Weighted neurofeedback facilitates greater self-regulation of functional connectivity between the primary motor area and cerebellum.

Objective.Brain-computer interface (BCI) is a tool that can be used to train brain self-regulation and influence specific activity patterns, including functional connectivity, through neurofeedback. The functional connectivity of the primary motor area (M1) and cerebellum play a critical role in motor recovery after a brain injury, such as stroke. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of achieving control of the functional connectivity between M1 and the cerebellum in healthy subjects. Additionally, we aimed to compare the brain self-regulation of two different feedback modalities and their effects on motor performance.Approach.Nine subjects were trained with a real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging BCI system. Two groups were conformed: equal feedback group (EFG), which received neurofeedback that weighted the contribution of both regions of interest (ROIs) equally, and weighted feedback group (WFG) that weighted each ROI differentially (30% cerebellum; 70% M1). The magnitude of the brain activity induced by self-regulation was evaluated with the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) percent change (BPC). Functional connectivity was assessed using temporal correlations between the BOLD signal of both ROIs. A finger-tapping task was included to evaluate the effect of brain self-regulation on motor performance.Main results.A comparison between the feedback modalities showed that WFG achieved significantly higher BPC in M1 than EFG. The functional connectivity between ROIs during up-regulation in WFG was significantly higher than EFG. In general, both groups showed better tapping speed in the third session compared to the first. For WFG, there were significant correlations between functional connectivity and tapping speed.Significance.The results show that it is possible to train healthy individuals to control M1-cerebellum functional connectivity with rtfMRI-BCI. Besides, it is also possible to use a weighted feedback approach to facilitate a higher activity of one region over another.

Red Wine Grape Pomace Attenuates Atherosclerosis and Myocardial Damage and Increases Survival in Association with Improved Plasma Antioxidant Activity in a Murine Model of Lethal Ischemic Heart Disease.

A healthy dietary pattern and high quality nutrient intake reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. Red wine grape pomace (RWGP)-a rich natural source of dietary fiber and antioxidants-appears to be a potential functional food ingredient. The impact of a dietary supplementation with RWGP flour was evaluated in atherogenic diet-fed SR-B1 KO/ApoER61h/h mice, a model of lethal ischemic heart disease. SR-B1 KO/ApoER61h/h mice were fed with atherogenic (high fat, cholesterol, and cholic acid, HFC) diet supplemented with: (a) 20% chow (HFC-Control), (b) 20% RWGP flour (HFC-RWGP), or (c) 10% chow/10% oat fiber (HFC-Fiber); and survival time was evaluated. In addition, SR-B1 KO/ApoER61h/h mice were fed for 7 or 14 days with HFC-Control or HFC-RWGP diets and plasma lipid levels, inflammation, oxidative damage, and antioxidant activity were measured. Atherosclerosis and myocardial damage were assessed by histology and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. Supplementation with RWGP reduced premature death, changed TNF-α and IL-10 levels, and increased plasma antioxidant activity. Moreover, decreased atheromatous aortic and brachiocephalic plaque sizes and attenuated myocardial infarction and dysfunction were also observed. These results suggest that RWGP flour intake may be used as a non-pharmacological therapeutic approach, contributing to decreased progression of atherosclerosis, reduced coronary heart disease, and improved cardiovascular outcomes.

How feedback, motor imagery, and reward influence brain self-regulation using real-time fMRI.

The learning process involved in achieving brain self-regulation is presumed to be related to several factors, such as type of feedback, reward, mental imagery, duration of training, among others. Explicitly instructing participants to use mental imagery and monetary reward are common practices in real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) neurofeedback (NF), under the assumption that they will enhance and accelerate the learning process. However, it is still not clear what the optimal strategy is for improving volitional control. We investigated the differential effect of feedback, explicit instructions and monetary reward while training healthy individuals to up-regulate the blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal in the supplementary motor area (SMA). Four groups were trained in a two-day rtfMRI-NF protocol: GF with NF only, GF,I with NF + explicit instructions (motor imagery), GF,R with NF + monetary reward, and GF,I,R with NF + explicit instructions (motor imagery) + monetary reward. Our results showed that GF increased significantly their BOLD self-regulation from day-1 to day-2 and GF,R showed the highest BOLD signal amplitude in SMA during the training. The two groups who were instructed to use motor imagery did not show a significant learning effect over the 2 days. The additional factors, namely motor imagery and reward, tended to increase the intersubject variability in the SMA during the course of training. Whole brain univariate and functional connectivity analyses showed common as well as distinct patterns in the four groups, representing the varied influences of feedback, reward, and instructions on the brain. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3153-3171, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.