Near-infrared Spectroscopy Recordings Research Articles

The impact of brain-systemic oxygenation coupling in sleep-disordered breathing on cognitive function in elderly

Background: Intermittent hypoxia, a consequence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), may contribute to an increased risk of cognitive decline. However, the association between SDB and cognition remains highly variable. Methods: Fifty-two community-dwelling healthy older adults (28 women) were recruited. All participants underwent neuropsychiatric evaluations, simultaneous ambulatory polysomnography (PSG), and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) recordings. We quantified the average coherence between oxy-Hb and SpO2 signals during SDB events to determine whether it could predict cognitive outcomes in healthy older adults, where higher coherence indicates reduced protection against systemic hypoxia. Results: The mean (SD) coherence of oxy-Hb and SpO2 was 0.16 (0.07). Linear regression analysis showed a significant association between mean coherence and worse Stroop Color Word Test scores (t=-0.304, p = .004). In contrast, oxy-Hb reduction alone and conventional SDB parameters did not show a significant association with cognition. Conclusion: This is the first report to demonstrate an association between a novel parameter of brain-systemic oxygenation coherence in SDB and cognition in older adults. A higher coherence rate of cortical oxy-Hb and systemic SpO2 during SDB may reflect a loss of compensatory mechanisms against systemic hypoxia and could help stratify older adults with a higher risk for cognitive decline.

Ultrathin Bioelectrode Array with Improved Electrochemical Performance for Electrophysiological Sensing and Modulation.

To achieve high accuracy and effectiveness in sensing and modulating neural activity, efficient charge-transfer biointerfaces and a high spatiotemporal resolution are required. Ultrathin bioelectrode arrays exhibiting mechanical compliance with biological tissues offer such biointerfaces. However, their thinness often leads to a lack of mechano-electrical stability or sufficiently high electrochemical capacitance, thus deteriorating their overall performance. Here, we report ultrathin (∼115 nm) bioelectrode arrays that simultaneously enable ultraconformability, mechano-electrical stability and high electrochemical performance. These arrays show high opto-electrical conductivity (2060 S cm-1@88% transparency), mechanical stretchability (110% strain), and excellent electrochemical properties (24.5 mC cm-2 charge storage capacity and 3.5 times lower interfacial impedance than commercial electrodes). The improved mechano-electrical and electrochemical performance is attributed to the synergistic interactions within the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)/graphene oxide (GO) interpenetrating network (PGIN), where π-π and hydrogen bonding interactions improve conductive pathways between PEDOT chains and enhance the charge-transfer mobility. This ultrathin bioelectrode is compatible with photolithography processing and provides spatiotemporally precise signal mapping capabilities for sensing and modulating neuromuscular activity. By capturing weak multichannel facial electromyography signals and applying machine learning algorithms, we achieve high accuracy in silent speech recognition. Moreover, the high transparency of the bioelectrode allows simultaneous recording of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals, facilitating dual-mode brain activity analysis with both high temporal and high spatial resolution.

Long-Term High-Intensity Interval Training Intervention Improves Emotional Conflict Control in Association With Right Ventrolateral Prefrontal Activation in Males With Methamphetamine Use Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Acute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has cognitive benefits in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), yet it remains largely unknown the benefits of long-term HIIT on emotional conflict control and its neural mechanism in individuals with MUD. The current study conducted a 36-week low-volume HIIT intervention to investigate the effects of HIIT on emotional conflict control in males with MUD and their prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation. This study was a sub-study of the Study for Rehabilitation Training Model Construction and Training Effect of High Intensity Compound Exercise Prescription. Forty males with MUD (31.50 ± 4.33 years) were randomly assigned to the HIIT group and control group. The HIIT group received a 36-week low-volume HIIT intervention, while the control group maintained daily physical exercise. The emotional conflict task (emotional face-word Stroop task) with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recording and subjective craving test were performed before and after the intervention. The results showed that the HIIT intervention reduced the emotional conflict and increased cortical activations of right dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) and right ventrolateral PFC (vlPFC). More importantly, the HIIT-induced decreased emotional conflict was associated significantly with increased right vlPFC activation. In addition, subjective craving was also reduced after HIIT intervention. While the control group showed significant changes in neither brain activation nor the craving. These findings suggest that long-term low-volume HIIT can improve PFC activation, promote emotional conflict control, and reduce subjective craving in males with MUD. HIIT seems to be an effective method of withdrawal rehabilitation for males with MUD.

