Transcranial Electrical Stimulation for Associative Memory Enhancement: State-of-the-Art from Basic to Clinical Research

Associative memory (AM) is the ability to bind new information into complex memory representations. Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS), especially transcranial electric stimulation (tES), has gained increased interest in research of associative memory (AM) and its impairments. To provide an overview of the current state of knowledge, we conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines covering basic and clinical research. Out of 374 identified records, 41 studies were analyzed—twenty-nine in healthy young adults, six in the aging population, three comparing older and younger adults, as well as two studies on people with MCI, and one in people with Alzheimer’s dementia. Studies using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) as well as oscillatory (otDCS) and high-definition protocols (HD-tDCS, HD-tACS) have been included. The results showed methodological heterogeneity in terms of study design, stimulation type, and parameters, as well as outcome measures. Overall, the results show that tES is a promising method for AM enhancement, especially if the stimulation is applied over the parietal cortex and the effects are assessed in cued recall paradigms

Promena strukture setve u funkciji unapređenja konkurentnosti porodičnih gazdinstava usmerenih na finalnu proizvodnju utovljene junadi

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of sowing structure on family farm competiveness using the model of family farm directed at the final production of fattened beef cattle in the conditions of unchanged estate size. Applying a partial budget analysis, it was examined whether the decision on buying alfalfa hay or mercantile maize on the market and changing the sowing structure was economically justified and under what conditions using additional procedure of sensitive analysis. Applying this approach, it was investigated to what extent that decision contributed to improving the family farm profitability. The results of the conducted research show that the decision on buying mercantile maize mainly contributes to improving competitiveness of family farms directed at the final production of fattened beef cattle compared with the decision on buying alfalfa hay. It is the consequence of the fact that buying mercantile maize on the market will enable sowing structure changes, that is, buying mercantile maize will make the area free, which according to some conservative estimations, can be used for the production of sufficient amounts of alfalfa and silage maize for fattening of additional 19 head, whereas buying alfalfa hay will make the area free, which can be used for production of sufficient amounts of mercantile and silage maize for fattening of additional 6 head. In addition, it is shown that more rational way of organizing family farms directed at the final production of fattened beef cattle can additionally use available land resources and in that way increase profitability and improve competitiveness.Cilj ovog rada je da se u uslovima nepromenjene veličine poseda na modelu porodičnog gazdinstva usmerenog na finalnu proizvodnju utovljene junadi ispita uticaj promene strukture setve na konkurentnost porodičnog gazdinstva. Primenom diferencijalne kalkulacije ispitano je da li je odluka o kupovini sena lucerke ili merkantilnog kukuruza i promeni strukture setve ekonomski opravdana, a dodatnim postupkom senzitivne analize i pod kojim uslovima. Primenjujući ovakav pristup utvrđeno je u kojoj meri ova odluka utiče na konkurentnost gazdinstva. Rezultati sprovedenog istraživanja pokazuju da odluka o kupovini merkantilnog kukuruza u većoj meri doprinosi unapređenju konkurentnosti porodičnih gazdinstava usmerenih na finalnu proizvodnju utovljenih junadi u odnosu na odluku o kupovini sena lucerke. To je posledica činjenice da kupovina merkantilnog kukuruza na tržištu omogućava promene u strukturi setve tj. da se kupovinom merkantilnog kukuruza oslobađa površina na kojoj je prema nekim konzervativnim procenama moguće proizvesti dovoljno lucerke i silažnog kukuruza za tov dodatnih 19 grla, dok se kupovinom sena lucerke oslobođa površina na kojoj je moguće proizvesti dovoljno merkantilnog i silažnog kukuruza za tov dodatnih 6 grla. S tim u vezi, pokazano je da uz racionalniji način organizovanja porodična gazdinstva usmerena na finalnu proizvodnju utovljene junadi mogu dodatno iskoristiti raspoložive zemljišne resurse i na taj način poboljšati profitabilnost i unaprediti konkurentnost

Effects of online parietal transcranial electric stimulation on associative memory: a direct comparison between tDCS, theta tACS, and theta-oscillatory tDCS

Associative memory (AM) is the ability to remember and retrieve multiple items bound together. Previous studies aiming to modulate AM by various transcranial electric stimulation (tES) techniques were inconclusive, although overall suggestive that tES could be a tool for AM enhancement. However, evidence from a direct comparison between different tES techniques is lacking. Here, in a sham-controlled cross-over experiment, we comparatively assessed the effects of three types of tES—anodal tDCS, theta-band transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and theta-oscillatory tDCS (otDCS), delivered over the left posterior parietal cortex, during a short-term digit-color AM task with cued-recall. The effects were tested in 40 healthy young participants while both oscillatory tES were delivered at a previously determined individual theta frequency (4–8 Hz). All three active stimulations facilitated the overall AM performance, and no differences could be detected between them on direct comparison. However, unlike tDCS, the effects of which appeared to stem mainly from the facilitation of low-memory demand trials, both theta-modulated tACS and otDCS primarily promoted AM in high memory demand trials. Comparable yet differential effects of tDCS, theta tACS, and otDCS could be attributed to differences in their presumed modes of action

