rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Beta oscillations correlate with the probability of perceiving rivalrous visual stimuli.
Journal of vision, 2010

Under continuous lighting, moving stimuli such as ceiling fans and car wheels can sporadically appear to move in the reverse direction-this phenomenon is known as illusory motion reversal (IMR). We have previously suggested that IMR results from the spurious activation of motion detectors tuned for the opposite direction of motion, leading to a rivalry between two possible motion percepts. To determine if this hypothesis is supported by evidence from electrophysiology, we used EEG to directly compare neural signatures in IMR and binocular rivalry (BR), a well-studied form of rivalry. We find that both IMR and BR show large changes in power in the beta range (14-30 Hz) at the time of a perceptual switch. More importantly, during a stable perception, beta power correlates with the probability of a perception. Specifically, beta power associated with veridical motion perception (experienced the majority of the time) is higher than the power during illusory motion perception (experienced a minority of the time). The BR percepts, each 50% probable, are associated with an intermediate beta amplitude. We propose that the amplitude of synchronized beta activity reflects the size of currently active neural coalitions, with less likely percepts associated with smaller coalitions.
Development, Validation, and Implementation of an Innovative Mobile App for Alcohol Dependence Management: Protocol for the SIDEAL Trial.
JMIR research protocols, 2016

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become one of the main pathways to the new paradigm of increased self-management of chronic conditions such as alcohol dependence. Validation of some mobile phone apps has begun, while validation of many others is forthcoming.
Pretreatment Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex Theta Activity in Relation to Symptom Improvement in Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA psychiatry, 2018

Major depressive disorder (MDD) remains challenging to treat. Although several clinical and demographic variables have been found to predict poor antidepressant response, these markers have not been robustly replicated to warrant implementation in clinical care. Increased pretreatment rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) theta activity has been linked to better antidepressant outcomes. However, no prior study has evaluated whether this marker has incremental predictive validity over clinical and demographic measures.
Inactivation of the interpositus nucleus blocks the acquisition of conditioned responses and timing changes in conditioning-specific reflex modification of the rabbit eyeblink response.
Neurobiology of learning and memory, 2018

Conditioning-specific reflex modification (CRM) of the rabbit eyeblink response is an associative phenomenon characterized by increases in the frequency, size, and peak latency of the reflexive unconditioned eyeblink response (UR) when the periorbital shock unconditioned stimulus (US) is presented alone following conditioning, particularly to lower intensity USs that produced minimal responding prior to conditioning. Previous work has shown that CRM shares many commonalities with the conditioned eyeblink response (CR) including a similar response topography, suggesting the two may share similar neural substrates. The following study examined the hypothesis that the interpositus nucleus (IP) of the cerebellum, an essential part of the neural circuitry of eyeblink conditioning, is also required for the acquisition of CRM. Tests for CRM occurred following delay conditioning under muscimol inactivation of the IP and also after additional conditioning without IP inactivation. Results showed that IP inactivation blocked acquisition of CRs and the timing aspect of CRM but did not prevent increases in UR amplitude and area. Following the cessation of inactivation, CRs and CRM latency changes developed similarly to controls with intact IP functioning, but with some indication that CRs may have been facilitated in muscimol rabbits. In conclusion, CRM timing and CRs both likely require the development of plasticity in the IP, but other associative UR changes may involve non-cerebellar structures interacting with the eyeblink conditioning circuitry, a strong candidate being the amygdala, which is also likely involved in the facilitation of conditioning. Other candidates worth consideration include the cerebellar cortex, prefrontal and motor cortices.
A computational biomarker of idiopathic generalized epilepsy from resting state EEG.
Epilepsia, 2016

Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurologic conditions. It is characterized by the tendency to have recurrent seizures, which arise against a backdrop of apparently normal brain activity. At present, clinical diagnosis relies on the following: (1) case history, which can be unreliable; (2) observation of transient abnormal activity during electroencephalography (EEG), which may not be present during clinical evaluation; and (3) if diagnostic uncertainty occurs, undertaking prolonged monitoring in an attempt to observe EEG abnormalities, which is costly. Herein, we describe the discovery and validation of an epilepsy biomarker based on computational analysis of a short segment of resting-state (interictal) EEG. Our method utilizes a computer model of dynamic networks, where the network is inferred from the extent of synchrony between EEG channels (functional networks) and the normalized power spectrum of the clinical data. We optimize model parameters using a leave-one-out classification on a dataset comprising 30 people with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and 38 normal controls. Applying this scheme to all 68 subjects we find 100% specificity at 56.7% sensitivity, and 100% sensitivity at 65.8% specificity. We believe this biomarker could readily provide additional support to the diagnostic process.
Interdisciplinary Management of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome of the Face.
Physical therapy, 2016

