Effects of inaudible Binaural beats on visuospatial memory performance and hemodynamic responses.

This study aimed to observe the impact of pure Binaural Beats (BB) stimulation in the inaudible frequency range, excluding the influence of sound, on visuospatial memory. Additionally, we investigated whether the brainwave changes induced by BB stimulation directly affect brain activation. The experiment involved 17 participants (12 males with a mean age of 23.

Effects of inaudible binaural beats on visuospatial memory.

Objectives: Binaural beats are auditory beat stimulation that produces sounds and induces a specific state of brain wave based on the difference in the frequency of stimulation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of inaudible binaural beats on visuospatial memory at 18 000 Hz reference and 10 Hz difference frequencies.

Methods: Eighteen adult subjects in their twenties were enrolled, including 12 males (mean age: 23.

Frequency-following response effect according to gender using a 10-Hz binaural beat stimulation.

Background: Several studies have continuously investigated FFRs using binaural beat (BB) stimulations and their related effects. However, only a few studies have investigated the differences in BB stimulation effects according to basic demographic characteristics, such as gender and age.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the alpha wave activity after a 10-Hz BB stimulation and subsequently identify differences according to gender across all brain areas (frontal, central, parietal, temporal, and occipital areas).

Effect of binaural beat in the inaudible band on EEG (STROBE).

This study aimed to determine the effects of the binaural beat (BB) on brainwave induction using an inaudible baseline frequency outside the audible frequency range. Experiments were conducted on 18 subjects (11 males [mean age: 25.7 ± 1.

Mid-Air Tactile Sensations Evoked by Laser-Induced Plasma: A Neurophysiological Study.

This study demonstrates the feasibility of a mid-air means of haptic stimulation at a long distance using the plasma effect induced by laser. We hypothesize that the stress wave generated by laser-induced plasma in the air can propagate through the air to reach the nearby human skin and evoke tactile sensation. To validate this hypothesis, we investigated somatosensory responses in the human brain to laser plasma stimuli by analyzing electroencephalography (EEG) in 14 participants.

Effective Connectivity Analysis of Brain Activated Regions during Distracted Driving.

This study aims to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the effective connectivity between the regions of the brain activated when driving and performing a secondary task (addition task). The subjects used an MR-compatible driving simulator ㅊ to manipulate the driving wheel with both hands and control the pedals (accelerator and brake) with their right foot as if they were driving in an actual environment. Effective connectivity analysis was performed for three regions of the right and the left hemispheres with the highest z-scores, and six of the regions of the entire brain (right and left hemisphere) activated during driving by dynamic causal modeling (DCM).

Blue laser-induced selective vasorelaxation by the activation of NOSs.

Phototherapy has been tried for treating cardiovascular diseases. In particular, ultraviolet and blue visible lights were suggested to be useful due to their nitric oxide (NO)-production ability in the skin. However, the effects of blue light on the arterial contractility are controversial.

Changes in cognitive characteristics according to 3 intensity changes by 8 vibration frequencies (STROBE).

In this study, we attempted to observe changes in cognitive characteristics according to 3 intensity changes (Level 1: 0.25 gravity, Level 2: 0.38 gravity, Level 3: 1.

Evaluation of Effective Connectivity Between Brain Areas Activated During Simulated Driving Using Dynamic Causal Modeling.

This study was examined the effective connectivity between brain areas activated during driving. Using a driving simulator, the subjects controlled a wheel with both of their hands as well as an accelerator and brake pedal with their right foot. Of the areas activated during driving, three areas from each hemisphere were analyzed for effective connectivity using dynamic causal modeling.

Development of an fMRI-compatible driving simulator with simultaneous measurement of physiological and kinematic signals: The multi-biosignal measurement system for driving (MMSD).

Background: A system that comprehensively analyzes a complex perceptual-motor behavior such as driving, by measuring changes in the central and autonomic nervous systems integrated with measurement of changes in vehicle operation, is lacking.

Objective: We aimed to develop a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-compatible driving simulator to enable simultaneous measurement of physiological, kinematic, and brain activations.

Methods: The system mainly comprises a driving simulator and physiological/kinematic measurement.

A study on age- and gender-dependent differences in distance and angle between the internal carotid artery and basilar artery.

Background: Variations or malformation of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and basilar artery (BA) can be risk factors during simple surgery. So medically the focus has been on information about the positional relationship between the blood vessels based on the distance and angle between the ICA and BA.

Objective: This study measured the distance and angle between the ICA and BA in 188 healthy Korean male and female subjects in their 20s and 40s and analyzed the differences in terms of age and gender.

A study on cognitive experience in response to vibrational stimuli of various frequencies at different intensities.

