Impact of Anatomical Variability on Sensitivity Profile in fNIRS-MRI Integration

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an important non-invasive technique used to monitor cortical activity. However, a varying sensitivity of surface channels vs. cortical structures may suggest integrating the fNIRS with the subject-specific anatomy (SSA) obtained from routine MRI. Actual processing tools permit the computation of the SSA forward problem (i.e., cortex to channel sensitivity) and next, a regularized solution of the inverse problem to map the fNIRS signals onto the cortex. The focus of this study is on the analysis of the forward problem to quantify the effect of inter-subject variability. Thirteen young adults (six males, seven females, age 29.3 +/- 4.3) underwent both an MRI scan and a motor grasping task with a continuous wave fNIRS system of 102 measurement channels with optodes placed according to a 10/5 system. The fNIRS sensitivity profile was estimated using Monte Carlo simulations on each SSA and on three major atlases (i.e., Colin27, ICBM152 and FSAverage) for comparison. In each SSA, the average sensitivity curves were obtained by aligning the 102 channels and segmenting them by depth quartiles. The first quartile (depth < 11.8 (0.7) mm, median (IQR)) covered 0.391 (0.087)% of the total sensitivity profile, while the second one (depth < 13.6 (0.7) mm) covered 0.292 (0.009)%, hence indicating that about 70% of the signal was from the gyri. The sensitivity bell-shape was broad in the source-detector direction (20.953 (5.379) mm FWHM, first depth quartile) and steeper in the transversal one (6.082 (2.086) mm). The sensitivity of channels vs. different cortical areas based on SSA were analyzed finding high dispersions among subjects and large differences with atlas-based evaluations. Moreover, the inverse cortical mapping for the grasping task showed differences between SSA and atlas based solutions. In conclusion, integration with MRI SSA can significantly improve fNIRS interpretation

Il gioco è una cosa seria” Il diritto al gioco per bambine e bambini con disabilità: una ricerca sul campo

