High Processing Research Articles

The more open, the more creative? The metaphorical effects of postural openness on divergent thinking and convergent thinking

As one of the most prevalent bodily states in daily life, postures can exert an impact on creative thinking. Adopting the perspective of embodied metaphor, two studies were conducted using the "posture-cognition" dual-task paradigm to investigate the influence of different postural openness on creative thinking. Study 1 explored the effects of expansive/open versus contractive/closed postures on divergent thinking and convergent thinking, and observed whether they were modulated by standing and sitting postures. Study 2 further examined the participants' performance on a convergent thinking task and a non-creative detail processing task of varying difficulty under identical postures. Results indicated better divergent thinking performance with expansive postures than with contractive postures, confirming the "expansive-divergent" metaphor. The expansive standing posture was found to be the most conducive posture for divergent thinking. However, the contractive postures failed to facilitate the convergent thinking task, but showed more conducive to the moderately difficult non-creative detail processing task. These findings support that body postures can have a metaphorical effect on higher cognitive processes such as creative thinking, but the effect varies depending on the type of creative cognitive processing. This research enhances the comprehension of embodied creativity and provides valuable insights for educational practice.

Structures of the human leading strand Polε–PCNA holoenzyme

In eukaryotes, the leading strand DNA is synthesized by Polε and the lagging strand by Polδ. These replicative polymerases have higher processivity when paired with the DNA clamp PCNA. While the structure of the yeast Polε catalytic domain has been determined, how Polε interacts with PCNA is unknown in any eukaryote, human or yeast. Here we report two cryo-EM structures of human Polε–PCNA–DNA complex, one in an incoming nucleotide bound state and the other in a nucleotide exchange state. The structures reveal an unexpected three-point interface between the Polε catalytic domain and PCNA, with the conserved PIP (PCNA interacting peptide)-motif, the unique P-domain, and the thumb domain each interacting with a different protomer of the PCNA trimer. We propose that the multi-point interface prevents other PIP-containing factors from recruiting to PCNA while PCNA functions with Polε. Comparison of the two states reveals that the finger domain pivots around the [4Fe-4S] cluster-containing tip of the P-domain to regulate nucleotide exchange and incoming nucleotide binding.

Micro-Fabrication of PMMA Using Electrochemical Discharges

The Poly (methyl methacrylate)-PMMA material also recognized as acrylic is an significant material for the different microsystem’s technologies. PMMA properties such as optical transparency, high hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, chemical inertness and lower autofluorescence, makes it a suitable candidate for the microfluidics devices These devices consist of the various micro-features i.e., micro-holes as well as the micro-channels. In current times, fabrication methods such as laser machining, hot embossing, injection molding, and mechanical cutting are predominantly used for the microfabrication in PMMA material. Nonetheless, the major processes such as laser machining and mechanical cutting exhibit some limitations due to issues like higher processing+setup costs, higher thermal damage, edge burr formations etc. Recently, a method i.e. machining with electrochemical discharges emerged as the potential alternative to the existing methods to machine the PMMA substrates. This method also called ‘electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM)’ considered to be the hybrid combination of microfabrication based on electric-discharge and electro-chemical processes. ECDM is a relatively simple, economical process which, in principle, can perform micro-fabrication in various materials irrespective of its electrical-conductivity, hardness as well as brittleness. In ECDM heat energy generated by electrochemical (EC) discharges in an electro-chemical cell (consists of a micro tool rod/electrode, a big-sized counter electrode and an aqueous alkaline electrolyte).In ECDM process, when voltage (>2 V) is provided between the smaller size tool (cathode) and bigger counter electrode (anode) which are kept in the aqueous KOH. The applied voltage results in the electrolysis of aqueous KOH electrolyte and produces gas bubbles of hydrogen (H2) at cathode point and of oxygen at anode point respectively. At the point of cathode (tool electrode) gas bubble production is very higher due to higher current density at the smaller tool surface. The subsequent increase in the applied voltage starts the process of merger of bubble which forms an envelope of gas film around the smaller tool electrode. At this stage, tool electrode gets complete isolation from surrounding electrolyte. Breakage of this gas film envelope happens at elevated voltage (> 24±0.1 V) and discharges are generated which produces heat energy. The material removal from the PMMA workpiece happens which is kept below the discharge producing tool. The material removal is result of melting, evaporation and etching due to heat energy.The most of research on ECDM is demonstrated for the glass and alumina ceramics in past decade which are electrically nonconductive workpieces. Nevertheless, the ECDM process has not been completely explored for the polymers, such as PMMA. Bhargav et al. have recently explored this process for the micro-channel formation in PMMA using NaOH electrolyte with 0.7 mm titanium tool electrode having cylindrical shapes. It is very much clear from the known literature that work related to PMMA micro-structuring using ECDM is scarce. Furthermore, the experimental analysis was directed on the micro-channel (> 700 µm) formation only. Consequently, there is a wide research gap for micro-structuring of PMMA for formation miniaturized micro-holes (> 300 µm) of different shapes such as circular, slotted. Analysing EC discharge behaviour, tool electrode condition, and micro-hole geometric features are the key tasks which are performed.The present work is performed to investigate the EC discharge behaviour and identification of the appropriate applied voltage on the micro-hole formation as well as the geometric characteristics such as hole size, depth, heat affected zone (HAZ) and circularity. Also, the tool condition after usage and its effect on the EC discharges and micro-hole quality have also been explored. The identification of Vc i.e. critical voltage has been carried out. The EC discharges stability for the range of applied voltage has been analyzed. It has been found that the applied voltage needed for the appropriate machining quality with uniform EC discharges should be in the range of Vc+4 to Vc+6. The lower values of applied voltage Vc+2 indicated the region of the unstable and non-uniform EC discharges affecting the micro-hole quality. The worn-out tool also affects the hole quality and EC discharge stability. Figure 1

