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Life
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Neuronal Activity and Signalling: Evidence from Electrophysiological Research
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Neuronal Activity and Signalling: Evidence from Electrophysiological Research

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Physiology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (9 March 2023) | Viewed by 4682

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giuditta Gambino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: electrophysiology; synaptic transmission; neural circuits; hippocampus; cannabinoids; neuronal excitability; learning and memory; brain stimulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Pierangelo Sardo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Interests: neuroscienze

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Exploring and manipulating neural activity through electrophysiological approaches constitutes an intriguing field of neuroscientific research. The biophysical and electrical properties of neural membranes could be used to investigate and modulate the basic mechanisms of the nervous system, ultimately influencing broader physiological and pathological processes. Among them, neuronal excitability is a basic feature of the nervous system, originating from the chemical and electrical gradients of its ionic milieu across the cellular membrane. Investigating the mechanisms that maintain ionic homeostasis and cellular excitability, together with the possible synaptic targets involved, adds invaluable knowledge to the functioning of neural transmission and signalling. The bench-to-bedside potential of the electrophysiological approach unveils diverse research opportunities via extracellular and intracellular recordings that encompass multiple scales of measurement for neural codes and networks. Whole-cell patch-clamp, two-electrode voltage-clamp, single-unit and multi-unit local field recordings, quantitative electroencephalography (EEG), and non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) are some of the wider techniques applied in the field that could allow hierarchy and integration, serving as a hub for the neural sciences.

Dr. Giuditta Gambino
Dr. Pierangelo Sardo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • synaptic transmission
  • cell signalling
  • ion channels
  • network excitability
  • neurophysiology

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 2010 KiB  
Communication
Resonance Scanning as an Efficiency Enhancer for EEG-Guided Adaptive Neurostimulation
by Alexander I. Fedotchev, Sergey B. Parin and Sofia A. Polevaya
Life 2023, 13(3), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13030620 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1829
Abstract
Electroencephalogram (EEG)-guided adaptive neurostimulation is an innovative kind of non-invasive closed-loop brain stimulation technique that uses audio–visual stimulation on-line modulated by rhythmical EEG components of the individual. However, the opportunity to enhance its effectiveness is a challenging task and needs further investigation. The [...] Read more.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)-guided adaptive neurostimulation is an innovative kind of non-invasive closed-loop brain stimulation technique that uses audio–visual stimulation on-line modulated by rhythmical EEG components of the individual. However, the opportunity to enhance its effectiveness is a challenging task and needs further investigation. The present study aims to experimentally test whether it is possible to increase the efficiency of EEG-guided adaptive neurostimulation by pre- strengthening the modulating factor (subject’s EEG) through the procedure of resonance scanning, i.e., LED photostimulation with the frequency gradually increasing in the range of main EEG rhythms (4–20 Hz). Thirty-six university students in a state of exam stress were randomly assigned to two matched groups. One group was presented with the EEG-guided adaptive neurostimulation alone, whereas another matched group was presented with the combination of resonance scanning and EEG-guided adaptive neurostimulation. The changes in psychophysiological indicators after stimulation relative to the initial level were used. Although both types of stimulation led to an increase in the power of EEG rhythms, accompanied by a decrease in the number of errors in the word recognition test and a decrease in the degree of emotional maladjustment, these changes reached the level of significance only in experiments with preliminary resonance scanning. Resonance scanning increases the brain’s responsiveness to subsequent EEG-guided adaptive neurostimulation, acting as a tool to enhance its efficiency. The results obtained clearly indicate that the combination of resonance scanning and EEG-guided adaptive neurostimulation is an effective way to reach the signs of cognitive improvement in stressed individuals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuronal Activity and Signalling: Evidence from Electrophysiological Research)
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13 pages, 836 KiB  
Article
Sex-Determined Alteration of Frontal Electroencephalographic (EEG) Activity in Social Presence
by Anna Soiné and Peter Walla
Life 2023, 13(2), 585; https://doi.org/10.3390/life13020585 - 20 Feb 2023
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 2418
Abstract
This study represents a follow-up event-related potential (ERP) analysis of a prior investigation. The previous results showed that participants had most negative-tending ERPs in the mid-frontal brain region during exposure to neutral emotion pictures (compared to negative and positive pictures) while being accompanied [...] Read more.
This study represents a follow-up event-related potential (ERP) analysis of a prior investigation. The previous results showed that participants had most negative-tending ERPs in the mid-frontal brain region during exposure to neutral emotion pictures (compared to negative and positive pictures) while being accompanied by a significant other person (social presence condition). The present analysis aimed at investigating potential sex differences related to this phenomenon. Female and male participants’ brain activity data from the previous study were analyzed separately for one representative mid-frontal electrode location selected on the basis of having the highest significance level. As a result, only female participants showed significantly more negative-tending potentials in response to neutral pictures, compared to both other emotion categories (positive and negative) in the social presence condition. This was not found in male participants. The respective ERP effect was most dominant at 838 ms post stimulus onset, which is slightly later than the effect found in the prior study. However, this result is interpreted as evidence that the general effect from the prior study can be understood as a largely female phenomenon. In line with the prior study, the present results are interpreted as a predominantly female activation in the mid-frontal brain region in response to neutral picture stimuli while being accompanied by a significant other person (social presence condition). Although only speculative, this would align with previous studies demonstrating sex-related hormonal and structural differences in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In general, ACC activation has been associated with an integrative weighting function in ambiguous social settings, which makes sense given the ambiguous nature of neutral pictures in combination with a social presence condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neuronal Activity and Signalling: Evidence from Electrophysiological Research)
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