Social Buffering Effects during Craft Activities in Parallel Group Session Revealed by EEG Analysis and Parasympathetic Activity.

INTRODUCTION: The therapeutic structure of occupational therapy (OT) includes groups. Although the presence of others is expected to be relaxing due to the social buffering effect and the tend and befriend theory, it has not been sufficiently validated in accordance with the therapeutic structure of OT. The aim of this study was to investigate the electrophysiological evidence for the effectiveness of parallel groups and states of concentration on craft activities used in OT. METHODS: Thirty healthy young adults were used as controls to measure EEG and autonomic activity during craft activities in three conditions: alone, parallel, and nonparallel. EEG was analyzed using exact low-resolution electromagnetic tomography, and autonomic activity was analyzed using Lorenz plot analysis. RESULTS: Parasympathetic activity was significantly higher in the parallel condition than in the alone condition. A significant negative correlation was found between current source density and parasympathetic activity in the region centered on the right insular cortex in the α1 band, and functional connectivity in regions including the anterior cingulate cortex and insular cortex was associated with autonomic activity. CONCLUSION: Craft activities that occurred during frontal midline theta rhythm also increased parasympathetic activity. The results suggest that the parallel groups used in OT and the intensive state of craft activities induce a social buffering effect that increases parasympathetic activity despite the absence of physical contact or social support. This provides evidence for the effectiveness of the therapeutic structure of occupational activities and groups in OT.

The Neurophysiological Features Associated with Unilateral Spatial Neglect Recovery: A Scoping Review.

The purpose of this scoping review is to provide updated information on the neural basis and neurophysiological features associated with unilateral spatial neglect (USN) recovery. We applied the Preferred Reporting Systems for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework and identified 16 relevant papers from the databases. Critical appraisal was performed by two independent reviewers using a standardized appraisal instrument developed by the PRISMA-ScR. We identified and categorized investigation methods for the neural basis and neurophysiological features of USN recovery after stroke using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI, and electroencephalography (EEG). This review found two brain-level mechanisms underlying USN recovery at the behavioral level. These include the absence of stroke-related damage to the right ventral attention network during the acute phase and compensatory recruitment of analogous areas of the undamaged opposite hemisphere and prefrontal cortex during visual search tasks in the subacute or later phases. However, the relationship between the neural and neurophysiological findings and improvements in USN-related activities of daily living remains unknown. This review adds to the growing body of evidence regarding the neural mechanisms underlying USN recovery.

Motor-Related Mu/Beta Rhythm in Older Adults: A Comprehensive Review.

Mu rhythm, also known as the mu wave, occurs on sensorimotor cortex activity at rest, and the frequency range is defined as 8-13Hz, the same frequency as the alpha band. Mu rhythm is a cortical oscillation that can be recorded from the scalp over the primary sensorimotor cortex by electroencephalogram (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). The subjects of previous mu/beta rhythm studies ranged widely from infants to young and older adults. Furthermore, these subjects were not only healthy people but also patients with various neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, very few studies have referred to the effect of mu/beta rhythm with aging, and there was no literature review about this theme. It is important to review the details of the characteristics of mu/beta rhythm activity in older adults compared with young adults, focusing on age-related mu rhythm changes. By comprehensive review, we found that, compared with young adults, older adults showed mu/beta activity change in four characteristics during voluntary movement, increased event-related desynchronization (ERD), earlier beginning and later end, symmetric pattern of ERD and increased recruitment of cortical areas, and substantially reduced beta event-related desynchronization (ERS). It was also found that mu/beta rhythm patterns of action observation were changing with aging. Future work is needed in order to investigate not only the localization but also the network of mu/beta rhythm in older adults.

Frontal midline theta rhythm and gamma activity measured by sheet-type wearable EEG device.

Introduction: The current study measured the frontal midline theta rhythm (Fmθ), which appears in the frontal midline region during the attentional focus state, using the sheet-type wearable electroencephalograph (EEG) device HARU-1, and examined the modulation of frontal gamma band activity by cognitive tasks. Methods: We measured the frontal EEG of 20 healthy subjects using HARU-1 for 2 min during the rest eyes-closed condition and simple mental calculation task condition, respectively. Statistical analyses were conducted using permutation testing based on t-test and cluster analysis to compare the results between the resting state and the task condition. Results: Twelve of 20 subjects showed Fmθ during the task condition. The 12 subjects with Fmθ showed significantly higher activity of the theta and gamma bands, and significantly low activity of the alpha band during the task condition compared to the resting condition. In the eight subjects without Fmθ were significantly low activity of the alpha and beta bands and no significant activity in the theta and gamma band activity during the task condition compared to the resting condition. Discussion: These results indicate that it is possible to measure Fmθ using HARU-1. A novel finding was the gamma band activity appearing with Fmθ in the left and right frontal forehead regions, suggesting that it reflects the function of the prefrontal cortex in working memory tasks.

Correlation between brain functional connectivity and neurocognitive function in patients with left frontal glioma.