Solar powered high gain DC-DC converter with FPGA controller for portable devices

A solar-powered converter design is necessary for portable devices with increased gain and reduced ripple in overall operation. This research presents a photovoltaic-powered Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based on increased gain multiple output converter design and analysis. The dynamic panel input makes it difficult to operate the load. To control and make the input static to satisfy the demand, perturb and observe with a load balancing algorithm technique are used. The converter gained output is high, and batteries are used to balance the loads when solar irradiance is low. Simulation results were carried out with the presented converter circuit that can be operated with a 12 V supply as input from a renewable power source. The output gain ratio of 14 to a minimum of 40 % duty cycle operating at a switching frequency of 20 kHz has been achieved. The proposed methodology is transferred to hardware by connecting with the reconfigurable FPGA Spartan-6 development board to manage the dynamic load control system's complex logic and high processing ability. The overall performance is compared with various pre-existing systems, tabulations are made with the analysis, and experimental results are also illustrated at the end.

Novel Leptin-Based Therapeutic Strategies to Limit Synaptic Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease.

Accumulation of hyper-phosphorylated tau and amyloid beta (Aβ) are key pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Increasing evidence indicates that in the early pre-clinical stages of AD, phosphorylation and build-up of tau drives impairments in hippocampal excitatory synaptic function, which ultimately leads to cognitive deficits. Consequently, limiting tau-related synaptic abnormalities may have beneficial effects in AD. There is now significant evidence that the hippocampus is an important brain target for the endocrine hormone leptin and that leptin has pro-cognitive properties, as activation of synaptic leptin receptors markedly influences higher cognitive processes including learning and memory. Clinical studies have identified a link between the circulating leptin levels and the risk of AD, such that AD risk is elevated when leptin levels fall outwith the physiological range. This has fuelled interest in targeting the leptin system therapeutically. Accumulating evidence supports this possibility, as numerous studies have shown that leptin has protective effects in a variety of models of AD. Recent findings have demonstrated that leptin has beneficial effects in the preclinical stages of AD, as leptin prevents the early synaptic impairments driven by tau protein and amyloid β. Here we review recent findings that implicate the leptin system as a potential novel therapeutic target in AD.

Cortical and Subcortical Brain Alterations in Specific Phobia and Its Animal and Blood-Injection-Injury Subtypes: A Mega-Analysis From the ENIGMA Anxiety Working Group.

