Prognostic value of resting-state electroencephalography structure in disentangling vegetative and minimally conscious states: a preliminary study.

Background: Patients in a vegetative state pose problems in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Currently, no prognostic markers predict the chance of recovery, which has serious consequences, especially in end-of-life decision making.

Objective: We aimed to assess an objective measurement of prognosis using advanced electroencephalography (EEG).

DMN Operational Synchrony Relates to Self-Consciousness: Evidence from Patients in Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States.

The default mode network (DMN) has been consistently activated across a wide variety of self-related tasks, leading to a proposal of the DMN's role in self-related processing. Indeed, there is limited fMRI evidence that the functional connectivity within the DMN may underlie a phenomenon referred to as self-awareness. At the same time, none of the known studies have explicitly investigated neuronal functional interactions among brain areas that comprise the DMN as a function of self-consciousness loss.

EEG oscillatory states as neuro-phenomenology of consciousness as revealed from patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states.

The value of resting electroencephalogram (EEG) in revealing neural constitutes of consciousness (NCC) was examined. We quantified the dynamic repertoire, duration and oscillatory type of EEG microstates in eyes-closed rest in relation to the degree of expression of clinical self-consciousness. For NCC a model was suggested that contrasted normal, severely disturbed state of consciousness and state without consciousness.

Life or death: prognostic value of a resting EEG with regards to survival in patients in vegetative and minimally conscious States.

Objective: To investigate the potentially prognostic value of a resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) with regards to the clinical outcome from vegetative and minimally conscious states (VS and MCS) in terms of survival six months after a brain injury.

Methods: We quantified a dynamic repertoire of EEG oscillations in resting condition with eyes closed in patients in VS and MCS. The exact composition of EEG oscillations was assessed by analysing the probability-classification of short-term EEG spectral patterns.

Toward operational architectonics of consciousness: basic evidence from patients with severe cerebral injuries.

Although several studies propose that the integrity of neuronal assemblies may underlie a phenomenon referred to as awareness, none of the known studies have explicitly investigated dynamics and functional interactions among neuronal assemblies as a function of consciousness expression. In order to address this question, EEG operational architectonics analysis (Fingelkurts and Fingelkurts 2001, 2008) was conducted in patients in minimally conscious (MCS) and vegetative states (VS) to study the dynamics of neuronal assemblies and operational synchrony among them as a function of consciousness expression. We found that in minimally conscious patients and especially in vegetative patients neuronal assemblies got smaller, their life span shortened and they became highly unstable.

Editorial: EEG Phenomenology and Multiple Faces of Short-term EEG Spectral Pattern.

An electroencephalogram (EEG) signal is extremely nonstationary, highly composite and very complex, all of which reflects the underlying integral neurodynamics. Understanding the EEG "grammar", its internal structural organization would place a "Rozetta stone" in researchers' hands, allowing them to more adequately describe the information processes of the brain in terms of EEG phenomenology. This Special Issue presents a framework where short-term EEG spectral pattern (SP) of a particular type is viewed as an information-rich event in EEG phenomenology.

Persistent operational synchrony within brain default-mode network and self-processing operations in healthy subjects.

Based on the theoretical analysis of self-consciousness concepts, we hypothesized that the spatio-temporal pattern of functional connectivity within the default-mode network (DMN) should persist unchanged across a variety of different cognitive tasks or acts, thus being task-unrelated. This supposition is in contrast with current understanding that DMN activated when the subjects are resting and deactivated during any attention-demanding cognitive tasks. To test our proposal, we used, in retrospect, the results from our two early studies (Fingelkurts, 1998; Fingelkurts et al.

Brain, mind and language functional architectures.

The interaction between brain and language has been investigated by a vast amount of research and different approaches, which however do not offer a comprehensive and unified theoretical framework to analyze how brain functioning performs the mental processes we use in producing language and in understanding speech. This Special Issue addresses the need to develop such a general theoretical framework, by fostering an interaction among the various scientific disciplines and methodologies, which centres on investigating the functional architecture of brain, mind and language, and is articulated along the following main dimensions of research: (a) Language as a regulatory contour of brain and mental processes; (b) Language as a unique human phenomenon; (c) Language as a governor of human behaviour and brain operations; (d) Language as an organizational factor of ontogenesis of mentation and behaviour.

Topographic mapping of rapid transitions in EEG multiple frequencies: EEG frequency domain of operational synchrony.

This paper describes for the first time the phenomenon of spatio-temporal mapping of interchannel temporal coincidences of rapid transition processes (RTPs) in multiple EEG frequencies. It is suggested that RTPs in multiple EEG frequencies found in different EEG channels could reflect the process of switching between brain operations performed by different neuronal assemblies. Systematic non-random temporal coincidences among RTPs found in those EEG channels could reflect functional (operational) synchrony.

Natural world physical, brain operational, and mind phenomenal space-time.

Concepts of space and time are widely developed in physics. However, there is a considerable lack of biologically plausible theoretical frameworks that can demonstrate how space and time dimensions are implemented in the activity of the most complex life-system - the brain with a mind. Brain activity is organized both temporally and spatially, thus representing space-time in the brain.

Alpha rhythm operational architectonics in the continuum of normal and pathological brain states: current state of research.

In the present study, we explore the operational architectonics of alpha activity in different normal and pathological brain states. Aggregated analysis of a set of diverse previously conducted EEG/MEG experimental studies was performed within the same methodological and conceptual framework. It was shown that the characteristics of short alpha activity periods (segments), as well as the spatial structural synchrony of alpha activity, changed considerably in accordance with the type of brain functional state, stimulation, cognitive task, pharmacological influence, and the type of pathology.