Determination of terpene-based VOCs emitted from pine wood using NIR spectroscopy

ABSTRACT In the search for a quick and less labor-intensive method for determining terpene emissions of high emitting wood like Pinus sylvestris, this study utilized near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) combined with multivariate analysis methods and compared it to the standard measurement method according to the EN 16516 standard. The spectra were measured on the surface of solid-wood samples and correlated with the simultaneously determined air concentrations of terpenes. For α-pinene and 3-carene, prediction models were created using partial least squares regression (PLSR). Both work with determination coefficients of 0.77 and a Root Mean Square Error of Prediction (RMSEP) of 12% of the maximum emissions achievable in this study. A model based on the sum of the two terpenes was built and tested to determine the predictive capability of multiple similar substances simultaneously from the NIR recording. The model performs slightly worse, with a determination coefficient of 0.71 and RMSEP of 13%. Despite continuous expansion of the datasets for multiple models, no better metrics were achieved, likely because of the heterogeneous structure of wood when scanning a solid-wood surface. Systematic deviations were observed in particularly low reference ranges, which may indicate non-linearity in the relationship between terpenes and the NIR signal.

Concurrent behavioral modeling and multimodal neuroimaging reveals how feedback affects the performance of decision making in internet gaming disorder

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) prompts inquiry into how feedback from prior gaming rounds influences subsequent risk-taking behavior and potential neural mechanisms. Forty-two participants, including 15 with IGD and 27 health controls (HCs), underwent a sequential risk-taking task. Hierarchy Bayesian modeling was adopted to measure risky propensity, behavioral consistence, and affection by emotion ratings from last trial. Concurrent electroencephalogram and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (EEG-fNIRS) recordings were performed to demonstrate when, where and how the previous-round feedback affects the decision making to the next round. We discovered that the IGD illustrated heightened risk-taking propensity as compared to the HCs, indicating by the computational modeling (p = 0.028). EEG results also showed significant time window differences in univariate and multivariate pattern analysis between the IGD and HCs after the loss of the game. Further, reduced brain activation in the prefrontal cortex during the task was detected in IGD as compared to that of the control group. The findings underscore the importance of understanding the aberrant decision-making processes in IGD and suggest potential implications for future interventions and treatments aimed at addressing this behavioral addiction.

Neurovascular coupling, functional connectivity, and cerebrovascular endothelial extracellular vesicles as biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a prodromal stage of dementia. Understanding the mechanistic changes from healthy aging to MCI is critical for comprehending disease progression and enabling preventative intervention. Patients with MCI and age-matched controls (CN) were administered cognitive tasks during functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recording, and changes in plasma levels of extracellular vesicles (EVs) were assessed using small-particle flow cytometry. Neurovascular coupling (NVC) and functional connectivity (FC) were decreased in MCI compared to CN, prominently in the left-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC). We observed an increased ratio of cerebrovascular endothelial EVs (CEEVs) to total endothelial EVs in patients with MCI compared to CN, correlating with structural MRI small vessel ischemic damage in MCI. LDLPFC NVC, CEEV ratio, and LDLPFC FC had the highest feature importance in the random Forest group classification. NVC, CEEVs, and FC predict MCI diagnosis, indicating their potential as markers for MCI cerebrovascular pathology. Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is impaired in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Functional connectivity (FC) compensation mechanism is lost in MCI. Cerebrovascular endothelial extracellular vesicles (CEEVs) are increased in MCI. CEEV load strongly associates with cerebral small vessel ischemic lesions in MCI. NVC, CEEVs, and FC predict MCI diagnosis over demographic and comorbidity factors.