Specific phobia is a common anxiety disorder, but the literature on associated brain structure alterations exhibits substantial gaps. The ENIGMA Anxiety Working Group examined brain structure differences between individuals with specific phobias and healthy control subjects as well as between the animal and blood-injection-injury (BII) subtypes of specific phobia. Additionally, the authors investigated associations of brain structure with symptom severity and age (youths vs. adults). Data sets from 31 original studies were combined to create a final sample with 1,452 participants with phobia and 2,991 healthy participants (62.7% female; ages 5-90). Imaging processing and quality control were performed using established ENIGMA protocols. Subcortical volumes as well as cortical surface area and thickness were examined in a preregistered analysis. Compared with the healthy control group, the phobia group showed mostly smaller subcortical volumes, mixed surface differences, and larger cortical thickness across a substantial number of regions. The phobia subgroups also showed differences, including, as hypothesized, larger medial orbitofrontal cortex thickness in BII phobia (N=182) compared with animal phobia (N=739). All findings were driven by adult participants; no significant results were observed in children and adolescents. Brain alterations associated with specific phobia exceeded those of other anxiety disorders in comparable analyses in extent and effect size and were not limited to reductions in brain structure. Moreover, phenomenological differences between phobia subgroups were reflected in diverging neural underpinnings, including brain areas related to fear processing and higher cognitive processes. The findings implicate brain structure alterations in specific phobia, although subcortical alterations in particular may also relate to broader internalizing psychopathology.

A Systematic Review of Eye-Tracking Technology in Second Language Research

Eye-tracking has become increasingly popular in second language (L2) research. In this study, we systematically reviewed 111 eye-tracking studies published in 17 L2 journals to explore the application and replicability of eye-tracking technology in L2 research. The results revealed eight areas of application of eye-tracking in L2 research, among which grammar and vocabulary were the most frequently examined lines of inquiry. We also identified three types of cognitive mechanisms investigated in L2 eye-tracking studies: attention, higher cognitive processes, and cognitive load. Attention was predominantly measured via fixation temporal indices, while higher cognitive processes were frequently measured by using fixation count and fixation temporal measures. In addition, the measures adopted to assess cognitive load mainly depended on the task type. Finally, with respect to the replicability of the studies, transparent reporting practices were evaluated based on 33 features of replicable studies. We found that more than 95% of the reviewed studies reported less than 70% of the information essential for future replication studies. We suggest that the reporting of the information critical to conducting replicable L2 eye-tracking research needs improvement in transparency and completeness. The implications of this study are discussed.

Predictive Ppk calculations for biologics and vaccines using a Bayesian approach - a tutorial.

In pharmaceutical manufacturing, especially biologics and vaccines manufacturing, emphasis on speedy process development can lead to inadequate process development, which often results in less robust commercial manufacturing process after launch. Process performance index (Ppk) is a statistical measurement of the ability of a process to produce output within specification limits over a period of time. In biopharmaceutical manufacturing, progression in process development is based on Critical Quality Attributes meeting their specification limits, lacking insight into the process robustness. Ppk is typically estimated after 15-30 commercial batches at which point it may be too late/too complex to make process adjustments to enhance robustness. The use of Bayesian statistics, prior knowledge, and input from Subject matter experts (SMEs) offers an opportunity to make predictions on process capability during the development cycle. Developing a standard methodology to assess long term process capability at various stages of development provides several benefits: provides opportunity for early insight into process vulnerabilities thereby enabling resolution pre-licensure; identifies area of the process to prioritize and focus on during process development/process characterization (PC) using a data-driven approach; and ultimately results in higher process robustness/process knowledge at launch. We propose a Bayesian-based method to predict the performance of a manufacturing process at full manufacturing scale during the development and commercialization phase, before commercial data exists. Under Bayesian framework, limited development data for the process of interest at hand, data from similar products, general SME knowledge, and literature can be carefully formulated into informative priors. The implementation of the proposed approach is presented through two examples. To allow for continuous improvement during process development, we recommend to embed this approach of using predictive Ppk at pre-defined commercialization stage-gates, for example, at completion of process development, prior to and completion of PC, prior to technology transfer runs (Engineering/Process Performance Qualification, PPQ), and prior to commercial specification setting.

