Embodied metacognition as strengthened functional connection between neural correlates of metacognition and dance in dancers: exploring creativity implications.

Introduction: Dance education fosters embodied metacognition, enhancing student's creativity. This study examines the crucial role of functional connectivity (FC) between the neural correlates of metacognition (NCM) and dance (NCD) as the neurological foundation for dancers' embodied metacognition. The investigation also explores whether these consolidated FCs inform the general creativity in dancers. Methods: The research involved 29 dancers and 28 non-dancer controls. The study examined resting-state connections of the NCM through seed-based FC analysis. Correlation analyses were employed to investigate the connections between the targeted NCM-NCD FCs, initiated from the a priori NCM seed, and general creativity. Results: Dancers demonstrated heightened FC between NCM and NCD compared to non-dancer controls. The targeted regions included the putamen, globus pallidus, posterior cerebellum, and anterior insula of NCD. The dancers exhibited higher originality scores. In dancers, the enhanced FC showed a negative correlation with originality and a positive correlation with flexibility. Conversely, the controls exhibited no significant correlations. Discussion: Extended dance training enhances the NCM-NCD connection signifying embodied metacognition. This interconnectedness may serve as the neural predisposition for fostering general creativity performance in dancers. Dancers with heightened levels of originality could leverage the relatively weaker NCM-NCD FCs to facilitate better integration and coordination of creative cognitive processes. Our findings suggest that the consolidated functional connections as sculpted by domain-specific training may inform general creativity.

Inner sense of rhythm: percussionist brain activity during rhythmic encoding and synchronization.

Introduction: The main objective of this research is to explore the core cognitive mechanisms utilized by exceptionally skilled percussionists as they navigate complex rhythms. Our specific focus is on understanding the dynamic interactions among brain regions, respectively, related to externally directed cognition (EDC), internally directed cognition (IDC), and rhythm processing, defined as the neural correlates of rhythm processing (NCRP). Methods: The research involved 26 participants each in the percussionist group (PG) and control group (CG), who underwent task-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions focusing on rhythm encoding and synchronization. Comparative analyses were performed between the two groups under each of these conditions. Results: Rhythmic encoding showed decreased activity in EDC areas, specifically in the right calcarine cortex, left middle occipital gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobule, along with reduced NCRP activity in the left dorsal premotor, right sensorimotor cortex, and left superior parietal lobule. During rhythmic synchronization, there was increased activity in IDC areas, particularly in the default mode network, and in NCRP areas including the left inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral putamen. Conversely, EDC areas like the right dorsolateral prefrontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, and bilateral inferior parietal lobule showed decreased activity, as did NCRP areas including the bilateral dorsal premotor cortex, bilateral ventral insula, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, and left superior parietal lobule. Discussion: PG's rhythm encoding is characterized by reduced cognitive effort compared to CG, as evidenced by decreased activity in brain regions associated with EDC and the NCRP. Rhythmic synchronization reveals up-regulated IDC, down-regulated EDC involvement, and dynamic interplay among regions with the NCRP, suggesting that PG engages in both automatic and spontaneous processing simultaneously. These findings provide valuable insights into expert performance and present opportunities for improving music education.

Enhanced white matter fiber tract of the cortical visual system in visual artists: implications for creativity.

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the white matter characteristics of visual artists (VAs) in terms of visual creativity and the structural connectivity within the cortical visual system. Methods: Diffusion spectrum imaging was utilized to examine the changes in white matter within the cortical visual system of a group of VAs (n = 25) in comparison to a group of healthy controls matched for age and education (n = 24). To assess the integrity of white matter and its relationship with visual creativity, we conducted a comprehensive analysis using region-based and track-specific tractographic examinations. Results: Our study uncovered that VAs demonstrated increased normalized quantitative anisotropy in specific brain regions, including the right inferior temporal gyrus and right lateral occipital gyrus, along with the corresponding white matter fiber tracts connecting these regions. These enhancements within the cortical visual system were also found to be correlated with measures of visual creativity obtained through psychological assessments. Discussion: The noted enhancement in the white matter within the cortical visual system of VAs, along with its association with visual creativity, is consistent with earlier research demonstrating heightened functional connectivity in the same system among VAs. Our study's findings suggest a link between the visual creativity of VAs and structural alterations within the brain's visual system.

Corrigendum: Enhanced intrinsic functional connectivity in the visual system of visual artist: implications for creativity.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1114771.].

Clinical standardization for the detection of hemispheric dominance for steady-state auditory evoked fields in normal hearing.