How Time Pressure Modulates Individual Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Chunk Memory in Chess Games

Previous studies on the chess game demonstrated that chess experts strongly rely on the activation of memory chunks to manifest accurate decision-making. Although the chunk memory might be affected by temporal constraints, it is unclear why the performance of chess experts is not significantly dropped under time pressure. In this study, our objective is to examine the variations in cognitive neural mechanisms between chess experts and novices under time pressure. The underlying cognitive neural mechanism was carefully inspected by accessing the chess game performance between 20 local experienced and 20 inexperienced chess players with 1-minute and 5-minute time constraints. In addition, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings were carried out for each individual from the two groups while playing a 1-minute or 5-minute chess game. It was discovered that under temporal constraints, players exhibited different patterns of functional connectivity in frontal-parietal regions, suggesting that temporal stress can enhance segmentation processes in chess games. In particular, the experienced group exhibited significantly enhanced functional connectivity networks under time pressure including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and postcentral gyrus, which demonstrated the important role of the segmentation process for experienced players under time pressure. Our study found that experienced players were able to enhance recall, reorganize, and integrate chunks to improve chess performance under time pressure.

Measurement of lung oxygenation by near-infrared spectroscopy in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

It has recently been reported that it is possible to monitor lung oxygenation (rSO2L) by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Thus, our aim was to assess the possibility of monitoring rSO2L in infants with evolving and established bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and to evaluate if rSO2L correlates with BPD severity and other oxygenation indices. We studied 40 preterm infants with gestational age ≤30 weeks at risk for BPD. Patients were continuously studied for 2 h by NIRS at 28 ± 7 days of life and 36 weeks ± 7 days of postmenstrual age. rSO2L was similar at the first and second NIRS recordings (71.8 ± 7.2 vs. 71.4 ± 4.2%) in the overall population, but it was higher in infants with mild than in those with moderate-to-severe BPD at both the first (73.3 ± 3.1 vs. 71.2 ± 3.2%, p = .042) and second (72.3 ± 2.8 vs. 70.5 ± 2.8, p = .049) NIRS recording. A rSO2L cutoff value of 71.6% in the first recording was associated with a risk for moderate-to-severe BPD with a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 60%. Linear regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive relationship between rSO2L and SpO2/FiO2 ratio (p = .013) and a/APO2 (p = .004). Monitoring of rSO2L by NIRS in preterm infants with evolving and established BPD is feasible and safe. rSO2L was found to be higher in infants with mild BPD, and predicts the risk for developing moderate-to-severe BPD and correlates with other indices of oxygenation.

Taste dysfunction after COVID-19: Analysis with functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

<br><b>Introduction:</b> According to official data, COVID-19 emerged in China in December 2019 and has spread worldwide since then.</br> <br><b>Aim:</b> The aim of this study was to investigate differences in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings between convalescent COVID-19 patients and a healthy control group, which could help to clarify the pathomechanism of dysgeusia in COVID-19.</br> <br><b>Material and methods:</b> The study included 16 participants, comprised of 8 convalescent COVID-19 patients and 8 healthy controls. All participants were examined with fNIRS. The amplitude of changes in oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb) concentration in the cerebral cortex was analyzed statistically (for the test and control groups after stimulation with a taste stimulus - citric acid solution).</br> <br><b>Results:</b> The differences in the amplitude of changes in oxyHb concentration in the cerebral cortex were not statistically significant between the groups. Discussion: Using fNIRS, a strong stimulation of the visual cortex was discovered in response to the taste stimulus, consisting of large, repetitive changes in oxyHb concentration occurring in parallel with stimulation of areas of the taste cortex. This phenomenon has not, to our knowledge, been described previously in the scientific literature. The exact location of the primary taste cortex is controversial, but to date the occipital cortex has not been considered to be involved.</br> <br><b>Conclusions: No difference was observed in the dynamics of changes in oxyHb in the examined areas of the cerebral cortex between convalescent COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. However, the determination of the role of the occipital cortex in the perception of taste requires further research.</br&gt.

Simultaneous multimodal fNIRS-EEG recordings reveal new insights in neural activity during motor execution, observation, and imagery

Motor execution, observation, and imagery are important skills used in motor learning and rehabilitation. The neural mechanisms underlying these cognitive-motor processes are still poorly understood. We used a simultaneous recording of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalogram (EEG) to elucidate the differences in neural activity across three conditions requiring these processes. Additionally, we used a new method called structured sparse multiset Canonical Correlation Analysis (ssmCCA) to fuse the fNIRS and EEG data and determine the brain regions of neural activity consistently detected by both modalities. Unimodal analyses revealed differentiated activation between conditions; however, the activated regions did not fully overlap across the two modalities (fNIRS: left angular gyrus, right supramarginal gyrus, as well as right superior and inferior parietal lobes; EEG: bilateral central, right frontal, and parietal). These discrepancies might be because fNIRS and EEG detect different signals. Using fused fNIRS-EEG data, we consistently found activation over the left inferior parietal lobe, superior marginal gyrus, and post-central gyrus during all three conditions, suggesting that our multimodal approach identifies a shared neural region associated with the Action Observation Network (AON). This study highlights the strengths of using the multimodal fNIRS-EEG fusion technique for studying AON. Neural researchers should consider using the multimodal approach to validate their findings.

