Frontiers in Human Neuroscience最新文献

{"title":"Changes in brain functional connectivity associated with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in healthy controls.","authors":"Daniel A Monti, Nancy Wintering, Faezeh Vedaei, Alicia Steinmetz, Feroze B Mohamed, Andrew B Newberg","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1531123","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1531123","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>A growing number of research studies have explored the potential effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on brain physiology as well as clinical effects particularly related to stress and anxiety. However, there currently are limited studies showing functional changes during different frequencies of stimulation and laterality effects transcutaneous auricular VNS (TaVNS). In this study, we evaluated whether TaVNS alters functional connectivity in the brain of healthy controls. We hypothesized that TaVNS would significantly alter connectivity in areas involved with emotional processing and regulation including the limbic areas, insula, frontal lobe regions, and cerebellum.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We enrolled 50 healthy controls. Participants were placed in the MRI scanner with MRI compatible ear buds that provided TaVNS. Subjects underwent TaVNS in the left, right, and both ears in a randomized manner during the MRI session. Stimulation was provided for 5 min on and then there was a 5 min off period in between. To evaluate the primary outcome of neurophysiological effects, all participants received blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the TaVNS on and off states.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results demonstrated significant changes in functional connectivity during TaVNS that differed depending on the frequency of stimulation and which ear was stimulated. In general, areas of the brain that had altered functional connectivity included the frontoparietal regions, limbic regions, insula, and cerebellum. Interestingly, cognitive areas were also involved including parts of the temporal lobe, salience network, and default mode network.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study is an initial step toward understanding the functional connectivity changes associated with TaVNS. The findings indicate significant brain changes, particularly in areas that are involved with emotional processing and regulation, as well as cognition. Future studies can expand on this data and focus on specific patient populations to determine the effects of TaVNS.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1531123"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11925341/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Brain-computer-interface-driven artistic expression: real-time cognitive visualization in the pangolin scales animatronic dress and screen dress.","authors":"Leonhard Schreiner, Anouk Wipprecht, Ali Olyanasab, Sebastian Sieghartsleitner, Harald Pretl, Christoph Guger","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1516776","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1516776","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper explores the intersection of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and artistic expression, showcasing two innovative projects that merge neuroscience with interactive wearable technology. BCIs, traditionally applied in clinical settings, have expanded into creative domains, enabling real-time monitoring and representation of cognitive states. The first project showcases a low-channel BCI Screen Dress, utilizing a 4-channel electroencephalography (EEG) headband to extract an engagement biomarker. The engagement is visualized through animated eyes on small screens embedded in a 3D-printed dress, which dynamically responds to the wearer's cognitive state. This system offers an accessible approach to cognitive visualization, leveraging real-time engagement estimation and demonstrating the effectiveness of low-channel BCIs in artistic applications. In contrast, the second project involves an ultra-high-density EEG (uHD EEG) system integrated into an animatronic dress inspired by pangolin scales. The uHD EEG system drives physical movements and lighting, visually and kinetically expressing different EEG frequency bands. Results show that both projects have successfully transformed brain signals into interactive, wearable art, offering a multisensory experience for both wearers and audiences. These projects highlight the vast potential of BCIs beyond traditional clinical applications, extending into fields such as entertainment, fashion, and education. These innovative wearable systems underscore the ability of BCIs to expand the boundaries of creative expression, turning the wearer's cognitive processes into art. The combination of neuroscience and fashion tech, from simplified EEG headsets to uHD EEG systems, demonstrates the scalability of BCI applications in artistic domains.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1516776"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11925262/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial: Influence of psycho-emotional factors on motor control: cerebral mechanism and behavioral response underlying (motiv)action.","authors":"Guillaume Léonard, Pierre-Paul Vidal, Thierry Lelard","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1572614","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1572614","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1572614"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11922883/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of robot-assisted training for lower limb rehabilitation on lower limb function in stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Hongyao Wang, Haifei Shen, Yi Han, Wenlu Zhou, Junjie Wang","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1549379","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1549379","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The effectiveness of lower extremity rehabilitation robots in rehabilitating stroke patients is still controversial. With this systematic review, the aim is to analyze whether the assisted training of the lower limb rehabilitation robot is more effective in promoting the rehabilitation of lower limb function in stroke patients compared with traditional physical therapy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a thorough search of nine databases for relevant randomized controlled trials published between the time of their construction and February 2024. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to assess the risk of bias in each included literature, and meta-analyses and subgroup analyses were carried out with Revman 5.4 software. This study followed the PRIMA reporting statement provided by EQUATOR.