Related Brain Activity Research Articles

Altered regional brain activity and functional connectivity in relation to blood lead levels

BackgroundLead is a prevalent heavy metal pollutant in the environment, and chronic lead exposure in occupational settings has been linked to cognitive decline. Our objective was to delineate lead-induced changes in brain functional activity through the assessment of regional homogeneity (ReHo), degree centrality (DC) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we recruited 76 participants from a smelting company. Based on their blood lead levels, 26 participants were assigned to the lead exposure group (≥ 300 μg/L), whereas 23 were assigned to the control group (≤ 100 μg/L). Neuropsychological assessments included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Mini-Mental State Examination, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and Self-rating Depression Scale. Participants underwent rs-fMRI for ReHo, DC, and FC analyses. Brain regions demonstrating significant differences in ReHo and DC were identified as regions of interest for subsequent FC analysis. We also examined the relationships between lead levels, FC values, and neuropsychological scores.ResultsCompared to the control group, individuals with high lead exposure exhibited increased ReHo in the bilateral insula and vermis and elevated DC in the left olfactory cortex. Notably, the left insula demonstrated reduced FC with the right cerebellar crus I, left fusiform gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, and left middle frontal gyrus. The right insula also displayed reduced FC with the right middle frontal gyrus but increased FC between the left olfactory cortex and right insula. Furthermore, negative correlations were observed between lead levels and FC of the left insula with the left fusiform gyrus (r = − 0.586), left superior frontal gyrus (r = − 0.556), and left middle frontal gyrus (r = − 0.626), as well as between FC of the right insula and the right middle frontal gyrus (r = − 0.587). Conversely, there was a positive association between FC of the left olfactory cortex with the right insula and lead levels (r = 0.609), whereas an inverse relationship was noted with neurocognitive assessments.ConclusionsThe disruption in insula coordination may significantly impair long-range FC and contribute to cognitive deficits resulting from lead exposure. The insula appears to be a pivotal region in lead-associated neurocognitive impairment.

The relationship between brain structure and function during novel grammar learning across development

Abstract In this study, we explored the relationship between developmental differences in gray matter structure and grammar learning ability in 159 Dutch-speaking individuals (8 to 25 yr). The data were collected as part of a recent large-scale functional MRI study (Menks WM, Ekerdt C, Lemhöfer K, Kidd E, Fernández G, McQueen JM, Janzen G. Developmental changes in brain activation during novel grammar learning in 8–25-year-olds. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2024;66:101347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101347) in which participants implicitly learned Icelandic morphosyntactic rules and performed a grammaticality judgment task in the scanner. Behaviorally, Menks et al. (2024) showed that grammaticality judgment task performance increased steadily from 8 to 15.4 yr, after which age had no further effect. We show in the current study that this age-related grammaticality judgment task performance was negatively related to cortical gray matter volume and cortical thickness in many clusters throughout the brain. Hippocampal volume was positively related to age-related grammaticality judgment task performance and L2 (English) vocabulary knowledge. Furthermore, we found that grammaticality judgment task performance, L2 grammar proficiency, and L2 vocabulary knowledge were positively related to gray matter maturation within parietal regions, overlapping with the functional MRI clusters that were reported previously in Menks et al. (2024) and which showed increased brain activation in relation to grammar learning. We propose that this overlap in functional and structural results indicates that brain maturation in parietal regions plays an important role in second language learning.

