Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic and debilitating mental illness affecting approximately 40 million people worldwide. Cognitive impairment is a core feature of BD, impacting daily functioning and persisting even during mood stability. Cognitive deficits are among the most reliable indicators of long-term functional outcomes in BD. Despite their significance, there are currently no widely available treatments targeting cognitive impairment in BD, largely due to our limited understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. A healthy blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for brain homeostasis, serving as a protective filter that restricts peripheral toxins, pathogens, and ions from entering the brain and disrupting neuronal function. Increased BBB permeability can allow harmful substances to infiltrate the brain, potentially leading to neuroinflammation, disrupted signaling, and damage to brain tissue, all of which may contribute to cognitive impairments in BD. Thus, BBB dysfunction could represent an upstream driver of cognitive impairment in BD, offering a potential target for disease-modifying interventions. This narrative review examined the evidence for the link between BBB permeability and cognitive deficits in BD. Our search yielded limited studies with mixed findings, highlighting the significant need for further research to explore this critical area and its potential for developing disease-modifying treatments.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a promising technique for modulating vagal afferent fibers non-invasively and has shown therapeutic potential in neurological, cognitive, and affective disorders. While previous research highlights its efficacy, the safety profile of taVNS has been less extensively examined.

The research on the intervention of open-skill exercise on the executive functions of children and adolescents still requires quantitative synthesis, and there is inconsistency in the effects of intervention by strategic and interceptive skills, which are sub-divided from open-skill exercise. Therefore, this study systematically explores the aforementioned issues and examines the potential moderating factors in the effects of open-skill exercise intervention on executive functions.

Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) is a method of manipulating the vestibular system through non-invasive electrical current. Depending on how GVS is applied, it produces specific sensations related to vestibular mediated central pathways. The method has been tested for decades for both medical and non-medical applications and has demonstrated promise in treating a variety of disorders including peripheral vestibular conditions, central vestibular pathology due to neurodegenerative diseases, and post-stroke motor rehabilitation. As GVS continues to grow in popularity and applications, the field lacks clarity on appropriate stimulation parameters, despite their importance for safe and efficacious neuromodulation. This study aims to review the parameters used in various treatment applications while also providing a concise overview of the mechanisms underlying GVS thereby offering essential context and justification for the chosen parameters. We performed a literature search on the PubMed and Embase databases for clinical trials including the term "galvanic vestibular stimulation." After removing duplicates, secondary analyses, and studies that did not use GVS for therapeutic purposes, we were left with 53 independent studies. We extracted the stimulation parameters used in each study and report them here. The results of this review suggest that while some stimulation parameters are relatively standardized for specific treatment indications, others lack universally accepted guidelines as the field of GVS continues to evolve. Based on our findings, we recommend that future GVS research include at least one sham condition, the use of individualized current intensity, and the comparison of multiple GVS parameters within the same trial.

The relationship between motor and cognitive skills is a pivotal issue in neuroscience, with embodied cognition theory asserting that bodily actions and experiences play a vital role in cognitive processing. This relevance is particularly noted in children with severe motor disorders (MD) from birth, highlighting a need to explore how these disorders may impede cognitive functions.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects cognitive, academic, behavioral, emotional, and social functioning, primarily in children. Despite its high prevalence, current pharmacological treatments are not effective in 30% of cases and show poor long-term adherence. Non-pharmacological interventions can complement medication-based treatments to improve results. Among these therapies, neurofeedback (NFB) and respiratory biofeedback (R-BFB) have shown promise in treating ADHD symptoms. Moreover, median nerve stimulation (MNS) can help to enhance the efficacy of these treatments, but it has never been explored in this context. This study aimed to: (1) investigate the effectiveness of a combined R-BFB and NFB intervention to treat ADHD, and (2) explore the potential benefits of MNS in enhancing the proposed intervention.