BACKGROUND: Steady-state auditory evoked responses (SSAERs) are promising indicators of major auditory function. The improvement in accessibility in the clinical setting depends on the standardization and definition of the characteristics of SSAERs. There have been some insights into the changes in the interhemispheric dominance of SSAERs in some clinical entities. However, the hemispheric asymmetry of SSAERs in healthy controls remains inconclusive. METHODS: Twelve right-handed healthy volunteers with normal hearing were recruited. Steady-state auditory evoked fields (SSAEFs) were measured binaurally using magnetoencephalography (MEG) under pure-tone auditory stimuli at 1000 Hz with an amplitude modulation frequency of 43 Hz. The laterality index, based on the ratio of SSAEF strength over the right hemisphere to that over the left hemisphere, was also analyzed. RESULTS: The SSAEFs source was localized bilaterally on the superior temporal plane, with an orientation centripetal to the auditory cortex. The laterality index ranged from 1.1 to 2.3, and there were no sex differences. In all subjects, the strength of the SSAEFs was significantly weaker in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere ( p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: Right-sided dominance of the SSAEFs was verified in subjects with normal hearing. Acoustic sources clinically available in audiometric tests were used as stimuli. Such a simplification of parameters would be helpful for the standardization of precise production and the definition of the characteristics of SSAERs. Because MEG is still not easily accessible clinically, further studies using electroencephalography with larger sample sizes are necessary to address these issues.

Trait representation of embodied cognition in dancers pivoting on the extended mirror neuron system: a resting-state fMRI study.

Introduction: Dance is an art form that integrates the body and mind through movement. Dancers develop exceptional physical and mental abilities that involve various neurocognitive processes linked to embodied cognition. We propose that dancers' primary trait representation is movement-actuated and relies on the extended mirror neuron system (eMNS). Methods: A total of 29 dancers and 28 non-dancer controls were recruited. A hierarchical approach of intra-regional and inter-regional functional connectivity (FC) analysis was adopted to probe trait-like neurodynamics within and between regions in the eMNS during rest. Correlation analyses were employed to examine the associations between dance training, creativity, and the FC within and between different brain regions. Results: Within the eMNS, dancers exhibited increased intra-regional FC in various brain regions compared to non-dancers. These regions include the left inferior frontal gyrus, left ventral premotor cortex, left anterior insula, left posterior cerebellum (crus II), and bilateral basal ganglia (putamen and globus pallidus). Dancers also exhibited greater intrinsic inter-regional FC between the cerebellum and the core/limbic mirror areas within the eMNS. In dancers, there was a negative correlation observed between practice intensity and the intrinsic FC within the eMNS involving the cerebellum and basal ganglia. Additionally, FCs from the basal ganglia to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex were found to be negatively correlated with originality in dancers. Discussion: Our results highlight the proficient communication within the cortical-subcortical hierarchy of the eMNS in dancers, linked to the automaticity and cognitive-motor interactions acquired through training. Altered functional couplings in the eMNS can be regarded as a unique neural signature specific to virtuoso dancers, which might predispose them for skilled dancing performance, perception, and creation.

OPRM1 A118G polymorphism modulating motor pathway for pain adaptability in women with primary dysmenorrhea.

Introduction: Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) is a common condition among women of reproductive age, characterized by menstrual pain in the absence of any organic causes. Previous research has established a link between the A118G polymorphism in the mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene and pain experience in PDM. Specifically, carriers of the G allele have been found to exhibit maladaptive functional connectivity between the descending pain modulatory system and the motor system in young women with PDM. This study aims to explore the potential relationship between the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism and changes in white matter in young women with PDM. Methods: The study enrolled 43 individuals with PDM, including 13 AA homozygotes and 30 G allele carriers. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans were performed during both the menstrual and peri-ovulatory phases, and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and probabilistic tractography were used to explore variations in white matter microstructure related to the OPRM1 A118G polymorphism. The short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) was used to access participants' pain experience during the MEN phase. Results: Two-way ANOVA on TBSS analysis revealed a significant main effect of genotype, with no phase effect or phase-gene interaction detected. Planned contrast analysis showed that during the menstrual phase, G allele carriers had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) and lower radial diffusivity in the corpus callosum and the left corona radiata compared to AA homozygotes. Tractographic analysis indicated the involvement of the left internal capsule, left corticospinal tract, and bilateral medial motor cortex. Additionally, the mean FA of the corpus callosum and the corona radiata was negatively correlated with MPQ scales in AA homozygotes, but this correlation was not observed in G allele carriers. No significant genotype difference was found during the pain-free peri-ovulary phase. Discussion: OPRM1 A118G polymorphism may influence the connection between structural integrity and dysmenorrheic pain, where the G allele could impede the pain-regulating effects of the A allele. These novel findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms of both adaptive and maladaptive structural neuroplasticity in PDM, depending on the specific OPRM1 polymorphism.