Il gioco è una cosa tanto seria da essere considerato un diritto (www.unicef.it) e molti sono gli autori che si sono interessati alle funzioni che il gioco può esercitare: una via d’accesso privilegiata al mondo intra-psichico del bambino; una possibilità di liberare angosce e paure; uno spazio di transizione, un ponte tra sé e ambiente; un supporto alla conoscenza della realtà e all’apprendimento; un supporto allo sviluppo del pensiero individuale e del pensiero sociale; una funzione linguistica e cooperativa, oltre che una possibilità per approfondire la conoscenza di se stessi (S. Freud,1915-1917; Mead 1934; Vygotskij, 1934; Piaget, 1945; Klein, 1953; Erikson, 1963; A. Freud, 1965). Il presente lavoro di ricerca si fonda sul presupposto che, considerata la grande rilevanza delle sue funzioni, l’attività di gioco sia imprescindibile per tutti i bambini. Tuttavia, ad oggi, non è possibile identificare giocattoli pensati specificatamente per bambini con sviluppo atipico che, oltre a supportare una maturazione delle abilità deficitarie configurandosi come contesti di apprendimento, mantengano la loro intrinseca natura ludico-ricreativa. Con l’obiettivo di riformulare l’insieme dei prodotti attualmente disponibili nel catalogo di una nota azienda produttrice di giocattoli la prima fase della ricerca ha consentito di evidenziare le caratteristiche dei prodotti particolarmente adatti/compatibili/funzionali/utili alla crescita di bambini e bambine con disabilità, tenendo conto della necessità di esercitare le capacità residue attraverso formati di gioco (Bruner, 1983), mantenendo connotati ludici e ricreativi. Per effettuare tali valutazioni sono state identificate sulla base del DSM V e dell’ICF le macro-categorie di disabilità: sensoriale visiva, sensoriale uditiva, grosso-motoria, fine-motoria, cognitiva e emotivo-relazionale. Ciascun gioco in catalogo è stato valutato da tre diverse figure professionali secondo i parametri di autonomia, adeguatezza, motivazione, decifrabilità cognitiva e relazionalità rispetto alle singole categorie di disabilità. I punteggi sono stati attribuiti in modo indipendente dai tre ricercatori utilizzando una scala da 1 (inadatto) a 5 (decisamente consigliato); l’accordo inter-giudici effettuato sul 50% dei punteggi attribuiti ha consentito di controllare l’effettivo allineamento delle valutazioni. L’indice di adeguatezza complessivo è stato calcolato sulla base del totale dei punteggi medi assegnati. I risultati mettono in evidenza che per quanto riguarda la disabilità sensoriale visiva e uditiva i giocattoli più adeguati sono quelli che sfruttano i canali sensoriali non compromessi, senza risultare eccessivamente complicati nell’utilizzo, al fine di preservare un buon indice di autonomia (giochi con materiali, forme e superfici diversificate, con luci/colori e suoni/vibrazioni secondo il tipo di compromissione). Considerando invece la disabilità di tipo motorio è emerso che i giocattoli con punteggi più alti sono quelli che mantengano alto l’indice di motivazione, senza quindi frustrare il bambino nel loro utilizzo, pur supportando, almeno parzialmente, le funzioni deficitarie (per la disabilità grosso-motoria giocattoli di grandi dimensioni, per esempio cavalcabili; per la disabilità fine-motoria giocattoli che favoriscano la sperimentazione di diverse prese e diversi tipi di manipolazione). Rispetto alla disabilità cognitiva sono risultati migliori giocattoli stimolanti dal punto di vista delle competenze emotivo-relazionali oppure di tipo creativo, poiché particolarmente motivanti; hanno ricevuto punteggi inferiori quei giocattoli che pur essendo utili nell’esercizio di abilità cognitive di base (didattico-educativi con sollecitazione di processi attentivi, mnemonici, di ragionamento, di orientamento e pianificazione) non mantengono un buon indice di autonomia nell’utilizzo da parte del bambino. Infine per la disabilità emotivo-relazionale sono stati valutati come adatti quei giochi che, mantenendo alto l’indice motivazionale, favoriscano allo stesso tempo le funzioni deficitarie (giocattoli interattivi e relazionali, con turni di gioco, che incoraggiano la previsione della risposta; giochi con situazioni di vita reale, di ruolo, di imitazione o di azioni figurate; giochi ricchi di dettagli, che esercitano l’attenzione). Il quadro complessivo che emerge dai risultati ottenuti attraverso questa prima analisi qualitativa dei cataloghi di prodotti suggerisce che sono già numerosi i giocattoli che possono rivelarsi adatti ai bambini con disabilità. Tali risultati sono confermati dalle osservazioni qualitative svolte al fine di valutare empiricamente la modalità d’interazione bambino-giocattolo allo scopo di arricchire e approfondire il quadro teorico costruito attraverso l’analisi dei giocattoli con evidenze e rimandi concreti

Psychometric Properties of Mind-reading Belief Scale on an Italian Sample and Correlation with the Self-Construal

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the lifespan developing ability to attribute mental states. This ability enables the individual to predict and interpret one's own and others' behavior. In this respect, beliefs about one's own capacity to attribute mental states represent a fundamental component of this construct. The present study aims to compare the unidimensional structure of the Mindreading Belief Scale, evaluating beliefs about personal ToM skills, with an alternative two-factor model, which could better explain the latent structure of the scale outlining the relational nature of the construct through the articulation self-other. Moreover, the relations with self-construal, as a pivotal element for subjective differentiation, were also investigated. Our data support the two-factor model as a better structuring of the pool of original items. Finally, the correlations found with self-construal scales indicate that self-construal is involved in defining beliefs about one's own meta-representational skills

