Functional brain connectivity in a rodent seizure model of autistic-like behavior.

Objective: There is increasing evidence that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disorder of functional connectivity with both human and rodent studies demonstrating alterations in connectivity. Here, we hypothesized that early-life seizures (ELS) in rats would interrupt normal brain connectivity and result in autistic-like behavior (ALB).

Methods: Following 50 seizures, adult rats were tested in the social interaction and social novelty tests and then underwent qualitative and quantitative intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the hippocampal subfields, CA3 and CA1.

Childhood-only epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures: A well-defined epileptic syndrome.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze patients whose only manifestation of epilepsy were generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) during childhood and discuss its validity as separate syndrome of childhood.

Methods: We included children with at least two unprovoked GTCS between 3 and 11 years of age, no other seizure types at diagnosis, normal psychomotor development and neurological examination, an EEG with normal background and paroxysms of generalized spikes and waves with a frequency 2.5 Hz or above, and an unknown cause for epilepsy.

Slit Ventricle Syndrome Leads to 10-Year History of Repetitive Transient Central Herniation Masquerading as Seizures: Hydrocephalus Case Report.

Background: Slit-ventricle syndrome (SVS) is a recognized complication of ventricular shunt malfunction, resulting in cyclical symptoms without ventricular dilatation. We present a case of SVS with transient, repetitive, and progressive signs of brainstem herniation evidenced by pupillary dilatation, posturing, and unresponsiveness, with diffuse voltage attenuation on electroencephalogram (EEG).

Case Description: A 32-year-old female presented with a history of hydrocephalus and ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement at 9 months of age.

Phase-Dependent Suppression of Beta Oscillations in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Synchronized oscillations within and between brain areas facilitate normal processing, but are often amplified in disease. A prominent example is the abnormally sustained beta-frequency (∼20 Hz) oscillations recorded from the cortex and subthalamic nucleus of Parkinson's disease patients. Computational modeling suggests that the amplitude of such oscillations could be modulated by applying stimulation at a specific phase.

Complexity of Wake Electroencephalography Correlates With Slow Wave Activity After Sleep Onset.

Sleep electroencephalography (EEG) provides an opportunity to study sleep scientifically, whose chaotic, dynamic, complex, and dissipative nature implies that non-linear approaches could uncover some mechanism of sleep. Based on well-established complexity theories, one hypothesis in sleep medicine is that lower complexity of brain waves at pre-sleep state can facilitate sleep initiation and further improve sleep quality. However, this has never been studied with solid data.

A Novel Modular Headmount Design for non-invasive Scalp EEG Recordings in Awake Animal Models.

We have designed and developed a novel, noninvasive modular headmount to be used for awake animal scalp electroencephalography (EEG). The design is based on a developing rat that will accommodate rapid head growth. Desired characteristics include non-invasiveness, adjustable quantity and positioning, light weight, and tolerability by the animal.

Investigation of the Influence of ECoG Grid Spatial Density on Decoding Hand Flexion and Extension.

Electrocorticogram (ECoG) has been used as a reliable modality to control a brain machine interface (BMI). Recently, promising results of high-density ECoG have shown that non redundant information can be recorded with finer spatial resolution from the cortical surface. In this study, highdensity ECoG was recorded intraoperatively from two patients during awake brain surgery while performing instructed hand flexion and extension.

Longitudinal analysis of developmental changes in electroencephalography patterns and sleep-wake states of the neonatal mouse.

The neonatal brain undergoes rapid maturational changes that facilitate the normal development of the nervous system and also affect the pathological response to brain injury. Electroencephalography (EEG) and analysis of sleep-wake vigilance states provide important insights into the function of the normal and diseased immature brain. While developmental changes in EEG and vigilance states are well-described in people, less is known about the normal maturational properties of rodent EEG, including the emergence and evolution of sleep-awake vigilance states.

Effects of chronic caffeine consumption on sleep and the sleep electroencephalogram in mice.

