Regular Stimulation Research Articles

Diethyl ether anaesthesia does not block local touch response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plants can sense and respond to non-damaging mechanical stimulation such as touch, rain, or wind. Mechanical stimulation induces an increase of cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]cyt), accumulation of phytohormones from the group of jasmonates (JAs) and activation of gene expression, which can be JAs-dependent or JAs-independent. Response to touch shares similar properties with reactions to stresses such as wounding or pathogen attack, and regular mechanical stimulation leads to changes in growth and development called thigmomorphogenesis. Previous studies showed that well-known seismonastic plants such as Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) or sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) lost their touch-induced motive responses during exposure to general volatile anaesthetic (GVA) diethyl ether. Here, we investigated the effect of diethyl ether anaesthesia on touch response in Arabidopsis thaliana. We monitored [Ca2+]cyt level, accumulation of JAs and expression of touch-responsive genes. Our results showed that none of the investigated responses was affected by diethyl ether. However, diethyl ether alone increased [Ca2+]cyt and modulated JAs-independent touch-responsive genes, thus partially activating touch response non-specifically. Together with our previous studies, we concluded that GVA diethyl ether cannot block the local rise of [Ca2+]cyt but only its systemic propagation dependent on GLUTAMATE LIKE RECEPTOR 3s (GLR3s) channels.

Empagliflozin rescues pro-arrhythmic and Ca2+ homeostatic effects of transverse aortic constriction in intact murine hearts

We explored physiological effects of the sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor empagliflozin on intact experimentally hypertrophic murine hearts following transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Postoperative drug (2–6 weeks) challenge resulted in reduced late Na+ currents, and increased phosphorylated (p-)CaMK-II and Nav1.5 but not total (t)-CaMK-II, and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger expression, confirming previous cardiomyocyte-level reports. It rescued TAC-induced reductions in echocardiographic ejection fraction and fractional shortening, and diastolic anterior and posterior wall thickening. Dual voltage- and Ca2+-optical mapping of Langendorff-perfused hearts demonstrated that empagliflozin rescued TAC-induced increases in action potential durations at 80% recovery (APD80), Ca2+ transient peak signals and durations at 80% recovery (CaTD80), times to peak Ca2+ (TTP100) and Ca2+ decay constants (Decay30–90) during regular 10-Hz stimulation, and Ca2+ transient alternans with shortening cycle length. Isoproterenol shortened APD80 in sham-operated and TAC-only hearts, shortening CaTD80 and Decay30–90 but sparing TTP100 and Ca2+ transient alternans in all groups. All groups showed similar APD80, and TAC-only hearts showed greater CaTD80, heterogeneities following isoproterenol challenge. Empagliflozin abolished or reduced ventricular tachycardia and premature ventricular contractions and associated re-entrant conduction patterns, in isoproterenol-challenged TAC-operated hearts following successive burst pacing episodes. Empagliflozin thus rescues TAC-induced ventricular hypertrophy and systolic functional, Ca2+ homeostatic, and pro-arrhythmogenic changes in intact hearts.

Evaluation of PVD exposure and its influence on visual fatigue in the administrative staff of a public hospital in Riobamba - Ecuador in 2023

Widespread use of data display terminals (DUTs) in a work environment could represent a risk for developing ocular pathologies and dangers. One way to determine the presence and severity of these symptoms is through the CVSS17 questionnaire. In this study, visual symptoms were evaluated in the administrative staff of an Ecuadorian public hospital. The results indicate no association between visual symptoms and gender (contingency coefficient 0.085, p=0.83). A moderate but not statistically significant association was found between symptom intensity and age (contingency coefficient of 0.344, p=0.347). However, there is a statistically significant positive association between symptom intensity and type of contract (contingency coefficient 0.40, p=0.049, Cramer's Test V 0.3, p=0.049). Symptom severity is mild in 38% (95% CI 24.0% - 51.9%), followed by 34% of moderate symptoms (95% CI 20.4% - 47.6%), according to the percentages obtained in the CVSS17 questionnaire. It is suggested that visual hygiene be improved, the work environment optimized, and regular visual stimulation breaks established to prevent visual symptoms. These measures, assessed by the CVSS17 questionnaire, provide a healthier working environment.

