed in various neuropsychiatric disorders, but the clinical potential of restoring gamma oscillations via noninvasive brain stimulation has been widely neglected. Only recently, therapeutic effects of gamma entrainment were documented in mouse models of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) using rhythmic sensory stimulation. In the present review, we first summarize the current status of the research on gamma entrainment in mouse models of AD and human AD patients. Then, we suggest transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) as an alternative brain stimulation technique and review the recent literature on the effects of gamma tACS in healthy volunteers and neuropsychiatric diseases to document the efficacy of gamma tACS in improving cognitive functions. We discuss several advantages of tACS compared to rhythmic sensory stimulation for the entrainment of gamma oscillations in the human brain and emphasize the need for more clinical studies applying tACS to drive gamma oscillations and, in turn, to improve cognitive functioning not only in AD but also in patients suffering from other neuropsychiatric disorders.

Sodium channels implement a molecular leaky integrator that detects action potentials and regulates neuronal firing.

Voltage-gated sodium channels play a critical role in cellular excitability, amplifying small membrane depolarizations into action potentials. Interactions with auxiliary subunits and other factors modify the intrinsic kinetic mechanism to result in new molecular and cellular functionality. We show here that sodium channels can implement a molecular leaky integrator, where the input signal is the membrane potential and the output is the occupancy of a long-term inactivated state. Through this mechanism, sodium channels effectively measure the frequency of action potentials and convert it into Na+ current availability. In turn, the Na+ current can control neuronal firing frequency in a negative feedback loop. Consequently, neurons become less sensitive to changes in excitatory input and maintain a lower firing rate. We present these ideas in the context of rat serotonergic raphe neurons, which fire spontaneously at low frequency and provide critical neuromodulation to many autonomous and cognitive brain functions.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation can improve specific language impairment in preschool children: a pilot study

BackgroundSpeech and language are one of the higher cognitive brain functions. Language delay is one of the major concerns of child health in Egypt. Speech therapy is the standard management in language delay.ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the potential role of dietary supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in improving specific language impairment.Subjects and methodsA total of 220 children (ages 3–4) were included in this study at the Phonetics Department, Helwan School of Medicine, Egypt, during the period from 2015 to 2018. Children received comprehensive neurological examination and intelligence quotient (IQ) test to exclude the other causes of language delay. Language evaluation was performed using the Arabic language test. They either received family counseling, speech therapy (45 min; 3 times a week for 16 weeks), and PUFA supplementation 500 mg twice daily (group A) or only counseling and speech therapy (group B). Language quotient (LQ) was calculated before and after treatment.ResultsOur results show that LQ significantly improved in group A compared with group B (p < 0.004).ConclusionDietary supplementation with PUFA has a beneficial role in the management of specific language impairment along with speech therapy.

Short-term E-cigarette toxicity effects on brain cognitive memory functions and inflammatory responses in mice.

Exposure to cigarette smoke (CS) is associated with an increased risk of several neurological diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. At present, commercialization of E-cigarettes (ECs) is increasing, and they are advertised as a less harmful nicotine-delivery system. There are, however, limited studies regarding the neurotoxicity effects of ECs on the brain, which remains a subject of debate. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the in vivo effects of short-term EC vapor exposure on the brain and compare them with the effects of cigarette smoke (CS). BALB/c mice were exposed to air, CS, and EC for 14days. We then assessed the inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, and cognitive functions of the mice by using maze tests. Cognitive spatial tests showed that the mice exposed to CS and ECs had delayed time in finding food rewards. EC exposure demonstrated no improvement in spatial memory learning to find the food reward on the next day. This implies that CS and EC exposure possibly causes damage to the olfactory system. Notably, EC exposure potentially causes abnormalities in mice memory functions. Histological staining of the cerebral cortex of mice brain in the EC-exposed group demonstrated inflammatory responses such as necrosis and cytoplasm vacuolization. Immunohistochemical staining revealed high expression of proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α in both the EC- and CS-exposed groups. Hence, we conclude that ECs share similar toxicity profiles as CS, which potentially negatively impact brain function.

Influence of cardiopulmonary bypass on postoperative brain cognitive function of children with congenital heart disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital malformation disease in infants.With the rapid development of clinical treatment, the survival rate of children with CHD increased significantly.However, postoperative complications in children with CHD, including heart failure, heart arrythmia, pulmonary hypertension and brain cognitive dysfunction, are another challenge, among which, brain cognitive dysfunction has been gradually recognized and valued by scholars.At present, the effect of cardiopulmonary bypass on brain cognitive function of children with CHD has been studied by a variety of research methods, including molecular biological technique, magnetic resonance imaging technique, optical imaging technology, brain electrical activity monitoring technology and nervous development scale.Varying degrees of brain cognitive dysfunction will occur in children with CHD after heart surgery, which is closely associated with many factors such as systemic inflammatory response related to cardiopulmonary bypass, cerebral ischemia-reperfustion injury, the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, aortic cross clamp time, deep hypothermia circulatory arrest time, dynamic changes of temperature, degree of hemodilution and blood gas management strategy.The influence of cardiopulmonary bypass on postoperative brain cognitive function in children with CHD is reviewed in this paper, in order to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment, and to improve the prognosis of children with CHD. Key words: Cardiopulmonary bypass; Brain cognitive function; Congenital heart disease