Enhanced intrinsic functional connectivity in the visual system of visual artist: Implications for creativity.

Introduction: This study sought to elucidate the cognitive traits of visual artists (VAs) from the perspective of visual creativity and the visual system (i.e., the most fundamental neural correlate). Methods: We examined the local and long-distance intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) of the visual system to unravel changes in brain traits among VAs. Twenty-seven university students majoring in visual arts and 27 non-artist controls were enrolled. Results: VAs presented enhanced local FC in the right superior parietal lobule, right precuneus, left inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), left superior parietal lobule, left angular gyrus, and left middle occipital gyrus. VAs also presented enhanced FC with the ITG that targeted the visual area (occipital gyrus and cuneus), which appears to be associated with visual creativity. Discussion: The visual creativity of VAs was correlated with strength of intrinsic functional connectivity in the visual system. Learning-induced neuroplasticity as a trait change observed in VAs can be attributed to the macroscopic consolidation of consociated neural circuits that are engaged over long-term training in the visual arts and aesthetic experience. The consolidated network can be regarded as virtuoso-specific neural fingerprint.

Adaptive neuroplasticity in the default mode network contributing to absence of central sensitization in primary dysmenorrhea.

Introduction: Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM), the most prevalent gynecological problem among women of reproductive age, presents as a regular pattern of cyclic menstrual pain. The presence or absence of central sensitization (i.e., pain hypersensitivity) in cases of PDM is a contentious issue. Among Caucasians, the presence of dysmenorrhea is associated with pain hypersensitivity throughout the menstrual cycle, indicating pain amplification mediated by the central nervous system. We previously reported on the absence of central sensitization to thermal pain among Asian PDM females. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to reveal mechanisms underlying pain processing with the aim of explaining the absence of central sensitization in this population. Methods: Brain responses to noxious heat applied to the left inner forearm of 31 Asian PDM females and 32 controls during their menstrual and periovulatory phases were analyzed. Results and discussion: Among PDM females experiencing acute menstrual pain, we observed a blunted evoked response and de-coupling of the default mode network from the noxious heat stimulus. The fact that a similar response was not observed in the non-painful periovulatory phase indicates an adaptive mechanism aimed at reducing the impact of menstrual pain on the brain with an inhibitory effect on central sensitization. Here we propose that adaptive pain responses in the default mode network may contribute to the absence of central sensitization among Asian PDM females. Variations in clinical manifestations among different PDM populations can be attributed to differences in central pain processing.

Long-term musical training induces white matter plasticity in emotion and language networks.

Numerous studies have reported that long-term musical training can affect brain functionality and induce structural alterations in the brain. Singing is a form of vocal musical expression with an unparalleled capacity for communicating emotion; however, there has been relatively little research on neuroplasticity at the network level in vocalists (i.e., noninstrumental musicians). Our objective in this study was to elucidate changes in the neural network architecture following long-term training in the musical arts. We employed a framework based on graph theory to depict the connectivity and efficiency of structural networks in the brain, based on diffusion-weighted images obtained from 35 vocalists, 27 pianists, and 33 nonmusicians. Our results revealed that musical training (both voice and piano) could enhance connectivity among emotion-related regions of the brain, such as the amygdala. We also discovered that voice training reshaped the architecture of experience-dependent networks, such as those involved in vocal motor control, sensory feedback, and language processing. It appears that vocal-related changes in areas such as the insula, paracentral lobule, supramarginal gyrus, and putamen are associated with functional segregation, multisensory integration, and enhanced network interconnectivity. These results suggest that long-term musical training can strengthen or prune white matter connectivity networks in an experience-dependent manner.

Variant brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism engages memory-associated systems to augment olfaction.

The neurogenetic basis of variability in human olfactory function remains elusive. This study examined olfactory performance and resting-state functional neuroimaging results from healthy volunteers within the context of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) val66met polymorphism with the aim of unraveling the genotype-associated intrinsic reorganization of the olfactory network. We found that the presence of the Met allele is associated with better olfactory identification and additional engagement of semantic memory system within the olfactory network, in an allele dosage-dependent manner. This suggests that the Met allele may promote adaptive neural reorganization to augment olfactory capacity.

