Take it sitting down: the effect of body posture on cortical potentials during free viewing-A mobile EEG recording study.

Brain imaging performed in natural settings is known as mobile brain and body imaging (MoBI). One of the features which distinguishes MoBI and laboratory-based experiments is the body posture. Previous studies pointed to mechanical, autonomic, cortical and cognitive differences between upright stance and sitting or reclining.

Effects of Lockdown Restrictions and Impact of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in People With Chronic Pain During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A 13-Wave Longitudinal Study.

In early 2020, countries across the world imposed lockdown restrictions to curb the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Lockdown conditions, including social and physical distancing measures and recommended self-isolation for clinically vulnerable groups, were proposed to disproportionately affect those living with chronic pain, who already report reduced access to social support and increased isolation. Yet, empirical evidence from longitudinal studies tracking the effects of prolonged and fluctuating lockdown conditions, and potential psychological factors mediating the effects of such restrictions on outcomes in chronic pain populations, is lacking.

The neural correlates of texture perception: A systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies.

Introduction: Humans use discriminative touch to perceive texture through dynamic interactions with surfaces, activating low-threshold mechanoreceptors in the skin. It was largely assumed that texture was processed in primary somatosensory regions in the brain; however, imaging studies indicate heterogeneous patterns of brain activity associated with texture processing.

Methods: To address this, we conducted a coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of 13 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies (comprising 15 experiments contributing 228 participants and 275 foci) selected by a systematic review.

Machine learning and EEG can classify passive viewing of discrete categories of visual stimuli but not the observation of pain.

Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of machine learning (ML) in classifying physical pain from non-pain states using electroencephalographic (EEG) data. However, the application of ML to EEG data to categorise the observation of pain versus non-pain images of human facial expressions or scenes depicting pain being inflicted has not been explored. The present study aimed to address this by training Random Forest (RF) models on cortical event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded while participants passively viewed faces displaying either pain or neutral expressions, as well as action scenes depicting pain or matched non-pain (neutral) scenarios.

Neural correlates of naturalistic single-trial appetitive conditioning.

Background: Prior research suggests naturalistic single-trial appetitive conditioning may be a potent phenomenon in humans, capable of modulating both motivation and attention. In this study, we aimed to characterise the neural correlates of this phenomenon using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) paradigms METHODS: Twenty-three healthy adults (12 males) underwent conditioning during which they ate a novel 3D object made from white chocolate (CS+) and handled a similar object made from plastic (CS-). Brain activity was recorded before and after conditioning during a passive viewing paradigm RESULTS: A naturalistic CS+ was rated as more highly craved, better-liked and elicited greater expectancies for chocolate than the CS- after conditioning.