Gamma band oscillations in parietooccipital areas during performance of a sensorimotor integration task: a qEEG coherence study / Oscilações na banda gama em áreas parieto-occipitais durante desempenho de uma tarefa sensório-motora: um estudo de coerência na EEGq

This study aimed to elucidate cortical mechanisms involved in anticipatory actions when 23 healthy right-handed subjects had to catch a free falling object through quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG). For this reason, we used coherence that represents a measurement of linear covariation between two signals in the frequency domain. In addition, we investigated gamma-band (30-100 Hz) activity that is related to cognitive and somatosensory processes. We hypothesized that gamma coherence will be increase in both parietal and occipital areas during moment after ball drop, due to their involvement in manipulation of objects, visuospatial processing, visual perception, stimuli identification and attention processes. We confirmed our hypothesis, an increase in gamma coherence on P3-P4 (t= -2.15; p=0.033) and PZ-OZ (t= -2.16; p=0.034) electrode pairs was verified for a paired t-test. We conclude that to execute tasks involving anticipatory movements (feedforward mechanisms), like our own task, probably, there is no need of a strong participation of visual areas in the process of information organization to manipulate objects and to process visuospatial information regarding the contact hand-object.

Este estudo teve como objetivo elucidar os mecanismos corticais envolvidos em ações antecipatórias quando 23 indivíduos saudáveis destros tinham que apreender um objeto em queda livre, através da eletroencefalografia quantitativa (EEGq). Por esta razão, usamos a coerência que representa a covariação linear entre dois sinais no domínio da frequência. Além disso, investigamos a atividade da banda gama (30-100 Hz), que está relacionada à processos cognitivos e somato-sensoriais. Nossa hipótese é que a coerência de gama estará aumentada em ambas as áreas parietais e occipitais durante o momento pós-queda da bola, devido ao seu envolvimento na manipulação de objetos, processamento visuo-espacial, percepção visual, identificação de estímulos e processos de atenção. Confirmamos nossa hipótese. Um aumento de coerência em gama nos pares de eletrodos P3-P4 (t= -2,15; p=0,033) e PZ-OZ (t= -2,16; p=0,034) foi verificado por teste-t pareado. Conclui-se que, para executar tarefas que envolvem movimentos de antecipação (mecanismos de retro-alimentação) como a nossa própria tarefa, provavelmente, não há necessidade de forte participação de áreas visuais no processo de organização da informação como para manipular objetos e processar a informação visuo-espacial no contato mão-objeto.

Topographic abnormality of slow cortical potentials in schizophrenia

A recent study from our laboratory has provided evidence for the generation of slow potentials occurring in anticipation to task-performance feedback stimuli, in multiple association cortical areas, consistently including two prefrontal areas. In the present study, we intended to determine whether these slow potentials would indicate some abnormality (topographic) in schizophrenic patients, and thus serve as an indication of abnormal association cortex activity. We recorded slow potentials while subjects performed a paired-associates memory task. A 123-channel EEG montage and common average reference were used for 20 unmedicated schizophrenic (mean duration of illness: 11.3 ± 9.2 years; mean number of previous hospitalizations: 1.2 ± 1.9) and 22 healthy control subjects during a visual paired-associates matching task. For the topographic analysis, we used a simple index of individual topographic deviation from normality, corrected for absolute potential intensities. Slow potentials were observed in all subjects. Control subjects showed a simple spatial pattern of voltage extrema (left central positive and right prefrontal negative), whereas schizophrenic patients presented a more complex, fragmented pattern. Topographic deviation was significantly different between groups (P < 0.001). The increased topographic complexity in schizophrenics could be visualized in grand averages computed across subjects. Increased topographic complexity could also be seen when grand averages were computed for subgroups of patients assembled either according to task-performance (high versus low) or by their scores on psychopathological scales. There was no significant correlation between topographic deviation and psychopathology scores. We conclude that the slow potential topographic abnormalities of schizophrenia indicate an abnormality in the configuration of large-scale electrical activity in association cortices.

Topographic abnormality of slow cortical potentials in schizophrenia.

A recent study from our laboratory has provided evidence for the generation of slow potentials occurring in anticipation to task-performance feedback stimuli, in multiple association cortical areas, consistently including two prefrontal areas. In the present study, we intended to determine whether these slow potentials would indicate some abnormality (topographic) in schizophrenic patients, and thus serve as an indication of abnormal association cortex activity. We recorded slow potentials while subjects performed a paired-associates memory task. A 123-channel EEG montage and common average reference were used for 20 unmedicated schizophrenic (mean duration of illness: 11.3 +/- 9.2 years; mean number of previous hospitalizations: 1.2 +/- 1.9) and 22 healthy control subjects during a visual paired-associates matching task. For the topographic analysis, we used a simple index of individual topographic deviation from normality, corrected for absolute potential intensities. Slow potentials were observed in all subjects. Control subjects showed a simple spatial pattern of voltage extrema (left central positive and right prefrontal negative), whereas schizophrenic patients presented a more complex, fragmented pattern. Topographic deviation was significantly different between groups (P<0.001). The increased topographic complexity in schizophrenics could be visualized in grand averages computed across subjects. Increased topographic complexity could also be seen when grand averages were computed for subgroups of patients assembled either according to task-performance (high versus low) or by their scores on psychopathological scales. There was no significant correlation between topographic deviation and psychopathology scores. We conclude that the slow potential topographic abnormalities of schizophrenia indicate an abnormality in the configuration of large-scale electrical activity in association cortices.