Alexithymia denotes the "absence" of "words" for "emotion" and has its roots in the Greek words "a," "lexis," and "thymos." It is sometimes referred to as "emotional blindness," "blunted feeling," or "disrupted emotional awareness." The term "alexithymia" first appeared in the 1970s in the works of Sifneos, Nemiah, and colleagues. It entails difficulties in identifying and expressing emotions and an externally oriented thinking style. It is not a psychiatric disorder but rather a multidimensional personality trait or construct, appearing to be normally distributed in the general population, with high levels of alexithymia in approximately 10% of individuals. Evidence suggests that alexithymia serves as a prognostic risk factor for health problems, a transdiagnostic risk factor for emotion-based psychopathologies, and a predictor of poor psychiatric treatment outcomes. It is frequently observed in neurological diseases. Nevertheless, its mechanisms, assessment, and management remain overlooked. In multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, alexithymia seems to occur in up to 53% of patients. However, it remains understudied despite recent growing interest. In this mini review, we briefly reassess the prevalence, as well as the clinical, sociodemographic and neuropsychological correlates of alexithymia in MS (e.g., anxiety, depression, fatigue, socio-emotional outcomes). This is followed by an analysis of neurobiological underpinnings of alexithymia derived from neurophysiological and neuroimaging studies in this clinical population. Finally, we provide perspectives to guide future research exploring and managing alexithymia in MS.

Although training has been recognized as a potential contributor to neuroplasticity in athletes, the impact of prolonged shooting training on human brain plasticity remains unclear in the existing literature.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), introduced in 1985, has become a vital tool for investigating brain-behaviour relationships and therapeutic interventions. Repetitive TMS (rTMS) as a therapeutic tool has shown promise for various neuropsychiatric conditions, including autism, which affects approximately 1% of the global population. Evidence suggests that atypical neuroplasticity characterizes the neurobiology of autism. Recent studies using TMS paradigms like theta-burst stimulation (TBS) indicate an excessive neuroplasticity or hyper-plasticity in the form of an excessive long-term potentiation (LTP) in the motor cortex of autistic adults compared to neurotypical controls. Hyper-plasticity may negatively impact cognitive and behavioural outcomes. Our proposed neuroplasticity-based rTMS intervention protocols aim to address motor function, sensory sensitivities, and executive function difficulties in autistic adults. We present a testable framework to evaluate neuroplasticity in the motor, sensory, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, hypothesizing the presence of hyper-plasticity in autistic adults. We anticipate that this hyper-plasticity underpins motor, sensory, and executive function difficulties in autistic adults. Additionally, we propose investigating the efficacy of bilateral rTMS to reduce hyper-plasticity and improve these functions in autistic adults. This approach not only seeks to enhance therapeutic options but also provides biological insights into the brain mechanisms underlying some of the common autism-associated difficulties.

This study aimed to explore differences in sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns in individuals with prolonged disorders of consciousness, utilizing polysomnography (PSG) to assist in distinguishing between the vegetative state (VS)/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) and the minimally conscious state (MCS), thereby reducing misdiagnosis rates and enhancing the quality of medical treatment.

Prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure affects child brain development. Less is known about how neighborhood environment (built, institutional, and social) may be associated with structural brain development and whether prenatal exposure to alcohol or tobacco may modify this relationship. The current study aimed to examine whether neighborhood environment is associated with brain volume at age 9-11, and whether prenatal exposure to alcohol or tobacco modifies this relationship. Baseline data from Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study was analyzed ( = 7,887). Neighborhood environment was characterized by 10 variables from the linked external dataset. Prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposures were dichotomized based on the developmental history questionnaire. Bilateral volumes of three regions of interests (hippocampal, parahippocampal, and entorhinal) were examined as outcomes. High residential area deprivation was associated with smaller right hippocampal volume. Prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with larger volume in left parahippocampal and hippocampal regions, while prenatal tobacco exposure was associated with smaller volumes in bilateral parahippocampal, right entorhinal, and right hippocampal regions. In children without prenatal tobacco exposure, high residential area deprivation was associated with smaller right hippocampal volumes. In contrast, neighborhood environment was not significantly associated with brain volumes in children with prenatal tobacco exposure. In summary, neighborhood environment plays a role in child brain development. This relationship may differ by prenatal tobacco exposure. Future studies on prenatal tobacco exposure may need to consider how postnatal neighborhood environment interacts with the teratogenic effect.

Children with brain-based visual impairments (some of whom have a diagnosis of Cerebral Visual Impairment, or 'CVI') represent a growing and underserved population within vision services. These children often have more complex needs than those with ocular visual impairments and benefit from specialist support from multiple disciplines. This study aimed to understand the perspectives of these specialists in terms of their goals, views on collaboration, and understanding of the term 'CVI'.

