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Bibliography on: Brain-Computer Interface

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Robert J. Robbins is a biologist, an educator, a science administrator, a publisher, an information technologist, and an IT leader and manager who specializes in advancing biomedical knowledge and supporting education through the application of information technology. More About:  RJR | OUR TEAM | OUR SERVICES | THIS WEBSITE

RJR: Recommended Bibliography 19 Feb 2025 at 01:39 Created: 

Brain-Computer Interface

Wikipedia: A brain–computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a neural control interface (NCI), mind–machine interface (MMI), direct neural interface (DNI), or brain–machine interface (BMI), is a direct communication pathway between an enhanced or wired brain and an external device. BCIs are often directed at researching, mapping, assisting, augmenting, or repairing human cognitive or sensory-motor functions. Research on BCIs began in the 1970s at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) under a grant from the National Science Foundation, followed by a contract from DARPA. The papers published after this research also mark the first appearance of the expression brain–computer interface in scientific literature. BCI-effected sensory input: Due to the cortical plasticity of the brain, signals from implanted prostheses can, after adaptation, be handled by the brain like natural sensor or effector channels. Following years of animal experimentation, the first neuroprosthetic devices implanted in humans appeared in the mid-1990s. BCI-effected motor output: When artificial intelligence is used to decode neural activity, then send that decoded information to some kind of effector device, BCIs have the potential to restore communication to people who have lost the ability to move or speak. To date, the focus has largely been on motor skills such as reaching or grasping. However, in May of 2021 a study showed that an AI/BCI system could be use to translate thoughts about handwriting into the output of legible characters at a usable rate (90 characters per minute with 94% accuracy).

Created with PubMed® Query: (bci OR (brain-computer OR brain-machine OR mind-machine OR neural-control interface) NOT 26799652[PMID] ) NOT pmcbook NOT ispreviousversion

Citations The Papers (from PubMed®)

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RevDate: 2025-02-18

Wang N, He Y, Zhu S, et al (2025)

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy for the assessment and treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness.

Frontiers in neurology, 16:1524806.

BACKGROUND: Advances in neuroimaging have significantly enhanced our understanding of brain function, providing critical insights into the diagnosis and management of disorders of consciousness (DoC). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), with its real-time, portable, and noninvasive imaging capabilities, has emerged as a promising tool for evaluating functional brain activity and nonrecovery potential in DoC patients. This review explores the current applications of fNIRS in DoC research, identifies its limitations, and proposes future directions to optimize its clinical utility.

AIM: This review examines the clinical application of fNIRS in monitoring DoC. Specifically, it investigates the potential value of combining fNIRS with brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and closed-loop neuromodulation systems for patients with DoC, aiming to elucidate mechanisms that promote neurological recovery.

METHODS: A systematic analysis was conducted on 155 studies published between January 1993 and October 2024, retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database.

RESULTS: Analysis of 21 eligible studies on neurological diseases involving 262 DoC patients revealed significant findings. The prefrontal cortex was the most frequently targeted brain region. fNIRS has proven crucial in assessing brain functional connectivity and activation, facilitating the diagnosis of DoC. Furthermore, fNIRS plays a pivotal role in diagnosis and treatment through its application in neuromodulation techniques such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) and spinal cord stimulation (SCS).

CONCLUSION: As a noninvasive, portable, and real-time neuroimaging tool, fNIRS holds significant promise for advancing the assessment and treatment of DoC. Despite limitations such as low spatial resolution and the need for standardized protocols, fNIRS has demonstrated its utility in evaluating residual brain activity, detecting covert consciousness, and monitoring therapeutic interventions. In addition to assessing consciousness levels, fNIRS offers unique advantages in tracking hemodynamic changes associated with neuroregulatory treatments, including DBS and SCS. By providing real-time feedback on cortical activation, fNIRS facilitates optimizing therapeutic strategies and supports individualized treatment planning. Continued research addressing its technical and methodological challenges will further establish fNIRS as an indispensable tool in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring of DoC patients.

RevDate: 2025-02-17

Zhai H, Li P, Wang H, et al (2025)

Temperature and steric hindrance-regulated selective synthesis of ketamine derivatives and 2-aryl-cycloketone-1-carboxamides via nucleophilic substitution and Favorskii rearrangement.

Organic & biomolecular chemistry [Epub ahead of print].

A selective temperature and steric hindrance-regulated method for nucleophilic substitution or Favorskii rearrangement reactions of 2-aryl-2-bromo-cycloketones with aliphatic amines has been developed to prepare ketamine derivatives and 2-aryl-cycloketone-1-carboxamides. In the presence of secondary amines or ortho-substituted 2-aryl-2-bromocycloketones, steric hindrance directs the Favorskii rearrangement to occur. Conversely, with primary amines, the product ratio of nucleophilic substitution to Favorskii rearrangement is temperature-dependent, with higher temperatures favoring the Favorskii rearrangement. At lower temperatures (-25 °C or below), nucleophilic substitution predominates, yielding ketamine derivatives in yields of 60% to 85%. This method effectively utilizes temperature and steric hindrance to control the reaction pathway and optimize product formation.

RevDate: 2025-02-17

Chinta B, Pampana M, M M (2025)

An efficient deep learning approach for automatic speech recognition using EEG signals.

Computer methods in biomechanics and biomedical engineering [Epub ahead of print].

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals enhance human-machine interaction but pose challenges in speech recognition due to noise and complexity. This study proposes an Efficient Deep Learning Approach (EDLA) integrating the Gannet Optimization Algorithm (GOA) and Elman Recurrent Neural Network (ERNN) for speaker identification. EEG data is preprocessed using a Savitzky-Golay filter, and key features are selected via recursive feature elimination. Evaluated on the Kara One dataset, EDLA achieves 95.2% accuracy, outperforming baseline methods. This framework advances EEG based speech recognition aiding brain-computer interfaces and assistive technologies for individuals with speech disorders.

RevDate: 2025-02-16
CmpDate: 2025-02-16

Zou W, Fan Y, Liu J, et al (2025)

Anoctamin-1 is a core component of a mechanosensory anion channel complex in C. elegans.

Nature communications, 16(1):1680.

Mechanotransduction channels are widely expressed in both vertebrates and invertebrates, mediating various physiological processes such as touch, hearing and blood-pressure sensing. While previously known mechanotransduction channels in metazoans are primarily cation-selective, we identified Anoctamin-1 (ANOH-1), the C. elegans homolog of mammalian calcium-activated chloride channel ANO1/TMEM16A, as an essential component of a mechanosensory channel complex that contributes to the nose touch mechanosensation in C. elegans. Ectopic expression of either C. elegans or human Anoctamin-1 confers mechanosensitivity to touch-insensitive neurons, suggesting a cell-autonomous role of ANOH-1/ANO1 in mechanotransduction. Additionally, we demonstrated that the mechanosensory function of ANOH-1/ANO1 relies on CIB (calcium- and integrin- binding) proteins. Thus, our results reveal an evolutionarily conserved chloride channel involved in mechanosensory transduction in metazoans, highlighting the importance of anion channels in mechanosensory processes.

RevDate: 2025-02-15

Jangir G, Joshi N, G Purohit (2025)

Harnessing the synergy of statistics and deep learning for BCI competition 4 dataset 4: a novel approach.

Brain informatics, 12(1):5.

Human brain signal processing and finger's movement coordination is a complex mechanism. In this mechanism finger's movement is mostly performed for every day's task. It is well known that to capture such movement EEG or ECoG signals are used. In this order to find the patterns from these signals is important. The BCI competition 4 dataset 4 is one such standard dataset of ECoG signals for individual finger movement provided by University of Washington, USA. In this work, this dataset is, statistically analyzed to understand the nature of data and outliers in it. Effectiveness of pre-processing algorithm is then visualized. The cleaned dataset has dual polarity and gaussian distribution nature which makes Tanh activation function suitable for the neural network BC4D4 model. BC4D4 uses Convolutional neural network for feature extraction, dense neural network for pattern identification and incorporating dropout & regularization making the proposed model more resilient. Our model outperforms the state of the art work on the dataset 4 achieving 0.85 correlation value that is 1.85X (Winner of BCI competition 4, 2012) & 1.25X (Finger Flex model, 2022).

RevDate: 2025-02-14

Jordan S, Buchmann M, Loss J, et al (2025)

[Health literacy and health behaviour-insights into a developing field of research and action for public health].

Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz [Epub ahead of print].

The research and action field of health literacy and health behaviour is increasingly differentiating. General health literacy is established and focuses on population-based studies. Specific health literacy for health behaviour offers topic-related starting points for interventions and public health strategies.There are various concepts, definitions and measurement instruments for general health literacy and specific health literacy in the areas of nutrition and physical activity. These differ in terms of the levels of action and areas of application of health literacy.Most studies show a positive association between health literacy and various health behaviours. Higher health literacy is more often associated with improved health-promoting behaviour. This applies to both general as well as specific health literacy regarding nutrition and exercise (physical activity). Some studies found no correlation for certain behaviours, while others only found correlations for certain groups, which may be due to the different measuring instruments and research contexts. This points to the importance of always considering the interaction between behaviour and circumstances in order to improve the fit between the individual and the everyday demands of dealing with health information.The behavioural and cultural insights (BCI) approach can provide insights into how to promote health literacy with regard to various health behaviours, individual barriers and facilitators that arise from life circumstances and conditions, and that take social practice into account. BCI and health literacy complement each other and have the potential to make strategies for improving health behaviour more effective and targeted.

RevDate: 2025-02-14

Jiang E, Huang T, X Yin (2025)

A combination of deep learning models and type-2 fuzzy for EEG motor imagery classification through spatiotemporal-frequency features.

Journal of medical engineering & technology [Epub ahead of print].

Developing a robust and effective technique is crucial for interpreting a user's brainwave signals accurately in the realm of biomedical signal processing. The variability and uncertainty present in EEG patterns over time, compounded by noise, pose notable challenges, particularly in mental tasks like motor imagery. Introducing fuzzy components can enhance the system's ability to withstand noisy environments. The emergence of deep learning has significantly impacted artificial intelligence and data analysis, prompting extensive exploration into assessing and understanding brain signals. This work introduces a hybrid series architecture called FCLNET, which combines Compact-CNN to extract frequency and spatial features alongside the LSTM network for temporal feature extraction. The activation functions in the CNN architecture were implemented using type-2 fuzzy functions to tackle uncertainties. Hyperparameters of the FCLNET model are tuned by the Bayesian optimisation algorithm. The efficacy of this approach is assessed through the BCI Competition IV-2a database and the BCI Competition IV-1 database. By incorporating type-2 fuzzy activation functions and employing Bayesian optimisation for tuning, the proposed architecture indicates good classification accuracy compared to the literature. Outcomes showcase the exceptional achievements of the FCLNET model, suggesting that integrating fuzzy units into other classifiers could lead to advancements in motor imagery-based BCI systems.

RevDate: 2025-02-14

Ding F, Ying Y, Jin Y, et al (2025)

Reduced frontotemporal connectivity during a verbal fluency task in patients with anxiety, sleep, and major depressive disorders.

Frontiers in neurology, 16:1542346.

BACKGROUND: It has been well established that psychiatric disorders are often accompanied by cognitive dysfunction. Previous studies have investigated the verbal fluency task (VFT) for detecting executive function impairment in different psychiatric disorders, but the sensitivity and specificity of this task in different psychiatric disorders have not been explored. Furthermore, clarifying the mechanisms underlying variations in executive function impairments across multiple psychiatric disorders will enhance our comprehension of brain activity alternations among these disorders. Therefore, this study combined the VFT and the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the impairment of executive function across psychiatric disorders including anxiety disorder (AD), sleep disorder (SD) and major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS: Two hundred and eight participants were enrolled including 52 AD, 52 SD, 52 MDD and 52 healthy controls (HCs). All participants completed the VFT while being monitored using fNIRS to measure changes in brain oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb).

RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that MDD, AD and SD exhibited decreased overall connectivity strength, as well as reduced connected networks involving the frontal and temporal regions during the VFT comparing to HC. Furthermore, the MDD group showed a reduction in connected networks, specifically in the left superior temporal gyrus and precentral gyrus, compared to the AD group.

CONCLUSION: Our study offers neural evidence that the VFT combined with fNIRS could effectively detect executive function impairment in different psychiatric disorders.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Gedela NSS, Radawiec RD, Salim S, et al (2025)

In vivo electrophysiology recordings and computational modeling can predict octopus arm movement.

Bioelectronic medicine, 11(1):4.

The octopus has many features that make it advantageous for revealing principles of motor circuits and control and predicting behavior. Here, an array of carbon electrodes providing single-unit electrophysiology recordings were implanted into the octopus anterior nerve cord. The number of spikes and arm movements in response to stimulation at different locations along the arm were recorded. We observed that the number of spikes occurring within the first 100 ms after stimulation were predictive of the resultant movement response. Machine learning models showed that temporal electrophysiological features could be used to predict whether an arm movement occurred with 88.64% confidence, and if it was a lateral arm movement or a grasping motion with 75.45% confidence. Both supervised and unsupervised methods were applied to gain streaming measurements of octopus arm movements and how their motor circuitry produces rich movement types in real time. For kinematic analysis, deep learning models and unsupervised dimensionality reduction identified a consistent set of features that could be used to distinguish different types of arm movements. The neural circuits and the computational models identified here generated predictions for how to evoke a particular, complex movement in an orchestrated sequence for an individual motor circuit. This study demonstrates how real-time motor behaviors can be predicted and distinguished, contributing to the development of brain-machine interfaces. The ability to accurately model and predict complex movement patterns has broad implications for advancing technologies in robotics, neuroprosthetics, and artificial intelligence, paving the way for more sophisticated and adaptable systems.

RevDate: 2025-02-13
CmpDate: 2025-02-13

Huang-Fu HQ, Wang L, Karmacharya B, et al (2025)

Spatial profiling of geographical accessibility to maternal healthcare and coverage of maternal health service utilisation in Nepal: a geospatial analysis based on demographic and health survey.

BMJ global health, 10(2): pii:bmjgh-2024-017229.

BACKGROUND: Information on geographical accessibility to maternal healthcare (MHC) and coverage of maternal health service utilisation at high spatial resolution in Nepal are important for evidence-based health planning.

METHODS: Based on the Nepal Health Facility Registry dataset in 2022, we measured the geographical accessibility to MHC facilities across Nepal. Using data from 2022 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey and other sources, we assessed the relationships between geographical accessibility and the utilisation of the three major healthcare services (ie, four or more antenatal care (ANC) visits, institutional delivery and postnatal care (PNC) check-up), by applying Bayesian geostatistical models. High-resolution maps on coverage of the above services were produced.

RESULTS: The geographical accessibility showed high in the central and southern Terai belt but low in the northern mountains, with average travel-mode adjusted travel time for ANC, institutional delivery and PNC 26.74, 40.72 and 29.09 min, respectively. Negative correlations were found between geographical accessibility with four or more ANC visits (OR 0.76, 95% Bayesian credible interval, BCI 0.65 to 0.90), institutional delivery (OR 0.76, 95% BCI 0.64 to 0.90) and PNC check-up (OR 0.87, 95% BCI 0.76 to 0.99), respectively. Population-weighted coverages for four or more ANC visits, institutional delivery and PNC check-up were estimated 83.25% (95% BCI 80.43% to 85.35%), 84.26% (95% BCI 81.30% to 86.08%) and 73.19% (95% BCI 69.43% to 76.09%), respectively, across Nepal. The northern mountains and southeastern Terai showed low coverage for the three healthcare services, while the central, eastern and western hilly regions exhibited good coverage.

CONCLUSION: Geographical accessibility is important in utilisation of maternal health services in Nepal. The high-resolution maps enable an evidence-based assessment for better health planning.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Lyu Y, Yu L, Qi L, et al (2025)

Construction of 3D-fabric-based triple-decker agar/sodium alginate/Ca[2+] dual-network composite for wound dressing.

International journal of biological macromolecules pii:S0141-8130(25)01432-1 [Epub ahead of print].

This study designed a novel multifunctional Janus structure dressing (DNCD dressing) composed of spacer fabric, agar/sodium alginate/calcium ion dual-network aerogel, methylene blue, and AgNO3-added thermoplastic polyurethane nanofiber membrane. The unidirectional liquid transport and absorbency tests prove that the DNCD dressing can unidirectionally transport liquids within just two seconds and possesses a liquid absorption ratio of 875.3 %. The unique open structure formed by the spacer fabric and liquid transport channels provides excellent air permeability as well as a suitable water vapor transmission rate, reaching 584.96 mm/s, 10.3 L/min, and 1104.82 g/m[2]/24 h, respectively. The exceptional compressive strength (216.78 kPa) and compressive modulus (515.23 kPa) of the dressing can provide protection for the wound. Antibacterial tests demonstrate that the silver ion-added DNCD dressing can eradicate >99 % of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, while the added methylene blue can effectively monitor the survival status of bacteria. The low BCI value and the hemolysis ratio of <5 % indicate that the DNCD dressing has a certain hemostatic ability and does not cause hemolysis. The results of cytotoxicity tests and full-thickness skin defect models show that the DNCD dressing has good cytocompatibility and the potential to promote wound healing.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Zhao H, S Xu (2025)

Associations between panic buying and choice overload during the public health crisis in China: Testing sequential mediation models.

