Boosting Psychotherapy With Noninvasive Brain Stimulation: The Whys and Wherefores of Modulating Neural Plasticity to Promote Therapeutic Change.

The phenomenon of neural plasticity pertains to the intrinsic capacity of neurons to undergo structural and functional reconfiguration through learning and experiential interaction with the environment. These changes could manifest themselves not only as a consequence of various life experiences but also following therapeutic interventions, including the application of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and psychotherapy. As standalone therapies, both NIBS and psychotherapy have demonstrated their efficacy in the amelioration of psychiatric disorders' symptoms, with a certain variability in terms of effect sizes and duration.

Frequency-dependent assembly processes determine the coexistence and relative abundance of tropical plant species.

Testing the extent to which ecological communities are structured by deterministic (niche-based) assembly processes, resulting in predictable species abundance and composition, is a fundamental goal of ecology. Here we use a 10-year dataset of 55,156 lianas comprising 86 species in an old-growth tropical forest in Panama to test whether community assembly is consistent with niche-based assembly processes. We find that species diversity and community composition was maintained because species conformed to four general requirements of coexistence theory: (1) species have negative conspecific frequency-dependent feedback that control their local population size; (2) species have a stronger negative effect on their own population than that of heterospecifics; (3) the equilibrium frequencies of species correspond to their relative abundance; and (4) species have positive invasibility.

Epigenetic Modifications and Neuroplasticity in the Pathogenesis of Depression: A Focus on Early Life Stress.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating mental illness, and it is considered to be one of the leading causes of disability globally. The etiology of MDD is multifactorial, involving an interplay between biological, psychological, and social factors. Early life represents a critical period for development.

Optical Methods for the Study of Brain Metabolism In Situ.

From its inception, the International Society of Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT) included several core members who were intrigued by the possibility of using light to probe the metabolic state of the cerebral cortex. This 50th anniversary review will focus on optical methods (UV, Visible, NIR) used to study brain oxygen metabolism in the intact brain. Chance, Lübbers, and Jöbsis did fundamental work in the 1970s and 1980s.

Consequences of Local Conspecific Density Effects for Plant Diversity and Community Dynamics.

Conspecific density dependence (CDD) in plant populations is widespread, most likely caused by local-scale biotic interactions, and has potentially important implications for biodiversity, community composition, and ecosystem processes. However, progress in this important area of ecology has been hindered by differing viewpoints on CDD across subfields in ecology, lack of synthesis across CDD-related frameworks, and misunderstandings about how empirical measurements of local CDD fit within the context of broader ecological theories on community assembly and diversity maintenance. Here, we propose a conceptual synthesis of local-scale CDD and its causes, including species-specific antagonistic and mutualistic interactions.

Racial Discrimination, Social Support, and Psychological Distress Among Black Pregnant Women.

Background: Black pregnant women who experience racial discrimination are at an increased risk of psychological distress. Studies have not adequately addressed if social support may moderate the association between experiences of racial discrimination and psychological distress among Black pregnant women.

Objective: We sought to examine the moderating effect of social support on the association between experiences of racial discrimination and psychological distress among Black pregnant women.

An Observational Longitudinal Study on Seasonal Variations in Tourette Syndrome: Evidence for a Role of Ambient Temperature in Tic Exacerbation.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a high-incidence neurobehavioral disorder that generally begins in childhood. Several factors play a role in its etiology, including genetic influence and auto-immune activation by streptococcal infections. In general, symptoms subside after the end of adolescence, but, in a significant number of patients, they remain in adulthood.

Comparison between Single-Dose and Two-Dose Psilocybin Administration in the Treatment of Major Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Current Clinical Trials.

Current pharmacological treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) are often only partially effective, with many patients experiencing no significant benefit, leading to treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Psilocybin, a classical serotonergic psychedelic, has emerged as a notable emerging treatment for such disorders. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize and discuss the most recent evidence about the therapeutic effects of single-dose and two-dose psilocybin administration on the severity of depressive symptoms, as well as compare the efficacy of these interventions among patients with a primary diagnosis of MDD or TRD.

Face processing in animal models: implications for autism spectrum disorder.

Processing facial features is crucial to identify social partners (prey, predators, or conspecifics) and recognize and accurately interpret emotional expressions. Numerous studies in both human and non-human primates provided evidence promoting the notion of inherent mechanisms for detecting facial features. These mechanisms support a representation of faces independent of prior experiences and are vital for subsequent development in social and language domains.

A Mixed Methods Approach to Understand Mother-Father Relationship and Perceived Stress Among Black Pregnant Women.

Background: Black women in the United States report moderate to high levels of perceived stress during pregnancy. Though lower levels of involvement and support from father of the baby (FOB) and higher levels of conflict have been associated with higher levels of maternal perceived stress, it is not clear how Black pregnant women experience the mother-father relationship and its influence on perceived stress.

Purpose: To examine and describe the mother-father relationship and its role in experiences of perceived stress from the perspective of Black pregnant women.

The evolution of mammalian Rem2: unraveling the impact of purifying selection and coevolution on protein function, and implications for human disorders.

Rad And Gem-Like GTP-Binding Protein 2 (Rem2), a member of the RGK family of Ras-like GTPases, is implicated in Huntington's disease and Long QT Syndrome and is highly expressed in the brain and endocrine cells. We examine the evolutionary history of Rem2 identified in various mammalian species, focusing on the role of purifying selection and coevolution in shaping its sequence and protein structural constraints. Our analysis of Rem2 sequences across 175 mammalian species found evidence for strong purifying selection in 70% of non-invariant codon sites which is characteristic of essential proteins that play critical roles in biological processes and is consistent with Rem2's role in the regulation of neuronal development and function.

