Assessing the predictive value of peak alpha frequency for the sensitivity to pain.

Pain perception varies considerably between and within individuals. How the brain determines these variations has yet to be fully understood. The peak frequency of alpha oscillations has recently been shown to predict an individual's sensitivity to longer-lasting experimental and clinical pain.

Neurofeedback and attention modulate somatosensory alpha oscillations but not pain perception.

Pain is closely linked to alpha oscillations (8 < 13 Hz) which are thought to represent a supra-modal, top-down mediated gating mechanism that shapes sensory processing. Consequently, alpha oscillations might also shape the cerebral processing of nociceptive input and eventually the perception of pain. To test this mechanistic hypothesis, we designed a sham-controlled and double-blind electroencephalography (EEG)-based neurofeedback study.

Effects of centrally acting analgesics on resting-state electroencephalography biomarker candidates of chronic pain.

Resting-state electroencephalography (rsEEG) holds promise as a biomarker of chronic pain. However, the impact of centrally acting analgesics like opioids, antiepileptics, and antidepressants on rsEEG remains unclear. This confounds and limits the interpretability of previous studies and questions the specificity of rsEEG biomarker candidates of chronic pain, especially for potential diagnostic biomarkers.

Assessing the balance between excitation and inhibition in chronic pain through the aperiodic component of EEG.

Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating condition whose neural mechanisms are incompletely understood. An imbalance of cerebral excitation and inhibition (E/I), particularly in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is believed to represent a crucial mechanism in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Thus, identifying a non-invasive, scalable marker of E/I could provide valuable insights into the neural mechanisms of chronic pain and aid in developing clinically useful biomarkers.

Resting-state electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography in migraine-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Magnetoencephalography/electroencephalography (M/EEG) can provide insights into migraine pathophysiology and help develop clinically valuable biomarkers. To integrate and summarize the existing evidence on changes in brain function in migraine, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO CRD42021272622) of resting-state M/EEG findings in migraine. We included 27 studies after searching MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, and EMBASE.

DISCOVER-EEG: an open, fully automated EEG pipeline for biomarker discovery in clinical neuroscience.

Biomarker discovery in neurological and psychiatric disorders critically depends on reproducible and transparent methods applied to large-scale datasets. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a promising tool for identifying biomarkers. However, recording, preprocessing, and analysis of EEG data is time-consuming and researcher-dependent.

Resting-state EEG and MEG biomarkers of pathological fatigue - A transdiagnostic systematic review.

Fatigue is a highly prevalent and disabling symptom of many disorders and syndromes, resulting from different pathomechanisms. However, whether and how different mechanisms converge and result in similar symptomatology is only partially understood, and transdiagnostic biomarkers that could further the diagnosis and treatment of fatigue are lacking. We, therefore, performed a transdiagnostic systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42022330113) of quantitative resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies in adult patients suffering from pathological fatigue in different disorders.

Tunnel widening after ACL reconstruction with different fixation techniques: aperture fixation with biodegradable interference screws versus all-inside technique with suspensory cortical buttons. 5-year data from a prospective randomized trial.

Background: The aim of the present study was to examine tunnel widening and clinical outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) using two different fixation methods: aperture fixation with biodegradable interference screws versus all-inside ACLR with suspensory cortical buttons.

Methods: Tunnel widening was assessed using volumetric and diameter measurements on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans directly after surgery, as well as 6 months and 2 and 5 years postoperatively. Clinical outcomes were assessed after 5 years with instrumented tibial anteroposterior translation measurement (KT-1000), single-leg hop testing, and the IKDC, Lysholm, and Tegner activity scores.

Local brain oscillations and interregional connectivity differentially serve sensory and expectation effects on pain.

Pain emerges from the integration of sensory information about threats and contextual information such as an individual's expectations. However, how sensory and contextual effects on pain are served by the brain is not fully understood so far. To address this question, we applied brief painful stimuli to 40 healthy human participants and independently varied stimulus intensity and expectations.

Ultrathin, all-organic, fabric-based ferroelectret loudspeaker for wearable electronics.

All-organic, flexible, and body-compatible loudspeakers have become increasingly attractive for wearable electronics. Due to their remarkable piezoelectric response, ferroelectrets are suitable for loudspeakers. Two distinct kinds of ultrathin ferroelectrets, including cellular polypropylene films and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) films, were combined with three different types of electrodes ((Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS))-coated fabrics, PEDOT:PSS direct coating, and sputter-coated Au/Pd) for study regarding their frequency-dependent sound intensity and radiation directivity.

Resting-state electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography as biomarkers of chronic pain: a systematic review.

