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There is no relationship more vital than the one a child shares with their primary caregivers early in development. Yet many children worldwide are raised in settings that lack the warmth, connection, and stimulation provided by a responsive primary caregiver. In this study, we used data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), a longitudinal study of institutionally‐reared and family‐reared children, to test how caregiving quality during infancy is associated with average EEG power over the first 3.5 years of life in alpha, beta, and theta frequency bands, and associations with later executive function (EF) at age 8 years. The sample comprised 189 children (129 institutionally‐reared; 60 family‐reared) who contributed data on observed caregiving quality during infancy (baseline; average age of 22 months), resting EEG power at baseline, 30, and 42 months, and performance‐based data on a series of EF tasks at 8 years. Using Bayesian estimation, observed caregiving quality at baseline was marginally linked with higher average alpha and beta power, and lower theta power, from baseline to 42 months. In turn, higher average beta power and lower average theta power were marginally associated with higher EF at 8 years. In indirect effects models, higher caregiving quality at baseline was associated with higher EF at 8 years, with a marginal indirect effect through average theta power from baseline to 42 months. Variation in the quality of the early caregiving environment may be associated with later executive function, which is partially underpinned by individual differences in brain activity during early childhood. Research Highlights: Examined associations between caregiving quality during infancy, brain activity during early childhood, and executive function during mid‐childhood in sample of never‐institutionalized and institutionally‐reared children.Significant associations between higher quality caregiving during infancy and higher executive function during middle childhood.Marginal associations between caregiving quality during infancy and brain activity during early childhood.Marginal associations between brain activity during early childhood and executive function during mid‐childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: It has long been thought that links between affect and sleep are bidirectional. However, few studies have directly assessed the relationships between: (1) pre‐sleep affect and sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) activity; and (2) sleep EEG activity and post‐sleep affect. This study aims to systematically explore the correlations between pre‐/post‐sleep affect and EEG activity during sleep. In a community sample of adults (n = 51), we measured participants' positive and negative affect in the evening before sleep and in the next morning after sleep. Participants slept at their residence for 1 night of EEG recording. Using Fourier transforms, the EEG power at each channel was estimated during rapid eye movement sleep and non‐rapid eye movement sleep for the full range of sleep EEG frequencies. We first present heatmaps of the raw correlations between pre‐/post‐sleep affect and EEG power during rapid eye movement and non‐rapid eye movement sleep. We then thresholded the raw correlations with a medium effect size |r| ≥ 0.3. Using a cluster‐based permutation test, we identified a significant cluster indicating a negative correlation between pre‐sleep positive affect and EEG power in the alpha frequency range during rapid eye movement sleep. This result suggests that more positive affect during the daytime may be associated with less fragmented rapid eye movement sleep that night. Overall, our exploratory results lay the foundation for confirmatory research on the relationship between daytime affect and sleep EEG activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep inertia (SI) is a time period during the transition from sleep to wakefulness wherein individuals perceive low vigilance with cognitive impairments; SI is generally identified by longer reaction times (RTs) in attention tasks immediately after awakening followed by a gradual RT reduction along with waking time. The sluggish recovery of vigilance in SI involves a dynamic process of brain functions, as evidenced in recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in within-network and between-network connectivity. However, these fMRI findings were generally based on the presumption of unchanged neurovascular coupling (NVC) before and after sleep, which remains an uncertain factor to be investigated. Therefore, we recruited 12 young participants to perform a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and a breath-hold task of cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) before sleep and thrice after awakening (A1, A2, and A3, with 20 min intervals in between) using simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG)-fMRI recordings. If the NVC were to hold in SI, we hypothesized that time-varying consistencies could be found between the fMRI response and EEG beta power, but not in neuron-irrelevant CVR. Results showed that the reduced accuracy and increased RT in the PVT upon awakening was consistent with the temporal patterns of the PVT-induced fMRI responses (thalamus, insula, and primary motor cortex) and the EEG beta power (Pz and CP1). The neuron-irrelevant CVR did not show the same timevarying pattern among the brain regions associated with PVT. Our findings imply that the temporal