Field Of Neuroscience Research Articles

Intermodulation Frequency Components in Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials: Generation, Characteristics and Applications.

The steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), evoked by dual-frequency or multi-frequency stimulation, likely contains intermodulation frequency components (IMs). Visual IMs are products of nonlinear integration of neural signals and can be evoked by various paradigms that induce neural interaction. IMs have demonstrated many interesting and important characteristics in cognitive psychology, clinical neuroscience, brain-computer interface and other fields, and possess substantial research potential. In this paper, we first review the definition of IMs and summarize the stimulation paradigms capable of inducing them, along with the possible neural origins of IMs. Subsequently, we describe the characteristics and derived applications of IMs in previous studies, and then introduced three signal processing methods favored by researchers to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of IMs. Finally, we summarize the characteristics of IMs, and propose several potential future research directions related to IMs.

Real-time multicompartment Hodgkin-Huxley neuron emulation on SoC FPGA

Advanced computational models and simulations to unravel the complexities of brain function have known a growing interest in recent years in the field of neurosciences, driven by significant technological progress in computing platforms. Multicompartment models, which capture the detailed morphological and functional properties of neural circuits, represent a significant advancement in this area providing more biological coherence than single compartment modeling. These models serve as a cornerstone for exploring the neural basis of sensory processing, learning paradigms, adaptive behaviors, and neurological disorders. Yet, the high complexity of these models presents a challenge for their real-time implementation, which is essential for exploring alternative therapies for neurological disorders such as electroceutics that rely on biohybrid interaction. Here, we present an accessible, user-friendly, and real-time emulator for multicompartment Hodgkin-Huxley neurons on SoC FPGA. Our system enables real-time emulation of multicompartment neurons while emphasizing cost-efficiency, flexibility, and ease of use. We showcase an implementation utilizing a technology that remains underrepresented in the current literature for this specific application. We anticipate that our system will contribute to the enhancement of computation platforms by presenting an alternative architecture for multicompartment computation. Additionally, it constitutes a step toward developing neuromorphic-based neuroprostheses for bioelectrical therapeutics through an embedded real-time platform running at a similar timescale to biological networks.

CNSC-27. INTRATUMORAL CANCER CELL NETWORKS IN BRAIN METASTASES

Abstract Recently, we have shown that primary brain tumors form highly organized, small-world scale-free networks, reminiscent of early networks in neurodevelopment and highly resistant to therapy. Such putative cancer-cell intrinsic neural mechanisms are becoming an increasing focus in the field of Cancer Neuroscience, but it has not yet been shown whether tumors of non-CNS origin also have the ability to form multicellular networks which sustain proliferative signaling and increase resistance to therapy. We observed synchronized calcium activity using longitudinal microscopy both in vivo and in vitro that were reminiscent of gap junction coupled networks. Indeed, dye transfer experiments verified functional coupling of brain metastases cells in vitro. Similarly, inhibition of gap junctions with different pharmacological agents significantly reduced calcium oscillations and tumour proliferation in vitro. Furthermore, gap junctions are significantly upregulated in brain-tropic sublines compared to parental cells. To understand the functional relevance of these gap-junction coupled tumor cell networks, we performed bulk RNA-Sequencing of two melanoma metastasis models in monoculture under gap junction inhibition and control: We observed reduced calcium communication and a concordant downregulation of neurodevelopmental and synaptic pathways within the tumor cells upon network disconnection, highlighting a potential recapitulation of neural-like features in metastases to the brain. To investigate the therapeutic potential of targeting these networks, we treated mice with brain metastases with two brain-penetrant gap junction blockers and observed significantly reduced tumor burden. Finally, we investigated the presence of heterotypic networks between brain metastases cells and the brain microenvironment with our SR101 dye transfer pipeline. Contrary to our findings in primary brain tumors, no gap junction connections to cells of the brain microenvironment in those models with reduced tumor growth upon network inhibition could be detected, supporting a cancer cell intrinsic gap junction mediated network and highlighting a selectivity of these homogenous tumor networks and potential therapeutic vulnerability.