Orofacial pain disorders are relatively uncommon and pose a substantial diagnostic challenge. This case report documents the diagnosis and management of hemifacial pain in a patient who was referred to an interdisciplinary pain medicine unit. The purpose of this case report is twofold. First, it presents complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) as a potential differential diagnosis in cases of facial pain. Second, it describes the successful adaption of contemporary management approaches for distal-extremity CRPS to treat people with CRPS of the facial region.
Cycloastragenol improves hepatic steatosis by activating farnesoid X receptor signalling.
Pharmacological research, 2017

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a global health problem. However, there is no approved therapy for NAFLD. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a potential drug target for treatment of NAFLD. In an attempt to screen FXR agonists, we found that cycloastragenol (CAG), a natural occurring compound in Astragali Radix, stimulated FXR transcription activity. In animal studies, we demonstrated that CAG treatment resulted in obvious reduction of high-fat diet induced lipid accumulation in liver accompanied by lowered blood glucose, serum triglyceride levels and hepatic bile acid pool size. The stimulation of FXR signalling by CAG treatment in DIO mice was confirmed via gene expression and western blot analysis. Molecular docking data further supported the interaction of CAG and FXR. In addition, CAG alleviated hepatic steatosis in methionine and choline deficient L-amino acid diet (MCD) induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) mice. Our data suggest that CAG ameliorates NAFLD via the enhancement of FXR signalling.
Vision triggers an experience-dependent sensitive period at the retinogeniculate synapse.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2008

In the mammalian visual system, sensory experience is widely thought to sculpt cortical circuits during a precise critical period. In contrast, subcortical regions, such as the thalamus, were thought to develop at earlier ages in a vision-independent manner. Recent studies at the retinogeniculate synapse, however, have demonstrated an influence of vision on the formation of synaptic circuits in the thalamus. In mice, dark rearing from birth does not alter normal developmental maturation of the connection between retina and thalamus. However, deprivation 20 d after birth [postnatal day 20 (p20)] resulted in dramatic weakening of synaptic strength and an increase in the number of retinal inputs that innervate a thalamic relay neuron. Here, by quantifying changes in synaptic strength and connectivity in response to different time windows of deprivation, we find that several days of vision after eye opening is necessary for triggering experience-dependent plasticity. Shorter periods of visual experience do not permit similar experience-dependent synaptic reorganization. Furthermore, changes in connectivity are rapidly reversible simply by restoring normal vision. However, similar plasticity did not occur when shifting the onset of deprivation to p25. Although synapses still weakened, recruitment of additional retinal inputs no longer occurred. Therefore, synaptic circuits in the visual thalamus are unexpectedly malleable during a late developmental period, after the time when normal synapse elimination and pruning has occurred. This thalamic sensitive period overlaps temporally with experience-dependent changes in the cortex, suggesting that subcortical plasticity may influence cortical responses to sensory experience.
Patterns of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and social functioning in schizophrenia; a replication study.
Psychiatry research, 2019

Research has found that Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms (OCS) in schizophrenia are associated with either more or less negative symptoms and either better or poorer cognitive functioning. In order to explain these contradictory results, (Lysaker et al., 2004), performed a cluster analysis resulting in 2 OCS positive (OCSpos) clusters, one with higher functioning (HF) and one with poorer functioning (PF) compared to 2 OCS negative (OCSneg) clusters. The OCSpos/HF cluster had less negative symptoms compared to all other clusters, while the OCSpos/PF cluster showed poorer executive functioning. We performed a replication study, in an almost 10 times larger, representative sample, using both a longitudinal and cross-sectional design. Similar to Lysaker et al., we found a group with mild OCS and HF (OCSmild/HF) showing less negative symptoms compared to the PF groups. We also found an OCSmild/PF group, which did not significantly differ in executive functioning from the other groups. Moreover, we did not find evidence for a better prognosis in the OCSmild/HF group, and thus found no support for the assumption that for some patients OCS might be an effective coping mechanism.
Voluntary wheel running preserves lumbar perineuronal nets, enhances motor functions and prevents hyperreflexia after spinal cord injury.
Experimental neurology, 2021

