Higher Brain Activity Research Articles

Early screening of post-stroke fall risk: A simultaneous multimodal fNIRs-EMG study.

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death and disability, and poststroke falls (PSF) are common at all stages after stroke and could even lead to injuries or death. Brain information from functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRs) may precede conventional imaging and clinical symptoms but has not been systematically considered in PSF risk prediction. This study investigated the difference in brain activation between stroke patients and healthy subjects, and this study was aimed to explore fNIRs biomarkers for early screening of PSF risk by comparing the brain activation in patients at and not at PSF risk. In this study, we explored the differences in brain activation and connectivity between stroke and healthy subjects by synchronizing the detection of fNIRs and EMG tests during simple (usual sit-to-stand) and difficult tasks (sit-to-stand based on EMG feedback). Thereby further screened for neuroimaging biomarkers for early prediction of PSF risk by comparing brain activation variability in poststroke patients at and not at fall risk during simple and difficult tasks. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC), sensitivity, and specificity were used to compare the diagnostic effect. A total of 40 patients (22 not at and 18 at PSF risk) and 38 healthy subjects were enrolled. As the difficulty of standing task increased, stroke patients compared with healthy subjects further increased the activation of the unaffected side of supplementary motor area (H-SMA) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex-Brodmann area 46 (H-DLFC-BA46) but were unable to increase functional connectivity (Group*Task: p < 0.05). More importantly, the novel finding showed that hyperactivation of the H-SMA during a simple standing task was a valid fNIRs predictor of PSF risk [AUROC 0.74, p = 0.010, sensitivity 77.8%, specificity 63.6%]. This study provided novel evidence that fNIR-derived biomarkers could early predict PSF risk that can facilitate the widespread use of real-time assessment tools in early screening and rehabilitation. Meanwhile, this study demonstrated that the higher brain activation and inability to increase the brain functional connectivity in stroke patients during difficult task indicated the inefficient use of brain resources.

Impact of Iron Intake and Reserves on Cognitive Function in Young University Students.

Iron is a key nutrient for cognitive function. During periods of high academic demand, brain and cognitive activity increase, potentially affecting iron intake and reserves. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of iron levels on cognitive function in a university sample, considering the influence of gender. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 132 university students (18-29 years) from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). A dietary record was formed through a questionnaire to analyze iron consumption, and blood and anthropometric parameters were measured. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV was used to determine the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), as well as the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), Working Memory Index (WMI), Processing Speed Index (PSI), and Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), to assess cognitive abilities. Among women, the prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) was 21% and 4.2%, respectively. No ID or IDA was found in men. The impact of iron intake on IQ and cognitive abilities was mainly associated with the female population, where a positive association between iron intake, serum ferritin, and total IQ was revealed. In conclusion, low iron intake is related to poorer intellectual ability, suggesting that an iron-rich diet is necessary to maintain the academic level of university students.

Childhood obesity's impact on cognition and brain connectivity worsens with low family income.

Childhood obesity and its adverse health consequences have risen worldwide, with low socioeconomic status increasing the risk in high-income countries like the US. Understanding the interplay between childhood obesity, cognition, socioeconomic factors, and the brain is crucial for prevention and treatment. Using data from the ABCD study, we investigated how body mass index (BMI) relates to brain structural and functional connectivity metrics. Obese/overweight children (n = 2,356) were more likely to live in poverty and exhibited lower cognitive performance compared to normal weight children (n = 4,754). Higher BMI was associated with multiple brain measures that were strongest for lower longitudinal diffusivity in corpus callosum, increased activity in cerebellum, insula, and somatomotor cortex, and decreased functional connectivity in multimodal brain areas, with effects more pronounced among children from low-income families. Notably, nearly 80% of the association of low income and 70% of the association of impaired cognition on BMI were mediated by higher brain activity in somatomotor areas. Increased resting activity in somatomotor areas and decreased structural and functional connectivity likely contribute to the higher risk of overweight/obesity among children from low-income families. Supporting low-income families and implementing educational interventions to improve cognition may promote healthy brain function and reduce the risk of obesity.