dynamics of fMRI indices upon awakening are dominated by neural activities. This is the first study to explore the temporal consistencies of neurovascular components on awakening, and the discovery provides a neurophysiological basis for further neuroimaging studies regarding SI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has been employed to treat drug dependence, reduce drug use and improve cognition. The aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) on cognition in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). Methods: This was a secondary analysis of 40 MUD subjects receiving left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) iTBS or sham iTBS for 20 times over 10 days (twice-daily). Changes in working memory (WM) accuracy, reaction time, and sensitivity index were analyzed before and after active and sham rTMS treatment. Resting-state EEG was also acquired to identify potential biological changes that may relate to any cognitive improvement. Results: The results showed that iTBS increased WM accuracy and discrimination ability, and improved reaction time relative to sham iTBS. iTBS also reduced resting-state delta power over the left prefrontal region. This reduction in resting-state delta power correlated with the changes in WM. Conclusions: Prefrontal iTBS may enhance WM performance in MUD subjects. iTBS induced resting EEG changes raising the possibility that such findings may represent a biological target of iTBS treatment response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether subjective and objective sleep parameters (sleep stage, electroencephalography [EEG] power, heart rate variability) are related to the progression of sleep cycles using differences in the variables between two nights. We hypothesized that the association between night-to-night differences between subjective and objective sleep variables reflect the difference in objective sleep variables in the first sleep cycle. Seventy-seven healthy adults (23.8 ± 2.2 years; 41 females) participated in polysomnographic recordings on two consecutive nights. To extract the variables that represent the difference between the nights, the sleep parameters of Night 1 were subtracted from those of Night 2. Spearman's rho was used to assess correlations between subjective sleep assessments and objective sleep parameters, with false discovery rate correction for multiple comparisons. Subjective sleep assessments were significantly correlated with whole-night sleep architecture and quantitative EEG activity, but not with heart rate variability during the night. Among sleep cycles, subjective sleep parameters were correlated with the objective sleep parameters in the first sleep cycle ("Ease of falling asleep" vs. waking after sleep onset [r = − 0.382], "Depth of sleep" vs. EEG theta power [r = 0.404], "Quality of sleep" vs. the percentage of stage N3 [r = 0.412] and EEG delta power [r = 0.458], all p < 0.05). These results suggest the importance of taking the difference among the nights into account when assessing subjective sleep quality. This study clarified that sleep in the first sleep cycle has a dominant influence on subjective sleep assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During sleep, emotional memories are preferentially strengthened. However, most studies on sleep and emotional memory focus on comparing negative valence with neutral valence stimuli. This study compared the sleep‐dependent memory effects for stories and images, each comprising negative, neutral, and positive stimuli. It was hypothesized that a sleep effect would be seen for negatively and positively valenced stimuli. A novel story memory task (comprising three stories), and photographs from the Nencki Affective Picture database were presented for learning to 61 healthy adults (ages 18–25). They were tested for memory on the two tasks immediately, and then again after either a 2‐hr nap (n = 31; 17 women, 14 men) or 2‐hr wake period (n = 30; 13 women, 17 men). At second testing, the sleep condition had significantly better recall compared to the wake condition on both tasks. There was a relationship with valence only for the story task, with better performance for the sleep condition on the negatively and positively valenced texts, but not on the neutral text. There were no significant relationships between memory measures and sleep‐stage duration and EEG power variables. The story memory findings support the hypothesis that memory consolidation prioritizes emotional memory, whether positively or negatively valenced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is highly prevalent in a memory clinic setting and is heterogeneous regarding its clinical presentation, underlying pathophysiology, and prognosis. The most prevalent subtypes are single-domain amnestic MCI (sd-aMCI), considered to be a prodromal phase of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and multidomain amnestic MCI (md-aMCI), which is associated with multiple etiologies. Since synaptic loss and dysfunction are the closest pathoanatomical correlates of AD-related cognitive impairment, we aimed to characterize it in patients with sd-aMCI and md-aMCI by means of resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) global field power (GFP), global field synchronization (GFS), and novel cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) synaptic biomarkers. Methods: We included 52 patients with sd-aMCI (66.9 ± 7.3 years, 52% women) and 30 with md-aMCI (63.1 ± 7.1 years, 53% women). All patients underwent a detailed clinical assessment, resting-state EEG recordings and quantitative analysis (GFP and GFS in delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands), and analysis of CSF biomarkers of synaptic dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and AD-related pathology. Cognitive subtyping was based on a comprehensive neuropsychological examination. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used as an estimation of global cognitive performance. EEG and CSF biomarkers were included in a multivariate model together with MMSE and demographic variables, to investigate differences between sd-aMCI and md-aMCI. Results: Patients with sd-aMCI had higher CSF phosphorylated tau, total tau and neurogranin levels, and lower values in GFS delta and theta. No differences were observed in GFP. The multivariate model showed that the most important synaptic measures for group separation were GFS theta, followed by GFS delta, GFP theta, CSF neurogranin, and GFP beta. Conclusion: Patients with sd-aMCI when compared with those with md-aMCI have a neurophysiological and biochemical profile of synaptic damage, neurodegeneration, and amyloid pathology closer to that described in patients with AD. The most prominent signature in sd-aMCI was a decreased global synchronization in slow-frequency bands indicating that functional connectivity in slow frequencies is more specifically related to early effects of AD-specific molecular pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much evidence shows that music training influences the development of functional brain organization and cerebral asymmetry in an auditory-motor integrative neural system also associated with language and speech. Such overlap suggests that music training could be used for interventions in disadvantaged populations. Accordingly, we investigated neurofunctional changes associated with the influence of socially based classical ensemble music (CEM) training on executive auditory functions of children from low socioeconomic status (LSES), as compared to untrained counterparts. We conducted a novel ROI-focused reanalysis of stimulus-locked event-related electroencephalographic (EEG) band power data previously recorded from fifteen LSES children (9–10 years), with and without CEM, while performing a series of auditory Go/No-Go trials (involving 1100 Hz or 2000 Hz tones). An analysis of collapsed Alpha2, Beta1, Beta2, Delta, and Theta EEG bands showed significant differences in increased and decreased left asymmetry between the CEM and the Comparison group in key frontal and central electrodes typically associated with learning music. Overall, in Go trials, the CEM group responded more quickly and accurately. Linear regression analyses revealed both positive and negative correlations between left hemispheric asymmetry and behavioral measures of PPVT score, auditory sensitivity, Go accuracy, and reaction times. The pattern of results suggests that tone frequency and EEG asymmetries may be attributable to a shift to left lateralization as a byproduct of CEM. Our findings suggest that left hemispheric laterality associated with ensemble music training may improve the efficiency of productive language processing and, accordingly, may be considered as a supportive intervention for LSES children and youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binaural beat (BB) is a promising technique for memory improvement in elderly or people with neurological conditions. However, the related modulation of cortical networks followed by behavioral changes has not been investigated. The objective of this study is to establish a relationship between BB oscillatory brain activity evoked by stimulation and a behavioral response in a short term memory task. Three Groups A, B, and C of 20 participants each received alpha (10 Hz), beta (14 Hz), and gamma (30 Hz) BB, respectively, for 15 min. Their EEG was recorded in pre, during, and post BB states. Participants performed a digit span test before and after a BB session. A significant increase in the cognitive score was found only for Group A while a significant decrease in reaction time was noted for Groups A and C. Group A had a significant decrease of theta and increase of alpha power, and a significant increase of theta and decrease of gamma imaginary coherence (ICH) post BB. Group C had a significant increase in theta and gamma power accompanied by the increase of theta and gamma ICH post BB. The effectiveness of BB depends on the frequency of stimulation. A putative neural mechanism involves an increase in theta ICH in parieto-frontal and interhemispheric frontal networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to bind together the contextual details associated with an event undergoes dramatic improvement during childhood. However, few studies have examined the neural correlates of memory binding encoding and retrieval during middle childhood. We examined age‐related encoding and retrieval differences using continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) measures in a sample of 6‐ and 8‐year‐olds. For the memory binding task, children were tested on memory for individual items (i.e., objects and backgrounds only) and combined object–backgrounds pairings (combination condition). Memory for individual item information was comparable across both age groups. However, younger children experienced greater difficulty (i.e., higher false alarm rate) in the combination condition. Theta (4–7 Hz) neuronal oscillations were analyzed to compare memory encoding and retrieval