Background: Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed psychostimulants, and it impacts sleep and circadian physiology.

Aim: Caffeine is generally used chronically on a daily basis. Therefore, in the current study, we investigated the chronic effect of caffeine on sleep in mice.

Mammillary body regulates state-dependent fear by alternating cortical oscillations.

State-dependent memory describes a phenomenon that memory will be efficiently retrieved only when the brain state during retrieval matches the state during encoding. While a variety of psychoactive drugs, such as ethanol, cocaine, morphine and NMDA receptor antagonists, are able to induce state-dependent memory, the biological hallmark of brain state and neural mechanism of its regulation are still unknown. In this study, we found that MK-801 enhanced delta oscillations in awake mice, representing a drug-induced brain state, in which fear memory could only be successfully retrieved when the same drug condition was presented.

Thalamus Controls Development and Expression of Arousal States in Visual Cortex.

Two major checkpoints of development in cerebral cortex are the acquisition of continuous spontaneous activity and the modulation of this activity by behavioral state. Despite the critical importance of these functions, the circuit mechanisms of their development remain unknown. Here we use the rodent visual system as a model to test the hypothesis that the locus of circuit change responsible for the developmental acquisition of continuity and state dependence measured in sensory cortex is relay thalamus, rather than the local cortical circuitry or the interconnectivity of the two structures.

Resting-state Dynamics as a Cortical Signature of Anesthesia in Monkeys.

What We Already Know About This Topic: WHAT THIS ARTICLE TELLS US THAT IS NEW: BACKGROUND:: The mechanism by which anesthetics induce a loss of consciousness remains a puzzling problem. We hypothesized that a cortical signature of anesthesia could be found in an increase in similarity between the matrix of resting-state functional correlations and the anatomical connectivity matrix of the brain, resulting in an increased function-structure similarity.

Methods: We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance images in macaque monkeys during wakefulness (n = 3) or anesthesia with propofol (n = 3), ketamine (n = 3), or sevoflurane (n = 3).

Age-associated changes in waking hippocampal sharp-wave ripples.

Hippocampal sharp-wave ripples are brief high-frequency (120-250 Hz) oscillatory events that support mnemonic processes during sleep and awake behavior. Although ripples occurring during sleep are believed to facilitate memory consolidation, waking ripples may also be involved in planning and memory retrieval. Recent work from our group determined that normal aging results in a significant reduction in the peak oscillatory frequency and rate-of-occurrence of ripples during sleep that may contribute to age-associated memory decline.

Dexmedetomidine and propofol sedation requirements in an autistic rat model.

Background: Autism is a challenging neurodevelopmental disorder. Previous clinical observations have suggested altered sedation requirements for children with autism. Our study aimed to test this observation experimentally in an animal model and to explore its possible mechanisms.

Neurofeedback and the Neural Representation of Self: Lessons From Awake State and Sleep.

Neurofeedback has been around for half a century, but despite some promising results it is not yet widely appreciated. Recently, some of the concerns about neurofeedback have been addressed with functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetoencephalography adding their contributions to the long history of neurofeedback with electroencephalography. Attempts to address other concerns related to methodological issues with new experiments and meta-analysis of earlier studies, have opened up new questions about its efficacy.

Valerian/Cascade mixture promotes sleep by increasing non-rapid eye movement (NREM) in rodent model.

The aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effect of Valerian/Cascade mixture on sleeping in mammal models. In pentobarbital-induced sleep model, Valerian, Cascade, and Valerian/Cascade mixture significantly reduced the latency time for sleeping, and total sleeping time effectively increased in these sample groups compared with the control. Valerian/Cascade mixture increased sleep duration by 37%.

Atlas of the normal intracranial electroencephalogram: neurophysiological awake activity in different cortical areas.

Unlabelled: In contrast to scalp EEG, our knowledge of the normal physiological intracranial EEG activity is scarce. This multicentre study provides an atlas of normal intracranial EEG of the human brain during wakefulness. Here we present the results of power spectra analysis during wakefulness.