Sexual dimorphism in cognitive disorders in a murine model of neuropathic pain

BackgroundA sex-difference in susceptibility to chronic pain is well-known. Although recent studies have begun to reveal the sex-dependent mechanisms of nerve injury-induced pain sensitization, sex differences in the affective and cognitive brain dysfunctions associated with chronic pain have not been investigated. Therefore, we tested whether chronic pain leads to affective and cognitive disorders in a mouse neuropathic pain model and whether those disorders are sexually dimorphic.MethodsChronic neuropathic pain was induced in male and female mice by L5 spinal nerve transection (SNT) injury. Pain sensitivity was measured with the von Frey test. Affective behaviors such as depression and anxiety were assessed by the forced swim, tail suspension, and open field tests. Cognitive brain function was assessed with the Morris water maze and the novel object location and novel object recognition tests.ResultsMechanical allodynia was induced and maintained for up to 8 weeks after SNT in both male and female mice. Depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors were observed 8 weeks post-SNT injury regardless of sex. Chronic pain-induced cognitive deficits measured with the Morris water maze and novel object location test were seen only in male mice, not in female mice.ConclusionsChronic neuropathic pain is accompanied by anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in a mouse model regardless of sex, and male mice are more vulnerable than female mice to chronic pain-associated cognitive deficits.

Effect of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy on brain health of the child at 11 years: the FASSTT Offspring trial

AbstractPericonceptional folic acid (FA) has an established role in the prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs), leading to global recommendations for FA supplementation before and in early pregnancy. However, it is unclear whether there are any benefits for offspring brain health arising from continued maternal FA supplementation beyond the first trimester. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of maternal folate nutrition during pregnancy in relation to cognitive performance and brain function in the offspring at 11 years. The children of mothers who had participated in a randomised trial of Folic Acid Supplementation in the Second and Third Trimesters (FASSTT) were investigated, providing a unique opportunity to examine offspring brain health in relation to maternal folate (the FASSTT Offspring trial; n = 68). Cognitive performance was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth UK Edition (WISC-IV). The WISC-IV measures Full Scale IQ and specific domains of cognitive performance: Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory and Processing Speed. Brain function was measured using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in a subset of the child participants (n = 33). The results showed no significant difference in Full Scale IQ between the children of mothers who had received folic acid versus placebo during pregnancy (P = 0.993). Processing Speed subtest scores were however significantly higher in the folic acid group compared with placebo (Symbol Search: P = 0.046 and Cancellation: P = 0.011). The application of MEG analysis showed that at rest, there were differences in brain functioning with significantly lower overall power at Broad band [1–48Hz] (P = 0.041) and a trend (not significant) towards lower power in all other frequency bands (Theta, Mu, Beta, Low Gamma and High Gamma) in children from the FA group compared with placebo. Results for the responses to the language task (congruent and incongruent sentences) in children from the FA group showed significantly lower power within the Theta band [4–8Hz] and significantly higher power within high frequency bands i.e. Beta [13–30 Hz] and High Gamma [49–70 Hz]. This suggested more efficient language processing abilities in these children compared to children of mothers in the placebo group. The findings provide scientific evidence that continuing FA supplementation beyond the periconceptional period that is protective against NTDs, may be beneficial for brain health in the offspring. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that MEG is a useful tool for objective assessment of functional brain activity in healthy children in response to nutrition intervention.

The Positive Influence of Music on the Human Brain

In the past decade, with the rapid development of cognitive neuroscience and brain function detection technology, the relationship between music and brain has increasingly attracted the attention of neuroscientists. More and more research shows that the influence of music on people is not only emotional; it has a positive effect on brain development and cognitive development. Different states of the brain understand music in different ways, stimulating specific areas of the left and right hemispheres of the brain to evoke specific “music memories”, causing corresponding physiological changes. Music activities must be based on brain mechanisms and neural mechanisms to complete, and the most basic way of human brain and nervous system activity is communication and signal transmission between cells. In this paper, we explored the influence of music on the brain. We compared the differences in cognition and memory within a group of students with various academic performances. Through the test of color memory, the length of response time is used as a cognitive ability scale. The results showed that the experimental group performed better, confirming that listening to music can have certain positive effect on cognitive ability, specifically, improving memory. Listening to music could enhance the performance and reduce errors in the questions that the color of the word matched.