Retinal morphology across the menstrual cycle: insights from the UK Biobank

Oestradiol and progesterone levels are higher in menstruating women than men of the same age, and their receptors are present in their neurosensory retina and retinal pigment epithelium. However, the impact of this hormonal environment on retinal physiology in women remains unclear. Using self-reported menstrual cycle phases as a surrogate for fluctuating hormonal levels, we investigated associations with retinovascular indices on colour fundus photograph and retinal thickness in optical coherence tomography across regularly menstruating women in the UK Biobank. We found no differences in retinal thickness across the cycle; however, vessel density, arteriolar and venular, and fractal dimension were higher in the luteal phase than follicular. The calibre of the central retinal vessels did not differ. This study suggests that the menstrual cycle phase might be associated with retinal microvasculature density in non-invasive imaging. It raises awareness for this understudied area, providing insights into neuroscience fields and epidemiological studies.

Balance of power: The choice between trial and participant numbers to optimise the detection of phase-dependent effects

Abstract The fields of neuroscience and psychology are currently in the midst of a so-called reproducibility crisis, with growing concerns regarding a history of weak effect sizes and low statistical power in much of the research published in these fields over the last few decades. Whilst the traditional approach for addressing this criticism has been to increase participant sample sizes, there are many research contexts in which the number of trials per participant may be of equal importance. The present study aimed to compare the relative importance of participants and trials in the detection of phase-dependent phenomena, which are measured across a range of neuroscientific contexts (e.g., neural oscillations, non-invasive brain stimulation). This was achievable within a simulated environment where one can manipulate the strength of this phase dependency in two types of outcome variables: one with normally distributed residuals (idealistic) and one comparable with motor-evoked potentials (an MEP-like variable). We compared the statistical power across thousands of experiments with the same number of sessions per experiment but with different proportions of participants and number of sessions per participant (30 participants × 1 session, 15 participants × 2 sessions, and 10 participants × 3 sessions), with the trials being pooled across sessions for each participant. These simulations were performed for both outcome variables (idealistic and MEP-like) and four different effect sizes (0.075—“weak,” 0.1—“moderate,” 0.125—“strong,” 0.15—“very strong”), as well as separate control scenarios with no true effect. Across all scenarios with (true) discoverable effects, and for both outcome types, there was a statistical benefit for experiments maximising the number of trials rather than the number of participants (i.e., it was always beneficial to recruit fewer participants but have them complete more trials). These findings emphasise the importance of obtaining sufficient individual-level data rather than simply increasing number of participants.

Neuronutrition and Its Impact on Post-Stroke Neurorehabilitation: Modulating Plasticity Through Diet.

The recovery of neurological deficits after ischemic stroke largely depends on the brain's ability to reorganize its undamaged neuronal circuits and neuronal plasticity phenomena. The consolidated evidence highlights the involvement of the patient's impaired nutritional conditions in post-stroke recovery and unsatisfying rehabilitative outcomes. Standardized nutritional protocols usually applied in hospitalized patients in a rehabilitation setting aim mainly to improve the general health conditions of patients, do not consider the high inter-individual variability in neurorehabilitation outcomes, and are not sufficiently modifiable to provide neuroprotective and restorative dietary patterns that could promote neuronal plasticity and functional recovery during neurorehabilitation. Neuronutrition, an emergent scientific field of neuroscience, represents a valid model of a personalized nutritional approach, assuring, for each patient, nutrients having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, ensuring a balanced microbiota composition, and providing adequate neurotrophic support, essential for improving neuronal plasticity, brain functional recovery, and rehabilitative outcomes. In the present narrative review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on neuronutrition as an adjuvant strategy of a personalized nutritional approach potentially effective in improving post-stroke neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation by counteracting or at least limiting post-stroke oxidative/nitrosative stress, neuroinflammation, and gut-brain axis disturbance.

