Implementing novel instructions is a complex and uniquely human cognitive ability, that requires the rapid and flexible conversion of symbolic content into a format that enables the execution of the instructed behavior. Preparing to implement novel instructions, as opposed to their mere maintenance, involves the activation of the instructed motor plans, and the binding of the action information to the specific context in which this should be executed. Recent evidence and prominent computational models suggest that this efficient configuration of the system might involve a central role of frontal theta oscillations in establishing top-down long-range synchronization between distant and task-relevant brain areas. In the present EEG study (human subjects, 30 females, 4 males), we demonstrate that proactively preparing for the implementation of novels instructions, as opposed to their maintenance, involves a strengthened degree of connectivity in the theta frequency range between medial prefrontal and motor/visual areas. Moreover, we replicated previous results showing oscillatory features associated specifically with implementation demands, and extended on them demonstrating the role of theta oscillations in mediating the effect of task demands on behavioral performance. Taken together, these findings support our hypothesis that the modulation of connectivity patterns between frontal and task-relevant posterior brain areas is a core factor in the emergence of a behavior-guiding format from novel instructions.Everyday life requires the use and manipulation of currently available information to guide behavior and reach specific goals. In the present study we investigate how the same instructed content elicits different neural activity depending on the task being performed. Crucially, connectivity between medial prefrontal cortex and posterior brain areas is strengthened when novel instructions have to be implemented, rather than simply maintained. This finding suggests that theta oscillations play a role in setting up a dynamic and flexible network of task-relevant regions optimized for the execution of the instructed behavior.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0225-22.2022 | DOI Listing |
Arthritis Rheumatol
January 2025
Department of Immunology and inflammation, Imperial College London, UK.
Background: Takayasu arteritis (TAK) and giant cell arteritis (GCA), the most common forms of large-vessel vasculitis (LVV), can result in serious morbidity. Understanding the molecular basis of LVV should aid in developing better biomarkers and treatments.
Methods: Plasma proteomic profiling of 184 proteins was performed in two cohorts.
Ecancermedicalscience
November 2024
National Centre for Radiotherapy, Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
Background: Cancer is a major public health challenge in West Africa, with a significant proportion of cancer-related deaths attributed to distant metastasis. De novo metastatic cancer (DnMC), where metastasis is detected at diagnosis, presents considerable therapeutic challenges, particularly in limited-resource settings where novel treatments are often unavailable and/or unaffordable.
Aim: To determine the prevalence, incidence and clinicopathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with DnMC at a major radiotherapy center in West Africa.
Trop Med Int Health
January 2025
Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Background: The ADAPT guidance proposes a process model for adapting evidence-informed interventions to novel contexts. Herein, we leveraged this guidance to adapt a paediatric nighttime telemedicine and medication delivery service from Haiti, a setting with low malaria prevalence, to Ghana, where malaria is a leading cause of paediatric mortality.
Methods: Core components of the intervention were defined and conserved.
Nat Rev Neurol
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK.
Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is a treatment option for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that are refractory to disease-modifying therapy (DMT). AHSCT after failure of high-efficacy DMT in aggressive forms of relapsing-remitting MS is a generally accepted indication, yet the optimal placement of this approach in the treatment sequence is not universally agreed upon. Uncertainties also remain with respect to other indications, such as in rapidly evolving, severe, treatment-naive MS, progressive MS, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Bone Joint Surg Am
November 2024
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY.
Background: An accurate knowledge of a patient's risk of cord-level intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) data loss is important for an informed decision-making process prior to deformity correction, but no prediction tool currently exists.
Methods: A total of 1,106 patients with spinal deformity and 205 perioperative variables were included. A stepwise machine-learning (ML) approach using random forest (RF) analysis and multivariable logistic regression was performed.
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