Investigating the Cognitive Control of Social Media-Anxious Users Using a Psychological Experimental Approach

Social media has become increasingly popular and is now a significant tool for daily communication for many people.The use of social media can cause anxiety and have detrimental impacts on mental health.Cognitive impairment is more likely to affect individuals with anxiety.Investigating the cognitive abilities and mental health of social media users requires the development of new methodologies.This study employed the AX-Continuous Performance Test(AX-CPT)paradigm and the Stroop paradigm to study the cognitive control characteristics of trait anxiety,drawing on psychological experimental methods.Previous studies on whether trait anxiety impairs cognitive control remain controversial,possibly because cognitive control is viewed as a whole.It may also be due to the motivational effect of anxiety,which compensates for the impairment of cognitive control caused by anxiety through the recruitment of cognitive resources.Understanding the mental health and cognitive control traits of anxious social media users can be improved by using the Dual Mechanisms of Cognitive Control Account,which divides cognitive control into proactive and reactive control.Thefindings demonstrate that trait anxiety has an impact on both proactive and reactive control,while working memory load did not modulate the effect of trait anxiety on cognitive control.These results support the attentional control theory and provide a new approach to studying the mental health of social media users.

A Novel Computerized Cognitive Test for the Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Its Association with Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease Prone Brain Regions

During the prodromal stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), neurodegenerative changes can be identified by measuring volumetric loss in AD-prone brain regions on MRI. Cognitive assessments that are sensitive enough to measure the early brain-behavior manifestations of AD and that correlate with biomarkers of neurodegeneration are needed to identify and monitor individuals at risk for dementia. Weak sensitivity to early cognitive change has been a major limitation of traditional cognitive assessments. In this study, we focused on expanding our previous work by determining whether a digitized cognitive stress test, the Loewenstein-Acevedo Scales for Semantic Interference and Learning, Brief Computerized Version (LASSI-BC) could differentiate between Cognitively Unimpaired (CU) and amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) groups. A second focus was to correlate LASSI-BC performance to volumetric reductions in AD-prone brain regions. Data was gathered from 111 older adults who were comprehensively evaluated and administered the LASSI-BC. Eighty-seven of these participants (51 CU;36 aMCI) underwent MR imaging. The volumes of 12 AD-prone brain regions were related to LASSI-BC and other memory tests correcting for False Discovery Rate (FDR). Results indicated that, even after adjusting for initial learning ability, the failure to recover from proactive semantic interference (frPSI) on the LASSI-BC differentiated between CU and aMCI groups. An optimal combination of frPSI and initial learning strength on the LASSI-BC yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.876 (76.1% sensitivity, 82.7% specificity). Further, frPSI on the LASSI-BC was associated with volumetric reductions in the hippocampus, amygdala, inferior temporal lobes, precuneus, and posterior cingulate.

Pathological and physiological functional cross-talks ofα-synuclein and tau in the central nervous system

α-Synuclein and tau are abundant multifunctional brain proteins that are mainly expressed in the presynaptic and axonal compartments of neurons,respectively.Previous works have revealed that intracellular deposition ofα-synuclein and/or tau causes many neurodegenerative disorders,including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.Despite intense investigation,the normal physiological functions and roles ofα-synuclein and tau are still unclear,owing to the fact that mice with knockout of either of these proteins do not present apparent phenotypes.Interestingly,the co-occurrence ofα-synuclein and tau aggregates was found in post-mortem brains with synucleinopathies and tauopathies,some of which share similarities in clinical manifestations.Furthermore,the direct interaction ofα-synuclein with tau is considered to promote the fibrillization of each of the proteins in vitro and in vivo.On the other hand,our recent findings have revealed thatα-synuclein and tau are cooperatively involved in brain development in a stage-dependent manner.These findings indicate strong cross-talk between the two proteins in physiology and pathology.In this review,we provide a summary of the recent findings on the functional roles ofα-synuclein and tau in the physiological conditions and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.A deep understanding of the interplay betweenα-synuclein and tau in physiological and pathological conditions might provide novel targets for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic strategies to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

Effect of foot reflexology on an infant with sensorineural hearing loss:A case report

BACKGROUND Our study contributes to the further understanding of the mechanism of foot reflexology.Foot reflexology has been reported to affect hearing recovery,but no physiological evidence has been provided.This lack of evidence hampers the acceptance of the technique in clinical practice.CASE SUMMARY A girl was taken to North Sichuan Medical University Affiliated Hospital for a hearing screen by her parents.Her parents reported that her hearing level was the same as when she was born.The girl was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL)by a doctor in the otolaryngology department.After we introduced the foot reflexology project,the parents agreed to participate in the experiment.After 6 months of foot reflexology treatment,the hearing threshold of the girl recovered to a normal level,below 30 dB.CONCLUSION Foot reflexology should be encouraged in clinical practice and for families of infants with SNHL.

