Hemisphere-specific effects of prefrontal theta-burst stimulation on visual recognition memory accuracy and awareness.

Background: The prefrontal cortex has been implicated in episodic memory and the awareness of memory. Few studies have probed the nature and necessity of its role via brain stimulation. There are uncertainties regarding whether the hemisphere of stimulation predicts effects on memory and whether effects of stimulation are format-specific, with most previous studies utilizing verbal/semantic stimuli.

Selective and coherent activity increases due to stimulation indicate functional distinctions between episodic memory networks.

Posterior-medial and anterior-temporal cortical networks interact with the hippocampus and are thought to distinctly support episodic memory. We causally tested this putative distinction by determining whether targeted noninvasive stimulation could selectively affect neural signals of memory formation within the posterior-medial network. Stimulation enhanced the posterior-medial network's evoked response to stimuli during memory formation, and this activity increase was coherent throughout the network.

Increased fMRI activity correlations in autobiographical memory versus resting states.

Autobiographical memory retrieval is associated with activity of a distributed network that is similar to the default-mode network (DMN) identified via activity correlations measured during rest. We tested whether activity correlations could be used to identify the autobiographical network during extended bouts of retrieval. Global-correlativity analysis identified regions with activity correlation differences between autobiographical-retrieval and resting states.

Cool, callous and in control: superior inhibitory control in frequent players of video games with violent content.

Research on the effects of media violence exposure has shown robust associations among violent media exposure, increased aggressive behavior, and decreased empathy. Preliminary research indicates that frequent players of violent video games may have differences in emotional and cognitive processes compared to infrequent or nonplayers, yet research examining the amount and content of game play and the relation of these factors with affective and cognitive outcomes is limited. The present study measured neural correlates of response inhibition in the context of implicit attention to emotion, and how these factors are related to empathic responding in frequent and infrequent players of video games with graphically violent content.

Bayesian Analysis of Perceived Eye Level.

To accurately perceive the world, people must efficiently combine internal beliefs and external sensory cues. We introduce a Bayesian framework that explains the role of internal balance cues and visual stimuli on perceived eye level (PEL)-a self-reported measure of elevation angle. This framework provides a single, coherent model explaining a set of experimentally observed PEL over a range of experimental conditions.

Insertional Achilles tendinosis: surgical treatment through a central tendon splitting approach.

Twenty-two heels in 21 patients treated surgically for a primary diagnosis of insertional Achilles tendinosis were reviewed on the basis of preoperative and postoperative examinations, office records, and a comprehensive questionnaire administered to each subject. Each patient underwent surgical treatment using a midline-posterior skin incision combined with a central tendon splitting approach for debridement, retrocalcaneal bursectomy, and removal of the calcaneal bursal projection as necessary. The findings at surgery revealed involvement of the middle third of the insertion in 21 of 22 cases with only one patient manifesting isolated lateral involvement.