MEG-based Classification and Grad-CAM Visualization for Major Depressive and Bipolar Disorders with Semi-CNN.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are two major mood disorders with partly overlapped symptoms but different treatments. However, their misdiagnosis and mistreatment are common based on the DSM-V criteria, lacking objective and quantitative indicators. This study aimed to develop a novel approach that accurately classifies MDD and BD based on their resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals during euthymic phases. A revisited 3D CNN model, Semi-CNN, that could automatically detect brainwave patterns in spatial, temporal, and frequency domains was implemented to classify wavelet-transformed MEG signals of normal controls and MDD and BD patients. The model achieved a test accuracy of 96.05% and an average of 95.71% accuracy for 5-fold cross-validation. Furthermore, saliency maps of the model were estimated using Grad-CAM++ to visualize the proposed classification model and highlight disease-specific brain regions and frequencies. Clinical Relevance - Our model provides a stable pipeline that accurately classifies MDD, BD, and healthy individuals based on resting-state MEG signals during the euthymic phases, opening the potential for quantitative and accurate brain-based diagnosis for the highly misdiagnosed MDD/BD patients.

Altered metabolic connectivity between the amygdala and default mode network is related to pain perception in patients with cancer.

We investigated the neural correlates for chronic cancer pain conditions by retrospectively analyzing whole brain regions on 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography images acquired from 80 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal cancer. The patients were divided into three groups according to perceived pain severity and type of analgesic treatment, namely patients not under analgesic treatment because of no or minor pain, patients with good pain control under analgesic treatment, and patients with poor pain control despite analgesic treatment. Uncontrollable cancer pain enhanced the activity of the hippocampus, amygdala, inferior temporal gyrus, and temporal pole. Metabolic connectivity analysis further showed that amygdala co-activation with the hippocampus was reduced in the group with poor pain control and preserved in the groups with no or minor pain and good pain control. The increased although imbalanced activity of the medial temporal regions may represent poor pain control in patients with cancer. The number of patients who used anxiolytics was higher in the group with poor pain control, whereas the usage rates were comparable between the other two groups. Therefore, further studies should investigate the relationship between psychological conditions and pain in patients with cancer and analyze the resultant brain activity.Trial registration: This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov on 9/3/20 (NCT04537845).

Pros and cons in tinnitus brain: Enhancement of global connectivity for alpha and delta waves.

Interactions among cortical areas of tinnitus brain remained unclear. Weaker alpha and stronger delta activities in tinnitus have been noted over auditory cortices. However, the interplay between a single substrate with whole brain within alpha/delta band remained unknown. Thirty-one patients with chronic tinnitus were recruited. Thirty-four healthy volunteers served as controls. Magnetoencephalographic measurements of spontaneous activities were performed. The strength of alpha/delta activities was analyzed. By dividing cortices into 38 regions of interest (ROIs), measurements of connectivity were performed using amplitude envelope correlation (AEC). Global connectivity was calculated by adding and averaging connectivity of single ROI with every other region. There were no significant differences in mean power of alpha and delta band between groups, despite the trend of stronger alpha and weaker delta band in controls. The global connectivity of alpha wave was significantly stronger in tinnitus for left frontal pole, and of delta wave for bilateral pars orbitalis, bilateral superior temporal, bilateral middle temporal, right pars triangularis, right transverse temporal, right inferior temporal, and right supra-marginal. The global connectivity of alpha/delta waves was enhanced for tinnitus in designated ROIs of frontal/temporal/parietal lobes. The underlying mechanism(s) might be associated with augmentation/modulation of tinnitus perception. Our results corroborated the evolving consensus about neural correlates inside frontal/temporal/parietal lobes as essential elements of hubs for central processing of tinnitus. Further study to explore the resolution of effective connectivity between those ROIs and respective substrates by using AEC will be necessary for the evaluation of pathogenetic scenario for tinnitus.

A novel beamformer-based imaging of phase-amplitude coupling (BIPAC) unveiling the inter-regional connectivity of emotional prosody processing in women with primary dysmenorrhea.

