Neurophysiological Studies Research Articles

NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF ACUTE STRESS AND LOW DOSES OF IONIZING RADIATION ON HUMAN BRAIN.

to study the clinical and neurophysiological features in the Chornobyl clean-up workers with a verified chronic cerebrovascular disease/cerebral small vessels disease (SVD) exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation (IR), employees of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (SSE ChNPP), who were exposed to the stress factor of a full-scale war as a result of being held captive by the Russian military at their workplaces, and individuals of the non-irradiated comparison group.Design, object and methods. A cross-sectional clinical study with parallel external control groups. We studied and carried out an expert statistical analysis of the clinical and neurophysiological characteristics of 62 male subjects, from which three examination groups were formed: 1) a randomized sample from the Clinical Epidemiological Register (CER) of the State Institution «National Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine» (NRCRM) of 22 Chornobyl clean-up workers ('Chornobyl liquidators') in 1986-1990,examined during 2020-2021, aged 50-68 years at the time of examination (M ± SD: (58.1 ± 5.2) years) with a documented external radiation dose of 0.03-2.30 Sv; 2) 24 SSE ChNPP employees exposed to the stress factor impact of a full-scale war as a result of being held captive by the Russian military at their workplaces. The average age of the examined was (54.5 ± 5.8) years (range 46-71 years). 3) Comparison group - 16 non-exposed men with verified chronic cerebrovascular disease/cerebral small vessels disease (SVD). The average age of the examined was (57.8 ± 5.6) years (range 50-70 years). Neurophysiological studies confirm the presence of the pronounced dysfunction of the cortico-limbic system of the left dominant hemisphere of the brain with special involvement of the hippocampus in the Chornobyl clean-up workers. In the SSE ChNPP group, for the first time, the disorders of cerebral neurodynamics were detected in the form of functional hypofrontality and hyperfunction of the cortico-limbic system with lateralization to the right hemisphere. Today there exists a long-term thorough methodological and evidence base for a possible neurophysiological diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the combined cerebral effects of IR and psycho-emotional stress associated with the conditions of military conflicts. Neurophysiological technologies can be used in the objective professional and qualification selection of employees in a number of professions that require quick and responsible decision-making. Employees of SSE ChNPP need further medical and psychological support due to an increased risk of developing mental health disorders.

Comparative analysis of neurophysiological studies in the diagnosis of bulbar syndrome in patients with Chiari malformation Type 1

The incidence of bulbar syndrome in craniovertebral junction anomalies is between 12% and 35%. Although the use of evoked potentials intraoperatively and preoperatively has advanced in recent years, their use in predicting the development of neurological deficits remains a challenge. This research explores the predictive significance of evoked potentials in the diagnosis of bulbar syndrome in Chiari 1 anomaly. Data from 39 patients and 30 controls were reviewed. Standard multimodal neurophysiological investigations including Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs), Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS), and Electromyogram (EMG) were performed. All studies were conducted on the 4-channel complex “Synapsis” (Neurotech, Russia) with computer data processing. The threshold Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) value was 21.5 m/s. The sensitivity and specificity were 75.5% and 71.2% respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.96±0.36 (95% CI: 0.89-1.00) and p-value 0.004. The M-response amplitude threshold dividing the study group into high and low-risk groups was 1.01 microV. The sensitivity and specificity were 78.0 and 71.2%, respectively. The BAEPs interpeak intervals III-V and I-V were significantly prolonged (P˂ 0.05). SSEPs showed a decreased amplitude and reduced NCV (P ˂ 0.01). Glossopharyngeal nerve electroneuromyography is the most informative test. A decrease in M-response amplitude of bulbar muscles and NCV on efferent fibers is highly predictive of the development of bulbar disorders in patients with Chiari 1, even in subclinical cases.

Excitability Changes in Occipital Cortex After Continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation.