Efeito da época do ano na transferência de embriöes em vacas holandesas superovualdas com PMSG / Effect of season on embryo transfer in superovulated Holstein cows with PMSG

Estudou-se a influência de fatores sazonais na performance de 21 vacas da raça Holandesa submetidas a 37 superovulaçöes com 3.000 U.I. de PMSG. Os resultados das transferências de embriöes foram analisados segundo o efeito da época do ano: chuvosa (outubro a março) com temperatura máxima média = 30,0 ñ 0,8ºC e precipitaçäo pluviométrica mensal = 153,1 ñ 78,8 mm elevado ao cubo e seca (abril a setembro) com temperatura máxima média = 26,5 ñ 1,6ºC e precipitaçäo pluviométrica mensal = 59,2 ñ 53,8 mm elevado ao cubo. Registrou-se variaçäo climática entre as estaçöes (p<0,05), mas näo houve diferença significativa (p>0,05) entre épocas do ano quando foi comparado o número médio de estruturas por superovulaçäo (5,4 ñ 2,63 e 4,3 ñ 4,00), o percentual de embriöes viáveis (50,0 por cento e 57,6 por cento) e o percentual de prenhezes obtidas: 44,4 por cento e 35,2 por cento, respectivamente. Concluiu-se, portanto, que as diferentes condiçöes climáticas das épocas do ano näo influíram nas transferências de embriöes em vacas holandesas superovuladas com PMSG

Magnetic fields from human prefrontal cortex differ during two recognition tasks.

The present study represents our second successful use of magnetoencephalography to identify different sources of human prefrontal activity corresponding to subjects' engagement in different tasks. We used two visual recognition tasks: a familiar person recognition and an abstract pattern recognition task in the context of a design suitable for eliciting Contingent Negative Variations (CNVs) and their concurrent slow magnetic fields in this preliminary study of 5 subjects. Each trial of either task was started by one of two specific warning symbols (S1), indicating whether a person's picture or an abstract pattern should be attended during the presentation of a second stimulus (S2), and compared to the corresponding person's picture or pattern contained in the third stimulus, (S3) that followed. The S2 and S3 stimuli were common to both tasks, and were composed of patterns made with four line traces superimposed on photographs of persons familiar to each subject. Subjects responded with a right hand button press, following S3, indicating their judgments regarding the identity of the patterns or persons' pictures contained in the S2 and the S3 stimuli, for the two tasks, respectively. Results showed that the sources of the CNV equivalent magnetic fields were localized in different cortical regions depending on the task and that this difference was consistent across all subjects. The sources were localized in the right hemisphere, in medial areas of the prefrontal cortex for the person recognition task and in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for the pattern recognition task. The same degree of consistency was not found for the left hemisphere sources. Moreover, as in our previous study, we found no difference between the sources active during the first and the second CNV periods (occurring during the S1-S2 and the S2-S3 intervals, respectively), within each task condition.

Source localization of the N400 response in a sentence-reading paradigm using evoked magnetic fields and magnetic resonance imaging.

The aim of the present investigation was to localize the sources of the N400 response elicited in a sentence-reading paradigm. Eight neurologically healthy adults viewed sentences that were presented one word at a time in the center of a computer screen. Half of the sentences ended with a semantically inappropriate word, while the other half had appropriate endings. Event-related potentials recorded at Fz and Pz showed a negative-going deflection, the amplitude of which was strongly affected by semantic congruity (N400). Evoked magnetic fields that were simultaneously recorded over the left hemisphere showed clear magnetic field extrema in seven subjects during the time course of the N400. Underlying sources were successfully modeled as single equivalent current dipoles. Anatomical regions that contained the dipoles were localized by superimposing dipole coordinates onto magnetic resonance scans. Dipole regions were found in temporal lobe structures, in the vicinity of the hippocampus and the parahippocampal gyrus (in two subjects) and in posterior temporal neocortical regions (in the vicinity of the middle temporal gyrus; in five subjects). These findings are consistent with the view that posterior association cortices in the left hemisphere are involved in word recognition and semantic comprehension during reading.

Magnetoencephalographic evidence for common sources of long latency fields to rare target and rare novel visual stimuli.

