{"title":"Studying the neural correlates of upper aerodigestive tract functions under natural conditions: A protocol using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, cervical acoustics, and accelerometry","authors":"Yohan Gallois , Jeanne Souche , Yann Lemaire , Lila Gravellier , Pascal Barone , Linda Nicolini , Jérome Farinas , Pascal Gaillard , Virginie Woisard","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) is a complex structure with multiple synchronized vital functions, including swallowing and breathing, that rely on central neurological controls and cervical effectors. Reference UADT assessments have questionable limitations in natural conditions. Here, we describe our new protocol addressing these limitations. Our protocol combines three non-invasive technologies to evaluate UADT functions in natural conditions. We aim to correlate the cortical and cervical activities of UADT functions in a real-world context.</div></div><div><h3>New method</h3><div>Healthy subjects perform speech, coughing, throat clearing, and swallowing tasks in a natural sitting position. Cervical evaluation uses acoustic and accelerometric measures that reflect the laryngeal movements and bolus progression. We manually segment the events of each task. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy measures the concurrent cortical activity from the bilateral inferior pericentral regions, including the laryngeal sensorimotor cortices. We statistically compare event signal duration and bolus types under volitional and spontaneous conditions across the three technologies.</div></div><div><h3>Comparison with existing methods</h3><div>Reference UADT evaluations show limitations: cervical assessment references are irradiating (videofluoroscopy) or invasive (flexible nasal laryngoscopy); neurological assessment with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) does not allow swallowing in sitting position.</div></div><div><h3>Expected results and perspectives</h3><div>We aim to validate this protocol in natural settings and correlate cervical activity with cortical responses. This protocol opens perspectives to investigations on UADT functions in subjects currently with reduced access to gold standards, including children and dysphagic subjects with neurological dystonia.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>We propose an innovative protocol for UADT evaluation in non-invasive natural conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"3 ","pages":"Pages 56-68"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143816880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
John Nicholas Cauba, Jihoo Woo, Russell W. Wiggins, Shizue Mito
{"title":"Comprehensive review of in vitro gut-brain axis models in Parkinson’s disease research","authors":"John Nicholas Cauba, Jihoo Woo, Russell W. Wiggins, Shizue Mito","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.03.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.03.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This systematic review critically evaluates <em>in vitro</em> gut-brain axis models based on their effectiveness in advancing treatment strategies for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Models such as microfluidic devices, combined organ-on-a-chips (OOCs), and gut-brain organoids are analyzed for their ability to replicate key PD mechanisms, including intestinal barrier dysfunction, microbial dysbiosis, and α-synuclein aggregation. While these models are prospective tools in isolating facets of PD pathology such as microbiota modulation, neurotoxin transport, and neuroinflammation mitigation, challenges remain in their physiological relevance, scalability, and translational potential. This review discusses the designs and limitations of the latest <em>in vitro</em> models and identifies areas that may enhance their utility in developing effective treatments for PD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"3 ","pages":"Pages 44-55"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143808376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Víctor Sánchez , Luis Felipe Bortoletto , Caroline G. Mazala , Andrés Quiroga , Sergio Novi , Rickson C. Mesquita
{"title":"Disrupted functional connectivity in carotid artery stenosis patients: Insights from fNIRS during a vasoreactivity test","authors":"Víctor Sánchez , Luis Felipe Bortoletto , Caroline G. Mazala , Andrés Quiroga , Sergio Novi , Rickson C. Mesquita","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.03.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Carotid artery stenosis (CAS) reduces cerebral perfusion, which can contribute to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. While fMRI studies have identified CAS-related disruptions in functional connectivity (FC) associated with neurodegeneration, translating these methods to functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a portable, clinically practical alternative. In this study, we assessed FC using fNIRS in 44 CAS patients and 20 controls during breath-holding, a clinical vasoreactivity task. Our results demonstrate clear differences between FC during breath-holding and the resting state, highlighting the task's impact on network connectivity. Patients with unilateral mild stenosis (50–69 % occlusion) exhibited FC patterns comparable to those of controls, whereas patients with bilateral severe stenosis showed a 26 % reduced connectivity and a 14 % lower clustering. When accounting for time delays of 0.9–1.3 seconds, network synchrony was restored across all CAS groups, suggesting that the proposed fNIRS-based method can be used to investigate compensatory hemodynamic delays in CAS. Although sample size limits broader clinical generalizations, this work demonstrates the feasibility of using fNIRS for FC analysis in CAS during a vasodilatory task and provides evidence that fNIRS-based FC metrics are sensitive to CAS severity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"3 ","pages":"Pages 36-43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143679706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A simulated memristor architecture of neural networks of human memory","authors":"Tihomir Taskov, Juliana Dushanova","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.02.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.02.