Olfactory training improves emotion matching ability in 6–9 years old children — preliminary evidence

AbstractEmotion knowledge involves the ability to recognize and express emotions and understand emotional processes. The neural substrates of emotion knowledge include i.a. the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. These structures are also involved in processing olfactory stimuli and their volume and functional activity have been shown to increase after a period of regular olfactory stimulation (olfactory training, OT). We verified if OT will improve one aspect of emotion knowledge — the ability to match emotional facial expressions. Eighty‐three children (39 boys) aged 6–9 years were randomly assigned either to an OT group (OTG) that smelled a set of four odors (lemon, cloves, eucalyptus, rose) twice a day for 12 weeks or to a placebo group that performed the training with odorless stimuli. Children in the OTG (n = 40) matched emotional facial expressions significantly better after OT as compared with their baseline score. This effect was not present in the placebo group (n = 43) whose scores remained the same after OT.Practical applicationsThis novel finding suggests the potential of olfactory stimulation in supporting emotion knowledge in children and bridges recent findings in sensory studies, psychophysiology, and emotional development. Further studies are necessary to delineate which aspects of emotion knowledge might be enhanced by OT. In future, OT might be potentially included in programs designed for groups with specific emotion knowledge deficits.

Detection of Threshold-Level Stimuli Modulated by Temporal Predictions of the Cerebellum.

The cerebellum has the reputation of being a primitive part of the brain that mostly is involved in motor coordination and motor control. Older lesion studies and more recent electrophysiological studies have, however, indicated that it is involved in temporal perception and temporal expectation building. An outstanding question is whether this temporal expectation building cerebellar activity has functional relevance. In this study, we collected magnetoencephalographic data from 30 healthy participants performing a detection task on at-threshold stimulation that was presented at the end of a sequence of temporally regular or irregular above-threshold stimulation. We found that behavioral detection rates depended on the degree of irregularity in the sequence preceding it. We also found cerebellar responses evoked by above-threshold and at-threshold stimulation. The evoked responses to at-threshold stimulation differed significantly, depending on whether it was preceded by a regular or an irregular sequence. Finally, we found that detection performance across participants correlated significantly with the differences in cerebellar evoked responses to the at-threshold stimulation, demonstrating the functional relevance of cerebellar activity in sensory expectation building. We furthermore found evidence of thalamic involvement, as indicated by responses in the beta band (14-30 Hz) and by significant modulations of cerebello-thalamic connectivity by the regularity of the sequence and the kind of stimulation terminating the sequence. These results provide evidence that the temporal expectation building mechanism of the cerebellum, what we and others have called an internal clock, shows functional relevance by regulating behavior and performance in sensory action that requires acting and integrating evidence over precise timescales.

(012) Incidence of Peyronie’s Disease After Radical Prostatectomy Among Patients Undergoing Penile Rehabilitation Regimen