Objective. Neural communication or the interactions of brain regions play a key role in the formation of functional neural networks. A type of neural communication can be measured in the form of phase-amplitude coupling (PAC), which is the coupling between the phase of low-frequency oscillations and the amplitude of high-frequency oscillations. This paper presents a beamformer-based imaging method, beamformer-based imaging of PAC (BIPAC), to quantify the strength of PAC between a seed region and other brain regions.Approach. A dipole is used to model the ensemble of neural activity within a group of nearby neurons and represents a mixture of multiple source components of cortical activity. From ensemble activity at each brain location, the source component with the strongest coupling to the seed activity is extracted, while unrelated components are suppressed to enhance the sensitivity of coupled-source estimation.Main results. In evaluations using simulation data sets, BIPAC proved advantageous with regard to estimation accuracy in source localization, orientation, and coupling strength. BIPAC was also applied to the analysis of magnetoencephalographic signals recorded from women with primary dysmenorrhea in an implicit emotional prosody experiment. In response to negative emotional prosody, auditory areas revealed strong PAC with the ventral auditory stream and occipitoparietal areas in the theta-gamma and alpha-gamma bands, which may respectively indicate the recruitment of auditory sensory memory and attention reorientation. Moreover, patients with more severe pain experience appeared to have stronger coupling between auditory areas and temporoparietal regions.Significance. Our findings indicate that the implicit processing of emotional prosody is altered by menstrual pain experience. The proposed BIPAC is feasible and applicable to imaging inter-regional connectivity based on cross-frequency coupling estimates. The experimental results also demonstrate that BIPAC is capable of revealing autonomous brain processing and neurodynamics, which are more subtle than active and attended task-driven processing.

Neuroprotective effect of Val variant of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on hippocampus is modulated by the severity of menstrual pain.

Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) refers to menstrual pain of which the pathological cause(s) are unknown. This study examined the associations among BDNF Val66Met polymorphisms, menstrual pain severity, and hippocampal volume among young PDM subjects. We recruited 115 PDM subjects, including severe cases (n = 66) and moderate cases (n = 44), and 117 young females (aged 20-30 years) as a control group (CON) for BDNF Val66Met genotyping and MRI examination. The assessment of hippocampal volume involved analysis at various anatomical resolutions, i.e., whole hippocampal volume, hippocampal subfields, and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) volumetric analysis. Two-way ANOVA analyses with planned contrasts and Bonferroni correction were conducted for the assessment of hippocampal volume. Linear regression was used to test for BDNF Val66Met Val allele dosage-dependent effects. We observed no main effects of group, genotype, or group-genotype interactions on bilateral whole hippocampal volumes. Significant interactions between PDM severity and BDNF Val66Met genotype were observed in the right whole hippocampus, subiculum, and molecular layer. Post-hoc analysis revealed that the average hippocampal volume of Val/Val moderate PDM subjects was greater than that of Val/Val severe PDM subjects. Note that right hippocampal volume was greater in the Val/Val group than in the Met/Met group, particularly in the right posterior hippocampal region. Dosage effect analysis revealed a positive dosage-dependent relationship between the Val allele and volume of the right whole hippocampus, subiculum, molecular layer, and VBM-defined right posterior hippocampal region in the moderate PDM subgroup only. These findings indicate that Val/Val PDM subjects are resistant to intermittent moderate pain-related stress, whereas Met carrier PDM subjects are susceptible. When confronted with years of repeated PDM stress, the hippocampus can undergo differential structural changes in accordance with the BDNF genotype and pain severity. This triad study on PDM (i.e., combining genotype with endophenotype imaging results and clinical phenotypes), underscores the potential neurobiological consequences of PDM, which may prefigure in neuroimaging abnormalities associated with various chronic pain disorders. Our results provide evidence for Val allele dosage-dependent protective effects on the hippocampal structure; however, in cases of the Val variant, these effects were modulated in accordance with the severity of menstrual pain.

From "Aha!" to "Haha!" Using Humor to Cope with Negative Stimuli.

Humor has been considered an effective emotion regulation strategy, and some behavioral studies have examined its superior effects on negative emotion regulation. However, its neural mechanisms remain unknown. Our functional magnetic resonance imaging study directly compared the emotion regulation effects and neural bases of humorous coping (reappraisal) and ordinary reappraisal following exposure to negative pictures. The behavioral results suggested that humorous reappraisal was more effective in downregulating negative emotions and upregulating positive emotions both in the short and long term. We also found 2 cooperative neural pathways involved in coping with negative stimuli by means of humor: the "hippocampal-thalamic-frontal pathway" and the "amygdala-cerebellar pathway." The former is associated with the restructuring of mental representations of negative situations and accompanied by an insightful ("Aha!") experience, while the latter is associated with humorous emotional release and accompanied by an expression of laughter ("Haha!"). Furthermore, the degree of hippocampal functional connectivity with both the thalamus and frontal cortex was positively correlated with changes in positive emotion, and this result implied that the degree of emotion regulation could be strongly directly related to the depth of cognitive reconstruction. These findings highlight that regulating negative emotions with humor involves cognitive restructuring and the release of positive emotions.

