Brain-state mediated modulation of inter-laminar dependencies in visual cortex.

Spatial attention is critical for recognizing behaviorally relevant objects in a cluttered environment. How the deployment of spatial attention aids the hierarchical computations of object recognition remains unclear. We investigated this in the laminar cortical network of visual area V4, an area strongly modulated by attention.

Brain-state mediated modulation of inter-laminar dependencies in visual cortex.

Spatial attention is a quintessential example of adaptive information processing in the brain and is critical for recognizing behaviorally relevant objects in a cluttered environment. Object recognition is mediated by neural encoding along the ventral visual hierarchy. How the deployment of spatial attention aids these hierarchical computations is unclear.

An amygdala circuit that suppresses social engagement.

Innate social behaviours, such as mating and fighting, are fundamental to animal reproduction and survival. However, social engagements can also put an individual at risk. Little is known about the neural mechanisms that enable appropriate risk assessment and the suppression of hazardous social interactions.

Modulating neural oscillations by transcranial static magnetic field stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex: A crossover, double-blind, sham-controlled pilot study.

Transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS) is a novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown to locally increase alpha power in the parietal and occipital cortex. We investigated if tSMS locally increased alpha power in the left or right prefrontal cortex, as the balance of left/right prefrontal alpha power (frontal alpha asymmetry) has been linked to emotional processing and mood disorders. Therefore, altering frontal alpha asymmetry with tSMS may serve as a novel treatment to psychiatric diseases.