Acta psychologica, 254:104800 pii:S0001-6918(25)00113-1 [Epub ahead of print].

Using the COVID-19 pandemic in China as the background, the current study investigated the association between panic buying behavior and consumers' choice overload during the public health crisis, and provided the empirical evidence on the dual sequential mediating pathways from the theoretical perspective of Protection Motivation Theory and Compensatory Control Theory. Through the cross-sectional online anonymous survey method, 492 samples were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic in China when the lockdown measure and the static management were implemented. Our results identified that the fear of being infected and the perceived threat sequentially mediated the effect of the panic buying on the choice overload, and the fear of being infected and the perceived control sequentially mediated the effect of the panic buying on the choice overload during the public health crisis. Machine learning algorithms also further identified the predictive effect of all feature variables on the choice overload during the public health crisis. Our findings provided a new perspective on the understanding of consumers' behavior during the public health crisis, and further extended the application of the Protection Motivation Theory and the Compensatory Control Theory to the consumer behavior research.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Zhu L, Xin Y, Yang Y, et al (2025)

A multi-layer EEG fusion decoding method with channel selection for multi-brain motor imagery.

Computer methods and programs in biomedicine, 262:108595 pii:S0169-2607(25)00012-4 [Epub ahead of print].

Traditional motor imagery-based single-brain computer interfaces(BCIs) face inherent limitations, such as unstable signals and low recognition accuracy. In contrast, multi-brain BCIs offer a promising solution by leveraging group electroencephalography (EEG) data. This paper presents a novel multi-layer EEG fusion method with channel selection for motor imagery-based multi-brain BCIs. We utilize mutual information convergent cross-mapping (MCCM) to identify channels that the represent causal relationships between brains; this strategy is combined with multiple linear discriminant analysis (MLDA) for decoding intentions via both data-layer and decision-layer strategies. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method improves the accuracy of multi-brain motor imagery decoding by approximately 10% over that of the traditional methods, with a further 3%-5% accuracy increase due to the effective channel selection mechanism.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Zhou Z, Hu Z, H Lyu (2025)

A 0.53-μW/channel calibration-free spike detection IC with 98.8-%-accuracy based on stationary wavelet transforms and Teager energy operators.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

OBJECTIVE: The brain-computer interface (BCI) is currently experiencing a surge in the number of recording channels, resulting in a vast amount of raw data. It has become crucial to reliably detect neural spikes from a large population of neurons in the presence of noise, in order to constrain the transmission bandwidth.

APPROACH: We investigate various time-frequency analysis methods for spike detection, followed by an exploration of energy operators amplifying spikes and signal statistics for adaptive thresholding. Subsequently, we introduce a precise and computationally efficient spike detection module, leveraging stationary wavelet transform (SWT), Teager energy operator (TEO), and root-mean-square (RMS) calculator. This module is capable of autonomously adapting to different levels of noise. The SWT effectively eliminates high-frequency noise, enhancing the performance of the energy operators. The hardware computational process is simplified through the use of the lifting scheme and a channel-interleaving architecture.

MAIN RESULTS: We evaluate the proposed spike detector with adaptive threshold on the publicly available WaveClus datasets. The detector achieves an average accuracy of 98.84%. The application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) implementation results of the spike detector demonstrate an optimized interleaving channel of 8. In a 65-nm technology, the 8-channel spike detector consumes a power of 0.532 μW/Ch and occupies an area of 0.00645 mm2/Ch, operating at a 1.2-V supply voltage.

SIGNIFICANCE: The proposed spike detection processor offers one of the highest accuracies among state-of-the-art spike detection methods. Importantly, the ASIC explored the considerations in the scalability and hardware costs. The proposed design provides a systematic solution on spike detection with adaptive thresholding, offering a high accuracy while maintaining low power and area consumptions.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Dutta S, Goswami S, Debnath S, et al (2025)

MusicalBSI - musical genres responses to fMRI signals analysis with prototypical model agnostic meta-learning for brain state identification in data scarce environment.

Computers in biology and medicine, 188:109795 pii:S0010-4825(25)00145-3 [Epub ahead of print].

Functional magnetic resonance imaging is a popular non-invasive brain-computer interfacing technique to monitor brain activities corresponding to several physical or neurological responses by measuring blood flow changes at different brain parts. Recent studies have shown that blood flow within the brain can have signature activity patterns in response to various musical genres. However, limited studies exist in the state of the art for automatized recognition of the musical genres from functional magnetic resonance imaging. This is because the feasibility of obtaining these kinds of data is limited, and currently available open-sourced data is insufficient to build an accurate deep-learning model. To solve this, we propose a prototypical model agnostic meta-learning framework for accurately classifying musical genres by studying blood flow dynamics using functional magnetic resonance imaging. A test with open-sourced data collected from 20 human subjects with consent for 6 different mental states resulted in up to 97.25 ± 1.38% accuracy by training with only 30 samples surpassing state-of-the-art methods. Further, a detailed evaluation of the performances confirms the model's reliability.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Gherman DE, Klug M, Krol LR, et al (2025)

An investigation of a passive BCI's performance for different body postures and presentation modalities.

Biomedical physics & engineering express [Epub ahead of print].

Passive brain-computer interfaces (passive BCIs, pBCIs) enable computers to unobtrusively decipher aspects of a user's mental state in real time from recordings of brain activity, e.g. electroencephalography (EEG). When used during human-computer interaction (HCI), this allows a computer to dynamically adapt for enhancing the subjective user experience. For transitioning from controlled laboratory environments to practical applications, understanding BCI performance in real contexts is of utmost importance. Here, Virtual Reality (VR) can play a unique role: both as a fully controllable simulation of a realistic environment and as an independent, increasingly popular real application. Given the potential of VR as a dynamic and controllable environment, and the capability of pBCIs to enable novel modes of interaction, it is tempting to envision a future where pBCI and VR are seamlessly integrated. However, the simultaneous use of these two technologies - both of which are head-mounted - presents new challenges. Due to their immediate proximity, electromagnetic artifacts can arise, contaminating the EEG. Furthermore, the active movements promoted by VR can induce mechanical and muscular artifacts in the EEG. The varying body postures and display preferences of users further complicate the practical application of pBCIs. To address these challenges, the current study investigates the influence of body posture (sitting vs. standing) and display media (computer screen vs. VR) on the performance of a pBCI in assessing cognitive load. Our results show that these conditions indeed led to some changes in the EEG data; nevertheless, the ability of pBCIs to detect cognitive load remained largely unaffected. However, when a classifier trained in one context (body posture or modality) was applied to another (e.g., cross-task application), reductions in classification accuracy were observed. As HCI moves towards increasingly adaptive and more interactive designs, these findings support the expansive potential of pBCIs in VR contexts.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Zhang R, Sui L, Shen C, et al (2025)

EEG-based real-time BCI system using drones for attention visualization.

Computer methods in biomechanics and biomedical engineering [Epub ahead of print].

Attention management is crucial for cognitive development, especially in children. This study presents a novel brain-computer interface (BCI) system that uses EEG signals to classify attention states. It analyzes these signals using a waveform ratio feature extraction method and visualizes attention levels through a drone's altitude. The system provides real-time feedback via a GUI and incorporates gamified elements like drone control to enhance engagement and training efficacy. Experimental results show that positive response mechanisms significantly improve focus and motivation, demonstrating the system's potential to transform traditional attention training methods.

RevDate: 2025-02-13
CmpDate: 2025-02-13

Zare S, Beaber SI, Y Sun (2025)

NeuroFlex: Feasibility of EEG-Based Motor Imagery Control of a Soft Glove for Hand Rehabilitation.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 25(3): pii:s25030610.

Motor impairments resulting from neurological disorders, such as strokes or spinal cord injuries, often impair hand and finger mobility, restricting a person's ability to grasp and perform fine motor tasks. Brain plasticity refers to the inherent capability of the central nervous system to functionally and structurally reorganize itself in response to stimulation, which underpins rehabilitation from brain injuries or strokes. Linking voluntary cortical activity with corresponding motor execution has been identified as effective in promoting adaptive plasticity. This study introduces NeuroFlex, a motion-intent-controlled soft robotic glove for hand rehabilitation. NeuroFlex utilizes a transformer-based deep learning (DL) architecture to decode motion intent from motor imagery (MI) EEG data and translate it into control inputs for the assistive glove. The glove's soft, lightweight, and flexible design enables users to perform rehabilitation exercises involving fist formation and grasping movements, aligning with natural hand functions for fine motor practices. The results show that the accuracy of decoding the intent of fingers making a fist from MI EEG can reach up to 85.3%, with an average AUC of 0.88. NeuroFlex demonstrates the feasibility of detecting and assisting the patient's attempted movements using pure thinking through a non-intrusive brain-computer interface (BCI). This EEG-based soft glove aims to enhance the effectiveness and user experience of rehabilitation protocols, providing the possibility of extending therapeutic opportunities outside clinical settings.

RevDate: 2025-02-13

Alshehri H, Al-Nafjan A, M Aldayel (2025)

Decoding Pain: A Comprehensive Review of Computational Intelligence Methods in Electroencephalography-Based Brain-Computer Interfaces.

Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland), 15(3): pii:diagnostics15030300.

Objective pain evaluation is crucial for determining appropriate treatment strategies in clinical settings. Studies have demonstrated the potential of using brain-computer interface (BCI) technology for pain classification and detection. Collating knowledge and insights from prior studies, this review explores the extensive work on pain detection based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals. It presents the findings, methodologies, and advancements reported in 20 peer-reviewed articles that utilize machine learning and deep learning (DL) approaches for EEG-based pain detection. We analyze various ML and DL techniques, support vector machines, random forests, k-nearest neighbors, and convolution neural network recurrent neural networks and transformers, and their effectiveness in decoding pain neural signals. The motivation for combining AI with BCI technology lies in the potential for significant advancements in the real-time responsiveness and adaptability of these systems. We reveal that DL techniques effectively analyze EEG signals and recognize pain-related patterns. Moreover, we discuss advancements and challenges associated with EEG-based pain detection, focusing on BCI applications in clinical settings and functional requirements for effective pain classification systems. By evaluating the current research landscape, we identify gaps and opportunities for future research to provide valuable insights for researchers and practitioners.

RevDate: 2025-02-12

Qiu S, Tang Y, Yu H, et al (2025)

Toward a computational understanding of bribe-taking behavior.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences [Epub ahead of print].

Understanding how corrupt behavior occurs is a critical issue at the intersection of behavioral ethics, social psychology, and other related social sciences, laying the foundation for establishing effective anticorruption policies. Despite a substantial body of studies focused on bribe-taking behavior-a typical form of corruption-and its modulators, its underlying psychological processes remain poorly understood. Drawing inspiration from recent literature on neuroeconomics and moral decision-making, we argue that bribe-taking decision-making involves a value-based computational process that can be characterized by a computational framework. We show how this framework advances our understanding of bribe-taking decision-making by (1) clarifying how the cost-benefit tradeoff determines the decision to accept or reject a bribe and its neural foundations, (2) improving the prediction of bribe-taking behaviors across contexts and individuals, and (3) enhancing our comprehension of individual differences in bribe-taking behaviors. Moreover, we delineate how this framework can benefit future research on bribery by examining the mechanisms through which various modulators impact the bribe-taking behaviors or the computational processes underlying more intricate forms of corrupt behaviors. We also discussed its potential fusion with artificial intelligence techniques in offering insights for understanding cognitive processes underlying bribe-taking behaviors and designing anticorruption strategies.

RevDate: 2025-02-13
CmpDate: 2025-02-13

Mokienko OA, Lyukmanov RK, Bobrov PD, et al (2023)

Brain-Computer Interfaces for Upper Limb Motor Recovery after Stroke: Current Status and Development Prospects (Review).

Sovremennye tekhnologii v meditsine, 15(6):63-73.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are a group of technologies that allow mental training with feedback for post-stroke motor recovery. Varieties of these technologies have been studied in numerous clinical trials for more than 10 years, and their construct and software are constantly being improved. Despite the positive treatment results and the availability of registered medical devices, there are currently a number of problems for the wide clinical application of BCI technologies. This review provides information on the most studied types of BCIs and its training protocols and describes the evidence base for the effectiveness of BCIs for upper limb motor recovery after stroke. The main problems of scaling this technology and ways to solve them are also described.

RevDate: 2025-02-12

Yasuhara M, I Nambu (2025)

Error-related potentials during multitasking involving sensorimotor control: an ERP and offline decoding study for brain-computer interface.

Frontiers in human neuroscience, 19:1516721.

Humans achieve efficient behaviors by perceiving and responding to errors. Error-related potentials (ErrPs) are electrophysiological responses that occur upon perceiving errors. Leveraging ErrPs to improve the accuracy of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), utilizing the brain's natural error-detection processes to enhance system performance, has been proposed. However, the influence of external and contextual factors on the detectability of ErrPs remains poorly understood, especially in multitasking scenarios involving both BCI operations and sensorimotor control. Herein, we hypothesized that the difficulty in sensorimotor control would lead to the dispersion of neural resources in multitasking, resulting in a reduction in ErrP features. To examine this, we conducted an experiment in which participants were instructed to keep a ball within a designated area on a board, while simultaneously attempting to control a cursor on a display through motor imagery. The BCI provided error feedback with a random probability of 30%. Three scenarios-without a ball (single-task), lightweight ball (easy-task), and heavyweight ball (hard-task)-were used for the characterization of ErrPs based on the difficulty of sensorimotor control. In addition, to examine the impact of multitasking on ErrP-BCI performance, we analyzed single-trial classification accuracy offline. Contrary to our hypothesis, varying the difficulty of sensorimotor control did not result in significant changes in ErrP features. However, multitasking significantly affected ErrP classification accuracy. Post-hoc analyses revealed that the classifier trained on single-task ErrPs exhibited reduced accuracy under hard-task scenarios. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate how ErrPs are modulated in a multitasking environment involving both sensorimotor control and BCI operation in an offline framework. Although the ErrP features remained unchanged, the observed variation in accuracy suggests the need to design classifiers that account for task load even before implementing a real-time ErrP-based BCI.

RevDate: 2025-02-12
CmpDate: 2025-02-12

Wen X, Xue P, Zhu M, et al (2025)

Alteration in Cortical Structure Mediating the Impact of Blood Oxygen-Carrying Capacity on Gross Motor Skills in Infants With Complex Congenital Heart Disease.

Human brain mapping, 46(3):e70155.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital anomaly, leading to an increased risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in many children with CHD. Understanding the neurological mechanisms behind these neurodevelopmental disorders is crucial for implementing early interventions and treatments. In this study, we recruited 83 infants aged 12-26.5 months with complex CHD, along with 86 healthy controls (HCs). We collected multimodal data to explore the abnormal patterns of cerebral cortex development and explored the complex interactions among blood oxygen-carrying capacity, cortical development, and gross motor skills. We found that, compared to healthy infants, those with complex CHD exhibit significant reductions in cortical surface area development, particularly in the default mode network. Most of these developmentally abnormal brain regions are significantly correlated with the blood oxygen-carrying capacity and gross motor skills of infants with CHD. Additionally, we further discovered that the blood oxygen-carrying capacity of infants with CHD can indirectly predict their gross motor skills through cortical structures, with the left middle temporal area and left inferior temporal area showing the greatest mediation effects. This study identified biomarkers for neurodevelopmental disorders and highlighted blood oxygen-carrying capacity as an indicator of motor development risk, offering new insights for the clinical management CHD.

RevDate: 2025-02-12

Xu Q, Wang L, Xi Y, et al (2025)

An Efficient MEMS Microelectrode Array with Reliable Interelectrode Insulation Processes for In Vivo Neural Recording.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) [Epub ahead of print].

Microelectrode arrays, particularly Utah arrays, offer irreplaceable advantages in clinical applications and play a crucial role in advancing brain-computer interactions. However, the glass-fused monolithic structure of Utah arrays limits functional expansion, and the glass insulation process is complex, costly, and time-intensive. This paper presents a microelectrode array with a simple and time-saving fabrication process, utilizing low-resistance silicon and borosilicate glass wafers as electrodes and insulation substrates, respectively. The utilization of the anodic bonding process improves production efficiency and enhances process compatibility. A one-step static wet etching process is used to form microneedle morphology to further simplify the fabrication process. Sputtered iridium oxide, as the electrode interface material, significantly reduces electrochemical impedance, and cellular experiments have confirmed its non-cytotoxicity. Moreover, the implantation into the primary visual cortex of mice has demonstrated the ability of the electrode to record in vivo electrical signals within 15 days. Movement trajectory experiments demonstrate that the mice exhibit good behavior activities following electrode implantation. The bonded microelectrode array (BMEA) presented in this work provides a universal and effective tool for neural recording, with prospective applications in multi-physiological monitoring and microelectromechanical system integration.

RevDate: 2025-02-11

Chen Y, Hu J, Zhao P, et al (2025)

Rpl12 is a conserved ribophagy receptor.

Nature cell biology [Epub ahead of print].

