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Alicja M. Olszewska, Maciej Gaca, Dawid Droździel, Artur Marchewka*, Aleksandra M. Herman*
1Laboratory of Brain Imaging, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
*equal contribution senior authors
Musical training was frequently employed as a tool to study musical-training-related neuroplasticity for the past two decades. However, the dynamic nature of the neuroplastic processes remains less explored.
Our research uniquely integrated longitudinal and cross-sectional designs to investigate the changes in brain activation of novice pianists. During the study, participants underwent up to seven functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions, allowing us to track brain activation changes at various time intervals. Novice pianists undertook twenty-six weeks of piano training and participated in a diverse range of in-scanner and behavioural musical tasks, such as music listening and playing with varying bimanual coordination demands, or performing a tonal working memory task. They were compared to a group of passive controls and a group of trained musicians.
The results indicate that brain reorganisation occurs mainly in the motor system and is highly dependent on the task and its demands. The adaptations in auditory processing are subtler on the neural level and have no effects on tonal working memory. Noticeably, the observed time-courses are highly region-, timeframe- and task-specific. Thus, no single model of brain plasticity can fully explain the observed changes. These findings highlight the importance of ecological designs in studies on skill acquisition and the complexities of neuroplastic processes which underlie learning.
Funding: This study was supported by the National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki) grant number 2018/30/E/HS6/00206
Aurimas Mockevičius, Inga Griškova-Bulanova
Institute of Bioscience, Vilnius University
Abstract: Gamma-band (> 30 Hz) brain oscillatory activity is linked with sensory and cognitive processes and exhibits abnormalities in neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, neuromodulation techniques targeting gamma activity are being developed. One promising approach is neurofeedback (NFB) which is based on the alteration of brain responses via online feedback. However, the existing gamma-based NFB systems lack individualized approach. In the present work, we aimed to test an individualized EEG-NFB system. 46 healthy volunteers participated in three sessions on separate days. Before NFB training, individual gamma frequency (IGF) was estimated using periodic chirp-modulated auditory stimulation (30-60 Hz). Gamma-band responses were then targeted during NFB training, in which participants received auditory stimulation at IGF±2 Hz and were instructed to try to increase their response while receiving visual feedback. After training, IGF was reassessed. Experimental group participants were divided into equal groups based on the median success rate during NFB training. The results showed that high-responders had a significantly higher IGF modulation compared to control group, while low-responders did not differ from controls. No differences in IGF modulation were found between sessions in all participant groups. The initial evaluation of the proposed EEG-NFB system showed potential to modulate IGF. Future studies could test short-term and long-term effects of the IGF-based NFB system in clinical populations.
Funding: Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT agreement no. S-LJB-20-1)
Syanah C. Wynn1,2,3, Christopher D. Townsend3, Erika Nyhus2
1Neuroimaging Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
2Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, United States
3Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
For successful memory, we need to retrieve information and evaluate its validity. The importance of theta oscillations (3-7 Hz) in memory is well established through electroencephalography (EEG) studies. For instance, there is an increase in theta power when items and their context are successfully remembered, and when people make confident memory decisions. While hippocampal gamma oscillations (>30 Hz) have also been linked to memory, the role of neocortical gamma remains largely unknown. The direct functions of oscillations can be investigated with non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) methods, like transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). In the current study, we used tACS to entrain frontal and parietal oscillations to theta (4 Hz) and gamma (50 Hz) frequencies, aimed to alter memory processes. Participants performed a verbal source memory task, while we recorded their brain activity with EEG (session 1) or manipulated this with tACS (sessions 2-4). With this memory task we measured: memory for words (item memory), memory for the encoding context (source memory), and memory confidence. Our EEG findings confirm and add to the proposed roles of endogenous theta and gamma oscillations in memory processes. In addition, we show how EEG correlates can predict individual differences in tACS effects on memory processes.
Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant R15MH114190.
Tomasz Ściepuro1, Karolina Lorek1, Małgorzata Chalimoniuk2, Sławomir Budrewicz3, Magdalena Koszewicz3, Zbigniew Wroński4, Jarosław Marusiak1
1Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Physiotherapy, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Science,
Wroclaw, Poland.
2Department of Physical Education and Health in Biała Podlaska, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Biała Podlaska, Poland.
3Department of Neurology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
4Department of Rehabilitation, Medical Faculty, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract: Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience motor and cognitive deficits, possibly due to impaired dopaminergic meso-cortical projections to key brain regions such as the primary motor cortex (M1) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). While aerobic interval training (AIT) has demonstrated efficacy in alleviating both motor and cognitive symptoms of PD, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain insufficiently explored. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a 12-week AIT program on resting electroencephalographic (EEG) brain activity parameters in the frequency domain.
Mild to moderate PD patients participated, with the trained group (PD-TR, n=14) undergoing a 12-week AIT program on a cycle ergometer in addition to usual care, and the non-trained group (PD-NTR, n=16) receiving only usual care. The AIT program comprised three 1-hour sessions weekly. Both groups were assessed in their medication OFF-phase before and after the AIT period. EEG recordings, employing a 128-electrode system during eyes-open resting states, were analyzed for electroencephalogram power spectral density (PSD-EEG) parameters.
Comparisons between post- and pre-AIT testing sessions revealed a significant decrease in the power of the lower-alpha band in the left DLPFC for the PD-TR group. In contrast, the PD-NTR group exhibited an increase in the mean power of the DLPFC's lower-alpha band.
The AIT-induced reduction in lower-alpha band power among trained PD patients suggests a potential neurophysiological mechanism contributing to psychomotor improvements. Conversely, the slowing of EEG signals in the DLPFC of the non-trained group indicates a mechanism associated with further psychomotor impairment.
Funding: The work was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland, under research project no. 2017/25/B/NZ7/02795, entitled ‘Effect of high intensity interval training on mechanisms of neuroplasticity and psychomotor behaviours in Parkinson's disease patients: a randomized study with 1-year follow up’, awarded to Jaroslaw Marusiak.
Gabriela Rajtar, Michał Remiszewski, Tomasz S. Ligęza
Psychophysiology Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
Several studies indicate a promising interaction between regular exercise and cognitive benefits, particularly concerning inhibition—a crucial ability to suppress irrelevant thoughts and behaviors.
This study explored the effects of regular exercise on both behavioral and neuronal aspects of inhibition using a Flanker task. Fifty-three sedentary young adults were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (EG, N=23) or a control group (CG, N=30). The EG participated in a six-week controlled cycling training program, with three workout sessions per week, while the CG maintained their usual habits.
Before and after the intervention, participants completed the Flanker task concurrently with EEG recordings. The task required identifying the central arrow's direction while ignoring surrounding distractor arrows, in both congruent (e.g. <<<<<) and incongruent (e.g. <<><<) conditions.
Findings revealed decreased standard deviations of reaction time for incongruent stimuli for EG relative to CG, indicating improved inhibition stability. Furthermore, EEG measures revealed that CG relative to EG exhibited greater conflict between congruent and incongruent stimuli as indicated by neural marker of inhibition N2 component, and suggesting heightened processing demands or greater difficulty in resolving conflict in the CG.
Collectively, the results support the hypothesis that regular exercise might improve cognitive performance, particularly in tasks requiring inhibition.
Funding: National Science Centre in Poland (project number. 2021/43/D/HS6/02959)
