Article
Clinical Neurology
Maria Jose Olivares, Camilo Toledo, Domiziana Ortolani, Fernando C. Ortiz, Hugo S. Diaz, Rodrigo Iturriaga, Rodrigo Del Rio
Summary: The autonomic nervous system is involved in the regulation of sleep and wake processes, and there is a bidirectional relationship between impaired autonomic function and sleep disorders. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying this relationship could provide insights into diseases involving autonomic dysfunction.
Article
Food Science & Technology
S. Spinelli, L. Pierguidi, G. Gavazzi, C. Dinnella, A. De Toffoli, J. Prescott, E. Monteleone
Summary: Measuring emotional responses to tastes and foods using self-reports, implicit and physiological measurements, is gaining attention. The skin conductance response (SCR) is commonly used as an indicator of emotional activation but its interpretation in taste and other oral stimuli is not yet clear. Individual differences in SCR to tastes are rarely taken into account. This study examined SCR to bitter, astringent, and sweet samples presented at different intensities, and found that individual SCR differs mainly in response to strong bitterness and partially to astringency. The results suggest that SCR reflects various sources of arousal and can contribute to understanding individual differences in taste experience.
FOOD QUALITY AND PREFERENCE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Amrita Pal, Jennifer A. Ogren, Andrea P. Aguila, Ravi Aysola, Rajesh Kumar, Luke A. Henderson, Ronald M. Harper, Paul M. Macey
Summary: The study found that during the sympathetic phase of the Valsalva maneuver, OSA patients and healthy controls exhibit similar right and anterior insular fMRI dominance, with differences observed between males and females, possibly reflecting sex-specific neural injury.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Meriah L. Dejoseph, Keira B. Leneman, Alyssa R. Palmer, Emily R. Padrutt, Otiti A. Mayo, Daniel Berry
Summary: Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for the development of the stress response system. This study found a modest positive relation between the adrenocortical and sympathetic systems, as well as between the adrenocortical and parasympathetic systems. The strength of these associations varied based on methodological and sociodemographic characteristics.
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Effrosyni Koutsouraki, Koukoulidis Theodoros, Georgiadou Eleni, Kalampouka Marianna, Nikolaidou Areti, Koukoulidou Ariadni, Michmizos Dimitrios
Summary: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive disease affecting both the central nervous system (CNS) and autonomic nervous system (ANS), leading to a range of urological, sexual, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and thermoregulatory disorders as well as increased fatigue. The manifestations of ANS dysfunction in MS are often underestimated due to the non-specificity of symptoms and limited evaluation in clinical practice. The underlying mechanisms causing these disorders have yet to be fully investigated, hindering targeted etiological treatment. Early diagnosis and individualized treatment regimens, incorporating multiple approaches, have shown the best results in managing ANS dysfunction in MS patients.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana Ribeiro, Rachel Gabriel, Bernardo Garcia, Casey Cuccio, William Aqeel, Alejandro Moreno, Colby Landeen, Arlene Hurley, Neil Kavey, Donald Pfaff
Summary: This study found that poor sleepers have a higher number of both cortical and peripheral arousals compared to good sleepers, and the temporal contiguity between these two types of arousals is altered in poor sleepers. Evaluating the number of peripheral arousals could be a physiological means of distinguishing poor sleepers.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Benedetta Russo, Marika Menduni, Patrizia Borboni, Fabiana Picconi, Simona Frontoni
Summary: This review discusses the role of the autonomic nervous system in obesity and insulin-resistance, highlighting the bi-directional effects of related mechanisms, and exploring the neural, hormonal, and nutritional mechanisms involved. Leptin is emphasized for its crucial role in appetite regulation, glucose homeostasis, and energy expenditure.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Kaixiu Li, Xiaoqi Li, Qun Wang, Liqiang Wang, Yifei Huang
Summary: This study compared the kinetic pupillary changes between high myopia and low/moderate myopia using Pentacam. The results showed that in certain scanning periods, the pupillary changes in high myopia patients were slower compared to low/moderate myopia patients.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Tamami Nakano, Arata Ichiki, Takashi Fujikado
Summary: This study found that pupil constriction occurred a few seconds prior to spontaneous perceptual switch, but not before exogenous perceptual switch. Pharmacological experiments confirmed that pupil constriction is related to the parasympathetic pathway, while rapid pupil dilations with behavioral response are mediated by the parasympathetic pathway.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Johannes B. Finke, Sebastian Hahn, Hartmut Schaechinger, Tim Klucken
Summary: This study found that acute physical stress enhances the arousability of men to visual sexual stimuli in the short term, as indicated by higher pupil dilation responses, possibly mediated by sympathetic nervous system processes. The specificity of this effect in terms of emotional valence has not been previously investigated. The results showed that heart rate deceleration and pupil responses were specifically enhanced with sexually arousing stimuli in stressed participants, and this effect was mediated by blood pressure reactivity as an index of preceding sympathetic nervous system activation. These findings provide strong evidence for the enhancement of sexual processing by acute stress exposure in men and suggest differential involvement of parasympathetic versus sympathetic mechanisms.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Xuehong Yang, Fanmeng Kong, Ronglong Xiong, Guangyuan Liu, Wanhui Wen
Summary: This study analyzed the autonomic nervous patterns during sleep deprivation and used machine learning methods to detect its effects. The results showed significant physiological and heart rate variability changes during sleep deprivation, with differences observed between genders.
BIOMEDICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING AND CONTROL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Insung Park, Javier Diaz, Sumire Matsumoto, Kaito Iwayama, Yoshiharu Nabekura, Hitomi Ogata, Momoko Kayaba, Atsushi Aoyagi, Katsuhiko Yajima, Makoto Satoh, Kumpei Tokuyama, Kaspar E. Vogt
Summary: Although vigorous exercise does not lead to a subjective improvement in sleep quality, sleep function is improved on the basis of its effect on objective EEG parameters.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Minxuan Huang, Donald L. Bliwise, Amit Shah, Dayna A. Johnson, Gari D. Clifford, Martica H. Hall, Robert T. Krafty, Jack Goldberg, Richard Sloan, Yi-An Ko, Giulia Da Poian, Erick A. Perez-Alday, Nancy Murrah, Oleksiy M. Levantsevych, Lucy Shallenberger, Rami Abdulbaki, Viola Vaccarino
Summary: Through a co-twin control study, it was found that daytime HRV is bidirectionally associated with sleep dimensions, while nighttime HRV has no association with sleep measures. Dysfunctions in autonomic regulation during wakefulness can lead to subsequent shorter sleep duration and worse sleep continuity, and their influence on each other may extend beyond 24 hours.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Bing Huang, Huafen Liu, Benjamin J. Scherlag, Lihua Sun, Shifeng Xing, Jie Xu, Mei Luo, Yankai Guo, Guiqiu Cao, Hong Jiang
Summary: Obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation and may reduce the effectiveness of traditional treatments. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy may have low compliance in OSA patients. Autonomic activation has been shown to play a role in the pathogenesis of AF in OSA, suggesting potential for autonomic modulation as a therapeutic target.
TRENDS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Francesca Massimello, Lucia Billeci, Alessio Canu, Maria Magdalena Montt-Guevara, Gaia Impastato, Maurizio Varanini, Andrea Giannini, Tommaso Simoncini, Paolo Mannella
Summary: This study examined the effect of music stimulation on fetal heart rate and autonomic nervous system activity. The results showed that music stimulation can enhance fetal heart rate variability without changing the mean value of fetal heart rate. This effect is mainly attributed to the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, indicating that music can induce a state of relaxation in the fetus.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Miriam Schirru, Florence Veronneau-Veilleux, Fahima Nekka, Mauro Ursino
Summary: This study investigates the role of dopamine-dependent pathways in flexible action selection and learning mechanisms of striatal synapses. The findings suggest that controlling phasic dopamine changes can lead to successful reversal learning, providing insights into the mechanisms of dopamine changes during flexible behavior.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Mauro Ursino, Elisa Magosso, Manuela Petti
Article
Neurosciences
Mauro Ursino, Nicole Cesaretti, Gabriele Pirazzini
Summary: Oscillatory activity is crucial for working memory, and cross-frequency coupling between theta and gamma oscillations is believed to be a core mechanism for multi-item memory. This study presents an original neural network model based on oscillating neural masses to investigate working memory mechanisms. The model can address various memory problems, including partial information reconstruction, simultaneous maintenance of multiple items, and ordered sequence reconstruction from an initial cue. The trained network demonstrates the ability to desynchronize up to nine items and replicate sequences using gamma and theta rhythms. Reduction in certain parameters can mimic memory impairments. The isolated network can randomly recover previously learned sequences and link them together using item similarity.
