Neuroscience Technology Research Articles

Processing pipelines and analytical methods for single-cell DNA methylation sequencing data.

Single-cell DNA methylation sequencing technology has seen rapid advancements in recent years, playing a crucial role in uncovering cellular heterogeneity and the mechanisms of epigenetic regulation. As sequencing technologies have progressed, the quality and quantity of single-cell methylation data have also increased, making standardized preprocessing workflows and appropriate analysis methods essential for ensuring data comparability and result reliability. However, a comprehensive data analysis pipeline to guide researchers in mining existing data has yet to be established. This review systematically summarizes the preprocessing steps and analysis methods for single-cell methylation data, introduces relevant algorithms and tools, and explores the application prospects of single-cell methylation technology in neuroscience, hematopoietic differentiation, and cancer research. The aim is to provide guidance for researchers in data analysis and to promote the development and application of single-cell methylation sequencing technology.

Neuromodulation in Small Animal fMRI.

The integration of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with advanced neuroscience technologies in experimental small animal models offers a unique path to interrogate the causal relationships between regional brain activity and brain-wide network measures-a goal challenging to accomplish in human subjects. This review traces the historical development of the neuromodulation techniques commonly used in rodents, such as electrical deep brain stimulation, optogenetics, and chemogenetics, and focuses on their application with fMRI. We discuss their advantageousness roles in uncovering the signaling architecture within the brain and the methodological considerations necessary when conducting these experiments. By presenting several rodent-based case studies, we aim to demonstrate the potential of the multimodal neuromodulation approach in shedding light on neurovascular coupling, the neural basis of brain network functions, and their connections to behaviors. Key findings highlight the cell-type and circuit-specific modulation of brain-wide activity patterns and their behavioral correlates. We also discuss several future directions and feature the use of mediation and moderation analytical models beyond the intuitive evoked response mapping, to better leverage the rich information available in fMRI data with neuromodulation. Using fMRI alongside neuromodulation techniques provide insights into the mesoscopic (relating to the intermediate scale between single neurons and large-scale brain networks) and macroscopic fMRI measures that correlate with specific neuronal events. This integration bridges the gap between different scales of neuroscience research, facilitating the exploration and testing of novel therapeutic strategies aimed at altering network-mediated behaviors. In conclusion, the combination of fMRI with neuromodulation techniques provides crucial insights into mesoscopic and macroscopic brain dynamics, advancing our understanding of brain function in health and disease. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1.

A Neurotechnological Study to Quantify Differences in Brain Activity Using Game-Based Learning

This research delves into the comparative analysis of brain activity using gamification in the classroom versus traditional teaching. This study aims to employ neurotechnology to record and analyse the impact of active gamification methodology on relevant variables in the learning process within a traditional university education setting, presenting an innovative contribution to the existing literature. Neuroscience technology has been utilized to gauge cognitive processing of stimuli tailored for an academic experience in a university master's class. By scrutinizing brain recordings related to attention, interest, long term excitement, stress, relaxation, and engagement, the findings provide a quantitative assessment of key learning variables through brain signals. Gamification is the active methodology employed, and the application of neuroscience technologies facilitates an understanding of the variations in levels of brain activation among students, shedding light on the contributions of this active teaching methodology to the learning process.

Neural basis for pheromone signal transduction in mice.

Pheromones are specialized chemical messengers used for inter-individual communication within the same species, playing crucial roles in modulating behaviors and physiological states. The detection mechanisms of these signals at the peripheral organ and their transduction to the brain have been unclear. However, recent identification of pheromone molecules, their corresponding receptors, and advancements in neuroscientific technology have started to elucidate these processes. In mammals, the detection and interpretation of pheromone signals are primarily attributed to the vomeronasal system, which is a specialized olfactory apparatus predominantly dedicated to decoding socio-chemical cues. In this mini-review, we aim to delineate the vomeronasal signal transduction pathway initiated by specific vomeronasal receptor-ligand interactions in mice. First, we catalog the previously identified pheromone ligands and their corresponding receptor pairs, providing a foundational understanding of the specificity inherent in pheromonal communication. Subsequently, we examine the neural circuits involved in processing each pheromone signal. We focus on the anatomical pathways, the sexually dimorphic and physiological state-dependent aspects of signal transduction, and the neural coding strategies underlying behavioral responses to pheromonal cues. These insights provide further critical questions regarding the development of innate circuit formation and plasticity within these circuits.

