Article
Neurosciences
Leonie Borne, Ye Tian, Michelle K. Lupton, Johan N. van der Meer, Jayson Jeganathan, Bryan Paton, Nikitas Koussis, Christine C. Guo, Gail A. Robinson, Jurgen Fripp, Andrew Zalesky, Michael Breakspear
Summary: The functional organization of the hippocampus changes smoothly along connectivity gradients and abruptly at inter-areal boundaries, similar to the cortex. This organization allows for flexible integration of hippocampal gradients into cortical networks. By studying fMRI data, researchers found that the functional connectivity gradients of the hippocampus map onto connectivity gradients in the default mode network. The presence of familiar cues accentuates a stepwise transition across the boundary from the anterior to the posterior hippocampus, which is shifted in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease.
Article
Neurosciences
Ignacio Cifre, Maria T. Miller Flores, Lucia Penalba, Jeremi K. Ochab, Dante R. Chialvo
Summary: The center stage of neuro-imaging is currently focused on studying functional correlations between brain regions, which define brain functional networks. This study proposes a new measure of nonlinear dynamic directed functional connectivity across regions of interest, providing directed information of functional correlations and a measure of temporal lags without extensive numerical complications. This approach offers a different and complementary perspective in analyzing brain co-activation patterns.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Caishui Yang, Jialing Fan, Kewei Chen, Zhanjun Zhang
Summary: The study found that working memory impairments in the elderly are closely related to changes in brain activity and connectivity. As individuals age, there is a decrease in regional brain activity and an increase in connectivity, which in turn affects working memory performance.
Article
Neurosciences
Alexandru D. Iordan, Kyle D. Moored, Benjamin Katz, Katherine A. Cooke, Martin Buschkuehl, Susanne M. Jaeggi, Thad A. Polk, Scott J. Peltier, John Jonides, Patricia A. Reuter-Lorenz
Summary: Cognitive training has differential effects on the integration and modularity of functional brain networks in older and younger adults. Older adults exhibit lower modularity overall and a greater decrement in switching between rest and task compared to younger adults. While younger adults increase network segregation with training, older adults persist in a more integrated and potentially costly global workspace.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Wanyi Cao, Haiyan Liao, Sainan Cai, Wanrong Peng, Zhaoxia Liu, Kaili Zheng, Jinyu Liu, Mingtian Zhong, Changlian Tan, Jinyao Yi
Summary: Abnormal connectivity between the right inferior parietal lobule and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was found in MDD patients during 2-back task. Dynamic causal modeling analysis revealed increased forward modulation connectivity from the right IPL to the right dlPFC in MDD patients during 2-back task, compared to healthy controls.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2021)
Article
Neuroimaging
Jennifer Vannest, Rupa Radhakrishnan, Ana M. Gutierrez-Colina, Shari L. Wade, Thomas Maloney, Angela Combs, Luke Turnier, Shelby Merder, Mekibib Altaye, Tzipi-Horowitz-Kraus, Avani C. Modi
Summary: Adolescents with epilepsy exhibit deficits in working memory, leading to poorer performance compared to healthy controls. Interestingly, differences in functional connectivity within specific brain networks were also observed between the two groups, indicating altered patterns of brain activity in epilepsy.
BRAIN IMAGING AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Selma Lugtmeijer, Linda Geerligs, Kamen A. Tsvetanov, Daniel J. Mitchell, Cam-CAN, Karen L. Campbell
Summary: Working memory declines throughout adulthood and the neural mechanisms underlying this decline are limited. This study used a lifespan cohort and a whole-brain approach to investigate age-related changes in working memory load-modulated functional connectivity. Results showed that functional connectivity strength decreased with increasing age throughout the cortex, but the relationship between connectivity and behavior was non-significant.
Article
Psychology, Biological
Geisa B. Gallardo-Moreno, Francisco J. Alvarado-Rodriguez, Rebeca Romo-Vazquez, Hugo Velez-Perez, Andres A. Gonzalez-Garrido
Summary: Patients with type-1 diabetes exhibit lower task performance and longer reaction times compared to healthy controls in a visuospatial working memory task.
In response to increasing levels of visuospatial working memory load, diabetic patients show higher functional brain connectivity from the beginning of the encoding phase, unlike healthy controls who demonstrate more gradual task-related adjustments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Weidong Cai, Srikanth Ryali, Ramkrishna Pasumarthy, Viswanath Talasila, Vinod Menon
Summary: Working memory is a crucial component of cognition, but its mechanisms are not well understood. The study reveals distinct roles of the SN and FPN in systems control, and shows that network controllability decreases with an increase in working memory load.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Janelle Liu, Yuanyuan Chen, Rebecca Stephens, Emil Cornea, Barbara Goldman, John H. Gilmore, Wei Gao
Summary: The hippocampal functional connectivity in infants undergoes a developmental process from local connections with nearby regions to increasing connectivity with key brain areas, eventually forming an adult-like topology by the end of the first year and further stabilizing by 2 years of age. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal measures of these connections in the first year can predict future working memory performance at 4 years of age.
