Neuroimaging Techniques Research Articles

The neuroscience basis and educational interventions of mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety: a systematic literature review

IntroductionMathematics is a fundamental subject with significant implications in education and neuroscience. Understanding the cognitive processes underlying mathematical cognition is crucial for enhancing educational practices. However, mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety significantly hinder learning and application in this field. This systematic literature review aims to investigate the neuroscience basis and effective educational interventions for these challenges.MethodsThe review involved a comprehensive screening of 62 research articles that meet the ESSA evidence levels from multiple databases. The selection criteria focused on studies employing various methodologies, including behavioral experiments and neuroimaging techniques, to explore the neuroscience underpinnings and educational interventions related to mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety.ResultsThe review identified key themes and insights into the neuroscience basis of mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety. It also examined their impact on educational practices, highlighting the interplay between cognitive processes and educational outcomes. The analysis of these studies revealed significant findings on how these impairments and anxieties manifest and can be addressed in educational settings.DiscussionThe review critically analyzes the shortcomings of existing research, noting gaps and limitations in current understanding and methodologies. It emphasizes the need for more comprehensive and diverse studies to better understand these phenomena. The discussion also suggests new directions and potential improvement strategies for future research, aiming to contribute to more effective educational interventions and enhanced learning experiences in mathematics.ConclusionThis systematic review provides valuable insights into the neuroscience basis of mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety, offering a foundation for developing more effective educational strategies. It underscores the importance of continued research in this area to improve educational outcomes and support learners facing these challenges.

An Experimental Study to Determine Nutrition Profile Warning Message Effectiveness in Food Advertisements

In our country, with the regulations implemented by the Ministry of Health, RTÜK and the Ministry of Commerce, bans on some food products have been placed in television advertisements and the inclusion of flowband messages in food advertisements has become a legal requirement. The purpose of this research is to measure the effectiveness of flowband messages with nutritional profile content, which is mandatory in food advertisements. The main assumption of the research is that the effectiveness of the nutrient profile warning message, which is legally mandated and delivered through flowband messages, depends on the level of being seen and perceived by consumers. The effectiveness of flowband messages effectiveness was analyzed using eye tracking method, one of the neuroimaging techniques. As a result of the experimental study, it was determined that the level of focusing on the flowband message, which progresses for exactly 12 seconds in a 16-second commercial film, is 3.7 seconds. In general, it was determined that the flow band message was viewed by very few participants, and the viewers could not perceive the healthy nutrition message as catchy and accurate.

Difficulties during delivery, brain ventricle enlargement and cognitive impairment in first episode psychosis.

Patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) display clinical, cognitive, and structural brain abnormalities at illness onset. Ventricular enlargement has been identified in schizophrenia since the initial development of neuroimaging techniques. Obstetric abnormalities have been associated with an increased risk of developing psychosis but also with cognitive impairment and brain structure abnormalities. Difficulties during delivery are associated with a higher risk of birth asphyxia leading to brain structural abnormalities, such as ventriculomegaly, which has been related to cognitive disturbances. We examined differences in ventricular size between 142 FEP patients and 123 healthy control participants using magnetic resonance imaging. Obstetric complications were evaluated using the Lewis-Murray scale. We examined the impact of obstetric difficulties during delivery on ventricle size as well as the possible relationship between ventricle size and cognitive impairment in both groups. FEP patients displayed significantly larger third ventricle size compared with healthy controls. Third ventricle enlargement was associated with diagnosis (higher volume in patients), with difficulties during delivery (higher volume in subjects with difficulties), and was highest in patients with difficulties during delivery. Verbal memory was significantly associated with third ventricle to brain ratio. Our results suggest that difficulties during delivery might be significant contributors to the ventricular enlargement historically described in schizophrenia. Thus, obstetric complications may contribute to the development of psychosis through changes in brain architecture.

Perspective of Neuroimaging-Based on Epilepsy Monitoring Technology.