Reliable and objective biomarkers promise to improve the assessment and treatment of chronic pain. Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) is broadly available, easy to use, and cost efficient and, therefore, appealing as a potential biomarker of chronic pain. However, results of EEG studies are heterogeneous.

Hippocampus mediates nocebo impairment of opioid analgesia through changes in functional connectivity.

The neural mechanisms underlying placebo analgesia have attracted considerable attention over the recent years. In contrast, little is known about the neural underpinnings of a nocebo-induced increase in pain. We previously showed that nocebo-induced hyperalgesia is accompanied by increased activity in the hippocampus that scaled with the perceived level of anxiety.

Case Series: Acute Hemorrhagic Encephalomyelitis After SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination.

We present three cases fulfilling diagnostic criteria of hemorrhagic variants of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (acute hemorrhagic encephalomyelitis, AHEM) occurring within 9 days after the first shot of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. AHEM was diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and brain biopsy in one case. The close temporal association with the vaccination, the immune-related nature of the disease as well as the lack of other canonical precipitating factors suggested that AHEM was a vaccine-related adverse effect.

Common and specific large-scale brain changes in major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and chronic pain: a transdiagnostic multimodal meta-analysis of structural and functional MRI studies.

Major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorders (ANX), and chronic pain (CP) are closely-related disorders with both high degrees of comorbidity among them and shared risk factors. Considering this multi-level overlap, but also the distinct phenotypes of the disorders, we hypothesized both common and disorder-specific changes of large-scale brain systems, which mediate neural mechanisms and impaired behavioral traits, in MDD, ANX, and CP. To identify such common and disorder-specific brain changes, we conducted a transdiagnostic, multimodal meta-analysis of structural and functional MRI-studies investigating changes of gray matter volume (GMV) and intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) of large-scale intrinsic brain networks across MDD, ANX, and CP.

Longitudinal resting-state electroencephalography in patients with chronic pain undergoing interdisciplinary multimodal pain therapy.

Chronic pain is a major healthcare issue posing a large burden on individuals and society. Converging lines of evidence indicate that chronic pain is associated with substantial changes of brain structure and function. However, it remains unclear which neuronal measures relate to changes of clinical parameters over time and could thus monitor chronic pain and treatment responses.

Temporal-spectral signaling of sensory information and expectations in the cerebral processing of pain.

The perception of pain is shaped by somatosensory information about threat. However, pain is also influenced by an individual's expectations. Such expectations can result in clinically relevant modulations and abnormalities of pain.

Dynamics of brain function in patients with chronic pain assessed by microstate analysis of resting-state electroencephalography.

Chronic pain is a highly prevalent and severely disabling disease that is associated with substantial changes of brain function. Such changes have mostly been observed when analyzing static measures of resting-state brain activity. However, brain activity varies over time, and it is increasingly recognized that the temporal dynamics of brain activity provide behaviorally relevant information in different neuropsychiatric disorders.

Modulating Brain Rhythms of Pain Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) - A Sham-Controlled Study in Healthy Human Participants.

Chronic pain is a major health care problem. A better mechanistic understanding and new treatment approaches are urgently needed. In the brain, pain has been associated with neural oscillations at alpha and gamma frequencies, which can be targeted using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS).

Exploring Dynamic Connectivity Biomarkers of Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

A recent study by Lee et al. showed that a dynamic functional connectivity pattern induced by tonic experimental pain might serve as a biomarker of chronic pain. The study illustrates key topics in translational neuroscience: the differentiation of biomarker functions, the multimodal integration of biomarkers, and the functional relevance of dynamic connectivity.

When do the expectations of others matter? Experimental evidence on distributional justice and guilt aversion.

Distributional justice-measured by the proportionality between effort exerted and rewards obtained-and guilt aversion-triggered by not fulfilling others' expectations-are widely acknowledged fundamental sources of pro-social behavior. We design three experiments to study the relevance of these sources of behavior when considered in interaction. In particular, we investigate whether subjects fulfill others' expectations also when this could produce inequitable allocations that conflict with distributional justice considerations.

Intronic tRNAs of mitochondrial origin regulate constitutive and alternative splicing.

Background: The presence of nuclear mitochondrial DNA (numtDNA) has been reported within several nuclear genomes. Next to mitochondrial protein-coding genes, numtDNA sequences also encode for mitochondrial tRNA genes. However, the biological roles of numtDNA remain elusive.

Fatigue, depression, and pain in multiple sclerosis: How neuroinflammation translates into dysfunctional reward processing and anhedonic symptoms.

Fatigue, depression, and pain affect the majority of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, which causes a substantial burden to patients and society. The pathophysiology of these symptoms is not entirely clear, and current treatments are only partially effective. Clinically, these symptoms share signs of anhedonia, such as reduced motivation and a lack of positive affect.