Netrin-1 signaling pathway mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases

Netrin-1 and its receptors play crucial roles in inducing axonal growth and neuronal migration during neuronal development.Their profound impacts then extend into adulthood to encompass the maintenance of neuronal survival and synaptic function.Increasing amounts of evidence highlight several key points:(1)Diminished Netrin-1 levels exacerbate pathological progression in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease,and potentially,similar alterations occur in humans.(2)Genetic mutations of Netrin-1 receptors increase an individuals’susceptibility to neurodegenerative disorders.(3)Therapeutic approaches targeting Netrin-1 and its receptors offer the benefits of enhancing memory and motor function.(4)Netrin-1 and its receptors show genetic and epigenetic alterations in a variety of cancers.These findings provide compelling evidence that Netrin-1 and its receptors are crucial targets in neurodegenerative diseases.Through a comprehensive review of Netrin-1 signaling pathways,our objective is to uncover potential therapeutic avenues for neurodegenerative disorders.

Brain networks in newborns and infants with and without sensorineural hearing loss:A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

BACKGROUND Understanding the impact of early sensory deficits on brain development is essential for understanding developmental processes and developing potential interventions.While previous studies have looked into the impact of prenatal experiences on language development,there is a lack of research on how these experiences affect early language and brain function development in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss(SNHL).AIM To investigate SNHL effects on early brain development and connectivity in 4-month-olds vs healthy newborns and controls.METHODS The research involved analyzing the functional brain networks of 65 infants,categorized into three groups:28 healthy newborns,224-month-old participants with SNHL,and 15 age-matched healthy participants.The resting-state functional connectivity was measured and compared between the groups using functional near-infrared spectroscopy and graph theory to assess the brain network properties.RESULTS Significant differences were found in resting-state functional connectivity between participants with SNHL and age-matched controls,indicating a developmental lag in brain connectivity for those with SNHL.Surprisingly,SNHL participants showed better connectivity development compared to healthy newborns,with connectivity strengths of 0.13±0.04 for SNHL,0.16±0.08 for controls,and 0.098±0.04 for newborns.Graph theory analysis revealed enhanced global brain network properties for the SNHL group,suggesting higher communication efficiency at 4 months.No significant differences were noted in network properties between 4-month-old SNHL participants and neonates.A unique pattern of central hubs was observed in the SNHL group,with 2 hubs in the left hemisphere compared to 6 in controls.CONCLUSION 4-month-old infants with SNHL have a distinct brain network pattern with efficient long-distance information transmission but less effective local communication compared to age-matched controls.

The computerized LASSI-BC Test versus the Standard LASSI-L Paper-and-Pencil Version in Community-Based-Samples

Proactive Semantic Interference (PSI) and failure to recover from PSI (frPSI), are novel constructs assessed by the LASSI-L. These measures are sensitive to cognitive changes in early Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and preclinical AD determined by Aβ load using PET. The goal of this study was to compare a new computerized version of the LASSI-L (LASSI-Brief Computerized) to the standard paper-and-pencil version of the test. In this study, we examined 110 cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults and 79 with amnestic MCI (aMCI) who were administered the paper-and-pencil form of the LASSI-L. Their performance was compared with 62 CU older adults and 52 aMCI participants examined using the LASSI-BC. After adjustment for covariates (degree of initial learning, sex, education, and language of evaluation) both the standard and computerized versions distinguished between aMCI and CU participants. The performance of CU and aMCI groups using either form was relatively commensurate. Importantly, an optimal combination of Cued B2 recall and Cued B1 intrusions on the LASSI-BC yielded an area under the ROC curve of .927, a sensitivity of 92.3% and specificity of 88.1%, relative to an area under the ROC curve of .815, a sensitivity of 72.5%, and a specificity of 79.1% obtained for the paper-and-pencil LASSI-L. Overall, the LASSI-BC was comparable, and in some ways, superior to the paper-and-pencil LASSI-L. Advantages of the LASSI-BC include a more standardized administration, suitability for remote assessment, and an automated scoring mechanism that can be verified by a built-in audio recording of responses.