This pilot study harnessed the power of network medicine to unravel the complex pathogenesis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). By utilizing a network analysis on whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from the Severely Ill Patient Study (SIPS), we identified ME/CFS-associated proteins and delineated the corresponding network-level module, termed the SIPS disease module, together with its relevant pathways. This module demonstrated significant overlap with genes implicated in fatigue, cognitive disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Our pathway analysis revealed potential associations between ME/CFS and conditions such as COVID-19, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, neurodegenerative diseases, and pathways involved in cortisol synthesis and secretion, supporting the hypothesis that ME/CFS is a neuroimmune disorder. Additionally, our findings underscore a potential link between ME/CFS and estrogen signaling pathways, which may elucidate the higher prevalence of ME/CFS in females. These findings provide insights into the pathogenesis of ME/CFS from a network medicine perspective and highlight potential therapeutic targets. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore their implications for improving diagnosis and treatment.

Gamma wave activity in the sensorimotor cortex is a critical neural mechanism associated with proprioceptive processing, which is essential for motor coordination, balance, and spatial orientation. The modulation of gamma oscillations by different types of tactile stimuli, including affective touch, is not well understood, particularly in children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder.

The production effect (PE) is a phenomenon where reading words aloud, rather than silently, during study leads to improved recognition memory. Human recognition memory can be divided into recollection (recognition based on complex contextual information) and familiarity (recognition based on a sense of familiarity). This study explored how reading aloud affects recollection and familiarity using electroencephalography (EEG) in a mixed-list design. Participants encoded each list item, either aloud or silently during the study phase and made remember/know/new judgments in the test phase, while EEG data were recorded. The behavioral results replicated the classic PE pattern and indicated that the PE was present in both recollection and familiarity. At the Event-Related Potential (ERP) level, the recollection-based LPC (late positive complex) old/new effect at test was largest in the aloud condition; however, the familiarity-based FN400 old/new effect was equivalent when comparing the aloud condition and the silent condition. Moreover, this study was the first to employ multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to decode the time course between two distinct memory strategies (aloud vs. silent). The results revealed significant decoding between 760 and 840 ms, which is consistent with the LPC old/new effect. The paper discusses both traditional theories and the Feature Space Theory based on our results, highlighting inconsistencies with assumptions regarding unconscious retrieval in the Feature Space Theory. In summary, the current results support the role of distinctiveness (enhanced memory for auditory or action information, consistent with recollection) in the PE, rather than the role of strength (enhanced memory trace, consistent with familiarity). This study suggests that enhanced distinctiveness/recollection may be a shared mechanism underlying certain advantageous memory strategies.

The rapid expansion of dialectally unique Arabic material on social media and the internet highlights how important it is to categorize dialects accurately to maximize a variety of Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications. The improvement in classification performance highlights the wider variety of linguistic variables that the model can capture, providing a reliable solution for precise Arabic dialect recognition and improving the efficacy of NLP applications. Recent advances in deep learning (DL) models have shown promise in overcoming potential challenges in identifying Arabic dialects. In this paper, we propose a novel stacking model based on two transformer models, i.e., Bert-Base-Arabertv02 and Dialectal-Arabic-XLM-R-Base, to enhance the classification of dialectal Arabic. The proposed model consists of two levels, including base models and meta-learners. In the proposed model, Level 1 generates class probabilities from two transformer models for training and testing sets, which are then used in Level 2 to train and evaluate a meta-learner. The stacking model compares various models, including long-short-term memory (LSTM), gated recurrent units (GRU), convolutional neural network (CNN), and two transformer models using different word embedding. The results show that the stacking model combination of two models archives outperformance over single-model approaches due to capturing a broader range of linguistic features, which leads to better generalization across different forms of Arabic. The proposed model is evaluated based on the performance of IADD and Shami. For Shami, the Stacking-Transformer achieves the highest performance in all rates compared to other models with 89.73 accuracy, 89.596 precision, 89.73 recall, and 89.574 F1-score. For IADD, the Stacking-Transformer achieves the highest performance in all rates compared to other models with 93.062 accuracy, 93.368 precision, 93.062 recall, and 93.184 F1 score. The improvement in classification performance highlights the wider variety of linguistic variables that the model can capture, providing a reliable solution for precise Arabic dialect recognition and improving the efficacy of NLP applications.