Surface-based integration approach for fNIRS-fMRI reliability assessment

Introduction: Studies integrating functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) with functional MRI (fMRI) employ heterogeneous methods in defining common regions of interest in which similarities are assessed. Therefore, spatial agreement and temporal correlation may not be reproducible across studies. In the present work, we address this issue by proposing a novel method for integration and analysis of fNIRS and fMRI over the cortical surface. Materials and methods: Eighteen healthy volunteers (age mean±SD 30.55 ± 4.7, 7 males) performed a motor task during non-simultaneous fMRI and fNIRS acquisitions. First, fNIRS and fMRI data were integrated by projecting subject- and group-level source maps over the cortical surface mesh to define anatomically constrained functional ROIs (acfROI). Next, spatial agreement and temporal correlation were quantified as Dice Coefficient (DC) and Pearson's correlation coefficient between fNIRS-fMRI in the acfROIs. Results: Subject-level results revealed moderate to substantial spatial agreement (DC range 0.43 - 0.64), confirmed at the group-level only for blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal vs. HbO2 (0.44 - 0.69), while lack of agreement was found for BOLD vs. HbR in some instances (0.05 - 0.49). Subject-level temporal correlation was moderate to strong (0.79 - 0.85 for BOLD vs. HbO2 and -0.62 to -0.72 for BOLD vs. HbR), while an overall strong correlation was found for group-level results (0.95 - 0.98 for BOLD vs. HbO2 and -0.91 to -0.94 for BOLD vs. HbR). Conclusion: The proposed method directly compares fNIRS and fMRI by projecting individual source maps to the cortical surface. Our results indicate spatial and temporal correspondence between fNIRS and fMRI, and promotes the use of fNIRS when more ecological acquision settings are required, such as longitudinal monitoring of brain activity before and after rehabilitation

Flexible Learning Environments for a Sustainable Lifelong Learning Process for Teachers in the School Context

The flexibility of digital learning environments allows for personalized content delivery tailored to individual teachers’ needs, fostering active and engaged learning. The opportunities offered by these digital technologies can help teachers adopt a lifelong learning attitude, which has become necessary to maintaining high educational standards in line with international guidelines and policy. However, teachers often struggle to leverage these digital technologies and integrate them in their daily activities. To overcome this problem, we developed a custom-built webinar training course focused on enhancing distance learning teaching in a flexible environment. We tested this training course on a group of 197 primary school teachers and examine the relationship between learning goal orientation, motivation, and intention to transfer and how they related to teachers’ personality traits. We found that our webinar training course is easily implementable and valued by teachers, who highlight the importance of allowing the choice between different training levels. The data analysis indicates that intention to transfer is predicted by learning goal orientation and motivation. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the importance of flexible learning environments and tailored training programs that meet teachers’ needs and interests. From a sustainable perspective, such approaches foster teachers’ lifelong learning, enhance their professional development, nurture a growth mindset, and facilitate adaptability to change

Theory of mind and the whole brain functional connectivity: Behavioral and neural evidences with the Amsterdam Resting State Questionnaire

none11noMarchetti, Antonella; Baglio, Francesca; Costantini, Isa; Dipasquale, Ottavia; Savazzi, Federica; Nemni, Raffaello; Intra, Francesca Sangiuliano; Tagliabue, Semira; Valle, Annalisa; Massaro, Davide; Castelli, IlariaMarchetti, Antonella; Baglio, Francesca; Costantini, Isa; Dipasquale, Ottavia; Savazzi, Federica; Nemni, Raffaello; Intra, Francesca Sangiuliano; Tagliabue, Semira; Valle, Annalisa; Massaro, Davide; Castelli, Ilari

Assessment of fNIRS Signal Processing Pipelines: Towards Clinical Applications

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) captures activations and inhibitions of cortical areas and implements a viable approach to neuromonitoring in clinical research. Compared to more advanced methods, continuous wave fNIRS (CW-fNIRS) is currently used in clinics for its simplicity in mapping the whole sub-cranial cortex. Conversely, it often lacks hardware reduction of confounding factors, stressing the importance of a correct signal processing. The proposed pipeline includes movement artifact reduction (MAR), bandpass filtering (BPF), and principal component analysis (PCA). Eight MAR algorithms were compared among 23 young adult volunteers under motor-grasping task. Single-subject examples are shown followed by the percentage in energy reduction (ERD%) statistics by single steps and cumulative values. The block average of the hemodynamic response function was compared with generalized linear model fitting. Maps of significant activation/inhibition were illustrated. The mean ERD% of pre-processed signals concerning the initial raw signal energy reached 4%. A tested multichannel MAR variant showed overcorrection on 4-fold more expansive windows. All of the MAR algorithms found similar activations in the contralateral motor area. In conclusion, single channel MAR algorithms are suggested followed by BPF and PCA. The importance of whole cortex mapping for fNIRS integration in clinical applications was also confirmed by our results