Unraveling the mysteries of the brain: Advances and challenges in clinical neurology

This work offers a comprehensive analysis of advances and challenges in contemporary clinical neurology, with a focus on understanding the human brain and its diseases. We review the latest advances in neuroimaging techniques, molecular neuroscience, and neuroprotective therapies, highlighting their importance for understanding and treating a variety of neurological conditions. However, we also discuss persistent challenges, including the clinical heterogeneity of neurological diseases, ethical issues related to the use of neuroscientific technologies, and the need for personalized therapeutic approaches. We conclude that a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach is essential to address these complex challenges and promote significant advances in clinical neurology.

Multi-scale spatiotemporal attention network for neuron based motor imagery EEG classification

BackgroundIn recent times, the expeditious expansion of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) technology in neuroscience, which relies on electroencephalogram (EEG) signals associated with motor imagery, has yielded outcomes that rival conventional approaches, notably due to the triumph of deep learning. Nevertheless, the task of developing and training a comprehensive network to extract the underlying characteristics of motor imagining EEG data continues to pose challenges. New methodThis paper presents a multi-scale spatiotemporal self-attention (SA) network model that relies on an attention mechanism. This model aims to classify motor imagination EEG signals into four classes (left hand, right hand, foot, tongue/rest) by considering the temporal and spatial properties of EEG. It is employed to autonomously allocate greater weights to channels linked to motor activity and lesser weights to channels not related to movement, thus choosing the most suitable channels. Neuron utilises parallel multi-scale Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN) layers to extract feature information in the temporal domain at various scales, effectively eliminating temporal domain noise. ResultsThe suggested model achieves accuracies of 79.26%, 85.90%, and 96.96% on the BCI competition datasets IV-2a, IV-2b, and HGD, respectively. Comparison with existing methodsIn terms of single-subject classification accuracy, this strategy demonstrates superior performance compared to existing methods. ConclusionThe results indicate that the proposed strategy exhibits favourable performance, resilience, and transfer learning capabilities.

A Review of Research on The Neural Mechanisms of Lexical Tone Acquisition

The phenomenon of bilingualism is becoming more and more important as international communication becomes closer and closer. In the past, linguists' studies on second language acquisition by bilinguals seldom dealt with the language processing mechanism of the human brain itself, but the further development of science and technology has made it possible to quantify the laws of language learning at the neural level. In this paper, the author reviews the literature on the brain-neural mechanisms of tone perception in the primary stage of bilinguals from the perspectives of native language and bilingual tone perception in light of the previous research results. At present, the main research methods adopted in the study of tone acquisition are phonological experimental research and listening and dialectic research. However, the research on tone perception mostly focuses on differentiation and recognition experiments, the use of neuroscience technology is still insufficient, and the combination between disciplines is not close enough.

A Review of the Application of Spatial Transcriptomics in Neuroscience.

Since spatial transcriptomics can locate and distinguish the gene expression of functional genes in special regions and tissue, it is important for us to investigate the brain development, the development mechanism of brain diseases, and the relationship between brain structure and function in Neuroscience (or Brain science). While previous studies have introduced the crucial spatial transcriptomic techniques and data analysis methods, there are few studies to comprehensively overview the key methods, data resources, and technological applications of spatial transcriptomics in Neuroscience. For these reasons, we first investigate several common spatial transcriptomic data analysis approaches and data resources. Second, we introduce the applications of the spatial transcriptomic data analysis approaches in Neuroscience. Third, we summarize the integrating spatial transcriptomics with other technologies in Neuroscience. Finally, we discuss the challenges and future research directions of spatial transcriptomics in Neuroscience.

