Personality Goes a Long a Way: An Interhemispheric Connectivity Study

Throughout the development of psychology the delineation of personality has played a central role. Together with the NEO-PI-R, a questionnaire derived from the Five Factor Model of Personality, and recent advances in research technology it is now possible to investigate the relationship between personality features and neurophysiological brain processes. The NEO-FFI, the short version of the NEO-PI-R, reliably measures five main personality traits: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. As behavior and some psychiatric disorders have been related to interhemispheric connectivity, the present study used the combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to measure frontal interhemispheric connectivity and its association with personality as indexed by the NEO-FFI. Results demonstrated that prefrontal interhemispheric connectivity between the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex correlates with Agreeableness in healthy subjects. This is the first study to relate personality features to interhemispheric connectivity through TMS–EEG and suggests that Agreeableness relates to the effectiveness of prefrontal communication between hemispheres

The Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Gamma Oscillatory Activity in Schizophrenia

Gamma (γ) oscillations (30-50 Hz) have been shown to be excessive in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) during working memory (WM). WM is a cognitive process that involves the online maintenance and manipulation of information that is mediated largely by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) represents a non-invasive method to stimulate the cortex that has been shown to enhance cognition and γ oscillatory activity during WM.We examined the effect of 20 Hz rTMS over the DLPFC on γ oscillatory activity elicited during the N-back task in 24 patients with SCZ compared to 22 healthy subjects. Prior to rTMS, patients with SCZ elicited excessive γ oscillatory activity compared to healthy subjects across WM load. Active rTMS resulted in the reduction of frontal γ oscillatory activity in patients with SCZ, while potentiating activity in healthy subjects in the 3-back, the most difficult condition. Further, these effects on γ oscillatory activity were found to be specific to the frontal brain region and were absent in the parieto-occipital brain region.We suggest that this opposing effect of rTMS on γ oscillatory activity in patients with SCZ versus healthy subjects may be related to homeostatic plasticity leading to differential effects of rTMS on γ oscillatory activity depending on baseline differences. These findings provide important insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying WM deficits in SCZ and demonstrated that rTMS can modulate γ oscillatory activity that may be a possible avenue for cognitive potentiation in this disorder

Observation of gravitational waves from the coalescence of a 2.5–4.5 M ⊙ compact object and a neutron star

We report the observation of a coalescing compact binary with component masses 2.5–4.5 M ⊙ and 1.2–2.0 M ⊙ (all measurements quoted at the 90% credible level). The gravitational-wave signal GW230529_181500 was observed during the fourth observing run of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA detector network on 2023 May 29 by the LIGO Livingston observatory. The primary component of the source has a mass less than 5 M ⊙ at 99% credibility. We cannot definitively determine from gravitational-wave data alone whether either component of the source is a neutron star or a black hole. However, given existing estimates of the maximum neutron star mass, we find the most probable interpretation of the source to be the coalescence of a neutron star with a black hole that has a mass between the most massive neutron stars and the least massive black holes observed in the Galaxy. We provisionally estimate a merger rate density of 55−47+127Gpc−3yr−1 for compact binary coalescences with properties similar to the source of GW230529_181500; assuming that the source is a neutron star–black hole merger, GW230529_181500-like sources may make up the majority of neutron star–black hole coalescences. The discovery of this system implies an increase in the expected rate of neutron star–black hole mergers with electromagnetic counterparts and provides further evidence for compact objects existing within the purported lower mass gap

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Understand the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

Abstract: Recent studies support an association between substance use disorders (SUDs) and cortical excitability. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive tool that can be used to assess cortical physiological processes (e.g., inhibition, excitation) and has proven to be a useful diagnostic tool in brain disorders associated with alterations in cortical excitability. In this manuscript, we review studies that employ TMS to evaluate cortical excitability in patients with SUDs. Furthermore, we discuss preliminary studies that examine repetitive TMS (rTMS) as a potential treatment for patients with SUDs. Although the use of TMS to evaluate and to treat those individuals with SUDs is in its early stages, these studies reveal significant alterations in both cortical inhibition and excitation. Specifically, elevated cortical inhibition was reported in both cocaine and nicotine dependent individuals, while one study demonstrated an increase in cortical excitability in those who use 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Furthermore, three studies examining rTMS as a potential treatment in cocaine and nicotine addiction report decreases in the level of cravings and in the number of cigarettes smoked following rTMS administration to the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex. Thus, TMS has provided early interesting findings vis à vis cortical excitability in SUDs. Moreover, preliminary evidence suggests that rTMS is efficacious in the treatment of cocaine and nicotine addiction. Further work is needed to enhance our understanding of the altered neurophysiology in SUDs as well as the ways in which rTMS treatment can be directed to optimize treatment

The Role of Gamma Oscillations in the Pathophysiology of Substance Use Disorders

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a major public health problem—with over 200 million people reporting drug use in 2016. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a powerful tool that can provide insights into the impact of SUDs on cognition. Specifically, modulated gamma activity may provide an index of the pathophysiology of SUDs. Thus, the purpose of this review was to investigate the impact of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine, and amphetamine on gamma activity, among pre-clinical and clinical populations during acute and chronic exposure and withdrawal states. We searched multiple databases for key terms related to SUDs, EEG, and gamma and ensured rigorous methods by using a standardized review reporting tool. We included 30 studies in this review and found that all substances were associated with modulation of gamma activity, across states and in both preclinical and clinical populations. Gamma oscillations appeared to be differentially modulated in clinical versus preclinical populations and had the most complex relationship with alcohol, indicating that it may act differently than other substances. The findings of this review offer insights into the pathophysiology of SUDs, providing a potential window into novel treatments for SUDs via modulation of gamma activity

Reduced Prefrontal Short—Latency Afferent Inhibition in Older Adults and Its Relation to Executive Function: A TMS-EEG Study

Combining transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with electroencephalography (EEG) allows for the assessment of various neurophysiological processes in the human cortex. One of these paradigms, short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI), is thought to be a sensitive measure of cholinergic activity. In a previous study, we demonstrated the temporal pattern of this paradigm from both the motor (M1) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using simultaneous TMS–EEG recording. The SAI paradigm led to marked modulations at N100. In this study, we aimed to investigate the age-related effects on TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs) with the SAI from M1 and the DLPFC in younger (18–59 years old) and older (≥60 years old) participants. Older participants showed significantly lower N100 modulation in M1–SAI as well as DLPFC–SAI compared to the younger participants. Furthermore, the modulation of N100 by DLPFC–SAI in the older participants correlated with executive function as measured with the Trail making test. This paradigm has the potential to non-invasively identify cholinergic changes in cortical regions related to cognition in older participants

The Role of Gamma Oscillations in the Pathophysiology of Substance Use Disorders

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a major public health problem—with over 200 million people reporting drug use in 2016. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a powerful tool that can provide insights into the impact of SUDs on cognition. Specifically, modulated gamma activity may provide an index of the pathophysiology of SUDs. Thus, the purpose of this review was to investigate the impact of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine, and amphetamine on gamma activity, among pre-clinical and clinical populations during acute and chronic exposure and withdrawal states. We searched multiple databases for key terms related to SUDs, EEG, and gamma and ensured rigorous methods by using a standardized review reporting tool. We included 30 studies in this review and found that all substances were associated with modulation of gamma activity, across states and in both preclinical and clinical populations. Gamma oscillations appeared to be differentially modulated in clinical versus preclinical populations and had the most complex relationship with alcohol, indicating that it may act differently than other substances. The findings of this review offer insights into the pathophysiology of SUDs, providing a potential window into novel treatments for SUDs via modulation of gamma activity