Ribophagy is a selective autophagic process that regulates ribosome turnover. Although NUFIP1 has been identified as a mammalian receptor for ribophagy, its homologues do not exist in yeast and nematodes. Here we demonstrate that Rpl12, a ribosomal large subunit protein, functions as a conserved ribophagy receptor in multiple organisms. Disruption of Rpl12-Atg8s binding leads to significant accumulation of ribosomal proteins and rRNA, while Atg1-mediated Rpl12 phosphorylation enhances its association with Atg11, thus triggering ribophagy during starvation. Ribophagy deficiency accelerates cell death induced by starvation and pathogen infection, leading to impaired growth and development and a shortened lifespan in both Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. Moreover, ribophagy deficiency results in motor impairments associated with ageing, while the overexpression of RPL12 significantly improves movement defects induced by starvation, ageing and Aβ accumulation in fly models. Our findings suggest that Rpl12 functions as a conserved ribophagy receptor vital for ribosome metabolism and cellular homeostasis.

RevDate: 2025-02-11
CmpDate: 2025-02-11

Jin X, Jiang M, Qian L, et al (2025)

Effect of 433 MHz double-slot microwave antennas for double-zone ablation in ex vivo swine liver experiment.

PloS one, 20(2):e0315678 pii:PONE-D-24-27447.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of axial length and slot-to-slot distance of double-slot microwave antenna (DSMA) with frequency of 433 MHz on the size and shape of ablation zones created under different input microwave powers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The design of double slot microwave antennas (DSMAs) with axial lengths (70 mm, 30 mm) and slot-to-slot distance (49 mm, 10 mm) were optimized by numerical simulation and ex vivo liver experiments. Finite-element method simulations and forty ablations of swine liver were employed to obtain the temperature distributions within liver tissue using DSMAs at the 433 MHz operating frequency in a range of heating powers (20, 30, 40 and 50W) for 600 s. The dependence of the effectiveness of MWA on the axial length and slot-to-slot distance of antenna as well as the input power was further evaluated by analyzing morphologic characteristics of ablated zone.

RESULTS: Two-zone ablation was achieved by two types of double-slot antennas in our study with frequency of 433 MHz, and the observed shapes of ex vivo experimental ablation zones were in good agreement with patterns predicted by simulation models. The ablation zone exhibited a 'gourd' shape after the treatment using the antenna with longer axial length and slot-to-slot distance, while the short antenna caused a guitar-shape ablation in liver tissue after MWA.

CONCLUSION: The dedicated design of our DSMAs with a frequency of 433 MHz could enable new ablation shapes with controllable dimensions, which can be applied to the clinical treatment of MWA for gourd-shaped liver tumors and other long-shaped tumors. Furthermore, research can be conducted on how to design the antenna as flexible and use it for the treatment of pulmonary nodules or varicose veins.

RevDate: 2025-02-11
CmpDate: 2025-02-11

Cao M, Zhu S, Tang E, et al (2025)

Neural correlates of emotional processing in trauma-related narratives.

Psychological medicine, 55:e33 pii:S0033291724003398.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition caused by the dysregulation or overgeneralization of memories related to traumatic events. Investigating the interplay between explicit narrative and implicit emotional memory contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying PTSD.

METHODS: This case-control study focused on two groups: unmedicated patients with PTSD and a trauma-exposed control (TEC) group who did not develop PTSD. Experiments included real-time measurements of blood oxygenation changes using functional near-infrared spectroscopy during trauma narration and processing of emotional and linguistic data through natural language processing (NLP).

RESULTS: Real-time fNIRS monitoring showed that PTSD patients (mean [SD] Oxy-Hb activation, 0.153 [0.084], 95% CI 0.124 to 0.182) had significantly higher brain activity in the left anterior medial prefrontal cortex (L-amPFC) within 10 s after expressing negative emotional words compared with the control group (0.047 [0.026], 95% CI 0.038 to 0.056; p < 0.001). In the control group, there was a significant time-series correlation between the use of negative emotional memory words and activation of the L-amPFC (latency 3.82 s, slope = 0.0067, peak value = 0.184, difference = 0.273; Spearman's r = 0.727, p < 0.001). In contrast, the left anterior cingulate prefrontal cortex of PTSD patients remained in a state of high activation (peak value = 0.153, difference = 0.084) with no apparent latency period.

CONCLUSIONS: PTSD patients display overactivity in pathways associated with rapid emotional responses and diminished regulation in cognitive processing areas. Interventions targeting these pathways may alleviate symptoms of PTSD.

RevDate: 2025-02-10

Chen J, Ke Y, Ni G, et al (2025)

Tonic and Event-Related Phasic Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Alters Pupil Responses in the Change-Detection Task.

Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society pii:S1094-7159(25)00005-4 [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has emerged as a potential modulator of cognitive behavior that activates the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system. Previous studies explored both phasic and tonic taVNS by investigating their impact on LC-NA markers such as pupil dilation and heart rate variability (HRV).

OBJECTIVE: Inconsistencies persist in the identification of reliable markers for assessing the effects of taVNS on noradrenergic activity. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether the effects of taVNS extend beyond pure vagal nerve responses, particularly in specific cognitive domains such as working memory. In the present study, we investigated the effects of taVNS on working memory capacity and LC-NA markers using a change-detection task.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two healthy, right-handed university students participated in a sham-controlled, randomized cross-over experiment with four sessions. We applied two types of phasic and event-related stimulation (Pre-event and Event-synchronous), tonic stimulation (Pre-task), and sham stimulation across different sessions. Pupil size and electrocardiogram data were recorded during the tasks.

RESULTS: taVNS did not significantly modulate behavioral performance on the change-detection task, specifically working memory capacity. However, both tonic and event-related phasic taVNS significantly influenced the pupillary response during the task. In addition, the Pre-task condition of the taVNS affected the low-frequency parameter of HRV.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that tonic and event-related phasic taVNS may modulate noradrenergic activity, as evidenced by pupil responses and HRV changes during the change-detection task. This study provides new evidence regarding the impact of taVNS on cognitive tasks, thus supporting the development of noninvasive neuromodulation interventions.

RevDate: 2025-02-10

Sah SK, Taksande V, Jadhav D, et al (2024)

Exploring the Impact of Brain-Computer Interfaces on Health Care: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Prospects: A Review Article.

Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences, 16(Suppl 4):S3037-S3040.

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are an innovative technology that methods with a great possibility to revolutionize the sphere of medicine with the help of integration of human brain and external devices. In this article, we discuss how BCIs can be incorporated into hospitals and civil rehabilitation centers, possibly for rehabilitation, communication, and cognitive treatments. This review aims to discuss the advancement, usefulness, difficulties, and potential in regards to the use of BCIs in healthcare. We describe trends in the development of BCIs from simple experimental paradigms to multimedia advanced devices and their usage in clinical practice: assistive technology in patients with motor disorders, neurorehabilitation of post-stroke patients, and cognitive prosthesis for humans with neurodegenerative diseases. The article also emphasizes on present-day issues including signal quality, comfort level of the users, and the ethical parameter of the technique along with the research going on and future work streams. Thus, by evaluating the modern developments in the field and highlighting the existing problems, this article will try to give a briefing on the current stage of application of BCIs in the sphere of healthcare.

RevDate: 2025-02-10

Li C, Xu Y, Feng T, et al (2025)

Fusion of EEG and EMG signals for detecting pre-movement intention of sitting and standing in healthy individuals and patients with spinal cord injury.

Frontiers in neuroscience, 19:1532099.

INTRODUCTION: Rehabilitation devices assist individuals with movement disorders by supporting daily activities and facilitating effective rehabilitation training. Accurate and early motor intention detection is vital for real-time device applications. However, traditional methods of motor intention detection often rely on single-mode signals, such as EEG or EMG alone, which can be limited by low signal quality and reduced stability. This study proposes a multimodal fusion method based on EEG-EMG functional connectivity to detect sitting and standing intentions before movement execution, enabling timely intervention and reducing latency in rehabilitation devices.

METHODS: Eight healthy subjects and five spinal cord injury (SCI) patients performed cue-based sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transition tasks while EEG and EMG data were recorded simultaneously. We constructed EEG-EMG functional connectivity networks using data epochs from the 1.5-s period prior to movement onset. Pairwise spatial filters were then designed to extract discriminative spatial network topologies. Each filter paired with a support vector machine classifier to classify future movements into one of three classes: sit-to-stand, stand-to-sit, or rest. The final prediction was determined using a majority voting scheme.

RESULTS: Among the three functional connectivity methods investigated-coherence, Pearson correlation coefficient and mutual information (MI)-the MI-based EEG-EMG network showed the highest decoding performance (94.33%), outperforming both EEG (73.89%) and EMG (89.16%). The robustness of the fusion method was further validated through a fatigue training experiment with healthy subjects. The fusion method achieved 92.87% accuracy during the post-fatigue stage, with no significant difference compared to the pre-fatigue stage (p > 0.05). Additionally, the proposed method using pre-movement windows achieved accuracy comparable to trans-movement windows (p > 0.05 for both pre- and post-fatigue stages). For the SCI patients, the fusion method showed improved accuracy, achieving 87.54% compared to single- modality methods (EEG: 83.03%, EMG: 84.13%), suggesting that the fusion method could be promising for practical rehabilitation applications.

CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that the proposed multimodal fusion method significantly enhances the performance of detecting human motor intentions. By enabling early detection of sitting and standing intentions, this method holds the potential to offer more accurate and timely interventions within rehabilitation systems.

RevDate: 2025-02-10

Radwan YA, Ahmed Mohamed E, Metwalli D, et al (2025)

Stochasticity as a solution for overfitting-A new model and comparative study on non-invasive EEG prospects.

Frontiers in human neuroscience, 19:1484470.

The potential and utility of inner speech is pivotal for developing practical, everyday Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) applications, as it represents a type of brain signal that operates independently of external stimuli however it is largely underdeveloped due to the challenges faced in deciphering its signals. In this study, we evaluated the behaviors of various Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) models on a publicly available dataset, employing popular preprocessing methods as feature extractors to enhance model training. We face significant challenges like subject-dependent variability, high noise levels, and overfitting. To address overfitting in particular, we propose using "BruteExtraTree": a new classifier which relies on moderate stochasticity inherited from its base model, the ExtraTreeClassifier. This model not only matches the best DL model, ShallowFBCSPNet, in the subject-independent scenario in our experiments scoring 32% accuracy, but also surpasses the state-of-the-art by achieving 46.6% average per-subject accuracy in the subject-dependent case. Our results on the subject-dependent case show promise on the possibility of a new paradigm for using inner speech data inspired from LLM pretraining but we also highlight the crucial need for a drastic change in data recording or noise removal methods to open the way for more practical accuracies in the subject-independent case.

RevDate: 2025-02-09

Ghasimi A, S Shamekhi (2025)

Enhanced EEG-based cognitive workload detection using RADWT and machine learning.

Neuroscience pii:S0306-4522(25)00084-3 [Epub ahead of print].

Understanding cognitive workload improves learning performance and provides insights into human cognitive processes. Estimating cognitive workload finds practical applications in adaptive learning systems, brain-computer interfaces, and cognitive monitoring. In this work, different levels of cognitive workload are investigated, and a classification approach based on the Rational-Dilation Wavelet Transform (RADWT) is proposed. RADWT excels at capturing the oscillatory behavior of EEG signal sub-bands, offering high precision through its ability to adaptively analyze both temporal and spectral dynamics. Different classifications of machine learning and feature selection techniques were evaluated to get optimum classification accuracy and identify the most effective combination of features for the used dataset. The analysis shows that the most relevant brain region in differentiating cognitive workload levels is the frontal region, along with alpha and theta rhythm sub-bands. Integrating RADWT with a Linear Support Vector Machine (LSVM) and minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance (mRMR) feature selection method yields Notable classification accuracy. Concretely, the model yields accuracies of 96.6% for 0-back vs.3-back, 94.9% for 0-back vs 2-back, 92.3% for 2-back vs 3-back, and 81.7% for the three-class scenario. These results confirm the validity of the method proposed for estimating cognitive workload using the RADWT- and machine learning-based approach. The results also offer insights into neural mechanisms and a foundation for advanced applications in adaptive systems, brain-computer interfaces, and cognitive monitoring.

RevDate: 2025-02-10
CmpDate: 2025-02-10

Sultana M, Gheorghe L, S Perdikis (2025)

EEG correlates of acquiring race driving skills.

Journal of neural engineering, 22(1):.

Objective. Race driving is a complex motor task that involves multiple concurrent cognitive processes in different brain regions coordinated to maintain and optimize speed and control. Delineating the neuroplasticity accompanying the acquisition of complex and fine motor skills such as racing is crucial to elucidate how these are gradually encoded in the brain and inform new training regimes. This study aims, first, to identify the neural correlates of learning to drive a racing car using non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) imaging and longitudinal monitoring. Second, we gather evidence on the potential role of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in enhancing the training outcome of race drivers.Approach. We collected and analyzed multimodal experimental data, including drivers' EEG and telemetry from a driving simulator to identify neuromarkers of race driving proficiency and assess the potential to improve training through anodal tDCS.Main results. Our findings indicate that theta-band EEG rhythms and alpha-band effective functional connectivity between frontocentral and occipital cortical areas are significant neuromarkers for acquiring racing skills. We also observed signs of a potential tDCS effect in accelerating the learning process.SignificanceThese results provide a foundation for future research to develop innovative race-driving training protocols using neurotechnology.

RevDate: 2025-02-08

Huang Y, Wang J, Liu N, et al (2025)

Zona Incerta: A Bridge for Infant-Mother Interaction.

Neuroscience bulletin [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2025-02-08

Liyanagedera ND, Bareham CA, Kempton H, et al (2025)

Novel machine learning-driven comparative analysis of CSP, STFT, and CSP-STFT fusion for EEG data classification across multiple meditation and non-meditation sessions in BCI pipeline.

Brain informatics, 12(1):4.

This study focuses on classifying multiple sessions of loving kindness meditation (LKM) and non-meditation electroencephalography (EEG) data. This novel study focuses on using multiple sessions of EEG data from a single individual to train a machine learning pipeline, and then using a new session data from the same individual for the classification. Here, two meditation techniques, LKM-Self and LKM-Others were compared with non-meditation EEG data for 12 participants. Among many tested, three BCI pipelines we built produced promising results, successfully detecting features in meditation/ non-meditation EEG data. While testing different feature extraction algorithms, a common neural network structure was used as the classification algorithm to compare the performance of the feature extraction algorithms. For two of those pipelines, Common Spatial Patterns (CSP) and Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) were successfully used as feature extraction algorithms where both these algorithms are significantly new for meditation EEG. As a novel concept, the third BCI pipeline used a feature extraction algorithm that fused the features of CSP and STFT, achieving the highest classification accuracies among all tested pipelines. Analyses were conducted using EEG data of 3, 4 or 5 sessions, totaling 3960 tests on the entire dataset. At the end of the study, when considering all the tests, the overall classification accuracy using SCP alone was 67.1%, and it was 67.8% for STFT alone. The algorithm combining the features of CSP and STFT achieved an overall classification accuracy of 72.9% which is more than 5% higher than the other two pipelines. At the same time, the highest mean classification accuracy for the 12 participants was achieved using the pipeline with the combination of CSP STFT algorithm, reaching 75.5% for LKM-Self/ non-meditation for the case of 5 sessions of data. Additionally, the highest individual classification accuracy of 88.9% was obtained by the participant no. 14. Furthermore, the results showed that the classification accuracies for all three pipelines increased with the number of training sessions increased from 2 to 3 and then to 4. The study was successful in classifying a new session of EEG meditation/ non-meditation data after training machine learning algorithms using a different set of session data, and this achievement will be beneficial in the development of algorithms that support meditation.

RevDate: 2025-02-07
CmpDate: 2025-02-07

Chen L, Yang Z, Ji S, et al (2025)

Comparing the Risk of Epilepsy in Patients With Simple Congenital Heart Diseases: A Prospective Cohort Study.

CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 31(2):e70230.

AIMS: Simple congenital heart diseases (CHD) are associated with various central nervous system diseases, including epilepsy. This study aimed to compare the risk of epilepsy in patients with different types of simple CHD.

METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, from January 2008 to June 2022, patients with atrial septal defect (ASD), patent foramen ovale (PFO), ventricular septal defect (VSD), and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) were recruited at the Registration Center of CHD in West China Hospital. Follow-up was conducted yearly until the diagnosis of epilepsy, loss to follow-up, or end of study. The outcomes included a comparison of epilepsy incidence according to different simple CHD types and a risk assessment of developing epilepsy. Multivariable Poisson regression was performed to adjusted factors of demographics and disease history.

RESULTS: Of 10,914 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 108 were diagnosed with epilepsy at an average follow-up of 2.19 years. Epilepsy incidence in patients with PFO, VSD, PDA, and ASD was 8.58/1000, 4.85/1000, 3.98/1000, and 2.63/1000 person-years, respectively. Compared with ASD patients (reference group), the risk ratios (95% confidence intervals) in patients with PFO, VSD, and PDA were 3.28 (2.00-5.43), 1.47 (0.79-2.68), and 1.46 (0.70-2.82), respectively. Subgroup analyses determined that patients with simple CHD who underwent CHD surgery demonstrated a lower risk of epilepsy than those who did not.

CONCLUSION: Among the major types of simple CHD, PFO was associated with a significantly higher risk of epilepsy, while the risk was reduced in those who underwent PFO closure procedures.

