Search results for "Cortex"

The effect of alertness and attention on the modulation of the beta rhythm to tactile stimulation

2021

Abstract Beta rhythm modulation has been used as a biomarker to reflect the functional state of the sensorimotor cortex in both healthy subjects and patients. Here, the effect of reduced alertness and active attention to the stimulus on beta rhythm modulation was investigated. Beta rhythm modulation to tactile stimulation of the index finger was recorded simultaneously with MEG and EEG in 23 healthy subjects (mean 23, range 19–35 years). The temporal spectral evolution method was used to obtain the peak amplitudes of beta suppression and rebound in three different conditions (neutral, snooze, and attention). Neither snooze nor attention to the stimulus affected significantly the strength of…

P13. Dendato-thalamo-cortical pathways in association with otolith dysfunction

2015

Introduction The processing of otolith information within the human cortex is still poorly understood (Lopez and Blanke, 2011). Two distinct anatomical otolith pathways within the thalamo-cortical vestibular network were proposed in patients with thalamic infarctions who presented with contra- or ipsiversive tilts of the subjective visual vertical (SVV) (Dieterich and Brandt, 1993; Baier et al., submitted for publication). Aim of this study was to investigate the dendato-thalamo-cortical pathways in association with otolith dysfunction by means of DTI (diffusion tensor imaging) based on the regions found in a recent patient study using statistical lesion-behavior mapping (Baier et al., subm…

Novel inulin-based mucoadhesive micelles loaded with corticosteroids as potential transcorneal permeation enhancers

2017

In this work a new copolymer of inulin (INU) derivatized with ethylendiamine (EDA) and retinoic acid (RA), named INU-EDA-RA, was synthetized, characterized and employed to produce micelles as carriers for topical administration of corticosteroids for the potential treatment of diseases of posterior eye segment. Spectroscopic analysis confirmed a molar derivatization degree of 11.30 and 4.30% in EDA and RA, respectively. INU-EDA-RA micelles are capable of strong mucoadhesive interactions which result time-independent and stable over time but concentration depending. Moreover micelles are able to encapsulate efficiently from 3 to 13% (w/w) of lipophilic drugs, as dexamethasone, triamcinolone …

Multisensory vestibular cortex activated by otolith stimulation (fMRI)

2007

Effects of low-gamma tACS on primary motor cortex in implicit motor learning

2019

Abstract In the primary motor cortex (M1), rhythmic activity in the gamma frequency band has been found during movement planning, onset and execution. Although the role of high-gamma oscillatory activity in M1 is well established, the contribution of low-gamma activity is still unexplored. In this study, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) was used with the aim to specifically modulate low-gamma frequency band in M1, during an implicit motor learning task. A 40 Hz-tACS was applied over the left M1 while participants performed a serial reaction time task (SRTT) using their right hand. The task required the repetitive execution of sequential movements in response to sequences …

GABAC receptors are functionally expressed in the intermediate zone and regulate radial migration in the embryonic mouse neocortex

2010

Radial neuronal migration in the cerebral cortex depends on trophic factors and the activation of different voltage- and ligand-gated channels. To examine the func- tional role of GABAC receptors in radial migration we ana- lyzed the effects of specific GABAA and GABAC receptor antagonists on the migration of BrdU-labeled neurons in vitro using organotypic neocortical slice cultures. These experi- ments revealed that the GABAA specific inhibitor bicuculline methiodide facilitated neuronal migration, while the GABAC specific inhibitor (1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-4-yl) methylphos- phinic-acid (TPMPA) impeded migration. Co-application of TPMPA and bicuculline methiodide or the unspecific ionot…

Motor cortical plasticity induced by motor learning through mental practice

2015

Several investigations suggest that actual and mental actions trigger similar neural substrates. Motor learning via physical practice results in long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity processes, namely potentiation of M1 and a temporary occlusion of additional LTP-like plasticity. However, whether this neuroplasticity process contributes to improve motor performance through mental practice remains to be determined. Here, we tested skill learning-dependent changes in primary motor cortex (M1) excitability and plasticity by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation in subjects trained to physically execute or mentally perform a sequence of finger opposition movements. Before and after …

Mismatch negativity (MMN) in freely-moving rats with several experimental controls.

2014

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a scalp-recorded electrical potential that occurs in humans in response to an auditory stimulus that defies previously established patterns of regularity. MMN amplitude is reduced in people with schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to develop a robust and replicable rat model of MMN, as a platform for a more thorough understanding of the neurobiology underlying MMN. One of the major concerns for animal models of MMN is whether the rodent brain is capable of producing a human-like MMN, which is not a consequence of neural adaptation to repetitive stimuli. We therefore tested several methods that have been used to control for adaptation and differential exogenou…

2013

Neurovascular coupling (NVC) in the adult central nervous system (CNS) is a mechanism that provides regions of the brain with more oxygen and glucose upon increased levels of neural activation. Hemodynamic changes that go along with neural activation evoke a blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that can be used to study brain activity non-invasively. A correct correlation of the BOLD signal to neural activity is pivotal to understand this signal in neuronal development, health and disease. However, the function of NVC during development is largely unknown. The rodent whisker-to-barrel cortex is an experimentally well established model to…

Measuring spectrally-resolved information transfer.

2020

Information transfer, measured by transfer entropy, is a key component of distributed computation. It is therefore important to understand the pattern of information transfer in order to unravel the distributed computational algorithms of a system. Since in many natural systems distributed computation is thought to rely on rhythmic processes a frequency resolved measure of information transfer is highly desirable. Here, we present a novel algorithm, and its efficient implementation, to identify separately frequencies sending and receiving information in a network. Our approach relies on the invertible maximum overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT) for the creation of surrogate data in t…