Article
Neurosciences
Hikaru Takeuchi, Yasuyuki Taki, Rui Nouchi, Ryoichi Yokoyama, Yuka Kotozaki, Seishu Nakagawa, Atsushi Sekiguchi, Kunio Iizuka, Sugiko Hanawa, Tsuyoshi Araki, Carlos Makoto Miyauchi, Kohei Sakaki, Yuko Sassa, Takayuki Nozawa, Shigeyuki Ikeda, Susumu Yokota, Daniele Magistro, Ryuta Kawashima
Summary: The study revealed a significant association between psychometric intelligence and working memory-induced changes in functional connectivity, particularly with key nodes of the frontoparietal network. Using the N-back paradigm, the research observed varying functional connectivity changes in different brain regions during working memory tasks, providing important clues for understanding brain functional characteristics and cognitive capabilities.
BRAIN CONNECTIVITY
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Gigi F. Stark, Emily W. Avery, Monica D. Rosenberg, Abigail S. Greene, Siyuan Gao, Dustin Scheinost, R. Todd Constable, Marvin M. Chun, Kwangsun Yoo
Summary: The study analyzed the extent to which whole-brain functional connectivity observed during completion of an N-back memory task can predict both working memory and episodic memory. Results showed that functional connectivity observed during the N-back task performance predicted out-of-scanner working memory scores and episodic memory scores to a lesser extent.
BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Taylor Hatchard, Aziza Byron-Alhassan, Ola Mioduszewski, Katherine Holshausen, Stacey Correia, Allison Leeming, Gladys Ayson, Carley Chiasson, Peter Fried, Ian Cameron, Andra Smith
Summary: This study utilized fMRI to examine neural activation and performance on a working memory task in young adults. While there were no differences in performance, cannabis users showed significant differences in brain activation, including altered functional connectivity. This suggests potential compensatory mechanisms in the brain due to sustained cannabis use.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Oliver Schmitt, Christian Nitzsche, Peter Eipert, Vishnu Prathapan, Marc-Thorsten Huett, Claus C. Hilgetag
Summary: Connectomes provide comprehensive descriptions of neural connections, which are crucial for understanding central brain function and peripheral processing of neural signals. This study examines detailed connectomes with edge weighting and orientation properties, and investigates diffusion-reaction models to study dynamic concentration patterns in control and lesioned connectomes. The implementation of reaction-diffusion systems in the neuroVIISAS framework allows for the study of empirical connectomes and specific network models.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Andrew A. Chen, Dhivya Srinivasan, Raymond Pomponio, Yong Fan, Ilya M. Nasrallah, Susan M. Resnick, Lori L. Beason-Held, Christos Davatzikos, Theodore D. Satterthwaite, Dani S. Bassett, Russell T. Shinohara, Haochang Shou
Summary: Community detection on graphs constructed from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data has provided important insights into brain functional organization. However, differences in scanners can introduce variability into the results, known as scanner effects. In this study, new methodology for harmonizing functional connectivity is proposed to reduce these effects.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Natalia Kowalczyk-Grebska, Maciek Skorko, Pawel Dobrowolski, Bartosz Kossowski, Monika Mysliwiec, Nikodem Hryniewicz, Maciej Gaca, Artur Marchewka, Malgorzata Kossut, Aneta Brzezicka
Summary: This research found that players' brain structures may be related to real-time strategy game skills, aiding in successful learning of new skills, not limited to video games, but can also be applied to broader cognitive training.