Design of Optogenetic Microimplants for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disease

In the context of global aging, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease have become important issues in global public health and scientific research. This is due to their soaring incidence, serious impact on patients’ quality of life, and the huge burden they place on families and social economies. However, current treatments, such as drug therapy and deep brain stimulation, have obvious shortcomings. Moreover, there is a lack of precise neuromodulation tools to study the pathogenesis of these diseases In order to solve these problems, optogenetics has attracted attention in recent years, which uses light as a stimulus signal carrier and can realize the detection and control of neurodegenerative diseases at the level of neurons and neural circuits by implanting micro-implants such as μ leds. This review summarize the recent advances in microimplant technology in the fields of optogenetics and neuroscience, and summarize the development and application of optogenetic microimplants for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases in detail.

Development of a Marmoset Apparatus for Automated Pulling to study cooperative behaviors

In recent years, the field of neuroscience has increasingly recognized the importance of studying animal behaviors in naturalistic environments to gain deeper insights into ethologically relevant behavioral processes and neural mechanisms. The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), due to its small size, prosocial nature, and genetic proximity to humans, has emerged as a pivotal model toward this effort. However, traditional research methodologies often fail to fully capture the nuances of marmoset social interactions and cooperative behaviors. To address this critical gap, we developed the Marmoset Apparatus for Automated Pulling (MarmoAAP), a novel behavioral apparatus designed for studying cooperative behaviors in common marmosets. MarmoAAP addresses the limitations of traditional behavioral research methods by enabling high-throughput, detailed behavior outputs that can be integrated with video and audio recordings, allowing for more nuanced and comprehensive analyses even in a naturalistic setting. We also highlight the flexibility of MarmoAAP in task parameter manipulation which accommodates a wide range of behaviors and individual animal capabilities. Furthermore, MarmoAAP provides a platform to perform investigations of neural activity underlying naturalistic social behaviors. MarmoAAP is a versatile and robust tool for advancing our understanding of primate behavior and related cognitive processes. This new apparatus bridges the gap between ethologically relevant animal behavior studies and neural investigations, paving the way for future research in cognitive and social neuroscience using marmosets as a model organism.

Development of a Marmoset Apparatus for Automated Pulling to study cooperative behaviors.

In recent years, the field of neuroscience has increasingly recognized the importance of studying animal behaviors in naturalistic environments to gain deeper insights into ethologically relevant behavioral processes and neural mechanisms. The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), due to its small size, prosocial nature, and genetic proximity to humans, has emerged as a pivotal model toward this effort. However, traditional research methodologies often fail to fully capture the nuances of marmoset social interactions and cooperative behaviors. To address this critical gap, we developed the Marmoset Apparatus for Automated Pulling (MarmoAAP), a novel behavioral apparatus designed for studying cooperative behaviors in common marmosets. MarmoAAP addresses the limitations of traditional behavioral research methods by enabling high-throughput, detailed behavior outputs that can be integrated with video and audio recordings, allowing for more nuanced and comprehensive analyses even in a naturalistic setting. We also highlight the flexibility of MarmoAAP in task parameter manipulation which accommodates a wide range of behaviors and individual animal capabilities. Furthermore, MarmoAAP provides a platform to perform investigations of neural activity underlying naturalistic social behaviors. MarmoAAP is a versatile and robust tool for advancing our understanding of primate behavior and related cognitive processes. This new apparatus bridges the gap between ethologically relevant animal behavior studies and neural investigations, paving the way for future research in cognitive and social neuroscience using marmosets as a model organism.

Correlation Between the Cortical Activation Studied by Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Neuroimaging (fNIRS) With Performance of 3rd Grade Students

The cortical activation and performance of 3rd grade students were investigated using Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during reading Arabic language. The main cortical activation parameter tested was hemoglobin difference (HbDiff), while the performance was evaluated according to the number of committed errors and latency. The recorded HbDiff concentrations for the typically developed (TD) were significantly higher (0.05) than that of students with dyslexia (Dys), confirming higher brain activities for TD students. TD students committed less errors and need less time to finish the task. Moreover, Pearson correlation analysis performed showed that there was a negative correlation between cortical activation parameters and performance. Limited studies explored the use of fNIRS to investigate the cortical activation of Arabic students' brains or correlated between the cortical activation and performance variables. Therefore, this current research is novel and showed the potential utilization of the fNIRS in the field of educational neuroscience.