Neural Processing of Sexist Comments: Associations between Perceptions of Sexism and Prefrontal Activity.

Sexism is a widespread form of gender discrimination which includes remarks based on gender stereotypes. However, little is known about the neural basis underlying the experience of sexist-related comments and how perceptions of sexism are related to these neural processes. The present study investigated whether perceptions of sexism influence neural processing of receiving sexist-related comments. Participants (N = 67) read experimental vignettes describing scenarios of comments involving gender stereotypes while near-infrared spectroscopy recordings were made to measure the hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex. Results found a significant correlation between participants' perceptions of sexism and brain activation in a brain cluster including the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus. There was a significant gender difference where female participants showed a stronger negative correlation compared to male participants. Future research can expand on these initial findings by looking at subcortical structures involved in emotional processing and gender stereotype application as well as examining cultural differences in perceptions of gender stereotypes and sexism.

Classification of Working Memory Loads via Assessing Broken Detailed Balance of EEG-fNIRS Neurovascular Coupling Measures.

Human brain breaks the detailed balance to drive a variety of cognitive functions, such as memory. Recently, a promising classification framework of working memory loads has been proposed based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data with relative entropy (RE) measurement to quantify the broken detailed balance of human brain. However, there are limitations in previousely developed methods. First, single-modality fMRI can only detect the cerebral hemodynamics but not the neuronal activity, lacking detailed information of the neurovascular coupling process in the brain. Second, the RE measurement utilized to quantify the broken detailed balance may be biased and have no finite upper bound, limiting its application in high dimensional signal domains. In this study, a neurovascular coupling strategy based on concurrent electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings was proposed to take both the cerebral hemedynamics and neuronal activity into consideration in assessing broken detailed balance of the brain. Furthermore, the generalized relative entropy (GRE) was employed to reduce the bias associated with the conventional RE measure. Our results demonstrated that the proposed framework showed higher classification accuracy (82.48%) to identify different levels of working memory loads than conventional methods. In addition, our results revealed that the broken detailed balance was significantly stronger when subjects performed cognitively demanding tasks (P<0.05) and was highly correlated with the neurovascular coupling models derived from the EEG θ and α bands, respectively. In conclusion, our findings provide an advanced framework to accurately classify various levels of working memory with the broken detailed balance of human brain and can be extended to explore the underlying broken detailed balance related to other cognitive behaviors and diseases.

Word Structure Tunes Electrophysiological and Hemodynamic Responses in the Frontal Cortex

To date, it is still unclear how word structure might impact lexical processing in the brain for languages with an impoverished system of grammatical morphology such as Chinese. In this study, concurrent electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings were performed to inspect the temporal and spatial brain activities that are related to Chinese word structure (compound vs. derivation vs. non-morphological) effects. A masked priming paradigm was utilized on three lexical conditions (compound constitute priming, derivation constitute priming, and non-morphological priming) to tap Chinese native speakers' structural sensitivity to differing word structures. The compound vs. derivation structure effect was revealed by the behavioral data as well as the temporal and spatial brain activation patterns. In the masked priming task, Chinese derivations exhibited significantly enhanced brain activation in the frontal cortex and involved broader brain networks as compared with lexicalized compounds. The results were interpreted by the differing connection patterns between constitute morphemes within a given word structure from a spreading activation perspective. More importantly, we demonstrated that the Chinese word structure effect showed a distinct brain activation pattern from that of the dual-route mechanism in alphabetic languages. Therefore, this work paved a new avenue for comprehensively understanding the underlying cognitive neural mechanisms associated with Chinese derivations and coordinate compounds.