The association between neurocognitive function (NCF) impairment and brain cortical functional connectivity in glioma patients remains unclear. The correlations between brain oscillatory activity or functional connectivity and NCF measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale full-scale intelligence quotient scores (WAIS FSIQ), the Wechsler Memory Scale-revised general memory scores (WMS-R GM), and the Western aphasia battery aphasia quotient scores (WAB AQ) were evaluated in 18 patients with left frontal glioma using resting-state electroencephalography (EEG). Current source density (CSD) and lagged phase synchronization (LPS) were analyzed using exact low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (eLORETA). Although 2 and 2 patients scored in the borderline range of WAIS FSIQ and WMS-R GM, respectively, the mean WAIS FSIQ, WMS-R GM, and WAB AQ values of all patients were within normal limits, and none had aphasia. In the correlation analysis, lower WMS-R GM was associated with a higher LPS value between the right anterior prefrontal cortex and the left superior parietal lobule in the beta1 band (13-20 Hz, R = - 0.802, P = 0.012). These findings suggest that LPS evaluated by scalp EEG is associated with memory function in patients with left frontal glioma and mild NCF disorders.

Parietal Gamma Band Oscillation Induced by Self-Hand Recognition.

Physiological studies have shown that self-body images receive unique recognition processing in a wide range of brain areas, from the frontal lobe to the parietal-occipital cortex. Event-related potential (ERP) studies have shown that the self-referential effect on the image of a hand increases P300 components, but such studies do not evaluate brain oscillatory activity. In this study, we aimed to discover the self-specific brain electrophysiological activity in relation to hand images. ERPs on the fronto-parietal midline were elicited by a three-stimulus visual oddball task using hand images: the self-hand, another hand (most similar to the self-hand), and another hand (similar to the self-hand). We analyzed ERP waveform and brain oscillatory activity by simple averaging and time-frequency analysis. The simple averaging analysis found no significant differences between the responses for the three stimulus tasks in all time windows. However, time-frequency analysis showed that self-hand stimuli elicited high gamma ERS in 650-900 ms at the Cz electrode compared to other hand stimuli. Our results show that brain activity specific to the self-referential process to the self-hand image was reflected in the long latency gamma band activity in the mid-central region. This high gamma-band activity at the Cz electrode may be similar to the activity of the mirror neuron system, which is involved in hand motion.

Intraoperative hand strength as an indicator of consciousness during awake craniotomy: a prospective, observational study.

Awake craniotomy enables mapping and monitoring of brain functions. For successful procedures, rapid awakening and the precise evaluation of consciousness are required. A prospective, observational study conducted to test whether intraoperative hand strength could be a sensitive indicator of consciousness during the awake phase of awake craniotomy. Twenty-three patients who underwent awake craniotomy were included. Subtle changes of the level of consciousness were assessed by the Japan Coma Scale (JCS). The associations of hand strength on the unaffected side with the predicted plasma concentration (Cp) of propofol, the bispectral index (BIS), and the JCS were analyzed. Hand strength relative to the preoperative maximum hand strength on the unaffected side showed significant correlations with the Cp of propofol (ρ = - 0.219, p = 0.007), the BIS (ρ = 0.259, p = 0.002), and the JCS (τ = - 0.508, p = 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for discriminating JCS 0-1 and JCS ≥ 2 demonstrated that the area under the curve was 0.76 for hand strength, 0.78 for Cp of propofol, and 0.66 for BIS. With a cutoff value of 75% for hand strength, the sensitivity was 0.76, and the specificity was 0.67. These data demonstrated that hand strength is a useful indicator for assessing the intraoperative level of consciousness during awake craniotomy.

Assessment of neurocognitive function in association with WHO grades in gliomas.

OBJECTIVE: High-grade gliomas are fast-growing and may exhibit more severe neurocognitive function (NCF) decline compared with low-grade gliomas. A comprehensive understanding of the NCF in patients with glioma may be critical for developing effective glioma treatments and rehabilitation interventions. This study evaluated NCF more comprehensively in patients with glioma using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R), and also determined the differences in NCF in relation with the WHO grades of gliomas. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with newly diagnosed glioma were reviewed in the present study. The patients were divided into three groups, Grade II, III, and IV, based on the World Health Organization's classification of tumors of the central nervous system. NCF was assessed using the WAIS-III and WMS-R. RESULTS: There were 14 (40.0%), 7 (20.0%), and 14 (40.0%) patients in the grade II, grade III, and grade IV groups, respectively. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences in all the scores of the WAIS-III and WMS-R between grade II and grade IV. The scores of the WAIS-III and WMS-R in grade IV patients were borderline for NCF disorders, except in the attention/concentration domain. On the other hand, grade II and III groups had normal scores. CONCLUSION: Therefore, patients with a grade IV glioma presented NCF decline compared to grade II and III glioma. In contrast, the results of the WAIS-III and WMS-R indicated that the NCF of patients with grades II and III glioma was intact.