Epilepsy is a long-standing illness defined by short episodes of aberrant brain activity caused by abrupt cell discharges. The illness is not communicable and might linger for a long period. Epilepsy affects roughly 50 million individuals worldwide, making it a prevalent neurological illness. Epilepsy monitoring is the most significant element of epilepsy diagnosis and also plays an important role in diagnosing the origin of epilepsy, assessing prognosis, and directing therapy. This paper details the principles and basic algorithmic models of commonly used neuroimaging techniques and describes the role of different monitoring techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. The paper compares the advantages and disadvantages of different monitoring techniques in their application and explores a comprehensive and less restrictive epilepsy monitoring protocol for readers and relevant researchers. Currently, electroencephalography (EEG) is the most common technique for monitoring epilepsy, and its most basic algorithmic models are independent component analysis (ICA) and discrete wavelet analysis (DWA), which are used for aspects such as noise removal and feature extraction. This article is dedicated to helping the reader or relevant researcher to gain a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of current neuroimaging techniques and medical devices. Furthermore, it seeks to forecast future research directions based on current difficulties in the area. The purpose of this study is to give a useful reference for future research in the field of epilepsy monitoring.

EXAMINING THE SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION OF MINDFULNESS AND ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES FOR IMPROVING MENTAL WELL-BEING

Mindfulness has become a proven method for improving mental health and overall well-being. This comprehensive review provides an overview of the current research on mindfulness and its impact on clinical outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life. Studies using neuroimaging techniques have shown that practicing mindfulness leads to functional and structural changes in specific areas of the brain involved in executive control, emotion regulation, and self-awareness. Meta-analyses have indicated that mindfulness-based interventions have a significant positive effect on mood and anxiety disorders. The proposed psychological mechanisms behind these effects include increased metacognitive awareness, self-compassion, and the ability to distance oneself from negative thoughts. Research-based recommendations are given to utilize mindfulness for enhancing mental well-being. These suggestions include mindfulness apps, online resources, daily routines, and professional therapies based on mindfulness. Although more research is needed, the evidence strongly backs up mindfulness as an effective and accessible therapeutic technique for promoting positive mental health by bringing our awareness to the present moment. This analysis combines the most recent findings on how mindfulness can improve psychological functioning and resilience.

Deep Learning in Pediatric Neuroimaging

The integration of deep learning techniques in pediatric neuroimaging has shown significant promise in advancing various aspects of the field. This paper provides a comprehensive exploration of deep learning applications in pediatric neuroimaging, focusing on image processing and reconstruction, segmentation and classification, brain abnormalities detection, and brain development and maturation analysis. It discusses key deep-learning techniques and their relevance in pediatric neuroimaging. The paper also addresses challenges and limitations such as the lack of standardization, ethical and privacy concerns, limited and heterogeneous data, and age, gender, and developmental variations. The paper highlights future directions and opportunities, including the integration of multi-modal data, ethical considerations, diagnosing and initiating treatment during early stages, and the impact of maternal emotional well-being on brain development. The insights provided in this paper aim to contribute to understanding how deep learning can positively impact pediatric neuroimaging and inspire further research and innovation in the field. Ultimately, adopting deep learning techniques in pediatric neuroimaging can improve patient outcomes, advance diagnostic accuracy, and enhance our understanding of early brain development.

Neuroimaging Techniques in Differentiating Parkinson's Disease from Drug-Induced Parkinsonism: A Comprehensive Review.