Transcranial direct current stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increases oxyhemoglobin concentration and cognitive performance dependent on cognitive load

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been explored as a potential method for cognitive enhancement. tDCS may induce a cascade of neurophysiological changes including alterations in cerebral oxygenation. However, the effects of tDCS on the cognitive-cerebral oxygenation interaction remains unclear. Further, oxygenation variability across individuals remains minimally controlled for. The purpose of this sham-controlled study was to test the effects of anodal tDCS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on the interaction between working memory and cerebral oxygenation while controlling for individual oxygenation variability. Thirty-three adults received resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings over bilateral prefrontal cortices. Following this, working memory was tested using a Toulouse n-back task concurrently paired with fNIRS, with measurements taken before and after 20 min of anodal or sham tDCS at 1.5 mA. With individual oxygenation controlled for, anodal tDCS was found to increase the oxyhemoglobin concentration over the right DLPFC during the 2-back (q = .015) and 3-back (q = .008) conditions. Additionally, anodal tDCS was found to improve accuracy during the 3-back task by 13.4 % (p = .028) and decrease latency by 250 ms (p = .013). The increase in oxyhemoglobin was strongly correlated with increases in accuracy (p = .041) and decreases in latency during the 3-back span (p = .017). Taken together, anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC was found to regionally increase oxyhemoglobin concentrations and improve working memory performance in higher cognitive load conditions.

Contribution of the stereoscopic representation of motion-in-depth during visually guided feedback control.

Considerable studies have focused on the neural basis of visually guided tracking movement in the frontoparallel plane, whereas the neural process in real-world circumstances regarding the influence of binocular disparity and motion-in-depth (MID) perception is less understood. Although the role of stereoscopic versus monoscopic MID information has been extensively described for visual processing, its influence on top-down regulation for motor execution has not received much attention. Here, we orthogonally varied the visual representation (stereoscopic versus monoscopic) and motion direction (depth motion versus bias depth motion versus frontoparallel motion) during visually guided tracking movements, with simultaneous functional near-infrared spectroscopy recordings. Results show that the stereoscopic representation of MID could lead to more accurate movements, which was supported by specific neural activity pattern. More importantly, we extend prior evidence about the role of frontoparietal network in brain-behavior relationship, showing that occipital area, more specifically, visual area V2/V3 was also robustly involved in the association. Furthermore, by using the stereoscopic representation of MID, it is plausible to detect robust brain-behavior relationship even with small sample size at low executive task demand. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of the stereoscopic representation of MID for investigating neural correlates of visually guided feedback control.

Brain activation and individual differences of emotional perception and imagery in healthy adults: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study

The current study investigated the brain activation and individual differences in perception and imagery of sad pictures versus happy and neutral pictures. Sixty-eight healthy adults were instructed to view and visualize sad, happy, and neutral pictures during 64-channel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recording. The results indicated that emotional perception evoked increased occipital activation, while emotional imagery involved increased activation in the bilateral prefrontal and parietal cortex. Sad pictures evoked decreased brain activation in the occipital and prefrontal cortex than happy and neutral pictures. For women, imagery activation was greater than perception activation in the right parietal cortex. Additionally, participants’ self-rated imagery vividness was positively correlated with the occipital activation during happy imagery and trait rumination was negatively correlated with the occipital activation during perception. The findings suggest that emotional perception may involve the bottom-up sensory input, while emotional imagery may involve the top-down cognitive processes. Healthy individuals engage decreased cognitive resources for sad perception and imagery. Moreover, our observation could provide useful information to establish fNIRS assessment as an objective tool to monitor the emotional status on an individual trait basis.

Behavioral, cortical and autonomic effects of single-dose escitalopram on the induction and regulation of fear and disgust: Comparison with single-session psychological emotion regulation with reappraisal.