The relationship between pathological brain activity and functional network connectivity in glioma patients

PurposeGlioma is associated with pathologically high (peri)tumoral brain activity, which relates to faster progression. Functional connectivity is disturbed locally and throughout the entire brain, associating with symptomatology. We, therefore, investigated how local activity and network measures relate to better understand how the intricate relationship between the tumor and the rest of the brain may impact disease and symptom progression.MethodsWe obtained magnetoencephalography in 84 de novo glioma patients and 61 matched healthy controls. The offset of the power spectrum, a proxy of neuronal activity, was calculated for 210 cortical regions. We calculated patients’ regional deviations in delta, theta and lower alpha network connectivity as compared to controls, using two network measures: clustering coefficient (local connectivity) and eigenvector centrality (integrative connectivity). We then tested group differences in activity and connectivity between (peri)tumoral, contralateral homologue regions, and the rest of the brain. We also correlated regional offset to connectivity.ResultsAs expected, patients’ (peri)tumoral activity was pathologically high, and patients showed higher clustering and lower centrality than controls. At the group-level, regionally high activity related to high clustering in controls and patients alike. However, within-patient analyses revealed negative associations between regional deviations in brain activity and clustering, such that pathologically high activity coincided with low network clustering, while regions with ‘normal’ activity levels showed high network clustering.ConclusionOur results indicate that pathological activity and connectivity co-localize in a complex manner in glioma. This insight is relevant to our understanding of disease progression and cognitive symptomatology.

Using multi-modal neuroimaging to characterise social brain specialisation in infants.

The specialised regional functionality of the mature human cortex partly emerges through experience-dependent specialisation during early development. Our existing understanding of functional specialisation in the infant brain is based on evidence from unitary imaging modalities and has thus focused on isolated estimates of spatial or temporal selectivity of neural or haemodynamic activation, giving an incomplete picture. We speculate that functional specialisation will be underpinned by better coordinated haemodynamic and metabolic changes in a broadly orchestrated physiological response. To enable researchers to track this process through development, we develop new tools that allow the simultaneous measurement of coordinated neural activity (EEG), metabolic rate, and oxygenated blood supply (broadband near-infrared spectroscopy) in the awake infant. In 4- to 7-month-old infants, we use these new tools to show that social processing is accompanied by spatially and temporally specific increases in coupled activation in the temporal-parietal junction, a core hub region of the adult social brain. During non-social processing, coupled activation decreased in the same region, indicating specificity to social processing. Coupling was strongest with high-frequency brain activity (beta and gamma), consistent with the greater energetic requirements and more localised action of high-frequency brain activity. The development of simultaneous multimodal neural measures will enable future researchers to open new vistas in understanding functional specialisation of the brain.

Neural activations during cognitive and affective theory of mind processing in healthy adults with a family history of alcohol use disorder.

Social cognition impairments are a common feature of alcohol use disorders (AUD). However, it remains unclear whether these impairments are solely the consequence of chronic alcohol consumption or whether they could be a marker of vulnerability. The present study implemented a family history approach to address this question for a key process of social cognition: theory of mind (ToM). Thirty healthy adults with a family history of AUD (FH+) and 30 healthy adults with a negative family history of AUD (FH-), matched for age, sex, and education level, underwent an fMRI cartoon-vignette paradigm assessing cognitive and affective ToM. Participants also completed questionnaires evaluating anxiety, depressive symptoms, childhood trauma, and alexithymia. Results indicated that FH+ individuals differed from FH- individuals on affective but not cognitive ToM processing, at both the behavioral and neural levels. At the behavioral level, the FH+ group had lower response accuracy for affective ToM compared with the FH- group. At the neural level, the FH+ group had higher brain activations in the left insula and inferior frontal cortex during affective ToM processing. These activations remained significant when controlling for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and childhood trauma. These findings highlight difficulties during affective ToM processing among first-degree relatives of AUD patients, supporting the idea that some of the impairments exhibited by these patients may already be present before the onset of AUD and may be considered a marker of vulnerability.

Children With Bilateral Cerebral Palsy Exhibit Bimanual Asymmetric Motor Deficits and EEG Evidence of Dominant Sensorimotor Hemisphere Overreliance During Reaching.

