Movement Kinematics Dynamically Modulates the Rolandic ~ 20-Hz Rhythm During Goal-Directed Executed and Observed Hand Actions

First Online: 14 February 2018This study investigates whether movement kinematics modulates similarly the rolandic α and β rhythm amplitude during executed and observed goal-directed hand movements. It also assesses if this modulation relates to the corticokinematic coherence (CKC), which is the coupling observed between cortical activity and movement kinematics during such motor actions. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals were recorded from 11 right-handed healthy subjects while they performed or observed an actor performing the same repetitive hand pinching action. Subjects’ and actor’s forefinger movements were monitored with an accelerometer. Coherence was computed between acceleration signals and the amplitude of α (8–12 Hz) or β (15–25 Hz) oscillations. The coherence was also evaluated between source-projected MEG signals and their β amplitude. Coherence was mainly observed between acceleration and the amplitude of β oscillations at movement frequency within bilateral primary sensorimotor (SM1) cortex with no difference between executed and observed movements. Cross-correlation between the amplitude of β oscillations at the SM1 cortex and movement acceleration was maximal when acceleration was delayed by ~ 100 ms, both during movement execution and observation. Coherence between source-projected MEG signals and their β amplitude during movement observation and execution was not significantly different from that during rest. This study shows that observing others’ actions engages in the viewer’s brain similar dynamic modulations of SM1 cortex β rhythm as during action execution. Results support the view that different neural mechanisms might account for this modulation and CKC. These two kinematic-related phenomena might help humans to understand how observed motor actions are actually performed.Xavier De Tiège is Postdoctorate Clinical Master Specialist at the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FRS-FNRS, Brussels, Belgium). This work was supported by the program Attract of Innoviris (Grant 2015-BB2B-10 to Mathieu Bourguignon), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant PSI2016-77175-P to Mathieu Bourguignon), the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action of the European Commission (grant #743562 to Mathieu Bourguignon), a “Brains Back to Brussels” grant to Veikko Jousmäki from the Institut d’Encouragement de la Recherche Scientifique et de l’Innovation de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium), European Research Council (Advanced Grant #232946 to Riitta Hari), the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FRS-FNRS, Belgium, Research Credits: J009713), and the Academy of Finland (grants #131483 and #263800). The MEG project at the ULB-Hôpital Erasme (Brussels, Belgium) is financially supported by the Fonds Erasme

Changes in electrophysiological static and dynamic human brain functional architecture from childhood to late adulthood

Published: 04 November 2020This magnetoencephalography study aimed at characterizing age-related changes in resting-state functional brain organization from mid-childhood to late adulthood. We investigated neuromagnetic brain activity at rest in 105 participants divided into three age groups: children (6–9 years), young adults (18–34 years) and healthy elders (53–78 years). The effects of age on static resting-state functional brain integration were assessed using band-limited power envelope correlation, whereas those on transient functional brain dynamics were disclosed using hidden Markov modeling of power envelope activity. Brain development from childhood to adulthood came with (1) a strengthening of functional integration within and between resting-state networks and (2) an increased temporal stability of transient (100–300 ms lifetime) and recurrent states of network activation or deactivation mainly encompassing lateral or medial associative neocortical areas. Healthy aging was characterized by decreased static resting-state functional integration and dynamic stability within the primary visual network. These results based on electrophysiological measurements free of neurovascular biases suggest that functional brain integration mainly evolves during brain development, with limited changes in healthy aging. These novel electrophysiological insights into human brain functional architecture across the lifespan pave the way for future clinical studies investigating how brain disorders affect brain development or healthy aging.This study was supported by the Action de Recherche Concertée Consolidation (ARCC, “Characterizing the spatio-temporal dynamics and the electrophysiological bases of resting state networks”, ULB, Brussels, Belgium), the Fonds Erasme (Research Convention “Les Voies du Savoir”,Brussels, Belgium) and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (Research Convention: T.0109.13, FRS-FNRS, Brussels, Belgium). Nicolas Coquelet has been supported by the ARCC, by the Fonds Erasme (Research Convention “Les Voies du Savoir”, Brussels, Belgium) and is supported by the FRS-FNRS (Research Convention: Excellence of Science EOS “MEMODYN”). Alison Mary is Postdoctoral Researcher at the FRS-FNRS. Maxime Niesen and Marc Vander Ghinst have been supported by the Fonds Erasme. Mariagrazia Ranzini is supported by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Research Grant: 839394). Mathieu Bourguignon is supported by the program Attract of Innoviris (Research Grant 2015-BB2B-10, Brussels, Belgium), the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action of the European Commission (Research Grant: 743562) and by the Spanish Ministery of Economy and Competitiveness (Research Grant: PSI2016-77175-P). Xavier De Tiège is Postdoctorate Clinical Master Specialist at the FRS-FNRS. The MEG project at the CUB Hôpital Erasme is financially supported by the Fonds Erasme

