Combining aperiodic 1/f slopes and brain simulation: An EEG/MEG proxy marker of excitation/inhibition imbalance in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Accumulation and interaction of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau proteins during progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are shown to tilt neuronal circuits away from balanced excitation/inhibition (E/I). Current available techniques for noninvasive interrogation of E/I in the intact human brain, for example, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), are highly restrictive (i.e.

Supporting the Detection of Early Alzheimer's Disease with a Four-Channel EEG Analysis.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia. Although there is no current cure, medical treatment can help to control its progression. Hence, early-stage diagnosis is crucial to maximize the living standards of the patients.

An Automated Approach for the Detection of Alzheimer's Disease From Resting State Electroencephalography.

Early detection is crucial to control the progression of Alzheimer's disease and to postpone intellectual decline. Most current detection techniques are costly, inaccessible, or invasive. Furthermore, they require laborious analysis, what delays the start of medical treatment.

Quantitative Assessment of Stress Through EEG During a Virtual Reality Stress-Relax Session.

Recent studies have addressed stress level classification electroencephalography (EEG) and machine learning. These works typically use EEG-based features, like power spectral density (PSD), to develop stress classifiers. Nonetheless, these classifiers are usually limited to the discrimination of two (stress and no stress) or three (low, medium, and high) stress levels.

Virtual Reality Customized 360-Degree Experiences for Stress Relief.

The latest studies in virtual reality (VR) have evidenced the potential of this technology to reproduce environments from multiple domains in an immersive way. For instance, in stress relief research, VR has been presented as a portable and inexpensive alternative to chromotherapy rooms, which require an adapted space and are expensive. In this work, we propose a portable and versatile alternative to the traditional chromotherapy color-loop treatment through four different 360-degree virtual experiences.

A Review of Automated Techniques for Assisting the Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease with a Focus on EEG.

In this paper, we review state-of-the-art approaches that apply signal processing (SP) and machine learning (ML) to automate the detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its prodromal stages. In the first part of the document, we describe the economic and social implications of the disease, traditional diagnosis techniques, and the fundaments of automated AD detection. Then, we present electroencephalography (EEG) as an appropriate alternative for the early detection of AD, owing to its reduced cost, portability, and non-invasiveness.

Virtual Reality as a Portable Alternative to Chromotherapy Rooms for Stress Relief: A Preliminary Study.

Chromotherapy rooms are comfortable spaces, used in places like special needs schools, where stimuli are carefully selected to cope with stress. However, these rooms are expensive and require a space that cannot be reutilized. In this article, we propose the use of virtual reality (VR) as an inexpensive and portable alternative to chromotherapy rooms for stress relief.

A Neuronal Network Model of the Primate Visual System: Color Mechanisms in the Retina, LGN and V1.

Color plays a key role in human vision but the neural machinery that underlies the transformation from stimulus to perception is not well understood. Here, we implemented a two-dimensional network model of the first stages in the primate parvocellular pathway (retina, lateral geniculate nucleus and layer 4C in V1) consisting of conductance-based point neurons. Model parameters were tuned based on physiological and anatomical data from the primate foveal and parafoveal vision, the most relevant visual field areas for color vision.

Biophysical network modeling of the dLGN circuit: Effects of cortical feedback on spatial response properties of relay cells.

Despite half-a-century of research since the seminal work of Hubel and Wiesel, the role of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) in shaping the visual signals is not properly understood. Placed on route from retina to primary visual cortex in the early visual pathway, a striking feature of the dLGN circuit is that both the relay cells (RCs) and interneurons (INs) not only receive feedforward input from retinal ganglion cells, but also a prominent feedback from cells in layer 6 of visual cortex. This feedback has been proposed to affect synchronicity and other temporal properties of the RC firing.

A Computational Framework for Realistic Retina Modeling.

Computational simulations of the retina have led to valuable insights about the biophysics of its neuronal activity and processing principles. A great number of retina models have been proposed to reproduce the behavioral diversity of the different visual processing pathways. While many of these models share common computational stages, previous efforts have been more focused on fitting specific retina functions rather than generalizing them beyond a particular model.

Visual training and emotional state of people with retinitis pigmentosa.

The purpose of the study was to improve the visual functioning of people with restriction in contrast sensitivity (CS), such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), by means of a visual training program. Twenty-six volunteers with RP participated, distributed in two groups: 15 who made up the experimental group (who received the training program) and 11 who participated as a control group (without training). Participants were evaluated before beginning training, on completion, and 3 mo following completion for CS with the Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity (P&R) test, visual functioning with the Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ), and in emotional state with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

A design framework to model retinas.

Neuro-engineering is providing biomedical engineers with technology to interface the nervous system, which is useful to create prosthetic devices to palliate sensorial or motor disabilities. Motivated by the success of cochlear implants for deaf patients, we are now facing the challenge of creating a prosthetic visual system for the blind. An artificial retina whose response to stimuli can be matched to biological ones is required.