Neuro-cognitive effects of degraded visibility on illusory body ownership

Based on visuo-tactile stimulation, the rubber hand illusion induces a sense of ownership for a dummy hand. Manipulating the visibility of the dummy hand during the stimulation influences cognitive aspects of the illusion, suggesting that the related brain activity may be influenced too. To test this, we analyzed brain activity (fMRI), subjective ratings, and skin conductance from 45 neurotypical participants undergoing a modified rubber hand illusion protocol where we manipulated the visibility (high, medium, and low) of a virtual hand, not the brush (virtual hand illusion; VHI). To further investigate the impact of visibility manipulations on VHI-related secondary effects (i.e. vicarious somatosensation), we recorded brain activity and skin conductance during a vicarious pain protocol (observation of painful stimulations of the virtual hand) that occurred after the VHI procedure. Results showed that, during both the VHI and vicarious pain periods, the activity of distinct visual, somatosensory, and motor brain regions was modulated by (i) visibility manipulations, (ii) coherence between visual and tactile stimulation, and (iii) time of visuo-tactile stimulation. Accordingly, embodiment-related subjective ratings of the perceived illusion were specifically influenced by visibility manipulations. These findings suggest that visibility modifications can impact the neural and cognitive effects of illusory body ownership, in that when visibility decreases the illusion is perceived as weaker and the brain activity in visual, motor, and somatosensory regions is overall lower. We interpret this evidence as a sign of the weight of vision on embodiment processes, in that the cortical and subjective aspects of illusory body ownership are weakened by a degradation of visual input during the induction of the illusion.

Educational Implications: Physiological Changes in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Despite more than three decades of research, the educational community's understanding of the mechanisms underlying Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing treatment remains incomplete. This article critically examines the existing literature, focusing on the physiological mechanisms present when Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy is successfully administered. The review encompasses various research methodologies, including neuroimaging investigations tracking volumetric changes, shifts in relative brain activity across regions, and electroencephalographical alterations in brain function. Through this exploration, the authors underscore the necessity for future studies that delve into the mechanisms of action within children and adolescents and the transformations associated with treating complex post-traumatic stress disorder. The article will identify gaps in knowledge, emphasizing implications for educators and educational practices. A deeper understanding of these phenomena will provide insights for educators and the approaches used to address trauma-related issues in educational settings.

Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training on Anxiety Reduction and Brain Activity: a Randomized Active-Controlled Study Using EEG.

Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVBF) is a promising anxiety-reducing intervention that increases vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) through slow-paced breathing and feedback of heart rhythm. Several studies have reported the anxiety-reducing effects of HRVBF; however, some studies have reported such training as ineffective. Furthermore, the effects of training and underlying brain activity changes remain unclear. This study examined the anxiety-reducing effects of HRVBF training and related brain activity changes by randomly assigning participants, employing an active control group, and measuring anxiety-related attentional bias using the emotional Stroop task and electroencephalography (EEG). Fifty-five healthy students with anxiety were randomly assigned to the HRVBF or control groups, and 21 in the HRVBF group and 19 in the control group were included in the analysis. Both groups performed 10 training sessions of 20min each within 3 weeks. They were assessed using resting vmHRV, event-related potential (ERP), time-frequency EEG, attentional bias, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-JYZ (STAI-JYZ) before and after training. The results demonstrated increased resting vmHRV in the HRVBF group compared to the control group after training. However, no differences were observed in ERP, time-frequency EEG, attentional bias, and STAI-JYZ. Participants with higher pre-training resting vmHRV achieved higher heart rhythm coherence in HRVBF training and had reduced attentional bias. This study suggests that individuals with higher resting vmHRV are more likely to be proficient in HRVBF training and benefit from its anxiety-reducing effects. The findings contribute to participant selection to benefit from HRVBF training and modification of the training protocols for non-responders.Clinical trial registrationOrganization: University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR), JapanRegistration number: UMIN000047096Registration date: March 6, 2022.

Aperiodic and periodic components of oscillatory brain activity in relation to cognition and symptoms in pediatric ADHD

Abstract Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder show deficits in processing speed, as well as aberrant neural oscillations, including both periodic (oscillatory) and aperiodic (1/f-like) activity, reflecting the pattern of power across frequencies. Both components were suggested as underlying neural mechanisms of cognitive dysfunctions in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Here, we examined differences in processing speed and resting-state-Electroencephalogram neural oscillations and their associations between 6- and 12-year-old children with (n = 33) and without (n = 33) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Spectral analyses of the resting-state EEG signal using fast Fourier transform revealed increased power in fronto-central theta and beta oscillations for the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder group, but no differences in the theta/beta ratio. Using the parameterization method, we found a higher aperiodic exponent, which has been suggested to reflect lower neuronal excitation-inhibition, in the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder group. While fast Fourier transform–based theta power correlated with clinical symptoms for the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder group only, the aperiodic exponent was negatively correlated with processing speed across the entire sample. Finally, the aperiodic exponent was correlated with fast Fourier transform–based beta power. These results highlight the different and complementary contribution of periodic and aperiodic components of the neural spectrum as metrics for evaluation of processing speed in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Future studies should further clarify the roles of periodic and aperiodic components in additional cognitive functions and in relation to clinical status.