Comparison of RISK-PCI, GRACE, TIMI risk scores for prediction of major adverse cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndrome

Aim To compare the prognostic performance of three major risk scoring systems including global registry for acute coronary events (GRACE), thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI), and prediction of 30-day major adverse cardiovascular events after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (RISK-PCI). Methods This single-center retrospective study involved 200 patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who underwent invasive diagnostic approach, ie, coronary angiography and myocardial revascularization if appropriate, in the period from January 2014 to July 2014. The GRACE, TIMI, and RISK-PCI risk scores were compared for their predictive ability. The primary endpoint was a composite 30-day major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), which included death, urgent target-vessel revascularization (TVR), stroke, and non-fatal recurrent myocardial infarction (REMI). Results The c-statistics of the tested scores for 30-day MACE or area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with confidence intervals (CI) were as follows: RISK-PCI (AUC = 0.94; 95% CI 1.790-4.353), the GRACE score on admission (AUC = 0.73; 95% CI 1.013-1.045), the GRACE score on discharge (AUC = 0.65; 95% CI 0.999-1.033). The RISK-PCI score was the only score that could predict TVR (AUC = 0.91; 95% CI 1.392-2.882). The RISK-PCI scoring system showed an excellent discriminative potential for 30- day death (AUC = 0.96; 95% CI 1.339-3.548) in comparison with the GRACE scores on admission (AUC = 0.88; 95% CI 1.018-1.072) and on discharge (AUC = 0.78; 95% CI 1.000- 1.058). Conclusions In comparison with the GRACE and TIMI scores, RISK-PCI score showed a non-inferior ability to predict 30-day MACE and death in ACS patients. Moreover, RISK-PCI was the only scoring system that could predict recurrent ischemia requiring TVR

Promene ekscitabilnosti motorne kore udružene sa zamorom mišića kod obolelih od Parkinsonove bolesti

Background/Aim. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a standard technique for noninvasive assessment of changes in central nervous system excitability. The aim of this study was to examine changes in responses to TMS in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD) during sustained submaximal isometric voluntary contraction [60% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)] of the adductor pollicis muscle, as well as during a subsequent recovery period. Methods. Cortical excitability was tested by single TMS pulses of twice of the motor threshold intensity applied over the vertex. Testing was carried out during the sustained contraction phase every 10 s before and every 5 s after the endurance point, as well as at rest and during brief 60% MVC contractions before (control), immediately after the sustained contraction, and at 5 min intervals during the recovery period. Results. Although the PD patients could sustain the contraction at the required level for as long period of time as the healthy subjects (though contraction level subsided more rapidly after the endurance point), effects of muscle fatigue on the responses to TMS were different. In contrast to the findings observed in the healthy people where motor evoked potentials (MEP) and EMG silent period (SP) in fatigued muscle gradually diminished during contraction up to the endurance point, and increased thereafter, in the majority of patients no changes occurred in MEP size (peak and area) of the adductor pollicis muscle, either before or after the endurance point. On the other hand, changes in the SP of this muscle differed among the subjects, showing a gradual increase, a decrease or no changes in duration. The trends of changes in both MEP size and SP duration in the musculus brachioradialis varied among the tested PD patients, without any consistent pattern, which was in contrast with the findings in the healthy people where both measures showed a gradual increase from the beginning of the sustained contraction. A complete dissociation between changes in MEP and SP during fatigue was also of note, which differed sharply from the findings in the healthy people in who fatigue induced changes in these measures followed identical patterns. Conclusion. These results in the PD patients suggest the presence of impairment and/or compensatory changes in mechanisms responsible for adaptation of voluntary drive as well as for matching between cortical excitation and inhibition which become manifest in demanding motor tasks such as those imposed by muscle fatigue.Uvod/Cilj. Transkranijalna magnetna stimulacija (TMS) je standardna tehnika za neinvazivnu procenu promena ekscitabilnosti centralnog nervnog sistema. Cilj rada je bio da se prikažu promene odgovora na TMS kod obolelih od Parkinsonove bolesti (PB) za vreme trajanja submaksimalne voljne izometrijske kontrakcije [60% maksimalne voljne kontrakcije (MVK)] mišića adductor pollicis, kao i tokom perioda oporavka. Metode. Kortikalna ekscitabilnost testirana je TMS pulsevima dvostruko većeg intenziteta od motornog praga. Testiranje je vršeno za vreme održavanja kontrakcije na svakih 10 s do tačke izdržljivosti i na svakih 5 s posle toga, a, takođe, u miru kao i za vreme kratkotrajnih 60% MVK u periodu pre (kontrola), neposredno posle održavanja kontrakcije, i u intervalima od pet minuta za vreme perioda oporavka. Rezultati. Iako su bolesnici sa PB mogli da održavaju zahtevani nivo kontrakcije jednako dugo kao i zdravi ispitanici (mada je nivo opadao brže nakon tačke izdržljivosti), efekti mišićnog zamora na odgovor izazvan TMS-om bili su različiti. Za razliku od zdravih ispitanika kod kojih se motorni evocirani potencijali (MEP) i trajanje perioda EMG tišine (PT) u zamaranom mišiću postepeno smanjuju tokom kontrakcije do tačke izdržljivosti, a zatim rastu, kod većine bolesnika nije došlo do promena veličine (maksimalna amplituda i površina) MEP mišića adductor pollicis, bilo pre ili posle tačke izdržljivosti. S druge strane, promene PT ovog mišića su se razlikovale među ispitanicima, pokazujući bilo postepeno povećanje, smanjenje ili odsustvo promena. Promene kako amplitude MEP tako i trajanje PT u EMG mišića brahioradialisa varirale su među bolesnicima sa PB, bez nekog dominantnog obrasca, po čemu su se, takođe, razlikovale od promena nađenih kod zdravih ispitanika, kod kojih su se oba parametra postepeno povećavala od početka održavanja tonične kontrakcije. Upadljiva je, takođe, i potpuna disocijacija između promena MEP i PT tokom zamora, što je u oštroj suprotnosti sa nalazom kod zdravih ispitanika gde su promene ovih parametara pratile identičan obrazac. Zaključak. Rezultati kod bolesnika sa PB ukazuju na postojanje oštećenja i/ili kompenzatornih promena mehanizmima odgovornih za adaptaciju voljne pobude i usklađivanja kortikalne eksitacije i inhibicije, koji se manifestuju tokom mišićnog zamora i u drugim zahtevnim motornim zadacima