Reaching is a fundamental motor skill often impaired in cerebral palsy (CP). Studies on manual function, intervention, and underlying brain mechanisms largely focus on unilateral CP. This first electroencephalography (EEG) evaluation of reaching exclusively in bilateral CP aims to quantify and relate brain activation patterns to bimanual deficits in this population. A total of 15 children with bilateral CP (13.4 ± 2.9 years) and 13 with typical development (TD: 14.3 ± 2.4 years) performed 45 reaches per hand while recording motion capture and EEG data. The Box and Blocks test was administered bilaterally. Cortical sources were identified using independent component analysis and clustered using k-means. Alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) band event-related desynchronization (ERD) values were compared across groups and hands within clusters, between dominant and non-dominant sensorimotor clusters, and related to reach kinematics and the Box and Block test. The group with CP demonstrated bimanual motor deficits with slower reaches, lower Box and Blocks scores, and stronger hand preference than in TD. Beta ERD, representing motor execution, was notably higher in the dominant sensorimotor cluster in CP compared to TD. Both groups demonstrated more contralateral than ipsilateral activity in both hands and clusters, with CP showing a less lateralized (more bilateral) alpha response. Higher brain activation was generally related to better function. Bimanual deficits in bilateral CP and related EEG differences warrant more clinical and research attention particularly earlier in life when greater potential for neural and functional recovery exists.

Toward a reliable detection of arachnophobia: subjective, behavioral, and neurophysiological measures of fear response.

The administration of questionnaires presents an easy way of obtaining important knowledge about phobic patients. However, it is not well known how these subjective measurements correspond to the patient's objective condition. Our study aimed to compare scores on questionnaires and image evaluation to the objective measurements of the behavioral approach test (BAT) and the neurophysiological effect of spiders extracted from fMRI measurements. The objective was to explore how reliably subjective statements about spiders and physiological and behavioral parameters discriminate between phobics and non-phobics, and what are the best predictors of overall brain activation. Based on a clinical interview, 165 subjects were assigned to either a "phobic" or low-fear "control" group. Finally, 30 arachnophobic and 32 healthy control subjects (with low fear of spiders) participated in this study. They completed several questionnaires (SPQ, SNAQ, DS-R) and underwent a behavioral approach test (BAT) with a live tarantula. Then, they were measured in fMRI while watching blocks of pictures including spiders and snakes. Finally, the respondents rated all the visual stimuli according to perceived fear. We proposed the Spider Fear Index (SFI) as a value characterizing the level of spider fear, computed based on the fMRI measurements. We then treated this variable as the "neurophysiological effect of spiders" and examined its contribution to the respondents' fear ratings of the stimuli seen during the fMRI using the redundancy analysis (RDA). The results for fear ranks revealed that the SFI, SNAQ, DS-R, and SPQ scores had a significant effect, while BAT and SPQ scores loaded in the same direction of the first multivariate axis. The SFI was strongly correlated with both SPQ and BAT scores in the pooled sample of arachnophobic and healthy control subjects. Both SPQ and BAT scores have a high informative value about the subject's fear of spiders and together with subjective emotional evaluation of picture stimuli can be reliable predictors of spider phobia. These parameters provide easy and non-expensive but reliable measurement wherever more expensive devices such as magnetic resonance are not available. However, SFI still reflects individual variability within the phobic group, identifying individuals with higher brain activation, which may relate to more severe phobic reactions or other sources of fMRI signal variability.

Investigation of brain mechanisms underlying upper limb function in bilateral cerebral palsy using EEG

ObjectiveFew studies focus on upper limbs in bilateral cerebral palsy (CP) despite potential bimanual deficits. Electroencephalography (EEG) was utilized to investigate brain mechanisms underlying upper limb tasks in bilateral CP and typical development (TD) and relationships to function. Methods26 (14 CP; 12 TD) completed the Box and Blocks Test and transport task with paper, sponge or mixed blocks, while recording EEG and motion data. ResultsGroup effects for path time, path length and Box and Blocks Test revealed bimanual deficits. Four sensorimotor-related EEG clusters were identified. Group effects were found in premotor and dominant motor clusters with greater beta event-related desynchronization (ERD) in CP. Hand and hand by group effects were found in the dominant motor cluster, showing greater ERD with the more affected hand in CP. Condition effects were prominent in the posterior parietal cluster with higher ERD reflecting greater difficulty in force modulation. ConclusionsHigher brain activation associated with greater bimanual deficits is similar to our lower limb findings but contrasts studies in TD or unilateral CP linking higher ERD to greater proficiency. SignificanceBilateral CP shows overreliance on the dominant hemisphere with the less functional hand and higher brain activity presumably related to excessive intracortical connectivity.