Amplifying School Mental Health Literacy Through Neuroscience Education

Children and adolescents face a wide variety of developmental changes and environmental challenges, and it is estimated that at least one in five children aged 3–17 will experience behavioral or mental health issues. This period of life coincides with major changes in brain structure and function that have profound long-term consequences for learning, decision-making (including risk taking), and emotional processing. For example, continued development of the prefrontal cortex in adolescence is a sensitive period during which individuals are particularly susceptible to risky behaviors, environmental stressors, and substance use. While recent advances in mental health literacy programs have paved the way for increased awareness of the benefits of mental health curricula in schools, these efforts could be greatly bolstered with support in basic neuroscience education in developmentally appropriate and area-specific content. Here, we provide a discussion on the basic structural and functional changes occurring in the brain throughout childhood, how this contributes to changes in cognitive function, and the risk factors posed by early life adversity, stress, and drug use. Finally, we provide a perspective on the benefits of integrating findings from the field of neuroscience and suggestions for tools to better equip students, teachers, administrators, and school mental health staff to provide new directions for addressing the mental health crises faced by millions of children and youth each year.

Deciphering the CNS-glioma dialogue: Advanced insights into CNS-glioma communication pathways and their therapeutic potential.

The field of cancer neuroscience has rapidly evolved, shedding light on the complex interplay between the nervous system and cancer, with a particular focus on the relationship between the central nervous system (CNS) and gliomas. Recent advancements have underscored the critical influence of CNS activity on glioma progression, emphasizing the roles of neurons and neuroglial cells in both the onset and evolution of gliomas. This review meticulously explores the primary communication pathways between the CNS and gliomas, encompassing neuro-glioma synapses, paracrine mechanisms, extracellular vesicles, tunneling nanotubes, and the integrative CNS-immune-glioma axis. It also evaluates current and emerging therapeutic interventions aimed at these pathways and proposes forward-looking perspectives for research in this domain.

Visual coding along multiple brain areas

This study focuses on understanding visual coding in multiple brain areas and its implications for neural processing in the visual system. It highlights the use of simultaneous recordings of large neuronal populations to investigate how visual information is encoded and processed in the brain. By studying the activity of multiple brain areas, the paper aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying brain-wide visual perception and provide insights into the neural basis of visual processing. The findings of this research contribute to the broader field of neuroscience and have implications for understanding visual disorders and developing therapeutic interventions

Recurrence resonance - noise-enhanced dynamics in recurrent neural networks

Understanding how neural networks process information is a fundamental challenge in neuroscience and artificial intelligence. A pivotal question in this context is how external stimuli, particularly noise, influence the dynamics and information flow within these networks. Traditionally, noise is perceived as a hindrance to information processing, introducing randomness and diminishing the fidelity of neural signals. However, distinguishing noise from structured input uncovers a paradoxical insight: under specific conditions, noise can actually enhance information processing. This intriguing possibility prompts a deeper investigation into the nuanced role of noise within neural networks. In specific motifs of three recurrently connected neurons with probabilistic response, the spontaneous information flux, defined as the mutual information between subsequent states, has been shown to increase by adding ongoing white noise of some optimal strength to each of the neurons. However, the precise conditions for and mechanisms of this phenomenon called ‘recurrence resonance’ (RR) remain largely unexplored. Using Boltzmann machines of different sizes and with various types of weight matrices, we show that RR can generally occur when a system has multiple dynamical attractors, but is trapped in one or a few of them. In probabilistic networks, the phenomenon is bound to a suitable observation time scale, as the system could autonomously access its entire attractor landscape even without the help of external noise, given enough time. Yet, even in large systems, where time scales for observing RR in the full network become too long, the resonance can still be detected in small subsets of neurons. Finally, we show that short noise pulses can be used to transfer recurrent neural networks, both probabilistic and deterministic, between their dynamical attractors. Our results are relevant to the fields of reservoir computing and neuroscience, where controlled noise may turn out a key factor for efficient information processing leading to more robust and adaptable systems.