processes. Widespread retrieval‐related increases in theta band EEG power (compared with baseline and encoding‐related activation) were evident in both 6‐ and 8‐year‐olds. Regression analyses revealed that parietal theta EEG power during retrieval accounted for variability in memory binding performance. These findings suggest that theta rhythms are intricately linked to memory binding processes during middle childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have reported that exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF‐EMF) emitted by mobile telephony might affect specific sleep features. Possible effects of RF‐EMF emitted by Wi‐Fi networks on sleep‐dependent memory consolidation processes have not been investigated so far. The present study explored the impact of an all‐night Wi‐Fi (2.45 GHz) exposure on sleep‐dependent memory consolidation and its associated physiological correlates. Thirty young males (mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 24.1 ± 2.9 years) participated in this double‐blind, randomized, sham‐controlled crossover study. Participants spent five nights in the laboratory. The first night was an adaptation/screening night. The second and fourth nights were baseline nights, each followed consecutively by an experimental night with either Wi‐Fi (maximum: psSAR10g = <25 mW/kg; 6 min average: <6.4 mW/kg) or sham exposure. Declarative, emotional and procedural memory performances were measured using a word pair, a sequential finger tapping and a face recognition task, respectively. Furthermore, learning‐associated brain activity parameters (power spectra for slow oscillations and in the spindle frequency range) were analysed. Although emotional and procedural memory were not affected by RF‐EMF exposure, overnight improvement in the declarative task was significantly better in the Wi‐Fi condition. However, none of the post‐learning sleep‐specific parameters was affected by exposure. Thus, the significant effect of Wi‐Fi exposure on declarative memory observed at the behavioural level was not supported by results at the physiological level. Due to these inconsistencies, this result could also be a random finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to characterize the cyclic sleep processes of sleep-stage dynamics, cortical activity, and heart rate variability during sleep in the adaptation night in healthy young adults. Methods: Seventy-four healthy adults participated in polysomnographic recordings on two consecutive nights. Conventional sleep variables were assessed according to standard criteria. Sleep-stage continuity and dynamics were evaluated by sleep runs and transitions, respectively. These variables were compared between the two nights. Electroencephalographic and cardiac activities were subjected to frequency domain analyses. Cycle-by-cycle analysis was performed for the above variables in 34 subjects with four sleep cycles and compared between the two nights. Results: Conventional sleep variables reflected lower sleep quality in the adaptation night than in the experimental night. Bouts of stage N1 and stage N2 were shorter, and bouts of stage Wake were longer in the adaptation night than in the experimental night, but there was no difference in stage N3 or stage REM. The normalized transition probability from stage N2 to stage N1 was higher and that from stage N2 to N3 was lower in the adaptation night, whereas that from stage N3 to other stages did not differ between the nights. Cycle-by-cycle analysis revealed that sleep-stage distribution and cortical beta EEG power differed between the two nights in the first sleep cycle. However, the HF amplitude of the heart rate variability was lower over the four sleep cycles in the adaptation night than in the experimental night. Conclusion: The results suggest the distinct vulnerability of the autonomic adaptation processes within the central nervous system in young healthy subjects while sleeping in a sleep laboratory for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of the functional rearrangement of the motor cortex of the brain after stroke is due to neuroplasticity, and this underlies motor recovery. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) are currently recognized as the most informative methods for studying these processes. The course of the neuroplastic process can be evaluated from the power levels of EEG rhythms during imagination of movements in the paralyzed arm in right-handed patients after stroke in the left hemisphere monitored at different times – before and after courses of neurorehabilitation using a brain–computer interface controlling a wrist exoskeleton. Powerful excitatory interactions in the primary motor cortex and frontoparietal areas in the lesioned and "intact" hemispheres are initially seen, and these probably reflect reorganization of neural networks. Rehabilitation courses were followed by restoration of bioelectrical activity in the primary motor cortex due to recovery of efficient connections with the premotor and superior parietal zones and decreases in the pathological influences of the contralateral hemisphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Huntington's disease (HD) is characterised by progressive symptoms including cognitive deficits and sleep/wake disturbances reflected in an abnormal electroencephalography (EEG). Modafinil, a wake-promoting and cognitive-enhancing drug, has been considered as a treatment for HD. We used HD (R6/2) mice to investigate the potential for using modafinil to treat sleep-wake disturbance