Modulation of visual cortical structures by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is rarely observed in literature. In this study; the researchers aimed to investigate the neurophysiological alterations by using continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) protocol over the occipital cortex in healthy subjects. Twenty-five (15 female, 10 male) (mean age 29.84±4.7 years) healthy individuals were included in sham and real cTBS occipital stimulation sessions. Before and after each session, neurophysiological studies including phosphene threshold and visual evoked potential (VEP) responses were recorded. The P100 latency values and maximum amplitude values between N75-P100 peaks of 100 responses of 1000 uninterrupted continuous visual stimuli were measured. The VEP habituation and phosphene thresholds were compared in sham and real cTBS sessions. The phosphene threshold values increased to statistically significant levels after the real cTBS session. Visual evoked potential habituation was observed in both sham and real cTBS sessions in individuals without significant differences. Also, no difference between the P100 latencies and N75-P100 amplitude values in the sham and real cTBS sessions was observed. Phosphene threshold measurements demonstrated the modulation of the occipital cortex excitability via cTBS in healthy subjects.

Parkinsonism may aggravate dysphagia in myotonic dystrophy type 1: two case reports.

Weakness of trunk muscles, fatigue and reduced mobility are features of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and may also characterize patients with extrapyramidal disorders.Dysphagia is common in DM1 and parkinsonism and can be predominant compared to other symptom, often requiring surgical tratment. We describe two cases of patients with DM1 and parkinsonism who arrived at our Center for worsening dysphagia and who showed very similar and peculiar clinical features. The first patient presented initially at the outpatient clinic reporting a 7 year history of progressive difficulties in swallowing and movement slowness. Neurologic examination showed a general bradykinesia, plastic rigidity of upper limbs, diffuse hypotrophy and deep tendon reflexes weakness. MRI scan of brain and spine was unremarkable, but neurophysiological evaluation revealed diffuse myotonic discharges on distal limb muscles. Genetic testing confirmed DM1 diagnosis (CTG range E1).The second patient, presented with an initial diagnosis of parkinsonism due to a 10 years history of gait impairment, generalized weakness and dysphagia. Due to low back pain a neurophysiological study was performed after 5 years from diagnosis of parkinsonism detecting diffuse myotonic discharges and genetic testing confirmed diagnosis of DM1 (CTG range E2).Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) was severe and burdensome for both patients.To date, only one case of molecularly confirmed DM1 along with parkinsonism has been described. We have described two cases of DM1 and parkinsonism in which swallowing function has been affected by a synergic effect triggered by both muscle condition and extrapyramidal disease.

Chapter 2 - Upper and lower motor neuron neurophysiology and motor control

This chapter considers the principles that underlie neurophysiological studies of upper motor neuron or lower motor neuron lesions, based on an understanding of the normal structure and function of the motor system. Human motor neurophysiology consists of an evaluation of the active components of the motor system that are relevant to volitional movements. Relatively primitive motor skills include locomotion, much dependent on the spinal cord central pattern generator, reaching, involving proximal and distal muscles activation, and grasping. Humans are well prepared to perform complex movements like writing. The role of motor cortex is critical for the motor activity, very dependent on the continuous sensory feedback, and this is essential for adapting the force and speed control, which contributes to motor learning. Most corticospinal neurons in the brain project to brainstem and spinal cord, many with polysynaptic inhibitory rather than excitatory connections. The monosynaptic connections observed in humans and primates constitute a specialized pathway implicated in fractional finger movements. Spinal cord has a complex physiology, and local reflexes and sensory feedback are essential to control adapted muscular contraction during movement. The cerebellum has a major role in motor coordination, but also consistent roles in sensory activities, speech, and language, in motor and spatial memory, and in psychological activity. The motor unit is the final effector of the motor drive. The complex interplay between the lower motor neuron, its axon, motor end-plates, and muscle fibers allows a relevant plasticity in the movement output.