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gert Pfurtscheller, Katarzyna J. Blinowska, Maciej Kaminski, Beate Rassler, Wolfgang Klimesch
Summary: Slow oscillations and their coupling are important for brain-body interactions. The LF and IMF bands were compared to determine their significance for information flow between the body and BOLD signals in the cortex and brainstem. The study found intensive information flow from the cortex to the brainstem in the LF band and from the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) to the precentral gyrus (PCG) and from brainstem to PCG in the IMF band.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Maciej Kaminski, Katarzyna J. Blinowska
Summary: The paper focuses on the development of EEG functional connectivity estimation methods, providing a brief overview of the currently used measures and discussing their advantages and flaws. Different connectivity measures are compared, considering their performance in terms of noise robustness, common drive effect, and volume conduction. The paper also introduces a time-varying connectivity measure that enables the estimation of dynamic information processing in the brain. Furthermore, it discusses post-processing methods for connectivity results, including advanced graph analysis that takes into account the community structure of networks and provides a hierarchy of networks.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Justyna Jozefowicz, Natalia Kowalczyk-Grebska, Aneta Brzezicka
Summary: The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Polish versions of DFS-2 and FSS-2 scales among Polish adults and young adults. The results confirm the reliability and validity of the scales for the Polish population.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Anna Kovbasiuk, Paulina Lewandowska, Aneta Brzezicka, Natalia Kowalczyk-Grebska
Summary: This review summarizes existing literature on the neuroanatomical features and neuroplasticity associated with complex video game skill acquisition, with a focus on the differences between younger and older individuals. It reveals that different brain regions predict learning outcomes in young and older subjects, potentially due to age-related compensatory mechanisms. Additionally, changes in both cortical and subcortical areas are observed after training in both age groups. Best practices in predicting video game training performance are outlined, along with promising areas for future research.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katarzyna Zycienska, Beata Pszczolkowska, Beata Brzozowska, Maciej Kaminski, Tomasz Lorenc, Wioletta Olejarz, Slawomir Sek, Jozef Ginter
Summary: Extracellular vesicles are evaluated for size using NTA and AFM, with the study exploring the relationship between geometric and hydrodynamic sizes. Factors such as Brownian motion and sample preparation time were found to impact measurement results in this study.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Dorota Zielinska, Marcelina Karbowiak, Aneta Brzezicka
Summary: Psychobiotics, mainly consisting of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, are probiotics that can improve mental health when consumed in specific quantities and interact with the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota, a diverse population of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract, communicates with the brain through the brain-gut axis. Psychobiotics exert their effects through neurotransmitter synthesis, regulation of the HPA axis, immune system influence, and metabolite synthesis. This review discusses the potential role of psychobiotics in light of the current challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Dorota Wolynczyk-Gmaj, Aleksandra Majewska, Aleksandra Bramorska, Anna Rozanska-Waledziak, Simon Ziemka, Aneta Brzezicka, Bartlomiej Gmaj, Krzysztof Czajkowski, Marcin Wojnar
Summary: Sleep deterioration during late pregnancy may lead to cognitive impairment. In this study, pregnant women showed worse scores in working memory capacity and attention, as well as lower sleep quality. Frequent awakenings may be the major factor contributing to the decline in working memory performance.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katarzyna J. Blinowska, Maciej Kaminski, Nathalie Macrez, Aline Marighetto, Pierre Meyrand, Tiaza Bem
Summary: Slow gamma oscillations play a coordinating role in memory formation by facilitating information transfer between brain structures. This study used the Granger causality principle to analyze the transmission of slow gamma waves and observed bidirectional propagation during slow wave sleep. The number and strength of connectivity pathways increased during sharp wave ripples, indicating their involvement in memory processing. Learning had a specific effect in APP/PS1 mice, enhancing slow gamma transmission between hippocampus and cortex as well as between CA1 regions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gert Pfurtscheller, Maciej Kaminski, Katarzyna J. Blinowska, Beate Rassler, Gerhard Schwarz, Wolfgang Klimesch
Summary: Directed coupling measurements of fMRI oscillations revealed an increased information flow between the brainstem and the prefrontal cortex at around 0.15/0.16 Hz. This study aimed to investigate the information flow between BOLD, respiratory, and heart beat-to-beat interval (RRI) signals in healthy subjects with high anxiety during fMRI examinations. Results showed a salience of fast respiratory waves and a significant top-down information flow from BOLD oscillations in the middle frontal gyrus to the brainstem. Additionally, there was a significant information flow from RRI to respiratory oscillations.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Paulina Lewandowska, Natalia Jakubowska, Nikodem Hryniewicz, Rafal Prusinowski, Bartosz Kossowski, Aneta Brzezicka, Natalia Kowalczyk-Grebska
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Paulina Lewandowska, Natalia Jakubowska, Nikodem Hryniewicz, Rafal Prusinowski, Bartosz Kossowski, Aneta Brzezicka, Natalia Kowalczyk-Grebska
Summary: In recent years, there has been active investigation into the association between video games, cognition, and the brain. This preliminary study aimed to explore the relationship between brain white matter integrity and the acquisition of cognitive-motor skills from the real-time strategy video game StarCraft II. The results showed that higher white matter integrity in regions and tracts related to motoric functions, set shifting, and visual decision making was associated with better game performance. These findings support previous results and suggest that individual structural brain predispositions play a role in video game skill acquisition.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Alicja Anna Binkowska, Anastasia Ruban, Mariszka Gogolewska, Piotr Sawicz, Leszek Rychlewski, Aneta Brzezicka
Summary: This study found that frequency of cannabis use is the most important predictor of cannabis dependence symptoms. In addition, substance-dependency-related treatment seeking, mental health problems in the family, and pattern of substance use were also identified as predictors of cannabis dependence symptoms. Duration of cannabis use, relationship status, and drug use history in the family were found to be significant moderators of the relationship between frequency of cannabis use and the number of cannabis dependence symptoms.
JOURNAL OF ADDICTIONS NURSING
(2022)