Associations between cerebellar development and autistic traits during adolescence: a population-based cohort study

IntroductionBrain maturation is associated with adolescent socio-cognitive development. The lateral posterior region of the cerebellum plays a critical role in higher cognitive processes, and deviations of this region are associated with autism-related behaviors. Hence, it is plausible that developmental changes in this region of the cerebellum during adolescence are different along a variation in autistic traits. Additionally, its difference may be moderated by parental age at birth and weight growth during infancy, which have effects on brain development.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was two folds: (1) to test whether cerebellar development during adolescence is different along a variation in autistic traits (2) to test whether parental age at birth and weight growth during infancy moderate the results of (1).MethodsLongitudinal study was conducted over a 6-year period with 256, 230 and 187 participants ranging from 10.5 to 17.6 years, observing adolescent development respectively at 2-year time periods. We undertook a detailed investigation into differences in the lateral posterior region of the cerebellum volume. The 50-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was rated by primary parents. Weight growth and parental age were evaluated using maternal and child health handbook records. A multiple regression analysis was performed to examine whether AQ subscales, sex, and their interactions affected cerebellar development. Moderation analysis assessed whether parental age and weight growth moderated associations between cerebellar development and autistic traits. All participants provided written informed consent, and the study was approved by the Ethics Committee (No.10069).ResultsInteractions between sex and attention switching and sex and attention to detail were significantly associated with cerebellar development in the bilateral gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) of Crus I and Crus II (Fig1, 2). Simple slope analyses showed that the slopes of cerebellar development were significant for girls (pFDR < 0.001). Although no significant interaction was found between them, the main effect of attention to detail was significantly associated with cerebellar development in WM of VIIB (pFDR = 0.006). Further, moderation analysis found that the association between the cerebellar development and autistic traits were significantly moderated by maternal age; the magnitude of its effect was significant for high maternal age in boys (pFDR = 0.036, Fig3). Paternal age, early (0-9 months) and late weight growth (4-18 months) also moderated associations between them, however, no significance remained after FDR controlling.Image:Image 2:Image 3:ConclusionsThere are significant associations between cerebellar development during adolescence and autistic traits, and its pattern of association can be moderated by parental ages at birth and weight growth during infancy in a cerebellar region- and sex-specific manner.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

A case of cerebellar mutism initially diagnosed as adjustment disorder with anxiety

Cerebellum, along with balance and motor function, also plays a role in higher cognitive processes and affect regulation. Left cerebellar hemisphere may be responsible for executive tasks while right cerebellar hemisphere may play roles in language perception, speech timing, motor planning, transient storage of verbal information, verbal fluency and processing grammar. “Cerebellar mutism” (CM) defines absence or severe reduction of speech along with irritability, emotional lability and social withdrawal . CM may develop in 11.0-29.0 % of children after surgeries involving the posterior fossa and is especially seen among patients with medulloblastomas and/ or brainstem lesions. However, cases developing after ischemic strokes involving the cerebellum have also been described. In CM patients who were operated on for tumors, typically, the speech is normal for a brief period after surgery and deteriorates thereafter. In the majority of patients, mutism resolves after weeks to months although it may persist longer in some. The exact pathophysiology of CM is unclear and features of the syndrome may be interpreted as psychological in origin. Here, we report diagnosis of CM in a three-years old toddler.

Atypical co-development of the thalamus and cortex in autism: Evidence from age-related white-gray contrast change.

Recent studies have shown that white-gray contrast (WGC) of either cortical or subcortical gray matter provides for accurate predictions of age in typically developing (TD) children, and that, at least for the cortex, it changes differently with age in subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to their TDpeers. Our previous study showed different patterns of contrast change between ASD and TD in sensorimotor and association cortices. While that study was confined to the cortex, we hypothesized that subcortical structures, particularly the thalamus, were involved in the observed cortical dichotomy between lower and higher processing. The current paper investigates that hypothesis using the WGC measures from the thalamus in addition to those from the cortex. We compared age-related WGC changes in the thalamus to those in the cortex. To capture the simultaneity of this change across the two structures, we devised a metric capturing the co-development of the thalamus and cortex (CoDevTC), proportional to the magnitude of cortical and thalamic age-related WGC change. We calculated this metric for each of the subjects in a large homogeneous sample taken from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) (N = 434). We used structural MRI data from the largest high-quality cross-sectional sample (NYU) as well as two other large high-quality sites, GU and OHSU, all three using Siemens 3T scanners. We observed that the co-development features in ASD and TD exhibit contrasting patterns; specifically, some higher-order thalamic nuclei, such as the lateral dorsal nucleus, exhibited reduction in codevelopment with most of the cortex in ASD compared to TD. Moreover, this difference in the CoDevTC pattern correlates with a number of behavioral measures across multiple cognitive and physiological domains. The results support previous notions of altered connectivity in autism, but add more specific evidence about the heterogeneity in thalamocortical development that elucidates the mechanisms underlying the clinical features of ASD.