in HD. R6/2 mice show sleep-wake and EEG changes similar to those seen in HD patients, with increased rapid eye movement sleep (REMS), decreased wakefulness/increased non-REMS (NREMS), and pathological changes in EEG spectra, particularly an increase in gamma power. We recorded EEG from R6/2 and wild-type mice treated with modafinil acutely (with single doses between 25 and 100 mg/kg; at 12 and 16 weeks of age), or chronically (64 mg/kg modafinil/day from 6 to 15 weeks). Acutely, modafinil increased wakefulness in R6/2 mice and restored NREMS to wild-type levels at 12 weeks. It also suppressed the pathologically increased REMS. This was accompanied by decreased delta power, increased peak frequency of theta, and increased gamma power. At 16 weeks, acute modafinil also restored wakefulness and NREMS to wild-type levels. However, whilst REMS decreased, it did not return to normal levels. By contrast, in the chronic treatment group, modafinil-induced wakefulness was maintained at 15 weeks (after 9 weeks of treatment). Interestingly, chronic modafinil also caused widespread suppression of power across the EEG spectra, including a reduction in gamma that increases pathologically in R6/2 mice. The complex EEG effects of modafinil in R6/2 mice should provide a baseline for further studies to investigate the translatability of these result to clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physiological stress systems and the brain rapidly develop through infancy. While the roles of caregiving and environmental factors have been studied, implications of maternal physiological stress are unclear. We assessed maternal and infant diurnal cortisol when infants were 6 and 12 months. We measured 12-month infant electroencephalography (EEG) 6-9 Hz power during a social interaction. Steeper 6-month maternal slope predicted steeper 12-month infant slope controlling for 6-month infant slope and breastfeeding. Steeper 6-month maternal slope predicted lower 6-9 Hz power. Six-month maternal area under the cuve (AUCg) was unrelated to 12-month infant AUCg and 6-9 Hz power. Psychosocial, caregiving, and breastfeeding variables did not explain results. At 6 months, maternal and infant slopes correlated, as did maternal and infant AUCg. Twelve-month maternal and infant cortisol were unrelated. Results indicate maternal slope is an informative predictor of infant physiology and suggest the importance of maternal physiological stress in this developmental period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel quantitative method for coding epochs of active and quiet sleep in infants using respiration is reported. The approach uses the variance of the instantaneous breathing rate within brief epochs of sleep. Variances are normalized within subject by dividing by the 75th percentile variance across epochs. Then, a normalized variance active sleep threshold of 0.29 was determined to produce the highest concordance with a method based on visual inspection of respiratory variability (100% and 90% for quiet and active sleep, respectively). The method was independently validated by comparing to standard polysomnographic state coding (87% and 80% concordance for quiet and active sleep) as well as with behavioral state coding (92% and 78% for quiet and active sleep). Validity was also demonstrated by showing that sleep states identified by the method resulted in the expected state differences in infant heart rate variability and electrocortical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relaxation and meditation techniques are generally characterized by focusing attention, which is associated with an increase of frontal EEG Theta. Some studies on music perception suggest an activation of Frontal Midline Theta during emotionally positive attribution, others display a lateralization of electrocortical processes in the attribution of music induced emotion of different valence. The present study examined the effects of vibroacoustic stimulation using a Body Monochord and the conventional relaxation music from an audio CD on the spontaneous EEG of patients suffering from psychosomatic disorders (N = 60). Each treatment took about 20 min and was presented to the patients in random order. Subjective experience was recorded via self-rating scale. EEG power spectra of the Theta, Alpha-1 and Alpha-2 bands were analysed and compard between the two treatment conditions. There was no lateralization of electrocortical activity in terms of the emotional experience of the musical pieces. A reduction in Alpha-2 power occurred during both treatments. An emotionally positive attribution of the experience of the vibroacoustically induced relaxation state is characterized by a more pronounced release of control. In the context of focused attention this is interpreted as flow experience. The spontaneous EEG showed an increase in Theta power, particularly in the frontal medial and central medial area, and a greater reduction in Alpha-2 power. The intensity of positive emotional feelings during the CD music showed no significant effect on the increase in Theta power [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of new motor skills, such as reaching and walking, dramatically changes how infants engage with the world socially and cognitively. Several examples of how motor experience can cascade into cognitive and social development have been documented, yet a significant knowledge gap remains in our understanding of whether these observed behavioral changes are accompanied by underlying neural changes. We propose that