Inefficient frontal and parietal brain activation during dual-task walking in a virtual environment in older adults

Walking while performing an additional cognitive task (dual-task walking; DT walking) is a common yet highly demanding behavior in daily life. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that performance declines from single-task (ST) to DT conditions are accompanied by increased prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. This increment is particularly pronounced in older adults and has been explained either by compensation, dedifferentiation, or inefficient task processing in fronto-parietal circuits. However, there is only limited evidence for the hypothesized fronto-parietal activity changes measured under real-life conditions such as walking. In this study, we therefore assessed brain activity in PFC and parietal lobe (PL), to investigate whether higher PFC activation during DT walking in older adults is related to compensation, dedifferentiation, or neural inefficiency. Fifty-six healthy older adults (69.11 ± 4.19 years, 30 female) completed three tasks (treadmill walking at 1 m/s, Stroop task, Serial 3′s task) under ST and DT conditions (Walking + Stroop, Walking + Serial 3′s), and a baseline standing task. Behavioral outcomes were step time variability (Walking), Balance Integration Score BIS (Stroop), and number of correct calculations S3corr (Serial 3′s). Brain activity was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) over ventrolateral and dorsolateral PFC (vlPFC, dlPFC) and inferior and superior PL (iPL, sPL). Neurophysiological outcome measures were oxygenated (HbO2) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HbR). Linear mixed models with follow-up estimated marginal means contrasts were applied to investigate region-specific upregulations of brain activation from ST to DT conditions. Furthermore, the relationships of DT-specific activations across all brain regions was analyzed as well as the relationship between changes in brain activation and changes in behavioral performance from ST to DT. Data indicated the expected upregulation from ST to DT and that DT-related upregulation was more pronounced in PFC (particularly in vlPFC) than in PL regions. Activation increases from ST to DT were positively correlated between all brain regions, and higher brain activation changes predicted higher declines in behavioral performance from ST to DT. Results were largely consistent for both DTs (Stroop and Serial 3′s). These findings more likely suggest neural inefficiency and dedifferentiation in PFC and PL rather than fronto-parietal compensation during DT walking in older adults. Findings have implications for interpreting and promoting efficacy of long-term interventions to improve DT walking in older persons.

Aerobic Exercise, Cognitive Performance, and Brain Activity in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder for which behavioural treatments such as exercise are recommended as part of a multi-disciplinary treatment program. Exercise improves executive function in individuals with ADHD, but limited information exists regarding the mechanisms involved in the response. We examined task-evoked brain responses during exercise and seated rest in 38 adolescents (n = 15 ADHD; age = 13.6+/-1.9, male = 73.3%, n = 23 typically developing (TD; age = 13.3+/-2.1, male = 56.5%)). Participants completed a working memory and inhibitory task while cycling at a moderate intensity for 25 minutes (i.e., exercise condition) and while seated on the bike without pedalling (i.e., control condition). Conditions were randomized and counter-balanced. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy measured relative changes in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in 16 brain regions-of-interest. Brain activity for each cognitive task and condition was examined using linear mixed effects models with a false discovery rate correction (FDR). The ADHD group had slower response speeds for all tasks and lower response accuracy in the working memory task during exercise compared to the TD group (p < 0.05). For the inhibitory task, the ADHD group had lower brain activity in the inferior/superior parietal gyrus during exercise compared to the control condition, while the opposite was true for TD (FDRcorrected, p < 0.05). For the working memory task, higher brain activity during exercise was observed, regardless of group, in the middle and inferior frontal gyrus and the temporoparietal junction (FDRcorrected, p < 0.05). Dual-task performance is challenging for adolescents with ADHD and exercise may modulate neuronal resources in regions such as the temporoparietal junction and frontal areas known to be hypoactive in this population. Future research should examine how these relationships change over time.