Long-Range Temporal Correlations in Alpha Oscillations Stabilize Perception of Ambiguous Visual Stimuli

Ongoing brain dynamics have been proposed as a type of “neuronal noise” that can trigger perceptual switches when viewing an ambiguous, bistable stimulus. However, no prior study has directly quantified how such neuronal noise relates to the rate of percept reversals. Specifically, it has remained unknown whether individual differences in complexity of resting-state oscillations—as reflected in long-range temporal correlations (LRTC)—are associated with perceptual stability. We hypothesized that participants with stronger resting-state LRTC in the alpha band experience more stable percepts, and thereby fewer perceptual switches. Furthermore, we expected that participants who report less discontinuous thoughts during rest, experience less switches. To test this, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) in 65 healthy volunteers during 5 min Eyes-Closed Rest (ECR), after which they filled in the Amsterdam Resting-State Questionnaire (ARSQ). This was followed by three conditions where participants attended an ambiguous structure-from-motion stimulus—Neutral (passively observe the stimulus), Hold (the percept for as long as possible), and Switch (as often as possible). LRTC of resting-state alpha oscillations predicted the number of switches only in the Hold condition, with stronger LRTC associated with less switches. Contrary to our expectations, there was no association between resting-state Discontinuity of Mind and percept stability. Participants were capable of controlling switching according to task goals, and this was accompanied by increased alpha power during Hold and decreased power during Switch. Fewer switches were associated with stronger task-related alpha LRTC in all conditions. Together, our data suggest that bistable visual perception is to some extent under voluntary control and influenced by LRTC of alpha oscillations

Sviluppare le competenze socio-emotive per promuovere ambienti inclusivi a scuola

L’educazione allo sviluppo sostenibile, il diritto a un’educazione di qualità per tutti, la cura educativa e le relazioni cooperative a scuola sono realtà centrali nelle ricerche di Dozza (2006; 2018). In questo contributo proponiamo una riflessione sul concetto di inclusione, benessere individuale e sociale, e sul ruolo che la scuola assume nel formare le competenze socio-emotive fondamentali per la promozione del benessere

Whole-Head Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy as an Ecological Monitoring Tool for Assessing Cortical Activity in Parkinson’s Disease Patients at Different Stages

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is increasingly employed as an ecological neuroimaging technique in assessing age-related chronic neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), mainly providing a cross-sectional characterization of clinical phenotypes in ecological settings. Current fNIRS studies in PD have investigated the effects of motor and non-motor impairment on cortical activity during gait and postural stability tasks, but no study has employed fNIRS as an ecological neuroimaging tool to assess PD at different stages. Therefore, in this work, we sought to investigate the cortical activity of PD patients during a motor grasping task and its relationship with both the staging of the pathology and its clinical variables. This study considered 39 PD patients (age 69.0 ± 7.64, 38 right-handed), subdivided into two groups at different stages by the Hoehn and Yahr (HY) scale: early PD (ePD; N = 13, HY = [1; 1.5]) and moderate PD (mPD; N = 26, HY = [2; 2.5; 3]). We employed a whole-head fNIRS system with 102 measurement channels to monitor brain activity. Group-level activation maps and region of interest (ROI) analysis were computed for ePD, mPD, and ePD vs. mPD contrasts. A ROI-based correlation analysis was also performed with respect to contrasted subject-level fNIRS data, focusing on age, a Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIQ), disease duration, the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and performances in the Stroop Color and Word (SCW) test. We observed group differences in age, disease duration, and the UPDRS, while no significant differences were found for CRIQ or SCW scores. Group-level activation maps revealed that the ePD group presented higher activation in motor and occipital areas than the mPD group, while the inverse trend was found in frontal areas. Significant correlations with CRIQ, disease duration, the UPDRS, and the SCW were mostly found in non-motor areas. The results are in line with current fNIRS and functional and anatomical MRI scientific literature suggesting that non-motor areas—primarily the prefrontal cortex area—provide a compensation mechanism for PD motor impairment. fNIRS may serve as a viable support for the longitudinal assessment of therapeutic and rehabilitation procedures, and define new prodromal, low-cost, and ecological biomarkers of disease progression