Auricular transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation specifically enhances working memory maintenance – a system neurophysiological study

Auricular transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation specifically enhances working memory maintenance – a system neurophysiological study

A classification framework for investigating neural correlates of the limit of stability during weight-shifting in lower limb amputees

The coordination of the body with the central nervous system has been studied using various biomechanical, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging studies. Different postural strategies provide evidence of cortical involvement to maintain postural stability, which can be utilised to minimise the risk of falls in the elderly and various pathological individuals. In this paper, we investigated the effect of vibrotactile feedback in Electroencephalography (EEG) based classification of voluntary postural sway during weight-shifting exercises in healthy and transfemoral amputees. The EEG data recorded during forward, backward, right, and left shifting as well as normal standing, with and without vibrotactile feedback, is decomposed using discrete wavelet transform. The energy of the coefficients from levels 4 to 7 forms the feature space to be forwarded to the weighted kNN classifier and ensemble bagged trees. We have achieved significantly higher classification rates across all the conditions for healthy and amputee subjects. Predictor importance from ensemble bagged tree models provides the highest contributions from the low-frequency band of 0–3.9 Hz and channels located over the motor and somatosensory cortex. We have also observed the contributions associated with the spinocerebellum and cerebrocerebellum.

Beyond alpha-band: The neural correlate of creative thinking

The compound nature of creativity entails the interplay of multiple cognitive processes, making it difficult to attribute creativity to a single neural signature. Divergent thinking paradigms, widely adopted to investigate creative production, have highlighted the key role of specific mental operations subserving creativity, such as inhibition of external stimuli, loose semantic associations, and mental imagery. Neurophysiological studies have typically shown a high alpha rhythm synchronization when individuals are engaged in creative ideation. Also, oculomotor activity and pupil diameter have been proposed as useful indicators of mental operations involved in such a thinking process. The goal of this study was to investigate whether beyond alpha-band activity other higher frequency bands, such as beta and gamma, may subserve divergent and convergent thinking and whether those could be associated with a different gaze bias and pupil response during ideas generation. Implementing a within-subjects design we collected behavioral measures, neural activity, gaze patterns, and pupil dilation while participants performed a revised version of the Alternative Uses Task, in which divergent thinking is contrasted to convergent thinking. As expected, participants took longer to generate creative ideas as compared to common ones. Interestingly, during divergent thinking participants displayed alpha synchronization along with beta and gamma desynchronization, more pronounced leftward gaze shift, and greater pupil dilation. During convergent thinking, an opposite pattern was observed: desynchronization in alpha and an increase in beta and gamma rhythm, along with a reduction of leftward gaze shift and greater pupil constriction. The present study uncovered specific neural dynamics and physiological patterns during idea generation, providing novel insight into the complex physiological signature of creative production.

Determinants of cognitive impairment in multiple system atrophy: Clinical and genetic study.

Classically, cognitive impairment (CI) was not considered as a paramount feature of multiple system atrophy(MSA) in both parkinsonian(MSA-P) and cerebellar(MSA-C) motor-subtypes. Yet, growing evidence indicates currently the commonness of such deficits among MSA patients in different populations. Our aim was to evaluate the cognitive profile of MSA Tunisian patients and to analyze the underlying clinical and genetic determinants. In a retrospective cross-sectional study, clinically-diagnosed MSA patients were included. All subjects underwent clinical and neuropsychological assessments to characterize their cognitive profile. The associations with their APOE genotype status were analyzed. Determinant of CI were specified. We included 71 MSA patients. Female gender(sex-ratio = 0.65) and MSA-P subtype(73%) were predominant. Mean age of disease onset was 59.1years. CI was found in 85.7% of patients(dementia in 12.7% and Mild cognitive impairment(MCI) in 73% of patients mainly of multiple-domain amnestic type(37.3%)). Mean MMSE score was lower among MSA-P compared to MSA-C(23.52 vs. 26.47;p = 0.027). Higher postural instability gait disorder(PIGD) and MDS-UPDRS-III scores were noted in demented MSA patients(p = 0.019;p = 0.015 respectively). The main altered cognitive domain was attention(64.8%). Executive functions and mood disorders were more affected in MSA-P(p = 0.029,p = 0.035 respectively). Clinical and neurophysiological study of dysautonomia revealed no differences across cognitive subtypes. APOE genotyping was performed in 51 MSA patients with available blood samples. Those carrying APOEε4 had 1.32 fold higher risk to develop CI, with lower MMSE score(p = 0.0001). Attention and language were significantly altered by adjusting the p value to APOEɛ4 carriers(p = 0.046 and p = 0.044 respectively). Executive dysfunction was more pronounced among MSA-PAPOEε4 carriers(p = 0.010). In this study, the main determinants of CI in Tunisian MSA patients were MSA-P motor-subtype, mainly of PIGD-phenotype, disease duration and APOEε4 carrying status, defining a more altered cognitive phenotype. This effect mainly concerned executive, attention and language functions, all found to be more impaired in APOEε4 carriers with variable degrees across MSA motor-subtypes.

