Multi-Phase Feature Representation Learning for Neurodegenerative Disease Diagnosis

Feature learning with high dimensional neuroimaging features has been explored for the applications on neurodegenerative diseases. Low-dimensional biomarkers, such as mental status test scores and cerebrospinal fluid level, are essential in clinical diagnosis of neurological disorders, because they could be simple and effective for the clinicians to assess the disorder’s progression and severity. Rather than only using the low-dimensional biomarkers as inputs for decision making systems, we believe that such low-dimensional biomarkers can be used for enhancing the feature learning pipeline. In this study, we proposed a novel feature representation learning framework, Multi-Phase Feature Representation (MPFR), with low-dimensional biomarkers embedded. MPFR learns high-level neuroimaging features by extracting the associations between the low-dimensional biomarkers and the high-dimensional neuroimaging features with a deep neural network. We validated the proposed framework using the Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE) scores as a low-dimensional biomarker and multi-modal neuroimaging data as the high-dimensional neuroimaging features from the ADNI baseline cohort. The proposed approach outperformed the original neural network in both binary and ternary Alzheimer’s disease classification tasks

Working memory capacity predicts dopamine synthesis capacity in the human striatum.

Contains fulltext : 69351.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Evidence from psychopharmacological research has revealed that dopamine receptor agents have opposite effects on cognitive function depending on baseline levels of working memory capacity. These contrasting effects have been interpreted to reflect differential baseline levels of dopamine. Here we demonstrate for the first time that working memory capacity as measured by listening span predicts dopamine synthesis capacity in the striatum, indicating that subjects with low working memory capacity have low DA synthesis capacity in the striatum, whereas subjects with high working memory capacity have high DA synthesis capacity in the striatum

Striatal dopamine predicts outcome-specific reversal learning and its sensitivity to dopaminergic drug administration.

Contains fulltext : 77325.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Modelling and experimental verification of a secondary controlled six-wheel pendulum arm forwarder

One of the major concerns in the forest industry is the impact on the soil caused by the forest machines duringharvesting, where damages can have a negative impact on e.g. further growth. One of the main reasons is wheel slip.Another concern is the working environment of the operator due to the harsh ground in the forest. Both these issueshave a negative impact on productivity. An attempt to overcome these challenges is made within a collaborative researchproject, which among others also includes Linköping University, where a new six-wheel pendulum arm forwarder isbeing developed. The new forwarder aims at reducing the soil damage by an even pressure distribution and smooth torquecontrol, as well as increased damping of the complete chassis, and thereby improving the working environment. This ispossible since each wheel, driven by its own hydraulic motor, is attached to a pendulum arm allowing to control the heightof each wheel independently of each other. The forwarder has a total maximum weight of 31 tonnes, including 14 tonnesmaximum load. It consists of two steerable joints and is driven by a 360 bhp diesel engine. The transmission consists oftwo hydraulic pumps and six hydraulic motors.This paper deals with the development of the driveline and presents the first experimental tests of the implementedcontrol strategies, where a secondary control approach is chosen for its ability to individually control the torque on eachwheel. The control strategies, presented in the paper, include pressure control, velocity control of the vehicle and ananti-slip controller. To support the development of the control strategies, models of the vehicle and hydraulic subsystemsare derived. The aim with this paper is to verify the concepts on the actual vehicle. The initial results are promising,indicating that the suggested concept is feasible

Dopamine and the cognitive downside of a promised bonus

It is often assumed that the promise of a monetary bonus improves cognitive control. We show that in fact appetitive motivation can also impair cognitive control, depending on baseline levels of dopamine-synthesis capacity in the striatum. These data not only demonstrate that appetitive motivation can have paradoxical detrimental effects for cognitive control but also provide a mechanistic account of these effects

Modulation of impulsivity and reward sensitivity in intertemporal choice by striatal and midbrain dopamine synthesis in healthy adults

Item does not contain fulltextConverging evidence links individual differences in mesolimbic and mesocortical dopamine (DA) to variation in the tendency to choose immediate rewards (“Now”) over larger, delayed rewards (“Later”), or “Now bias.” However, to date, no study of healthy young adults has evaluated the relationship between Now bias and DA with positron emission tomography (PET). Sixteen healthy adults (ages 24–34 yr; 50% women) completed a delay-discounting task that quantified aspects of intertemporal reward choice, including Now bias and reward magnitude sensitivity. Participants also underwent PET scanning with 6-[18F]fluoro-l-m-tyrosine (FMT), a radiotracer that measures DA synthesis capacity. Lower putamen FMT signal predicted elevated Now bias, a more rapidly declining discount rate with increasing delay time, and reduced willingness to accept low-interest-rate delayed rewards. In contrast, lower FMT signal in the midbrain predicted greater sensitivity to increasing magnitude of the Later reward. These data demonstrate that intertemporal reward choice in healthy humans varies with region-specific measures of DA processing, with regionally distinct associations with sensitivity to delay and to reward magnitude