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The meta-analysis includes 12 articles and 651 patients. Lower limb rehabilitation robot-assisted training significantly improved lower limb motor function, walking ability, and lower limb ability to balance in stroke patients. However, the effect on gait coordination was not statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Robot-assisted training for lower limb rehabilitation may considerably enhance motor function, walking capacity, and balance function in stroke patients while also providing a novel option for patients to recuperate.</p><p><strong>Systematic review registration: </strong>http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#recordDetails, identifier CRD-42024504930.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1549379"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11919835/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143663283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revealing the neural representations underlying other-race face perception.","authors":"Moaz Shoura, Yong Z Liang, Marco A Sama, Arijit De, Adrian Nestor","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1543840","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1543840","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The other-race effect (ORE) refers to poorer recognition for faces of other races than one's own. This study investigates the neural and representational basis of ORE in East Asian and White participants using behavioral measures, neural decoding, and image reconstruction based on electroencephalography (EEG) data. Our investigation identifies a reliable neural counterpart of ORE, with reduced decoding accuracy for other-race faces, and it relates this result to higher density of other-race face representations in face space. Then, we characterize the temporal dynamics and the prominence of ORE for individual variability at the neural level. Importantly, we use a data-driven image reconstruction approach to reveal visual biases underlying other-race face perception, including a tendency to perceive other-race faces as more typical, younger, and more expressive. These findings provide neural evidence for a classical account of ORE invoking face space compression for other-race faces. Further, they indicate that ORE involves not only reduced identity information but also broader, systematic distortions in visual representation with considerable cognitive and social implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1543840"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11920127/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143663301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Implicit manifestation of prospective metacognition in betting choices enhances its efficiency compared to explicit expression.","authors":"Hidekazu Nagamura, Hiroshi Onishi, Kohta I Kobayasi, Shoko Yuki","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1490530","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1490530","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent metacognitive research has extensively investigated metacognitive efficiency (i.e., the accuracy of metacognition). Given the functional importance of metacognition for adaptive behavioral control, it is important to explore the nature of prospective metacognitive efficiency; however, most research has focused on retrospective metacognition. To understand the nature of prospective metacognition, it is essential to identify the factors that influence its efficiency. Despite its significance, research exploring the factors of prospective metacognitive efficiency remains scarce. We focused on the relationship between the efficiency of prospective metacognition and the manner in which metacognition is inferred. Specifically, we explored whether explicit metacognition based on verbal confidence reports and implicit metacognition based on bets produce differences in efficiency. Participants were instructed to either respond to a memory belief with a sound (explicit metacognition) or make a bet on its recallability (implicit metacognition) during a delayed match-to-sample task. The task was identical for all participants, except for the pre-rating instructions. We found that the efficiency of prospective metacognition was enhanced by the betting instructions. Additionally, we showed the possibility that this difference in metacognitive efficiency was caused by the difference in pre-rating variability between the instructions. Our results suggest that the way a person evaluates their own internal states makes the difference in the efficiency of prospective metacognition. This study is the first to identify a factor that regulates the efficiency of prospective metacognition, thereby advancing our understanding of the mechanisms underlying metacognition. These findings highlight that the potential influence of framing, such as instruction, can improve metacognitive efficiency.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1490530"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11920126/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143663299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cognitive load recognition in simulated flight missions: an EEG study.","authors":"Yueying Zhou, Xijia Xu, Daoqiang Zhang","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1542774","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1542774","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive load recognition (CLR) utilizing EEG signals has experienced significant advancement in recent years. However, current load-eliciting paradigms often rely on simplistic cognitive tasks such as arithmetic calculations, failing to adequately replicate real-world scenarios and lacking applicability. This study explores simulated flight missions over time to better reflect operational environments and investigate temporal dynamics of multiple load states. Thirty-six participants were recruited to perform simulated flight tasks with varying cognitive load levels of low, medium, and high. Throughout the experiments, we collected EEG load data from three sessions, pre- and post-task resting-state EEG data, subjective ratings, and objective performance metrics. Then, we employed several deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models, utilizing raw EEG data as model input, to assess cognitive load levels with six classification designs. Key findings from the study include (1) a notable distinction between resting-state and post-fatigue EEG data; (2) superior performance of shallow CNN models compared to more complex ones; and (3) temporal dynamics decline in CLR as the missions progressed. This paper establishes a potential foundation for assessing cognitive states during intricate simulated tasks across different individuals.