Altered synaptic currents,mitophagy,mitochondrial dynamics in Alzheimer's disease models and therapeutic potential of Dengzhan Shengmai capsules intervention

Emerging research suggests a potential association of progression of Alzheimer's disease(AD)with alterations in synaptic currents and mitochondrial dynamics.However,the specific associations between these pathological changes remain unclear.In this study,we utilized Aβ42-induced AD rats and primary neural cells as in vivo and in vitro models.The investigations included behavioural tests,brain magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS)analysis,Nissl staining,thioflavin-S staining,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,Golgi-Cox staining,transmission electron microscopy(TEM),immunofluorescence staining,proteomics,adenosine triphosphate(ATP)detection,mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP)and reactive oxygen species(ROS)assessment,mitochondrial morphology analysis,electrophysiological studies,Western blotting,and molecular docking.The results revealed changes in synaptic currents,mitophagy,and mitochondrial dynamics in the AD models.Remarkably,intervention with Dengzhan Shengmai(DZSM)capsules emerged as a pivotal element in this investigation.Aβ42-induced synaptic dysfunction was significantly mitigated by DZSM intervention,which notably amplified the frequency and amplitude of synaptic transmission.The cognitive impairment observed in AD rats was ameliorated and accompanied by robust protection against structural damage in key brain regions,including the hippocampal CA3,primary cingular cortex,prelimbic system,and dysgranular insular cortex.DZSM intervention led to increased IDE levels,augmented long-term potential(LTP)amplitude,and enhanced dendritic spine density and length.Moreover,DZSM intervention led to favourable changes in mitochondrial parameters,including ROS expression,MMP and ATP contents,and mitochondrial morphology.In conclusion,our findings delved into the realm of altered synaptic currents,mitophagy,and mitochondrial dynamics in AD,concurrently highlighting the therapeutic potential of DZSM intervention.

An enriched environment improves cognitive performance in mice from the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain Role of upregulated neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus

In this study,we examined 3-month-old female mice from the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain and age-matched homologous normal aging female mice from the senescence accelerated-resistant mouse 1 strain.Mice from each strain were housed in an enriched environment（including a platform,running wheels,tunnel,and some toys）or a standard environment for 3 months.The mice housed in the enriched environment exhibited shorter escape latencies and a greater percentage of time in the target quadrant in the Morris water maze test,and they exhibited reduced errors and longer latencies in step-down avoidance experiments compared with mice housed in the standard environment.Correspondently,brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA and protein ex- pression in the hippocampus was significantly higher in mice housed in the enriched environment compared with those housed in the standard environment,and the level of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein was positively correlated with the learning and memory abilities of mice from the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain.These results suggest that an enriched environment improved cognitive performance in mice form the senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 strain by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus.

Relationship between mode of sport training and general cognitive performance

Purpose: To investigate whether athletes who engage in different modes of sports training correspondingly exhibit different patterns of performance on general cognition tasks.Methods: Sixty participants were recruited into an endurance, motorically complex, or control group, and were administered a series of physical tests and neuropsychological assessments.Results: Athletes in the endurance group demonstrated the highest levels of cardiovascular fitness and those in the motorically complex group exhibited the highest levels of motor fitness. Nonetheless, no differences in cognitive performance were observed between the 3 groups.Conclusion: These findings indicate that the mode of sport training, which results in either high cardiovascular or high motor fitness, bears no relationship to measures of general cognition in elite athletes. The present findings suggest that coaches and athletic trainers should be encouraged to monitor athletes' stress levels during training in order to maximize the beneficial effects of such training on general cognitive performance.

Acute exercise and cognitive function:Emerging research issues

The effect of acute exercise, a single bout of exercise, on cognitive performance has attracted much attention. The first narrative review of this literature was conducted by Tomporowski and Ellis.1 In their summary, the authors concluded that acute exercise facilitates cognitive performance; however, they emphasized that the studies at that time were atheoretical and suffered from methodological limitations, making the reliability of the conclusions uncertain. In a meta-analytic review conducted approximately a decade later, Etnier et al.2 concluded that acute exercise results in a positive significant effect on cognitive performance that was of small magnitude （effect size, ES = 0.16）.