Physical and mental health comorbidity is common in people with multiple sclerosis: nationally representative cross-sectional population database analysis

<b>Background</b> Comorbidity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is associated with worse health and higher mortality. This study aims to describe clinician recorded comorbidities in people with MS. <p></p> <b>Methods</b> 39 comorbidities in 3826 people with MS aged ≥25 years were compared against 1,268,859 controls. Results were analysed by age, gender, and socioeconomic status, with unadjusted and adjusted Odds Ratios (ORs) calculated using logistic regression. <p></p> <b>Results</b> People with MS were more likely to have one (OR 2.44; 95% CI 2.26-2.64), two (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.38-1.62), three (OR 1.86; 95% CI 1.69-2.04), four or more (OR 1.61; 95% CI 1.47-1.77) non-MS chronic conditions than controls, and greater mental health comorbidity (OR 2.94; 95% CI 2.75-3.14), which increased as the number of physical comorbidities rose. Cardiovascular conditions, including atrial fibrillation (OR 0.49; 95% CI 0.36-0.67), chronic kidney disease (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.40-0.65), heart failure (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.45-0.85), coronary heart disease (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.52-0.71), and hypertension (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.59-0.72) were significantly less common in people with MS. <p></p> <b>Conclusion</b> People with MS have excess multiple chronic conditions, with associated increased mental health comorbidity. The low recorded cardiovascular comorbidity warrants further investigation

Multichannel time-frequency complexity measures for the analysis of age-related changes in neuromagnetic resting-state activity

We propose new multichannel time-frequency complexity measures to evaluate differences on magnetoencephalograpy (MEG) recordings between healthy young and old subjects at rest at different spatial scales. After reviewing the Renyi and singular value decomposition entropies based on time-frequency representations, we introduce multichannel generalizations, using multilinear singular value decomposition for one of them. We test these quantities on synthetic data, illustrating how the introduced complexity measures focus on number of components, nonstationarity and similarity across channels. Friedman tests are used to confirm the differences between young and old groups, and heterogeneity within groups. Experimental results show a consistent increase in complexity measures for the old group. When analyzing the topographical distribution of complexity values, we found clusters in the frontal sensors. The complexity measures here introduced seem to be a better indicator of the neurophysiologic changes of aging than power envelope connectivity. Here we applied new multichannel time-frequency complexity measures to resting-state MEG recordings from healthy young and old subjects. We showed that these features are able to reveal regional clusters. The multichannel time-frequency complexities can be used to monitor the aging of subjects. They also allow a mutual information approach, and could be applied to a wider range of problems

An online international comparison of thresholds for triggering a negative response to the “Surprise Question”: a study protocol