Neuroimaging can provide significant benefits in evaluating patients with movement disorders associated with drugs. This literature review describes neuroimaging techniques performed to distinguish Parkinson's disease from drug-induced parkinsonism. The dopaminergic radiotracers already reported to assess patients with drug-induced parkinsonism are [123I]-FP-CIT, [123I]-β-CIT, [99mTc]-TRODAT-1, [18F]-DOPA, [18F]-AV-133, and [18F]-FP-CIT. The most studied one and the one with the highest number of publications is [123I]-FP-CIT. Fludeoxyglucose (18F) revealed a specific pattern that could predict individuals susceptible to developing drug-induced parkinsonism. Another scintigraphy method is [123I]-MIBG cardiac imaging, in which a relationship between abnormal cardiac imaging and normal dopamine transporter imaging was associated with a progression to degenerative disease in individuals with drug-induced parkinsonism. Structural brain magnetic resonance imaging can be used to assess the striatal region. A transcranial ultrasound is a non-invasive method with significant benefits regarding costs and availability. Optic coherence tomography only showed abnormalities in the late phase of Parkinson's disease, so no benefit in distinguishing early-phase Parkinson's disease and drug-induced parkinsonism was found. Most methods demonstrated a high specificity in differentiating degenerative from non-degenerative conditions, but the sensitivity widely varied in the studies. An algorithm was designed based on clinical manifestations, neuroimaging, and drug dose adjustment to assist in the management of patients with drug-induced parkinsonism.

Functional neuroimaging related to lower urinary tract sensations: Future directions for study designs and selection of patient groups: ICI-RS 2023.

Neuroimaging studies have advanced our understanding of the intricate central nervous system control network governing lower urinary tract (LUT) function, shedding light on mechanisms for urine storage and voiding. However, a lack of consensus in methodological approaches hinders the comparability of results among research groups and limits the translation of this knowledge to clinical applications, emphasizing the need for standardized methodologies and clinical utilization guidelines. This paper reports the discussions of a workshop at the 2023 meeting of the International Consultation on Incontinence Research Society, which reviewed uncertainties and research priorities to progress the field of neuroimaging in LUT control and dysfunction. Neuroimaging holds great potential for improving our understanding of LUT control and pathophysiological conditions. To date, functional neuroimaging techniques have not yet achieved sufficient strength to make a direct clinical impact. Potential approaches that can improve the clinical utilization of neuroimaging were discussed and research questions proposed. Neuroimaging offers a valuable tool for investigating LUT control, but it's essential to acknowledge the potential for oversimplification when interpreting brain activity due to the complex neural processing and filtering of sensory information. Moreover, technical limitations pose challenges in assessing key brain stem and spinal cord centers, particularly in cases of neurological dysfunction, highlighting the need for more reliable imaging of these centers to advance our understanding of LUT function and dysfunction.

Transcranial dipole localization and decoding study based on ultrasonic phased array for acoustoelectric brain imaging

Objective. Neuroimaging is one of the effective tools to understand the functional activities of the brain, but traditional non-invasive neuroimaging techniques are difficult to combine both high temporal and spatial resolution to satisfy clinical needs. Acoustoelectric brain imaging (ABI) can combine the millimeter spatial resolution advantage of focused ultrasound with the millisecond temporal resolution advantage of electroencephalogram signals. Approach. In this study, we first explored the transcranial modulated acoustic field distribution based on ABI, and further localized and decoded single and double dipoles signals. Main results. The results show that the simulation-guided acoustic field modulation results are significantly better than those of self-focusing, which can realize precise modulation focusing of intracranial target focusing. The single dipole transcranial localization error is less than 0.4 mm and the decoding accuracy is greater than 0.93. The double dipoles transcranial localization error is less than 0.2 mm and the decoding accuracy is greater than 0.89. Significance. This study enables precise focusing of transcranial acoustic field modulation, high-precision localization of source signals and decoding of their waveforms, which provides a technical method for ABI in localizing evoked excitatory neuron areas and epileptic focus.

Neural tracking ofsocial hierarchies inadolescents' real-world social networks.

