Theta and alpha activity are differentially associated with physiological and rating scale measures of affective processing in adolescents with but not without ADHD.

Although atypical theta and alpha activity may be biomarkers of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) outcomes such as atypical affective processing and attention, the exact nature of the relations of these characteristics is unknown. We examined in age- and sex-matched adolescents (N = 132; Mage = 14.944, years, SD = .802) with and without ADHD, whether resting state (RS) theta and alpha power or theta and alpha event-related synchronization (ERS) during affect regulation (1) differ between adolescents with and without ADHD; (2) are differentially associated with event-related potential (ERP) and parent- and self-report measures of affective processing and inattention, given ADHD status and sex, and (3) are differentially lateralized, given ADHD status and sex. Adolescents with ADHD exhibited lower RS frontal-midline alpha power than adolescents without ADHD. In adolescents with ADHD, right parietal theta ERS was positively associated with the ERP measure of elaborate affective/motivational processing and right parietal RS alpha power was negatively associated with self-reported positive affectivity. In adolescents without ADHD, associations were nonsignificant. There was no disassociation of theta and alpha activity with affective processing and inattention. Consistent with clinical impressions, the between-group difference in frontal-midline theta ERS was more marked in boys than girls.

Abnormalities in the EEG power spectrum in bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and obesity: A systematic review.

To provide a basis for electroencephalography (EEG) neurofeedback protocols for bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), and obesity, this systematic review investigates alterations in EEG-measured brain activity, specifically frequency bands. A systematic literature search with predefined search terms yielded N = 7 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed for all studies. In resting-state EEG, the beta activity was elevated in fronto-central regions in individuals with obesity and co-morbid BED. In food-cue conditions, both obese individuals with and without BED showed increased beta activity, suggesting increased awareness of food cues and a heightened attentional focus towards food stimuli. The level of beta activity was positively correlated with eating disorder psychopathology in resting and food-cue conditions. In individuals with BN, there was no evidence for altered EEG spectral power. The results indicate specific alterations in EEG-based brain activity in individuals with BED and obesity. More high-quality studies are needed to further confirm these findings and to transfer them into EEG-based interventions.

Altered EEG power spectrum, but not sleep-wake architecture, in HCN1 knockout mice.

Sleep is a complex biological state characterized by large populations of neurons firing in a rhythmic or synchronized manner. HCN channels play a critical role in generating and sustaining synchronized neuronal firing and are involved in the actions of anaesthetics. However, the role of these channels in sleep-wakefulness per se has yet to be studied. We conducted polysomnographic recordings of Hcn1 constitutive knockout (Hcn1 KO) and wild-type (WT) mice in order to investigate the potential role of HCN1 channels in sleep/wake regulation. EEG and EMG data were analysed using the Somnivore™ machine learning algorithm. Time spent in each vigilance state, bout number and duration, and EEG power spectral activity were compared between genotypes. There were no significant differences in the time spent in wake, rapid eye movement (REM) or non-REM (NREM) sleep between Hcn1 KO and WT mice. Wake bout duration during the inactive phase was significantly shorter in Hcn1 KO mice whilst no other bout parameters were affected by genotype. Hcn1 KO mice showed a reduction in overall EEG power which was particularly prominent in the theta (5-9 Hz) and alpha (9-15 Hz) frequency bands and most evident during NREM sleep. Together these data suggest that HCN1 channels do not play a major role in sleep architecture or modulation of vigilance states. However, loss of these channels significantly alters underlying neuronal activity within these states which may have functional consequences.

Vigilance described by the time-on-task effect in EEG activity during a cued Go/NoGo task.

Vigilance refers to the ability to maintain attention and to remain alert to stimuli in prolonged and monotonous tasks. Vigilance decrement describes the decline in performance in the course of such sustained attention tasks. Time-related alterations in attention have been found to be associated with changes in EEG. We investigated these time-on-task effects on the basis of changes in the conventional EEG spectral bands with the aim of finding a compound measure of vigilance. 148 healthy adults performed a cued Go/NoGo task that lasted approximately 21 min. Behavioural performance was examined by comparing the number of errors in the first and last quarters of the task using paired t-test. EEG data were epoched per trial, and time-on-task effects were modelled by using multiple linear regression, with frequency spectra band power values as independent variables and trial number as the dependent variable. Behavioural performance decreased in terms of omission errors only. Performance of the models, expressed by predicted R-squared, was between 0.10 and 0.27, depending on the particular task condition. The time-on-task EEG spectral changes were characterized by broad changes in the alpha and frontal changes in the beta and gamma bands. We were able to identify a set of EEG spectral features that predict time-on-task. Our output is considered to be a measure of vigilance, reflecting the allocation of mental resources for the maintenance of attention.