RevDate: 2025-02-06

Cernera SL, Gemicioglu T, Berezutskaya J, et al (2025)

Master classes of the tenth international brain-computer interface meeting: showcasing the research of BCI trainees.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

The Tenth International Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Meeting was held June 6-9, 2023 in the Sonian Forest in Brussels, Belgium. At that meeting, 21 master classes, organized by the BCI Society' s Postdoc & Student Committee, supported the Society' s goal of fostering learning opportunities and meaningful interactions for trainees in BCI-related fields. Master classes provide an informal environment where senior researchers can give constructive feedback to the trainee on their chosen and specific pursuit. The topics of the master classes span the whole gamut of BCI research and techniques. These include data acquisition, neural decoding and analysis, invasive and noninvasive stimulation, and ethical and transitional considerations. Additionally, master classes spotlight innovations in BCI research. Herein, we discuss what was presented within the master classes by highlighting each trainee and expert researcher, providing relevant background information and results from each presentation, and summarizing discussion and references for further study. .

RevDate: 2025-02-06

Bakas S, Ludwig S, Adamos DA, et al (2025)

Latent alignment in deep learning models for EEG decoding.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) face a significant challenge due to variability in EEG signals across individuals. While recent approaches have focused on standardizing input signal distributions, we propose that aligning distributions in the deep learning model's feature space is more effective for classification. Approach: We introduce the Latent Alignment method, which won the Benchmarks for EEG Transfer Learning (BEETL) competition. This method can be formulated as a deep set architecture applied to trials from a given subject, introducing deep sets to EEG decoding for the first time. We compare Latent Alignment to recent statistical domain adaptation techniques, carefully considering class-discriminative artifacts and the impact of class distributions on classification performance. Main Results: Our experiments across motor imagery, sleep stage classification, and P300 event-related potential tasks validate Latent Alignment's effectiveness. We identify a trade-off between improved classification accuracy when alignment is performed at later modeling stages and increased susceptibility to class imbalance in the trial set used for statistical computation. Significance: Latent Alignment offers consistent improvements to subject-independent deep learning models for EEG decoding when relevant practical considerations are addressed. This work advances our understanding of statistical alignment techniques in EEG decoding and provides insights for their effective implementation in real-world BCI applications, potentially facilitating broader use of BCIs in healthcare, assistive technologies, and beyond. The model code is available at https://github.com/StylianosBakas/LatentAlignment.

RevDate: 2025-02-06

Ma Q, Tian JL, Lou Y, et al (2025)

Oligodendrocytes drive neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease via the prosaposin-GPR37-IL-6 axis.

Cell reports, 44(2):115266 pii:S2211-1247(25)00037-3 [Epub ahead of print].

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease and is difficult to treat due to its elusive mechanisms. Recent studies have identified a striking association between oligodendrocytes and PD progression, yet how oligodendrocytes regulate the pathogenesis of PD is still unknown. Here, we show that G-protein-coupled receptor 37 (GPR37) is upregulated in oligodendrocytes of the substantia nigra and that prosaposin (PSAP) secretion is increased in parkinsonian mice. The released PSAP can induce interleukin (IL)-6 upregulation and secretion from oligodendrocytes via a GPR37-dependent pathway, resulting in enhanced neuroinflammation, dopamine neuron degeneration, and behavioral deficits. GPR37 deficiency in oligodendrocytes prevents neurodegeneration in multiple PD models. Finally, the hallmarks of the PSAP-GPR37-IL-6 axis are observed in patients with PD. Thus, our results reveal that dopaminergic neurons interact with oligodendrocytes via secreted PSAP, and our findings identify the PSAP-GPR37-IL-6 axis as a driver of PD pathogenesis and a potential therapeutic target that might alleviate PD progression in patients.

RevDate: 2025-02-06

Chen P, Zhang B, He E, et al (2025)

Towards scalable memristive hardware for spiking neural networks.

Materials horizons [Epub ahead of print].

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) represent a promising frontier in artificial intelligence (AI), offering event-driven, energy-efficient computation that mimics rich neural dynamics in the brain. However, running large-scale SNNs on mainstream computing hardware faces significant challenges to efficiently emulate these dynamical processes using synchronized and logical chips. Memristor based systems have recently demonstrated great potential for AI acceleration, sparking speculations and explorations of using these emerging devices for SNN tasks. This paper reviews the promises and challenges of memristive devices in SNN implementations, and our discussions are focused on the scaling and integration of neuronal and synaptic devices. We survey recent progress in device and circuit development, discuss possible pathways for chip-level integration, and finally probe into hardware-oriented algorithm designs. This review offers a system-level perspective on implementing scalable memristor based SNN platforms.

RevDate: 2025-02-06

Huang Z, Mei T, Zhu X, et al (2025)

Ionic Device: From Neuromorphic Computing to Interfacing with the Brain.

Chemistry, an Asian journal [Epub ahead of print].

In living organisms, the modulation of ion conductivity in ion channels of neuron cells enables intelligent behaviors, such as generating, transmitting, and storing neural signals. Drawing inspiration from these natural processes, researchers have fabricated ionic devices that replicate the functions of the nervous system. However, this field remains in its infancy, necessitating extensive foundational research in ionic device preparation, algorithm development, and biological interaction. This review summarizes recently developed neuromorphic ionic devices into three categories based on the materials states: liquid, semi-solid, and solid. The neural network algorithms embedded in these devices for neuromorphic computing are introduced, and future directions for the development of bidirectional human-computer interaction and hybrid human-computer intelligence are discussed.

RevDate: 2025-02-06

Wu X, Chu Y, Li Q, et al (2025)

AMEEGNet: attention-based multiscale EEGNet for effective motor imagery EEG decoding.

Frontiers in neurorobotics, 19:1540033.

Recently, electroencephalogram (EEG) based on motor imagery (MI) have gained significant traction in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, particularly for the rehabilitation of paralyzed patients. But the low signal-to-noise ratio of MI EEG makes it difficult to decode effectively and hinders the development of BCI. In this paper, a method of attention-based multiscale EEGNet (AMEEGNet) was proposed to improve the decoding performance of MI-EEG. First, three parallel EEGNets with fusion transmission method were employed to extract the high-quality temporal-spatial feature of EEG data from multiple scales. Then, the efficient channel attention (ECA) module enhances the acquisition of more discriminative spatial features through a lightweight approach that weights critical channels. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed model achieves decoding accuracies of 81.17, 89.83, and 95.49% on BCI-2a, 2b and HGD datasets. The results show that the proposed AMEEGNet effectively decodes temporal-spatial features, providing a novel perspective on MI-EEG decoding and advancing future BCI applications.

RevDate: 2025-02-05

Li X, Wei W, Qian L, et al (2025)

Individualized prediction of multi-domain intelligence quotient in bipolar disorder patients using resting-state functional connectivity.

Brain research bulletin pii:S0361-9230(25)00050-4 [Epub ahead of print].

BACKGROUND: Although accumulating studies have explored the neural underpinnings of intelligence quotient (IQ) in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), these studies utilized a classification/comparison scheme that emphasized differences between BD and healthy controls at a group level. The present study aimed to infer BD patients' IQ scores at the individual level using a prediction model.

METHODS: We applied a cross-validated Connectome-based Predictive Modeling (CPM) framework using resting-state fMRI functional connectivity (FCs) to predict BD patients' IQ scores, including Verbal IQ (VIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ), and Full-Scale IQ (FSIQ). For each IQ domain, we selected the FCs that contributed to the predictions and described their distribution across eight widely-recognized functional networks. Moreover, we further explored the overlapping patterns of the contributed FCs for different IQ domains.

RESULTS: The CPM achieved statistically significant prediction performance for three IQ domains in BD patients. Regarding the contributed FCs, we observed a widespread distribution of internetwork FCs across somatomotor visual, dorsal attention, and ventral attention networks, demonstrating their correspondence with aberrant FCs correlated to cognition deficits in BD patients. A convergent pattern in terms of contributed FCs for different IQ domains was observed, as evidenced by the shared-FCs with a leftward hemispheric dominance.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study preliminarily explored the feasibility of inferring individual IQ scores in BD patients using the FCs-based CPM framework. It is a step toward the development of applicable techniques for quantitative and objective cognitive assessment in BD patients and contributes novel insights into understanding the complex neural mechanisms underlying different IQ domains.

RevDate: 2025-02-05
CmpDate: 2025-02-05

Xiao Y, Liu Y, Zhang B, et al (2025)

Bio-plausible reconfigurable spiking neuron for neuromorphic computing.

Science advances, 11(6):eadr6733.

Biological neurons use diverse temporal expressions of spikes to achieve efficient communication and modulation of neural activities. Nonetheless, existing neuromorphic computing systems mainly use simplified neuron models with limited spiking behaviors due to high cost of emulating these biological spike patterns. Here, we propose a compact reconfigurable neuron design using the intrinsic dynamics of a NbO2-based spiking unit and excellent tunability in an electrochemical memory (ECRAM) to emulate the fast-slow dynamics in a bio-plausible neuron. The resistance of the ECRAM was effective in tuning the temporal dynamics of the membrane potential, contributing to flexible reconfiguration of various bio-plausible firing modes, such as phasic and burst spiking, and exhibiting adaptive spiking behaviors in changing environment. We used the bio-plausible neuron model to build spiking neural networks with bursting neurons and demonstrated improved classification accuracies over simplified models, showing great promises for use in more bio-plausible neuromorphic computing systems.

RevDate: 2025-02-05

El-Osta A, Al Ammouri M, Khan S, et al (2025)

Community perspectives regarding brain-computer interfaces: A cross-sectional study of community-dwelling adults in the UK.

PLOS digital health, 4(2):e0000524 pii:PDIG-D-24-00179.

BACKGROUND: Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) represent a ground-breaking advancement in neuroscience, facilitating direct communication between the brain and external devices. This technology has the potential to significantly improve the lives of individuals with neurological disorders by providing innovative solutions for rehabilitation, communication and personal autonomy. However, despite the rapid progress in BCI technology and social media discussions around Neuralink, public perceptions and ethical considerations concerning BCIs-particularly within community settings in the UK-have not been thoroughly investigated.

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study was to investigate public knowledge, attitudes and perceptions regarding BCIs including ethical considerations. The study also explored whether demographic factors were related to beliefs about BCIs increasing inequalities, support for strict regulations, and perceptions of appropriate fields for BCI design, testing and utilization in healthcare.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 1 December 2023 and 8 March 2024. The survey included 29 structured questions covering demographics, awareness of BCIs, ethical considerations and willingness to use BCIs for various applications. The survey was distributed via the Imperial College Qualtrics platform. Participants were recruited primarily through Prolific Academic's panel and personal networks. Data analysis involved summarizing responses using frequencies and percentages, with chi-squared tests to compare groups. All data were securely stored and pseudo-anonymized to ensure confidentiality.

RESULTS: Of the 950 invited respondents, 846 participated and 806 completed the survey. The demographic profile was diverse, with most respondents aged 36-45 years (26%) balanced in gender (52% female), and predominantly identifying as White (86%). Most respondents (98%) had never used BCIs, and 65% were unaware of them prior to the survey. Preferences for BCI types varied by condition. Ethical concerns were prevalent, particularly regarding implantation risks (98%) and costs (92%). Significant associations were observed between demographic variables and perceptions of BCIs regarding inequalities, regulation and their application in healthcare. Conclusion: Despite strong interest in BCIs, particularly for medical applications, ethical concerns, safety and privacy issues remain significant highlighting the need for clear regulatory frameworks and ethical guidelines, as well as educational initiatives to improve public understanding and trust. Promoting public discourse and involving stakeholders including potential users, ethicists and technologists in the design process through co-design principles can help align technological development with public concerns whilst also helping developers to proactively address ethical dilemmas.

RevDate: 2025-02-05

Liu X, Zhi H, Czosnyka M, et al (2025)

Advancing Hydrocephalus Management: Pathogenesis Insights, Therapeutic Innovations, and Emerging Challenges.

Aging and disease pii:AD.2024.1434 [Epub ahead of print].

Hydrocephalus is a prevalent neurological disorder, particularly impactful in older adults, characterized by high incidence and numerous complications that impose a significant burden on healthcare systems. This review aims to provide a comprehensive description of hydrocephalus pathogenesis, focusing on cellular and molecular insights derived from animal models. We also present the latest advances in hydrocephalus research and highlight potential therapeutic targets. Lastly, the review advocates the integration of findings from both animal and human studies to achieve better outcomes and examines the potential of emerging technologies. We wish to raise public attention about this disease in an aging society. Current animal models for hydrocephalus involve acquired hydrocephalus models and genetic/congenital hydrocephalus models. Studies from animals have shown that the main mechanisms of models can be broadly classified into nine types. A variety of drug-targeted therapy methods and non-surgical treatment methods have been used in clinical practice. But current treatment approaches primarily focus on symptomatic relief and intracranial pressure control rather than addressing the underlying pathological mechanisms. We call for the development of more accurate and representative animal models to achieve better outcomes and examine the potential of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and neuroimaging. In summary, this review synthesizes recent findings in hydrocephalus research, identifies promising therapeutic targets and interventions, and critically evaluates the limitations of current research paradigms, aiming to align preclinical studies with clinical endpoints. Continued studies and multidisciplinary collaboration are essential to develop effective interventions and facilitate new treatments into bedside.

RevDate: 2025-02-04

Liu B, Wang Y, Gao L, et al (2025)

Enhanced electroencephalogram signal classification: A hybrid convolutional neural network with attention-based feature selection.

Brain research pii:S0006-8993(25)00042-3 [Epub ahead of print].

Accurate recognition and classification of motor imagery electroencephalogram (MI-EEG) signals are crucial for the successful implementation of brain-computer interfaces (BCI). However, inherent characteristics in original MI-EEG signals, such as nonlinearity, low signal-to-noise ratios, and large individual variations, present significant challenges for MI-EEG classification using traditional machine learning methods. To address these challenges, we propose an automatic feature extraction method rooted in deep learning for MI-EEG classification. First, original MI-EEG signals undergo noise reduction through discrete wavelet transform and common average reference. To reflect the regularity and specificity of brain neural activities, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is used to extract the time-domain features of MI-EEG. We also extracted spatial features to reflect the activity relationships and connection states of the brain in different regions. This process yields time series containing spatial information, focusing on enhancing crucial feature sequences through talking-heads attention. Finally, more abstract spatial-temporal features are extracted using a temporal convolutional network (TCN), and classification is done through a fully connected layer. Validation experiments based on the BCI Competition IV-2a dataset show that the enhanced EEG model achieves an impressive average classification accuracy of 85.53% for each subject. Compared with CNN, EEGNet, CNN-LSTM and EEG-TCNet, the classification accuracy of this model is improved by 11.24%, 6.90%, 11.18% and 6.13%, respectively. Our work underscores the potential of the proposed model to enhance intention recognition in MI-EEG significantly.

RevDate: 2025-02-04
CmpDate: 2025-02-04

Shi CY, Zhang HT, Z Tang (2025)

Large-sized trees regulating the structural diversity-productivity relationships through shaping different productive processes in a tropical forest.

Proceedings. Biological sciences, 292(2040):20242202.

Forest structural diversity, a measurement indicating the spatial and size distribution of individual trees, is critical for forest productivity, which stems from the combination of different ecological processes, such as tree mortality, recruitment and growth. Here, we evaluated the relationship between structural diversity and productivity caused by different ecological processes, and tested the roles of different-sized trees in influencing this relationship in a Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) rainforest site on the Barro Colorado Island between 2000 and 2015. Generally, we found a negative relationship between structural diversity and forest productivity. Specifically, tree mortality-induced productivity loss increased, while tree recruitment-induced productivity gain decreased, with structural diversity. In addition, the structural diversity-productivity relationship varied with tree size, which was negative for small trees but positive for large trees. Furthermore, we revealed the important role of large-sized trees, which significantly promoted structural diversity but decreased productivity through increasing biomass loss. By disentangling the components of productivity, our results provide insights on the mechanism of the relationship between structural diversity and productivity, and highlight the role of large trees in shaping this relationship.

RevDate: 2025-02-04
CmpDate: 2025-02-04

Wang J, Luo Y, Wang H, et al (2025)

FLANet: A multiscale temporal convolution and spatial-spectral attention network for EEG artifact removal with adversarial training.

Journal of neural engineering, 22(1):.

Objective.Denoising artifacts, such as noise from muscle or cardiac activity, is a crucial and ubiquitous concern in neurophysiological signal processing, particularly for enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio in electroencephalograph (EEG) analysis. Novel methods based on deep learning demonstrate a notably prominent effect compared to traditional denoising approaches. However, those still suffer from certain limitations. Some methods often neglect the multi-domain characteristics of the artifact signal. Even among those that do consider these, there are deficiencies in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and computation cost.Approach.In this study, we propose a multiscale temporal convolution and spatial-spectral attention network with adversarial training for automatically filtering artifacts, named filter artifacts network (FLANet). The multiscale convolution module can extract sufficient temporal information and the spatial-spectral attention network can extract not only non-local similarity but also spectral dependencies. To make data denoising more efficient and accurate, we adopt adversarial training with novel loss functions to generate outputs that are closer to pure signals.Main results.The results show that the method proposed in this paper achieves great performance in artifact removal and valid information preservation on EEG signals contaminated by different types of artifacts. This approach enables a more optimal trade-off between denoising efficacy and computational overhead.Significance.The proposed artifact removal framework facilitates the implementation of an efficient denoising method, contributing to the advancement of neural analysis and neural engineering, and can be expected to be applied to clinical research and to realize novel human-computer interaction systems.