Sensitized 1-Acyl-7-nitroindolines with Enhanced Two-Photon Cross Sections for Release of Neurotransmitters.

Precise photochemical control, using two-photon excitation (2PE), of the timing and location of activation of glutamate is useful for studying the molecular and cellular physiology of the brain. Antenna-based light harvesting strategies represent a general method to increase the sensitivity to 2PE of otherwise insensitive photoremovable protecting groups (PPGs). This was applied to the most commonly used form of "caged" glutamate, MNI-Glu. Computational investigation showed that a four- or six-carbon linker attached between the 4-position of thioxanthone (THX) and the 4-position of the 5-methyl derivative of MNI-Glu (MMNI-Glu) would position the antenna and PPG close to one another to enable Dexter energy transfer. Nine THX-MMNI-Glu conjugates were prepared and their photochemical properties determined. Installation of the THX antenna resulted in a red shift of the absorption (λmax = 385-405 nm) along with increased quantum yield compared to the parent compound MNI-Glu (λmax = 347 nm). The THX-MMNI-Glu conjugate with a four-carbon linker and attachment to the 4-position of THX underwent photolysis via 1PE at 405 and 430 nm and via 2PE at 770 and 860 nm, yielding glutamate. The two-photon uncaging action cross section (δu) was 0.11 and 0.29 GM at 770 and 860, respectively, which was greater than for MNI-Glu (0.06 and 0.072 GM at 720 and 770 nm, respectively). The THX sensitizer harvested the light via 2PE and transferred its resulting triplet energy to MMNI-Glu. Release of glutamate through 2PE at 860 nm from the compound (100 μM) activated iGluSnFR, a genetically encoded, fluorescent glutamate sensor, on the surface of cells in culture, portending its usefulness in studies of neurophysiology in acute brain slice.

Assessment of intraepidermal nerve fiber density and neurophysiological studies in patients with idiopathic polyneuropathy

Abstract Background Idiopathic polyneuropathy is an asymmetrical, length-dependent neuropathy in which neurophysiology demonstrates axonal damage involving large fibers, along with insidious onset and slow progression over 6 months, with no identified etiology in spite of thorough investigations. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic role of clinical, electrophysiological, and histopathological studies in patients with idiopathic polyneuropathy. Methods Case–control study included 20 patients with clinical and neurophysiological evidence of sensory or sensory–motor neuropathy with no apparent etiology after laboratory investigation were recruited from 127 patients with sensory–motor neuropathy of unknown etiology (the patients group). Twenty apparently healthy individuals, age- and sex-matched, with no neuropathy symptoms (the control group), were recruited from the Neurology Clinic of Al-Azhar University, Assuit. Results Age of onset of patients with idiopathic polyneuropathy (44–70) years, duration of illness (1–6) years, 60% had painful neuropathy, diagnostic neuropathic pain questioner (DN4 score) (5–7), abnormal pin brick (80%), abnormal vibration (90%), abnormal fine touch (75%), distal weakness (70%), and lost ankle reflex (90%). In the control group, there were substantial differences with respect to prolonged latency, diminished sympathetic skin response amplitude, and significant intraepidermal nerve fiber density reduction in skin biopsy cases. In diagnosing idiopathic polyneuropathy, the specificity and sensitivity of sympathetic skin response were (80–86)% and (81–89.5)%, respectively, whereas those of diminished intraepidermal nerve fiber density were (92.5%) and (97.5%), respectively. Conclusion The assessment of intraepidermal nerve fiber density had an important good diagnostic role in cases presented with polyneuropathy.

Detailed statistical analysis plan for the neurological complications in endoscopic versus open radial artery harvest (NEO) randomised clinical trial.

