Improving P300 Spelling Rate using Language Models and Predictive Spelling.

The P300 Speller Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) provides a means of communication for those suffering from advanced neuromuscular diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recent literature has incorporated language-based modelling, which uses previously chosen characters and the structure of natural language to modify the interface and classifier. Two complementary methods of incorporating language models have previously been independently studied: predictive spelling uses language models to generate suggestions of complete words to allow for the selection of multiple characters simultaneously, and language model-based classifiers have used prior characters to create a prior probability distribution over the characters based on how likely they are to follow. In this study, we propose a combined method which extends a language-based classifier to generate prior probabilities for both individual characters and complete words. In order to gauge the efficiency of this new model, results across 12 healthy subjects were measured. Incorporating predictive spelling increased typing speed using the P300 speller, with an average increase of 15.5% in typing rate across subjects, demonstrating that language models can be effectively utilized to create full word suggestions for predictive spelling. When combining predictive spelling with language model classification, typing speed is significantly improved, resulting in better typing performance.

Changes in subjective experience elicited by direct stimulation of the human orbitofrontal cortex.

OBJECTIVE: We applied direct cortical stimulation (DCS) to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in neurosurgical patients implanted with intracranial electrodes to probe, with high anatomic precision, the causal link between the OFC and human subjective experience. METHODS: We administered 272 instances of DCS at 172 OFC sites in 22 patients with intractable focal epilepsy (from 2011 to 2017), none of whom had seizures originating from the OFC. RESULTS: Our observations revealed a rich variety of affective, olfactory, gustatory, and somatosensory changes in the subjective domain. Elicited experiences were largely neutral or negatively valenced (e.g., aversive smells and tastes, sadness, and anger). Evidence was found for preferential left lateralization of negatively valenced experiences and strong right lateralization of neutral effects. Moreover, most of the elicited effects were observed after stimulation of OFC tissue around the transverse orbital sulcus, and none were seen in the most anterior aspects of the OFC. CONCLUSIONS: Our study yielded 3 central findings: first, a dissociation between the "silent" anterior and nonsilent middle/posterior OFC where stimulation clearly elicits changes in subjective experience; second, evidence that the OFC might play a causal role in integrating affect and multimodal sensory experiences; and third, clear evidence for left lateralization of negatively valenced effects. Our findings provide important information for clinicians treating OFC injury or planning OFC resection and scientists seeking to understand the brain basis for the integration of sensation, cognition, and affect.

High-level visual manifestations of epileptic seizures originating from the medial parietal cortex.

We describe the case of a patient with well-localized focal seizures originating from the medial parietal cortex. Seizures originated from area 7m, and findings revealed clear visuospatial semiological signs that may be used clinically to help diagnose similar cases of seizures in non-lesional patients.

Morphological Spectra of Adult Human Stellate Ganglia: Implications for Thoracic Sympathetic Denervation.

Cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) to treat ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) requires transection at the middle or lower third of stellate (cervicothoracic) ganglia (SG). However, the morphological appearance of the adult SG and distribution of neuronal somata within it are not well described. To determine the morphology of left and right SG (LSG and RSG) and the distribution of somata within. LSG and RSG (n = 28) from 14 embalmed adult cadavers were dissected intact. Weight, volume, height, morphologic appearance, relationship between C8 and T1 ganglia (which form the SG) were determined, along with histology. Demographics, history of cardiac disease, and cause of death were also reviewed. Mean age of the subjects was 76 ± 13 years, and 5/14 were male. Three distinct morphologies of SG were identified: fusiform-rounded; fusiform-elongated; and bilobed. RSG and LSG did not differ in weight or volume. RSG were longer than LSG (2.05 ± 0.28 cm vs. 1.66 ± 0.47 cm, P = 0.024). Bilobed morphology was most common in RSGs (8/14), while fused, elongated was most common in LSG (8/14). RSGs lacked fused, rounded appearance, while 28.6% of LSG appeared as such. Histologically, one focus of somata was seen in fused rounded ganglia, while fused elongated SG had somata distributed throughout. Bilobed SG demonstrated two foci of somata, with the interconnecting stalk containing sparse somata. SG appears in three major forms and contains varying distributions of somata. Larger studies are warranted to define the relationship between gross anatomy and distribution of neuronal somata to improve the efficacy of CSD in treating VAs. Anat Rec, 301:1244-1250, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.