RevDate: 2025-02-03
CmpDate: 2025-02-04

Wang S, Ma R, Gao C, et al (2025)

Unraveling the function of TSC1-TSC2 complex: implications for stem cell fate.

Stem cell research & therapy, 16(1):38.

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, affecting multiple systems. These genes produce proteins that regulate mTORC1 activity, essential for cell function and metabolism. While mTOR inhibitors have advanced treatment, maintaining long-term therapeutic success is still challenging. For over 20 years, significant progress has linked TSC1 or TSC2 gene mutations in stem cells to tuberous sclerosis complex symptoms.

METHODS: A comprehensive review was conducted using databases like Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct, with search terms such as "tuberous sclerosis complex," "TSC1," "TSC2," "stem cell," "proliferation," and "differentiation." Relevant literature was thoroughly analyzed and summarized to present an updated analysis of the TSC1-TSC2 complex's role in stem cell fate determination and its implications for tuberous sclerosis complex.

RESULTS: The TSC1-TSC2 complex plays a crucial role in various stem cells, such as neural, germline, nephron progenitor, intestinal, hematopoietic, and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, primarily through the mTOR signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS: This review aims shed light on the role of the TSC1-TSC2 complex in stem cell fate, its impact on health and disease, and potential new treatments for tuberous sclerosis complex.

RevDate: 2025-02-04

Andre V, Abdel-Mottaleb M, Shotbolt M, et al (2025)

Foundational insights for theranostic applications of magnetoelectric nanoparticles.

Nanoscale horizons [Epub ahead of print].

Reviewing emerging biomedical applications of MagnetoElectric NanoParticles (MENPs), this paper presents basic physics considerations to help understand the possibility of future theranostic applications. Currently emerging applications include wireless non-surgical neural modulation and recording, functional brain mapping, high-specificity cell electroporation for targeted cancer therapies, targeted drug delivery, early screening and diagnostics, and others. Using an ab initio analysis, each application is discussed from the perspective of its fundamental limitations. Furthermore, the review identifies the most eminent challenges and offers potential engineering solutions on the pathway to implement each application and combine the therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities of the nanoparticles.

RevDate: 2025-02-03
CmpDate: 2025-02-03

Derosiere G, Shokur S, P Vassiliadis (2025)

Reward signals in the motor cortex: from biology to neurotechnology.

Nature communications, 16(1):1307.

Over the past decade, research has shown that the primary motor cortex (M1), the brain's main output for movement, also responds to rewards. These reward signals may shape motor output in its final stages, influencing movement invigoration and motor learning. In this Perspective, we highlight the functional roles of M1 reward signals and propose how they could guide advances in neurotechnologies for movement restoration, specifically brain-computer interfaces and non-invasive brain stimulation. Understanding M1 reward signals may open new avenues for enhancing motor control and rehabilitation.

RevDate: 2025-02-03

Gusman JT, Hosman T, Crawford R, et al (2025)

Multi-gesture drag-and-drop decoding in a 2D iBCI control task.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

OBJECTIVE: Intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) have demonstrated the ability to enable point and click as well as reach and grasp control for people with tetraplegia. However, few studies have investigated iBCIs during long-duration discrete movements that would enable common computer interactions such as "click-and-hold" or "drag-and-drop".

APPROACH: Here, we examined the performance of multi-class and binary (attempt/no-attempt) classification of neural activity in the left precentral gyrus of two BrainGate2 clinical trial participants performing hand gestures for 1, 2, and 4 seconds in duration. We then designed a novel "latch decoder" that utilizes parallel multi-class and binary decoding processes and evaluated its performance on data from isolated sustained gesture attempts and a multi-gesture drag-and-drop task.

MAIN RESULTS: Neural activity during sustained gestures revealed a marked decrease in the discriminability of hand gestures sustained beyond 1 second. Compared to standard direct decoding methods, the latch decoder demonstrated substantial improvement in decoding accuracy for gestures performed independently or in conjunction with simultaneous 2D cursor control.

SIGNIFICANCE: This work highlights the unique neurophysiologic response patterns of sustained gesture attempts in human motor cortex and demonstrates a promising decoding approach that could enable individuals with tetraplegia to intuitively control a wider range of consumer electronics using an iBCI.

RevDate: 2025-02-03
CmpDate: 2025-02-03

Chandravadia N, Pendekanti S, Roberts D, et al (2025)

Comparing P300 flashing paradigms in online typing with language models.

PloS one, 20(2):e0303390 pii:PONE-D-22-19793.

The P300 Speller is a brain-computer interface system that allows victims of motor neuron diseases to regain the ability to communicate by typing characters into a computer by thought. Since the system has a relatively slow typing speed, different stimulus presentation paradigms have been proposed designed to allow users to input information faster by reducing the number of required stimuli or increase signal fidelity. This study compares the typing speeds of the Row-Column, Checkerboard, and Combinatorial Paradigms to examine how their performance compares in online and offline settings. When the different flashing patterns were tested in conjunction with other established optimization techniques such as language models and dynamic stopping, they did not make a significant impact on P300 speller performance. This result could indicate that further performance improvements on the system lie beyond optimizing flashing patterns.

RevDate: 2025-02-03
CmpDate: 2025-02-03

Perkins SM, Amematsro EA, Cunningham J, et al (2025)

An emerging view of neural geometry in motor cortex supports high-performance decoding.

eLife, 12: pii:89421.

Decoders for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) assume constraints on neural activity, chosen to reflect scientific beliefs while yielding tractable computations. Recent scientific advances suggest that the true constraints on neural activity, especially its geometry, may be quite different from those assumed by most decoders. We designed a decoder, MINT, to embrace statistical constraints that are potentially more appropriate. If those constraints are accurate, MINT should outperform standard methods that explicitly make different assumptions. Additionally, MINT should be competitive with expressive machine learning methods that can implicitly learn constraints from data. MINT performed well across tasks, suggesting its assumptions are well-matched to the data. MINT outperformed other interpretable methods in every comparison we made. MINT outperformed expressive machine learning methods in 37 of 42 comparisons. MINT's computations are simple, scale favorably with increasing neuron counts, and yield interpretable quantities such as data likelihoods. MINT's performance and simplicity suggest it may be a strong candidate for many BCI applications.

RevDate: 2025-02-03

Angulo IN, Iáñez E, A Ubeda (2025)

Editorial: Recent applications of noninvasive physiological signals and artificial intelligence.

Frontiers in neuroinformatics, 19:1543103.

RevDate: 2025-02-03

Sarikaya MA, G Ince (2025)

Improved BCI calibration in multimodal emotion recognition using heterogeneous adversarial transfer learning.

PeerJ. Computer science, 11:e2649.

The use of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to identify emotional states has gained significant interest, especially with the rise of virtual reality (VR) applications. However, the extensive calibration required for precise emotion recognition models presents a significant challenge, particularly for sensitive groups such as children, elderly, and patients. This study presents a novel approach that utilizes heterogeneous adversarial transfer learning (HATL) to synthesize electroencephalography (EEG) data from various other signal modalities, reducing the need for lengthy calibration phases. We benchmark the efficacy of three generative adversarial network (GAN) architectures, such as conditional GAN (CGAN), conditional Wasserstein GAN (CWGAN), and CWGAN with gradient penalty (CWGAN-GP) within this framework. The proposed framework is rigorously tested on two conventional open sourced datasets, SEED-V and DEAP. Additionally, the framework was applied to an immersive three-dimensional (3D) dataset named GraffitiVR, which we collected to capture the emotional and behavioral reactions of individuals experiencing urban graffiti in a VR environment. This expanded application provides insights into emotion recognition frameworks in VR settings, providing a wider range of contexts for assessing our methodology. When the accuracy of emotion recognition classifiers trained with CWGAN-GP-generated EEG data combined with non-EEG sensory data was compared against those trained using a combination of real EEG and non-EEG sensory data, the accuracy ratios were 93% on the SEED-V dataset, 99% on the DEAP dataset, and 97% on the GraffitiVR dataset. Moreover, in the GraffitiVR dataset, using CWGAN-GP-generated EEG data with non-EEG sensory data for emotion recognition models resulted in up to a 30% reduction in calibration time compared to classifiers trained on real EEG data with non-EEG sensory data. These results underscore the robustness and versatility of the proposed approach, significantly enhancing emotion recognition processes across a variety of environmental settings.

RevDate: 2025-01-31

Ouchi T, Scholl LR, Rajeswaran P, et al (2025)

Mapping eye, arm, and reward information in frontal motor cortices using electrocorticography in non-human primates.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience pii:JNEUROSCI.1536-24.2025 [Epub ahead of print].

Goal-directed reaches give rise to dynamic neural activity across the brain as we move our eyes and arms, and process outcomes. High spatiotemporal resolution mapping of multiple cortical areas will improve our understanding of how these neural computations are spatially and temporally distributed across the brain. In this study, we used micro-electrocorticography (µECoG) recordings in two male monkeys performing visually guided reaches to map information related to eye movements, arm movements, and receiving rewards over primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, frontal eye field, and dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex. Time-frequency and decoding analyses revealed that eye and arm movement information shifts across brain regions during a reach, likely reflecting shifts from planning to execution. Although eye and arm movement temporally overlapped, phase clustering analyses enabled us to resolve differences in eye and arm information across brain regions. This analysis revealed that eye and arm information spatially overlapped in motor cortex, which we further confirmed by demonstrating that arm movement decoding performance from motor cortex activity was impacted by task-irrelevant eye movements. Phase clustering analyses also identified reward-related activity in the pre-frontal and premotor cortex. Our results demonstrate µECoG's strengths for functional mapping and provide further detail on the spatial distribution of eye, arm, and reward information processing distributed across frontal cortices during reaching. These insights advance our understanding of the overlapping neural computations underlying coordinated movements and reveal opportunities to leverage these signals to enhance future brain-computer interfaces.Significance statement Picking up your coffee mug requires coordinating movements of your eyes and hand and processing the outcomes of those movements. Mapping how neural activity relates to different functions helps us understand how the brain performs these computations. Many mapping techniques have limited spatial or temporal resolution, restricting our ability to dissect computations that overlap closely in space and time. We used micro-electrocorticography recordings to map neural activity across multiple cortical areas while monkeys made goal-directed reaches. These measurements revealed high spatial and temporal resolution maps of neural activity related to eye, arm, and reward information processing. These maps reveal overlapping neural computations underlying movement and open opportunities to use eye and reward information to improve therapies to restore motor function.

RevDate: 2025-01-31

Li D, Huang Y, Luo R, et al (2025)

Enhancing detection of SSVEPs using discriminant compacted network.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

UNLABELLED: Abstract-Objective. Steady-state visual evoked potential-based brain-computer interfaces (SSVEP-BCIs) have gained significant attention due to their simplicity, high signal to noise ratio (SNR) and high information transfer rates (ITRs). Currently, accurate detection is a critical issue for enhancing the performance of SSVEP-BCI systems.

APPROACH: This study proposed a novel decoding method called Discriminant Compacted Network (Dis-ComNet), which exploited the advantages of both spatial filtering and deep learning. Specifically, this study enhanced SSVEP features using Global template alignment (GTA) and Discriminant Spatial Pattern (DSP), and then designed a Compacted Temporal-Spatio module (CTSM) to extract finer features. The proposed method was evaluated on a self-collected high-frequency dataset, a public Benchmark dataset and a public wearable dataset.

MAIN RESULTS: The results showed that Dis-ComNet significantly outperformed state-of-the-art spatial filtering methods, deep learning methods, and other fusion methods. Remarkably, Dis-ComNet improved the classification accuracy by 3.9%, 3.5%, 3.2%, 13.3%, 17.4%, 37.5%, and 2.5% when comparing with eTRCA, eTRCA-R, TDCA, DNN, EEGnet, Ensemble-DNN, and TRCA-Net respectively in the high-frequency dataset. The achieved results were 4.7%, 4.6%, 23.6%, 52.5%, 31.7%, and 7.0% higher than those of eTRCA, eTRCA-R, DNN, EEGnet, Ensemble-DNN, and TRCA-Net, respectively, and were comparable to those of TDCA in Benchmark dataset.The accuracy of Dis-ComNet in the wearable dataset was 9.5%, 7.1%, 36.1%, 26.3%, 15.7% and 4.7% higher than eTRCA, eTRCA-R, DNN, EEGnet, Ensemble-DNN, and TRCA-Net respectively, and comparable to TDCA. Besides, our model achieved the ITRs up to 126.0 bits/min, 236.4 bits/min and 103.6 bits/min in the high-frequency, Benchmark and the wearable datasets respectively.

SIGNIFICANCE: This study develops an effective model for the detection of SSVEPs, facilitating the development of high accuracy SSVEP-BCI systems.

RevDate: 2025-01-31

Li Z, Liang C, He Q, et al (2025)

Comparison of water exchange measurements between filter-exchange imaging and diffusion time-dependent kurtosis imaging in the human brain.

Magnetic resonance in medicine [Epub ahead of print].

PURPOSE: Filter-exchange imaging (FEXI) and diffusion time (t)-dependent kurtosis imaging (DKI(t)) are two diffusion-based methods that have been proposed for in vivo measurements of water exchange rates. Few studies have directly compared these methods. We aimed to investigate whether FEXI and DKI(t) yield comparable water exchange measurements in the human brain in vivo.

METHODS: Eight healthy volunteers underwent multiple-direction FEXI and DKI(t) acquisitions on a 3T scanner. We performed region of interest (ROI) analysis to determine correlations between FEXI-derived apparent exchange rate (AXR) and DKI(t)-derived reciprocal of exchange time (1 / τ ex $$ 1/{\tau}_{ex} $$).

RESULTS: In both white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM), DKI(t) revealed substantial diffusion-time dependence of diffusivity and kurtosis. However, at t ≥ 100 ms, the diffusivity showed weak time dependence. In WM, this time dependence may be due to water exchange between myelin water and "free" water with different T1 values, although other factors, such as remaining restrictive effects from microstructural barriers, cannot be excluded. We found a significant correlation between DKI(t)-derived 1 / τ ex $$ 1/{\tau}_{ex} $$ and FEXI-derived AXR in the axial direction within WM. No such correlation was present in GM, although both values showed similar ranges.

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that FEXI and DKI(t) could be sensitive to the same water exchange process only when the diffusion time in DKI(t) is sufficiently long, and only in WM. In both GM and WM, the restrictive effect of microstructure is non-negligible, especially at short diffusion times (<100 ms).

RevDate: 2025-01-31

Ali HS, Ismail AI, El-Rabaie EM, et al (2025)

Diagonal loading common spatial patterns with Pearson correlation coefficient based feature selection for efficient motor imagery classification.

Computer methods in biomechanics and biomedical engineering [Epub ahead of print].

The conversion of a person's intentions into device commands through the use of brain-computer interface (BCI) is a feasible communication method for individuals with nervous system disorders. While common spatial pattern (CSP) is commonly used for feature extraction in BCIs, it has limitations. It is known for its susceptibility to noise and tendency to overfit. Moreover, high-dimensional, and irrelevant features can make it harder for a classifier to learn effectively. To address these challenges, exploring potential solutions is crucial. This paper introduces Regularized CSP with diagonal loading (DL-CSP) and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) based feature selection to extract the most discriminative motor imagery EEG (MI-EEG) features. Three classifiers in an ensemble are considered; bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM), K-nearest neighbors (KNN) and naïve Bayes (NB). Decision level fusion through majority voting is exploited to leverage diverse perspectives and increase the overall system robustness. Experiments have been implemented using three publicly available datasets for MI classification; BCI competition IV-IIA (data-1), BCI Competition III-IVa (data-2), and a stroke patients' dataset (data-3). The accuracy achieved, according to the results, is 86.96% for data-1, 91.70% for data-2, and 85.75% for data-3. These percentages outperform the accuracy achieved by any state-of-the-art techniques.

RevDate: 2025-01-31

Huang J, Zhang L, Shao N, et al (2025)

Lipid Metabolic Heterogeneity during Early Embryogenesis Revealed by Hyper-3D Stimulated Raman Imaging.

Chemical & biomedical imaging, 3(1):15-24.

Studying embryogenesis is fundamental to understanding developmental biology and reproductive medicine. Its process requires precise spatiotemporal regulations in which lipid metabolism plays a crucial role. However, the spatial dynamics of lipid species at the subcellular level remains obscure due to technical limitations. To address this challenge, we developed a hyperspectral 3D imaging and analysis method based on stimulated Raman scattering microscopy (hyper-3D SRS) to quantitatively assess lipid profiles in individual embryos through submicrometer resolution (x-y), 3D optical sectioning (z), and chemical bond-selective (Ω) imaging. Using hyper-3D SRS, individual lipid droplets (LDs) in single cells were identified and quantified. Our findings revealed that the LD profiles within a single embryo are not uniform, even as early as the 2-cell stage. Notably, we also discovered a dynamic relationship between the LD size and unsaturation degree as embryos develop, indicating diverse lipid metabolism during early development. Furthermore, abnormal LDs were observed in oocytes of a progeria mouse model, suggesting that LDs could serve as a potential biomarker for assessing oocyte/embryo quality. Overall, our results highlight the potential of hyper-3D SRS as a noninvasive method for studying lipid content, composition, and subcellular distribution in embryos. This technique provides valuable insights into lipid metabolism during embryonic development and has the potential for clinical applications in evaluating oocyte/embryo quality.