Non-convulsive epiletic seizure after electroconvulsive therapy session

IntroductionElectroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure performed under general anaesthesia involving triggering an intentional brief seizure through small electrical currents through the brain. The anaesthetic depth should be adequate prior to shock and measured with BIS, a processed electroencephalogram (EEG) monitor. Adjusting the hypnotic dose allows to decrease the ictal threshold and thus improve the response to treatment and decrease side effects.ObjectivesOur goal is detecting elements such as spontaneous epileptiform activity after ECT without tonic-clonic activity with the spectral density matrix (SDM).MethodsOur patient: an 87-year-old woman, diagnosed with F20.2 catatonic schizophrenia and under antipsychotic treatment since her youth. She has required multiple hospital admissions due to psychopathological decompensations until starting monthly maintenance ECT sessions in 2014. Since then she no new hospital admissions have been required.ResultsImages 1D and 1E shows the SDM, a spectrogram of the EEG. The X axis show time (minutes), the Y axis shows the frequency (Hz) and the Z axis shows the energy or intensity of that electrical activity in the frequency bands replaced by colors: warm colors (red) reflecting high intensity electroencephalographic activity and cool colors (yellow, blue and green), low activity. Images 2 and 3’s EDM shows spontaneous epileptiform activity after electroconvulsive therapy without tonic-clonic activity. We observed an initial EDM of an awake patient, with warm colours in practically all frequency bands, including the beta band (13-30 Hz), characteristic of waking states. Around 9:50 anaesthetic induction occurs, activity increases in slow frequencies (red colours in alpha, theta and delta), plus an increase of cold colours in beta, reflecting the disappearance of brain activity in that frequency. The asterisk reflects the EEG response to the electrical discharge, followed by a postcritical state with brain activity exclusively in slow waves and high amplitude (delta and some theta) and absence of activity in other frequencies (blue colour in the beta and alpha bands) around 9:57. At about 10:00 there is an abrupt appearance of high intensity brain activity (warm colours) in beta and alpha and delta, mainly, reflecting spontaneous epileptiform activity after treatment and clinically reflected as a patient absent and disconnected from the environment, but without tonic-clonic activity. New postcritical state in which blue colour predominates, reflecting little brain activity, and warmer colours reappear in all frequency bands, including beta, reflecting the progressive recovery of wakefulness.Image:Image 2:Image 3:ConclusionsPsychiatric pathology can be reflected in the SDM, which allows to observe changes in the EEG, correcting the electrical stimulus of the shock and the dose of anesthetic appropriate to the patient to trigger an intentional brief seizure under general anesthesia.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Single-leg stance on a challenging surface can enhance cortical activation in the right hemisphere – A case study

Maintaining body balance, whether static or dynamic, is critical in performing everyday activities and developing and optimizing basic motor skills. This study investigates how a professional alpine skier's brain activates on the contralateral side during a single-leg stance. Continuous-wave functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals were recorded with sixteen sources and detectors over the motor cortex to investigate brain hemodynamics. Three different tasks were performed: barefooted walk (BFW), right-leg stance (RLS), and left-leg stance (LLS). The signal processing pipeline includes channel rejection, the conversation of raw intensities into hemoglobin concentration changes using modified Beer-Lambert law, baseline zero-adjustments, z-normalization, and temporal filtration. The hemodynamic brain signal was estimated using a general linear model with a 2-gamma function. Measured activations (t-values) with p-value <0.05 were only considered as statistically significant active channels. Compared to all other conditions, BFW has the lowest brain activation. LLS is associated with more contralateral brain activation than RLS. During LLS, higher brain activation was observed across all brain regions. The right hemisphere has comparatively more activated regions-of-interest. Higher ΔHbO demands in the dorsolateral prefrontal, pre-motor, supplementary motor cortex, and primary motor cortex were observed in the right hemisphere relative to the left which explains higher energy demands for balancing during LLS. Broca's temporal lobe was also activated during both LLS and RLS. Comparing the results with BFW– which is considered the most realistic walking condition–, it is concluded that higher demands of ΔHbO predict higher motor control demands for balancing. The participant struggled with balance during the LLS, showing higher ΔHbO in both hemispheres compared to two other conditions, which indicates the higher requirement for motor control to maintain balance. A post-physiotherapy exercise program is expected to improve balance during LLS, leading to fewer changes to ΔHbO.