electroencephalography (EEG) measures such as power, coherence, and mu desynchronization are optimal tools to quantify motor experience in the infant brain. In this mini-review, we will summarize existing infant research that has separately assessed the relation between motor, cognitive, or social development with coherence, power, or mu desynchronization. We will discuss how the reviewed neural changes seen in seemingly separate developmental domains may be linked based on existing behavioral evidence. We will further propose that power, coherence, and mu desynchronization be used in research exploring the links between motor experience and cognitive and social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of force level and fatigue on brain activity during handgrip tasks.Methods: Electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded from eleven healthy male subjects when they performed 25%, 50% and 75% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), and were in fatigue state. EEG powers in different handgrip tasks were analyzed in the frequency domain and time domain respectively.Results: The EEG power at 25%MVC was significantly lower than that at 75%MVC in gamma band (p< 0.05) for electrode C3, C4, Cz, Pz and Fz. EEG power at 25%MVC was also significantly lower than that at 75%MVC in beta band (p< 0.05) for electrode C3. However, the handgrip force level and fatigue did not affect the EEG powers for the other frequencies and electrodes (p> 0.05).Conclusion: The results suggest that handgrip force level may modulate the brain activity in certain frequency bands and cortical regions. EEG power is a useful tool to characterize the motor state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The pressure exerted on the body by clothes is one important factor affecting the comfort of clothing, it is an effective method to evaluate pressure comfort by physiology and psychology. The purpose of this paper is to measure, electroencephalography (EEG), an index of brain activity in order to examine the effect on brain activity conditions caused by oppression exerted by clothing on the body. Design/methodology/approach – EEG power spectrum analysis was conduct to verify the electrophysiological characteristic of brain caused by pressure on the body by girdle. Findings – Experimental results showed that the intensity of α waves in the pressure condition is decreased compared to the non-pressure condition, and the somatosensory activated by pressure of girdle mainly in occipital, frontal and parietal region of brain. Originality/value – It was clarified that it is impossible to evaluate the clothes pressure by physiological technique of EEG, this study has enriched methods of evaluation pressure comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To illuminate candidate neural working mechanisms of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in the treatment of recurrent depressive disorder, parallel to the potential interplays between modulations in electro-cortical dynamics and depressive symptom severity and self-compassionate experience. Linear and nonlinear α and γ EEG oscillatory dynamics were examined concomitant to an affective Go/NoGo paradigm, pre-to-post MBCT or natural wait-list, in 51 recurrent depressive patients. Specific EEG variables investigated were; (1) induced event-related (de-) synchronisation (ERD/ERS), (2) evoked power, and (3) inter-/intra-hemispheric coherence. Secondary clinical measures included depressive severity and experiences of self-compassion. MBCT significantly downregulated α and γ power, reflecting increased cortical excitability. Enhanced α-desynchronisation/ERD was observed for negative material opposed to attenuated α-ERD towards positively valenced stimuli, suggesting activation of neural networks usually hypoactive in depression, related to positive emotion regulation. MBCT-related increase in left-intra-hemispheric α-coherence of the fronto-parietal circuit aligned with these synchronisation dynamics. Ameliorated depressive severity and increased self-compassionate experience pre-to-post MBCT correlated with α-ERD change. The multi-dimensional neural mechanisms of MBCT pertain to task-specific linear and non-linear neural synchronisation and connectivity network dynamics. We propose MBCT-related modulations in differing cortical oscillatory bands have discrete excitatory (enacting positive emotionality) and inhibitory (disengaging from negative material) effects, where mediation in the α and γ bands relates to the former. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective While Parkinson's disease (PD) has traditionally been described as a movement disorder, there is growing evidence of disruption in emotion information processing associated with the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are specific electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics that discriminate PD patients and normal controls during emotion information processing. Method EEG recordings from 14 scalp sites were collected from 20 PD patients and 30 age-matched normal controls. Multimodal (audio-visual) stimuli were presented to evoke specific targeted emotional states such as happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. Absolute and relative power, frequency and asymmetry measures derived from spectrally analyzed EEGs were subjected to repeated ANOVA measures for group comparisons as well as to discriminate function analysis to examine their utility as classification indices. In addition, subjective ratings were