Research progress of the inferior colliculus: from Neuron, neural circuit to auditory disease

The auditory midbrain, also known as the inferior colliculus (IC), serves as a crucial hub in the auditory pathway. Comprising diverse cell types, the IC plays a pivotal role in various auditory functions, including sound localization, auditory plasticity, sound detection, and sound-induced behaviors. Notably, the IC is implicated in several auditory central disorders, such as tinnitus, age-related hearing loss, autism and Fragile X syndrome. Accurate classification of IC neurons is vital for comprehending both normal and dysfunctional aspects of IC function. Various parameters, including dendritic morphology, neurotransmitter synthesis, potassium currents, biomarkers, and axonal targets, have been employed to identify distinct neuron types within the IC. However, the challenge persists in effectively classifying IC neurons into functional categories due to the limited clustering capabilities of most parameters. Recent studies utilizing advanced neuroscience technologies have begun to shed light on biomarker-based approaches in the IC, providing insights into specific cellular properties and offering a potential avenue for understanding IC functions. This review focuses on recent advancements in IC research, spanning from neurons and neural circuits to aspects related to auditory diseases.

Applied Neuroscience Technology toward Mind-to-mind Communication by Visualizing the State of the Brain to Deepen Mutual Understanding between People

Applied Neuroscience Technology toward Mind-to-mind Communication by Visualizing the State of the Brain to Deepen Mutual Understanding between People

Features of Information and Communication Technologies in the Educational Process: Neuroscience in Education

Society is intensively developing in the context of informatization and the use of innovative technologies, which causes the need for changes in various spheres of life and relevant social institutions. Such a trend determined the relevance of the research problem, in particular, a hypothesis was formed about the effectiveness of neuropedagogical and information and communication technologies as a factor in reforming modern education. The purpose of the research is the role of neuropedagogy in modern, the effectiveness of informatization as a reforming factor. The tasks of the research are aimed at determining the aspects of the effectiveness of the application of innovative and neuropedagogical technologies in the educational process, in particular, the neuroscientific aspect and the computer as a set of innovative technologies. The article characterizes the categorical and conceptual context of the educational trends of the modern information society, which is in the process of formation and reformation. In order to determine the specifics of the research problem, the theoretical and methodological foundations of scientific publications in the relevant field were analyzed. The concepts of neuropedagogical technologies, reforming modern education, computerization of education are summarized, methodological technologies of the educational process are analyzed in the context of neuroscientific technologies. In the course of the study, the method of abstraction, descriptive and research method, method of analysis and synthesis was applied.

Neuroethics and neurolaw in forensic neuropsychiatry: A guide for clinicians.

As neuroscience technologies develop, ethical and legal questions arise regarding their use and societal impact. Neuroethics and neurolaw are growing interdisciplinary fields that address these questions. This review article presents the research agenda of both areas, examines the use and admissibility of neuroscience in expert testimony and legal settings, and discusses ethical issues related to forensic neuropsychiatrists claiming expertise in neuroscience, formulating medical opinions based on neuroscience, and considering its relevance to criminal responsibility. Forensic neuropsychiatrists should be aware of emerging neuroscientific evidence, its utility and limits in rendering diagnoses and explaining behavior, and, before seeking such evidence for legal purposes, its availability and admissibility. When testifying in matters involving neuroscientific evidence, ensuring truthfulness and balance, having sufficient and validated knowledge (including openness with confirming and disconfirming evidence), understanding standards of practice, and drawing relevant and appropriate conclusions remain important.

A Journey in the Brain's Clock: In Vivo Veritas?

The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus contain the circadian pacemaker that coordinates mammalian rhythms in tune with the day-night cycle. Understanding the determinants of the intrinsic rhythmicity of this biological clock, its outputs, and resetting by environmental cues, has been a longstanding goal of the field. Integrated techniques of neurophysiology, including lesion studies and in vivo multi-unit electrophysiology, have been key to characterizing the rhythmic nature and outputs of the SCN in animal models. In parallel, reduced ex vivo and in vitro approaches have permitted us to unravel molecular, cellular, and multicellular mechanisms underlying the pacemaker properties of the SCN. New questions have emerged in recent years that will require combining investigation at a cell resolution within the physiological context of the living animal: What is the role of specific cell subpopulations in the SCN neural network? How do they integrate various external and internal inputs? What are the circuits involved in controlling other body rhythms? Here, we review what we have already learned about the SCN from in vivo studies, and how the recent development of new genetically encoded tools and cutting-edge imaging technology in neuroscience offers chronobiologists the opportunity to meet these challenges.

