Saturday, October 12th, 2024

Time	Event
12:47a	Investigating the Effects of Synbiotic Intervention on Working Memory performance in Healthy Young Women The gut brain axis (GBA) mediates communication between the gastrointestinal system and the brain, influencing cognitive functions and emotional well being, with gut microbiota playing a crucial role. While synbiotics and probiotics have shown potential to enhance cognitive function, results remain inconsistent. This study examines the effects of synbiotic supplementation on auditory performance metrics threshold, sensitivity, accuracy, and reaction time using a repeated measures design with a control group. Thirty young females (ages 18-32) completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and an auditory working memory task. Although no significant differences were found in auditory thresholds, sensitivity, or accuracy, the synbiotic group exhibited significantly faster reaction times than the control group (p < 0.00001), suggesting enhanced cognitive processing speed. These findings underscore the need for further research into the mechanisms through which synbiotics influence cognitive health. (Comment on this)
11:32a	Immersion in nature attenuates the development of mechanical secondary hyperalgesia: a role for insulo-thalamic effective connectivity Nature-based social prescribing has been shown to improve physical and mental health and is increasingly used to manage chronic pain using immersive virtual reality (VR). However, the mechanisms of nature-based analgesia during immersive VR experiences remain unclear. In this study, we used experimentally induced sensitisation within central nociceptive pathways using high frequency stimulation (HFS) over the right forearm in 30 healthy participants and tracked the development of secondary hyperalgesia across three conditions: immersive VR nature, non-immersive 2D nature video, and no intervention. Immersive nature VR significantly reduced the development and spread of hyperalgesia, with sustained analgesic effects correlating with perceived presence. Bayesian modelling of neuroimaging endpoints collected separately revealed nature VR induced analgesic effects correlated with insulo-thalamic effective connectivity. We propose that the analgesic effects of nature are likely mediated via top-down endogenous analgesic systems which could be working to reduce the development and spread of heterotopic plasticity in the spinal cord. (Comment on this)
12:46p	Structural and functional evidence supports re-defining mouse higher order visual areas into a single area V2 The mouse has become one of the main organisms for studies of the visual system. As a result, there is increased effort to understand universal principles of visual processing by comparing the mouse visual system to that of other species. In primates and other well-studied species including cats and tree shrews, the visual cortex is parcellated into an area V1 and several higher order areas defined by structural and functional differences, and a near complete map of the visual field. In mice, the visual cortex beyond V1 is parcellated into several higher order areas, with less notable structural and functional differences, partial coverage of the visual field, and areal boundaries defined by reversals in progression of the visual field. Notably, recent work in tree shrews and primates has shown that reversals in progression of the visual field can be a hallmark of nonlinear retinotopic mapping within a single visual area. This, and other lines of evidence discussed here, provides a compelling case that the apparent existence of multiple higher order visual areas in the mouse is related to the false assumption of linear retinotopy. Specifically, we use simulations to show that nonlinear retinotopy within a single visual area can recapitulate the appearance of multiple areal borders beyond mouse V1. In addition, we show that many reported differences in functional properties between higher order visual areas can be better explained by retinotopic differences rather than areal identity. Our proposal to reclassify some of the higher order visual areas in the mouse into a single area V2 is not mere semantics because areal definitions influence experimental design and data analysis. Furthermore, such a reclassification would produce a common set of rules for defining areal boundaries among mammals and would bring the mouse visual system into agreement with evolutionary evidence for a single area V2 in related lineages. (Comment on this)
12:46p	Fibromyalgia patients have altered lipid concentrations associated with disease symptom severity and anti-satellite glial cell IgG antibodies Autoimmunity and immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies may contribute to pain in a subset of fibromyalgia (FM) patients. Previously, we saw that IgG from FM patients induces pain-like behavior in mice and binds to satellite glial cells (anti-SGC IgG). The anti-SGC IgG levels were also associated with more severe symptomatology. Lipid metabolism in FM subjects is altered with lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) acting as pain mediators. The relationship between autoantibodies, lipid metabolism, and FM symptomatology remains unclear. We analyzed serum lipidomics with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, anti-SGC IgG levels, and clinical measures in 35 female FM subjects and 33 age- and body mass index-balanced healthy controls (HC). Fibromyalgia subjects with higher anti-SGC IgG levels experienced more intense pain than those with lower levels. Sixty-three lipids were significantly altered between FM subjects and HC or between FM subjects with severe (FM severe) and mild symptoms (FM mild). Compared to HC, FM subjects had lower concentrations of lipid species belonging to the classes LPC (n = 10), lysophosphatidylethanolamine (n = 7), phosphatidylcholine (n = 4), and triglyceride (n = 5), but higher concentrations of diglyceride (n = 3). Additionally, FM severe had higher LPC 19:0, 22:0, and 24:1 and lower sphingomyelin (n = 9) concentrations compared to FM mild. A positive association was seen for LPC 22:0 and 24:1 with pain intensity and anti-SGC IgG levels in FM subjects. Taken together, our results suggest an association between altered lipid metabolism and autoimmune mechanisms in FM. (Comment on this)