This study used magnetoencephalography to examine the possibility that different generators account for the long-latency event-related potential (P300), evoked by rare target and by rare non-target, novel visual stimuli, in a visual oddball counting task performed by seven subjects. As expected, P300 peak latency was longer in response to rare targets compared to novel, non-target stimuli. Two main source regions were found for the Target- as well as for the Novel-P300, one in the temporal and one in the occipital lobe. Centers of neural activity were observed in the vicinity of the superior temporal sulcus, in the hippocampal formation and parahippocampal gyrus and in the occipital extrastriate cortex. It appears that the brain structures which contributed to the generation of the P300 response to both the target and the novel visual stimuli overlapped to a great extent.

Electric source localization of the auditory P300 agrees with magnetic source localization.

The event-related cortical potential elicited in the context of auditory target detection tasks includes the N1, P2 and P3 components. The aim of the present study was to identify the sources of these scalp-recorded components using an electrical multiple dipole model. Nine healthy adults volunteered for the study. An auditory oddball paradigm was used. Stimuli (18% target and 82% non-target tones) were delivered through ear-phones and subjects were required to silently count the targets. Event-related potentials (ERPs) to these stimuli were recorded by 30 electrodes placed on the scalp. The identification of the sources of the ERP was attempted using the brain electric source analysis (BESA) program. The instantaneous source locations of N1, P2 and P3 reported in magnetoencephalographic (MEG) literature were used as initial starting locations for the spatio-temporal multiple dipole modeling of the EEG data. First the auditory long latency responses were modeled separately. Bilateral superior temporal plane sources with almost vertical orientations explained the first 250 msec window of the non-target tone recording including N1/P2 complex. This agrees with MEG source localization of N1m/P2m. Two slightly deeper dipoles in superior temporal gyri and bilateral dipoles in hippocampi or parahippocampal areas explained P3 (analysis window 250-600 msec). The final model explained the complete epoch of 600 msec with 6 dipoles and the residual variances of individual models ranged from 3.83% to 7.77%. The concordance between MEG and BESA source localization results supports the notion of generators in temporal lobes for the N1/P2 complex and generators in temporal and hippocampal areas for the P3 component.

Somatosensory evoked fields and potentials following tibial nerve stimulation.

We studied evoked magnetic fields and electrical potentials following stimulation of the tibial nerve in a group of 24 normal subjects. Both magnetic and electrical recordings demonstrated a series of oscillatory patterns consisting of four peaks (two positive and two negative) occurring between 40 and 100 msec. Magnetic field source localization of all four peaks using a dipole-in-a-sphere model indicated that all four peaks emanated from the same cortical surface located within the longitudinal fissure, an area typically associated with somatosensory function.

Slow magnetic flux from human frontal cortex.

Slow magnetic fields concurrent with two successive contingent negative variations (CNVs) were elicited in 8 subjects during visual recognition tasks involving pattern versus place discrimination. All stimuli were presented as a rectangular array of lights with various patterns of 6 lights at the center and, simultaneously, with places indicated by missing lights at the periphery. One of two possible stimuli (warning) started each trial, indicating whether pattern or place recognition should be performed on the following two stimuli. The purposes of the experiment were to localize the sources of the slow magnetic fields equivalent to the CNVs and to address the issue of regional specialization of prefrontal cortical function. Results indicated that the equivalent current dipoles (ECDs) found as solutions for the measured slow fields were indeed localized in the prefrontal cortex of each hemisphere. Also, in the right hemisphere, the source location of the CNVs was dependent on task, which supported the hypothesis of specialization of prefrontal function. The place recognition task was associated with more anterior and inferior CNV sources than the pattern recognition task. Finally, it was observed that ECDs for the warning period CNVs were indistinguishable from those for the test period of the tasks.

Visual evoked magnetic fields reveal activity in the superior temporal sulcus.

Evoked magnetic fields to randomized infrequent omissions of visual stimuli resulted in a magnetic field pattern over the right hemisphere consistent with a dipolar source and led to localization of this source within the superior temporal sulcus. Previous investigations using implanted microelectrodes, ablation/lesion procedures in monkeys and observations of behavioral anomalies following injury in humans have already indicated the importance of the inferior portions of the temporal lobe in visual processing. However, until now, no method was available to study noninvasively the role of temporal cortex during visual processing.

Magnetoencephalography reveals two distinct sources associated with late positive evoked potentials during visual oddball task.

The present investigation was undertaken in order to utilize magnetoencephalography to locate generator sources, modeled as equivalent current point dipoles, that account for the well-established late positive electrical potentials commonly measured along the midline (Cz, Pz, Fz, and Oz) in response to rare or task-relevant stimuli and their simultaneously recorded magnetic field components. Two simultaneous but spatially distinct sources were present in all six subjects. One source in which the magnetic flux exited and reentered the brain over the right hemisphere was localized in deep structures under the temporal cortex in the vicinity of the right hippocampal formation. The other occurred in the vicinity of the primary visual cortex in the occipital area with magnetic flux entering and exiting over the posterior aspects of the subjects' heads. These data correspond to depth and surface electrode studies that have demonstrated multiple generator sources.