Implicit IAT Measures and Neurophysiological fNIRS Markers in Response to High-Engagement Advertising.

Self-report measures partially explain consumers' purchasing choices, which are inextricably linked to cognitive, affective processes and implicit drives. These aspects, which occur outside of awareness and tacitly affect the way consumers make decisions, could be explored by exploiting neuroscientific technology. The study investigates implicit behavioural and neurovascular responses to emotionally arousing and high-engagement advertisements (COVID-19 content). High-engagement advertisements and control stimuli were shown in two experimental sessions that were counterbalanced across participants. During each session, hemodynamic variations were recorded with functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a neurophysiological marker for emotional processing. The implicit association task (IAT) was administered to investigate the implicit attitude. An increase in the concentration of oxygenated haemoglobin (O2Hb) was found for the high-engagement advertising when this category of stimuli was seen first. Specular results were found for deoxygenated haemoglobin (HHb) data. The IAT reported higher values for highly engaging stimuli. Increased activity within the PFC suggests that highly engaging content may be effective in generating emotional arousal and increasing attention when presented before other stimuli, which is consistent with the higher IAT scores, indicating more favourable implicit attitudes. This evidence suggests that the effectiveness of highly engaging advertising-related messages may be constrained by the order of advertisement administration.

Applied Neuroscience Technology for Enabling Mind-to-mind Communication

Applied Neuroscience Technology for Enabling Mind-to-mind Communication

In vivo deep-brain 2-photon fluorescent microscopy labeled with near-infrared dyes excited at the 1700 nm window

2-Photon fluorescence microscopy (2PFM) is an indispensable imaging technology for neuroscience. However, the imaging depth is usually limited to the cortical layer in mouse brain in vivo. Here, we demonstrate deep brain 2PFM in vivo excited at the 1700 nm window, using IR780 and aza-IR780 as fluorescent labels. Our detailed characterization of the multiphoton excitation and emission properties of IR780 and aza-IR780 show that: (1) IR780 or aza-IR780 generate 2-photon fluorescence excited at the 1700 nm window and are promising for 2PFM; (2) aza-IR780 exhibits a larger ησ2 with better anti-photobleaching property compared to IR780; The 2-photon action cross-sections of IR780 and aza-IR780 in plasma are an order-of-magnitude larger than those in PBS; (3) In vivo 2-photon emission spectra for both dyes show a notable red shift compared to those in vitro. Based on these characterization results, we demonstrate deep brain 2PFM labeled by them. A maximum imaging depth of 1585 μm (labeled by IR780) and 1800 μm (labeled by aza-IR780) into the mouse brain in vivo readily penetrates the subcortical region of hippocampus. Besides, a maximum of 1528 μm hemodynamic imaging depth is realized via 2PFM with aza-IR780 labeling, enabling us to measure blood flow speed in the hippocampus.

Brain augmentation and neuroscience technologies: current applications, challenges, ethics and future prospects.

Ever since the dawn of antiquity, people have strived to improve their cognitive abilities. From the advent of the wheel to the development of artificial intelligence, technology has had a profound leverage on civilization. Cognitive enhancement or augmentation of brain functions has become a trending topic both in academic and public debates in improving physical and mental abilities. The last years have seen a plethora of suggestions for boosting cognitive functions and biochemical, physical, and behavioral strategies are being explored in the field of cognitive enhancement. Despite expansion of behavioral and biochemical approaches, various physical strategies are known to boost mental abilities in diseased and healthy individuals. Clinical applications of neuroscience technologies offer alternatives to pharmaceutical approaches and devices for diseases that have been fatal, so far. Importantly, the distinctive aspect of these technologies, which shapes their existing and anticipated participation in brain augmentations, is used to compare and contrast them. As a preview of the next two decades of progress in brain augmentation, this article presents a plausible estimation of the many neuroscience technologies, their virtues, demerits, and applications. The review also focuses on the ethical implications and challenges linked to modern neuroscientific technology. There are times when it looks as if ethics discussions are more concerned with the hypothetical than with the factual. We conclude by providing recommendations for potential future studies and development areas, taking into account future advancements in neuroscience innovation for brain enhancement, analyzing historical patterns, considering neuroethics and looking at other related forecasts.

