NeuroSci最新文献

{"title":"The Impact of Ageing on Episodic Memory Retrieval: How Valence Influences Neural Functional Connectivity.","authors":"Marianna Constantinou, Anna Pecchinenda, Hana Burianová, Ala Yankouskaya","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5040040","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5040040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Age-related decline in episodic memory is often linked to structural and functional changes in the brain. Here, we investigated how these alterations might affect functional connectivity during memory retrieval following exposure to emotional stimuli. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), participants viewed images with varying emotional valences (positive, negative, and neutral) followed by unrelated non-arousing videos and were then asked to retrieve an episodic detail from the previously shown video. We conducted Multivariate Pattern Analysis (MVPA) to identify regions with divergent responses between age groups, which then served as seeds in Seed-Based Connectivity (SBC) analyses. The results revealed an age-related decline in behavioural performance following exposure to negative stimuli but preserved performance following positive stimuli. Young adults exhibited increased functional connectivity following negative valence. Conversely, old adults displayed increased connectivity more scarcely, and only following positive valence. These findings point to an adaptive response of the impact of emotions on task performance that depends on neural adaptations related to ageing. This suggests that age-related changes in functional connectivity might underlie how emotions influence memory, highlighting the need to tailor memory support strategies in older adulthood.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 4","pages":"542-564"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11587483/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142712005","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 Concept-Value Network as a Brain Model.","authors":"Kieran Greer","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5040039","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5040039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper suggests a statistical framework for describing the relations between the physical and conceptual entities of a brain-like model. Features and concept instances are put into context, where the paper suggests that features may be the electrical wiring; although, chemical connections are also possible. With this idea, the actual length of the connection is important, because it is related to firing rates and neuron synchronization, but the signal type is less important. The paper then suggests that concepts are neuron groups that link feature sets and concept instances are determined by chemical signals from those groups. Therefore, features become the static horizontal framework of the neural system and concepts are vertically interconnected combinations of these. With regards to functionality, the neuron is then considered to be functional, and the more horizontal memory structures can even be glial. This would also suggest that features can be distributed entities and not concentrated to a single area. Another aspect could be signal 'breaks' that compartmentalise a pattern and may help with neural binding.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 4","pages":"534-541"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11587426/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142711962","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":"Limited Potential of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treatment of Essential Tremor: A Systematic Review.","authors":"Andrew A E D Bishay, Anton Guo, Rhea Desai, Samuel Mushinski, Andy Au, Andrew J Swenson, Marco Iacoboni, Alexander Bystritsky, Norman M Spivak","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5040038","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5040038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Essential tremor (ET) is a prevalent movement disorder characterized by action tremors, predominantly affecting the upper limbs. While various pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions have shown efficacy in managing ET, the therapeutic role of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) remains uncertain. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from clinical trials investigating rTMS as a treatment for ET. Despite some open-label trials reporting reductions in tremor severity, double-blinded studies revealed no significant difference between active and sham rTMS, suggesting a strong placebo effect. The findings indicate that while rTMS can reduce tremor scores, its therapeutic efficacy in ET remains unproven. Future research should focus on improving sham designs and conducting larger, rigorously controlled trials to clarify rTMS's role in ET management. Current evidence supports considering alternative treatments, such as deep brain stimulation, over rTMS for ET.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 4","pages":"523-533"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11587431/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142711974","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":"Can Phonemic Verbal Fluency Be Used to Predict Alzheimer's Disease?","authors":"Sara García-González","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5040036","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5040036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Among the cognitive markers, the deterioration of semantic and phonemic verbal fluency seems to be an early indicator of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aims of this study are (1) to evaluate both types of verbal fluency in the early stages of AD in order to know which of them deteriorates earlier and (2) to investigate if verbal fluency tasks can help to differentiate between patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) who will progress to AD two years later (progress) and those who will not (non-progress).</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A verbal fluency task was administered to 25 patients with MCI and their respective control subjects. All patients underwent a neuropsychological evaluation twice in order for us to follow up on their global cognitive status. The second time, eight of them converted to AD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>On the one hand, phonemic verbal fluency deteriorates earlier than semantic verbal fluency in MCI patients; on the other hand, although we found statistically significant differences between patients with MCI and AD in both types of fluency tasks, none were found when comparing the performance of progress and non-progress.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These results point to a greater impairment in phonemic verbal fluency in MCI patients and its potential capacity to predict conversion to AD.