The present study aimed to evaluate the cognitive experience associated with frequency and intensity by presenting subjects with vibrational stimuli of eight frequencies (10, 50, 100, 150, 200, 225, 250, and 300 Hz) and three intensities (Level 1: 0.25 G, Level 2: 0.38 G, Level 3: 1.

The use of natural language to communicate the perception of vibrotactile stimuli.

This study explores the subjective use of adjectives to verbally communicate vibrotactile stimulation across multiple frequencies. In total, nine different vibrotactile stimulus frequencies (10-300 Hz) were utilized, and subjective evaluation methods, which involved adjectives, were used to assess the sensory representations of the participants (18 healthy male participants; mean age, 22.9 years; standard deviation, 3.

Neural Activity Patterns in the Human Brain Reflect Tactile Stickiness Perception.

Our previous human fMRI study found brain activations correlated with tactile stickiness perception using the uni-variate general linear model (GLM) (Yeon et al., 2017). Here, we conducted an in-depth investigation on neural correlates of sticky sensations by employing a multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) on the same dataset.

Perceptual Threshold Level for the Tactile Stimulation and Response Features of ERD/ERS-Based Specific Indices Upon Changes in High-Frequency Vibrations.

This study was conducted to identify characteristics of the perceptual threshold level and electroencephalogram (EEG) responses to vibrotactile stimulations at various high frequencies, and to examine the possibility of distinguishing vibrotactile stimulations by frequency through such response characteristics. The vibrotactile stimulations of six frequencies (150, 200, 225, 250, 275 and 300 Hz) were exerted on the first joint of the right index finger. The perceptual threshold level was defined as the first minimum perceived intensity when the intensity stimulation was exerted step by step at each vibration frequency.

Development of a puff- and suction-type pressure stimulator for human tactile studies.

In this study, we developed a tactile stimulator capable of administering either puff- or suction-type stimuli. The system is composed of three parts: a control unit, an air-handling unit, and a stimulation unit. The control unit controls the type, intensity, and time of stimulation.

Resistance training using a novel robotic walker for over-ground gait rehabilitation: a preliminary study on healthy subjects.

Strength training is an aspect of gait rehabilitation, which complements balance control and weight-bearing training. However, conventional strength training does not show positive gait outcomes, due to lack of task specificity. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the effects of a resistance force applied at the center of mass (CoM) and to investigate whether this exercise can be used for effective task-specific gait training.

Human Brain Activity Related to the Tactile Perception of Stickiness.

While the perception of stickiness serves as one of the fundamental dimensions for tactile sensation, little has been elucidated about the stickiness sensation and its neural correlates. The present study investigated how the human brain responds to perceived tactile sticky stimuli using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). To evoke tactile perception of stickiness with multiple intensities, we generated silicone stimuli with varying catalyst ratios.

Increase in brain activation due to sub-tasks during driving: fMRI study using new MR-compatible driving simulator.

Background: Several studies have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to show that neural activity is associated with driving. fMRI studies have also elucidated the brain responses associated with driving while performing sub-tasks. It is important to note that these studies used computer mouses, trackballs, or joysticks to simulate driving and, thus, were not comparable to real driving situations.

Analysis of Nociceptive Information Encoded in the Temporal Discharge Patterns of Cutaneous C-Fibers.

The generation of pain signals from primary afferent neurons is explained by a labeled-line code. However, this notion cannot apply in a simple way to cutaneous C-fibers, which carry signals from a variety of receptors that respond to various stimuli including agonist chemicals. To represent the discharge patterns of C-fibers according to different agonist chemicals, we have developed a quantitative approach using three consecutive spikes.

Primary and secondary gait deviations of stroke survivors and their association with gait performance.

[Purpose] Stroke survivors exhibit abnormal pelvic motion and significantly deteriorated gait performance. Although the gait of stroke survivors has been evaluated at the primary level pertaining to ankle, knee, and hip motions, secondary deviations involving the pelvic motions are strongly related to the primary level. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the kinematic differences of the primary and secondary joints and to identify mechanism differences that alter the gait performance of stroke survivors.

A study on detection of glucose concentration using changes in color coordinates.

Glucose concentration is closely related to the metabolic activity of cells and it is the most important substance as the energy source of a living body which plays an important role in the human body. This paper proposes an optical method that can measure the concentration of glucose. The change in glucose concentration was observed by using CIE diagram, and wavelength and purity values were detected.

Decoding pressure stimulation locations on the fingers from human neural activation patterns.

In this functional MRI study, we investigated how the human brain activity represents tactile location information evoked by pressure stimulation on fingers. Using the searchlight multivoxel pattern analysis, we looked for local activity patterns that could be decoded into one of four stimulated finger locations. The supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and the thalamus were found to contain distinct multivoxel patterns corresponding to individual stimulated locations.