On the Relation Between the Interstimulus Intervals and Multi-Muscle nTMS Motor Mapping.

Although the interstimulus interval (ISI) is one of the crucial parameters in the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), the ISI effect on the results of the TMS motor mapping is usually overlooked. This study explored the influence of ISI, ranging from 1.5 to 41 s, on multi-muscle navigated TMS (nTMS) motor mapping results.

Monitoring morphometric drift in lifelong learning segmentation of the spinal cord.

Morphometric measures derived from spinal cord segmentations can serve as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in neurological diseases and injuries affecting the spinal cord. For instance, the spinal cord cross-sectional area can be used to monitor cord atrophy in multiple sclerosis and to characterize compression in degenerative cervical myelopathy. While robust, automatic segmentation methods to a wide variety of contrasts and pathologies have been developed over the past few years, whether their predictions are stable as the model is updated using new datasets has not been assessed.

Effects of Transcutaneous Electroacupuncture Stimulation (TEAS) on Eyeblink, EEG, and Heart Rate Variability (HRV): A Non-Parametric Statistical Study Investigating the Potential of TEAS to Modulate Physiological Markers.

This study investigates the effects of transcutaneous electroacupuncture stimulation (TEAS) on eyeblink rate, EEG, and heart rate variability (HRV), emphasising whether eyeblink data-often dismissed as artefacts-can serve as useful physiological markers. Sixty-six participants underwent four TEAS sessions with different stimulation frequencies (2.5, 10, 80, and 160 pps, with 160 pps as a low-amplitude sham).

Neural responses to visual food cues according to weight and hunger state: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Food cue reactivity shapes eating behavior and likely relates to weight and hunger states. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies, however, have yielded mixed results on the underlying neural correlates. We, therefore, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effect of weight and hunger on neural responses to food cues.

Social determinants of dementia: A scoping review.

Dementia risk is influenced by the social conditions in which people live. These social determinants of dementia (SDOD) are potential targets for prevention. We conducted a comprehensive scoping review to identify current evidence on SDOD in two stages: (1) review of systematic reviews on SDOD; and (2) review of primary literature to address identified gaps in the evidence base.

The Effect of a Single Session of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Attention in Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury: Characterizing Interindividual Structural and Functional Network Response Variability.

Background: Approximately one in four children who sustain an acquired brain injury (ABI) have attention difficulties impacting education, employment, and community participation. These difficulties arise from dysfunction in attention-related brain networks, incentivizing the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We investigated whether a single tDCS session improved attention following childhood ABI and whether baseline structural connectivity (sc), functional connectivity (fc), attention, and/or simulated electric fields (E-fields) explained variability in response.

Human intelligence relates to neural measures of cognitive map formation.

Psychometric research on intelligence identifies latent factors underlying performance correlations across cognitive tasks, with one general factor explaining most variance and predicting life outcomes. Their biological basis is unresolved, particularly regarding the underlying neural information processing mechanisms. We tested whether interindividual differences in relational processing, supported by hippocampal cognitive maps, relate to fluid intelligence (g), an approximation of the general factor.

Infants in Control-Evidence for Agency in 6- to 10-Months-Old Infants in a Gaze-Contingent Eye Tracking Paradigm.

The ability to control movement is a core element of agency. Previous studies of infant agency have focused on responses to sensory contingencies but neglected the importance of infants' control as a necessary indicator of agency. Here, we test whether infants flexibly control their eye movements with a gaze-contingent eye tracking paradigm.

TMS-Based Neurofeedback Training of Mental Finger Individuation Induces Neuroplastic Changes in the Sensorimotor System.

Neurofeedback (NF) training based on motor imagery is increasingly used in neurorehabilitation with the aim to improve motor functions. However, the neuroplastic changes underpinning these improvements are poorly understood. Here, we used mental "finger individuation," i.

High-field fMRI at 7 Tesla reveals topographic responses tuned to number in the developing human brain.

In the adult brain, hemodynamic responses to visually presented numerosities reveal receptive field-like tuning curves in topographically organized maps across association cortices. It is currently unknown whether such tuned topographic responses to numerosities can also be detected in the developing brain. Here we conducted a 7 Tesla fMRI experiment in which we presented a large set of visual dot displays to children and adults.

Assessing quantitative MRI techniques using multimodal comparisons.

The study of brain structure and change in neuroscience is commonly conducted using macroscopic morphological measures of the brain such as regional volume or cortical thickness, providing little insight into the microstructure and physiology of the brain. In contrast, quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) allows the monitoring of microscopic brain change non-invasively in-vivo, and provides directly comparable values between tissues, regions, and individuals. To support the development and common use of qMRI for cognitive neuroscience, we analysed a set of qMRI and dMRI metrics (R1, R2*, Magnetization Transfer saturation, Proton Density saturation, Fractional Anisotropy, Mean Diffusivity) in 101 healthy young adults.

Metabolic and Structural Alterations in the Motor System Following Spinal Cord Injury: An In-Vivo H-MR Spectroscopy Investigation.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts spinal tracts and neuronal pathways, including those in the primary motor cortex (M1) and the lumbar cord enlargement (LCE) involved in motor control. This study sought to determine whether metabolite concentrations deviate between SCI and healthy controls (HC) in M1 and LCE using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) and structural MRI, and if these correlate with clinical impairment. Sixteen chronic SCI (mean age: 54.

Predicting Mental and Neurological Illnesses Based on Cerebellar Normative Features.