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 4","pages":"501-508"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11587474/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142711967","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":"Ethanolamine and Vinyl-Ether Moieties in Brain Phospholipids Modulate Behavior in Rats.","authors":"Mst Zenika Nasrin, Shuhei Kikuchi, Yasuhiro Uchimura, Mina Yoshioka, Shin-Ya Morita, Tomoya Kobayashi, Yusuke Kinoshita, Yoshio Furusho, Hitoshi Tamiaki, Daijiro Yanagisawa, Jun Udagawa","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5040037","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5040037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plasmalogens are brain-enriched phospholipids with a vinyl-ether bond at the <i>sn</i>-1 position between the glycerol backbone and the alkyl chain. Previous studies have suggested that plasmalogens modulate locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, and cognitive functions in rodents; however, the specific moieties contributing to behavioral regulation are unknown. In this study, we examined the behavioral modulation induced by specific phospholipid moieties. To confirm the permeability of phospholipids in injected liposomes, we measured the fluorescence intensity following intravenous injection of liposomes containing ATTO 740-labeled dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine. Then, we compared the behavioral effects following injection of liposomes composed of egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) and 1-stearoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-<i>sn</i>-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (PE 18:0/22:6), PC 18:0/22:6, 1-(1Z-octadecenyl)-2-docosahexaenoyl-<i>sn</i>-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (PE P-18:0/22:6), or PC P-18:0/22:6, into the tail vein of male rats. The time spent in the central region of the open field was significantly reduced after injection of PE 18:0/22:6, harboring an ester bond at <i>sn</i>-1 compared to controls. Furthermore, the discrimination ratio in the novel object recognition test was significantly higher in PC 18:0/22:6 compared to PE 18:0/22:6, suggesting that the substitution of ethanolamine with choline can enhance recognition memory. We demonstrate that the structures of the <i>sn</i>-1 bond and the hydrophilic moiety in the phospholipids can modulate exploratory behaviors and recognition memory in rodents.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 4","pages":"509-522"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11587438/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142711970","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":"Pre- and Post-Operative Cognitive Assessment in Patients Undergoing Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement: Insights from the PEARL Project.","authors":"Valentina Fiolo, Enrico Giuseppe Bertoldo, Silvana Pagliuca, Sara Boveri, Sara Pugliese, Martina Anguissola, Francesca Gelpi, Beatrice Cairo, Vlasta Bari, Alberto Porta, Edward Callus","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5040035","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5040035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Aortic valve stenosis (AVS) is a common valvular heart disease affecting millions of people worldwide. It leads to significant neurocognitive and neuropsychological impairments, impacting patients' quality of life.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The objective of this article is to identify and discuss the potential neurocognitive effects on patients with aortic stenosis before and after undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Our study involved the assessment of 64 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (SAVR) using a neurocognitive evaluation comprising a battery of 11 different cognitive tests. These tests were designed to analyze the patients' overall cognitive functioning, executive abilities, short- and long-term memory, and attentional performance. The tests were administered to patients before the aortic valve surgery (T0) and after the surgery (T1). From a statistical perspective, numerical variables are presented as means (±standard deviation) and medians (IQR), while categorical variables are presented as counts and percentages. Normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test. T0 and T1 scores were compared with the Wilcoxon signed rank test, with <i>p</i> < 0.05 considered significant. Analyses were performed using SAS version 9.4.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Conducted as part of a fully financed Italian Ministry of Health project (RF-2016-02361069), the study found that most patients showed normal cognitive functioning at baseline. Cognitive assessments showed that executive functions, attention, language, and semantic knowledge were within the normal range for the majority of participants. After SAVR, cognitive outcomes remained stable or improved, particularly in executive functions and language. Notably, verbal episodic memory demonstrated significant improvement, with the percentage of patients scoring within the normal range on the BSRT increasing from 73.4% at T0 to 92.2% at T1 (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). However, visuospatial and visuoconstructive abilities showed stability or slight decline, while attentional skills remained relatively stable. The Clock Drawing Test indicated the maintenance of cognitive functions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings of our study indicate a global stability in cognitive status among patients after undergoing SAVR, with significant improvement noted in verbal episodic memory. While other cognitive domains did not demonstrate statistically significant changes, these insights are valuable for understanding the cognitive effects of SAVR and can guide future research and clinical practice in selecting the most effective surgical and rehabilitative options for patients. Monitoring cognitive outcomes in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement surgery remains crucial.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 4","pages":"485-500"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11587439/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142711979","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":"The Intersection of Ultra-Processed Foods, Neuropsychiatric Disorders, and Neurolaw: Implications for Criminal Justice.","authors":"Susan L Prescott, Kathleen F Holton, Christopher A Lowry, Jeffrey J Nicholson, Alan C Logan","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5030028","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5030028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over the last decade there has been increasing interest in the links between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and various neuropsychiatric disorders, aggression, and antisocial behavior. Neurolaw is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to translate the rapid and voluminous advances in brain science into legal decisions and policy. An enhanced understanding of biophysiological mechanisms by which ultra-processed foods influence brain and behavior allows for a historical reexamination of one of forensic neuropsychiatry's most famous cases-<i>The People v. White</i> and its associated 'Twinkie Defense'. Here in this Viewpoint article, we pair original court transcripts with emergent research in neurolaw, including nutritional neuroscience, microbiome sciences (legalome), pre-clinical mechanistic research, and clinical intervention trials. Advances in neuroscience, and related fields such as the microbiome, are challenging basic assumptions in the criminal justice system, including notions of universal free will. Recent dismissals of criminal charges related to auto-brewery syndrome demonstrate that courts are open to advances at the intersection of neuromicrobiology and nutritional neuroscience, including those that relate to criminal intent and diminished capacity. As such, it is our contention that experts in the neurosciences will play an increasing role in shaping research that underpins 21st-century courtroom discourse, policy, and decision-making.