Search results for "cortex"

Posterior insular cortex - a site of vestibular-somatosensory interaction?

2013

Background In previous imaging studies the insular cortex (IC) has been identified as an essential part of the processing of a wide spectrum of perception and sensorimotor integration. Yet, there are no systematic lesion studies in a sufficient number of patients examining whether processing of vestibular and the interaction of somatosensory and vestibular signals take place in the IC. Methods We investigated acute stroke patients with lesions affecting the IC in order to fill this gap. In detail, we explored signs of a vestibular tone imbalance such as the deviation of the subjective visual vertical (SVV). We applied voxel-lesion behaviour mapping analysis in 27 patients with acute unilate…

Efficacy and tolerability of a fixed dose combination of cortex phospholipid liposomes and cyanocobalamin for intramuscular use in peripheral neuropa…

2019

Peripheral neuropathies are frequently encourtered in clinical practice and are assiociated with a major impairment in quality of life . Howewvwr, their management reamans poor, and current therapies are often burdened with major side effects and can present poor efficacy on pain and functionality. Therefore, it has been suggested that the combination of two or more different drugs may improve analgesis efficacy and reduce side effects. Tricortin 1000 is formulated with 12 mg of Brain cortex phospholipid liposomes + 1000 microgrammi of Cyanocobalamin injectable (PL+ CNCb1) for intramuscolar use and is indicated in the tratment of poly-algo-neuropathic syndromes. This combination exerts a ma…

LA VISIONE: IPOTESI E RECENTI SCOPERTE

2010

Pharmacological Manipulation of Critical Period Plasticity

2018

Neuronal networks are refined through an activity-dependent competition during critical periods of early postnatal development. Recent studies have shown that critical period plasticity is influenced by a number of environmental factors, including drugs that are widely used for the treatment of brain disorders. These findings suggest a new paradigm, where pharmacological treatments can be used to open critical period–like plasticity in the adult brain. The plastic networks can then be modified through rehabilitation or psychotherapy to rewire those abnormally wired during development. This kind of combination of pharmacotherapy with physical or psychological rehabilitation may open a new op…

2016

Processing natural scenes requires the visual system to integrate local features into global object descriptions. To achieve coherent representations, the human brain uses statistical dependencies to guide weighting of local feature conjunctions. Pairwise interactions among feature detectors in early visual areas may form the early substrate of these local feature bindings. To investigate local interaction structures in visual cortex, we combined psychophysical experiments with computational modeling and natural scene analysis. We first measured contrast thresholds for 2x2 grating patch arrangements (plaids), which differed in spatial frequency composition (low, high or mixed), number of gr…

Modulation of cortical motor outputs by the symbolic meaning of visual stimuli

2010

The observation of an action modulates motor cortical outputs in specific ways, in part through mediation of the mirror neuron system. Sometimes we infer a meaning to an observed action based on integration of the actual percept with memories. Here, we conducted a series of experiments in healthy adults to investigate whether such inferred meanings can also modulate motor cortical outputs in specific ways. We show that brief observation of a neutral stimulus mimicking a hand does not significantly modulate motor cortical excitability (Study 1) although, after prolonged exposure, it can lead to a relatively nonspecific modulation (Study 2). However, when such a neutral stimulus is preceded b…

Multivariate EEG spectral analysis evidences the functional link between motor and visual cortex during integrative sensorimotor tasks

2012

The identification of the networks connecting brain areas and the understanding of their role in executing complex tasks is a crucial issue in cognitive neuroscience. In this study, specific visuomotor tasks were devised to reveal the functional network underlying the cooperation process between visual and motor regions. Electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded from twelve healthy subjects during a combined visuomotor task, which integrated precise grip motor commands with sensory visual feedback (VM). This condition was compared with control tasks involving pure motor action (M), pure visual perception (V) and visuomotor performance without feedback (V + M). Multivariate parametric …

Suppression of extinction with TMS in humans: from healthy controls to patients.

2006

We review a series of studies exemplifying some applications of single-pulse and paired-transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the study of spatial attention and of its deficits. We will focus primarily on sensory extinction, the failure to consciously perceive a contralesional sensory stimulus only during bilateral stimulation of homologous surfaces. TMS studies in healthy controls show that it is possible either to interfere or modulate the excitability of the parietal cortex during sensory (i.e. tactile and visual) attentional tasks, thus reproducing a condition of virtual extinction. TMS studies in patients with unilateral (mainly right) brain damage show that the modulation of the …

The pallial amygdala of amniote vertebrates: evolution of the concept, evolution of the structure

2002

Embryological studies indicate that the amygdala includes pallial structures, namely the cortical amygdala (olfactory and vomeronasal) and the basolateral complex deep to it. In squamate reptiles, the cortical amygdala includes secondary olfactory (the ventral anterior amygdala) and vomeronasal centres (the nucleus sphericus). In birds, the situation is far less clear, due to the relative underdevelopment of the chemosensory systems. The basolateral amygdala of squamate reptiles includes two ventropallial structures: the posterior dorsal ventricular ridge and the lateral amygdala. Like their mammalian counterparts, these centres give rise to glutamatergic projections to the striatal (centro…

Weakness and focal sensory deficits in the postictal state.

2010

Postictal motor deficits may occur in patients following partial and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Frequency is unclear, epidemiology being hampered by heterogeneous populations and variable methods of detection. Postictal paresis may affect any body part, may be bilateral, and may occur more frequently in seizures involving the sensorimotor cortex. Duration varies depending on the precise mode of testing from a few minutes to 36 hours. Sensory deficits following seizures have been rarely reported but may be missed if not specifically tested for. The lateralizing value of postical paresis is high (>90%), pointing to a seizure origin in the opposite frontal lobe. Postictal paresis often…