The impact of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) on seizure course in people with and without epilepsy

Objective: To elucidate the effects of single and paired-pulse TMS on seizure activity at electrographic and clinical levels in people with and without epilepsy. Methods: A cohort of 35 people with epilepsy, two people with alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) with no epilepsy, and 16 healthy individuals underwent single or paired-pulse TMS combined with EEG. Clinical records and subject interviews were used to examine seizure frequency four weeks before and after TMS. Results: There were no significant differences in seizure frequency in any subject after TMS exposure. There was no occurrence of seizures in healthy individuals, and no worsening of hemiplegic attacks in people with AHC. Conclusions: No significant changes in seizure activity were found before or after TMS. Significance: This study adds evidence on the safety of TMS in people with and without epilepsy with follow-up of four weeks after TMS

Physiological symmetry of transcranial magnetic stimulation-evoked EEG spectral features

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-evoked EEG potentials (TEPs) have been used to study the excitability of different cortical areas (CAs) in humans. Characterising the interhemispheric symmetry of TMS-EEG may provide further understanding of structure-function association in physiological and pathological conditions. We hypothesise that, in keeping with the underlying cytoarchitectonics, TEPs in contralateral homologous CAs share similar, symmetric spectral features, whilst ipsilateral TEPs from different CAs diverge in their waveshape and frequency content. We performed single-pulse ( .5), with frequency decreasing from anterior to posterior CAs. Correlation was high between contralateral homologous CAs and low between ipsilateral CAs. When applying CorrCA, specific components were shared by contralateral homologous TEPs. We show physiological symmetry of TEP spectral features between contralateral homologous CAs, whilst ipsilateral premotor and motor TEPs differ despite lower geometrical distance. Our findings support the role of TEPs as biomarker of local cortical properties and provide a first reference dataset for TMS-EEG studies in asymmetric brain disorders

Local sleep-like cortical reactivity in the awake brain after focal injury.

The functional consequences of focal brain injury are thought to be contingent on neuronal alterations extending beyond the area of structural damage. This phenomenon, also known as diaschisis, has clinical and metabolic correlates but lacks a clear electrophysiological counterpart, except for the long-standing evidence of a relative EEG slowing over the injured hemisphere. Here, we aim at testing whether this EEG slowing is linked to the pathological intrusion of sleep-like cortical dynamics within an awake brain. We used a combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS/EEG) to study cortical reactivity in a cohort of 30 conscious awake patients with chronic focal and multifocal brain injuries of ischaemic, haemorrhagic and traumatic aetiology. We found that different patterns of cortical reactivity typically associated with different brain states (coma, sleep, wakefulness) can coexist within the same brain. Specifically, we detected the occurrence of prominent sleep-like TMS-evoked slow waves and off-periods-reflecting transient suppressions of neuronal activity-in the area surrounding focal cortical injuries. These perilesional sleep-like responses were associated with a local disruption of signal complexity whereas complex responses typical of the awake brain were present when stimulating the contralesional hemisphere. These results shed light on the electrophysiological properties of the tissue surrounding focal brain injuries in humans. Perilesional sleep-like off-periods can disrupt network activity but are potentially reversible, thus representing a principled read-out for the neurophysiological assessment of stroke patients, as well as an interesting target for rehabilitation

The past, present, and future of the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS)

The Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) is a community-driven standard for the organization of data and metadata from a growing range of neuroscience modalities. This paper is meant as a history of how the standard has developed and grown over time. We outline the principles behind the project, the mechanisms by which it has been extended, and some of the challenges being addressed as it evolves. We also discuss the lessons learned through the project, with the aim of enabling researchers in other domains to learn from the success of BIDS

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

The rt-TEP tool: real-time visualization of TMS-Evoked Potentials to maximize cortical activation and minimize artifacts

| openaire: EC/H2020/785907/EU//HBP SGA2 | openaire: EC/H2020/945539/EU//HBP SGA3 Funding Information: This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 , EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation under the Specific Grant Agreements No. 785907 (Human Brain Project SGA2) (to M.M. and M.R.) and No. 945539 (Human Brain Project SGA3) (to M.M. and M.R.); by the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation , USA (to M.M.); by Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica , EU (Regione Lombardia), Project ERAPERMED2019–101 , GA 779282 (to M.R.); by the Italian Ministry of Health , Italy GR-2016–02361494 (to S.C.); by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research , Canada (CIFAR) (to M.M.).Peer reviewe

BIDS-iEEG: an extension to the brain imaging data structure (BIDS) specification for human intracranial electrophysiology

Intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) data offer a unique combination of high spatial and temporal resolution measures of the living human brain. However, data collection is limited to highly specialized clinical environments. To improve internal (re)use and external sharing of these unique data, we present a structure for storing and sharing iEEG data: BIDS-iEEG, an extension of the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) specification, along with freely available examples and a bids-starter-kit. BIDS is a framework for organizing and documenting data and metadata with the aim to make datasets more transparent and reusable and to improve reproducibility of research. It is a community-driven specification with an inclusive decision-making process. As an extension of the BIDS specification, BIDS-iEEG facilitates integration with other modalities such as fMRI, MEG, and EEG. As the BIDS-iEEG extension has received input from many iEEG researchers, it provides a common ground for data transfer within labs, between labs, and in open-data repositories. It will facilitate reproducible analyses across datasets, experiments, and recording sites, allowing scientists to answer more complex questions about the human brain. Finally, the cross-modal nature of BIDS will enable efficient consolidation of data from multiple sites for addressing questions about generalized brain function

The Past, Present, and Future of the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS)

International audienceThe Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) is a community-driven standard for the organization of data and metadata from a growing range of neuroscience modalities. This paper is meant as a history of how the standard has developed and grown over time. We outline the principles behind the project, the mechanisms by which it has been extended, and some of the challenges being addressed as it evolves. We also discuss the lessons learned through the project, with the aim of enabling researchers in other domains to learn from the success of BIDS

The Past, Present, and Future of the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS)

The Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) is a community-driven standard for the organization of data and metadata from a growing range of neuroscience modalities. This paper is meant as a history of how the standard has developed and grown over time. We outline the principles behind the project, the mechanisms by which it has been extended, and some of the challenges being addressed as it evolves. We also discuss the lessons learned through the project, with the aim of enabling researchers in other domains to learn from the success of BIDS