Dissociating Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is an important, yet challenging task. Given the need for low-cost and time-efficient classification, we used low-density electroencephalography (EEG) recordings to automatically classify PPA, MCI and healthy control (HC) individuals. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to classify individuals from these three populations at the same time.

Healthy cognitive aging emphasizes preserving cognitive functions essential for independence and well-being. Developing interventions that promote cognition and resilience in older individuals is crucial. Social playfulness, characterized by spontaneity and mutual enjoyment, allows individuals to step away from routine roles and engage in novel and surprising exchanges. Emerging evidence suggests that social playfulness is a promising approach for supporting cognitive functions in aging in a joyful and engaging way. In this theory and hypothesis manuscript, we propose a neurobiological pathway mediating the effects of social playfulness on cognition. Playful interactions generate high levels of uncertainty, requiring continuous adaptation and exploration. We suggest that these demands engage the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system, which is crucial for navigating uncertainty and sustaining arousal and flexibility needed to adapt to the dynamic and unpredictable nature of playful interactions. Importantly, the collaborative and safe environment of playfulness transforms this uncertainty-driven noradrenergic activation into an engaging and rewarding experience, enhancing focus, positive affect, and flexibility. In older adults, where LC-NA functionality may decline with age, social playfulness could counteract cognitive decline by upregulating this system. We review evidence linking LC-NA integrity to cognitive health and explore how playfulness might mitigate the deterioration of cognitive functioning by training executive functions and promoting novelty and exploration. This framework bridges neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and creative-arts therapies, highlighting social playfulness as a tool for healthy aging. We emphasize the need for further research to validate this hypothesis and explore its implications for designing interventions that leverage social playfulness to enhance cognitive resilience in older populations.

Movement-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) utilize brain activity generated during executed or attempted movement to provide control over applications. By relying on natural movement processes, these BCIs offer a more intuitive control compared to other BCI systems. However, non-invasive movement-based BCIs utilizing electroencephalographic (EEG) signals usually require large amounts of training data to achieve suitable accuracy in the detection of movement intent. Additionally, patients with movement impairments require cue-based paradigms to indicate the start of a movement-related task. Such paradigms tend to introduce long delays between trials, thereby extending training times. To address this, we propose a novel experimental paradigm that enables the collection of 300 cued movement trials in 18 min.

The loudness dependence of the auditory evoked potential (LDAEP) has been suggested as a biomarker for central serotonergic function, and as such a proxy for serotonin related psychiatric symptomatology and intervention outcome, particularly in depression. This study aims to explore LDAEP characteristics in a large healthy population by assessing its test-retest reliability and examining associations with sociodemographic variables, psychological distress, and performance-based cognitive function.

Transcranially delivered diagnostic ultrasound (tDUS) applied to the human brain can modulate those brains such that they became more receptive to external stimulation relative to sham ultrasound exposure. Here, we sought to directly measure the effect of tDUS on mouse brain activity subjected to an external stimulation-a blinking light. Using electrocorticography, we observed a substantial increase in median brain activity due to tDUS plus a blinking light relative to baseline and relative to sham tDUS plus a blinking light. Subsequent brain activity decreased after cessation of tDUS but with continuation of the blinking light, though it remained above that demonstrated by mice exposed to only a blinking light. In a separate experiment, we showed that tDUS alone, without a blinking light, had no observable effect on median brain activity, but upon its cessation, brain activity decreased. These results demonstrate that exposure to tDUS and blinking light can increase the receptivity of the visual cortex of mice exposed to that light, and that exposure to tDUS can reduce subsequent brain activity. In each case, these results are consistent with published data. Our results on mice echo published human results but do not directly explain them, since their test subjects received less intense diagnostic ultrasound than did our mice. Given the near ubiquity of diagnostic ultrasound systems, further progress along this line of research could one day lead to the widespread use of ultrasound to intentionally modulate human brain function during exogenous stimulation.