Theta oscillations: A rhythm difference comparison between major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder.

Background: Due to substantial comorbidities of major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorder (AN), these two disorders must be distinguished. Accurate identification and diagnosis facilitate effective and prompt treatment. EEG biomarkers are a potential research hotspot for neuropsychiatric diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in EEG power spectrum at theta oscillations between patients with MDD and patients with AN. Methods: Spectral analysis was used to study 66 patients with MDD and 43 patients with AN. Participants wore 16-lead EEG caps to measure resting EEG signals. The EEG power spectrum was measured using the fast Fourier transform. Independent samples t-test was used to analyze the EEG power values of the two groups, and p < 0.05 was statistically significant. Results: EEG power spectrum of the MDD group significantly differed from the AN group in the theta oscillation on 4-7 Hz at eight electrode points at F3, O2, T3, P3, P4, FP1, FP2, and F8. Conclusion: Participants with anxiety demonstrated reduced power in the prefrontal cortex, left temporal lobe, and right occipital regions. Confirmed by further studies, theta oscillations could be another biomarker that distinguishes MDD from AN.

EEG power spectral analysis reveals tandospirone improves anxiety symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To study the efficacy of tandospirone citrate in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with anxiety. METHODS: Thirty mild-to-moderate AD patients with anxiety symptoms were randomly divided into a monotherapy group (donepezil) and a combination therapy group (donepezil and tandospirone). The treatment lasted for 12 weeks. Drug efficacy was regularly assessed using psychological assessment scales and quantitative pharmaco-electroencephalogram (QPEEG) power spectral analysis. RESULTS: After 12 weeks of treatment, the mean Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score and mean Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) score of the combination therapy group were 5.13±4.18 and 4.2±5.0, respectively, which was significantly lower compared to baseline and the monotherapy group (all P<0.05). The mean attention score on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) was 0.07±0.26 for the combination group, which was significantly lower than that of the monotherapy group (P<0.05). QPEEG revealed that the power values of the δ wave in the right prefrontal lobe, left middle temporal lobe and right posterior temporal lobe decreased in the combination therapy group but not in the monotherapy group. Similarly, the power values of the α2 wave in the right parietal, right posterior temporal and left middle temporal lobes, and the ß1 wave power values of left middle temporal and left posterior temporal lobes were also significantly decreased in the combination therapy group, but not in the monotherapy group. CONCLUSIONS: Tandospirone citrate can significantly improve anxiety symptoms and attention in patients with mild to moderate AD. QPEEG examination might provide a objective way for the efficacy of the tandospirone in anxiety symptoms of the patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Effects of exercise programs on neuroelectric dynamics in drug addiction.

Exercise interventions have been considered to be an effective treatment for drug addiction. However, there is little dirct evidence that exercise affects brain activity in individuals afftected by drug addiction. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different exercise programs on detoxification. Cognitive recovery with 64-channel electroencephalography (EEG) recordings was obtained before and after three months of daily aerobic and anaerobic exercise. A total of 63 subjects with methamphetamine addiction were recruited and randomly divided into three groups for cognitive study in four behavioral states: an anaerobic resistance treatment group, an aerobic cycling treatment group and a control group. In addition, four behavioral states were examined: eyes-closed and eyes-open resting states, and exploratory behavior states following either drug- or neutral-cue exposure. Over a 12-week period,the alpha block ratio in the control group showed a slight decrease, while clear increases were observed in the resistance exercise and cycling treatment groups, particularly under the frontal and temporal regions in the eyes-open and drug-cue conditions. The major EEG activity frequency in the resistance treatment group during the drug-cue behavior task decreased compared with the frequencies of the cycling exercise and control groups. Meanwhile, the power of higher brain rhythms in the resistance treatment group was increased. Finally, the brain alpha wave left-lateralization index from EEG recording sites, F1-F2, in the resistance and cycling treatment groups under the eyes-closed condition positively decreased, while the control groups only showed slight decreases. Taken together, these results suggest that different types of exercise may induce distince and different positive therapeutic effects to facilitate detoxification.