Perineuronal nets (PNN) are a promising candidate to harness neural plasticity since their activity-dependent modulation allows to either stabilize the circuits or increase plasticity. Modulation of plasticity is the basis of rehabilitation strategies to reduce maladaptive plasticity after spinal cord injuries (SCI). Hence, it is important to understand how spinal PNN are affected after SCI and rehabilitation. Thus, this work aims to describe functional and PNN changes after thoracic SCI in mice, followed by different activity-dependent therapies: enriched environment, voluntary wheel and forced treadmill running. We found that the contusion provoked thermal hyperalgesia, hyperreflexia and locomotor impairment as measured by thermal plantar test, H wave recordings and the BMS score of locomotion, respectively. In the spinal cord, SCI reduced PNN density around lumbar motoneurons. In contrast, activity-based therapies increased motoneuron activity and reversed PNN decrease. The voluntary wheel group showed full preservation of PNN which also correlated with reduced hyperreflexia and better locomotor recovery. Furthermore, both voluntary wheel and treadmill running reduced hyperalgesia, but this finding was independent of lumbar PNN levels. In the brainstem sensory nuclei, SCI did not modify PNN whereas some activity-based therapies reduced them. The results of the present study highlight the impact of SCI on decreasing PNN at caudal segments of the spinal cord and the potential of physical activity-based therapies to reverse PNN disaggregation and to improve functional recovery. As modulating plasticity is crucial for restoring damaged neural circuits, regulating PNN by activity is an encouraging target to improve the outcome after injury.
The promise of educational neuroscience: Comment on Bowers (2016).
Psychological review, 2016

Bowers (2016) argues that there are practical and principled problems with how educational neuroscience may contribute to education, including lack of direct influences on teaching in the classroom. Some of the arguments made are convincing, including the critique of unsubstantiated claims about the impact of educational neuroscience and the reminder that the primary outcomes of education are behavioral, such as skill in reading or mathematics. Bowers' analysis falls short in 3 major respects. First, educational neuroscience is a basic science that has made unique contributions to basic education research; it is not part of applied classroom instruction. Second, educational neuroscience contributes to ideas about education practices and policies beyond classroom curriculum that are important for helping vulnerable students. Third, educational neuroscience studies using neuroimaging have not only revealed for the first time the brain basis of neurodevelopmental differences that have profound influences on educational outcomes, but have also identified individual brain differences that predict which students learn more or learn less from various curricula. In several cases, the brain measures significantly improved or vastly outperformed conventional behavioral measures in predicting what works for individual children. These findings indicate that educational neuroscience, at a minimum, has provided novel insights into the possibilities of individualized education for students, rather than the current practice of learning through failure that a curriculum did not support a student. In the best approach to improving education, educational neuroscience ought to contribute to basic research addressing the needs of students and teachers. (PsycINFO Database Record
Effects of maternal dietary manipulation during different periods of pregnancy on hepatic glucogenic capacity in fetal and pregnant rats near term.
Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD, 2009

Low birth weight is associated with an increased incidence of adult glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in humans. In pregnant rats, dietary calorie or protein deprivation results in growth retarded pups, which become glucose intolerant adults with abnormal hepatic glucose metabolism and gluconeogenic enzyme activities. However, whether these abnormalities are present before birth remain unknown.
What is the proper target temperature for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest?
Best practice & research. Clinical anaesthesiology, 2015

The implementation of target temperature management (TTM) or therapeutic hypothermia has been demonstrated in several major studies to be an effective neuroprotective strategy in postresuscitation care after cardiac arrest. Although several landmark studies found the promising results of lower targeted temperature (32-34 °C) in terms of survival and neurological outcomes, recent evidence showed no difference in either survival or long-term neurological outcome when compared with higher targeted temperature (36 °C). Thus, recent data suggest that avoiding hyperpyrexia, rather than cooling "per se," may be considered the main therapeutic target to avoid secondary brain damage after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Many questions are still debated about the exact protocol of TTM to be used, including whether temperature control is more beneficial than standard of care without active temperature control, the optimal cooling temperature, patient selection, and duration of cooling. The aim of this review article was to discuss the physiology of hypothermia, available cooling methods, and current evidence about the optimal target temperature and timing of hypothermia.
Altered memory-related functional connectivity of the anterior and posterior hippocampus in older adults at increased genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Human brain mapping, 2016

The hippocampal complex is affected early in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Increasingly, altered functional connectivity of the hippocampus is recognized as an important feature of preclinical AD. Carriers of the APOEɛ4 allele are at an increased risk for AD, which could lead to altered hippocampal connectivity even in healthy older adults. To test this hypothesis, we used a paired-associates memory task to examine differences in task-dependent functional connectivity of the anterior and posterior hippocampus in nondemented APOEɛ4 carriers (n = 34, 18F) and noncarriers (n = 46, 31F). We examined anterior and posterior portions of the hippocampus separately to test the theory that APOEɛ4-mediated differences would be more pronounced in the anterior region, which is affected earlier in the AD course. This study is the first to use a psychophysiological interaction approach to query the context-dependent connectivity of subregions of the hippocampus during a memory task in adults at increased genetic risk for AD. During encoding, APOEɛ4 carriers had lower functional connectivity change compared to baseline between the anterior hippocampus and right precuneus, anterior insula and cingulate cortex. During retrieval, bilateral supramarginal gyrus and right precuneus showed lower functional connectivity change with anterior hippocampus in carriers. Also during retrieval, carriers showed lower connectivity change in the posterior hippocampus with auditory cortex. In each case, APOEɛ4 carriers showed strong negative connectivity changes compared to noncarriers where positive connectivity change was measured. These differences may represent prodromal functional changes mediated in part by APOEɛ4 and are consistent with the anterior-to-posterior theory of AD progression in the hippocampus.
Are impairments of time perception in schizophrenia a neglected phenomenon?
Journal of physiology, Paris, 2011