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 3","pages":"354-377"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11477939/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142559664","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":"Preliminary Evidence That Design Fluency Is Related to Dual-Task Treadmill Gait Variability in Healthy Adults.","authors":"Christopher I Higginson, Morgan K Bifano, Kelly M Seymour, Rachel L Orr, Kurt M DeGoede, Jill S Higginson","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5030026","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5030026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Evidence supporting a link between gait and cognition is accumulating. However, the relation between executive functioning and spatiotemporal gait parameters has received little attention. This is surprising since these gait variables are related to falls. The goal of this preliminary study was to determine whether performance on measures of inhibition, reasoning, and fluency is related to variability in stride length and step width during dual-task treadmill walking in a sample of healthy adults. Nineteen healthy adults averaging 40 years of age were evaluated. Results indicated that processing speed was reduced, <i>t</i>(18) = 6.31, <i>p</i> = 0.0001, step width increased, <i>t</i>(18) = -8.00, <i>p</i> = 0.0001, and stride length decreased, <i>t</i>(18) = 3.06, <i>p</i> = 0.007, while dual tasking, but variability in gait parameters did not significantly change, consistent with a gait/posture-first approach. As hypothesized, better performance on a visual design fluency task which assesses cognitive flexibility was associated with less dual-task stride length variability, <i>r_s</i> (17) = -0.43, <i>p</i> = 0.034, and step width variability, <i>r</i> = -0.56, <i>p</i> = 0.006. The results extend previous findings with older adults walking over ground and additionally suggest that cognitive flexibility may be important for gait maintenance while dual tasking.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 3","pages":"328-338"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11469740/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142559660","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":"Sensory Processing Challenges in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Genetic Conditions: An Observational Study.","authors":"Ekaine Rodríguez-Armendariz, María Vela-Romero, Adrián Galiana","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5030027","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5030027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sensory processing challenges are crucial yet often neglected aspects in the care of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic conditions. They represent a key area of interest in neuroscience, as they significantly impact children's daily functioning and quality of life. This observational study examines these challenges in a group of 614 children, aged 3 to 14 years and 11 months, divided into three groups: 183 with neurodevelopmental disorders (autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, developmental delays, and learning disorders), 89 with genetic conditions (22q11.2 deletion syndrome, Williams syndrome, and pseudohypoparathyroidism), and 342 controls. Sensory processing was assessed using Sensory Profile 2 (SP2). Results indicated that children with neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic conditions exhibited significant sensory processing difficulties compared to controls. SP2 identified distinct sensory challenges across different sensory systems, varying by diagnosis. Notably, genetic conditions appeared to have a more generalised impact across multiple sensory systems, while neurodevelopmental disorders tended to affect specific systems more narrowly. These findings highlight the importance of early identification and tailored evidence-based interventions to address these specific sensory processing issues. Further research should explore the long-term impact of these interventions in these different populations and their integration into broader therapeutic programmes.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 3","pages":"339-353"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11467969/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142559663","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":"Prevalence, Symptom Profiles, and Correlates of Mixed Anxiety-Depression in Male and Female Autistic Youth.","authors":"Vicki Bitsika, Christopher F Sharpley, Kirstan A Vessey, Ian D Evans","doi":"10.3390/neurosci5030025","DOIUrl":"10.3390/neurosci5030025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Relatively little attention has been given to mixed anxiety and depression in autistic youth, particularly how this differs between males and females. This study investigated sex-based differences in the prevalence and correlates of mixed anxiety and depression in a sample of 51 autistic males (<i>M</i> age = 10.16 yr, SD = 2.81 yr, and range = 6 yr to 17 yr) and 51 autistic females (M age = - 10.07 yr, SD = 2.76 yr, and range = 6 yr to 17 yr), matched for age, IQ, and autism severity. Self-reports on generalised anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder, morning salivary cortisol, ADOS-2 scores, and WASI-II full-scale scores were collected from these autistic youth, and data on the ASD-related symptoms of these youth were collected from their parents. The data were analysed for total anxiety-depression score levels, for the underlying components of this scale, and for the individual items used in the scale. The results indicate no significant sex differences for the prevalence of mixed anxiety and depression total scores or the underlying components of anxiety and depression or for the individual items of the mixed anxiety-depression scale. There were sex differences in the significant correlates of mixed anxiety and depression: morning cortisol and ASD-related difficulties in social interaction for females, and ASD-related behaviour for males. Males' feelings of being restless or edgy were correlated with their social interaction and repetitive and restricted behaviour. Females' difficulties in social interaction were correlated with their concerns about their abilities and their sleeping problems. Females' sleeping problems, their tendency to talk about dying, and feeling worthless, were correlated with their morning cortisol. These findings suggest that, while mixed anxiety and depression is experienced similarly by autistic males and females at the global, component, and individual item levels, specific aspects of the symptomatology of mixed anxiety and depression are differently associated with aspects of their ASD-related symptomatology and their levels of chronic physiological stress for males and females.</p>","PeriodicalId":74294,"journal":{"name":"NeuroSci","volume":"5 3","pages":"315-327"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11477927/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142559661","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}