A Review of the Use of Gaze and Pupil Metrics to Assess Mental Workload in Gamified and Simulated Sensorimotor Tasks.

Gaze and pupil metrics are used to represent higher cognitive processes in a variety of contexts. One growing area of research is the real-time assessment of workload and corresponding effort in gamified or simulated cognitive and motor tasks, which will be reviewed in this paper. While some measurements are consistent across studies, others vary and are likely dependent on the nature of the effort required by the task and the resulting changes in arousal. Pupil diameter is shown to consistently increase with task effort and arousal; however, the valence of arousal must be considered. In many cases, measures of pupil diameter were sensitive to both excessive and insufficient challenge. Overall, it is evident that gaze and pupil metrics are valuable to assess the cognitive state during gamified and simulated tasks, and further research is indicated regarding their use in clinical populations in rehabilitation to inform optimally engaging interventions.

Fly: Femtolet‐based edge‐cloud framework for crop yield prediction using bidirectional long short‐term memory

AbstractCrop yield prediction is a crucial area in agriculture that has a large impact on the economy of a country. This article proposes a crop yield prediction framework based on Internet of Things and edge computing. We have used a fifth generation network device referred to as femtolet as the edge device. The femtolet is a small cell base station that has high storage and high processing ability. The sensor nodes collect the soil and environmental data, and then the collected data is sent to the femtolet through the microcontrollers. The femtolet retrieves the weather‐related data from the cloud, and then processes the sensor data and weather‐related data using Bi‐LSTM. The femtolet after processing the data sends the generated results to the cloud. The user can access the results from the cloud to predict the suitable crop for his/her land. This is observed that the suggested framework provides better accuracy, precision, recall, and F1‐score compared to the state‐of‐the‐art crop yield prediction frameworks. This is also demonstrated that the use of femtolet reduces the latency by ˜25% than the conventional edge‐cloud framework.

Anatomical and physiological characteristics of claustrum neurons in primates and rodents

The claustrum, a structure having extensive connectivity with the rest of the brain and being involved in many high-cognitive processes, is still one of the least understood parts of the mammalian nervous system. Accelerated advancement of genetic tools for rodents in the last decade have resulted in many breakthroughs about its interaction with cortical and subcortical regions, while human/primate studies have been invaluable in revealing its effects on conscious behaviour. However, these findings did not elucidate conclusively the principles of its internal dynamics, which would clarify its function within the brain network. The first step in this direction is to know the characteristics of major types of neurons in the claustrum. In this review, we are looking at the data allowing a comparison between the main neuronal types of the claustrum in primates and rodents, with the aim of showing the extent of known commonalities and differences, and highlighting the research gap between the two orders. The results indicate that in both there is a ratio excitatory/inhibitory neurons higher than in the cortex, but with a lower baseline activity of the excitatory neurons due to the higher inhibition. The local excitation in the claustrum is provided by collaterals of neurons projecting to the cortex. Secondary neuronal markers such as Calcium binding proteins and somatostatin tend to be expressed differently in the claustrum of primates than in that of rodents, specifically in more classes of neurons and across a larger area. The spatial distribution of neuropeptide Y might be a conserved motif across the two orders. The work in rodents has an undisputable advance in the study of electrical properties for each class of claustrum neurons. However, for a deep understanding of the claustrum function in the human brain, primate studies remain indispensable.

An Analytical Investigation on the Performance of 1D and 2D Antenna Arrays for mm-Wave Modern Communication Systems

Millimeter wave (mm-Wave) wireless technology has invaded every aspect of modern life because of its ability to transmit data quickly and securely. This paper presented a square patch antenna at a resonance frequency of 26.2GHz for millimeter wave wireless communication. The proposed antenna consists of single square radiating element. The suggested antenna was designed using CST Microwave Studio’s version 2020 on a Rogers RO 3003 lossy substrate with a relative permittivity of 3 . The result of this paper shows a minimum S11 of 19.34 dB, a gain of 6.97dBi, with bandwidth of 2GHz at the resonant frequency of 26.2GHz. The gain was enhanced to 16dBi and 25.8dBi with a high radiation efficiency by converting the single element patch antenna to a uniform linear array of 8 elements and uniform planar array of 8 × 8 elements respectively. The simulation results show that despite the simple design of the patch (without holes and cracks), which facilitates manufacturing in a small size; However, it achieves higher gain than the more complex designs found in the previous literature to suit mm wave communication requirements. Also, we used CST Microwave Studio for simulation which provides two methods for implementing arrays: the array factor method, which builds virtual arrays (the direct method), or building arrays by repeating the elements depending on the required size of the array, A comparison has been conducted between the numerical analysis of both methods, and the results show that even though the numerical analysis of the second method gives more accurate results that can be close to a manufactured antenna array, it needs high processing ability and time. Creating arrays with array factor may save time and processing ability but the results may not be accurate. Therefore, a relation was driven to show the error that can be added to give precise results.

