76 research outputs found
Neocortical Dynamics at Multiple Scales: EEG Standing Waves, Statistical Mechanics, and Physical Analogs
Wavelet analysis of epileptic spikes
Interictal spikes and sharp waves in human EEG are characteristic signatures
of epilepsy. These potentials originate as a result of synchronous,
pathological discharge of many neurons. The reliable detection of such
potentials has been the long standing problem in EEG analysis, especially after
long-term monitoring became common in investigation of epileptic patients. The
traditional definition of a spike is based on its amplitude, duration,
sharpness, and emergence from its background. However, spike detection systems
built solely around this definition are not reliable due to the presence of
numerous transients and artifacts. We use wavelet transform to analyze the
properties of EEG manifestations of epilepsy. We demonstrate that the behavior
of wavelet transform of epileptic spikes across scales can constitute the
foundation of a relatively simple yet effective detection algorithm.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Magnetic anomalies in the spin chain system, SrCuZnIrO
We report the results of ac and dc magnetization (M) and heat-capacity (C)
measurements on the solid solution, SrCuZnIrO. While the Zn
end member is known to form in a rhombohedral pseudo one-dimensional
KCdCl structure with an antiferromagnetic ordering temperature of
(T =) 19 K, the Cu end member has been reported to form in a monoclinically
distorted form with a Curie temperature of (T =) 19 K. The magnetism of the
Zn compound is found to be robust to synthetic conditions and is broadly
consistent with the behavior known in the literature. However, we find a lower
magnetic ordering temperature (T) for our Cu compound (~ 13 K), thereby
suggesting that T is sensitive to synthetic conditions. The Cu sample
appears to be in a spin-glass-like state at low temperatures, judged by a
frequency dependence of ac magnetic susceptibility and a broadening of the C
anomaly at the onset of magnetic ordering, in sharp contrast to earlier
proposals. Small applications of magnetic field, however, drive this system to
ferromagnetism as inferred from the M data. Small substitutions for Cu/Zn (x =
0.75 or 0.25) significantly depress magnetic ordering; in other words, T
varies non-monotonically with x (T ~ 6, 3 and 4 K for x = 0.25, 0.5, and
0.67 respectively). The plot of inverse susceptibility versus temperature is
non-linear in the paramagnetic state as if correlations within (or among) the
magnetic chains continuously vary with temperature. The results establishComment: 7 pages, 7 figures, Revte
Comparison of single current dipole and Magnetic Field Tomography analyses of the cortical response to auditory stimuli
X chromosome inactivation does not necessarily determine the severity of the phenotype in Rett syndrome patients
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder usually caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene. Since the MECP2 gene is located on the X chromosome, X chromosome inactivation (XCI) could play a role in the wide range of phenotypic variation of RTT patients; however, classical methylation-based protocols to evaluate XCI could not determine whether the preferentially inactivated X chromosome carried the mutant or the wild-type allele. Therefore, we developed an allele-specific methylation-based assay to evaluate methylation at the loci of several recurrent MECP2 mutations. We analyzed the XCI patterns in the blood of 174 RTT patients, but we did not find a clear correlation between XCI and the clinical presentation. We also compared XCI in blood and brain cortex samples of two patients and found differences between XCI patterns in these tissues. However, RTT mainly being a neurological disease complicates the establishment of a correlation between the XCI in blood and the clinical presentation of the patients. Furthermore, we analyzed MECP2 transcript levels and found differences from the expected levels according to XCI. Many factors other than XCI could affect the RTT phenotype, which in combination could influence the clinical presentation of RTT patients to a greater extent than slight variations in the XCI pattern
Effects of sleep deprivation on neural functioning: an integrative review
Sleep deprivation has a broad variety of effects on human performance and neural functioning that manifest themselves at different levels of description. On a macroscopic level, sleep deprivation mainly affects executive functions, especially in novel tasks. Macroscopic and mesoscopic effects of sleep deprivation on brain activity include reduced cortical responsiveness to incoming stimuli, reflecting reduced attention. On a microscopic level, sleep deprivation is associated with increased levels of adenosine, a neuromodulator that has a general inhibitory effect on neural activity. The inhibition of cholinergic nuclei appears particularly relevant, as the associated decrease in cortical acetylcholine seems to cause effects of sleep deprivation on macroscopic brain activity. In general, however, the relationships between the neural effects of sleep deprivation across observation scales are poorly understood and uncovering these relationships should be a primary target in future research
The energy spectrum of cosmic rays beyond the turn-down around 10^17 eV as measured with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory
We present a measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum above 100 PeV using the part of the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory that has a spacing of 750 m. An inflection of the spectrum is observed, confirming the presence of the so-called second-knee feature. The spectrum is then combined with that of the 1500 m array to produce a single measurement of the flux, linking this spectral feature with the three additional breaks at the highest energies. The combined spectrum, with an energy scale set calorimetrically via fluorescence telescopes and using a single detector type, results in the most statistically and systematically precise measurement of spectral breaks yet obtained. These measurements are critical for furthering our understanding of the highest energy cosmic rays
Statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions: High resolution path-integral calculation of short-term memory
Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials: Distributed Local Sources and Wave-Like Dynamics Are Sensitive to Flicker Frequency
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