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The project presents a hybrid approach between artificial intelligence and neuroscience as a more common framework to investigate the function-structure relationship, emphasizing the computational properties of neural networks. The human connectome will be reconstructed using electrophysiological studies, implemented as an artificial reservoir, and trained to perform memory tasks. By comparing connectome-informed reservoirs with arbitrary architectures, the computational properties of the human connectome will be optimized at a unique macroscale network topology and its mesoscale modular organization under critical network dynamics, assumed to perform optimal information processing. The hypothesis is that regardless of global network dynamics, the human connectome maximizes memory capacity by minimizing metabolic and material costs. The idea that the interplay of network dynamics and structure sustains and modulates the computational capacity of connectome-informed reservoirs may explain the spectrum of computational abilities of the anatomical macroscale brain network. By combining connectomics and reservoir computing, it will be possible to implement biologically derived network architectures and connectomes as artificial neural networks in memory tasks. Opportunities to investigate novel facets of the function-structure relationship in brain neuronal networks will arise from the adaptable approach concerning task paradigm, network dynamics, and architecture. Another question is how variations in the connectome architecture give rise to different developmental cognitive abilities in information and computational processing of neural networks. Artificial reservoirs such as memristors have been proposed to explore information processing aspects of the brain by combining modern electrophysiological computing tools and those from artificial intelligence, such as spiking artificial neural (memristor) networks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"3 ","pages":"Pages 25-35"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143551467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Natália de Carvalho Santos , Guilherme Gâmbaro , Lívia Lamas da Silva , Pedro Henrique Rodrigues da Silva , Renata Ferranti Leoni
{"title":"Impaired brain functional connectivity and complexity in mild cognitive decline","authors":"Natália de Carvalho Santos , Guilherme Gâmbaro , Lívia Lamas da Silva , Pedro Henrique Rodrigues da Silva , Renata Ferranti Leoni","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is often considered a precursor to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Then, a better understanding of MCI neural correlates may inform more effective therapeutic interventions before irreversible changes occur in the brain, potentially delaying the onset of AD. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has proven to be a powerful tool for investigating brain functional connectivity (FC) in MCI patients; however, integrating such analysis with graph theory and brain complexity (entropy) remains an underexplored yet promising avenue for understanding MCI-related changes. Therefore, we aimed to identify patterns of neural dysfunction and changes in brain complexity that may help differentiate mild cognitive decline from normal aging. We included 44 patients with an MCI diagnosis (75 ± 8 years; 26 men and 18 women) and 40 controls (77 ± 7 years; 26 men and 14 women). Conventional rs-FC served as a well-established foundation for further analyses. Graph theory was applied since it has gained prominence to investigate the structure of brain networks and identify patients with dementia. Sample entropy was measured to assess the complex and dynamic functioning of the brain. Reduced functional connectivity, cost, degree, entropy, and increased average path length were observed in MCI patients compared to controls. Alterations converged to temporal and frontal areas, insula, thalamus, and hippocampus and were involved in language processing, spatial attention and perception, and memory. Functional connectivity alterations seemed to precede topological changes expected for AD patients. Moreover, altered entropy suggested an initial brain disability to maintain efficient network integration in a memory-related region. Therefore, our findings emphasize the importance of integrating functional connectivity analysis, graph theory, and entropy to understand brain changes in MCI better. These complementary approaches offer a more comprehensive view of the neural dysfunctions associated with cognitive decline, providing a promising foundation for identifying biomarkers that could predict progression to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"3 ","pages":"Pages 15-24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143512259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Organoid intelligence and biocomputing advances: Current steps and future directions","authors":"Al-Hassan Soliman Wadan","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.01.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organoid intelligence (OI) offers transformative potential across diverse fields, particularly in personalized medicine, biocomputing, and environmental sustainability. Here, we examine how the unique biological properties of organoids, which closely mimic human physiological processes, enable the development of advanced disease models, drug testing platforms, and sustainable bioengineered solutions. Researchers can address critical carbon capture, bioremediation, and pollution control challenges by integrating OI into computational systems. This review discusses the technological advancements that enable OI applications, including microfluidics, artificial intelligence, and electrophysiology while emphasizing the need for standardized protocols to foster reproducibility and scalability. Additionally, we address the ethical and legal considerations surrounding OI development, such as data privacy, potential misuse, and the emerging moral status of organoids with advanced cognitive-like properties. We highlight the Baltimore Declaration as a foundational framework for ensuring OI technologies align with ethical standards and societal benefits. OI's responsible advancement promises to revolutionize computational efficiency, improve healthcare outcomes, and address global challenges sustainably and equitably by fostering public engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and robust regulatory oversight.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"3 ","pages":"Pages 8-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143205411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eirini Mavritsaki , Stephanie Chua , Harriet A Allen , Panagiotis Rentzelas