Effects of Neurofeedback on the Working Memory of Children with Learning Disorders-An EEG Power-Spectrum Analysis.

Learning disorders (LDs) are diagnosed in children impaired in the academic skills of reading, writing and/or mathematics. Children with LDs usually exhibit a slower resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG), corresponding to a neurodevelopmental lag. Frequently, children with LDs show working memory (WM) impairment, associated with an abnormal task-related EEG with overall slower EEG activity (more delta and theta power, and less gamma activity in posterior sites). These EEG patterns indicate inefficient neural resource management. Neurofeedback (NFB) treatments aimed at normalizing the resting-state EEG of LD children have shown improvements in cognitive-behavioral indices and diminished EEG abnormalities. Given the typical findings of WM impairment in children with LDs, we aimed to explore the effects of an NFB treatment on the WM of children with LDs by analyzing the WM-related EEG power spectrum. EEGs of 18 children (8-11 y.o.) with LDs were recorded, pre- and post-treatment, during performance of a Sternberg-type WM task. Thirty sessions of an NFB treatment (NFB-group, n = 10) or 30 sessions of a placebo-sham treatment (sham-group, n = 8) were administered. We analyzed the before and after treatment group differences for the behavioral performance and the WM-related EEG power spectrum. The NFB group showed faster response times in the WM task post-treatment. They also exhibited a decreased theta power and increased beta and gamma power at the frontal and posterior sites post-treatment. We explain these findings in terms of NFB improving the efficiency of neural resource management, maintenance of memory representations, and improved subvocal memory rehearsal.

Chess Players Increase the Theta Power Spectrum When the Difficulty of the Opponent Increases: An EEG Study.

The present study aimed to analyze differences in the electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectrum (theta, alpha, and beta) between participants who won (winning group) and those who lost (losing group) in three different chess games: against their same Elo (100% chess games), 25% over their Elo (125% chess games), and 25% under their Elo (75% chess games). EEG was assessed at baseline and during the chess games. Method: 14 male chess players (age: 35.36 ± 13.77 and Elo: 1921 ± 170) played three games of 3 min, plus two additional seconds per move, while EEG was assessed. There were three difficulty levels (75%, 100%, and 125%), with two games (one with white pieces and another with black pieces) per level. The winning group showed higher theta power in the frontal, central, and posterior brain regions when difficulty increased (p-value <0.05). Besides this, alpha power showed higher values (p-value <0.05) in 125% games than in 75% chess games in C3, T3, T4, T5, and T6. The losing group showed a significant decrease (p-value <0.05) in the beta and alpha power spectrum in frontal, central, parietotemporal, and occipital areas, when the opponent's difficulty increased. Moreover, between groups, analyses showed higher theta power in the losing group than in the winning group, in C3, T5, T6, P4, and Pz (p-value <0.05). Therefore, the winning group was able to adapt to each difficulty level, increasing theta power in the frontal, central, and posterior brain areas, as the efficiency hypothesis postulated. These changes were not observed in the losing group. Moreover, increases in alpha power during the most difficult games, in comparison with the easier, could have been caused by creative ideation and divergent thinking, as participants looked for alternative solutions against a higher-skilled opponent.

Electroencephalographic response of chess players in decision-making processes under time pressure.

The game of chess offers an enabling environment for the study of basic cognitive decision making processes where different types of memories are involved. The aim of the present study was to describe and compare the brain electrical activity pattern of chess players in two different situations under time pressure to make the move: rapid, 15 min, plus 10 s additional time per move and lightning, a one-minute game. Thus, lightning game offers an appropriate environment to isolate memory chunks and rapid game will offer the perspective of a working memory task. Encephalogram (EEG) recordings were obtained while a total of 14 male chess players (age: 35.36 ±â€¯13.77 and ELO: 1921.07 ±â€¯170.67) played lightning and rapid chess games. Results indicate that different activity patterns between the rapid and the lightning games were found. Increments in theta power during lightning game in posterior regions could indicate that theta power might be related with chunks retrieval. Moreover, right hemisphere is more activated in chess games, probably caused by visuospatial processing. These brain patterns characterizations could be useful for chess training or clinicians in the field of neuroscience.