In the current study, we combined sociometric nominations and neuroimaging techniques to examine adolescents' neural tracking of peers from their real-world social network that varied in social preferences and popularity. Adolescent participants from an entire school district (N = 873) completed peer sociometric nominations of their grade at school, and a subset of participants (N = 117, Mage = 13.59 years) completed a neuroimaging task in which they viewed peer faces from their social networks. We revealed two neural processes by which adolescents track social preference: (1) the fusiform face area, an important region for early visual perception and social categorization, simultaneously represented both peers high in social preference and low in social preference; (2) the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which was differentially engaged in tracking peers high and low in social preference. No regions specifically tracked peers high in popularity and only the inferior parietal lobe, temporoparietal junction, midcingulate cortex and insula were involved in tracking unpopular peers. This is the first study to examine the neural circuits that support adolescents' perception of peer-based social networks. These findings identify the neural processes that allow youths to spontaneously keep track of peers' social value within their social network.

Reduced Cortical Complexity in Children with Developmental Delay in Saudi Arabia.

Developmental delay (DD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by delays in multiple domains. The investigation of brain structure in DD has been enhanced by advanced neuroimaging techniques that can identify regional surface deformities. Neuroimaging studies have identified structural brain abnormalities in individuals with DD, but research specific to the Saudi Arabian population is limited. In this study, we examine the neuroanatomical abnormalities in the cortical and subcortical regions of Saudi Arabian children with DD. A T1-weighted, 1-mm-thick MRI was used to acquire structural brain images of 29 children with DD and age-matched healthy controls. Analysis of the MRI data revealed significant differences in several cortical and subcortical structures of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) in several brain regions of the DD group. Specifically, significant deformities were observed in the caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, frontal gyrus, pars opercularis, pars orbitalis, cingulate gyrus, and subcallosal gyrus. These findings suggest disrupted neurodevelopment in these regions, which may contribute to the cognitive, motor, and behavioral impairments commonly observed in individuals with DD. The present study provides valuable insights into the neuroanatomical differences in Saudi Arabian children with DD. Our results provide evidence for cortical and subcortical abnormalities in DD. Deformities in the observed regions may contribute to cognitive impairment, emotional dysregulation, mood disorders, and language deficits commonly observed in DD. The structural analysis may enable the identification of neuroanatomical biomarkers to facilitate the early diagnosis or progression of DD. These results suggest that lower cortical complexity in DD children due to alterations in networks may play a critical role in early brain development.

Positive or negative environmental modulations on human brain development: the morpho-functional outcomes of music training or stress.

In the last couple of decades, the study of human living brain has benefitted of neuroimaging and non-invasive electrophysiological techniques, which are particularly valuable during development. A number of studies allowed to trace the usual stages leading from pregnancy to adult age, and relate them to functional and behavioral measurements. It was also possible to explore the effects of some interventions, behavioral or not, showing that the commonly followed pathway to adulthood may be steered by external interventions. These events may result in behavioral modifications but also in structural changes, in some cases limiting plasticity or extending/modifying critical periods. In this review, we outline the healthy human brain development in the absence of major issues or diseases. Then, the effects of negative (different stressors) and positive (music training) environmental stimuli on brain and behavioral development is depicted. Hence, it may be concluded that the typical development follows a course strictly dependent from environmental inputs, and that external intervention can be designed to positively counteract negative influences, particularly at young ages. We also focus on the social aspect of development, which starts in utero and continues after birth by building social relationships. This poses a great responsibility in handling children education and healthcare politics, pointing to social accountability for the responsible development of each child.