Background: The Surprise Question (SQ) “would I be surprised if this patient were to die in the next 12 months?” has been suggested to help clinicians, and especially General Practitioners (GPs), identify people who might benefit from palliative care. The prognostic accuracy of this approach is unclear and little is known about how GPs use this tool in practice. Are GPs consistent, individually and as a group? Are there international differences in the use of the tool? Does including the alternative Surprise Question (“Would I be surprised if the patient were still alive after 12 months?”) alter the response? What is the impact on the treatment plan in response to the SQ? This study aims to address these questions. Methods: An online study will be completed by 600 (100 per country) registered GPs. They will be asked to review 20 hypothetical patient vignettes. For each vignette they will be asked to provide a response to the following four questions: (1) the SQ [Yes/No]; (2) the alternative SQ [Yes/No]; (3) the percentage probability of dying [0% no chance – 100% certain death]; and (4) the proposed treatment plan [multiple choice]. A “surprise threshold” for each participant will be calculated by comparing the responses to the SQ with the probability estimates of death. We will use linear regression to explore any differences in thresholds between countries and other clinician-related factors, such as years of experience. We will describe the actions taken by the clinicians and explore the differences between groups. We will also investigate the relationship between the alternative SQ and the other responses. Participants will receive a certificate of completion and the option to receive feedback on their performance. Discussion: This study explores the extent to which the SQ is consistently used at an individual, group, and national level. The findings of this study will help to understand the clinical value of using the SQ in routine practice

Views on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease - an interview study with Swedish GPs

Background: General practitioners (GPs) have gradually become more involved in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), both through more frequent prescribing of pharmaceuticals and by giving advice regarding lifestyle factors. Most general practitioners are now faced with decisions about pharmaceutical or non-pharmaceutical treatment for primary prevention every day. The aim of this study was to explore, structure and describe the views on primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in clinical practice among Swedish GPs. Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with 21 GPs in southern Sweden. The interview transcripts were analysed using a qualitative approach, inspired by phenomenography. Results: Two main categories of description emerged during the analysis. One was the degree of reliance on research data regarding the predictability of real risk and the opportunities for primary prevention of CVD. The other was the allocation of responsibility between the patient and the doctor. The GPs showed different views, from being convinced of an actual and predictable risk for the individual to strongly doubting it; from relying firmly on protection from disease by pharmaceutical treatment to strongly questioning its effectiveness in individual cases; and from reliance on prevention of disease by non-pharmaceutical interventions to a total lack of reliance on such measures. Conclusions: The GPs' different views, regarding the rationale for and practical management of primary prevention of CVD, can be interpreted as a reflection of the complexity of patient counselling in primary prevention in clinical practice. The findings have implications for development and implementation of standard treatment guidelines, regarding long-time primary preventive treatment

Prospective exploratory muscle biopsy, imaging, and functional assessment in patients with late-onset Pompe disease treated with alglucosidase alfa: The EMBASSY Study

Background Late-onset Pompe disease is characterized by progressive skeletal myopathy followed by respiratory muscle weakness, typically leading to loss of ambulation and respiratory failure. In this population, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with alglucosidase alfa has been shown to stabilize respiratory function and improve mobility and muscle strength. Muscle pathology and glycogen clearance from skeletal muscle in treatment-naïve adults after ERT have not been extensively examined. Methods This exploratory, open-label, multicenter study evaluated glycogen clearance in muscle tissue samples collected pre- and post- alglucosidase alfa treatment in treatment-naïve adults with late-onset Pompe disease. The primary endpoint was the quantitative reduction in percent tissue area occupied by glycogen in muscle biopsies from baseline to 6 months. Secondary endpoints included qualitative histologic assessment of tissue glycogen distribution, secondary pathology changes, assessment of magnetic resonance images (MRIs) for intact muscle and fatty replacement, and functional assessments. Results Sixteen patients completed the study. After 6 months of ERT, the percent tissue area occupied by glycogen in quadriceps and deltoid muscles decreased in 10 and 8 patients, respectively. No changes were detected on MRI from baseline to 6 months. A majority of patients showed improvements on functional assessments after 6 months of treatment. All treatment-related adverse events were mild or moderate. Conclusions This exploratory study provides novel insights into the histopathologic effects of ERT in late-onset Pompe disease patients. Ultrastructural examination of muscle biopsies demonstrated reduced lysosomal glycogen after ERT. Findings are consistent with stabilization of disease by ERT in treatment-naïve patients with late-onset Pompe disease