Abstract Introduction Radical prostatectomy remains one of the gold standard treatments for localized prostate cancer, the most prevalent solid organ cancer in men. Surgical management of prostate cancer has been theorized to increase the risk of developing Peyronie’s Disease (PD). In 2010, Drs. Tal and Mulhall’s team characterized the incidence of PD in a cohort of 1011 men after radical prostatectomy to be 13.7% at 2 years and 15.9% at 3 years of follow-up. These numbers, significantly higher than estimates in the general population, which range from 0.5 to 7.1% (Sharma et al., Sex Med Rev 2020;8:314–23), suggest radical prostatectomy is a risk factor for developing PD. Objective Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of PD among post-prostatectomy patients who undergo a formal multi-modal penile rehabilitation program that includes mechanical and pharmacologic interventions to promote penile smooth muscle activation after surgery. Methods In this retrospective, descriptive study we reviewed the charts of 581 patients who were diagnosed with prostate cancer, treated with robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP), and were engaged in a penile rehabilitation program from January 2016 through January 2019. At our institution, patients scheduled for prostatectomy are referred preoperatively to an academic Men’s Health clinic to start a multi-modal program and follow up regularly for evaluation of sexual health. The program includes daily tadalafil, L-citrulline, and VED use (Table 1). Patients refractory to these therapies had the option to increase tadalafil dosing or undergo further treatment with intracavernosal injections at ~3 months post-op. We excluded patients who had PD pre-operatively or who did not have post-operative follow-up with the providers at this institution. The primary outcome of interest was the incidence of PD among this cohort. Secondary outcome included time to development or diagnosis of PD. Results 581 patients with prostate cancer treated with RALP engaged in penile rehabilitation and were included in this analysis. The median age of men was 62.6 y with additional demographics listed in Table 2. The incidence of PD in this cohort was 2.9% (17 patients) with a median follow-up of 21.4 mo (IQR 2.8 – 55.8 mo). The diagnosis of PD was made at a median of 28.7 mo (IQR 20 – 36 mo) after prostatectomy. The 17 patients with PD had a median follow-up of 38.9 mo (IQR 23.2 – 55.8 mo). Conclusions In this cohort of prostate cancer patients treated with RALP and undergoing a consistent, multi-modal penile rehabilitation program, the incidence of PD was 2.9%, and median time to diagnosis was 28.7 months. This is the first study to assess PD incidence in men who engage in mechanical and pharmacologic penile rehabilitation at time of RALP. Furthermore, diagnosis of PD was made more than two years after surgery; this warrants further evaluation on whether penile rehabilitation prevents PD. This retrospective analysis is a hypothesis-generating study that should inspire further research on the role of regular mechanical stimulation or daily PDE-5 inhibitors in delaying or preventing PD after pelvic surgery. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Endo Scientific.

Relationship of psychosocial stimulation by mother to development children age 3th-5 th years in Gamping 1st Public Health Center Working Area

<p><strong><em>Background</em></strong><em>: According to World The Health Organization (WHO) states that around 95% of children with developmental disorders live in the country income low and intermediate. Several studies show that stunting and being underweight are related to child development, especially motoric, cognitive, and language development on child. Psychosocial stimulation is external or environmental stimulation that is important for child development. Children who receive targeted and regular stimulation develop faster than children who receive less or no stimulation. If developmental deviations are not treated early and adequately, they tend to result in disability. </em></p><p><strong><em>Objectives</em></strong><em>: To determine the relationship between maternal psychosocial stimulation and children development age 3<sup>th</sup>– 5<sup>th</sup> years in Gamping 1<sup>st</sup> Public Health Center Working Area.</em></p><p><strong><em>Methods</em></strong><em>: The quantitative analytical research with design cross sectional. The sampling technique used is probability sampling with a type of cluster random sampling technique design with a total sample of 103 children from 1,421 in population at posyandu in Gamping 1<sup>st</sup> Public Health Center Working Area. Child development is measured using a Questionnaire Pre-Screening Development (KPSP). Psychosocial stimulation mothers were measured using the HOME instrument</em><em> </em><em>which has been tested by CVI Expert</em><em>. The bivariate analysis used is the test chi square .</em></p><p><strong><em>Results</em></strong><em>: Based on the research results after carrying out the Chi Square Test, the p value was 0.002 (p-value was <0.05). </em></p><strong><em>Conclusions</em></strong><em>: That psychosocial stimulation has an relationship on children's development aged 3-5 years this is also one of the nurturing patterns that mothers can do at home. The need for further research is to control the amount or how much influence from outside regarding the information obtained by the mother which can influence the level or model of stimulation that the mother develops when providing stimulation</em>

Inisiasi Kurikulum Stimulasi, Deteksi dan Intervensi Dini Tumbuh Kembang (SDIDTK) Bagi Guru PAUD Kecamatan Kesamben Kabupaten Jombang