From molecules to behavior: Implications for perineuronal net remodeling in learning and memory.

Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are condensed extracellular matrix (ECM) structures found throughout the central nervous system that regulate plasticity. They consist of a heterogeneous mix of ECM components that form lattice-like structures enwrapping the cell body and proximal dendrites of particular neurons. During development, accumulating research has shown that the closure of various critical periods of plasticity is strongly linked to experience-driven PNN formation and maturation. PNNs provide an interface for synaptic contacts within the holes of the structure, generally promoting synaptic stabilization and restricting the formation of new synaptic connections in the adult brain. In this way, they impact both synaptic structure and function, ultimately influencing higher cognitive processes. PNNs are highly plastic structures, changing their composition and distribution throughout life and in response to various experiences and memory disorders, thus serving as a substrate for experience- and disease-dependent cognitive function. In this review, we delve into the proposed mechanisms by which PNNs shape plasticity and memory function, highlighting the potential impact of their structural components, overall architecture, and dynamic remodeling on functional outcomes in health and disease.

Feasibility of real world end‐points of functional neurophysiology in Alzheimer’s disease dementia

AbstractBackgroundClinic‐based biomarkers are effective in tracking disease progression in clinical research, but do not scale to support public health needs or large‐scale real‐world studies. Purely digital markers are scalable but lack the objectivity and neurobiological grounding of clinical measures. These first results of a real‐world feasibility study demonstrate that objective measures of a range of domains including EEG (Figure 1) are user‐friendly and suitable for repeated at‐home use by patients and older controls.Method60 patients and 60 matched controls are being recruited for a 1‐year repeated sampling study in the UK. Patients were clinically assessed to have mild Alzheimer’s type dementia. Participants were asked to complete about 30 minutes of behavioral tasks including memory, executive function, affective processing and language, while synchronized EEG was recorded using a self‐applied dry‐sensor headset. This interim data is from an initial 2‐week burst sampling period, for the first half of the cohorts.ResultAdherence was 76% for the dementia group (N = 29, mean age = 75; ADAS = Cog 24.3) and 88% for the control group (N = 36, mean age = 71; ADAS = Cog 7.8). A symbol substitution task (executive function) differentiated strongly between groups (t(53) = 6.9), and correlated highly with a conventional pen‐and‐paper DSST benchmark (rho = 0.79). An associative memory task also patterned strongly with disease status (t(54) = 5.7) and correlated with the Verbal Paired Associates benchmark (rho = 0.76). The grand average P300 ERP, elicited by a gamified 2‐stimulus oddball task, showed characteristic features of sensory and higher cognitive processing (Figure 2). As expected in the patient group, the P300 was reduced and delayed; and the resting‐state EEG theta and alpha power were enhanced and reduced, respectively. Radar plots (Figure 3), illustrate the pattern observed across domains in one representative Alzheimer’s patient and one control. Data from a fronto‐temporal dementia sister study is included for comparison.ConclusionInterim data from this first‐in‐class study suggest that patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease dementia are capable and willing to participate in intensive home‐based functional neurophysiology studies, if technology is designed to be engaging and easy to use. Initial examination of the data aligns with established benchmarks, constituting positive early evidence for construct validity and technical feasibility.