Cognıtıve functıons in idiopathic intracranial hypertensıon.

Cognitive problems in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is generally overlooked in the presence of disabling headache and threat to visual function. The aim of this study was to search for cognitive deficits in patients with IIH using neuropsychologic tests in addition to P300 potential recordings to assess cognition related brain activity. Fifty IIH patients were examined using Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test, Stroop Test and Visual Aural Digit Span Test to measure different domains of cognition at the time of diagnosis. P300 potentials were recorded by using an oddball paradigm. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scalewas used to determine anxiety and depression. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed by SF-36. The results were compared with fifty healthy controls with matching age, gender and body mass index. Neuropsychologic tests revealed wide cognitive impairment including attention, working memory, executive function, naming, language, delayed recall and orientation in IIH patients. In addition, quality of life was affected in the sub-parameters of general health perceptions, emotional role functioning, vitality, mental health and bodily pain. P300 potential latencies were long and the amplitudes were reduced indicating deficits in attention and working memory. Anxiety scores were high, and health-related QoL was low mainly involving vitality, emotional and mental health. Cognitive dysfunction was not correlated with the levels of anxiety and the correlation with headache severity was mild. A multidomain cognitive decline mainly involving attention and working memory was recorded in IIH patients. It was not correlated with anxiety and only a mild correlation with headache severity was present which may indicate a casual relationship between raised intracranial pressure and cognitive deficits. Screening is important as neuropsychological rehabilitation might be relevant in these patients.

Left OFC Activation in Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy during an Inhibitory Control Task in an Early Years Sample: Integrating Stress Responses with Cognitive Function and Brain Activation.

Previous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies using Go/No-Go (GNG) tasks have focused on brain activation in relation to cognitive processes, particularly inhibitory control (IC). The results of these studies commonly describe right hemispheric engagement of the dorsolateral, ventromedial, or inferior frontal regions of the prefrontal cortex. Considering that typical healthy cognitive development is negatively correlated with higher cortisol levels (which may alter brain development), the overarching aim of the current study was to investigate how elevated stress (due to unforeseeable events such as the pandemic) impacts early cognitive development. In this study, we examined fNIRS data collected from a sample of children (aged 2-4 years) during a GNG task relative to the response to stressors measured via hair cortisol concentrations. We acquired data in an ecological setting (Early Childhood Education and Care) during the coronavirus pandemic. We found that children with higher stress levels and a less efficient IC recruited more neural terrain and our group-level analysis indicated activation in the left orbitofrontal area during IC performance. A contextual stressor may disrupt accuracy in the executive function of IC early in development. More research efforts are needed to understand better how an orbitofrontal network subserves goal-directed behavior.

Intolerance of uncertainty affects the behavioral and neural mechanisms of higher generalization.

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is associated with several anxiety disorders. In this study, we employed rewards and losses as unconditioned positive and negative stimuli, respectively, to explore the effects of an individual's IU level on positive and negative generalizations using magnetic resonance imaging technology. Following instrumental learning, 48 participants (24 high IU; 24 low IU) were invited to complete positive and negative generalization tasks; their behavioral responses and neural activities were recorded by functional magnetic resonance imaging. The behavior results demonstrated that participants with high IUs exhibited higher generalizations to both positive and negative cues as compared with participants having low IUs. Neuroimaging results demonstrated that they exhibited higher activation levels in the right anterior insula and the default mode network (i.e. precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus), as well as related reward circuits (i.e. caudate and right putamen). Therefore, higher generalization scores and the related abnormal brain activation may be key markers of IU as a vulnerability factor for anxiety disorders.

