Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
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Neurosci Biobehav Rev · Sep 2013
ReviewFinding a way in: a review and practical evaluation of fMRI and EEG for detection and assessment in disorders of consciousness.
Diagnoses and assessments of cognitive function in disorders of consciousness (DOC) are notoriously prone to error due to their reliance on behavioural measures. As a result, researchers have turned to functional neuroimaging and electrophysiological techniques with the goal of developing more effective methods of detecting awareness and assessing cognition in these patients. This article reviews functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroenchphalography (EEG)-based studies of cognition and consciousness in DOC, including assessment of basic sensory, perceptual, language, and emotional processing; studies for detection of conscious awareness; paradigms for the establishment of communication in the absence of behaviour; and functional connectivity studies. The advantages and limitations of fMRI and EEG-based measures are examined as research and clinical tools in this population and an explanation offered for the rediscovery of the unique advantages of EEG in the study of DOC.
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Neurosci Biobehav Rev · Sep 2013
ReviewAutonomic nervous system activity and workplace stressors--a systematic review.
This systematic review evaluates and summarizes the evidence of the association between psychosocial work environment as indicated by several work-stress models such as Job-Demand-Control (JDC), Effort-Reward-Imbalance (ERI), or Organizational Justice (OJ) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) function as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV). ⋯ This systematic review provides evidence that adverse psychosocial work conditions are negatively associated with ANS function as indexed by HRV.
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Neurosci Biobehav Rev · Sep 2013
ReviewAscending monoaminergic systems alterations in Alzheimer's disease. translating basic science into clinical care.
Extensive neuropathological studies have established a compelling link between abnormalities in structure and function of subcortical monoaminergic (MA-ergic) systems and the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The main cell populations of these systems including the locus coeruleus, the raphe nuclei, and the tuberomamillary nucleus undergo significant degeneration in AD, thereby depriving the hippocampal and cortical neurons from their critical modulatory influence. ⋯ This review aims to explore the link between abnormalities in the MA-ergic systems and AD symptomatology as well as the therapeutic strategies targeting these systems. Furthermore, we will examine possible mechanisms behind basic vulnerability of MA-ergic neurons in AD.
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Neurosci Biobehav Rev · Sep 2013
ReviewModelling non-invasive brain stimulation in cognitive neuroscience.
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is a method for the study of cognitive function that is quickly gaining popularity. It bypasses the correlative approaches of other imaging techniques, making it possible to establish a causal relationship between cognitive processes and the functioning of specific brain areas. Like lesion studies, NIBS can provide information about where a particular process occurs. ⋯ Given that NIBS necessarily involves the relatively indiscriminate activation of large numbers of neurons, its impact on a neural system can be easily understood as modulation of neural activity that changes the relation between noise and signal. In this review, we describe the mutual interactions between NIBS and brain activity and provide an updated and precise perspective on the theoretical frameworks of NIBS and their impact on cognitive neuroscience. By transitioning our discussion from one aspect (NIBS) to the other (cognition), we aim to provide insights to guide future research.
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Neurosci Biobehav Rev · May 2013
ReviewRehabilitation of spatial neglect by prism adaptation: a peculiar expansion of sensorimotor after-effects to spatial cognition.
Unilateral neglect is a neurological condition responsible for many debilitating effects on everyday life, poor functional recovery, and decreased ability to benefit from treatment. Prism adaptation (PA) to a right lateral displacement of the visual field is classically known to directionally bias visuo-motor and sensory-motor correspondences. One longstanding issue about this visuo-motor plasticity is about its specificity to the exposure condition. ⋯ We further develop here the idea that prism adaptation expansion to spatial cognition involves a cerebello-cortical network and review support for this model. Building on the basic, therapeutical and pathophysiological knowledge accumulated over the last 15 years, we also provide guidelines for the optimal use of prism adaptation in the clinic. Although further research and clinical trials are required to precisely define the ideal regime for routine applications, the current state of the art allows us to outline practical recommendations for therapeutical use of prisms.