Feasibility of real world end‐points of functional neurophysiology in Alzheimer’s disease dementia

AbstractBackgroundClinic‐based biomarkers are effective in tracking disease progression in clinical research, but do not scale to support public health needs or large‐scale real‐world studies. Purely digital markers are scalable but lack the objectivity and neurobiological grounding of clinical measures. These first results of a real‐world feasibility study demonstrate that objective measures of a range of domains including EEG (Figure 1) are user‐friendly and suitable for repeated at‐home use by patients and older controls.Method60 patients and 60 matched controls are being recruited for a 1‐year repeated sampling study in the UK. Patients were clinically assessed to have mild Alzheimer’s type dementia. Participants were asked to complete about 30 minutes of behavioral tasks including memory, executive function, affective processing and language, while synchronized EEG was recorded using a self‐applied dry‐sensor headset. This interim data is from an initial 2‐week burst sampling period, for the first half of the cohorts.ResultAdherence was 76% for the dementia group (N = 29, mean age = 75; ADAS = Cog 24.3) and 88% for the control group (N = 36, mean age = 71; ADAS = Cog 7.8). A symbol substitution task (executive function) differentiated strongly between groups (t(53) = 6.9), and correlated highly with a conventional pen‐and‐paper DSST benchmark (rho = 0.79). An associative memory task also patterned strongly with disease status (t(54) = 5.7) and correlated with the Verbal Paired Associates benchmark (rho = 0.76). The grand average P300 ERP, elicited by a gamified 2‐stimulus oddball task, showed characteristic features of sensory and higher cognitive processing (Figure 2). As expected in the patient group, the P300 was reduced and delayed; and the resting‐state EEG theta and alpha power were enhanced and reduced, respectively. Radar plots (Figure 3), illustrate the pattern observed across domains in one representative Alzheimer’s patient and one control. Data from a fronto‐temporal dementia sister study is included for comparison.ConclusionInterim data from this first‐in‐class study suggest that patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease dementia are capable and willing to participate in intensive home‐based functional neurophysiology studies, if technology is designed to be engaging and easy to use. Initial examination of the data aligns with established benchmarks, constituting positive early evidence for construct validity and technical feasibility.

Pain sensitivity predicts support for moral and political views across the aisle.

We live in a time of exacerbating political polarization. Bridging the ideological divide is hard. Although some strategies have been found effective for interpersonal persuasion and interaction across the aisle, little is known about what intrapersonal attributes predict which individuals are more inclined to support their ideological opponent's views. The present work identifies a low-level attribute-sensitivity to physical pain-that robustly predicts individual variations in support for moral and political views typically favored by one's ideological opponent. We first summarize a psychophysical validation of an established pain sensitivity measure (n = 263), then report a series of exploratory and preregistered confirmatory studies and replications (N = 7,360) finding that more (vs. less) pain-sensitive liberal Americans show greater endorsement of moral foundations typically endorsed by conservatives (Studies 1a-1c), higher likelihood of voting for Trump over Biden in the 2020 presidential election, stronger support for Republican politicians, and more conservative attitudes toward contentious political issues (Studies 2a and 2b). Conservatives show the mirroring pattern. These "cross-aisle" effects of pain sensitivity are driven by heightened harm perception (Study 3). They defy lay intuitions (Study 4). They are not attributable to multicollinearity or response set. The consistent findings across studies highlight the value of deriving integrative predictions from multiple previously unconnected perspectives (social properties of pain, moral foundations theory, dyadic morality theory, principle of multiple determinants in higher mental processes). They open up novel directions for theorizing and research on why pain sensitivity predicts support for moral and political views across the aisle. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Overnight exposure to pink noise could jeopardize sleep-dependent insight and pattern detection.

Accumulated evidence from the past decades suggests that sleep plays a crucial role in memory consolidation and the facilitation of higher-level cognitive processes such as abstraction and gist extraction. In addition, recent studies show that applying pink noise during sleep can further enhance sleep-dependent memory consolidation, potentially by modulating sleep physiology through stochastic resonance. However, whether this enhancement extends to higher cognitive processes remains untested. In this study, we investigated how the application of open-loop pink noise during sleep influences the gain of insight into hidden patterns. Seventy-two participants were assigned to three groups: daytime-wake, silent sleep, and sleep with pink noise. Each group completed the number reduction task, an established insight paradigm known to be influenced by sleep, over two sessions with a 12-h interval. Sleep groups were monitored by the DREEM 3 headband in home settings. Contrary to our prediction, pink noise did not induce an increase in insight compared to silent sleep and was statistically more similar to the wake condition despite evidence for its typical influence on sleep physiology. Particularly, we found that pink noise limited the time spent in the initial cycle of N1 just after sleep onset, while time spent in N1 positively predicted insight. These results echo recent suggestions that the time in the initial cycle of N1 plays a critical role in insight formation. Overall, our results suggest that open-loop pink noise during sleep may be detrimental to insight formation and creativity due to the alterations it causes to normal sleep architecture.