COGNITIVE NEURODYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Aaro Salminen, Stefan Clemens, Diego Garcia-Borreguero, Imad Ghorayeb, Yuqing Li, Mauro Manconi, William Ondo, David Rye, Jerome M. Siegel, Alessandro Silvani, John W. Winkelman, Richard P. Allen, Sergi Ferre
Summary: Our understanding of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is still incomplete, mainly due to the lack of objective diagnostic biomarkers. In this article, a group of preclinical and clinical scientists establishes new guidelines for constructing valid rodent models of RLS, considering the risk factors, triggering factors, and pathophysiological mechanisms that influence RLS expressivity. This research aims to provide translational implications for better diagnosing and treating RLS.
DISEASE MODELS & MECHANISMS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Alessandro Silvani, Luca Baldelli, Giulia Giannini, Pietro Guaraldi, Luisa Sambati, Annagrazia Cecere, Francesco Mignani, Pietro Cortelli, Giovanna Calandra-Buonaura, Federica Provini
Summary: Patients with multiple system atrophy exhibit pervasive muscle activity during sleep, involving axial and limb muscles, and occurring not only during REM sleep but also during non-REM sleep.
JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Maria P. Mogavero, Alessandro Silvani, Giuseppe Lanza, Lourdes M. DelRosso, Luigi Ferini-Strambi, Raffaele Ferri
Summary: After describing orexins and their roles in sleep and medical disorders, the article discusses the clinical evidence on the effects of DORAs and SORAs on insomnia to provide recommendations for further assessment in personalized and precision medicine. Trials with orexin receptor antagonists have shown potential as a valid therapeutic option for insomnia in various medical conditions, but more studies are needed to determine the most suitable options for different patient populations.
NATURE AND SCIENCE OF SLEEP
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Davide Borra, Matteo Filippini, Mauro Ursino, Patrizia Fattori, Elisa Magosso
Summary: This study compared the performance of fully-connected, convolutional, and recurrent neural networks in motor decoding and found that convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were the most effective choice. CNNs showed improved performance in low data scenarios and provided insights about the encoding properties and functional roles of brain regions.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Davide Borra, Silvia Fantozzi, Maria Cristina Bisi, Elisa Magosso
Summary: In this study, the alpha and beta brain activity and connectivity during reaching preparation were investigated using EEG technology. The results suggest that alpha and beta oscillations play different functional roles in the preparation of reaching, with alpha mediating inhibition of ipsilateral sensorimotor areas and disinhibition of visual areas, and beta coordinating disinhibition of contralateral sensorimotor and visuomotor areas.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Davide Borra, Francesco Bossi, Davide Rivolta, Elisa Magosso
Summary: By applying deep learning to high-density EEG signals at source-level, the spatiotemporal dynamics of holistic processing for social stimuli were investigated. The results identified specific brain regions and time intervals that were most relevant for discriminating face and body orientation.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Alessandro Silvani, Isabelle Lambert, Anna Heidbreder, Yves Dauvilliers, Lucie Barateau
Summary: This article provides a comprehensive overview of autonomic dysfunctions in central disorders of hypersomnolence, including narcolepsy type 1 and type 2, idiopathic hypersomnia, and Kleine-Levin syndrome. Recent studies have assessed autonomic symptoms in large cohorts of patients and found that autonomic impairment is frequent in these disorders. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this dysfunction are not fully understood and further research is needed to understand the effects of wake-promoting agents on the autonomic nervous system.
CURRENT SLEEP MEDICINE REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Mauro Ursino, Gabriele Pirazzini
Summary: This study explores the hierarchical organization of semantic memory using an attractor network model. The model utilizes gamma-band synchronization to facilitate information processing and feature binding, and creates a taxonomy, distinguishes concepts, and discriminates features through training. Sensitivity analysis reveals the robustness of the network, but also identifies conditions that may lead to confusion. The analysis emphasizes the role of GABAergic interneurons and inhibitory-excitatory balance in feature synchronization.
COGNITIVE COMPUTATION
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Davide Borra, Matteo Filippini, Mauro Ursino, Patrizia Fattori, Elisa Magosso
Summary: Neural decoding is crucial for Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have emerged as powerful tools for decoding neural activity. CNNs have shown promising results in decoding electroencephalographic signals, but their applications in single-neuron decoding require further validation and research.
MACHINE LEARNING, OPTIMIZATION, AND DATA SCIENCE, LOD 2022, PT II
(2023)
