Neurofeedback training of gamma band oscillations improves perceptual processing

In this study, a noninvasive electroencephalography-based neurofeedback method is applied to train volunteers to deliberately increase gamma band oscillations (40 Hz) in the visual cortex. Gamma band oscillations in the visual cortex play a functional role in perceptual processing. In a previous study, we were able to demonstrate that gamma band oscillations prior to stimulus presentation have a significant influence on perceptual processing of visual stimuli. In the present study, we aimed to investigate longer lasting effects of gamma band neurofeedback training on perceptual processing. For this purpose, a feedback group was trained to modulate oscillations in the gamma band, while a control group participated in a task with an identical design setting but without gamma band feedback. Before and after training, both groups participated in a perceptual object detection task and a spatial attention task. Our results clearly revealed that only the feedback group but not the control group exhibited a visual processing advantage and an increase in oscillatory gamma band activity in the pre-stimulus period of the processing of the visual object stimuli after the neurofeedback training. Results of the spatial attention task showed no difference between the groups, which underlines the specific role of gamma band oscillations for perceptual processing. In summary, our results show that modulation of gamma band activity selectively affects perceptual processing and therefore supports the relevant role of gamma band activity for this specific process. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the eligibility of gamma band oscillations as a valuable tool for neurofeedback applications.     

What we know about the purpose,theoretical foundation,scope and dimensionality of existing self-management measurement tools: A scoping review

Objectives

To identify self-report, self-management measures for adults with chronic conditions, and describe their purpose, theoretical foundation, dimensionality (multi versus uni), and scope (generic versus condition specific).

Phenotypic expansion of POGZ‐related intellectual disability syndrome (White‐Sutton syndrome)

White‐Sutton syndrome (WHSUS) is a recently‐identified genetic disorder resulting from de novo heterozygous pathogenic variants in POGZ. Thus far, over 50 individuals have been reported worldwide, however phenotypic characterization and data regarding the natural history are still incomplete. Here we report the clinical features of 22 individuals with 21 unique loss of function POGZ variants. We observed a broad spectrum of intellectual disability and/or developmental delay with or without autism, and speech delay in all individuals. Other common problems included ocular abnormalities, hearing loss and gait abnormalities. A validated sleep disordered breathing questionnaire identified symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea in 4/12 (33%) individuals. A higher‐than‐expected proportion of cases also had gastrointestinal phenotypes, both functional and anatomical, as well as genitourinary anomalies. In line with previous publications, we observed an increased body mass index (BMI) z‐score compared to the general population (mean 0.59, median 0.9; p 0.0253). Common facial features included microcephaly, broad forehead, midface hypoplasia, triangular mouth, broad nasal root and flat nasal bridge. Analysis of the Baylor Genetics clinical laboratory database revealed that POGZ variants were implicated in approximately 0.14% of cases who underwent clinical exome sequencing for neurological indications with or without involvement of other body systems. This study describes a greater allelic series and expands the phenotypic spectrum of this new syndromic form of intellectual disability and autism.     

IgM antibody response to antigens prepared from vegetative and coccoid forms of Helicobacter pylori

This report describes the utility of antigens prepared from different coccoid and spiral forms of Helicobacter pylori in a serological method. The presence of IgM antibody to H. pylori was determined in 22 human sera on antigens prepared from 24 strains of H. pylori. Antigens prepared from spiral form of certain strains of H. pylori detected IgM in all confirmed positive sera. Antigens obtained from the coccoid cells of the same strains could not completely detect IgM in the same sera. Testing sera on boosted antigens of the coccoid cells showed reduction in the number of false negative, indicating that the coccoid cells do not have one or more antigenic fractions essential for accurate detection of antibody. Our data suggest that H. pylori may lose CagA during the coccoid conversion process and regain it in the spiral form. In conclusion, we suggest that the antigen used for the detection of antibodies to H. pylori in serological methods should contain a broad spectrum of antigenic fractions and should be prepared from certain strains and culturable cells of H. pylori.     

MR evaluation of synovial injury in shoulder trauma

The purpose of this study was to determine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings relevant to synovial injury of the shoulder in patients with and without acute shoulder trauma. Three hundred and nine consecutive shoulder MRI studies (185—male, 124—female, 50 ± 15 years old) were retrospectively evaluated for findings suggestive of synovial injury including rupture and/or diverticulum of the joint capsule, bursa, and biceps tendon sheath (BTS), ganglion/synovial cyst, geyser phenomenon, and sequel of previous shoulder dislocation (Hill–Sachs deformity). Patients with one or more of these findings were included in the MR-positive group, whereas the remaining subjects were used as MR negatives. Based on their medical records, patients were also divided into trauma and non-trauma groups, and statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the association between the aforementioned MRI findings and history of shoulder trauma. Fifty-six patients were included in the MR-positive group and 253 in the MR-negative group. In MR-positive group, the incidence of capsular rupture (CR) and subacromial/subdeltoid (SASD) bursal rupture was higher in trauma patients, whereas the incidence of BTS diverticulum and ganglion cyst was higher in subjects without trauma. Significant association was found between the history of acute trauma and CR, SASD bursal rupture, BTS rupture, and Hill–Sachs deformity. In shoulder MR examination, presence of CR and/or SASD bursal rupture is strongly suggestive of acute shoulder trauma. In addition, BTS rupture and Hill–Sachs deformity are more prevalent in patients with acute shoulder trauma. The presence of these features should alert MRI readers to assess for additional trauma-related internal derangements, if a respective history has not been provided.     