39 Does Pseudoneglect Modifies The Visuospatial After-Effects Of Vertical Prism Adaptation?

Objective:The prism adaptation (PA) with rightward shifting lenses is a promising rehabilitation technique for left hemispatial neglect. The PA has also been applied in healthy individuals to investigate cognitive mechanism(s) underlining such adaptation. Importantly, studies have suggested that PA may primarily impact the functions of the dorsal or the ventral attentional stream, and we have previously reported that PA to the upward and downward shifting lenses leads to a significant aftereffect in vertical line bisection task. However, this post-adaptation effect, similarly to that seen in the horizontal plane, might have been modified by the presence of the vertical pseudoneglect healthy participants often experience prior to PA. Thus, the aim of this study was to test this hypothesis.Participants and Methods:30 right-handed healthy adults (age M=22,4) performed a computerized line bisection (LB) in vertical and horizontal condition. The bisections were performed twice: before and after PA procedure. Participants took experimental procedure three times, each in at least 24 h of break, each time in one of three conditions of shifting lenses; down, up, control. Both LB tasks (vertical and horizontal) consisted of 24 lines, each centered on 23" touch screen. The participants were asked to find the middle of the line. Throughout the experiment, participants were comfortably seated with their head positioned on a chinrest. Participants were fitted with prismatic goggles that deviated their visual field by 10 degrees. For the adaptation we used the Peg-the-mole procedure consisting of 120 pointing movements.Results:To assess the effect of the vertical PA on landmark judgments we performed a repeated measures ANOVA with direction of PA (upward/downward), the condition of LB (vertical/ horizontal) and pre- vs post adaptation as a between-subjects factor. This analysis revealed a main effect of the direction of PA (p< 0.001) and a main effect of condition (p< 0.001). Overall, however, only adaptation in up-shifting lenses led to significant aftereffects (p<0.05). Further, when we excluded participants who did not exhibited horizontal pseudoneglect in preadaptation LB, the effect of PA in downshifting PA emerged in vertical LB (p<0.05). Further, this group also exhibited the aftereffect of PA in up-shifting lenses for the horizontal (p<0.01) and the vertical LB (p<0.05). Additionally, these participants exhibited a congruent tendency after upward and downward PA, and tended to allocate their attention more upward and rightward.Conclusions:The results of this study confirm that the vertical PA evokes a visuo-spatial bias. Moreover, the PA aftereffect seems to be modified by the presence of the pre-adaptation pseudoneglect. Whereas the mechanism inducing this bias is not fully known, it might be explained in light of the interhemispheric activation-inhibition balance. Both the upward and downward PA may primarily lead to activation of the posterior regions of the right hemisphere, and this activation may result with the upward and rightward bias in the LB task. However, future research with neuroimaging techniques is needed to test this hypothesis.

Prediction of Stroke Onset Time With Combined Fast High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic and Quantitative T2 Mapping.

The purpose of this work is to develop a multispectral imaging approach that combines fast high-resolution 3D magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) and fast quantitative T2 mapping to capture the multifactorial biochemical changes within stroke lesions and evaluate its potentials for stroke onset time prediction. Special imaging sequences combining fast trajectories and sparse sampling were used to obtain whole-brain maps of both neurometabolites (2.0 × 3.0 × 3.0 mm3) and quantitative T2 values (1.9 × 1.9 × 3.0 mm3) within a 9-minute scan. Participants with ischemic stroke at hyperacute (0-24 h, n = 23) or acute (24 h-7d, n = 33) phase were recruited in this study. Lesion N-acetylaspartate (NAA), lactate, choline, creatine, and T2 signals were compared between groups and correlated with patient symptomatic duration. Bayesian regression analyses were employed to compare the predictive models of symptomatic duration using multispectral signals. In both groups, increased T2 and lactate levels, as well as decreased NAA and choline levels were detected within the lesion (all p < 0.001). Changes in T2, NAA, choline, and creatine signals were correlated with symptomatic duration for all patients (all p < 0.005). Predictive models of stroke onset time combining signals from MRSI and T2 mapping achieved the best performance (hyperacute: R2 = 0.438; all: R2 = 0.548). The proposed multispectral imaging approach provides a combination of biomarkers that index early pathological changes after stroke in a clinical-feasible time and improves the assessment of the duration of cerebral infarction. Developing accurate and efficient neuroimaging techniques to provide sensitive biomarkers for prediction of stroke onset time is of great importance for maximizing the proportion of patients eligible for therapeutic intervention. The proposed method provides a clinically feasible tool for the assessment of symptom onset time post ischemic stroke, which will help guide time-sensitive clinical management.