Heat waves harm fish brains

Climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and just plain hotter. For many of us, dealing with oppressive heat comes with several unpleasant challenges, from profuse sweating to feeling tired and sluggish. Humans, however, are not the only ones suffering through unprecedented heatwaves in a warming climate. In a ground-breaking study by Anna Andreassen and her team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the researchers investigated what happens to the brains of larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) during extreme heatwaves, particularly as temperatures approach the upper limit of their heat tolerance. For these small fish, the consequences of unbearable heat are far worse than becoming a little sweaty.Fish can only tolerate temperatures so high. At some point, they lose the ability to swim properly and assume the ‘belly up’ position (termed loss of equilibrium), an indicator of imminent death. For decades, biologists have wondered what happens in the body of fish at their upper temperature limit that prompts this behaviour. Andreassen and her team set out to solve this mystery by testing whether going belly up is caused by the brain not communicating properly with the rest of the body. This miscommunication is thought to occur because high temperatures stop nerve cells in the brain from functioning as they should. But first, the researchers needed a way to visualize the fish's brain activity at extremely high temperatures. Thanks to advances in genetic technology, they were able to study genetically modified zebrafish whose brains emit a fluorescent light when their neurons are active.The researchers gradually increased the water temperature in the tank and observed the nerve cell activity of the genetically modified zebrafish using a microscope that could detect fluorescent light. At their upper temperature limit (approximately 40.9°C), the fish's brains showed very little fluorescence, indicating that the nerve cells were largely inactive. At this temperature, the larval fish were also no longer responsive to stimuli, such as bright lights flickering in front of their eyes. Interestingly, when the water temperature was raised by only 0.5°C above the upper temperature limit, something unexpected happened – the whole brain lit up as if the fish were having a seizure! This seizure-like activity was a sign that the brain had become completely depolarized, meaning that its nerve cells were firing on all cylinders, but not in a controlled manner. As this seizure-like event occurred at temperatures only slightly higher than the upper temperature limit, the team concluded that this is not what causes fish to lose equilibrium. Rather, they suggest that impaired neuron activity at the upper temperature limit is the mechanism underpinning this dangerous phenomenon.The researchers decided to take their study one step further to determine why neurons stop working at the upper temperature limit. They had a hunch that high temperatures limit how much oxygen gets to the brain, which then impairs how its nerve cells function. Andreassen and her team repeated the heat ramping experiment, but this time at high, medium and low oxygen levels. They discovered that larvae exposed to high oxygen levels in the water did better at high temperatures than those in low oxygen; the fish had higher brain activity and recovered faster after being exposed to their upper temperature limit. Overall, these findings suggest that the amount of oxygen in the water plays an important role in controlling how the brain communicates with the body at extremely high temperatures. So, the next time you're sweating profusely in the midst of a summer heatwave, take a deep breath and be thankful that your brain function has remained intact.

An fMRI intervention study of creative mathematical reasoning: behavioral and brain effects across different levels of cognitive ability

BackgroundMany learning methods of mathematical reasoning encourage imitative procedures (algorithmic reasoning, AR) instead of more constructive reasoning processes (creative mathematical reasoning, CMR). Recent research suggest that learning with CMR compared to AR leads to better performance and differential brain activity during a subsequent test. Here, we considered the role of individual differences in cognitive ability in relation to effects of CMR. MethodsWe employed a within-subject intervention (N=72, MAge=18.0) followed by a brain-imaging session (fMRI) one week later. A battery of cognitive tests preceded the intervention. Participants were divided into three cognitive ability groups based on their cognitive score (low, intermediate and high). ResultsOn mathematical tasks previously practiced with CMR compared to AR we observed better performance, and higher brain activity in key regions for mathematical cognition such as left angular gyrus and left inferior/middle frontal gyrus. The CMR-effects did not interact with cognitive ability, albeit the effects on performance were driven by the intermediate and high cognitive ability groups. ConclusionsEncouraging pupils to engage in constructive processes when learning mathematical reasoning confers lasting learning effects on brain activation, independent of cognitive ability. However, the lack of a CMR-effect on performance for the low cognitive ability group suggest future studies should focus on individualized learning interventions, allowing more opportunities for effortful struggle with CMR.