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1542774"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11920153/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143663282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The emergent property of inhibitory control: implications of intermittent network-based fNIRS neurofeedback training.","authors":"Lingwei Zeng, Lidong Gai, Kewei Sun, Yimeng Yuan, Yuntao Gao, Hui Wang, Xiucao Wang, Zhihong Wen","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1513304","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1513304","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Studies have shown that inhibitory control is supported by frontal cortex and small-world brain networks. However, it remains unclear how regulating the topology changes the inhibitory control. We investigated the effects of small-worldness upregulation training on resting-state networks via fNIRS neurofeedback training, which will contribute to a deeper insight of inhibitory control.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A five-day training session was used to regulate the small-worldness of the frontal cortex, and the color-word Stroop task was tested before and after training. Fifty healthy adults were recruited and randomly assigned to the sham feedback group (sham group), or intermittent fNIRS-based brain network feedback group (fNIRS-NF group). On the basis of the exclusion of incomplete data, 45 valid data sets were retained and analyzed (sham: 21, fNIRS-NF: 24).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Training increased resting-state small-worldness and improved Stroop task performance, with a significant correlation between these changes (<i>r</i> = -0.32, <i>p</i> = 0.032). The fNIRS-NF group exhibited reduced hemodynamic activation (βvalue decreased, indicating lower cognitive load) during posttest and follow-up. Notably, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) showed greater intra-regional connectivity increases than the left dlPFC, suggesting asymmetric plasticity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Intermittent fNIRS neurofeedback effectively modulates resting-state small-world networks and enhances inhibitory control, with effects sustained for at least one week. These findings highlight small-worldness as a novel target for cognitive interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1513304"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11913857/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143656873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artifact filtering application to increase online parity in a communication BCI: progress toward use in daily-life.","authors":"Tab Memmott, Daniel Klee, Niklas Smedemark-Margulies, Barry Oken","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1551214","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1551214","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A significant challenge in developing reliable Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) is the presence of artifacts in the acquired brain signals. These artifacts may lead to erroneous interpretations, poor fitting of models, and subsequent reduced online performance. Furthermore, BCIs in a home or hospital setting are more susceptible to environmental noise. Artifact handling procedures aim to reduce signal interference by filtering, reconstructing, and/or eliminating unwanted signal contaminants. While straightforward conceptually and largely undisputed as essential, suitable artifact handling application in BCI systems remains unsettled and may reduce performance in some cases. A potential confound that remains unexplored in the majority of BCI studies using these procedures is the lack of parity with online usage (e.g., online parity). This manuscript compares classification performance between frequently used offline digital filtering, using the whole dataset, and an online digital filtering approach where the segmented data epochs that would be used during closed-loop control are filtered instead. In a sample of healthy adults (<i>n</i> = 30) enrolled in a BCI pilot study to integrate new communication interfaces, there were significant benefits to model performance when filtering with online parity. While online simulations indicated similar performance across conditions in this study, there appears to be no drawback to the approach with greater online parity.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1551214"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11914135/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143656868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transcutaneous and transcranial electrical stimulation for enhancing military performance: an update and systematic review.","authors":"Onno van der Groen, Sara A Rafique, Nick Willmot, Margaret G Murphy, Eulalia Tisnovsky, Tad T Brunyé","doi":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1501209","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fnhum.2025.1501209","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Electrical stimulation (ES), including transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) and transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), has shown potential for cognitive enhancement in military contexts. Various types of ES, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), modulate neuronal membrane potentials and cortical excitability, potentially improving cognitive functions relevant to military training and operations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This systematic review updates previous findings by examining studies published between 2019 and 2024 that investigated electrical stimulation effects on cognitive performance in military personnel and tasks. We focused on whether the studies addressed key questions about the generalizability of lab findings to military tasks, the frequency and intensity of adverse effects, the impact of repeated ES administration, and the ethical and regulatory considerations for its use in potentially vulnerable military populations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria; most demonstrated overall low to some concerns, however, two of these had overall high risk of bias. While tES and tVNS showed some promise for enhancing multitasking and visual search performance, the results were mixed, with no reliable effects on vigilance tasks.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The reviewed studies highlight the need for a better understanding of ES mechanisms, optimal stimulation parameters, and individual differences in response to ES. They also highlight the importance of conducting high-powered research in military settings to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and ethical implications of ES. Future research should address the generalizability of lab-based results to real-world military tasks, monitor the frequency and intensity of adverse effects, and explore the long-term impacts of repeated administration. Furthermore, ethical and regulatory considerations are crucial for the responsible application of ES in military contexts, and a series of outstanding questions is posed to guide continuing research in this domain.</p>","PeriodicalId":12536,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Human Neuroscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1501209"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11911350/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143648053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}