Digital Divide Among Medicare Beneficiaries and the Diabetes Prevention Program.

Introduction: Successful delivery of the virtual Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) is influenced by a beneficiary's access to a computer and use of the Internet.

Methods: Using the 2020 nationally representative Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Public Use File, a three-level categorical dependent variable was created: (1) has a computer AND uses Internet, (2) has a computer OR uses Internet, and (3) has no access to either (reference group). A survey-weighted multinomial logit model was performed in 2023 to examine associations between socio-demographics, comorbidities, and computer access and Internet use.

Anomalous diffusion of synaptic vesicles and its influences on spontaneous and evoked neurotransmission.

Neurons in the central nervous system communicate with each other by activating billions of tiny synaptic boutons distributed along their fine axons. These presynaptic varicosities are very crowded environments, comprising hundreds of synaptic vesicles. Only a fraction of these vesicles can be recruited in a single release episode, either spontaneous or evoked by action potentials.

Neural correlates of metacognition: Disentangling the brain circuits underlying prospective and retrospective second-order judgments through noninvasive brain stimulation.

Metacognition encompasses the capability to monitor and control one's cognitive processes, with metamemory and metadecision configuring among the most studied higher order functions. Although imaging experiments evaluated the role of disparate brain regions, neural substrates of metacognitive judgments remain undetermined. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize and discuss the available evidence concerning the neural bases of metacognition which has been collected by assessing the effects of noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on human subjects' metacognitive capacities.

Novel Approaches for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Interventions and Insights from Clinical Trials.

First-line treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) encompass a wide range of pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies. However, many patients fail to respond to such interventions, highlighting the need for novel approaches. Due to its ability to modulate cortical activity, non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) could represent a valuable therapeutic tool.

Trends in publication impact of evidence-based healthcare terminology (2013-2022).

Aims: This article explored the publication impact of evidence-based healthcare terminology to determine usage and discuss options for low usage terms.

Background: A plethora of terms describe the scholarship of evidence-based healthcare. Several terms are synonyms, creating redundancy and confusion.

Data-driven simulations for training AI-based segmentation of neutron images.

Neutron interferometry uniquely combines neutron imaging and scattering methods to enable characterization of multiple length scales from 1 nm to 10 µm. However, building, operating, and using such neutron imaging instruments poses constraints on the acquisition time and on the number of measured images per sample. Experiment time-constraints yield small quantities of measured images that are insufficient for automating image analyses using supervised artificial intelligence (AI) models.

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Brain Areas Involved, Neurobiological Mechanisms, Diagnoses and Therapies.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), affecting over 2% of the pre-school children population, includes an important fraction of the conditions accounting for the heterogeneity of autism. The disease was discovered 75 years ago, and the present review, based on critical evaluations of the recognized ASD studies from the beginning of 1990, has been further developed by the comparative analyses of the research and clinical reports, which have grown progressively in recent years up to late 2023. The tools necessary for the identification of the ASD disease and its related clinical pathologies are genetic and epigenetic mutations affected by the specific interaction with transcription factors and chromatin remodeling processes occurring within specific complexes of brain neurons.

Lived experiences of older male caregivers: "That was the Worst!".

Introduction: Although caregiving is a traditional female role, older men represent an increasing proportion of family caregivers. This study's aim was to describe lived experiences of men who engaged in later-life caregiving.

Method: Streubert's phenomenological method, inclusive of unstructured interviews and respondent validation of a single formalized description, was applied to explore lived experiences of eight older male caregivers.

Poke And Delayed Drink Intertemporal Choice Task (POKE-ADDICT): An open-source behavioral apparatus for intertemporal choice testing in rodents.

Advancements in neuroscience research present opportunities and challenges, requiring substantial resources and funding. To address this, we describe here "Poke And Delayed Drink Intertemporal Choice Task (POKE-ADDICT)", an open-source, versatile, and cost-effective apparatus for intertemporal choice testing in rodents. This allows quantification of delay discounting (DD), a cross-species phenomenon observed in decision making which provides valuable insights into higher-order cognitive functioning.

Food insecurity and glycemic goals among Medicare beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To examine the association between food insecurity and achieving glycemic goals among Medicare beneficiaries with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This study analyzed the nationally representative 2019 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey of 1340 beneficiaries aged ≥65 years with type 2 diabetes. The binary dependent variable was whether beneficiaries' blood glucose was at target (A1C ≤ 7.

Simultaneous multimaterial operando tomography of electrochemical devices.

The performance of electrochemical energy devices, such as fuel cells and batteries, is dictated by intricate physiochemical processes within. To better understand and rationally engineer these processes, we need robust operando characterization tools that detect and distinguish multiple interacting components/interfaces in high contrast. Here, we uniquely combine dual-modality tomography (simultaneous neutron and x-ray tomography) and advanced image processing (iterative reconstruction and metal artifact reduction) for high-contrast multimaterial imaging, with signal and contrast enhancements of up to 10 and 48 times, respectively, compared to conventional single-modality imaging.

Mycorrhizal feedbacks influence global forest structure and diversity.

One mechanism proposed to explain high species diversity in tropical systems is strong negative conspecific density dependence (CDD), which reduces recruitment of juveniles in proximity to conspecific adult plants. Although evidence shows that plant-specific soil pathogens can drive negative CDD, trees also form key mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi, which may counteract these effects. Across 43 large-scale forest plots worldwide, we tested whether ectomycorrhizal tree species exhibit weaker negative CDD than arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species.