PL01.4.A The relationship between neuronal activity and functional network properties in glioma patients

Abstract Background Glioma is associated with pathologically high neuronal activity around the tumor, which associates with faster tumor progression in patients. Concurrently, patients with glioma have local and widespread disturbances of the functional brain network as measured with magnetoencephalography (MEG) such as higher network clustering (the extent to which regions connected to a particular area are also connected to each other) and locally altered integrative connectivity (for instance assessed with a centrality measure). How local neuronal activity and nodal network properties relate to each other has yet to be investigated. Material and Methods We obtained eyes-closed resting-state MEG in 95 glioma patients before tumor resection and 57 matched healthy controls (HC). Broadband power (BBP, 0.5-48Hz) was used as a proxy for neuronal activity. The local clustering coefficient (CC) and eigenvector centrality (EC) were calculated for the functional network in the lower frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha). We compared averaged nodal network properties and local BBP between peritumoral (regions partially overlapping with the tumor) and contralateral homologue regions in patients and compared these to averaged values in HC. Linear mixed models were used to relate nodal CC and EC to local BBP. Results were corrected for multiple comparisons and deemed significant at alpha 0.05. Results The peritumoral area was significantly more active than the non-peritumoral homologue in patients, and showed pathologically higher activity in comparison to HCs. Pathologically high neuronal activity was restricted to the peritumoral areas and not found in the contralateral homologue. However, patients’ functional network was disturbed throughout the brain in terms of pathologically high clustering, but not with regards to centrality. Whereas high activity related to high centrality in HCs and patients alike, high activity seemed to relate to low clustering in homologue regions in patients but not HCs, potentially indicating that lower neuronal activity relates to pathologically high clustering in these patients. Conclusion Glioma patients show pathologically high brain activity around the tumor and whole-brain disturbances in local network clustering, while integrative connectivity is preserved. We also find that the relationship between neuronal activity and functional network properties is complex in these patients, further underlining the importance of investigating how local activity may impact global network topology in order to understand how neuron-glioma interactions shape brain functioning.

Effect of behavioural practice targeted at the motor action selection network after stroke.

Motor action selection engages a network of frontal and parietal brain regions. After stroke, individuals activate a similar network, however, activation is higher, especially in the contralesional hemisphere. The current study examined the effect of practice on action selection performance and brain activation after stroke. Sixteen individuals with chronic stroke (Upper Extremity Fugl–Meyer motor score range: 18–61) moved a joystick with the more‐impaired hand in two conditions: Select (externally cued choice; move right or left based on an abstract rule) and Execute (simple response; move same direction every trial). On Day 1, reaction time (RT) was longer in Select compared to Execute, which corresponded to increased activation primarily in regions in the contralesional action selection network including dorsal premotor, supplementary motor, anterior cingulate and parietal cortices. After 4 days of practice, behavioural performance improved (decreased RT), and only contralesional parietal cortex significantly increased during Select. Higher brain activation on Day 1 in the bilateral action selection network, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and contralesional sensory cortex predicted better performance on Day 4. Overall, practice led to improved action selection performance and reduced brain activation. Systematic changes in practice conditions may allow the targeting of specific components of the motor network during rehabilitation after stroke.

Neural Correlates Underlying Social-Cue-Induced Value Change.

As humans are social beings, human behavior and cognition are fundamentally shaped by information provided by peers, making human subjective value for rewards prone to be manipulated by perceived social information. Even subtle nonverbal social information, such as others' eye gazes, can influence value assignment, such as food value. In this study, we investigate the neural underpinnings of how gaze cues modify participants' food value (both genders) by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging. During the gaze-cuing task, food items were repeatedly presented either while others looked at them or while they were ignored by others. We determined participants' food values by assessing their willingness to pay before and after a standard gaze-cuing training. Results revealed that participants were willing to pay significantly more for food items that were attended to by others compared with the unattended to food items. Neural data showed that differences in subjective values between the two conditions were accompanied by enhanced activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and caudate after food items were attended to. Furthermore, the functional connectivity between the caudate and the angular gyrus precisely predicted the individual differences in the preference shift. Our results unveil the key neural mechanism underlying the influence of social cues on the subjective value of food and highlight the crucial role of social context in shaping subjective value for food rewards in human.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We investigated how social information like others' gaze toward foods affects individuals' food value. We found that individuals more often choose food items that were looked at by another person compared with food items that were ignored. Using neuroimaging, we showed that this increased value for attended to food items was associated with higher brain activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and caudate. Furthermore, functional connectivity between the caudate and the angular gyrus was associated with individual differences in values for food items that were attended to by others versus being ignored. These findings provide novel insights into how the brain integrates social information into food value and could suggest possible interventions like using gaze cuing to promote healthier food choices.