Analysis of entropies based on empirical mode decomposition in amnesic mild cognitive impairment of diabetes mellitus

EEG characteristics that correlate with the cognitive functions are important in detecting mild cognitive impairment(MCI)in T2DM.To investigate the complexity between aMCI group and age-matched non-aMCI control group in T2DM,six entropies combining empirical mode decomposition(EMD),including Approximate entropy(ApEn),Sample entropy(SaEn),Fuzzy entropy(FEn),Permutation entropy(PEn),Power spectrum entropy(PsEn)and Wavelet entropy(WEn)were used in the study.A feature extraction technique based on maximization of the area under the curve(AUC)and a support vector machine(SVM)were subsequently used to for features selection and classi¯cation.Finally,Pearson's linear correlation was employed to study associations between these entropies and cognitive functions.Compared to other entropies,FEn had a higher classification accuracy,sensitivity and specificity of 68%,67.1% and 71.9%,respectively.Top 43 salient features achieved classification accuracy,sensitivity and speci¯city of 73.8%,72.3% and 77.9%,respectively.P4,T4 and C4 were the highest ranking salient electrodes.Correlation analysis showed that FEn based on EMD was positively correlated to memory at electrodes F7,F8 and P4,and PsEn based on EMD was positively correlated to Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA)and memory at electrode T4.In sum,FEn based on EMD in righttemporal and occipital regions may be more suitable for early diagnosis of the MCI with T2DM.

Cognitive assessment in Alzheimer’s disease

Cognitive assessment in Alzheimer’s

Deep learning-based activity recognition and fine motor identification using 2D skeletons of cynomolgus monkeys

Video-based action recognition is becoming a vital tool in clinical research and neuroscientific study for disorder detection and prediction.However,action recognition currently used in non-human primate(NHP)research relies heavily on intense manual labor and lacks standardized assessment.In this work,we established two standard benchmark datasets of NHPs in the laboratory:Monkeyin Lab(Mi L),which includes 13 categories of actions and postures,and MiL2D,which includes sequences of two-dimensional(2D)skeleton features.Furthermore,based on recent methodological advances in deep learning and skeleton visualization,we introduced the Monkey Monitor Kit(Mon Kit)toolbox for automatic action recognition,posture estimation,and identification of fine motor activity in monkeys.Using the datasets and Mon Kit,we evaluated the daily behaviors of wild-type cynomolgus monkeys within their home cages and experimental environments and compared these observations with the behaviors exhibited by cynomolgus monkeys possessing mutations in the MECP2 gene as a disease model of Rett syndrome(RTT).Mon Kit was used to assess motor function,stereotyped behaviors,and depressive phenotypes,with the outcomes compared with human manual detection.Mon Kit established consistent criteria for identifying behavior in NHPs with high accuracy and efficiency,thus providing a novel and comprehensive tool for assessing phenotypic behavior in monkeys.

Functional hyperconnectivity related to brain disease:maladaptive process or element of resilience?

Neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and positron emission tomography provide unique in vivo data to analyze structural and functional connectivity of the whole brain.Recent advances in small animal neuroimaging have opened new opportunities for the study of structure-function interactions in healthy and diseased brain networks,which are essential to develop therapies targeting network reorganization associated with functional improvement.

Enhancing pain modulation: the efficacy of synchronous combination of virtual reality and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Introduction Virtual reality(VR)and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS)have emerged as effective interventions for pain reduction.However,their standalone applications often yield limited analgesic effects,particularly in certain painful conditions.Aims Our hypothesis was that the combination of VR with TENS in a synchronous manner could produce the best analgesic effect among the four experimental conditions.Methods To address this challenge,we proposed a novel pain modulation strategy that synchronously combines VR and TENS,aiming to capitalise on both techniques'complementary pain modulation mechanisms.Thirty-two healthy subjects participated in the study and underwent three types of interventions:VR alone,a combination of VR with conventional TENS,and a combination of VR with synchronous TENS.Additionally,a control condition with no intervention was included.Perceived pain intensity,pain unpleasantness,positive and negativeaffect scores,and electroencephalographic(EEG)data were collected before and after the interventions.To delve into the potential moderating role of pain intensity on the analgesic efficacy of VR combined with synchronous TENS,we incorporated two distinct levels of painful stimuli:one representing mild to moderate pain(ie,low pain)and the other representing moderate to severe pain(ie,high pain).Results Our findings revealed that both combination interventions exhibited superior analgesic effects compared with the VR-alone intervention when exposed to low and high pain stimuli.Notably,the combination of VR with synchronous TENS demonstrated greater analgesic efficacy than the combination of VR with conventional TENS.EEG data further supported these results,indicating that both combination interventions elicited a greater reduction in event-related potential magnitude compared with the VR-alone intervention during exposure to low and high pain stimuli.Moreover,the synchronous combination intervention induced a more significant reduction in N2 amplitude than the VR-alone intervention during exposure to low pain stimuli.No significant differences in EEG response changes were detected between the two combination interventions.Both combination interventions resulted in a greater reduction in negative affect compared with the VR-alone intervention.Conclusions Altogether,our study highlights the effectiveness of the synchronous combination of VR and TENS in enhancing pain modulation.These findings offer valuable insights for developing innovative pain treatments,emphasising the importance of tailored and multifaceted therapeutic approaches for various painful conditions.