Brain Activation During Virtual Reality Symptom Provocation in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Proof-of-Concept Study

Background Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by obsessions and compulsions. We previously showed that a virtual reality (VR) game can be used to provoke and measure anxiety and compulsions in patients with OCD. Here, we investigated whether this VR game activates brain regions associated with symptom provocation. Objective In this study, we aim to investigate the neural regions that are activated in patients with OCD when they are interactively confronted with a symptom-provoking event and when they are performing compulsive actions in VR. Methods In a proof-of-concept study, we investigated brain activation in response to the VR game in 9 patients with OCD and 9 healthy controls. Participants played the VR game while regional changes in blood oxygenation were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We investigated brain activation in relation to OCD-related events and virtual compulsions in the VR game. Due to low statistical power because of the sample size, we also reported results at trend significance level with a threshold of P<.10. Additionally, we investigated correlations between OCD severity and brain activation. Results We observed a trend for increased activation in the left amygdala (P=.07) upon confrontation with OCD-related events and for increased activation in the bilateral amygdala (P=.06 and P=.09) and right insula (P=.09) when performing virtual compulsive actions in patients with OCD compared to healthy controls, but this did not attain statistical significance. The amygdala and insula activation did not correlate with OCD severity. Conclusions The findings of this proof-of-concept study indicate that VR elicits brain activation in line with previous provocation studies. Our findings need to be replicated in a study with a larger sample size. VR may be used as an innovative and unique method of interactive symptom provocation in future neuroimaging studies. Trial Registration Netherlands Trial Register NTR6420; https://onderzoekmetmensen.nl/nl/trial/25755

Brain activation during scene encoding fMRI in the Alzheimer’s disease continuum: Association with amyloid and tau burden in PE

Background and Hypothesis:This project assessed brain activation during a scene encoding task in 4 groups: older adults who were cognitively normal (CN), subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Associations between scene encoding related brain activation and tau, amyloid, and other biomarkers were analyzed. Our hypothesis was that higher levels of cerebral tau and amyloid would be associated with reduced scene encoding activation. In addition, we hypothesized that scene encoding activation would be significantly different between cognitively normal and cognitively impaired groups. Methods:234 individuals from the Indiana Memory and Aging Study (79 CN, 67 SCD, 70 MCI, and 18 AD) completed structural and functional MRI, clinical/cognitive assessment and biomarkers; 155 underwent amyloid ([18F]florbetapir/[18F]florbetaben) PET, while 111 also underwent [18F]flortaucipir PET. For the fMRI scene encoding task, participants were asked to view and remember a set of images. A one-way ANOVA test was used to analyze scene encoding related activation differences among the 4 groups. Regression was used to identify associations between scene encoding activation and tau and amyloid deposition. Results:Significant differences in activation were observed between the MCI and CN groups, including less activation in widespread regions during the task and reduced deactivation in the default mode network (DMN) in MCI participants relative to CN. Significant associations between higher amyloid and tau deposition and altered scene encoding activation were also observed. Conclusion and Potential Impact:Cognitive decline is associated with activation changes during scene encoding, as well as reduced deactivation in the DMN, especially in the posterior cingulate region. Higher cerebral amyloid and tau deposition predicted decreased scene encoding related activation. These findings are consistent with models linking cognitive status, functional brain activation during episodic encoding, and pathophysiological processes in the AD continuum.

Characteristics of ear fullness and synaptic loss in ear fullness revealed by SV2A positron emission tomographycortical.

Studies on feeling of ear fullness (FEF) related to sudden sensorineural hearing loss(SSNHL) are limited. The mechanisms of FEF are unclear. This study aimed to explore the characteristics and related brain activation of SSNHL with FEF. A total of 269 SSNHL patients were prospectively observed and divided into two groups, with FEF and without FEF. Fifteen SSNHL patients with FEF and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited and underwent 18F-SynVesT-1 static PET. Standardized uptake values ratios (SUVr) of 18F-SynVesT-1 were computed between regions of interest. The occurrence of FEF was not related to the audiogram type or severity of hearing loss. There was a positive correlation between the degree of FEF and the degree of hearing loss. Recovery from FEF was not related to the audiogram shape, the degree of hearing loss or recovery. Fifteen SSNHL patients with FEF had relatively low 18F-SynVesT-1 uptake in the right middle frontal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, bilateral parietal lobe sub-gyral and left medial frontal gyrus, as compared with HCs. There was no relatively high 18F-SynVesT-1 uptake in the cerebral cortex. The occurrence and recovery of FEF in SSNHL patients are not related to the classification, degree and recovery of hearing loss. The 18F-SynVesT-1 uptake in the cerebral cortex of patients experiencing SSNHL and FEF has shown alterations. This indicates that FEF may be related to cortical reorganization after the sudden impairment of unilateral auditory input.