Coronary artery bypass grafting can be conducted using the radial artery as a bypass graft. However, it remains unclear which harvesting method is superior, i.e. endoscopic or open radial artery, and which site for proximal anastomosis of the radial artery has the greatest benefits? The NEO Trial is a single site randomised clinical trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design. The first comparison assesses endoscopic versus open radial artery harvest with a primary outcome of hand function and secondary outcomes of neurological deficits through clinical exams and neurophysiological studies. The primary outcome is postoperatively hand function at three months. We anticipate a mean difference of 3 points with a standard deviation of 8 points, a power of 90%, and a type I error of 5%, resulting in a required sample size of 300 participants randomised 1:1. Secondary outcomes are neurological deficits (based on nerve conduction measurements, algometry test and von Frey hair test), clinical neurological examination of cutaneous sensibility, and registration of complications in the donor arm (haematoma formation, wound dehiscence, and/or infection). The second comparison assesses two different proximal anastomotic sites, i.e. aorto-radial anastomosis versus mammario-radial anastomosis. The primary outcome is a composite of cerebrovascular events and the secondary outcome is graft patency evaluation by multi-slice computer tomography-scan. These outcomes will be assessed at 1year postoperatively, and the results of this comparison will be exploratory only. Both comparisons will be analysed using intention-to-treat and intervention groups will be compared using linear regression, logistic regression, or Mann-Whitney U test depending on data type. Two independent statisticians will follow the present plan and conduct the analyses which will hereafter be fused into a final analysis based on consensus. This detailed analysis plan will increase the validity of the NEO trial results by predefining the statistical analysis in detail. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01848886 . Registered 25 February 2013. Danish Ethics committee number: H-3-2012-116. Danish Data Protection Agency: 2007-58-0015/jr. n:30-0838.

Get Stoke(s)d! Introduction to the Special Focus.

Get Stoke(s)d! Introduction to the Special Focus.

Auditory Pitch Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Pitch plays an important role in auditory perception of music and language. This study provides a systematic review with meta-analysis to investigate whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have enhanced pitch processing ability and to identify the potential factors associated with processing differences between ASD and neurotypicals. We conducted a systematic search through six major electronic databases focusing on the studies that used nonspeech stimuli to provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment across existing studies on pitch perception in autism. We identified potential participant- and methodology-related moderators and conducted metaregression analyses using mixed-effects models. On the basis of 22 studies with a total of 464 participants with ASD, we obtained a small-to-medium positive effect size (g = 0.26) in support of enhanced pitch perception in ASD. Moreover, the mean age and nonverbal IQ of participants were found to significantly moderate the between-studies heterogeneity. Our study provides the first meta-analysis on auditory pitch perception in ASD and demonstrates the existence of different developmental trajectories between autistic individuals and neurotypicals. In addition to age, nonverbal ability is found to be a significant contributor to the lower level/local processing bias in ASD. We highlight the need for further investigation of pitch perception in ASD under challenging listening conditions. Future neurophysiological and brain imaging studies with a longitudinal design are also needed to better understand the underlying neural mechanisms of atypical pitch processing in ASD and to help guide auditory-based interventions for improving language and social functioning. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21614271.

Нейрофизиология и мораль: проблема междис­циплинарного исследования

The aim of the paper is to reveal the main methodological problems of neuroethics in the course of its development as an interdisciplinary approach to the study of morality, as well as to propose a critical analysis of the results of cognitive science (neurophysiol­ogy) in the context of moral philosophy. For this purpose, the author analyzes the modern subject field of neuroethical research from the point of view of philosophical ethics and discusses the main conceptions in which the results of neurophysiological studies of the moral decision-making process are summarized. The author describes a general divi­sion of the subject field in terms of “neuroethics No. 1” (a part of bioethics) and “neu­roethics No. 2” (a proclaimed part of moral philosophy). The object of research of this ar­ticle is neuroethics No. 2. It is argued that in neuroethics No. 2 the conceptualization of the moral decision-making process is carried out everywhere in accordance with the scheme of “double processes”: intuitive / quick / associative and discursive / slow / calculation-based. Even if the role of intuition is denied, duality is still preserved. This is so because emotions, as an extra-rational part of the psyche, are considered the basis of a quick decision. It is shown that a non-reflexive borrowing of concepts and concep­tions of moral philosophy is carried out both at the level of formation of the subject of re­search and at the level of method. The qualitatively meaningful meaning of concepts is blurred or substituted. Such a language transition outside the boundaries of the subject area of neurophysiology only simulates the presence of interdisciplinarity. The research remains in the frames of the study of cognitive processes, without their moral component. It is concluded that for the development of neuroethics as an interdisciplinary direction, we need to obtain a synthesis of the meanings developed in the course of cultural devel­opment and of the data on human biological development. Further, in accordance with such a synthetic subject we need to adjust the research method, also we must avoid sub­stituting the concepts of philosophical ethics.

