Collective Neurofeedback in an Immersive Art Environment

While human brains are specialized for complex and variable real world tasks, most neuroscience studies reduce environmental complexity, which limits the range of behaviours that can be explored. Motivated to overcome this limitation, we conducted a large-scale experiment with electroencephalography (EEG) based brain-computer interface (BCI) technology as part of an immersive multi-media science-art installation. Data from 523 participants were collected in a single night. The exploratory experiment was designed as a collective computer game where players manipulated mental states of relaxation and concentration with neurofeedback targeting modulation of relative spectral power in alpha and beta frequency ranges. Besides validating robust time-of- night effects, gender differences and distinct spectral power patterns for the two mental states, our results also show differences in neurofeedback learning outcome. The unusually large sample size allowed us to detect unprecedented speed of learning changes in the power spectrum (~ 1 min). Moreover, we found that participants' baseline brain activity predicted subsequent neurofeedback beta training, indicating state-dependent learning. Besides revealing these training effects, which are relevant for BCI applications, our results validate a novel platform engaging art and science and fostering the understanding of brains under natural conditions

The effects of constructive journalism techniques on mood, comprehension, and trust

The role of news media in the perpetuation of misinformation has faced increasing scrutiny. Concerns have been raised about news media’s negative influence on mental health, increasing news avoidance, and decreasing trust in news. Constructive journalism is proposed to increase engagement with and trust in news media, reduce the mental health impact of news consumption, and provide a more accurate view of the world. However, constructive journalism studies primarily investigate the inclusion of solutions and positive emotions in news stories, to the exclusion of other techniques. Additionally, few studies have investigated constructive journalism’s effects on trust and comprehension. We used a randomised-controlled repeated-measures experimental design to investigate the effects of a comprehensive set of constructive journalism techniques on mood, comprehension, and trust among 238 Australian participants. Participants who read constructive articles reported higher positive emotion, and lower negative emotion, compared to participants who read the same articles without constructive features. However, participants in the constructive condition demonstrated worse comprehension than participants in the control, an effect partially mediated by negative emotion but not effort. No significant differences in trust in journalism as an institution or in article content were present between groups. However, when accounting for interest, constructive journalism demonstrated a significant negative effect on trust in the information, though positive where it increased mood. Further research is needed to calibrate techniques which balance the positive effects of constructive journalism with its ability to convey information

Subspecialty training in Europe:a report by the European Network of Young Gynaecological Oncologists

Backgroun

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Task-independent effects are potential confounders in longitudinal imaging studies of learning in schizophrenia

Learning impairment is a core deficit in schizophrenia that impacts on real-world functioning and yet, elucidating its underlying neural basis remains a challenge. A key issue when interpreting learning-task experiments is that task-independent changes may confound interpretation of task-related signal changes in neuroimaging studies. The nature of these task-independent changes in schizophrenia is unknown. Therefore, we examined task-independent “time effects” in a group of participants with schizophrenia contrasted with healthy participants in a longitudinal fMRI learning-experiment designed to allow for examination of non-specific effects of time. Flanking the learning portions of the experiment with a task-of-no-interest allowed us to extract task-independent BOLD changes. Task-independent effects occurred in both groups, but were more robust in the schizophrenia group. There was a significant interaction effect between group and time in a distributed activity pattern that included inferior and superior temporal regions, frontal areas (left anterior insula and superior medial gyri), and parietal areas (posterior cingulate cortices and precuneus). This pattern showed task-independent linear decrease in BOLD amplitude over the two scanning sessions for the schizophrenia group, but showed either opposite effect or no activity changes for the control group. There was a trend towards a correlation between task-independent effects and the presence of more negative symptoms in the schizophrenia group. The strong interaction between group and time suggests that both the scanning experience as a whole and the transition between task-types evokes a different response in persons with schizophrenia and may confound interpretation of learning-related longitudinal imaging experiments if not explicitly considered