Understanding how the brain encodes upper limb movements is crucial for developing control mechanisms in assistive technologies. Advances in assistive technologies, particularly Brain-machine Interfaces (BMIs), highlight the importance of decoding motor intentions and kinematics for effective control. EEG-based BMI systems show promise due to their non-invasive nature and potential for inducing neural plasticity, enhancing motor rehabilitation outcomes. While EEG-based BMIs show potential for decoding motor intention and kinematics, studies indicate inconsistent correlations with actual or planned movements, posing challenges for achieving precise and reliable prosthesis control. Further, the variability in predictive EEG patterns across individuals necessitates personalized tuning to improve BMI efficiency. Integrating multiple physiological signals could enhance BMI precision and reliability, paving the way for more effective motor rehabilitation strategies. Studies have shown that brain activity adapts to gravitational and inertial constraints during movement, highlighting the critical role of neural adaptation to biomechanical changes in creating control systems for assistive devices. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent progress in deciphering neural activity patterns associated with both physiological and assisted upper limb movements, highlighting avenues for future exploration in neurorehabilitation and brain-machine interface development.

Pediatric vision loss due to cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is an urgent public health issue, demanding evidence-based (re)habilitation and educational strategies. As with other neurodiverse populations, research on CVI needs to be directly informed by the lived experiences of those affected-children, adults, and their families. In this paper, three individuals with early-onset CVI and two parents discuss sensory substitution and augmentation developed in childhood in the absence of early identification of CVI, and they detail the important impact of the empowering, professionally taught non-visual skills-such as braille, orientation and mobility training, and assistive technology-which were acquired later. Efforts to improve visual perception ability and understanding of the visual world, both effective and ineffective, were made through traditional, professionally administered vision therapy, self-taught coping strategies, and from intensive arts participation. The authors discuss the strategies they use to leverage senses other than vision to achieve their daily life, educational, social, and career goals. Nonvisual skills training effective in those with ocular blindness, though received later in life after the delayed diagnosis, proved to be indispensable for these authors' who have CVI access to all aspects of independent life. It is our hope that these personal experiences may encourage research into how traditional nonvisual skills training used for the ocularly blind, as well as sensory substitution and augmentation techniques, may be used to develop evidence-based multidisciplinary interventions; improved academic and independent life skills; multisensory educational and therapeutic interventions; and successful integration into the community for all CVIers.

EEG microstates offer a unique window into the dynamics of emotional experiences. This study delved into the emotional responses of happiness and sadness triggered by music videos, employing microstate analysis and eLoreta source-level investigation in the alpha band. The results of the microstate analysis showed that regardless of gender, participants during happy music video significantly upregulated class D microstate and downregulated class C microstate, leading to a significantly enhanced global explained variance (GEV), coverage, occurrence, duration, and global field power (GFP) for class D. Conversely, sad music video had the opposite effect. The eLoreta study revealed that during the happy state, there was enhanced CSD in the central parietal regions across both genders and diminished functional connectivity in the precuneus for female participants compared to the sad state. Class D and class C microstates are linked to attention and mind-wandering, respectively. The findings suggest that (1) increased class D and CSD activity could explain heightened attentiveness observed during happy music, and (2) increased class C activity and functional connectivity could explain enhanced mind wandering observed during sad music. Additionally, female participants exhibited significantly higher mean occurrence than males, and the sad state showed significantly higher mean occurrence than the happy state.

The hippocampus plays a crucial role in episodic memory. Given its complexity, the hippocampus participates in multiple aspects of higher cognitive functions, among which are semantics-based encoding and retrieval. However, the "where," "when" and "how" of distinct aspects of memory processing in the hippocampus are still under debate.

As life becomes more stressful, neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders, and comorbidities of the two are becoming more and more of a concern. Multiple neuropsychiatric disorders share the same mental and somatic dysfunction and may involve common brain circuits and mechanistic targets. Music therapy, as an art form with proven efficacy, low cost and few side effects, is promoted for use in interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders. This may be closely related to the release of signaling molecules such as monoamine neurotransmitters, the glutamatergic system, the gut-microbiota-brain axis, pro-inflammatory cytokines and the endogenous opioid peptide system. However, fewer studies have mentioned the main targets of music to promote functional changes in brain regions. Therefore, this paper is a review of the mechanisms by which music therapy interacts with the prefrontal cortex-hippocampus-amygdala circuit through the aforementioned molecules. It is also hypothesized that glial cells, mitochondria and microRNAs are microscopic targets for musical intervention in neuropsychiatric disorders. The aim is to give new ideas for future research into the biological mechanisms of music therapy intervention in neuropsychiatric disorders.

This study investigates the effects of temporal interference stimulation (TI) with different envelope frequencies on the cortical excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1).