Adaptive and successful emotion regulation, the ability to flexibly exert voluntary control over emotional experience and the ensuing behavior, is vital for optimal daily functioning and good mental health. In clinical settings, pharmacological and psychological interventions are widely employed to modify pathological emotion processing and ameliorate its deleterious consequences. In this study, we investigated the acute effects of single-dose escitalopram on the induction and regulation of fear and disgust in healthy subjects. Furthermore, we compared these pharmacological effects with psychological emotion regulation that utilized a cognitive strategy with reappraisal. Emotion induction and regulation tasks were performed before and 4 h after ingestion of placebo or 10 mg escitalopram in a randomized, double-blind design. The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) was used as a source of images, with threat-related pictures selected for fear and disease and contamination-related pictures for disgust. Behavioral data, electrodermal activity (EDA), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings were collected. Escitalopram significantly reduced emotion intensity for both fear and disgust during emotion induction, albeit with differing electrodermal and hemodynamic activity patterns for the two negative emotions. At rest, i.e., in the absence of emotive stimuli, escitalopram increased sympathetic activity during the fear but not during the disgust experiments. For both fear and disgust, emotion regulation with reappraisal was more effective in reducing emotion intensity compared to pharmacological intervention with escitalopram or placebo. We concluded that emotion regulation with reappraisal and acute administration of escitalopram, but not placebo, reduce emotion intensity for both fear and disgust, with cognitive regulation being significantly more efficient compared to pharmacological regulation under the conditions of this study. Results from the fNIRS and EDA recordings support the concept of differential mechanisms of emotion regulation that could be emotion-specific.

Dataset of parent-child hyperscanning functional near-infrared spectroscopy recordings

The term “hyperscanning” refers to the simultaneous recording of multiple individuals’ brain activity. As a methodology, hyperscanning allows the investigation of brain-to-brain synchrony. Despite being a promising technique, there is a limited number of publicly available functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning recordings. In this paper, we report a dataset of fNIRS recordings from the prefrontal cortical (PFC) activity of 33 mother-child dyads and 29 father-child dyads. Data was recorded while the parent-child dyads participated in an experiment with two sessions: a passive video attention task and a free play session. Dyadic metadata, parental psychological traits, behavioural annotations of the play sessions and information about the video stimuli complementing the dataset of fNIRS signals are described. The dataset presented here can be used to design, implement, and test novel fNIRS analysis techniques, new hyperscanning analysis tools, as well as investigate the PFC activity in participants of different ages when they engage in passive viewing tasks and active interactive tasks.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations: Preliminary observations.

Auditory Signal Detection (ASD) theory postulates that auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) result from an aberrant association of meaningful connection to abstract noises. In this study, schizophrenia (SZ) patients with persistent AVH (N=17) and matched controls (N=25) performed an ASD task with concurrent functional near-infrared spectroscopy recording targetting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) and left temporoparietal junction (L-TPJ). During the task, discriminability index had a significant negative correlation, and early deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) latency at L-TPJ positively correlated with AVH scores. Also, patients had significantly lower discriminability, early HbR latency at L-TPJ, and delayed latency at L-DLPFC. This finding suggests the presence of ASD abnormalities and impaired auditory processing in SZ patients with AVH supporting ASD-based pathogenesis.

NIRS Hemodynamic Response to Methylphenidate in Children with Attention Aeficit Hyperactivity Disorder: First Administration, Titration Phase and Associations with Clinical Severity

IntroductionAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by lack of self-regulation and deficits in organizing behaviors in response to emotional stimuli. Methylphenidate (MPH) is one of the most effective psychostimulant drugs for ADHD, however, a possible predictive utility of brain hemodynamic data related to MPH administration and its relation to clinical symptomatology is still not clear. To address these questions, we used Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) technology, a non-invasive optical technique that allows to investigate the effect of psychopharmacological treatment on cortical hemodynamics.MethodsTwenty children with ADHD underwent a three-waves study and 25 healthy controls were recruited at W1. At W2 children with ADHD received first MPH administration and at W3 they reached the titration phase. At each phase children performed - during NIRS recording - an emotional continuous performance task with visual stimuli of different emotional content. Clinical data were also collected at W1 and W3. We investigated the relationship among the difference between NIRS activation at W2 and W1 (Delta1) and W3 and W2 (Delta2), for each subject, task condition and brain region. Lastly, we investigated correlations between the Delta1 and clinical symptomatology indexes at W1 and between Delta2 and clinical data at W3.ConclusionsOur study results suggest that hemodynamic changes in right prefrontal region probably induced by first MPH administration could predict hemodynamic changes related to MPH titration phase. These biological indexes could be associated to clinical evidences related not only to core ADHD symptoms but also to affective correlates.DisclosureNo significant relationships.