‘My Virtual Dream’: Collective Neurofeedback in an Immersive Art Environment

<div><p>While human brains are specialized for complex and variable real world tasks, most neuroscience studies reduce environmental complexity, which limits the range of behaviours that can be explored. Motivated to overcome this limitation, we conducted a large-scale experiment with electroencephalography (EEG) based brain-computer interface (BCI) technology as part of an immersive multi-media science-art installation. Data from 523 participants were collected in a single night. The exploratory experiment was designed as a collective computer game where players manipulated mental states of relaxation and concentration with neurofeedback targeting modulation of relative spectral power in alpha and beta frequency ranges. Besides validating robust time-of-night effects, gender differences and distinct spectral power patterns for the two mental states, our results also show differences in neurofeedback learning outcome. The unusually large sample size allowed us to detect unprecedented speed of learning changes in the power spectrum (~ 1 min). Moreover, we found that participants' baseline brain activity predicted subsequent neurofeedback beta training, indicating state-dependent learning. Besides revealing these training effects, which are relevant for BCI applications, our results validate a novel platform engaging art and science and fostering the understanding of brains under natural conditions.</p></div

Sex differences in <i>RSP</i> (example left frontal channel).

<p><b>(A)</b> Mean <i>RSP</i> curves for males and females during Solo2-concentrate condition. <b>(B)</b> Sex effect across all guided conditions. Top: mean participant scores with error bars representing 95% CI. Bottom: associated frequency pattern, represented with bootstrap ratios across conditions. Reliable positive bootstrap indicated by red (blue) circles identify frequencies (35–45 Hz) where females have more power compared to males. Weak trend by which males exhibit more power alpha range (blue bootstrap ratios) is not consistently reliable across conditions.</p

My Virtual Dream - EEG data - Oct 5-6, 2013

<p>Data from My Virtual Dream installation Oct 5-6, 2013.</p> <p>Research article with full description of the data : TBA</p> <p>Data are organized in subject-specific matlab files, according to session number (1-29), pod number (1-4) and player number (1-5). Entire experiment was performed in 29 sessions, from 7pm, Oct 5, 2013 to 6:30am Oct 6, 2013. During each session there were 20 subjects, divided into 4 pods of 5 subjects. Only complete, partially preprocessed, data sets are included. For each subject, condition specific EEG time series were extracted and resampled to 256Hz.</p> <p>Subject's .mat file contains the following variables:</p> <p><strong>session</strong> -- number -- session number (1-29), the same as in the filename</p> <p><strong>pod</strong> -- number -- pod number (1-4). </p> <p><strong>position</strong> -- number -- subject's position within pod (1-5, sitting arrangement from left to right)</p> <p><strong>age</strong> -- number -- subject's age in years</p> <p><strong>sex</strong> -- string -- 'f' or 'm'</p> <p><strong>srate</strong> -- number -- sampling rate is the same for all subjects: 256Hz</p> <p><strong>chan_names</strong> -- cell array of strings -- names of 4 EEG channels, given in the same order as EEG data</p> <p><strong>conditions</strong> -- cell array of strings -- names of conditions</p> <p><strong>cond_eeg</strong> -- cell array of 2D matrices -- conditition specific EEG data in (time x channel) format</p> <p><strong>aP</strong> -- 1D array -- condition specific aP performance measure (number of a+ states divided by number of a- states during first 20 seconds of the condition)</p> <p><strong>bP</strong> -- 1D array -- condition specific bP performance measure (number of b+ states divided by number of b- states during first 20 seconds of the condition)</p

Neurofeedback performance measures.

<p><b>(A)</b> Group mean alpha performance <i>aP</i> and beta performance <i>bP</i> for all participants taken together (yellow bullets), with 95% CI’s shown as error bars, beta learners (gray bullets) and non-learners (white bullets). Conditions where neurofeedback did not depend on the respective band of interest are shown in desaturated color. Black asterisks indicate conditions which expressed reliable PLS difference between learners and non-learners. <b>(B)</b> Analysis of differences in baseline <i>RSP</i> between beta learners and non-learners. Top: mean participant scores with error bars representing 95% CI. Bottom: associated frequency pattern for the left frontal channel with reliable positive (negative) bootstrap ratios indicated by red (blue) circles. High power in delta range and low power in beta/gamma range during baseline predicted subsequent beta learning.</p

My Virtual Dream: the ‘dreamery’ and the stage.

<p>In front of an audience, twenty participants at a time experienced a two-part interaction within the dome. Based on the collective neurofeedback of all 20 participants, the ‘dreamers’, artistic video animations were projected on the 360° surface of the semi-transparent dome and soundscapes were generated based on a pre-recorded sound library and improvisations from live musicians.</p