2:47p	Anxious/depressed individuals exhibit disrupted frontotemporal synchrony during cognitive conflict encoding Mood and anxiety disorders are associated with cognitive control deficits, yet their underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we use high-resolution stereotactic EEG (sEEG) to determine how anxiety and/or depression modulates neural and behavioral responses when cognitive control is engaged in individuals with medically refractory localization-related epilepsy undergoing sEEG monitoring for surgical evaluation. We analyzed sEEG data recorded from the frontotemporal regions of 29 participants (age range: 19-55, mean age: 35.5, female: 16/29) while they performed a Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) designed to elicit cognitive conflict. Neurobehavioral interviews, symptom rating scales, and clinical documentation were used to categorize participants as demonstrating anxious and/or depressive symptoms (A/D, n=13) or as epilepsy controls without lifetime histories of these symptoms (EC, n=16). Generalized linear mixed-effects (GLME) models were used to analyze behavioral and neural data. Models of oscillatory power were used to identify brain regions within conflict-encoding networks in which coherence and phase locking values (PLV) were examined in A/D and EC. A/D participants demonstrated a greater conflict effect (response time slowing with higher cognitive load), without impairment in response time (RT) or accuracy compared to EC. A/D participants also showed significantly enhanced conflict-evoked theta and alpha power in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and amygdala as well as widespread broadband activity in the lateral temporal lobe (LTL) compared to EC. Additionally, theta coherence and PLV between dlPFC-LTL and dlPFC-amygdala were reduced in A/D. Our findings suggest that individuals with anxiety/depression exhibit heightened frontotemporal oscillatory activity and disrupted frontotemporal synchrony while processing cognitive conflict, which may indicate a greater need for cognitive resources due to ineffective conflict processing. These results highlight a potential role of frontotemporal cortical circuits in conflict processing, which may be altered in anxiety/depression and may further inform future therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing cognitive control in these populations. (Comment on this)
2:47p	Cortical alpha rhythms interpolate occluded motion from natural scene context Tracking objects as they dynamically move in and out of sight is critical for parsing our ever-changing real-world surroundings. Here, we explored how the interpolation of occluded object motion in natural scenes is mediated by top-down information flows expressed in cortical alpha rhythms. We recorded EEG while participants viewed videos of a person walking across a scene. We then used multivariate decoding on alpha-band responses to decode the direction of movement across the scene. In trials where the person was temporarily occluded, alpha dynamics interpolated the person's predicted movement. Critically, they did so in a context-dependent manner: When the scene context required the person to stop in front of an obstacle, alpha dynamics tracked the termination of motion during occlusion. As these effects were obtained with an orthogonal task at fixation, we conclude that alpha rhythms automatically interpolate occluded motion in a context- dependent way. (Comment on this)
3:22p	Sex-specific effects of intensity and dose of physical activity on BOLD-fMRI cerebrovascular reactivity and cerebral pulsatility Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and cerebral pulsatility (CP) are important indicators of cerebrovascular health and have been shown to be associated with physical activity (PA). Sex differences have been shown to influence the impact of PA on cerebrovascular health. However, the sex-specific effects of PA on CP and CVR, particularly in relation to intensity and dosage of PA, remains unknown. Thus, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the sex-specific effects of different intensities and doses of PA on CVR and CP. The Human Connectome - Aging dataset was used, including 626 participants (350 females, 276 males) aged 36-85 (mean age: 58.8 SD: 14.1 years). Females were stratified into premenopausal and postmenopausal groups to assess the potential influence of menopausal status. Novel tools based solely on resting state fMRI data were used to estimate both CVR and CP. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to quantify weekly self-reported PA as metabolic equivalent of task. Results indicated that both sexes and menopausal subgroups revealed negative linear relationships between relative CVR and PA. Furthermore, females presented a unique non-linear relationship between relative CVR and total PA in the cerebral cortex. In females, there were also relationships with total and walking PA in occipital and cingulate regions. In males, we observed relationships between total or vigorous PA and CVR in parietal and cingulate regions. Sex-specific effects were also observed with CP, whereby females benefited across a greater number of regions and intensities than males, especially in the postmenopause group. Overall, males and females appear to benefit from different amounts and intensities of PA, with menopause status significantly influencing the effect of PA on cerebrovascular outcomes, underscoring the need for sex-specific recommendations in promoting cerebrovascular health. (Comment on this)
6:47p	Basic fibroblast growth factor helps protect facial nerve cells in a freeze-induced paralysis model Severe axonal damage in the peripheral nerves results in retrograde degeneration towards the central side, leading to neuronal cell death, eventually resulting in incomplete axonal regeneration and functional recovery. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the facial nerve nucleus in models of facial paralysis and investigate the efficacy of treatments, to identify treatment options for severe paralysis. Consequently, we aimed to examine the percentage of facial nerve cell reduction and the extent to which intratympanic administration of a basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) inhibits neuronal cell death in a model of severe facial paralysis. A severe facial paralysis model was induced in Hartley guinea pigs by freezing the facial canal. Animals were divided into two groups: one group was treated with gelatin hydrogel impregnated with bFGF and the other was treated with saline. Facial movement scoring, electrophysiological testing, and histological assessment of facial neurons were performed at different postoperative time points. The freezing-induced facial paralysis model showed a facial neuronal cell death rate of 29.0%; however, bFGF administration reduced neuronal cell death to 15.8%. Facial movement scores also demonstrated improvement in the bFGF group compared with those in the control group. Intratympanic bFGF administration has a protective effect on facial neurons in a model of severe facial paralysis. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic approach for treating patients with refractory facial paralysis. Further studies are required to explore the clinical applicability of this treatment. (Comment on this)

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