Compressibility Analysis of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Signals in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Functional near- infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as an emerging optical neuroimaging technique has attracted the interest and attention of many investigators. With the growth of fNIRS data volume, effective data compression methods are urgent. Compressive sensing (CS) has been demonstrated a promising tool to deal with biomedical data. However, whether the compressibility of fNIRS data can discriminate different brain states is unclear. In this study, the fNIRS signals from fifteen attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children and fifteen typically developing (TD) children were recorded during an N-back task and a Go/NoGo task respectively. A block sparse Bayesian learning-based CS method was used to reconstruct the compressed fNIRS data. To assess the performance of the CS method, we adopted two metrics, structural similarity index (SSIM) and mean squared error (MSE), both of them effective in evaluating the compressibility of fNIRS data. Then, the two metrics were analyzed to discriminate the brain states of ADHD children and TD children during the two tasks using the multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) method. As indicated by the results, the CS method could reconstruct the compressed fNIRS data with a high reconstruction quality at different compression ratio ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]). Furthermore, the MVPA method could distinguish different brain states with high accuracy, and identify that the prefrontal cortex is a key brain region for distinguishing ADHD vs. TD or N-back vs. Go/NoGo. These findings indicated that CS is very promising for the storage and transmission of massive fNIRS data, and the compressibility of fNIRS data is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of ADHD.

Characterizing neurocognitive impairments in Parkinson's disease with mobile EEG when walking and stepping over obstacles.

The neural correlates that help us understand the challenges that Parkinson's patients face when negotiating their environment remain under-researched. This deficit in knowledge reflects the methodological constraints of traditional neuroimaging techniques, which include the need to remain still. As a result, much of our understanding of motor disorders is still based on animal models. Daily life challenges such as tripping and falling over obstacles represent one of the main causes of hospitalization for individuals with Parkinson's disease. Here, we report the neural correlates of naturalistic ambulatory obstacle avoidance in Parkinson's disease patients using mobile EEG. We examined 14 medicated patients with Parkinson's disease and 17 neurotypical control participants. Brain activity was recorded while participants walked freely, and while they walked and adjusted their gait to step over expected obstacles (preset adjustment) or unexpected obstacles (online adjustment) displayed on the floor. EEG analysis revealed attenuated cortical activity in Parkinson's patients compared to neurotypical participants in theta (4-7 Hz) and beta (13-35 Hz) frequency bands. The theta power increase when planning an online adjustment to step over unexpected obstacles was reduced in Parkinson's patients compared to neurotypical participants, indicating impaired proactive cognitive control of walking that updates the online action plan when unexpected changes occur in the environment. Impaired action planning processes were further evident in Parkinson's disease patients' diminished beta power suppression when preparing motor adaptation to step over obstacles, regardless of the expectation manipulation, compared to when walking freely. In addition, deficits in reactive control mechanisms in Parkinson's disease compared to neurotypical participants were evident from an attenuated beta rebound signal after crossing an obstacle. Reduced modulation in the theta frequency band in the resetting phase across conditions also suggests a deficit in the evaluation of action outcomes in Parkinson's disease. Taken together, the neural markers of cognitive control of walking observed in Parkinson's disease reveal a pervasive deficit of motor-cognitive control, involving impairments in the proactive and reactive strategies used to avoid obstacles while walking. As such, this study identified neural markers of the motor deficits in Parkinson's disease and revealed patients' difficulties in adapting movements both before and after avoiding obstacles in their path.

Neuroimaging on Brain Structural and Functional Abnormality of Borderline Personality Disorder

This article is a comprehensive review of borderline personality disorder (BPD) based on the neuroimaging technique. The paper incorporated the etiology of BPD, the correlated brain structure and function abnormality of BPD found by neuroimaging techniques, influence of brain abnormality and recommendations for future research directions. The method used in the paper is to generalise results from pre-existing research and studies by reviewing the literature. The results and discussion section will focus on the comparison between BPD and non-BPD subjects, intending to highlight the most significant anatomical and functional abnormalities in the brain such as the hippocampus, the amygdala and the primary visual processing area. Furthermore, the impact of early trauma, and the connection between brain abnormalities and emotional dysregulation will be discussed in the paper. The suggestions and discussions section at the end will cover the current limitation of BPD neuroimaging research based on the selection bias on gender and provide directions for future research. The overall goal of the current study is to increase knowledge about BPD.