Changes in resting-state functional connectivity in nonacute sciatica with acupuncture modulation: A preliminary study.

AIMS: To investigate the functional connectivity (FC) in nonacute sciatica and the neuronal correlation of acupuncture analgesia. METHODS: A prospective study employing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted. Twelve sciatica patients were enrolled to receive six or 18 acupoints of acupuncture treatment twice a week for 4 weeks. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) and seed-based FC were performed. RESULTS: Regional homogeneity analysis demonstrated a greater alteration in the right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) during the pre-acupuncture phase than during the postacupuncture phase. Compared to that of healthy controls, the PCC-seeded FC (default mode network, DMN) of sciatica patients exhibited hyperconnectivity of PCC-FC with the PCC-bilateral insula, cerebellum, inferior parietal lobule, right medial prefrontal cortex, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex during the pre-acupuncture phase as well as hypoconnectivity of PCC-FC with the right cerebellum, left precuneus, and left dorsal medial prefrontal cortex during the postacupuncture phase. Correlation analysis between PCC-seeded FC and behavior measurements revealed a positive association with the duration of sciatica in the right inferior parietal lobule prior to acupuncture treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture in chronic sciatica patients is associated with normalized DMN activity and modulation of descending pain processing. The changes in the subclinical endophenotype of brain FC after acupuncture treatment may provide clues for understanding the mechanism of acupuncture-mediated analgesia in chronic pain.

Steady-state auditory evoked fields reflect long-term effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in tinnitus.

OBJECTIVES: Evidence of plastic changes in tinnitus has been demonstrated in functional brain imaging. Although repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to decrease steady-state auditory evoked fields (SSAEFs) in tinnitus, the long-term consequence remained unknown. In addition, association between plastic changes as reflected by hemispheric asymmetry and tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) before and after rTMS have not been addressed. METHODS: Twelve tinnitus patients received rTMS and 12 received sham stimulation. Another 12 healthy participants served as the normal hearing controls. Patients responded to the THI before the 1st session and at one month after the final session of rTMS/sham stimulation. Changes in brain activity were assessed by measuring SSAEFs. RESULTS: SSAEFs remained decreased one month after rTMS compared to before treatment, along with a significant reduction in THI score. There was no significant effect between the index of hemispheric asymmetry and THI score. CONCLUSIONS: The current study objectively demonstrated the long-term effects of rTMS on tinnitus using SSAEFs. A longitudinal study to develop an index using SSAEFs to assess the subjective severity of tinnitus is warranted. SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests the possible use of SSAEFs to assess the long-term effects of rTMS on tinnitus.

Differing Spontaneous Brain Activity in Healthy Adults with Two Different Body Constitutions: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners assess body constitution (BC) as a treatment basis for maintaining body homeostasis. We investigated patterns in spontaneous brain activity in different BC groups using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) and determined the relationship between these patterns and quality of life (QOL). Thirty-two healthy individuals divided into two groups (body constitution questionnaire (BCQ)-gentleness [BCQ-G] and BCQ-deficiency [BCQ-D]) based on the body constitution questionnaire (BCQ) underwent rsfMRI to analyze regional homogeneity (ReHo) and the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF). The World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments (brief edition) scale was used to evaluate the QOL. The BCQ-G group (n = 18) had significantly greater ReHo values in the right postcentral gyrus and lower ALFF values in the brainstem than the BCQ-D group (n = 14). In the BCQ-D group, decreased ReHo of the postcentral gyrus correlated with better physiological functioning; increased ALFF in the brainstem correlated with poor QOL. BCQ-subgroup analysis revealed a nonsignificant correlation between ReHo and Yang deficiency/phlegm and stasis (Phl & STA). Nonetheless, the BCQ-D group showed a positive correlation between ALFF and Phl & STA in the parahippocampus. This study identified differences between BCQ-G and BCQ-D types of healthy adults based on the rsfMRI analysis. The different BCQ types with varied brain endophenotypes may elucidate individualized TCM treatment strategies.