The period of life that is very important in children is the first five years of life which are very important. At this age children can grow and develop according to age if they get optimal stimulation. Stimulation of Detection and Early Intervention of Growth and Development (SDIDTK) in children is an effort to stimulate the basic abilities of children aged 0-6 years so that they grow and develop optimally. PAUD teacher is a profession that has an important role in detecting growth and development in children. Through training activities on SDIDTK deviations in the growth and development of PAUD children can be detected early. The targets of this training were PAUD teachers in the Kesamben sub-district, totaling 64 people. This activity is in collaboration with partners, namely the Amil Zakat Ummul Quro Institute (LAZ-UQ) in Jombang Regency and the Raudhatul Atfal Teachers' Association (IGRA) in Kesamben District. The Methods this community service is carried out using the lecture method and direct practice by assessing growth and development in early childhood. This activity ran optimally marked by the enthusiasm of PAUD teachers in discussion sessions and demonstrations of growth and development assessment. Results is overall, the participants had never received the stimulation detection curriculum material for child growth and development before, so the participants considered that this activity really needed to be refreshed periodically. Stimulation activities for Early Detection and Intervention on Growth and Development can continue to be carried out to determine the growth and development of children. The conclusions there is a possibility that the child's growth and development is not according to his age, then the next steps can be determined. Children who receive targeted and regular stimulation will develop faster than children who receive less stimulation.

ID: 209417 Dual Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation (dfSCS) for Chronic Pain

Tonic, regular spinal cord stimulation (SCS) was introduced as a treatment for chronic pain in the late 1960s and is used to treat tens of thousands of patients each year [1,2]. Recent advances in SCS increased patient responder rates from 50% to 73% [3], yet a clear opportunity remains to improve clinical outcomes. Several studies suggested that non-regular temporal patterns of SCS may improve efficacy [4]. Here, we used a model-based approach to design spatio-temporal patterns of SCS, specifically dual-frequency spinal cord stimulation (dfSCS) and tested dfSCS patterns in a rodent model of chronic pain.

The temporal pattern of synaptic activation determines the longevity of structural plasticity at dendritic spines

Learning is thought to involve physiological and structural changes at individual synapses. Synaptic plasticity has predominantly been studied using regular stimulation patterns, but neuronal activity in the brain normally follows a Poisson distribution. We used two-photon imaging and glutamate uncaging to investigate the structural plasticity of single dendritic spines using naturalistic activation patterns sampled from a Poisson distribution. We showed that naturalistic activation patterns elicit structural plasticity that is both NMDAR and protein synthesis-dependent. Furthermore, we uncovered that the longevity of structural plasticity is dependent on the temporal structure of the naturalistic pattern. Finally, wefound that during the delivery of the naturalistic activity, spines underwent rapid structural growth that predicted the longevity of plasticity. This was not observed with regularly spaced activity. These data reveal that different temporal organizations of the same number of synaptic stimulations can produce rather distinct short and long-lasting structural plasticity.

Kinetics of NK-92 growth and functionality in pseudo-static cultures

Understanding the growth and functionality variation of lymphocytes during expansion is fundamental for process control and endpoint determination. However, monitoring CQAs along lymphocyte expansion requires offline cell characterization, hindering timely identification of process deviations and transitions. We developed a culturing protocol that allowed to investigate day-to-day variation of NK-92 cells’ cytotoxicity against K-562 cells. Replacing 20% of the culture with fresh medium every day while disrupting the formed lymphocyte aggregates, morphological and functionality changes of the NK-92 cells were induced. Our experiments revealed that the adaptation to the pseudo-static protocol divided the culture to two distinctive phases with exponential growth in each. In between, there was an intermittent drop in viability. Significant functionality fluctuations were observed, despite the regular stimulation strategy. Scale-independent descriptors, such as growth rate, were calculated for each phase and the whole culture and correlated with cell morphology parameters and functionality. A novel correlation was found between, the cell size-derived, biomass volume and cytotoxicity that was stronger during the first phase, but it was apparent throughout the entire culture. This was possible to capture, only because of the day-to-day monitoring of cytotoxicity. By utilizing the pseudo-static culturing protocol and the methodology, variables, such as biomass volume, were discovered and by this, we are getting closer to find performance indicators suitable to monitor CQAs in a straightforward, non-invasive manner.