Physiological effects of cathodal electrode configuration for transspinal stimulation in humans.

Transspinal stimulation modulates neuronal excitability and promotes recovery in upper motoneuron lesions. The recruitment input-output curves of transspinal evoked potentials (TEPs) recorded from knee and ankle muscles, and their susceptibility to spinal inhibition, were recorded when the position, size, and number of the cathode electrode were arranged in four settings or protocols (Ps). The four Ps were the following: 1) one rectangular electrode placed at midline (KNIKOU-LAB4Recovery or K-LAB4Recovery; P-KLAB), 2) one square electrode placed at midline (P-2), 3) two square electrodes 1 cm apart placed at midline (P-3), and 4) one square electrode placed on each paravertebral side (P-4). P-KLAB and P-3 required less current to reach TEP threshold or maximal amplitudes. A rightward shift in TEP recruitment curves was evident for P-4, whereas the slope was increased for P-2 and P-4 compared with P-KLAB and P-3. TEP depression upon single and paired transspinal stimuli was pronounced in ankle TEPs but was less prominent in knee TEPs. TEP depression induced by single transspinal stimuli at 1.0 Hz was similar for most TEPs across protocols, but TEP depression induced by paired transspinal stimuli was different between protocols and was replaced by facilitation at 100-ms interstimulus interval for P-4. Our results suggest that P-KLAB and P-3 are preferred based on excitability threshold of motoneurons. P-KLAB produced more TEP depression, thereby maximizing the engagement of spinal neuronal pathways. We recommend P-KLAB to study neurophysiological mechanisms underlying transspinal stimulation or when used as a neuromodulation method for recovery in neurological disorders.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Transspinal stimulation with a rectangular cathode electrode (P-KLAB) requires less current to produce transspinal evoked potentials and maximizes spinal inhibition. We recommend P-KLAB for neurophysiological studies or when used as a neuromodulation method to enhance motor output and normalize muscle tone in neurological disorders.

Cognitive impairment in patients with hypothyroidism and possibilities of its correction

Aim. To identify and correct cognitive impairment in patients with hypothyroidism.Materials and methods. The study included 76 patients with primary hypothyroidism. All patients were divided into 2 groups: compensated and decompensated hypothyroidism. In addition to general clinical, and hormonal blood tests all participants in the study underwent ultrasound of the thyroid gland and ECG, the neurophysiological study of cognitive evoked potentials, and testing according to the Montreal cognitive function assessment scale.Results. In the majority of patients with a lack of thyroid hormones, cognitive impairments were detected, which increase with worsening compensation for hypothyroidism according to the results of Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale testing. The study of evoked potentials in patients with hypothyroidism revealed an increase in latency and a decrease in the amplitude of the P300 indicator, indicating the presence of cognitive deficit. The addition of ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate to hormone replacement therapy in patients with hypothyroidism significantly improves cognitive performance more than hormone monotherapy.Conclusions. This study showed the need to identify cognitive impairments in patients with primary hypothyroidism, and their correction with the help of complex therapy increases the cognitive potential and the effectiveness of their treatment.

Investigating the molecular genetic, genomic, brain structural, and brain functional correlates of latent transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology across the lifespan: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies in the general population.