Functional connectivity in ADHD children doing Go/No-Go tasks: An fMRI systematic review and meta-analysis.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosed in childhood. Two common features of ADHD are impaired behavioural inhibition and sustained attention. The Go/No-Go experimental paradigm with concurrent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning has previously revealed important neurobiological correlates of ADHD such as the supplementary motor area and the prefrontal cortex. The coordinate-based meta-analysis combined with quantitative techniques, such as activation likelihood estimate (ALE) generation, provides an unbiased and objective method of summarising these data to understand the brain network architecture and connectivity in ADHD children. Go/No-Go task-based fMRI studies involving children and adolescent subjects were selected. Coordinates indicating foci of activation were collected to generate ALEs using threshold values (voxel-level: p < 0.001; cluster-level: p < 0.05). ALEs were matched to one of seven canonical brain networks based on the cortical parcellation scheme derived from the Human Connectome Project. Fourteen studies involving 457 children met the eligibility criteria. No significant convergence of Go/No-Go related brain activation was found for ADHD groups. Three significant ALE clusters were detected for brain activation relating to controls or ADHD < controls. Significant clusters were related to specific areas of the default mode network (DMN). Network-based analysis revealed less extensive DMN, dorsal attention network, and limbic network activation in ADHD children compared to controls. The presence of significant ALE clusters may be due to reduced homogeneity in the selected sample demographic and experimental paradigm. Further investigations regarding hemispheric asymmetry in ADHD subjects would be beneficial.

Detection of tactile-based error-related potentials (ErrPs) in human-robot interaction.

Robot learning based on implicitly extracted error detections (e.g., EEG-based error detections) has been well-investigated in human-robot interaction (HRI). In particular, the use of error-related potential (ErrP) evoked when recognizing errors is advantageous for robot learning when evaluation criteria cannot be explicitly defined, e.g., due to the complex behavior of robots. In most studies, erroneous behavior of robots were recognized visually. In some studies, visuo-tactile stimuli were used to evoke ErrPs or a tactile cue was used to indicate upcoming errors. To our knowledge, there are no studies in which ErrPs are evoked when recognizing errors only via the tactile channel. Hence, we investigated ErrPs evoked by tactile recognition of errors during HRI. In our scenario, subjects recognized errors caused by incorrect behavior of an orthosis during the execution of arm movements tactilely. EEG data from eight subjects was recorded. Subjects were asked to give a motor response to ensure error detection. Latency between the occurrence of errors and the response to errors was expected to be short. We assumed that the motor related brain activity is timely correlated with the ErrP and might be used from the classifier. To better interpret and test our results, we therefore tested ErrP detections in two additional scenarios, i.e., without motor response and with delayed motor response. In addition, we transferred three scenarios (motor response, no motor response, delayed motor response). Response times to error was short. However, high ErrP-classification performance was found for all subjects in case of motor response and no motor response condition. Further, ErrP classification performance was reduced for the transfer between motor response and delayed motor response, but not for the transfer between motor response and no motor response. We have shown that tactilely induced errors can be detected with high accuracy from brain activity. Our preliminary results suggest that also in tactile ErrPs the brain response is clear enough such that motor response is not relevant for classification. However, in future work, we will more systematically investigate tactile-based ErrP classification.