Electrical Stimulation for Preventing Skin Injuries in Denervated Gluteal Muscles-Promising Perspectives from a Case Series and Narrative Review.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) where the lower motor neuron is compromised leads to atrophy and degenerative changes in the respective muscle. This type of lesion becomes especially critical when the gluteal muscles and/or the hamstrings are affected as they usually offer a cushioning effect to protect from skin injuries. Previous research conducted over the past 30 years has made advancements in the development of parameters for the optimal application of long pulse stimulation with the aim to restore muscle structure and trophic aspects in people with chronic SCI (<20 years post-injury). This work provides an overview of previous achievements in the field through a narrative literature review before presenting preliminary results in the form of a case series from an ongoing study investigating the acute effects of six months of long pulse stimulation on the tissue composition of the gluteal muscles in five people with chronic SCI (>20 years post-injury). Participants underwent a 33-min home-based long pulse stimulation program five times a week, and their muscle and adipose tissue thicknesses were assessed at baseline, after three and six months, respectively, using magnetic resonance imaging. The results show that the largest increase in muscle thickness occurred at the level of the height of the acetabulum (+44.37%; χ2(2) = 0.5; p = 0.779), whereas the most important decrease in adipose tissue occurred at the level of the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) reference (−11.43%; χ2(2) = 1.6; p = 0.449) within only six months of regular stimulation despite the preceding long denervation period. The underlying mechanism and physiology of muscular resuscitation from myofibrillar debris as presented in chronic denervation to functional contractile entities remain to be investigated further.

Suppressive effects of ketamine on auditory steady-state responses in intact, awake macaques: A non-human primate model of schizophrenia

Auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) are recurrent neural activities entrained to regular cyclic auditory stimulation. ASSRs are altered in individuals with schizophrenia, and may be related to hypofunction of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor. Noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonists, including ketamine, have been used in ASSR studies of rodent models of schizophrenia. Although animal studies using non-human primates are required to complement rodent studies, the effects of ketamine on ASSRs are unknown in intact awake non-human primates. In this study, after administration of vehicle or ketamine, click trains at 20–83.3 Hz were presented to elicit ASSRs during recording of electroencephalograms in intact, awake macaque monkeys. The results indicated that ASSRs quantified by event-related spectral perturbation and inter-trial coherence were maximal at 83.3 Hz after vehicle administration, and that ketamine reduced ASSRs at 58.8 and 83.3 Hz, but not at 20 and 40 Hz. The present results demonstrated a reduction of ASSRs by the NMDA receptor antagonist at optimal frequencies with maximal responses in intact, awake macaques, comparable to ASSR reduction in patients with schizophrenia. These findings suggest that ASSR can be used as a neurophysiological biomarker of the disturbance of gamma-oscillatory neural circuits in this ketamine model of schizophrenia using intact, awake macaques. Thus, this model with ASSRs would be useful in the investigation of human brain pathophysiology as well as in preclinical translational research.

