Visuo-motor transformations in the intraparietal sulcus mediate the acquisition of endovascular medical skill

Performing endovascular medical interventions safely and efficiently requires a diverse set of skills that need to be practised in dedicated training sessions. Here, we used multimodal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to determine the structural and functional plasticity and core skills associated with skill acquisition. A training group learned to perform a simulator-based endovascular procedure, while a control group performed a simplified version of the task; multimodal MR images were acquired before and after training. Using a well-controlled interaction design, we found strong, multimodal evidence for the role of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in endovascular skill acquisition that is in line with previous work implicating the structure in simple visuo-motor and mental rotation tasks. Our results provide a unique window into the multimodal nature of rapid structural and functional plasticity of the human brain while learning a multifaceted and complex clinical skill. Further, our results provide a detailed description of the plasticity process associated with endovascular skill acquisition and highlight specific facets of skills that could enhance current medical pedagogy and be useful to explicitly target during clinical resident training

Neural Signatures of Motor Skill in the Resting Brain

Stroke-induced disturbances of large-scale cortical networks are known to be associated with the extent of motor deficits. We argue that identifying brain networks representative of motor behavior in the resting brain would provide significant insights for current neurorehabilitation approaches. Particularly, we aim to investigate the global configuration of brain rhythms and their relation to motor skill, instead of learning performance as broadly studied. We empirically approach this problem by conducting a three-dimensional physical space visuomotor learning experiment during electroencephalographic (EEG) data recordings with thirty-seven healthy participants. We demonstrate that across-subjects variations in average movement smoothness as the quantified measure of subjects' motor skills can be predicted from the global configuration of resting-state EEG alpha-rhythms (8-14 Hz) recorded prior to the experiment. Importantly, this neural signature of motor skill was found to be orthogonal to (independent of) task -- as well as to learning-related changes in alpha-rhythms, which we interpret as an organizing principle of the brain. We argue that disturbances of such configurations in the brain may contribute to motor deficits in stroke, and that reconfiguring stroke patients' brain rhythms by neurofeedback may enhance post-stroke neurorehabilitation.Comment: 2019 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (IEEE SMC 2019

Thalamocortical disconnection affects the somatic marker and social cognition: a case report

Thalamo-cortical connectivity was characterised in a patient with bilateral infarct of the thalami, without evidence of cognitive deficits in everyday life. Patient underwent social and emotional tests, Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), with and without concomitant heart rate variability (HRV) recording and at 3T-MRI to assess thalamo-cortical connectivity. Patient showed impairment at the IGT, in somatic marker, in emotions and theory of mind. MRI documented a bilateral damage of the centromedian-parafascicular complex. Patient's thalamic lesions disconnected brain areas involved in decision-making and autonomic regulation, affecting the somatic marker and resulting in the neuropsychological deficit exhibited by L.C

EEG and ERP Biomarkers, Source Localisation and Neurofeedback for Performance Enhancement in Elite Table Tennis Athletes

It was hypothesised that the EEG of elite table tennis players would differ significantly from the amateur players at cortical source engaged in processing vision of a 'virtual opponent' presented in a table tennis video-viewing (VT) task and in ERPs to the two visual-spatial Go-NoGo (vsCPT1/vsCPT4) tasks. Both paradigms were conceptually designed for this research. It was hypothesised that individualized Neurofeedback (NFB) training protocols could be used to train performance in this specific neural circuitry and enhance performance related cognitive skills of elite table tennis athletes. An original sample of over 200 table tennis players' EEG was recorded in baseline conditions (eyes open, eyes closed), VT and vsCPT, allowing for a comparison between a group of elite table tennis players to a group of lower level but experienced 'amateur' players. Maximal cortical source differences (higher activity in the elite compared to the amateur group) were located by eLORETA at right Brodmann Area (BA) 13 and right BA6 in a narrow frequency band of 10.50 to 11.75 Hz. Source activity was found to be significantly related to superior response speed and perceptual discrimination at the higher processing load (vsCPT4) and reduced response bias at the lower processing load (vsCPT1). Partial least squares analysis showed ERPs during vsCPT accounted for >80% of variance in world rankings of 16 elite athletes.80% of variance in world rankings of 16 elite athletes. A NFB protocol was designed using the cortical sources differentiating Elite from Amateur table tennis players. Nineteen nationally ranked players undertook intensive table tennis training, while ten of those players made up the experimental group and also participated in 15 x 30 minute sLoreta-NFB sessions. NFB up-trained EEG source activity at right BA13 and right BA6 within the 10.5-11.5 Hz (upper alpha) band but resulted in a significant decrease in source activity at 11.25Hz in right BA6 post training. Behaviourally, vsCPT results showed improved accuracy to NoGo stimuli. An adjusted NFB protocol training rightBA40 was then tested. Again, significant post training decreases in source activity resulted, but this time across three conditions (Eyes Open, Eyes Closed and VT). Importantly, pre – post NFB training reduced 9.25 Hz activity during the VT condition and was strongly and significantly correlated with pre – post NFB training increases in NoGo accuracy (vsCPT1). Thus, the changes in cortical activity following this NFB training protocol were directly linked to sport related performance enhancement in this study

Mental sleep activity and disturbing dreams in the lifespan

Sleep significantly changes across the lifespan, and several studies underline its crucial role in cognitive functioning. Similarly, mental activity during sleep tends to covary with age. This review aims to analyze the characteristics of dreaming and disturbing dreams at dierent age brackets. On the one hand, dreams may be considered an expression of brain maturation and cognitive development, showing relations with memory and visuo-spatial abilities. Some investigations reveal that specific electrophysiological patterns, such as frontal theta oscillations, underlie dreams during sleep, as well as episodic memories in the waking state, both in young and older adults. On the other hand, considering the role of dreaming in emotional processing and regulation, the available literature suggests that mental sleep activity could have a beneficial role when stressful events occur at dierent age ranges. We highlight that nightmares and bad dreams might represent an attempt to cope the adverse events, and the degrees of cognitive-brain maturation could impact on these mechanisms across the lifespan. Future investigations are necessary to clarify these relations. Clinical protocols could be designed to improve cognitive functioning and emotional regulation by modifying the dream contents or the ability to recall/non-recall them