O010 Capturing Localised Electroencephalography Signals During Sleep using Tripolar Concentric Ring Electrodes

Abstract Introduction Tri -concentric ring electrodes (TCRE) evaluate the current density underlying each electrode and provide improved signal-to-noise compared to conventional electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes. This pilot study used TCRE for the first time to compare TCRE versus more conventional EEG signals during sleep . Materials and Method Twenty healthy sleepers (8 males, mean±SD age 27.8±9.6 y) completed a 9-hr sleep opportunity. Eighteen TCRE electrodes were placed based on the 10-20 system, along with more conventional EEG recorded from the outer rings of paired TCRE electrodes (emulated EEG; eEEG). A Fast Fourier Transform using multitaper-based estimation was applied in 5 second epochs to calculate absolute and relative powers in delta, alpha, theta, sigma and beta frequency bands for eEEG and TCRE signals throughout conventionally scored sleep stages. Results At the Cz position, TCRE showed reduced relative powers in beta frequency bands across sleep stages compared to eEEG. Further, TCRE demonstrated lower relative beta activity during wake (mean difference [95% confidence lower, upper]; -14%, [-15.9%, -12.1%]), N1 sleep (-5.7%, [-7.6%, -3.7%]), and REM sleep (-4.4%, [-6.3%, -2.5%]). TCRE also recorded higher relative delta power across all stages of sleep and wake. Conclusions Lower signal power in high frequency bands and higher power in lower frequency bands supports more favourable signal-to-noise ratio with TCRE compared to more conventional EEG. Thus, TCRE shows promise for evaluating sleep related brain activity. The more focal nature of TCRE recordings may be an additional advantage, that warrants further analysis.

Acute effects of mifepristone on emotional processing related brain activity: A functional MRI study

The Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays an important role in the pathophysiology of mood disorders, and preliminary data suggests that glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonism may be an important therapeutic mechanism. The effects of modulating HPA axis function on emotional processing related brain activity, which may be abnormal in depressed mood, is poorly understood. This study used a pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design to determine the effects of the GR and progesterone receptor antagonist mifepristone on emotional faces processing task related brain activations in 19 right-handed healthy male participants. Each participant received 600 mg mifepristone or placebo on two separate imaging days and then performed an emotional processing fMRI task four hours later. The effect of mifepristone on task related brain activations was determined using Region-of-Interest (ROI) analyses and an exploratory whole brain voxel-wise analyses. No significant changes were observed in the defined ROIs (amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, insula) or in the exploratory whole brain analyses that was associated with mifepristone administration in either the angry vs happy faces or angry and happy faces vs implicit baseline contrasts. Task reaction times and accuracy were similar in both mifepristone and placebo conditions (all p > 0.05). Our study failed to show significant evidence of modulation of emotional processing related brain activity associated with acute mifepristone administration. Future research should use fMRI to investigate the longer-term administration effects of mifepristone on mood in healthy participants and people with mood disorders to provide a deeper understanding of the potential effects on depressive symptoms.

On how natural and urban soundscapes alter brain activity during cognitive performance

Listening to natural or urban soundscapes has previously been shown to differentially modulate performance in a subsequent cognitive task. The present study inquired the effect of listening to urban (traffic and machinery noise) vs. natural (birds, water and wind) soundscapes on cognitive performance, mood, stress reactivity and the consequences for brain activity during a cognitive task assessed before and after soundscape exposure. In a randomized experiment, 30 participants were exposed to three conditions on three separate testing days: urban, natural and no soundscape. Before and after the functional MRI session participants performed a dual n-back, a backward digit span task and filled out mood, stress reactivity and aesthetic preference questionnaires. The natural soundscapes did lead to better cognitive performance however, the effect did not reach significance. Exposure to the natural soundscapes resulted in a significant decrease of negative affect and participants rated them as significantly more aesthetic. On the brain level, listening to the urban soundscape was associated with an increase in superior temporal gyrus (STG) activity during the subsequent dual n-back task. However, this result was statistically not corrected and remains exploratory in nature. This result could potentially hint at information processing becoming less efficient in early primary sensory area as a result of exposure to the urban soundscape. Correlations between affect/cognition and task related brain activity revealed clusters in the attention-network.

No evidence of compensatory changes in energy balance, despite reductions in body weight and liver fat, during dapagliflozin treatment in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial (ENERGIZE).

