Materiality and human cognition

In this paper, we examine the role of materiality in human cognition. We address issues such as the ways in which brain functions may change in response to interactions with material forms, the attributes of material forms that may cause change in brain functions, and the spans of time required for brain functions to reorganize when interacting with material forms. We then contrast thinking through materiality with thinking about it. We discuss these in terms of their evolutionary significance and history as attested by stone tools and writing, material forms whose interaction endowed our lineage with conceptual thought and meta-awareness of conceptual domains

The case for a relationship between human memory, hippocampus and corpus callosum

Unilateral brain damage which includes the hippocampus leads to memory impairments consistent with hemispheric specialization on the same side. Damage to the corpus callosum, the major connecting pathway between the left and right hemispheres, also leads to memory impairments. This suggests both hemispheric specialization on the hippocampal level and a critical role for the corpus callosum in memory functions. A complete hippocampal formation is present on either side of the brain but traditionally only one is studied. However, a comparison between the neuronal populations in the hippocampus on both sides revealed asymmetry in connectivity among hippocampal subfields. The profile of memory impairments of commissurotomy (‘split-brain’) patients is described. The results are discussed in terms of a relationship between hippocampus and corpus callosum in humans. As hemispheric specialization evolved, inter-hippocampal connections became less important and the corpus callosum became prominent in memory functions

Wavelet design by means of multi-objective GAs for motor imagery EEG analysis

Wavelet-based analysis has been broadly used in the study of brain-computer interfaces (BCI), but in most cases these wavelet functions have not been designed taking into account the requirements of this field. In this study we propose a method to automatically generate wavelet-like functions by means of genetic algorithms. Results strongly indicate that it is possible to generate (evolve) wavelet functions that improve the classification accuracy compared to other well-known wavelets (e.g. Daubechies and Coiflets)

Review: Dystroglycan in the Nervous System

Dystroglycan is part of a large complex of proteins, the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophies for a long time. Besides muscular degeneration many patients manifest symptoms of neurological and cognitive dysfunction. Newer findings suggest that dystroglycan is implicated in brain development, synapse formation and plasticity, nerve-glia interactions and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier.
Most research so far has focused on the functions of dystroglycan in muscle and neuromuscular junctions, while its role in the brain and interneuronal synapses has been largely neglected. 
This review will give an overview of the biochemistry of dystroglycan, its interaction with other proteins as well as its confirmed and hypothetical functions in the nervous system in health and diesease

When Alcoholism Affects Memory Functions: MRI of the Brain.

The development of modern imaging techniques makes it possible to examine directly the relationship between brain abnormalities and memory impairment. Alcoholic amnesics may perform normally on certain tests (priming tasks) that require implicit (unconscious) memory, even though they may not be able consciously to recall the memory. Researchers have therefore postulated the existence of multiple memory mechanisms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) observations suggest that independent memory mechanisms are not necessary to explain the dissociation between explicit and implicit memory. Alcoholic amnesics appear to suffer from damage to structures in two areas of the brain, affecting two separate processing components that are both required in most priming tasks: a stimulus processing component and a memory processing component

Neurosystems: brain rhythms and cognitive processing

Neuronal rhythms are ubiquitous features of brain dynamics, and are highly correlated with cognitive processing. However, the relationship between the physiological mechanisms producing these rhythms and the functions associated with the rhythms remains mysterious. This article investigates the contributions of rhythms to basic cognitive computations (such as filtering signals by coherence and/or frequency) and to major cognitive functions (such as attention and multi-modal coordination). We offer support to the premise that the physiology underlying brain rhythms plays an essential role in how these rhythms facilitate some cognitive operations.098352 - Wellcome Trust; 5R01NS067199 - NINDS NIH HH

Improvement of neuropsychological performances and reduction of immune-activation markers after probiotic supplementation and change of life-style in an HIV positive male: targeting the microbiota to act on gut-brain axis

The gut-brain axis is widely in uenced by the intestinal microbiota and dysbiosis is consequently associated with a large dysregulation of its functions. Probiotic supplementation, reducing the harmful effects of dysbiosis, has shown positive effects not only on gut and brain functions, but also on the control of the dangerous effects of immune activation. Mounting evidence has shown that neurocognitive impairment can be a secondary to the impairment of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in HIV positive patients. In this case report we analyzed the im- provement of neurocognitive performances associated with a reduction of levels of peripheral immune-activa- tion, after 6 months of probiotic supplementation. In this case, the achieved result may have been in uenced by a more comprehensive modi cation of the patient’s lifestyle with the introduction of a controlled diet and regular physical activity. Our observations suggest that integrate antiretroviral therapy and non-pharmacological tools into an overall approach, can be a useful strategy to control some non-AIDS related diseases