Short-term EEG spectral pattern as a single event in EEG phenomenology.

Spectral decomposition, to this day, still remains the main analytical paradigm for the analysis of EEG oscillations. However, conventional spectral analysis assesses the mean characteristics of the EEG power spectra averaged out over extended periods of time and/or broad frequency bands, thus resulting in a "static" picture which cannot reflect adequately the underlying neurodynamic. A relatively new promising area in the study of EEG is based on reducing the signal to elementary short-term spectra of various types in accordance with the number of types of EEG stationary segments instead of using averaged power spectrum for the whole EEG.

Morphology and dynamic repertoire of EEG short-term spectral patterns in rest: explorative study.

In the present explorative experimental study, we examined the diversity of electroencephalographic (EEG) short-term spectral patterns (SPs) within a broad frequency band (1.5-30Hz) for healthy adult subjects during closed eyes and open eyes resting conditions. The types of EEG SPs were assessed by counting all identical SPs with peaks in the same frequency bins from the pools of SPs, which were built from all the SPs of the entire EEG signal (all locations) for all subjects separately for closed and open eyes conditions.

Methadone restores local and remote EEG functional connectivity in opioid-dependent patients.

Currently it has been proposed that normal brain function is critically dependent upon a dynamical balance between functions of local neuronal assemblies and global integrative processes. A loss of such metastable balance in favor of either independent or hyper-ordered processing is considered as the reflection of a brain disease. It has been shown that opioid dependence can be characterized as a disease of brain metastable balance, wherein local functional connectivity (synchronicity within neuronal assemblies) increased and remote functional connectivity (synchronicity between neuronal assemblies) decreased.

Brain and mind operational architectonics and man-made "machine" consciousness.

To build a true conscious robot requires that a robot's "brain" be capable of supporting the phenomenal consciousness as human's brain enjoys. Operational Architectonics framework through exploration of the temporal structure of information flow and inter-area interactions within the network of functional neuronal populations [by examining topographic sharp transition processes in the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) on the millisecond scale] reveals and describes the EEG architecture which is analogous to the architecture of the phenomenal world. This suggests that the task of creating the "machine" consciousness would require a machine implementation that can support the kind of hierarchical architecture found in EEG.

Reorganization of the composition of brain oscillations and their temporal characteristics during opioid withdrawal.

Majority of the opioid-dependence and withdrawal studies are dominated with many inconsistencies and contradictions. One of the reasons for such inconsistencies may be methodological while performing EEG analysis. To overcome methodological limitations, in the present study we examined the composition of electroencephalographic (EEG) brain oscillations in broad frequency band (0.

Composition of brain oscillations and their functions in the maintenance of auditory, visual and audio-visual speech percepts: an exploratory study.

In the present exploratory study based on 7 subjects, we examined the composition of magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain oscillations induced by the presentation of an auditory, visual, and audio-visual stimulus (a talking face) using an oddball paradigm. The composition of brain oscillations were assessed here by analyzing the probability-classification of short-term MEG spectral patterns. The probability index for particular brain oscillations being elicited was dependent on the type and the modality of the sensory percept.

Opioid withdrawal results in an increased local and remote functional connectivity at EEG alpha and beta frequency bands.

Withdrawal may be a natural model to study craving and compulsive drug seeking, since craving can be viewed as a conditioned dysphoric state. It has been suggested that functional connectivity between brain areas may be of major value in explaining excessive craving and compulsive drug seeking by providing essential link between psychological and biological processes. Considering that withdrawal initiates a widespread activation of cortical regions responsible for compulsive drug seeking and desire for the drug, we predict that withdrawal would result in a significant increase in functional cortical connectivity.

Composition of EEG oscillations and their temporal characteristics: methadone treatment.

In this study, we examine the composition of electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations within a broad frequency band (0.5-30 Hz) for opioid abuse (22 patients), during withdrawal (13 patients), and after 6 months of methadone treatment (6 patients) and in 14 healthy subjects during a resting condition (closed eyes). The exact compositions of EEG oscillations and their temporal behaviour were assessed using the probability-classification analysis of short-term EEG spectral patterns.

Cortex functional connectivity as a neurophysiological correlate of hypnosis: an EEG case study.

Cortex functional connectivity associated with hypnosis was investigated in a single highly hypnotizable subject in a normal baseline condition and under neutral hypnosis during two sessions separated by a year. After the hypnotic induction, but without further suggestions as compared to the baseline condition, all studied parameters of local and remote functional connectivity were significantly changed. The significant differences between hypnosis and the baseline condition were observable (to different extent) in five studied independent frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma).

Reorganization of the composition of brain oscillations and their temporal characteristics in opioid dependent patients.

In the present study, we examined the composition of electroencephalographic (EEG) brain oscillations in broad frequency band (0.5-30 Hz) in 22 opioid-dependent patients and 14 healthy subjects during resting condition (closed eyes). The exact compositions of brain oscillations and their temporal behavior were assessed by the probability-classification analysis of short-term EEG spectral patterns.

Increased local and decreased remote functional connectivity at EEG alpha and beta frequency bands in opioid-dependent patients.

Rationale: Although researchers now have a working knowledge of key brain structures involved in realization of actions of substance abuse and addiction, deeper understanding will require examination of network interactions between cortical neuronal assemblies and their subcortical tails in the effects of opioid dependence.

Objectives: Given that repeated exposure to opiates initiates a widespread reorganization of cortical regions, we predict that opioid dependence would result in a considerable reorganization of local and remote functional connectivity in the neocortex.

Methods: We applied the novel operational architectonics approach that enables us to estimate two local and remote functional cortex connectivities by means of electroencephalogram structural synchrony measure.