Background: Mental and neurological conditions have been linked to structural brain variations. However, aside from dementia, the value of brain structural characteristics derived from brain scans for prediction is relatively low. One reason for this limitation is the clinical and biological heterogeneity inherent to such conditions.

Progressive Remote Axonal Degeneration Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Histological and MRI Study.

In acute human spinal cord injury (SCI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals progressive neuroanatomical changes at the lesion site and in remote regions. Here, we aimed to elucidate the structural underpinnings of these neuroanatomical changes and to characterize their spatiotemporal distribution in a rat contusion SCI model, using both histology and MRI. First, rats subjected to a thoracic contusion SCI (T8) and sham-operated rats were sacrificed at 56 days post-injury (dpi), and SMI-32 immunohistochemistry was used to assess remote axonal degeneration at cervical segments C2-C5.

Tau PET positivity in individuals with and without cognitive impairment varies with age, amyloid-β status, APOE genotype and sex.

Tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging allows in vivo detection of tau proteinopathy in Alzheimer's disease, which is associated with neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Understanding how demographic, clinical and genetic factors relate to tau PET positivity will facilitate its use for clinical practice and research. Here we conducted an analysis of 42 cohorts worldwide (N = 12,048), including 7,394 cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants, 2,177 participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 2,477 participants with dementia.

From lexicon to phrase: Behavioral evidence for a dynamic cognitive mechanism underlying language control.

This study examined language control at both lexical and phrasal levels, and their relationships with general cognitive control. Thirty-three participants completed two picture-naming tasks assessing lexical and phrasal control. We measured mixing costs (i.

A tutorial for understanding SEM using R: Where do all the numbers come from?

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is often seen as a complex and difficult method, especially for those who want to understand how the numbers in SEM software output are actually computed. Although many open-source SEM tools are now available-especially in the R programming environment-looking into their source code to understand the underlying calculations can still be overwhelming. This tutorial aims to provide a clear and accessible introduction to the basic computations behind standard SEM analyses.

How EEG preprocessing shapes decoding performance.

Electroencephalography (EEG) preprocessing varies widely between studies, but its impact on classification performance remains poorly understood. To address this gap, we analyzed seven experiments with 40 participants drawn from the public ERP CORE dataset. We systematically varied key preprocessing steps, such as filtering, referencing, baseline interval, detrending, and multiple artifact correction steps, all of which were implemented in MNE-Python.

Thalamic Network Controllability Predicts Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis.

Recent research suggests that individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and cognitive impairment exhibit more effortful and less efficient transitions in brain network activity. Previous studies further highlight the increased vulnerability of specific regions, particularly the thalamus, to disease-related damage. This study investigates whether MS affects the controllability of specific brain regions in driving network activity transitions across the brain and examines the relationship between these changes and cognitive impairment in patients.

A body-brain (dis)equilibrium regulating transitions from health to pathology.

Recent empirical evidence and theoretical propositions motivate a paradigm shift in how we investigate neurocognitive functions. Rather than looking at the brain-behaviour relationship in isolation, research shows that cognition is shaped by reciprocal, dynamical interactions between the brain and the body across multiple timescales: from ultra-slow circadian rhythm to gastrointestinal and cardiorespiratory activity. This interest in body-brain-behaviour dynamics has raised new questions about if and how autonomic functioning, the coordination of intero- and exteroception, lifestyle and dietary choices, gut microbiome composition, hormonal cycles, and inflammation can impact behaviour, general health and well-being.

The self-reference memory bias is preceded by an other-reference bias in infancy.

One of the most established biases in human memory is that we remember information better when it refers to ourselves. We investigated the development of this self-reference effect and its relationship with the emergence of a self-concept. We presented 18-month-old infants with objects that were assigned either to them, or to another agent.

Lesion-Network Mapping of Poststroke Depressive Symptoms: Evidence From Two Prospective Ischemic Stroke Cohorts.

Background: Poststroke depression affects up to one-third of stroke survivors, significantly impacting recovery and quality of life. However, its pathophysiology remains unclear.

Methods: We analyzed 2 independent, prospective ischemic stroke cohorts (PROSCIS-B [Prospective Cohort of Incident Stroke Berlin] and BAPTISe [Biomarkers and Perfusion-Training-Induced Changes After Stroke]; n=377) enrolled at the Charité Hospital, Germany, to identify brain regions and networks associated with depressive symptoms poststroke.

Balance training improves postural control and performance-related prefrontal brain activation in healthy older adults: Results of a six-month randomized controlled training intervention.

Age-related deterioration in postural control is an important factor decreasing quality of life. Functional neuroimaging studies have shown that the activation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during balancing is typically higher in older (OA) compared to younger adults (YA), probably reflecting a mechanism contributing to worsened balance control with aging. Here, we hypothesized that balance training (BAL) shifts PFC activation towards a more efficient pattern, enabling improved balance performance.

Lost Narratives: Identifying Predictors of Attrition and Differences in Recruitment Effort in a Longitudinal Study on Child Maltreatment.

Longitudinal research on the adverse consequences of childhood maltreatment has recently gained significant traction. However, systematic attrition, partly due to specific subsample recruitment needs, threatens the validity of this research. Furthermore, studies specifically analyzing these factors in the field of maltreatment research remain scarce.

Depressive symptoms in individuals with overweight and obesity. Results from the LIFE-adult-study.

Background: Prevalences of overweight and obesity are rising worldwide. Comorbidity of depressive symptoms and overweight or obesity are considered as a major public (mental) health issue. The aim was to determine prevalences in a non-treatment seeking population of adults, investigating possible confounders as well as interaction effects.