Reflecting on Current State and Future Research of Empathy Assessment and Development within the Game- Based Learning Community

There are decades of growing interest in social-emotional learning (Muravevskaia, 2023; Hoffman, 2009). According to the founders of the SEL concept, Cherniss, Goleman, et al. (2006), SEL is “the process of acquiring a set of social and emotional skills—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making within the context of a safe, supportive environment.” One of the most popular SEL frameworks is CASEL (2003), which includes five aspects: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, decision-making skills, and relationship skills. The social awareness aspect includes competencies related to empathy: (taking others’ perspectives, demonstrating empathy, and showing concern for the feelings of others). Empathy is widely used and mentioned in SEL and other literature across the research fields of game-based learning, design research, social psychology, neuroscience, affective computing, artificial intelligence, educational technologies, and others. Design thinking methodology and user experience research claim empathy is the first step in user research and developing multiple tools and measures (Dorst, 2011; Wright, 2008). Virtual reality is suggested as an “empathy machine” and promoted as a good tool for empathy development (Ventura, 2020). Affective computing works on modeling and measuring empathy in artificial agents to create systems that would scaffold the learning experience using SEL components (Gebhard, 2021). Empathy games are emerging as a new separate sub-domain (Muravevskaia,2023). Such situation multiplies many different definitions, methodologies, and measures for empathy. Such an active and divided interest in empathy across different domains can cause potential research confusion and challenges for educational technology and game-based research communities. We invite the GBL Research community to gather together as an interdisciplinary community to be able to discuss what empathy means for our community, how we define it and which methods use, which role it plays in the GBL, and which emerging future research in this area we envision together.

Glial Control of Cortical Neuronal Circuit Maturation and Plasticity.

The brain is a highly adaptable organ that is molded by experience throughout life. Although the field of neuroscience has historically focused on intrinsic neuronal mechanisms of plasticity, there is growing evidence that multiple glial populations regulate the timing and extent of neuronal plasticity, particularly over the course of development. This review highlights recent discoveries on the role of glial cells in the establishment of cortical circuits and the regulation of experience-dependent neuronal plasticity during critical periods of neurodevelopment. These studies provide strong evidence that neuronal circuit maturation and plasticity are non-cell autonomous processes that require both glial-neuronal and glial-glial cross talk to proceed. We conclude by discussing open questions that will continue to guide research in this nascent field.

Kernels of Motor Memory Formation: Temporal Generalization in Bimanual Adaptation.

In daily life, we coordinate both simultaneous and sequential bimanual movements to manipulate objects. Our ability to rapidly account for different object dynamics suggests there are neural mechanisms to quickly deal with them. Here we investigate how actions of one arm can serve as a contextual cue for the other arm, and facilitate adaptation. Specifically, we examine the temporal characteristics that underlie motor memory formation and recall, by testing the contextual effects of prior, simultaneous, and post contralateral arm movements in both male and female human participants. To do so, we measure their temporal generalization in three bimanual interference tasks. Importantly, the timing context of the learned action plays a pivotal role in the temporal generalization. While motor memories trained with post adaptation contextual movements generalize broadly, motor memories trained with prior contextual movements exhibit limited generalization, and motor memories trained with simultaneous contextual movements do not generalize to prior or post contextual timings. This highlights temporal tuning in sensorimotor plasticity: different training conditions yield substantially different temporal generalization characteristics. Since these generalizations extend far beyond any variability in training times, we suggest that the observed differences may stem from inherent differences in the use of prior, current and post-adaptation contextual information in the generation of natural behavior. This would imply differences in the underlying neural circuitry involved in learning and executing the corresponding coordinated bimanual movements.Significance Statement This study addresses a fundamental question in the field of sensorimotor neuroscience of how multiple movements are temporally linked within a single motor memory. We examine the temporal generalization of motor memory formation by varying the timing of contextual movements associated with a learned motor memory across a range of prior, current, and post adaptation movement times using a bimanual motor learning task. We observed distinct patterns of temporal generalization based on whether the contextual movements occurred prior to, simultaneously with, or after the adaptation movement. For the first time, our findings reveal that the timing of contextual movements is crucial in the formation and generalization of motor memories.