Alterations in spontaneous electrical brain activity after an extreme mountain ultramarathon

This study aimed to investigate the impact of an extreme mountain ultramarathon (MUM) on spontaneous electrical brain activity in a group of 16 finishers. By using 4-minute high-density electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings with eyes closed before and after a 330-km race (mean duration: 125 ± 17 h; sleep duration: 7.7 ± 2.9 h), spectral power, source localization and microstate analyses were conducted. After the race, power analyses revealed a centrally localized increase in power in the delta (0.5–3.5 Hz) and theta (4.0–7.5 Hz) frequency bands and a decrease in alpha (8.0–12.0 Hz) power at the parieto-occipital sites. Higher brain activation in the alpha frequency band was observed within the left posterior cingulate cortex, left angular gyrus and visual association areas. Microstate analyses indicated a significant decrease in map C predominance and an increase in the global field power (GFP) for map D at the end of the race. These changes in power patterns and microstate parameters contrast with previously reported findings following short bouts of endurance exercises. We discuss the potential factors that explain lower alpha activity within the parieto-occipital regions and microstate changes after MUMs. In conclusion, high-density EEG resting-state analyses can be recommended to investigate brain adaptations in extreme sporting activities.

Long-term effects of the ‘love potion’ oxytocin

Throughout human history, pining lovers have sought so-called aphrodisiacs to win over affection. From oysters and dark chocolate to rhinoceros horns, these reported love potions sometimes have questionable ties to truth. However, scientists are beginning to unravel the genuine biology of ‘love’ by studying the neuroscience of monogamy and bonding. The monogamous love lives of titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) have been a fruitful focus. These non-human primates share an equal role in raising their young and mate for life, often romantically entwining their tails in their slumber. Only about 3% of mammals – including humans – exhibit this kind of social monogamy and we know that these strong attachments are cemented by powerful hormones, such as oxytocin and vasopressin. In fact, oxytocin is being explored as a potential treatment for disorders such as autism. Given the potential for the hormone to transform lives and the strong bonds that titi monkeys form, Rocío Arias-del Razo and colleagues from University of California Davis, USA, examined the long-term behavioural and neural effects of oxytocin treatment on the loyal animals.Initially, the researchers dripped oxytocin dissolved in salt water into the nostrils of young titi monkeys daily for 6 months. Each monkey lived with their parents and siblings for another full year after the oxytocin treatment ceased, before they were rehoused with a stranger who would become their mate. Of the original 15 treated, only one monkey did not take kindly to his arranged ‘marriage’, showing some initial signs of aggression, but even this ornery fellow quickly settled into his new role.To examine how oxytocin treatment affects animal behaviour, the researchers observed the couples each day during their first 4 months together. They found that monkeys treated with oxytocin exhibited more tail twining (a more ‘intimate’ form of affection) at the expense of proximity and contact with their mate. The hormone seemed to affect how the monkeys interacted with their mates, rather than the total time spent interacting.Besides these daily observations, the researchers also tested the behavioural responses of the monkey couples, 4 months after they were introduced. First, they presented each monkey with either their mate or a complete stranger in an adjacent cage. Both male and female monkeys spent more time touching their partner’s cage than that of the stranger, but the males that had been treated with oxytocin as youngsters showed a stronger preference for their partner. The second test examined the monkeys’ reactions to strangers. As titi monkeys lack self-recognition, they respond to their own reflection as if they were a stranger of the same sex, while they react to their partner's reflection as a stranger of the opposite sex. Testing the monkeys’ responses to these reflections, the team found that the oxytocin-treated male monkeys were friendlier towards the strangers in the mirror, making more curious approaches, contacts, movements and lip smacks.Finally, the researchers PET scanned the monkeys’ brains, both before and after forming a relationship with their partner, to examine the long-term effects of oxytocin in the brain. The scientists discovered brain activity patterns that confounded their expectations. Although they had anticipated that the long-term oxytocin treatment would increase activity in the regions of the youngsters’ brains that are associated with attachment and social skills, the activity levels remained unchanged. However, the team did find that the females that had been treated with oxytocin had higher brain activity than the males.Oxytocin seems to sit at the epicenter of social monogamy, potentially regulating social engagement and the formation of long-term relationships as adults. Further research on the hormonal ties that bind could also have implications for how to treat autism and may even help us to be more successful in love.