Acoustoelectric brain imaging with different conductivities and acoustic distributions.

Objective: Acoustoelectric brain imaging (AEBI) is a promising imaging method for mapping brain biological current densities with high spatiotemporal resolution. Currently, it is still challenging to achieve human AEBI with an unclear acoustoelectric (AE) signal response of medium characteristics, particularly in conductivity and acoustic distribution. This study introduces different conductivities and acoustic distributions into the AEBI experiment, and clarifies the response interaction between medium characteristics and AEBI performance to address these key challenges. Approach: AEBI with different conductivities is explored by the imaging experiment, potential measurement, and simulation on a pig's fat, muscle, and brain tissue. AEBI with different acoustic distributions is evaluated on the imaging experiment and acoustic field measurement through a deep and surface transmitting model built on a human skullcap and pig brain tissue. Main results: The results show that conductivity is not only inversely proportional to the AE signal amplitude but also leads to a higher AEBI spatial resolution as it increases. In addition, the current source and sulcus can be located simultaneously with a strong AE signal intensity. The transcranial focal zone enlargement, pressure attenuation in the deep-transmitting model, and ultrasound echo enhancement in the surface-transmitting model cause a reduced spatial resolution, FFT-SNR, and timing correlation of AEBI. Under the comprehensive effect of conductivity and acoustics, AEBI with skull finally shows reduced imaging performance for both models compared with no-skull AEBI. On the contrary, the AE signal amplitude decreases in the deep-transmitting model and increases in the surface-transmitting model. Significance: This study reveals the response interaction between medium characteristics and AEBI performance, and makes an essential step toward developing AEBI as a practical neuroimaging technique.

Neuroinflammation in the Evolution of Motor Function in Stroke and Trauma Patients: Treatment and Potential Biomarkers.

Neuroinflammation has a significant impact on different pathologies, such as stroke or spinal cord injury, intervening in their pathophysiology: expansion, progression, and resolution. Neuroinflammation involves oxidative stress, damage, and cell death, playing an important role in neuroplasticity and motor dysfunction by affecting the neuronal connection responsible for motor control. The diagnosis of this pathology is performed using neuroimaging techniques and molecular diagnostics based on identifying and measuring signaling molecules or specific markers. In parallel, new therapeutic targets are being investigated via the use of bionanomaterials and electrostimulation to modulate the neuroinflammatory response. These novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies have the potential to facilitate the development of anticipatory patterns and deliver the most beneficial treatment to improve patients' quality of life and directly impact their motor skills. However, important challenges remain to be solved. Hence, the goal of this study was to review the implication of neuroinflammation in the evolution of motor function in stroke and trauma patients, with a particular focus on novel methods and potential biomarkers to aid clinicians in diagnosis, treatment, and therapy. A specific analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities was conducted, highlighting the key challenges to be faced in the coming years.

Major depressive disorder: Brain signals as biomarkers for depression

Major depressive disorder: Brain signals as biomarkers for depression Tiago Costa from Delft University of Technology explores the potential of neuroimaging techniques, specifically non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG), in detecting biomarkers for depression. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a prevalent and complex mental disorder posing significant challenges to both individuals and societies worldwide. An early and accurate diagnosis of depression is essential for effective treatment and management. In recent years, advancements in neuroimaging techniques have opened new avenues for identifying biomarkers that could aid in the diagnosis and understanding of depression. Among these techniques, non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) has gained attention in the last decade for its potential to detect depression biomarkers. While there is significant heterogeneity in terms of methodologies, sample sizes, and research objectives, several consistent patterns and findings emerge.