Accurate cortical tissue classification on MRI by modeling cortical folding patterns

Accurate tissue classification is a crucial prerequisite to MRI morphometry. Automated methods based on intensity histograms constructed from the entire volume are challenged by regional intensity variations due to local radiofrequency artifacts as well as disparities in tissue composition, laminar architecture and folding patterns. Current work proposes a novel anatomy‐driven method in which parcels conforming cortical folding were regionally extracted from the brain. Each parcel is subsequently classified using nonparametric mean shift clustering. Evaluation was carried out on manually labeled images from two datasets acquired at 3.0 Tesla (n = 15) and 1.5 Tesla (n = 20). In both datasets, we observed high tissue classification accuracy of the proposed method (Dice index >97.6% at 3.0 Tesla, and >89.2% at 1.5 Tesla). Moreover, our method consistently outperformed state‐of‐the‐art classification routines available in SPM8 and FSL‐FAST, as well as a recently proposed local classifier that partitions the brain into cubes. Contour‐based analyses localized more accurate white matter–gray matter (GM) interface classification of the proposed framework compared to the other algorithms, particularly in central and occipital cortices that generally display bright GM due to their highly degree of myelination. Excellent accuracy was maintained, even in the absence of correction for intensity inhomogeneity. The presented anatomy‐driven local classification algorithm may significantly improve cortical boundary definition, with possible benefits for morphometric inference and biomarker discovery. Hum Brain Mapp 36:3563–3574, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Fruits and vegetables intake and its subgroups are related to depression: a cross-sectional study from a developing country

Background

The association of fruits and vegetables (FV) specific subgroups consumption and depression has not been investigated in healthy adult populations. Therefore, the aim of our study was to determine the relationship between intake of FV as well as their subgroups and depression.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 women attending healthcare centers. The scores of depression, anxiety, and stress were measured using the 21-item depression, anxiety and stress scales questionnaire. The participants’ anthropometric and physical activity data were collected and the 147-item semi-quantitative FFQ was used for estimating the FV intake.

Results

After adjustment for confounding variables, the participants in the lower quartiles of total FV, total vegetables, total fruits, citrus, other fruits and green leafy vegetables intake were more likely to experience depression compared to those in the higher quartiles (p trend?<?0.03).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that higher intake of total FV and some of its specific subgroups might be associated with depression.

     

Effect of melatonin supplementation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Journal of Neurology - The Present study was conducted to systematically review the effect of the melatonin on sleep quality. We summarized evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that...     

The additive impact of cardio‐metabolic disorders and psychiatric illnesses on accelerated brain aging

Severe mental illnesses (SMI) including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), and schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) elevate accelerated brain aging risks. Cardio‐metabolic disorders (CMD) are common comorbidities in SMI and negatively impact brain health. We validated a linear quantile regression index (QRI) approach against the machine learning “BrainAge” index in an independent SSD cohort (N = 206). We tested the direct and additive effects of SMI and CMD effects on accelerated brain aging in the N = 1,618 (604 M/1,014 F, average age = 63.53 ± 7.38) subjects with SMI and N = 11,849 (5,719 M/6,130 F; 64.42 ± 7.38) controls from the UK Biobank. Subjects were subdivided based on diagnostic status: SMI+/CMD+ (N = 665), SMI+/CMD− (N = 964), SMI−/CMD+ (N = 3,765), SMI−/CMD− (N = 8,083). SMI (F = 40.47, p = 2.06 × 10⁻¹⁰) and CMD (F = 24.69, p = 6.82 × 10⁻⁷) significantly, independently impacted whole‐brain QRI in SMI+. SSD had the largest effect (Cohen’s d = 1.42) then BD (d = 0.55), and MDD (d = 0.15). Hypertension had a significant effect on SMI+ (d = 0.19) and SMI− (d = 0.14). SMI effects were direct, independent of MD, and remained significant after correcting for effects of antipsychotic medications. Whole‐brain QRI was significantly (p < 10⁻¹⁶) associated with the volume of white matter hyperintensities (WMH). However, WMH did not show significant association with SMI and was driven by CMD, chiefly hypertension (p < 10⁻¹⁶). We used a simple and robust index, QRI, the demonstrate additive effect of SMI and CMD on accelerated brain aging. We showed a greater effect of psychiatric illnesses on QRI compared to cardio‐metabolic illness. Our findings suggest that subjects with SMI should be among the targets for interventions to protect against age‐related cognitive decline.     

Mapping white matter integrity in elderly people with HIV

People with HIV are living longer as combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) becomes more widely available. However, even when plasma viral load is reduced to untraceable levels, chronic HIV infection is associated with neurological deficits and brain atrophy beyond that of normal aging. HIV is often marked by cortical and subcortical atrophy, but the integrity of the brain's white matter (WM) pathways also progressively declines. Few studies focus on older cohorts where normal aging may be compounded with HIV infection to influence deficit patterns. In this relatively large diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study, we investigated abnormalities in WM fiber integrity in 56 HIV+ adults with access to cART (mean age: 63.9 ± 3.7 years), compared to 31 matched healthy controls (65.4 ± 2.2 years). Statistical 3D maps revealed the independent effects of HIV diagnosis and age on fractional anisotropy (FA) and diffusivity, but we did not find any evidence for an age by diagnosis interaction in our current sample. Compared to healthy controls, HIV patients showed pervasive FA decreases and diffusivity increases throughout WM. We also assessed neuropsychological (NP) summary z‐score associations. In both patients and controls, fiber integrity measures were associated with NP summary scores. The greatest differences were detected in the corpus callosum and in the projection fibers of the corona radiata. These deficits are consistent with published NP deficits and cortical atrophy patterns in elderly people with HIV. Hum Brain Mapp 35:975–992, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.