Oxidative activation of CaMKII mediates arrhythmias and contractile dysfunction in an obstructive sleep apnea mouse model

Abstract Background/Introduction Atrial arrhythmias frequently occur in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. We recently demonstrated that CaMKII-dependent pro-arrhythmic activity is increased in patients with OSA, but the mechanisms of CaMKII activation remain unknown. Interestingly, OSA can lead to increased reactive oxygen species production, which may facilitate CaMKII activation by oxidation at methionine residues 281/282. Purpose We tested if oxidation of CaMKII is involved in the development of arrhythmias and contractile dysfunction in vitro and in vivo in a mouse model of obstructive sleep apnea by tongue enlargement. Methods Experiments were performed using 41 wild-type (WT) and 25 genetically modified mice lacking oxidative CaMKII activation due to mutation of methionine 281/282 to valine (MMVV mice). Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE, 100 μl) was injected into the tongue of 23 WT and 12 MMVV mice to induce OSA by sustained tongue enlargement as previously established. Whole body plethysmography was performed to confirm success of intervention. Echocardiography was performed at baseline and after 8 weeks to assess left-ventricular function. After 8 weeks, isolated atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes were incubated with the Ca-sensitive dye FURA-2 AM (5 μM, 15 min) and analyzed with epifluorescence microscopy under regular electrical field stimulation (1 Hz). Results PTFE injection resulted in an increased frequency of inspiratory flow limitations (IFLs/h) from 27.4±5.95 to 59.6±6.22 in PTFE mice (p&amp;lt;0.001, fig. 1A). Interestingly, in WT PTFE mice, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, in %) was reduced at 8 weeks post procedure from 57.0±1.36 to 51.5±1.85 (p=0.001, fig. 1B). Importantly, mice lacking oxidative CaMKII activation were protected from such decline in contractile function, and LVEF was higher at 8 weeks vs. WT PTFE (p&amp;lt;0.001, fig. 1B). Congruent with deterioration of contractility in vivo, the Ca transient amplitude after 30s pause (normalized to steady-state before pause) was decreased in ventricular cardiomyocytes of WT PTFE mice indicating increased SR Ca leak (p for interaction genotype x PTFE = 0.014, fig. 1C). In contrast to WT, the post-pause ratio was increased in MMVV PTFE mice (p=0.018, fig. 1C). In addition to contractile function, cellular arrhythmic events were analyzed as non-stimulated pro-arrhythmic events (NSEs) during steady-state electrical field stimulation at 1 Hz (fig. 1D, red arrows). NSE frequency was increased in atrial cardiomyocytes from WT PTFE mice with 0.050±0.005 compared to 0.018±0.003 s–1 in WT CTRL (p&amp;lt;0.001, fig. 1D). Intriguingly, MMVV mice were protected from NSEs after PTFE treatment (0.020±0.004, p&amp;lt;0.001 vs. WT PTFE, Fig. 1D). Conclusion In a mouse model of obstructive sleep apnea, contractile dysfunction and pro-arrhythmic activity are modulated by oxidative CaMKII activation, which may have therapeutic implications. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; Medical Faculty at University of Regensburg

Features of Epidemiology as Discourse and Formation of Secondary Naming in Linguistics: Neuropragmatic and Comparative Aspects

The article partially deals with the peculiarities of epidemiological discourse and the creation of secondary names (COVID neologisms), which have not been covered much before. In particular, socially significant innovative phenomena are described: the total transition of COVID-neologisms to an active commonly used lexicon, semantic and structural changes of epidemiological discourse through destructive influence on doctors and ordinary citizens. It was found that the main reason for the rapid dynamics and specified structural-semantic changes of epidemiological discourse and the creation in its environment of secondary names is a regular negative neuro pragmatic stimulation of protective mechanisms of the human psyche in complementary external (situational) conditions. The methods for elucidating these patterns were sociological observations of live drug speech; word-formation, semantic, pragmatic and comparative types of analysis and establishment of neuro pragmatic presupposition by extrapolation methods. The study was conducted on a limited sample of physicians of two specialties contrasted by neuro pragmatic parameters (epidemiologists and dentists). A total of 18 respondents. Therefore, the results of the study are framework, demonstrative and require extension in the mode of lexicographic and discursological expeditions, followed by the analysis of a sufficient number of linguistic phenomena. The international significance of the article lies in the fact that the authors have chosen the almost undiscovered problem of metamorphosis of epidemiological discourse at the intersection of linguistics and neuroscience, which encourages scientists to pay attention to the complex causes of the hypertrophic development and spread of epidemiological vocabulary and discourse in general.