Bibliometric analysis of traumatic brain injury in the neurosciences field from the past 10 years

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common neurological disorder that causes severe problems in lack of effective treatment. This study aims to investigate the burgeoning trends of TBI in the field of neurosciences and offer insights for future research. Web of Science (WOS) was used to download data of TBI. The topic of “traumatic brain injury” in the neurosciences research area has been investigated during the period 2015–2024 and the research trends through VOSviewer, Pajek, and Excel software. According to the retrieval, 2476 articles in journals with an impact factor of 5 or higher were exported. The United States of America (USA) is the most productive, followed by China, Canada, England, and Australia. The top five organizations in terms of publication count include the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Harvard Medical School, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the University of Melbourne. The journal, Neural Regeneration Research, is the most productive. Shultz, Sandy R. publishes the highest number of articles. Keyword cluster analysis shows that currently researchers’ studies mainly focus on TBI, followed by inflammation, neuroinflammation, Alzheimers-disease, and neuroprotection. This review offers a comprehensive summary and analysis of TBI in the neurosciences area. In the last 10 years, the number of high‐quality papers in this field has increased significantly, and increasing treatments for TBI have been provided.

Alysson Muotri: Modeling the human brain with stem cells and organoids, from disease paradigms to neanderthoids, space brains, and beyond

Dr. Alysson Muotri is a Professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), holding appointments in both the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine. His leadership extends across several cutting-edge research initiatives at UCSD, where he serves as Director of the Sanford Stem Cell Education program, the Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) center, the Archealization Center (ArchC), and the Gene Therapy Initiative, as well as Associate Director of the Center for Academic Research & Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA). Dr. Muotri's academic journey began in Brazil, where he earned a BSc in Biological Sciences from the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) in 1995 and a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of São Paulo in 2001. He then moved to the Salk Institute in 2002 as a Pew Latin America Fellow for postdoctoral training in neuroscience and stem cell biology. At the forefront of neuroscience research, Dr. Muotri's work focuses on brain evolution and the modeling of neurological diseases, employing cutting-edge techniques such as human-induced pluripotent stem cells and brain organoids. We are honored to feature Dr. Muotri in the Genomic Press Interview series, offering our readers a unique opportunity to gain insights into both his personal journey and professional achievements. His contributions to the field of neuroscience and stem cell research continue to shape our understanding of brain development and disease, making his perspectives invaluable to the scientific community and beyond.

Awareness of everyday effects of climate change: The climate change perceptual awareness scale (CCPAS)

Climate change is intrinsically complex and demands a certain degree of abstraction. However, different individuals report a wide range and degree of tangible and sensory experiences of climate change. As perceptual and sensory awareness of climate change has important consequences for the promotion of sustainable behaviors, pro-climate policies, and clinical interventions for climate-related disorders such as climate anxiety, new specific tools are required: herein we detail the development of a psychometric measure of perceptual awareness of climate change, as well as provide evidence for its discriminant, convergent, and predictive validity for sustainable behaviors. The administration of this scale on a representative sample of the UK population (Study 1) yielded a 4-factor structure, with items measuring perception of temperature changes and those measuring perception of humidity changes loading on separate factors, and two additional factors identifying the awareness of own feelings and perception of media attention on climate change. A second administration (Study 2) to an independent sample gathered from the Italian population supports the reliability of this factorial structure. As the rising field of climate neuroscience starts to investigate the determinants of perceptions of climate change, this novel scale will allow assessing the perceptual features affecting awareness of climate change.