{"title":"Cross-cultural differences in attention: An investigation through computational modelling","authors":"Eirini Mavritsaki , Stephanie Chua , Harriet A Allen , Panagiotis Rentzelas","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2025.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Behavioural research has shown that cultural membership can shape visual perception and attentional processes. In picture perception, members of collectivist cultures are more likely to attend the whole of the perceptual field than an individual salient item. Members of individualist cultures tend to attend the most salient object in the visual field. Understanding the brain processes that underlie these differences in visual attention is very important, as attentional processes can have significant impact on learning, navigation, communication and more. This study examines the perception of saliency among collectivist and individualist cultural groups using a computational modelling approach that is based on spiking neurons, the binding spiking Search over Time and Space (b-sSoTS) model. We simulated visual search for a salient target among distracters. We successfully simulated cross-cultural differences in early visual processes by altering the coupling parameter and varying the strength of connections between representations in the model. These findings indicate that the one of the potential causes of cross-cultural differences in visual perception can be the differences in encoding the mechanisms between individualist and collectivist cultural groups This study marks the first step investigating these processes by extending the behavioural research finding with computational modelling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"3 ","pages":"Pages 1-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143093074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"From peripheral to central (Neuro)degeneration: Is heart-kidney a new axial paradigm for Parkinson’s disease?","authors":"Catarina Teixeira , Joana Martins-Macedo , Eduardo Gomes , Carla Soares-Guedes , Rita Caridade-Silva , Bruna Araújo , Cristiana Vilela , Inês Falcão Pires , Inês Alencastre , Fábio G. Teixeira","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2024.11.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2024.11.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is primarily characterized by the accumulation of alpha-synuclein (αSyn) and the loss of dopaminergic neurons (DAn). The most evident repercussions of the disease include sympathetic and parasympathetic dysfunction, decreased dopamine (DA) levels, and impaired voluntary movements. Given the multifactorial nature of PD, it is now recognized that several systemic diseases may predispose individuals to the onset and progression of PD as well as influence its therapeutic outcomes. Recent studies have highlighted that patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) face an increased risk of developing PD, independent of the shared risk factors. Indeed, substantial evidence supports the connections between the brain, heart, and kidneys. Elements such as the dopaminergic system, blood pressure regulation, inflammation, autophagy, oxidative stress, and calcium (Ca2+) signaling are recognized as crucial for the functioning of each organ individually. However, these factors may also significantly impact the overall health of the triad. Understanding the interconnection between the brain, heart, and kidneys would be groundbreaking in enhancing our knowledge about their interactions, enabling prompt interventions in the early stages of the disease. With this perspective, this review analyzes the current understanding of the brain-heart-kidney axis as a potential new paradigm for diagnosing and managing PD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"2 ","pages":"Pages 94-105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142748250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Evandro F. Fang , Asgeir Kobro-Flatmoen , Linda Hildegard Bergersen , Hilde Nilsen , Jon Storm-Mathisen
{"title":"Ageing and brain research networks in Norway","authors":"Evandro F. Fang , Asgeir Kobro-Flatmoen , Linda Hildegard Bergersen , Hilde Nilsen , Jon Storm-Mathisen","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2024.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2024.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global population is ageing rapidly with over 1.6 billion people forecast to be over 65 by 2050. While this ‘crisis of ageing’ builds, medical research is rushing to prepare to meet the expected increase in the number of patients, especially those with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. With the growth of the digital world, sharing of information and resources has come into focus as one way to help meet the crisis through creating positive collaborative working environments. In Norway, particularly two networks on ageing research have grown through the need for connectivity and collaboration, NO-Age and NO-AD. Their growth, and the growth of international collaborative environments, will help researchers seek for the keys to longer, healthier lives for older people around the world.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"2 ","pages":"Pages 92-93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142653625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joana Martins-Macedo , Eduardo D. Gomes , João F. Oliveira , Patrícia Patrício , Luísa Pinto
{"title":"StressMatic: Bridging innovation and reliability in animal models of stress","authors":"Joana Martins-Macedo , Eduardo D. Gomes , João F. Oliveira , Patrícia Patrício , Luísa Pinto","doi":"10.1016/j.bosn.2024.11.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bosn.2024.11.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Preclinical research involving animal models of stress exposure typically rely on traditional manual protocols, which are laborious and time-consuming and may compromise reproducibility and the effective translation of findings into clinical applications. StressMatic is an automated stress exposure system (auCMS), designed to improve the standardization and reproducibility of stress-induction methodologies. The auCMS demonstrated consistent efficacy, with animals subjected to automated stressors displaying similar responses to those exposed to conventional manual methods, thus confirming its validity as a reliable tool. While some stressors still require human involvement, the automation of key processes has markedly enhanced efficiency and minimized operational time. This innovative approach reduces the introduction of human error, increases precision, and standardizes experimental workflows, resulting in a more robust preclinical research platform. By streamlining repetitive tasks, the auCMS promotes adaptability in experimental design, particularly in the study of mood disorders. Ultimately, this automated protocol not only enhances the reliability of pharmaceutical screening processes but also strengthens the drug discovery pipeline, facilitating deeper insights into behavioral outcomes and informing therapeutic strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100198,"journal":{"name":"Brain Organoid and Systems Neuroscience Journal","volume":"2 ","pages":"Pages 75-80"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142653626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}