Applying Neuroscience Methods to Address Research Challenges in Management

Management research relies heavily on methods, most particularly surveys, that portray individuals’ subjective reports of their experiences but fail to capture their deep-seated or subconscious reactions. For instance, survey research has been subject to scrutiny over validity issues, self-report bias, social desirability, and endogeneity, among other things. The purpose of this symposium is to expose management audiences to neuroscientific research methods and how they address some of the limitations of traditional research methods. Presenters will demonstrate the application of physiological and neurological methods to the examination of classic processes in management at the individual and the group level, including decision- making in social-exchange situations and group cohesion and effectiveness. Common to all presented research is that it utilizes these methods to uncover an important aspect of a management phenomenon. For example, one study examined the role of team members’ heart rate in explaining group functioning, and another study tested how the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex is implicated in rational decision-making. Presenters will discuss ways to enhance the ecological validity and applicability of neuroscience technologies to management research. Beyond sharing findings from innovative research, we hope that this symposium will help illustrate to participants the feasibility of employing neuroscientific methodologies in management research. Group Heart Rate Synchrony and Group Cohesion: A Quantitative Review Presenter: Nir Milstein; Bar-Ilan U. Presenter: Ilanit Gordon; Bar Ilan U. Heart Rate Variability and Team Task Performance Presenter: Sebastiano Massaro; Surrey Business School Presenter: Rossana Castaldo; The U. of Warwick Presenter: Siu Wan; Warwick U. Presenter: Andra Serban; Virginia Commonwealth U. Presenter: Leandro Pecchia; Warwick U. Rationality Enhancement: The Effect of Anodal tDCS on the rVLPFC among Ultimatum Game Responders Presenter: Eliran Halali; Bar-Ilan U. Presenter: Michal Lavidor; Bar Ilan U. Presenter: Yoni Slater; Bar Ilan U. Wearable Digital Biomarkers for Organizational Research: Towards a Real-life Neuroscience Presenter: George Christopoulos; Nanyang Business School, NTU Singapore Presenter: Alvin Lee; Nanyang Business School

Histological and electrophysiological evidence on the safe operation of a sharp-tip multimodal optrode during infrared neuromodulation of the rat cortex

Infrared neuromodulation is an emerging technology in neuroscience that exploits the inherent thermal sensitivity of neurons to excite or inhibit cellular activity. Since there is limited information on the physiological response of intracortical cell population in vivo including evidence on cell damage, we aimed to create and to validate the safe operation of a microscale sharp-tip implantable optrode that can be used to suppress the activity of neuronal population with low optical power continuous wave irradiation. Effective thermal cross-section and electric properties of the multimodal microdevice was characterized in bench-top tests. The evoked multi-unit activity was monitored in the rat somatosensory cortex, and using NeuN immunocytochemistry method, quantitative analysis of neuronal density changes due to the stimulation trials was evaluated. The sharp tip implant was effectively used to suppress the firing rate of neuronal populations. Histological staining showed that neither the probe insertion nor the heating protocols alone lead to significant changes in cell density in the close vicinity of the implant with respect to the intact control region. Our study shows that intracortical stimulation with continuous-wave infrared light at 1550 nm using a sharp tip implantable optical microdevice is a safe approach to modulate the firing rate of neurons.

Research on Effective Recognition of Alarm Signals in Human-Machine System Based on Cognitive Neural Experiments

The reasonable design of the alarm signal in the man-machine system is one of the important factors that determine the occurrence of safety accidents. Neuroergonomics provides a new perspective for the study of the cognitive process of alarm signals, which can reveal the mechanism of human perception of visual alarm signals from the cognitive level of the brain, thereby identifying the effectiveness of alarm signals. The article's research simulated the human-machine system for heat dissipation of new energy vehicles, used the automatic control interface of the cooling water system as the stimulus material, and used the event-related potential technology in cognitive neuroscience for experimental verification. The experimental results showed that: three kinds of alarm signals (color, color + shape, color + orientation) all induce visual mismatch waves, and the effective response of human to the alarm signal is color + orientation, color + shape, color from small to large, which provides a reference for the design of the alarm signal of the man-machine system.