RevDate: 2025-01-31

Murthy V, Kashid SR, Pal M, et al (2024)

Prospective comparative study of quality of life in patients with bladder cancer undergoing cystectomy with ileal conduit or bladder preservation.

BMJ oncology, 3(1):e000435.

OBJECTIVE: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients undergoing radical cystectomy with ileal conduit (RC) or bladder preservation (BP) with (chemo)radiotherapy for bladder cancer.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Patients with bladder cancer, stage cT1-T4, cN0-N1, M0 with a minimum follow-up of 6 months from curative treatment (RC or BP) and without disease were eligible for inclusion. Two HRQOL instruments were administered: Bladder Cancer Index (BCI) for bladder cancer-specific HRQOL and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30). The mean QOL scores across various domains and specific questions were compared between the two treatment groups using an independent t-test.

RESULTS: Out of the 104 enrolled patients, 56 underwent RC and 48 opted for BP, with 95 (91.3%) being male. The median time from treatment completion to QOL assessment was 22 months (IQR 10-56). The median age for the entire cohort was 62 years (IQR 55-68), 65.5 years (IQR 55-71) in BP and 59.5 years (IQR 55-66) in RC. There was no significant difference in mean BCI urinary and bowel scores in function or bother subdomains between the two groups. Overall, BCI sexual scores were low in both groups but significantly better after BP (BPmean 56.9, RCmean 41.5, p=0.01). Mean scores for sexual function subdomain were BPmean 38.4 and RCmean 25 (p=0.07) and for sexual bother were BPmean 81 RCmean 62 (p=0.02). The EORTC QLQ-C30 outcomes did not show a significant difference in either group.

CONCLUSION: The BP group showed significantly better results in the sexual domain compared with the RC group. Both groups had good QOL in terms of urinary and bowel functions.

RevDate: 2025-01-30

Tortolani AF, Kunigk NG, Sobinov AR, et al (2025)

How different immersive environments affect intracortical brain computer interfaces.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

OBJECTIVE: As brain-computer interface (BCI) research advances, many new applications are being developed. Tasks can be performed in different virtual environments, and whether a BCI user can switch environments seamlessly will influence the ultimate utility of a clinical device. Approach: Here we investigate the importance of the immersiveness of the virtual environment used to train BCI decoders on the resulting decoder and its generalizability between environments. Two participants who had intracortical electrodes implanted in their precentral gyrus used a BCI to control a virtual arm, both viewed immersively through virtual reality goggles and at a distance on a flat television monitor. Main Results: Each participant performed better with a decoder trained and tested in the environment they had used the most prior to the study, one for each environment type. The neural tuning to the desired movement was minimally influenced by the immersiveness of the environment. Finally, in further testing with one of the participants, we found that decoders trained in one environment generalized well to the other environment, but the order in which the environments were experienced within a session mattered.

SIGNIFICANCE: Overall, experience with an environment was more influential on performance than the immersiveness of the environment, but BCI performance generalized well after accounting for experience. .

RevDate: 2025-01-31

Ju J, Feleke AG, Luo L, et al (2022)

Recognition of Drivers' Hard and Soft Braking Intentions Based on Hybrid Brain-Computer Interfaces.

Cyborg and bionic systems (Washington, D.C.), 2022:9847652.

In this paper, we propose simultaneous and sequential hybrid brain-computer interfaces (hBCIs) that incorporate electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) signals to classify drivers' hard braking, soft braking, and normal driving intentions to better assist driving for the first time. The simultaneous hBCIs adopt a feature-level fusion strategy (hBCI-FL) and classifier-level fusion strategies (hBCIs-CL). The sequential hBCIs include the hBCI-SE1, where EEG signals are prioritized to detect hard braking, and hBCI-SE2, where EMG signals are prioritized to detect hard braking. Experimental results show that the proposed hBCI-SE1 with spectral features and the one-vs-rest classification strategy performs best with an average system accuracy of 96.37% among hBCIs. This work is valuable for developing human-centric intelligent assistant driving systems to improve driving safety and driving comfort and promote the application of BCIs.

RevDate: 2025-01-30

Lutes N, Nadendla VSS, K Krishnamurthy (2025)

Few-shot transfer learning for individualized braking intent detection on neuromorphic hardware.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

This work explores use of a few-shot transfer learning method to train and implement a convolutional spiking neural network (CSNN) on a BrainChip Akida AKD1000 neuromorphic system-on-chip for developing individual-level, instead of traditionally used group-level, models using electroencephalographic data. The efficacy of the method is studied on an advanced driver assist system related task of predicting braking intention. \emph{Approach}: Data are collected from participants operating an NVIDIA JetBot on a testbed simulating urban streets for three different scenarios. Participants receive a braking indicator in the form of: 1) an audio countdown in a nominal baseline, stress-free environment; 2) an audio countdown in an environment with added elements of physical fatigue and active cognitive distraction; 3) a visual cue given through stoplights in a stress-free environment. These datasets are then used to develop individual-level models from group-level models using a few-shot transfer learning method, which involves: 1) creating a group-level model by training a CNN on group-level data followed by quantization and recouping any performance loss using quantization-aware retraining; 2) converting the CNN to be compatible with Akida AKD1000 processor; and 3) training the final decision layer on individual-level data subsets to create individual-customized models using an online Akida edge-learning algorithm. Main Results: Efficacy of the above methodology to develop individual-specific braking intention predictive models by rapidly adapting the group-level model in as few as three training epochs while achieving at least 90\% accuracy, true positive rate and true negative rate is presented. Further, results show the energy-efficiency of the neuromorphic hardware through a power reduction of over 97\% with only a $1.3\times$ increase in latency when using the Akida AKD1000 processor for network inference compared to an Intel Xeon central processing unit. Similar results were obtained in a subsequent ablation study using a subset of five out of 19 channels. Significance: Especially relevant to real-time applications, this work presents an energy-efficient, few-shot transfer learning method that is implemented on a neuromorphic processor capable of training a CSNN as new data becomes available, operating conditions change, or to customize group-level models to yield personalized models unique to each individual.

RevDate: 2025-01-30

Xiong H, Yan Y, Chen Y, et al (2025)

Graph convolution network-based eeg signal analysis: a review.

Medical & biological engineering & computing [Epub ahead of print].

With the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, more and more effective methods are being used to identify and classify Electroencephalography (EEG) signals to address challenges in healthcare and brain-computer interface fields. The applications and major achievements of Graph Convolution Network (GCN) techniques in EEG signal analysis are reviewed in this paper. Through an exhaustive search of the published literature, a module-by-module discussion is carried out for the first time to address the current research status of GCN. An exhaustive classification of methods and a systematic analysis of key modules, such as brain map construction, node feature extraction, and GCN architecture design, are presented. In addition, we pay special attention to several key research issues related to GCN. This review enhances the understanding of the future potential of GCN in the field of EEG signal analysis. At the same time, several valuable development directions are sorted out for researchers in related fields, such as analysing the applicability of different GCN layers, building task-oriented GCN models, and improving adaptation to limited data.

RevDate: 2025-01-30

Ma Y, Huang J, Liu C, et al (2024)

A portable EEG signal acquisition system and a limited-electrode channel classification network for SSVEP.

Frontiers in neurorobotics, 18:1502560.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have garnered significant research attention, yet their complexity has hindered widespread adoption in daily life. Most current electroencephalography (EEG) systems rely on wet electrodes and numerous electrodes to enhance signal quality, making them impractical for everyday use. Portable and wearable devices offer a promising solution, but the limited number of electrodes in specific regions can lead to missing channels and reduced BCI performance. To overcome these challenges and enable better integration of BCI systems with external devices, this study developed an EEG signal acquisition platform (Gaitech BCI) based on the Robot Operating System (ROS) using a 10-channel dry electrode EEG device. Additionally, a multi-scale channel attention selection network based on the Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) module (SEMSCS) is proposed to improve the classification performance of portable BCI devices with limited channels. Steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) data were collected using the developed BCI system to evaluate both the system and network performance. Offline data from ten subjects were analyzed using within-subject and cross-subject experiments, along with ablation studies. The results demonstrated that the SEMSCS model achieved better classification performance than the comparative reference model, even with a limited number of channels. Additionally, the implementation of online experiments offers a rational solution for controlling external devices via BCI.

RevDate: 2025-01-30

Haghi B, Aflalo T, Kellis S, et al (2025)

Author Correction: Enhanced control of a brain-computer interface by tetraplegic participants via neural-network-mediated feature extraction.

RevDate: 2025-01-30
CmpDate: 2025-01-30

Butorova AS, Koryukin EA, Khomenko NM, et al (2024)

Assessment of Accuracy of Spatial Object Localization by Means of Mono and Stereo Modes of Visual-to-Auditory Sensory Substitution in People with Visual Impairments (a Pilot Study).

Sovremennye tekhnologii v meditsine, 16(4):29-36.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the study is to assess the accuracy of spatial object localization in mono and stereo modes of visual-to-auditory sensory substitution by means of the developed system tested on persons with normal or corrected-to-normal vision.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prototype of a visual-to-auditory sensory substitution device based on a video camera with two lenses was prepared. Software to convert the signal from a video camera into an audio signal in mono and stereo modes was developed.To assess the developed system, an experimental study with 30 blindfolded sighted participants was conducted. 15 persons were tested in mono mode, 15 - in stereo mode. All persons were trained to use the visual-to-auditory sensory substitution system. During the experiment, participants were to locate a white plastic cube with dimensions of 4×4×4 cm[3] on a working surface. The researcher placed the cube in one of 20 positions on the working surface in a pseudo-random order.

RESULTS: To assess the accuracy of the cube localization, deviations along the X- and Y-axes and absolute deviations were calculated. The general dynamics of localization accuracy was positive both in mono and stereo modes. Absolute deviation and X-axis deviation were significantly higher in stereo mode; there was no significant difference in Y-axis deviation between modes. On average, participants tended to underestimate the distance to the cube when it was on the left, right, or far side of the working surface, and overestimate the distance to the cube when it was on the near side of the working surface.

CONCLUSION: Tests demonstrated that the accuracy of object localization in stereo mode can be improved by increasing the time for training the participants and by showing them more presentations. The results of the study can be used to develop assistive techniques for people with visual impairments, to manufacture medical equipment, and create brain-computer interfaces.

RevDate: 2025-01-29

Loss J, Betsch C, Ellermann C, et al (2025)

[Not Available].

Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2025-01-29

Badr Y, AlSawaftah N, G Husseini (2025)

User-Centered Design of Neuroprosthetics: Advancements and Limitations.

CNS & neurological disorders drug targets pii:CNSNDDT-EPUB-146218 [Epub ahead of print].

Neurological conditions resulting from severe spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and other traumatic incidents often lead to the loss of essential bodily functions, including sensory and motor capabilities. Traditional prosthetic devices, though standard, have limitations in delivering the required dexterity and functionality. The advent of neuroprosthetics marks a paradigm shift, aiming to bridge the gap between prosthetic devices and the human nervous system. This review paper explores the evolution of neuroprosthetics, categorizing devices into sensory and motor neuroprosthetics and emphasizing their significance in addressing specific challenges. The discussion section delves into long-term challenges in clinical practice, encompassing device durability, ethical considerations, and issues of accessibility and affordability. Furthermore, the paper proposes potential solutions with a specific focus on enhancing sensory experiences and the importance of user-friendly interfaces. In conclusion, this paper offers a comprehensive overview of the current state of neuroprosthetics, outlining future research and development directions to guide advancements in the field.

RevDate: 2025-01-28

Chen S, Jiang D, Li M, et al (2025)

Brain-Computer Interface and Electrochemical Sensor Based on Boron-Nitrogen Co-Doped Graphene-Diamond Microelectrode for EEG and Dopamine Detection.

ACS sensors [Epub ahead of print].

The simultaneous detection of electroencephalography (EEG) signals and neurotransmitter levels plays an important role as biomarkers for the assessment and monitoring of emotions and cognition. This paper describes the development of boron and nitrogen codoped graphene-diamond (BNGrD) microelectrodes with a diameter of only 200 μm for sensing EEG signals and dopamine (DA) levels, which have been developed for the first time. The optimized BNGrD microelectrode responded sensitively to both EEG and DA signals, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 9 dB for spontaneous EEG signals and a limit of detection as low as 124 nM for DA. Furthermore, the BNGrD microelectrodes demonstrate excellent repeatability, reproducibility, and stability for the detection of EEG and dopamine. These results indicate that the BNGrD microelectrode creates suitable conditions for establishing a correlation between the EEG signals and neurotransmitters. A flexible printed circuit board with BNGrD microelectrodes for an eight-channel EEG headband, portable EEG collector, and light stimulation glasses are designed. The self-designed EEG collector adopts a split design strategy of digital and analog signal modules and uses miniaturized impedance-matched BNGrD microelectrodes, which effectively reduce the noise of the electrophysiological signals. The BNGrD microelectrode-based portable EEG/electrochemical analysis system detects EEG signals and DA levels in a noninvasive and minimally invasive manner and has application prospects in remote online diagnosis and treatment of patients with emotional and cognition-related diseases.

RevDate: 2025-01-28

Géraudie A, De Rossi P, Canney M, et al (2025)

Effects of blood-brain barrier opening using ultrasound on tauopathies: A systematic review.

Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society pii:S0168-3659(25)00067-7 [Epub ahead of print].

UNLABELLED: Blood-brain barrier opening with ultrasound can potentiate drug efficacy in the treatment of brain pathologies and also provides therapeutic effects on its own. It is an innovative tool to transiently, repeatedly and safely open the barrier, with studies showing beneficial effects in both preclinical models for Alzheimer's disease and recent clinical studies. The first preclinical and clinical work has mainly shown a decrease in amyloid burden in mice models and in patients. However, Alzheimer's disease pathology also encompasses tauopathy, which is closely related to cognitive decline, making it a crucial therapeutic target. The effects of blood-brain barrier opening with ultrasound have been rarely assessed on tau and are still unclear.

METHODS: This systematic review, conducted through searches using Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Central databases, extracted results of 15 studies reporting effects of blood-brain barrier opening using ultrasound on tau proteins.

RESULTS: This review of the literature indicates that blood-brain barrier opening using ultrasound can decrease the extent of the tau pathology or potentialize the effect of a therapeutic drug. However, selected studies report paradoxically that blood-brain barrier opening can increase tau pathology burden and induce brain damage.

DISCUSSION: Apparent discrepancies between reports could originate from the variability in protocols or analytical methods that may impact the effects of blood-brain barrier opening with ultrasound on tauopathies, glial populations, tissue integrity and functional outcomes.

CONCLUSION: This calls for a better standardization effort combined with improved methodologies allowing between-studies comparisons, and for further understanding of the effects of blood-brain barrier opening on tau pathology as an essential prerequisite before translation to clinic.

RevDate: 2025-01-28
CmpDate: 2025-01-28

Tian F, Liu Y, Chen M, et al (2025)

Selective activation of mesoscale functional circuits via multichannel infrared stimulation of cortical columns in ultra-high-field 7T MRI.

Cell reports methods, 5(1):100961.

To restore vision in the blind, advances in visual cortical prosthetics (VCPs) have offered high-channel-count electrical interfaces. Here, we design a 100-fiber optical bundle interface apposed to known feature-specific (color, shape, motion, and depth) functional columns that populate the visual cortex in humans, primates, and cats. Based on a non-viral optical stimulation method (INS, infrared neural stimulation; 1,875 nm), it can deliver dynamic patterns of stimulation, is non-penetrating and non-damaging to tissue, and is movable and removable. In addition, its magnetic resonance (MR) compatibility (INS-fMRI) permits systematic mapping of brain-wide circuits. In the MRI, we illustrate (1) the single-point activation of functionally specific networks, (2) shifting cortical networks activated via shifting points of stimulation, and (3) "moving dot" stimulation-evoked activation of higher-order motion-selective areas. We suggest that, by mimicking patterns of columnar activation normally activated by visual stimuli, a columnar VCP opens doors for the planned activation of feature-specific circuits and their associated visual percepts.

RevDate: 2025-01-28

Qin Y, Li B, Wang W, et al (2025)

ECA-FusionNet: A hybrid EEG-fNIRS signals network for MI classification.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

OBJECTIVE: Among all BCI paradigms, motion imagery (MI) has gained favor among researchers because it allows users to control external devices by imagining movements rather than actually performing actions. This property holds important promise for clinical applications, especially in areas such as stroke rehabilitation. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals are two of the more popular neuroimaging techniques for obtaining MI signals from the brain. However, the performance of MI-based unimodal classification methods is low due to the limitations of EEG or fNIRS.

APPROACH: In this paper, we propose a new multimodal fusion classification method capable of combining the potential complementary advantages of EEG and fNIRS. First, we propose a feature extraction network capable of extracting spatio-temporal features from EEG-based and fNIRS-based MI signals. Then, we successively fused the EEG and fNIRS at the feature-level and the decision-level to improve the adaptability and robustness of the model.