Can Transcranial Electrical Stimulation modulate gambling and gaming behaviors?

Gambling Disorder (GD) and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) are formally recognized behavioral addictions with a rapidly growing prevalence and limited treatment options. Recently, transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) techniques have emerged as potentially promising interventions for improving treatment outcomes by ameliorating cognitive functions implicated in addictive behaviors. To systematize the current state of evidence and better understand whether and how tES can influence gambling and gaming-related cognitive processes, we conducted a PRISMA-guided systematic review of the literature focusing on tES effects on risky gambling and gaming behaviors in a diverse range of population samples, including healthy participants, participants with GD and IGD, as well as substance abuse addictions. Following the literature search in three bibliographic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) 40 publications have been included in this review, with 26 conducted on healthy participants, six focusing on GD and IGD patients, and eight including participants with other addictions. Most of the studies targeted the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). The results indicated that tES could change gambling and gaming behaviors and positively influence GD and IGD symptoms. However, the results varied considerably depending on the stimulation parameters, sample characteristics, as well as outcome measures used. We discuss the sources of this variability and provide further directions for the use of tES in the context of GD and IGD treatment

Theta-modulated transcranial electrical stimulation for targeting Associative memory: A cross-modal integration of EEG and behavioral indicators

Associative memory (AM) represents an ability to bind unrelated information into meaningful units and encode them as distinct memories. AM has been the function of interest in many non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) studies aiming to maximize the potential for memory modulation by varying stimulation loci, frequency, and amplitude. In the current study, we aimed to capture modulation potential of AM performance when tailoring the stimulation protocols to the individual brain rhythms. By matching the stimulation frequency to the frequency of each subject’s AM task-induced electrophysiological (EEG) activity in theta spectrum (4-8 Hz), we developed two types of personalized oscillatory protocols: theta-modulated transcranial direct current stimulation (otDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), which we administered alongside the constant tDCS and a sham condition in the single-blind cross-over experiment. To comparatively assess the effects of different tES protocols delivered over the posterior parietal cortex, we tested the recognition and recall ability of the 42 healthy young adults on paired-associate paradigms after each of four conditions. During AM assessment participant’s EEG activity was recorded. Group-level comparisons of each active tES condition against sham did not show differences in AM task performance either on recognition or cued-recall. However, data showed variability in performance depending on the task and the outcome measures precluding straightforward comparison between the conditions. To explore the potential sources of variability in effect expression, we propose a methodology for isolating different aspects of the function-relevant neurophysiological markers that could depict the modulatory tES effect, setting the groundwork for further analysis. Apart from introducing a novel approach to probing AM with personalized tES, this well-powered, multi-protocol, multi-task, and multi-measure study produced a comprehensive dataset for the exploration of factors that could uncover patterns in responsiveness to tES, as well as the insight into the relationship between neurophysiological and behavioral indicators