An analyzation on the characterization of frequency tuning of vestibular evoked myogenic potential in patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction

Objective: To explore the value of adding 1 kHz cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential（cVEMP） and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential（oVEMP） in the auxiliary diagnosis of unilateral vestibular hypofunction. Methods:A retrospective analysis of 84 patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction receiving two or more vestibular function tests was conducted,29 cases of unilateral Ménière's disease, 27 cases of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo （BPPV）, 8 cases of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss （ISSHL） with vertigo, and 20 cases of ISSHL without vertigo were included. SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis to observe the difference of frequency amplitude ratio （FAR） at 500 Hz/1 kHz of cVEMP and oVEMP between the experimental and control groups. Results:①The cVEMP elicitation rates were 95.24% （80/84） and 98.81% （83/84） for 500 Hz and 1 kHz, respectively; and the oVEMP elicitation rates were 78.57% （66/84） and 91.67% （77/84） for 500 Hz and 1 kHz, respectively. ②Except for the lateral difference of FAR in oVEMP of the posterior semicircular canal BPPV group and cVEMP of the horizontal semicircular canal BPPV group （P<0.05）, no significant lateral difference was observed in the other disease groups （P>0.05）. Conclusion:In patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction, cVEMP and oVEMP showed different frequency tuning changes in different semicircular canal BPPV groups. Additionally, 1 kHz cVEMP and oVEMP as regular stimulation frequencies in clinical test, which has certain clinical reference significance for determining the diagnosis and prognosis of BPPV on the weak ear and in different semicircular canal involvement.

Electromyographic Response of the Abdominal Muscles and Stabilizers of the Trunk to Reflex Locomotion Therapy (RLT). A Preliminary Study.

Reflex locomotion therapy (RLT) was developed by Vaclav Vojta in 1954 as a diagnostic and treatment tool. This therapy is mainly used to rehabilitate children with motor disorders and risk of cerebral palsy. It is also used for adults with neurological and motor impairment. RLT is based on specific postures and regular stimulation points through which a series of reflex responses are triggered. The neurophysiological mechanisms of this therapy have recently been discovered. This study aims to objectively evaluate muscular responses at the abdominal level after stimulation in the first phase of reflex rolling by showing, with surface electromyography analysis (sEMG), the muscular activity in trunk stabilizing muscles (rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, and serratus anterior) before, during, and after the application of RLT. A total sample of 27 healthy subjects over 18 years of age was recruited. An experimental study on a cohort was conducted. Two experimental conditions were considered: stimuli according to the Vojta protocol, and a control non-STI condition. Regarding muscular electrical activity, statistically significant differences were determined in all muscles during right-sided stimulation in the VSTI condition (p < 0.001), but not in the non-STI condition. The mean increase in muscle activity in the VSTI condition during the first stimulation ranged from 7% to 20% in the different abdominal muscles. In conclusion, an sEMG response was observed in the abdominal muscles during stimulation of the pectoral area as described in RLT, compared to stimulation of non-described areas.

Temporal Predictions in Space: Isochronous Rhythms Promote Forward Projections of the Body.

A regular rhythmic stimulation increases people’s ability to anticipate future events in time and to move their body in space. Temporal concepts are usually prescribed to spatial locations through a past-behind and future-ahead mapping. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a regular rhythmic stimulation could promote the forward-body (i.e., toward the future) projections in the peri-personal space. In a Visual Approach/Avoidance by the Self Task (VAAST), participants (N = 24) observed a visual scene on the screen (i.e., a music studio with a metronome in the middle). They were exposed to 3 s of auditory isochronous or non-isochronous rhythms, after which they were asked to make as quickly as possible a perceptual judgment on the visual scene (i.e., whether the metronome pendulum was pointing to the right or left). The responses could trigger a forward or backward visual flow, i.e., approaching or moving them away from the scene. Results showed a significant interaction between the rhythmic stimulation and the movement projections (p < 0.001): participants were faster for responses triggering forward-body projections (but not backward-body projections) after the exposure to isochronous (but not non-isochronous) rhythm. By highlighting the strong link between isochronous rhythms and forward-body projections, these findings support the idea that temporal predictions driven by a regular auditory stimulation are grounded in a perception-action system integrating temporal and spatial information.