MAIN RESULTS: We validate the performance of ECA-FusionNet on a publicly available EEG-fNIRS dataset. The results show that ECA-FusionNet outperforms unimodal classification methods, as well as existing fusion classification methods, in terms of classification accuracy for MI.

SIGNIFICANCE: ECA-FusionNet may provide a useful reference for the field of multimodal fusion classification.

RevDate: 2025-01-28

Ziebell P, Modde A, Roland E, et al (2025)

Designing an online BCI forum: insights from researchers and end-users.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

OBJECTIVE: Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can support non-muscular communication and device control for severely paralyzed people. However, efforts that directly involve potential or actual end-users and address their individual needs are scarce, demonstrating a translational gap. An online BCI forum supported by the BCI Society could initiate and sustainably strengthen interactions between BCI researchers and end-users to bridge this gap.

APPROACH: We interviewed six severely paralyzed individuals and surveyed 121 BCI researchers to capture their opinions and wishes concerning an online BCI forum. Data were analyzed with a mixed-method quantitative and qualitative content analysis.

MAIN RESULTS: All end-users and most researchers (83%) reported an interest in participating in an online BCI forum. Rating questions and open comments to identify design aspects included what should be featured most prominently, how people would get engaged in the online BCI forum, and which pitfalls should be considered.

SIGNIFICANCE: Responses support establishing an online BCI forum to serve as a meaningful resource for the entire BCI community.

RevDate: 2025-01-28
CmpDate: 2025-01-28

Longo L, RB Reilly (2025)

onEEGwaveLAD: A fully automated online EEG wavelet-based learning adaptive denoiser for artefacts identification and mitigation.

PloS one, 20(1):e0313076 pii:PONE-D-24-35626.

Electroencephalographic signals are obtained by amplifying and recording the brain's spontaneous biological potential using electrodes positioned on the scalp. While proven to help find changes in brain activity with a high temporal resolution, such signals are contaminated by non-stationary and frequent artefacts. A plethora of noise reduction techniques have been developed, achieving remarkable performance. However, they often require multi-channel information and additional reference signals, are not fully automated, require human intervention and are mostly offline. With the popularity of Brain-Computer Interfaces and the application of Electroencephalography in daily activities and other ecological settings, there is an increasing need for robust, online, near real-time denoising techniques, without additional reference signals, that is fully automated and does not require human supervision nor multi-channel information. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by introducing onEEGwaveLAD, a novel, fully automated, ONline, EEG wavelet-based Learning Adaptive Denoiser pipeline for artefact identification and reduction. It is a specific framework that can be instantiated for various types of artefacts paving the path towards real-time denoising. As the first of its kind, it is described and instantiated for the particular problem of blink detection and reduction, and evaluated across a general and a specific analysis of the signal to noise ratio across 30 participants.

RevDate: 2025-01-28
CmpDate: 2025-01-28

Mohan A, RS Anand (2025)

Classification of Imagined Speech Signals Using Functional Connectivity Graphs and Machine Learning Models.

Brain topography, 38(2):25.

EEG involves recording electrical activity generated by the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp. Imagined speech classification has emerged as an essential area of research in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Despite significant advances, accurately classifying imagined speech signals remains challenging due to their complex and non-stationary nature. Existing approaches often struggle with low signal-to-noise ratios and high inter-subject variability. A proposed method named imagined speech functional connectivity graph (ISFCG) is implemented to deal with these issues. The functional connectivity graphs capture the complex relationships between brain regions during imagined speech tasks. These graphs are then used to extract features that serve as inputs to various machine-learning models. The ISFCG provides an alternative representation of imagined speech signals, focusing on brain connectivity features to enhance the analysis and classification process. Also, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed to learn features from these complex graphs, leading to improved classification accuracy. Experimental results on a benchmark dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.

RevDate: 2025-01-28

Wang L, Zhang C, Hao Z, et al (2025)

Bioaugmented design and functional evaluation of low damage implantable array electrodes.

Bioactive materials, 47:18-31.

Implantable neural electrodes are key components of brain-computer interfaces (BCI), but the mismatch in mechanical and biological properties between electrode materials and brain tissue can lead to foreign body reactions and glial scarring, and subsequently compromise the long-term stability of electrical signal transmission. In this study, we proposed a new concept for the design and bioaugmentation of implantable electrodes (bio-array electrodes) featuring a heterogeneous gradient structure. Different composite polyaniline-gelatin-alginate based conductive hydrogel formulations were developed for electrode surface coating. In addition, the design, materials, and performance of the developed electrode was optimized through a combination of numerical simulations and physio-chemical characterizations. The long-term biological performance of the bio-array electrodes were investigated in vivo using a C57 mouse model. It was found that compared to metal array electrodes, the surface charge of the bio-array electrodes increased by 1.74 times, and the impedance at 1 kHz decreased by 63.17 %, with a doubling of the average capacitance. Long-term animal experiments showed that the bio-array electrodes could consistently record 2.5 times more signals than those of the metal array electrodes, and the signal-to-noise ratio based on action potentials was 2.1 times higher. The study investigated the mechanisms of suppressing the scarring effect by the bioaugmented design, revealing reduces brain damage as a result of the interface biocompatibility between the bio-array electrodes and brain tissue, and confirmed the long-term in vivo stability of the bio-array electrodes.

RevDate: 2025-01-27
CmpDate: 2025-01-27

Hu D, Sato T, Rockland KS, et al (2025)

Relationship between functional structures and horizontal connections in macaque inferior temporal cortex.

Scientific reports, 15(1):3436.

Horizontal connections in anterior inferior temporal cortex (ITC) are thought to play an important role in object recognition by integrating information across spatially separated functional columns, but their functional organization remains unclear. Using a combination of optical imaging, electrophysiological recording, and anatomical tracing, we investigated the relationship between stimulus-response maps and patterns of horizontal axon terminals in the macaque ITC. In contrast to the "like-to-like" connectivity observed in the early visual cortex, we found that horizontal axons in ITC do not preferentially connect sites with similar object selectivity. While some axon terminal patches shared responsiveness to specific visual features with the injection site, many connected to regions with different selectivity. Our results suggest that horizontal connections in anterior ITC exhibit diverse functional connectivity, potentially supporting flexible integration of visual information for advanced object recognition processes.

RevDate: 2025-01-28
CmpDate: 2025-01-28

Chen J, Chen X, Wang R, et al (2025)

Transformer-based neural speech decoding from surface and depth electrode signals.

Journal of neural engineering, 22(1):.

Objective.This study investigates speech decoding from neural signals captured by intracranial electrodes. Most prior works can only work with electrodes on a 2D grid (i.e. Electrocorticographic (ECoG) or ECoG array) and data from a single patient. We aim to design a deep-learning model architecture that can accommodate both surface ECoG and depth (stereotactic EEG or sEEG) electrodes. The architecture should allow training on data from multiple participants with large variability in electrode placements. The model should not have subject-specific layers and the trained model should perform well on participants unseen during training.Approach.We propose a novel transformer-based model architecture named SwinTW that can work with arbitrarily positioned electrodes by leveraging their 3D locations on the cortex rather than their positions on a 2D grid. We train subject-specific models using data from a single participant and multi-subject models exploiting data from multiple participants.Main results.The subject-specific models using only low-density 8 × 8 ECoG data achieved high decoding Pearson Correlation Coefficient with ground truth spectrogram (PCC = 0.817), overN= 43 participants, significantly outperforming our prior convolutional ResNet model and the 3D Swin transformer model. Incorporating additional strip, depth, and grid electrodes available in each participant (N= 39) led to further improvement (PCC = 0.838). For participants with only sEEG electrodes (N= 9), subject-specific models still enjoy comparable performance with an average PCC = 0.798. A single multi-subject model trained on ECoG data from 15 participants yielded comparable results (PCC = 0.837) as 15 models trained individually for these participants (PCC = 0.831). Furthermore, the multi-subject models achieved high performance on unseen participants, with an average PCC = 0.765 in leave-one-out cross-validation.Significance.The proposed SwinTW decoder enables future speech decoding approaches to utilize any electrode placement that is clinically optimal or feasible for a particular participant, including using only depth electrodes, which are more routinely implanted in chronic neurosurgical procedures. The success of the single multi-subject model when tested on participants within the training cohort demonstrates that the model architecture is capable of exploiting data from multiple participants with diverse electrode placements. The architecture's flexibility in training with both single-subject and multi-subject data, as well as grid and non-grid electrodes, ensures its broad applicability. Importantly, the generalizability of the multi-subject models in our study population suggests that a model trained using paired acoustic and neural data from multiple patients can potentially be applied to new patients with speech disability where acoustic-neural training data is not feasible.

RevDate: 2025-01-28

Huo C, Cui Q, G Bai (2023)

Uncovering the mystery of genetic heterogeneity in inherited peripheral neuropathies.

Life medicine, 2(4):lnad026.

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Konrad PE, Gelman KR, Lawrence J, et al (2025)

First-in-human experience performing high-resolution cortical mapping using a novel microelectrode array containing 1,024 electrodes.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

Localization of function within the brain and central nervous system is an essential aspect of clinical neuroscience. Classical descriptions of functional neuroanatomy provide a foundation for understanding the functional significance of identifiable anatomic structures. However, individuals exhibit substantial variation, particularly in the presence of disorders that alter tissue structure or impact function. Furthermore, functional regions do not always correspond to identifiable structural features. Understanding function at the level of individual patients-and diagnosing and treating such patients-often requires techniques capable of correlating neural activity with cognition, behavior, and experience in anatomically precise ways. Approach: Recent advances in brain-computer interface technology have given rise to a new generation of electrophysiologic tools for scalable, nondestructive functional mapping with spatial precision in the range of tens to hundreds of micrometers, and temporal resolutions in the range of tens to hundreds of microseconds. Here we describe our initial intraoperative experience with novel, thin-film arrays containing 1024 surface microelectrodes for electrocorticographic mapping in a first-in-human study. Main results: Six patients undergoing standard electrophysiologic cortical mapping during resection of eloquent-region brain tumors consented to brief sessions of concurrent mapping (micro-electrocorticography) using the novel arrays. Three patients underwent motor mapping using somatosensory evoked potentials while under general anesthesia, and three underwent awake language mapping, using both standard paradigms and the novel microelectrode array. Somatosensory evoked potential phase reversal was identified in the region predicted by conventional mapping, but at higher resolution (0.4 mm) and as a contour rather than as a point. In Broca's area (confirmed by direct cortical stimulation), speech planning was apparent in the micro-electrocorticogram as high-amplitude beta-band activity immediately prior to the articulatory event. Significance: These findings support the feasibility and potential clinical utility of incorporating micro-electrocorticography into the intraoperative workflow for systematic cortical mapping of functional brain regions.

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Abedi M, Arbabi M, Gholampour R, et al (2025)

Zinc oxide nanoparticle-embedded tannic acid/chitosan-based sponge: A highly absorbent hemostatic agent with enhanced antimicrobial activity.

International journal of biological macromolecules pii:S0141-8130(25)00886-4 [Epub ahead of print].

This study reports the development of a highly absorbent Chitosan (CS)/Tannic Acid (TA) sponge, synthesized via chemical cross-linking with Epichlorohydrin (ECH) and integrated with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) as a novel hemostatic anti-infection agent. The chemical properties of the sponges were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and zeta potential measurements. Morphological and elemental analyses conducted through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) revealed a uniform distribution of ZnO NPs, with particle sizes below 20 nm. Compression tests indicated that the incorporation of ECH enhanced the compressive strength of the TA/CS sample, increasing from 0.614 MPa to 1.03 MPa for TA/CS-ECH and 1.16 MPa for ZnO@TA/CS-ECH, while preserving its flexibility. ZnO@TA/CS-ECH sponges exhibited high swelling ratios, consistent with their mesoporous structure revealed by porosity analysis. MTT assays confirmed that the addition of ECH did not adversely affect the biocompatibility of the final ZnO@TA/CS-ECH sample. Hemostatic performance was assessed through prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), blood clotting index (BCI), blood clotting time (BCT) assays, and platelet adhesion imaging. ZnO@TA/CS-ECH significantly reduced the BCT of untreated blood from 349 to 49 s, outperforming Celox™ (182 s). This performance was further confirmed using a rat liver hemostatic model. Moreover, ZnO@TA/CS-ECH demonstrated substantial antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and C. albicans, comparable to standard antibiotics and antifungals. These findings suggest that the three-dimensional ZnO@TA/CS-ECH sponge holds promise in managing infected bleeding and inspiring the next-generation of hemostatic agents.

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Zhang L, Zhang H, Yan S, et al (2025)

Improving pre-movement patterns detection with multi-dimensional EEG features for readiness potential decrease.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

The Readiness Potential (RP) is an important neural characteristic in motor preparation-based brain-computer interface (MP-BCI). In our previous research, we observed a significant decrease of the RP amplitude in some cases, which severely affects the pre-movement patterns detection. In this paper, we aimed to improve the accuracy of pre-movement patterns detection in the condition of RP decrease. Approach : We analyzed multi-dimensional EEG features in terms of time-frequency, brain networks, and cross-frequency coupling. And, a multi-dimensional Electroencephalogram feature combination (MEFC) algorithm was proposed. The features used include: 1) waveforms of the RP; 2) energy in alpha and beta bands; 3) brain network in alpha and beta bands; and 4) cross-frequency coupling value between 2 and 10 Hz. Main results: By employing support vector machines, the MEFC method achieved an average recognition rate of 88.9% and 85.5% under normal and RP decrease conditions, respectively. Compared to classical algorithm, the average accuracy for both tasks improved by 7.8% and 8.8% respectively. Significance: This method can effectively improve the accuracy of pre-movement patterns decoding in the condition of RP decrease. .

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Candelori B, Bardella G, Spinelli I, et al (2025)

Spatio-temporal transformers for decoding neural movement control.

Journal of neural engineering [Epub ahead of print].

Deep learning tools applied to high-resolution neurophysiological data have significantly progressed, offering enhanced decoding, real-time processing, and readability for practical applications. However, the design of artificial neural networks to analyze neural activity in vivo remains a challenge, requiring a delicate balance between efficiency in low-data regimes and the interpretability of the results. Approach: To address this challenge, we introduce a novel specialized transformer architecture to analyze single-neuron spiking activity. The model is tested on multi-electrode recordings from the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) of non-human primates performing a motor inhibition task. Main Results The proposed architecture provides an early prediction of the correct movement direction, achieving accurate results no later than 230 ms after the Go signal presentation across animals. Additionally, the model can forecast whether the movement will be generated or withheld before a Stop signal, unattended, is actually presented. To further understand the internal dynamics of the model, we compute the predicted correlations between time steps and between neurons at successive layers of the architecture, with the evolution of these correlations mirrors findings from previous theoretical analyses. Significance Overall, our framework provides a comprehensive use case for the practical implementation of deep learning tools in motor control research, highlighting both the predictive capabilities and interpretability of the proposed architecture.

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Sun L, S Duan (2025)

The Paraventricular Hypothalamus: A Sorting Center for Visceral and Somatic Pain.

Neuroscience bulletin [Epub ahead of print].

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Chen L, Hu Y, Wang Z, et al (2025)

Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on motor planning: a multimodal signal study.

Cognitive neurodynamics, 19(1):35.

Motor planning plays a pivotal role in daily life. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has been demonstrated to enhance decision-making efficiency, illustrating its potential use in cognitive modulation. However, current research primarily focuses on behavioral and single-modal electrophysiological signal, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG). To investigate the effect of taVNS on motor planning, a total of 21 subjects were recruited for this study and were divided into two groups: active group (n = 10) and sham group (n = 11). Each subject was required to be involved in a single-blind, sham-controlled, between-subject end-state comfort (ESC) experiment. The study compared behavioral indicators and electrophysiological features before and following taVNS. The results indicated a notable reduction in reaction time and an appreciable increase in the proportion of end-state comfort among the participants following taVNS, accompanied by notable alterations in motor-related cortical potential (MRCP) amplitude, low-frequency power of HRV (LF), and cortico-cardiac coherence, particularly in the parietal and occipital regions. These findings show that taVNS may impact the brain and heart, potentially enhancing their interaction, and improve participants' ability of motor planning.

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Mathumitha R, A Maryposonia (2025)

Emotion analysis of EEG signals using proximity-conserving auto-encoder (PCAE) and ensemble techniques.

Cognitive neurodynamics, 19(1):32.