Based on clinical, phenomenological and neurobiological observations, psychiatrists often report a deficit in time estimation in patients with schizophrenia. Cognitive models of time estimation in healthy subjects have been proposed and developed for approximately 30 years. The current theory in the field of time perception, which is supported by a connectionist model, postulates that temporal judgement is based upon a pacemaker-counter device that depends mostly upon memory and attentional resources. The pacemaker emits pulses that are accumulated in a counter, and the number of pulses determines the perceived length of an interval. Patients with schizophrenia are known to display attentional and memory dysfunctions. Moreover, dopamine regulation mechanisms are involved in both the temporal perception processes and schizophrenia. Thus, it is still unclear if temporal impairments in schizophrenia are related to a specific disturbance in central temporal processes or are due to certain cognitive problems, such as attentional and memory dysfunctions, or biological abnormalities. The authors present a critical literature review on time perception in schizophrenia that covers topics from psychopathology to neuroscience. Temporal perception appears to play a key role in schizophrenia and to be partially neglected in the current literature. Future research is required to better ascertain the underlying mechanisms of time perception impairments in schizophrenia.
Fetal Oxygen and Glucose Consumption in Human Pregnancy Complicated by Fetal Growth Restriction.
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979), 2020

In healthy pregnancy, glucose and oxygen availability are essential for fetal growth and well being. However, how substrate delivery and fetal uptake are affected in human pregnancy complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) is still unknown. Here, we show that the human FGR fetus has a strikingly reduced umbilical uptake of both oxygen and glucose. In 30 healthy term and 32 FGR human pregnancies, umbilical volume flow (Qumb) and parallel umbilical vein (uv) and artery (ua) blood samples were obtained at elective Cesarean section to calculate fetal glucose and oxygen uptake as Qumb · Δ (uv-ua) differences. Umbilical blood flow was significantly lower in FGR pregnancy (-63%;
True and false memories, parietal cortex, and confidence judgments.
Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.), 2015

Recent studies have asked whether activity in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and the neocortex can distinguish true memory from false memory. A frequent complication has been that the confidence associated with correct memory judgments (true memory) is typically higher than the confidence associated with incorrect memory judgments (false memory). Accordingly, it has often been difficult to know whether a finding is related to memory confidence or memory accuracy. In the current study, participants made recognition memory judgments with confidence ratings in response to previously studied scenes and novel scenes. The left hippocampus and 16 other brain regions distinguished true and false memories when confidence ratings were different for the two conditions. Only three regions (all in the parietal cortex) distinguished true and false memories when confidence ratings were equated. These findings illustrate the utility of taking confidence ratings into account when identifying brain regions associated with true and false memories. Neural correlates of true and false memories are most easily interpreted when confidence ratings are similar for the two kinds of memories.
Antibacterial Photodynamic Inactivation of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Biofilms with Nanomolar Photosensitizer Concentrations.
ACS infectious diseases, 2020

Gram-negative bacteria and bacteria in biofilms are very difficult to eradicate and are the most antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Therapeutic alternatives less susceptible to mechanisms of resistance are urgently needed to respond to an alarming increase of resistant nosocomial infections. Antibacterial photodynamic inactivation (PDI) generates oxidative stress that triggers multiple cell death mechanisms that are more difficult to counteract by bacteria. We explore PDI of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains collected from patients and show how positive charge distribution in the photosensitizer drug impacts the efficacy of inactivation. We demonstrate the relevance of size for drug diffusion in biofilms. The designed
Molecular evaluation of thrombosis using X-ray phase contrast imaging with microbubbles targeted to P-selectin in mice.
European radiology, 2016

X-ray phase contrast imaging (PCI) provides excellent image contrast by utilizing the phase shift. The introduction of microbubbles into tissues can cause a phase shift to make microbubbles visibly identified on PCI. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of targeted microbubble-based PCI for the detection of thrombosis.
Cortical plasticity after hand prostheses use: Is the hypothesis of deafferented cortex "invasion" always true?
Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2020

To study motor cortex plasticity after a period of training with a new prototype of bidirectional hand prosthesis in three left trans-radial amputees, correlating these changes with the modification of Phantom Limb Pain (PLP) in the same period.