Reshaping the Cortical Connectivity Gradient by Long-Term Cognitive Training During Development

The organization of the brain follows a topologi-cal hierarchy that changes dynamically during development.However,it remains unknown whether and how cognitive training administered over multiple years during develop-ment can modify this hierarchical topology.By measuring the brain and behavior of school children who had carried out abacus-based mental calculation(AMC)training for five years(starting from 7 years to 12 years old)in pre-training and post-training,we revealed the reshaping effect of long-term AMC intervention during development on the brain hierarchical topology.We observed the development-induced emergence of the default network,AMC training-promoted shifting,and regional changes in cortical gradi-ents.Moreover,the training-induced gradient changes were located in visual and somatomotor areas in association with the visuospatial/motor-imagery strategy.We found that gradient-based features can predict the math ability within groups.Our findings provide novel insights into the dynamic nature of network recruitment impacted by long-term cognitive training during development.

Components and sequential changes in event-related potential induced by gaze orientation processing under a reflective attention cue paradigm

Gaze orientation induces activation of relevant brain regions, presents differences in specificity and time course, and is exhibited in patients with brain injury. However, the components of activated event-related potential remain controversial. Previous studies of behavior and cognitive neuroscience related to gaze orientation investigated conscious attention of visual orientation. The present study explored gaze orientation processing-induced event-related potential components and changes with time using reflective orientation of visual attention under a reflective attention cue paradigm. Visual attention processing of gaze orientation was recorded using event-related potential and electroencephalographic recording. Results demonstrated that the reflective attention cue task evoked early directing attention negativity and anterior directing attention negativity, but did not trigger late directing attention positivity. These results suggest that reflective attention occurs over a short time of visual stimulus presentation. During the early stage of attention processing, early directing attention negativity and anterior directing attention negativity were detected, but late directing attention positivity did not occur. These results confirmed reflectivity and time-course superiority of gaze orientation attention processing.

Theoretical analysis of transcranial Hall-effect stimulation based on passive cable model

Transcranial Hall-effect stimulation（THS） is a new stimulation method in which an ultrasonic wave in a static magnetic field generates an electric field in an area of interest such as in the brain to modulate neuronal activities. However, the biophysical basis of simulating the neurons remains unknown. To address this problem, we perform a theoretical analysis based on a passive cable model to investigate the THS mechanism of neurons. Nerve tissues are conductive; an ultrasonic wave can move ions embedded in the tissue in a static magnetic field to generate an electric field（due to Lorentz force）.In this study, a simulation model for an ultrasonically induced electric field in a static magnetic field is derived. Then,based on the passive cable model, the analytical solution for the voltage distribution in a nerve tissue is determined. The simulation results showthat THS can generate a voltage to stimulate neurons. Because the THS method possesses a higher spatial resolution and a deeper penetration depth, it shows promise as a tool for treating or rehabilitating neuropsychiatric disorders.

Enriched environment elevates expression of growth associated protein-43 in the substantia nigra of SAMP8 mice

An enriched environment protects dopaminergic neurons from 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine（MPTP）-induced neuronal injury, but the underlying mechanism for this is not clear. Growth associated protein-43（GAP-43） is closely associated with neurite outgrowth and axon regeneration during neural development. We speculate that an enriched environment can reduce damage to dopaminergic neurons by affecting the expression of GAP-43. This study is designed to test this hypothesis. Three-month-old female senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8（SAMP8） mice were housed for 3 months in an enriched environment or a standard environment. These mice were then subcutaneously injected in the abdomen with 14 mg/kg MPTP four times at 2-hour intervals. Morris water maze testing demonstrated that learning and memory abilities were better in the enriched environment group than in the standard environment group. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry and western blot assays showed that m RNA and protein levels of GAP-43 in the substantia nigra were higher after MPTP application in the enriched environment group compared with the standard environment group. These findings indicate that an enriched environment can increase GAP-43 expression in SAMP8 mice. The upregulation of GAP-43 may be a mechanism by which an enriched environment protects against MPTP-induced neuronal damage.