CHARACTERISTICS OF WEST SYNDROME IN GEORGIA, PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE PROSPECTIVE STUDY.

West syndrome hasn't been thoroughly investigated in Georgia. The purposes of our study were a) to assess the clinical and etiological peculiarities of West syndrome, based on MRI data and its relation to the long-term outcome; b) to assess the evolution of West syndrome and its relation to patient characteristics; c) to compare the efficacies of treatments with ACTH and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs); d) to evaluate the neuropsychological outcome after 12 and 24 months and their early predictors. We evaluated 31 patients (17 male, 14 female) with infantile spasms.

Sensorimotor Processing in the Basal Ganglia Leads to Transient Beta Oscillations during Behavior.

Brief epochs of beta oscillations have been implicated in sensorimotor control in the basal ganglia of task-performing healthy animals. However, which neural processes underlie their generation and how they are affected by sensorimotor processing remains unclear. To determine the mechanisms underlying transient beta oscillations in the LFP, we combined computational modeling of the subthalamo-pallidal network for the generation of beta oscillations with realistic stimulation patterns derived from single-unit data recorded from different basal ganglia subregions in rats performing a cued choice task.

Generalized paroxysmal fast activity in EEG: An unrecognized finding in genetic generalized epilepsy.

Objective: To study generalized paroxysmal fast activity (GPFA) in patients with genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE).

Introduction: GPFA is an electroencephalographic (EEG) finding in patients with symptomatic generalized epilepsy consisting of 15-25Hz bifrontally predominant generalized fast activity seen predominantly in sleep. Historically GPFA is linked to epileptic encephalopathy with drug resistant epilepsy and intellectual disability.

Development of Auditory Evoked Responses in Normally Developing Preschool Children and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The cortical responses to auditory stimuli undergo rapid and dramatic changes during the first 3 years of life in normally developing (ND) children, with decreases in latency and changes in amplitude in the primary peaks. However, most previous studies have focused on children >3 years of age. The analysis of data from the early stages of development is challenging because the temporal pattern of the evoked responses changes with age (e.

Ongoing Electroencephalographic Activity Associated with Cortical Arousal in Transgenic PDAPP Mice (hAPP V717F).

Background: It has been shown that theta (6-10 Hz) and delta (1-6 Hz) ongoing electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms revealed variations in the cortical arousal in C57 Wild Type (WT) mice during cage exploration (active condition) compared to awake quiet behavior (passive condition; IMI PharmaCog project, www.pharmacog.eu).

Mesoscale Mapping of Mouse Cortex Reveals Frequency-Dependent Cycling between Distinct Macroscale Functional Modules.

Connectivity mapping based on resting-state activity in mice has revealed functional motifs of correlated activity. However, the rules by which motifs organize into larger functional modules that lead to hemisphere wide spatial-temporal activity sequences is not clear. We explore cortical activity parcellation in head-fixed, quiet awake GCaMP6 mice from both sexes by using mesoscopic calcium imaging.

Enduring effects of perinatal nicotine exposure on murine sleep in adulthood.

The long-term consequences of early life nicotine exposure are poorly defined. Approximately 8-10% of women report smoking during pregnancy, and this may promote aberrant development in the offspring. To this end, we investigated potential enduring effects of perinatal nicotine exposure on murine sleep and affective behaviors in adulthood (~13-15 wk of age) in C57Bl6j mice.

The Usefulness of Nap Sleep Recording During Routine Electroencephalography: An Audit Study.

Objectives: A measure to increase the electroencephalogram (EEG) outcome includes a short period of nap sleep during a routine standard EEG with the aim of increasing its sensitivity to interictal abnormalities or provoking seizures. As part of an ongoing auditing of our EEG data, we aimed to investigate the contribution of nap sleep during routine outpatient department based EEGs requested for a variety of reasons.

Methods: EEG data at the Department of Clinical Physiology at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman, from July 2006 to December 2007 and from January 2009 to December 2010 (total 42 months) were reviewed.