Hierarchical Event Descriptor library schema for EEG data annotation

Standardizing terminology to describe electrophysiological events can improve both clinical care and computational research. Sharing data enriched by such standardized terminology can support advances in neuroscientific data exploration, from single-subject to mega-analysis. Machine readability of electrophysiological event annotations is essential for performing such analyses efficiently across software tools and packages. Hierarchical Event Descriptors (HED) provide a framework for describing events in neuroscience experiments. HED library schemas extend the standard HED schema vocabulary to include specialized vocabularies, such as standardized clinical terms for electrophysiological events. The Standardized Computer-based Organized Reporting of EEG (SCORE) defines terms for annotating EEG events, including artifacts. This study makes SCORE machine-readable by incorporating it into a HED library schema. We demonstrate the use of the HED-SCORE library schema to annotate events in example EEG data stored in Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) format. Clinicians and researchers worldwide can now use the HED-SCORE library schema to annotate and then compute on electrophysiological data obtained from the human brain.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Optogenetics, Ethical Issues Affecting DBS Research, Neuromodulatory Approaches for Depression, Adaptive Neurostimulation, and Emerging DBS Technologies

We estimate that 208,000 deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices have been implanted to address neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders worldwide. DBS Think Tank presenters pooled data and determined that DBS expanded in its scope and has been applied to multiple brain disorders in an effort to modulate neural circuitry. The DBS Think Tank was founded in 2012 providing a space where clinicians, engineers, researchers from industry and academia discuss current and emerging DBS technologies and logistical and ethical issues facing the field. The emphasis is on cutting edge research and collaboration aimed to advance the DBS field. The Eighth Annual DBS Think Tank was held virtually on September 1 and 2, 2020 (Zoom Video Communications) due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting focused on advances in: (1) optogenetics as a tool for comprehending neurobiology of diseases and on optogenetically-inspired DBS, (2) cutting edge of emerging DBS technologies, (3) ethical issues affecting DBS research and access to care, (4) neuromodulatory approaches for depression, (5) advancing novel hardware, software and imaging methodologies, (6) use of neurophysiological signals in adaptive neurostimulation, and (7) use of more advanced technologies to improve DBS clinical outcomes. There were 178 attendees who participated in a DBS Think Tank survey, which revealed the expansion of DBS into several indications such as obesity, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and Alzheimer’s disease. This proceedings summarizes the advances discussed at the Eighth Annual DBS Think Tank

The Somatic Genomic Landscape of Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma

We describe the landscape of somatic genomic alterations of 66 chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (ChRCCs) based on multidimensional and comprehensive characterization, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and whole genome sequencing. The result is consistent that ChRCC originates from the distal nephron compared to other kidney cancers with more proximal origins. Combined mtDNA and gene expression analysis implicates changes in mitochondrial function as a component of the disease biology, while suggesting alternative roles for mtDNA mutations in cancers relying on oxidative phosphorylation. Genomic rearrangements lead to recurrent structural breakpoints within TERT promoter region, which correlates with highly elevated TERT expression and manifestation of kataegis, representing a mechanism of TERT up-regulation in cancer distinct from previously-observed amplifications and point mutations

Assessment Of Household Carbon Footprint Reduction Potentials

This paper contributes an analysis of natural resource management tools for planning for climate change, including a case study on scenario planning, to the Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Study for California. It presents the findings of a literature review on decision‐ making tools for climate change planning and consultations with adaptation planners, resource managers, and scientists. In addition, it discusses lessons learned from a one‐day climate change scenario planning workshop with resource managers and scientists working in Marin County that focused on analyzing the scenario approach in the context of other approaches. It also describes cases of public agency and private conservation non‐profit organizations working on resource management problems under climate change

Assessment Of Household Carbon Footprint Reduction Potentials

This paper contributes an analysis of natural resource management tools for planning for climate change, including a case study on scenario planning, to the Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Study for California. It presents the findings of a literature review on decision‐ making tools for climate change planning and consultations with adaptation planners, resource managers, and scientists. In addition, it discusses lessons learned from a one‐day climate change scenario planning workshop with resource managers and scientists working in Marin County that focused on analyzing the scenario approach in the context of other approaches. It also describes cases of public agency and private conservation non‐profit organizations working on resource management problems under climate change

Stimulation to probe, excite, and inhibit the epileptic brain.

Direct cortical stimulation has been applied in epilepsy for nearly one century and has experienced a renaissance given unprecedented opportunities to probe, excite and inhibit the human brain. Evidence suggests stimulation can increase diagnostic and therapeutic utility in patients with drug-resistant epilepsies. However, choosing appropriate stimulation parameters is not a trivial issue, which is further complicated by the fact that epilepsy is characterized by complex brain state dynamics. In this article derived from discussions at the ICTALS 2022 conference, we succinctly review the literature on cortical stimulation applied acutely and chronically to the epileptic brain for localization, monitoring, and therapeutic purposes. In particular, we discuss how stimulation is used to probe brain excitability, discuss evidence on usefulness of stimulation to trigger and stop seizures, review therapeutic applications of stimulation, and finally discuss how stimulation parameters are impacted by brain dynamics. Although research has advanced considerably over the past decade, there are still significant hurdles to optimize use of this technique. For example, it remains unclear to what extent short timescale diagnostic biomarkers can predict long-term outcomes and to what extent these biomarkers add information to already existing biomarkers from passive EEG recordings. Further questions include the extent to which closed loop stimulation offers advantages over open loop stimulation, what the optimal closed loop timescales may be, and whether biomarker-informed stimulation can lead to seizure freedom. The ultimate goal of bioelectronic medicine remains not just to stop seizures but rather to cure epilepsy and its comorbidities