Emotion recognition plays a crucial role in brain-computer interfaces (BCI) which helps to identify and classify human emotions as positive, negative, and neutral. Emotion analysis in BCI maintains a substantial perspective in distinct fields such as healthcare, education, gaming, and human-computer interaction. In healthcare, emotion analysis based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals is deployed to provide personalized support for patients with autism or mood disorders. Recently, several deep learning (DL) based approaches have been developed for accurate emotion recognition tasks. Yet, previous works often struggle with poor recognition accuracy, high dimensionality, and high computational time. This research work designed an innovative framework named Proximity-conserving Auto-encoder (PCAE) for accurate emotion recognition based on EEG signals and resolves challenges faced by traditional emotion analysis techniques. For preserving local structures among the EEG data and reducing dimensionality, the proposed PCAE approach is introduced and it captures the essential features related to emotional states. The EEG data are collected from the EEG Brainwave dataset using a Muse EEG headband and applying preprocessing steps to enhance signal quality. The proposed PCAE model incorporates multiple convolution and deconvolution layers for encoding and decoding and deploys a Local Proximity Preservation Layer for preserving local correlations in the latent space. In addition, it develops a Proximity-conserving Squeeze-and-Excitation Auto-encoder (PC-SEAE) model to further improve the feature extraction ability of the PCAE technique. The proposed PCAE technique utilizes Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MMD) regularization to decrease the distribution discrepancy between input data and the extracted features. Moreover, the proposed model designs an ensemble model for emotion categorization that incorporates a one-versus-support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks by utilizing each classifier's strength to enhance classification accuracy. Further, the performance of the proposed PCAE model is evaluated using diverse performance measures and the model attains outstanding results including accuracy, precision, and Kappa coefficient of 98.87%, 98.69%, and 0.983 respectively. This experimental validation proves that the proposed PCAE framework provides a significant contribution to accurate emotion recognition and classification systems.

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Liu H, Jin X, Liu D, et al (2025)

Joint disentangled representation and domain adversarial training for EEG-based cross-session biometric recognition in single-task protocols.

Cognitive neurodynamics, 19(1):31.

The increasing adoption of wearable technologies highlights the potential of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals for biometric recognition. However, the intrinsic variability in cross-session EEG data presents substantial challenges in maintaining model stability and reliability. Moreover, the diversity within single-task protocols complicates achieving consistent and generalized model performance. To address these issues, we propose the Joint Disentangled Representation with Domain Adversarial Training (JDR-DAT) framework for EEG-based cross-session biometric recognition within single-task protocols. The JDR-DAT framework disentangles identity-specific features through mutual information estimation and incorporates domain adversarial training to enhance longitudinal robustness. Extensive experiments on longitudinal EEG data from two publicly available single-task protocol datasets-RSVP-based (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) and MI-based (Motor Imagery)-demonstrate the efficacy of the JDR-DAT framework, with the proposed method achieving average accuracies of 85.83% and 96.72%, respectively.

RevDate: 2025-01-27

Zhou Y, Song Y, Song X, et al (2025)

Review of directional leads, stimulation patterns and programming strategies for deep brain stimulation.

Cognitive neurodynamics, 19(1):33.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established treatment for both neurological and psychiatric disorders. Directional DBS has the potential to minimize stimulation-induced side effects and maximize clinical benefits. Many new directional leads, stimulation patterns and programming strategies have been developed in recent years. Therefore, it is necessary to review new progress in directional DBS. This paper summarizes progress for directional DBS from the perspective of directional DBS leads, stimulation patterns, and programming strategies which are three key elements of DBS systems. Directional DBS leads are reviewed in electrode design and volume of tissue activated visualization strategies. Stimulation patterns are reviewed in stimulation parameters and advances in stimulation patterns. Programming strategies are reviewed in computational modeling, monopolar review, direction indicators and adaptive DBS. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of primary directional DBS leads, stimulation patterns and programming strategies, making it helpful for those who are developing DBS systems.

RevDate: 2025-01-25

Lan Z, Li Z, Yan C, et al (2025)

RMKD: Relaxed matching knowledge distillation for short-length SSVEP-based brain-computer interfaces.

Neural networks : the official journal of the International Neural Network Society, 185:107133 pii:S0893-6080(25)00012-7 [Epub ahead of print].

Accurate decoding of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in the shortest possible time is essential for the realization of a high-performance brain-computer interface (BCI) system based on the steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP). However, the degradation of decoding performance of short-length EEG signals is often unavoidable due to the reduced information, which hinders the development of BCI systems in real-world applications. In this paper, we propose a relaxed matching knowledge distillation (RMKD) method to transfer both feature-level and logit-level knowledge in a relaxed manner to improve the decoding performance of short-length EEG signals. Specifically, the long-length EEG signals and short-length EEG signals are decoded into the frequency representation by the teacher and student models, respectively. At the feature-level, the frequency-masked generation distillation is designed to improve the representation ability of student features by forcing the randomly masked student features to generate full teacher features. At the logit-level, the non-target class knowledge distillation and the inter-class relation distillation are combined to mitigate loss conflicts by imitating the distribution of non-target classes and preserve the inter-class relation in the prediction vectors of the teacher and student models. We conduct comprehensive experiments on two public SSVEP datasets in the subject-independent scenario with six different signal lengths. The extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed RMKD method has significantly improved the decoding performance of short-length EEG signals in SSVEP-based BCI systems.

RevDate: 2025-01-25
CmpDate: 2025-01-25

Mallat S, Hkiri E, Albarrak AM, et al (2025)

A Synergy of Convolutional Neural Networks for Sensor-Based EEG Brain-Computer Interfaces to Enhance Motor Imagery Classification.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 25(2): pii:s25020443.

Enhancing motor disability assessment and its imagery classification is a significant concern in contemporary medical practice, necessitating reliable solutions to improve patient outcomes. One promising avenue is the use of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which establish a direct communication pathway between users and machines. This technology holds the potential to revolutionize human-machine interaction, especially for individuals diagnosed with motor disabilities. Despite this promise, extracting reliable control signals from noisy brain data remains a critical challenge. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach leveraging the collaborative synergy of five convolutional neural network (CNN) models to improve the classification accuracy of motor imagery tasks, which are essential components of BCI systems. Our method demonstrates exceptional performance, achieving an accuracy of 79.44% on the BCI Competition IV 2a dataset, surpassing existing state-of-the-art techniques in using multiple CNN models. This advancement offers significant promise for enhancing the efficacy and versatility of BCIs in a wide range of real-world applications, from assistive technologies to neurorehabilitation, thereby providing robust solutions for individuals with motor disabilities.

RevDate: 2025-01-25

Baruch Y, Barba M, Cola A, et al (2025)

The Role of Anterior Vaginal Prolapse in Co-Existent Underactive Overactive Bladder Syndrome-A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Journal of clinical medicine, 14(2): pii:jcm14020600.

Background: CUOB (co-existent underactive overactive bladder) syndrome is a clinical entity that embraces storage and emptying symptoms, not strictly correlated with urodynamic findings. We assessed the differences between patients diagnosed with CUOB with/without cystocele. Methods: The study group was allocated from 2000 women who underwent urodynamic studies between 2008 and 2016. The demographic and clinical data of 369 patients with complaints consistent with CUOB were retrieved. The study group was subdivided using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) was used to quantify LUTS severity. Results: A total of 185 women had no or grade I cystocele (group 1), and 185 had grade II or III cystocele (group 2). No difference in mean age was computed. Patients from group 1 had a higher BMI (27 vs. 25, p = 0.02). Risk factors for prolapse, such as parity (1.7 vs. 2.1, p = 0.001) and maximal birthweight (3460 g vs. 3612 g, p = 0.049), were higher in group 2. Pelvic Organ Prolapse symptoms were 4.5 times more frequent in group 2 [n = 36/185 (19.5%) vs. n = 162/184 (88%) p < 0.001]. The rate of stress (70.8% vs. 55.4%, p = 0.002) and urge (64.9% vs. 50%, p = 0.04), urinary incontinence, and ICIQ-UI-SF scores (8 vs. 5, p < 0.001) were higher in group 1. Qmax measured lower in group 2 (17 vs. 15 mL/s, p = 0.008). Detrusor pressure at maximum flow was identical (24 cm H2O). The Bladder Contractility Index (BCI) was higher in group 1 (108 vs. 96.5, p = 0.017), and weak contraction (BCI < 100) was more common in group 2 (73/185; 39.5% vs. 95/184; 52.7%, p = 0.011). Conclusions: Based on our results, we assume that CUOB could be further subdivided based on its association with cystocele. The effect of prolapse repair in women with CUOB and cystocele remains to be evaluated in order to afford better counseling in the future.

RevDate: 2025-01-25

Onciul R, Tataru CI, Dumitru AV, et al (2025)

Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience: Transformative Synergies in Brain Research and Clinical Applications.

Journal of clinical medicine, 14(2): pii:jcm14020550.

The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and neuroscience is redefining our understanding of the brain, unlocking new possibilities in research, diagnosis, and therapy. This review explores how AI's cutting-edge algorithms-ranging from deep learning to neuromorphic computing-are revolutionizing neuroscience by enabling the analysis of complex neural datasets, from neuroimaging and electrophysiology to genomic profiling. These advancements are transforming the early detection of neurological disorders, enhancing brain-computer interfaces, and driving personalized medicine, paving the way for more precise and adaptive treatments. Beyond applications, neuroscience itself has inspired AI innovations, with neural architectures and brain-like processes shaping advances in learning algorithms and explainable models. This bidirectional exchange has fueled breakthroughs such as dynamic connectivity mapping, real-time neural decoding, and closed-loop brain-computer systems that adaptively respond to neural states. However, challenges persist, including issues of data integration, ethical considerations, and the "black-box" nature of many AI systems, underscoring the need for transparent, equitable, and interdisciplinary approaches. By synthesizing the latest breakthroughs and identifying future opportunities, this review charts a path forward for the integration of AI and neuroscience. From harnessing multimodal data to enabling cognitive augmentation, the fusion of these fields is not just transforming brain science, it is reimagining human potential. This partnership promises a future where the mysteries of the brain are unlocked, offering unprecedented advancements in healthcare, technology, and beyond.

RevDate: 2025-01-25

Wen B, Shen L, X Kang (2024)

Laser Welding of Micro-Wire Stent Electrode as a Minimally Invasive Endovascular Neural Interface.

Micromachines, 16(1): pii:mi16010021.

Minimally invasive endovascular stent electrodes are an emerging technology in neural engineering, designed to minimize the damage to neural tissue. However, conventional stent electrodes often rely on resistive welding and are relatively bulky, restricting their use primarily to large animals or thick blood vessels. In this study, the feasibility is explored of fabricating a laser welding stent electrode as small as 300 μm. A high-precision laser welding technique was developed to join micro-wire electrodes without compromising structural integrity or performance. To ensure consistent results, a novel micro-wire welding with platinum pad method was introduced during the welding process. The fabricated electrodes were integrated with stent structures and subjected to detailed electrochemical performance testing to evaluate their potential as neural interface components. The laser-welded endovascular stent electrodes exhibited excellent electrochemical properties, including low impedance and stable charge transfer capabilities. At the same time, in this study, a simulation is conducted of the electrode distribution and arrangement on the stent structure, optimizing the utilization of the available surface area for enhanced functionality. These results demonstrate the potential of the fabricated electrodes for high-performance neural interfacing in endovascular applications. The approach provided a promising solution for advancing endovascular neural engineering technologies, particularly in applications requiring compact electrode designs.

RevDate: 2025-01-24

Qin Y, Zhang L, B Yu (2025)

A cross-domain-based channel selection method for motor imagery.

Medical & biological engineering & computing [Epub ahead of print].

Selecting channels for motor imagery (MI)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) systems can not only enhance the portability of the systems, but also improve the decoding performance. Hence, we propose a cross-domain-based channel selection (CDCS) approach, which effectively minimizes the number of EEG channels used while maintaining high accuracy in MI recognition. The EEG source imaging (ESI) technique is employed to map scalp EEG into the cortical source domain. We divide the equivalent dipoles in the source domain into different regions by k-means clustering. Then, we calculate the band energy (5-40 Hz) of time series of dipoles in these regions by power spectral density (PSD), and the regions with the highest and lowest band energy are selected as the region of interests (ROIs) in the source domain. Subsequently, Pearson correlation coefficients between the dipole time series in ROIs and scalp EEG are used as the criterion for channel selection and a multi-trial-sorting-based channel selection strategy is proposed. Finally, we propose the CDCS-based MI classification framework, where common spatial pattern is applied to extract features and linear discriminant analysis is used to identify MI tasks. The CDCS method demonstrated significant improvement in decoding accuracy on two public datasets, achieving increases of 18.51% and 13.37% compared to all-channel method, and 10.74% and 3.43% compared to the three-channel method. The experimental results validated that CDCS is effective in selecting important channels.

RevDate: 2025-01-24

Zhou Y, Tang X, Zhang D, et al (2025)

Machine learning empowered coherent Raman imaging and analysis for biomedical applications.

Communications engineering, 4(1):8.

In situ and in vivo visualization and analysis of functional, endogenous biomolecules in living systems have generated a pivotal impact in our comprehension of biology and medicine. An increasingly adopted approach involves the utilization of molecular vibrational spectroscopy, which delivers notable advantages such as label-free imaging, high spectral density, high sensitivity, and molecule specificity. Nonetheless, analyzing and processing the intricate, multi-dimensional imaging data to extract interpretable and actionable information poses a fundamental obstacle. In contrast to conventional multivariate methods, machine learning has recently gained considerable attention for its capability of discerning essential features from massive datasets. Here, we present a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in the application of machine learning in the molecular spectroscopic imaging fields. We also discuss notable attributes of spectroscopic imaging modalities and explore their broader impact on other imaging techniques.

RevDate: 2025-01-24
CmpDate: 2025-01-24

Lai QL, Cai MT, Li EC, et al (2025)

Neurofilament light chain levels in neuronal surface antibody-associated autoimmune encephalitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Translational psychiatry, 15(1):25.

BACKGROUND: Neuronal surface antibody-associated autoimmune encephalitis (NSAE) is a group of neuro-inflammatory disorders that is mediated by autoantibodies against the cell-surface and synaptic antigens. Studies have explored the role of neurofilament light chain (NfL) in NSAE and provided inconsistent data. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the NfL levels in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with NSAE.

METHODS: The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI, PubMed), Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies reporting NfL levels in patients with NSAE. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool results across studies.

RESULTS: Thirteen studies were included in the final systematic review and meta-analysis. The serum NfL levels were significantly higher in patients with NSAE compared to unaffected controls (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.909, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.536-1.282). Similarly, the CSF NfL levels were elevated in patients with NSAE (SMD = 0.897, 95% CI: 0.508-1.286). The serum and CSF NfL levels were not significantly correlated with disease severity, prognosis, and abnormalities in magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, and CSF.

CONCLUSIONS: NfL levels in the serum and CSF were higher in patients with NSAE compared to unaffected controls. However, the NfL levels were not shown to be significantly associated with clinical or paraclinical features.

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RJR Experience and Expertise

Researcher

Robbins holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in the life sciences. He served as a tenured faculty member in the Zoology and Biological Science departments at Michigan State University. He is currently exploring the intersection between genomics, microbial ecology, and biodiversity — an area that promises to transform our understanding of the biosphere.

Educator

Robbins has extensive experience in college-level education: At MSU he taught introductory biology, genetics, and population genetics. At JHU, he was an instructor for a special course on biological database design. At FHCRC, he team-taught a graduate-level course on the history of genetics. At Bellevue College he taught medical informatics.

Administrator

Robbins has been involved in science administration at both the federal and the institutional levels. At NSF he was a program officer for database activities in the life sciences, at DOE he was a program officer for information infrastructure in the human genome project. At the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, he served as a vice president for fifteen years.

Technologist

Robbins has been involved with information technology since writing his first Fortran program as a college student. At NSF he was the first program officer for database activities in the life sciences. At JHU he held an appointment in the CS department and served as director of the informatics core for the Genome Data Base. At the FHCRC he was VP for Information Technology.

Publisher

While still at Michigan State, Robbins started his first publishing venture, founding a small company that addressed the short-run publishing needs of instructors in very large undergraduate classes. For more than 20 years, Robbins has been operating The Electronic Scholarly Publishing Project, a web site dedicated to the digital publishing of critical works in science, especially classical genetics.

Speaker

Robbins is well-known for his speaking abilities and is often called upon to provide keynote or plenary addresses at international meetings. For example, in July, 2012, he gave a well-received keynote address at the Global Biodiversity Informatics Congress, sponsored by GBIF and held in Copenhagen. The slides from that talk can be seen HERE.

Facilitator

Robbins is a skilled meeting facilitator. He prefers a participatory approach, with part of the meeting involving dynamic breakout groups, created by the participants in real time: (1) individuals propose breakout groups; (2) everyone signs up for one (or more) groups; (3) the groups with the most interested parties then meet, with reports from each group presented and discussed in a subsequent plenary session.

Designer

Robbins has been engaged with photography and design since the 1960s, when he worked for a professional photography laboratory. He now prefers digital photography and tools for their precision and reproducibility. He designed his first web site more than 20 years ago and he personally designed and implemented this web site. He engages in graphic design as a hobby.

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Rajesh Rao has written the perfect introduction to the exciting world of brain-computer interfaces. The book is remarkably comprehensive — not only including full descriptions of classic and current experiments but also covering essential background concepts, from the brain to Bayes and back. Brain-Computer Interfacing will be welcomed by a wide range of intelligent readers interested in understanding the first steps toward the symbiotic merger of brains and computers. Eberhard E. Fetz, UW

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Collection of publications by R J Robbins

Reprints and preprints of publications, slide presentations, instructional materials, and data compilations written or prepared by Robert Robbins. Most papers deal with computational biology, genome informatics, using information technology to support biomedical research, and related matters.

Research Gate page for R J Robbins

ResearchGate is a social networking site for scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. According to a study by Nature and an article in Times Higher Education , it is the largest academic social network in terms of active users.

Curriculum Vitae for R J Robbins

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Curriculum Vitae for R J Robbins

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