obtained for the used emotional stimuli. Results Behaviorally, PD patients showed no impairments in emotion recognition as measured by subjective ratings. Compared with normal controls, PD patients evidenced smaller overall relative delta, theta, alpha and beta power, and at bilateral anterior regions smaller absolute theta, alpha, and beta power and higher mean total spectrum frequency across different emotional states. Inter-hemispheric theta, alpha, and beta power asymmetry index differences were noted, with controls exhibiting greater right than left hemisphere activation. Whereas intra-hemispheric alpha power asymmetry reduction was exhibited in patients bilaterally at all regions. Discriminant analysis correctly classified 95.0% of the patients and controls during emotional stimuli. Conclusion These distributed spectral powers in different frequency bands might provide meaningful information about emotional processing in PD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While several studies have investigated interactions between the electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging BOLD signal fluctuations, less is known about the associations between EEG oscillations and baseline brain haemodynamics, and few studies have examined the link between EEG power outside the alpha band and baseline perfusion. Here we compare whole-brain arterial spin labelling perfusion MRI and EEG in a group of healthy adults ( n = 16, ten females, median age: 27 years, range 21-48) during an eyes closed rest condition. Correlations emerged between perfusion and global average EEG power in low (delta: 2-4 Hz and theta: 4-7 Hz), middle (alpha: 8-13 Hz), and high (beta: 13-30 Hz and gamma: 30-45 Hz) frequency bands in both cortical and sub-cortical regions. The correlations were predominately positive in middle and high-frequency bands, and negative in delta. In addition, central alpha frequency positively correlated with perfusion in a network of brain regions associated with the modulation of attention and preparedness for external input, and central theta frequency correlated negatively with a widespread network of cortical regions. These results indicate that the coupling between average EEG power/frequency and local cerebral blood flow varies in a frequency specific manner. Our results are consistent with longstanding concepts that decreasing EEG frequencies which in general map onto decreasing levels of activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we have made a broadband analysis to detect the electroencephalogram (EEG) frequencies that change selectively during the presentation of normal and “thatcherized” faces. Referential recordings to linked ears were obtained in 21 leads in 48 right-handed healthy male volunteers. Increase of delta power (1.75–3.91 Hz) was observed, related to the detection of distortion in faces at bifrontal and left temporoparietal cortex. The other bands had no contribution, when normal and modified faces were compared. These results support our hypothesis that a change in EEG power spectral may be related to discrimination between normal and thatcherized faces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eszopiclone and zolpidem are hypnotics that differentially affect sleep and waking states in adult animals. Therefore, it was of interest to compare their effects on the states of sleep and wakefulness in aged animals. Our objective was to determine the responses to eszopiclone and zolpidem vis-à-vis sleep and waking states in aged guinea pigs and to compare them with the effects of these hypnotics in adult animals. Aged guinea pigs were prepared to monitor sleep and waking states and to perform a frequency analysis of the EEG. Eszopiclone and zolpidem were administered intraperitoneally (1, 3, and 10 mg/kg). Eszopiclone produced a more rapid and greater increase in NREM sleep as well as longer duration episodes of NREM sleep compared with zolpidem. There was also a significant increase in the latency to REM sleep with eszopiclone, but not with zolpidem. EEG power during NREM sleep increased in the delta band and decreased in the theta band following eszopiclone administration, whereas zolpidem had no effect on any of the frequency bands analyzed. In aged as well as adult guinea pigs, eszopiclone is a more effective hypnotic insofar as it produces a shorter latency to NREM sleep, a greater amount of NREM sleep and EEG delta waves. Differences in the effects produced by eszopiclone and zolpidem as a function of the aging process likely reflect the fact that they bind to different subunits of the GABAA receptors, which are differentially reactive to the aging process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To reveal the EEG correlates of resting hypofrontality in schizophrenia (SZ). Method: We analyzed the whole-head EEG topography in 14 patients compared to 14 matched controls by applying a new parameterization of the multichannel EEG. We used a combination of power measures tuned for regional surface mapping with power measures that allow evaluation of global effects. Results: The SZ-related EEG abnormalities include i) a global decrease in absolute EEG power robustly manifested in the alpha and beta frequency bands, and ii) a relative increase in the alpha power over the prefrontal brain regions against its reduction over the posterior regions. In the alpha band both effects are linked to the SZ symptoms measured with Positive and Negative Symptom Scales and to chronicity. Conclusion: As alpha activity is related to regional deactivation, our findings support the concept of hypofrontality in SZ and expose the alpha rhythm as a sensitive indicator of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Following an integrative neuroscience perspective, we propose that cognitive and emotional functions are integrally linked, and that genetic polymorphisms which impact upon neural processes may have complementary effects on these functions. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) 66Met allele may contribute to both cognitive and emotional aspects of the depression phenotype. Methods: In 374 nonclinical subjects, BDNF genotype differences in task-related ERPs, emotion, memory, and EEG cortical arousal were examined. Results: Using path modeling, higher negative affect in Met homozygotes was predicted by slow-wave EEG via the mediating effects of neuroticism. Both negative affect and working memory deficits were predicted by disturbances in emotion- and cognitive-related ERPs. This model held across groups with varying levels of depressed mood. Discussion: Since impairments in emotion and working memory are core features of major depression, the BDNF Met allele may contribute to vulnerability for this disorder. An integrative approach in which genotypes are considered in combination with brain function and behavioral measures may be important in identifying profile markers of depression. Integrative Significance: This study directly demonstrates that cognitive and emotional neural networks are not parallel independent systems, but rather highly integrated with effects on both cognitive performance and emotional behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The involvement of different oscillating neuronal systems activated during intentional learning was investigated by measuring ongoing EEG activity. In 17 subjects, the EEG was recorded while learning pairs of words and faces. Subjective task difficulty was rated and a control condition of mental relaxation was also run. Spontaneous EEG activity during epochs which subsequently resulted in efficient encoding was associated with upper alpha desynchronization (10–12 Hz) and theta synchronization (4–8 Hz) when compared with spontaneous EEG activity during epochs of poor recall performance. The combined measure of theta synchronization plus upper alpha desynchronization was enhanced selectively over left frontotemporal cortical regions during efficient learning of words and over right parietal cortical regions during efficient learning of faces (P < 0.001). This striking topographical dissociation between learning materials for the combined measure of theta and upper alpha EEG activity suggests that the mode of intentional learning relies essentially on an interdependent regulation of two neuronal circuits: the thalamo-cortical circuit and the hippocampo-cortical circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy aging is characterized by macrostructural sleep changes and alterations of regional electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep features. However, the spatiotemporal EEG pattern of the wake-sleep transition has never been described in the elderly. The present study aimed to assess the topographical and temporal features of the EEG during the sleep onset (SO) in a group of 36 older participants (59–81 years). The topography of the 1 Hz bins' EEG power and the time course of the EEG frequency bands were assessed. Moreover, we compared the delta activity and delta/beta ratio between the older participants and a group of young adults. The results point to several peculiarities in the elderly: (a) the generalized post-SO power increase in the slowest frequencies did not include the 7 Hz bin; (b) the alpha power revealed a frequency-specific pattern of post-SO modifications; (c) the sigma activity exhibited only a slight post-SO increase, and its highest bins showed a frontotemporal power decrease. Older adults showed a generalized reduction of delta power and delta/beta ratio in both pre- and post-SO intervals compared to young adults. From a clinical standpoint, the regional EEG activity may represent a target for brain stimulation techniques to reduce SO latency and sleep fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the asymmetry of different features of brain electrical activity during the performance of a verbal task (word finding) and a spatial task (dot localization) that had been carefully matched on psychometric properties and accompanying motor activity. Nineteen right handed subjects were tested. EEG was recorded from F[sub3], F[sub4], C[sub3], C[sub4], P[sub3], and P[sub4], referred to both C[sub2] and computer-derived averaged-ears references, and Fourier transformed. Power in the delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands was computed. There were significant Task × Hemisphere effects in all bands for C[sub2]-referenced data and for the alpha and beta bands for ears-referenced data. The effects were always either greater power suppression in the hemisphere putatively most engaged in task processing or greater power in the opposite hemisphere. Correlations between EEG and task performance indicated that C[sub2]-referenced parietal alpha asymmetry accounted for the most variance in verbal task performance. Power within individual hemispheres or across hemispheres was unrelated to task performance. The findings indicate robust differences in asymmetrical brain physiology that are produced by well-matched verbal and spatial cognitive tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]