This study assessed the impact of dapagliflozin on food intake, eating behaviour, energy expenditure, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-determined brain response to food cues and body composition in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Patients were given dapagliflozin 10 mg once daily in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with short-term (1 week) and long-term (12 weeks) cross-over periods. The primary outcome was the difference in test meal food intake between long-term dapagliflozin and placebo treatment. Secondary outcomes included short-term differences in test meal food intake, short- and long-term differences in appetite and eating rate, energy expenditure and functional MRI brain activity in relation to food images. We determined differences in glycated haemoglobin, weight, liver fat (by 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and subcutaneous/visceral adipose tissue volumes (by MRI). In total, 52 patients (43% were women) were randomized; with the analysis of 49 patients: median age 58 years, weight 99.1 kg, body mass index 35 kg/m2 , glycated haemoglobin 49 mmol/mol. Dapagliflozin reduced glycated haemoglobin by 9.7 mmol/mol [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.91-16.27, p = .004], and body weight (-2.84 vs. -0.87 kg) versus placebo. There was no short- or long-term difference in test meal food intake between dapagliflozin and placebo [mean difference 5.7 g (95% CI -127.9 to 139.3, p = .933); 15.8 g (95% CI -147.7 to 116.1, p = .813), respectively] nor in the rate of eating, energy expenditure, appetite, or brain responses to food cues. Liver fat (median reduction -4.7 vs. 1.95%), but not subcutaneous/visceral adipose tissue, decreased significantly with 12 weeks of dapagliflozin. The reduction in body weight and liver fat with dapagliflozin was not associated with compensatory adaptations in food intake or energy expenditure.

Auditory neural correlates and neuroergonomics of driving assistance in a simulated virtual environment

Objective. Driver assistance systems play an increasingly important role in modern vehicles. In the current level of technology, the driver must continuously supervise the driving and intervene whenever necessary when using driving assistance systems. The driver’s attentiveness plays an important role in this human–machine interaction. Our aim was to design a simplistic technical framework for studying neural correlates of driving situations in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) setting. In this work we assessed the feasibility of our proposed platform. Methods. We proposed a virtual environment (VE) simulation of driver assistance as a framework to investigate brain states related to partially automated driving. We focused on the processing of auditory signals during different driving scenarios as they have been shown to be advantageous as warning stimuli in driving situations. This provided the necessary groundwork to study brain auditory attentional networks under varying environmental demands in an fMRI setting. To this end, we conducted a study with 20 healthy participants to assess the feasibility of the VE simulation. Results. We demonstrated that the proposed VE can elicit driving related brain activation patterns. Relevant driving events evoked, in particular, responses in the bilateral auditory, sensory-motor, visual and insular cortices, which are related to perceptual and behavioral processes during driving assistance. Conceivably, attentional mechanisms increased somatosensory integration and reduced interoception, which are relevant for requesting interactions during partially automated driving. Significance. In modern vehicles, driver assistance technologies are playing an increasingly prevalent role. It is important to study the interaction between these systems and drivers’ attentional responses to aid in future optimizations of the assistance systems. The proposed VE provides a foundational first step in this endeavor. Such simulated VEs provide a safe setting for experimentation with driving behaviors in a semi-naturalistic environment.

Research on indoor thermal sensation variation and cross-subject recognition based on electroencephalogram signals

The accurate identification of the environmental assessment by occupants is an important factor in the smart home control system. To identify the neural characteristics associated with thermal sensation, this study conducted environments in five distinct thermal conditions based on predicted mean vote (PMV) values. When subjects perceived different thermal environments, the channels in alpha bands were obviously activated more than others, and Brodmann areas (BA) 9/21/22/44/45 were inferred to be involved in processing thermal sensation stimuli. Based on the neural signatures, the related brain activity mechanism was deduced. To improve the recognition accuracy of EEG and the applicability of deep learning frameworks, phase–amplitude coupling (PAC) was applied, and a new multi-layer PAC feature structure for cross-subject classification was proposed for the first time. The PAC features demonstrated significant differences under different thermal sensations, and the new feature structure, extracted from the significant area on the alpha band, achieved an accuracy of 92.0% when applied to LSTM networks, outperforming other feature structures. The findings offer valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of thermal sensation by discussing the key frequency bands and brain regions that play a critical role, as well as the potential of PAC features. These advancements contribute to the practical application of EEG-based cross-subject thermal sensation classification in various domains, including but not limited to smart homes and healthcare.