Research using latent variable modelling has identified a superordinate general dimension of psychopathology, as well as several specific/lower-order transdiagnostic dimensions (e.g., internalising and externalising) within the meta-structure of psychiatric symptoms. These models can facilitate discovery in genetic and neuroscientific research by providing empirically derived psychiatric phenotypes, offering greater validity and reliability than traditional diagnostic categories. The prospective review outlined in this protocol aims to integrate and assess evidence from research investigating the biological correlates of general psychopathology and specific/lower-order transdiagnostic symptom dimensions. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies investigating general population samples of any age group or developmental period will be included to capture evidence from across the lifespan. MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO databases will be systematically searched for relevant literature. The review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Eligibility criteria were designed to capture psychiatric genetic (i.e., molecular genetic and genomic) and neuroimaging (i.e., brain structural and brain functional) studies investigating latent transdiagnostic dimension(s) or structural model(s) of psychopathology across any age group. Studies which include or exclude participants based on clinical symptoms, disorders, or relevant risk factors (e.g., history of abuse, neglect, and trauma) will be excluded. Biometric genetic research (e.g., twin and family studies), candidate gene studies, neurophysiology studies, and other non-imaging based neuroscientific studies (e.g., post-mortem studies) will be excluded. Study quality and risk of bias will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies, the Joanna Briggs Checklist for Cohort Studies, and the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Meta-analysis will be conducted if sufficient data is available. This protocol outlines the first systematic review to examine evidence from studies investigating the latent structure and underlying biology of psychopathology and to characterise these relationships developmentally across the lifespan. The prospective review will cover a broad range of statistical techniques and models used to investigate latent transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology, as well as a numerous genetic and neuroscientific methods. [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/], identifier[CRD42021262717].

Task-specific subnetworks extend from prefrontal cortex to striatum.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on the dynamic representation of task content focus preferentially on the cerebral cortex. However, neurophysiological studies report coding of task-relevant features also by neurons in the striatum, suggesting basal ganglia involvement in cognitive decision-making. Here we use fMRI data to show that also in humans the striatum is an integrated part of the cognitive brain network. Twelve participants performed 3 cognitive tasks in the scanner, i.e., the Eriksen flanker task, a 2-back matching spatial working memory task, and a response scheme switching task. First, we use region of interest-based multivariate pattern classification to demonstrate that each task reliably induces a unique activity pattern in the striatum and in the lateral prefrontal cortex. We show that the three tasks can also be distinguished in putamen, caudate nucleus and ventral striatum alone. We additionally establish that the contribution of striatum to cognition is not sensitive to habituation or learning. Secondly, we use voxel-to-voxel functional connectivity to establish that voxels in the lateral prefrontal cortex and in the striatum that prefer the same task show significantly stronger functional coupling than voxel pairs in these remote structures that prefer different tasks. These results suggest that striatal neurons form subnetworks with cognition-related regions of the prefrontal cortex. These remote neuron populations are interconnected via functional couplings that exceed the time of execution of the specific tasks.

Micro-expression spotting based on optical flow features

• The nose tip location-based image alignment method improves the performance of Micro-expression spotting. • The optical flow method can accurately capture micro-expression movements. • When a micro-expression occurs, a peak appears on the time-domain change curve. • Get complete micro-expression intervals after fusing local movements. Expression is the changes of facial organs due to facial muscle movement and an important way of human emotional interaction. Neurophysiological studies show that micro-expressions (MEs) are not controlled by subjective consciousness and reflect people's real emotions. That is why MEs have significant value in public security applications. This paper proposes an automatic ME spotting method of high accuracy and interpretability. Firstly, we design the nose tip location-based image alignment method to remove global displacement caused by head shaking. Secondly, according to the action unit definition in the face coding system (FACS), we select fourteen regions of interest (ROI) to capture subtle facial movements. The dense optical flow is introduced to estimate local movements and time-domain variations of the ROIs. Thirdly, we design a peak detection method on the time-domain variation curves to locate the movement intervals precisely. Lastly, we propose an overlapping index to measure the consistency of changes in different organs. Evaluation on the CAS(ME) 2 and SAMM Long Video database shows that our ME spotting method may achieve better accuracy with a relatively lower computation cost and can be applied to similar facial image processing applications.