Deep brain stimulation in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis: A symptom provocation study in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an emerging therapy for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and several targets for electrode implantation and contact selection have been proposed, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). Selecting the active electrode contacts (patients typically have four to choose from in each hemisphere), and thus the main locus of stimulation, can be a taxing process. Here, we investigated whether contact selection based purely on their neuroanatomical position in the BST is a worthwhile approach. For the first time, we also compared the effects of uni- versus bilateral BST stimulation. Nine OCD patients currently receiving DBS participated in a double-blind, randomized symptom provocation study to compare no versus BST stimulation. Primary outcomes were anxiety and mood ratings in response to disorder-relevant trigger images, as well as ratings of obsessions, compulsions, tendency to avoid and overall wellbeing. Furthermore, we asked whether patients preferred the electrode contacts in the BST over their regular stimulation contacts as a new treatment setting after the end of the task. We found no statistically significant group differences between the four conditions (no, left, right and bilateral BST stimulation). Exploratory analyses, as well as follow-up data, did indicate that (bilateral) bipolar stimulation in the BST was beneficial for some patients, particularly for those who had achieved unsatisfactory effects through the typical contact selection procedure. Despite its limitations, this study suggests that selection of stimulation contacts in the BST is a viable option for DBS in treatment-resistant OCD patients.

Long-Lasting Desynchronization of Plastic Neuronal Networks by Double-Random Coordinated Reset Stimulation.

Hypersynchrony of neuronal activity is associated with several neurological disorders, including essential tremor and Parkinson's disease (PD). Chronic high-frequency deep brain stimulation (HF DBS) is the standard of care for medically refractory PD. Symptoms may effectively be suppressed by HF DBS, but return shortly after cessation of stimulation. Coordinated reset (CR) stimulation is a theory-based stimulation technique that was designed to specifically counteract neuronal synchrony by desynchronization. During CR, phase-shifted stimuli are delivered to multiple neuronal subpopulations. Computational studies on CR stimulation of plastic neuronal networks revealed long-lasting desynchronization effects obtained by down-regulating abnormal synaptic connectivity. This way, networks are moved into attractors of stable desynchronized states such that stimulation-induced desynchronization persists after cessation of stimulation. Preclinical and clinical studies confirmed corresponding long-lasting therapeutic and desynchronizing effects in PD. As PD symptoms are associated with different pathological synchronous rhythms, stimulation-induced long-lasting desynchronization effects should favorably be robust to variations of the stimulation frequency. Recent computational studies suggested that this robustness can be improved by randomizing the timings of stimulus deliveries. We study the long-lasting effects of CR stimulation with randomized stimulus amplitudes and/or randomized stimulus timing in networks of leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neurons with spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Performing computer simulations and analytical calculations, we study long-lasting desynchronization effects of CR with and without randomization of stimulus amplitudes alone, randomization of stimulus times alone as well as the combination of both. Varying the CR stimulation frequency (with respect to the frequency of abnormal target rhythm) and the number of separately stimulated neuronal subpopulations, we reveal parameter regions and related mechanisms where the two qualitatively different randomization mechanisms improve the robustness of long-lasting desynchronization effects of CR. In particular, for clinically relevant parameter ranges double-random CR stimulation, i.e., CR stimulation with the specific combination of stimulus amplitude randomization and stimulus time randomization, may outperform regular CR stimulation with respect to long-lasting desynchronization. In addition, our results provide the first evidence that an effective reduction of the overall stimulation current by stimulus amplitude randomization may improve the frequency robustness of long-lasting therapeutic effects of brain stimulation.