Journal of neuroscience methods
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We challenge a number of the claims for novelty and innovation made in a recent published paper (Lee et al., 2014) with regard to a computerised methodology that these authors present for assessing eye-hand coordination (EHC). Published work on similar pre-existing computerised systems is discussed and arguments made for these alternative systems being equal, if not superior, in terms of their innovativeness. The commentary does not dispute the usefulness of systems such as the one described by Lee et al. Rather, in the interests of scholarship it provides an accompanying insight into the significant scholarly contributions previously, and contemporaneously, being made by other research groups working in this area.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jul 2014
Direct current contamination of kilohertz frequency alternating current waveforms.
Kilohertz frequency alternating current (KHFAC) waveforms are being evaluated in a variety of physiological settings because of their potential to modulate neural activity uniquely when compared to frequencies in the sub-kilohertz range. However, the use of waveforms in this frequency range presents some unique challenges regarding the generator output. In this study we explored the possibility of undesirable contamination of the KHFAC waveforms by direct current (DC). ⋯ Our results demonstrate that both voltage- and current-controlled signal generators can unintentionally add DC-contamination to a KHFAC signal, and that capacitive coupling is not always sufficient to eliminate this contamination. We furthermore demonstrated that high value inductors, placed in parallel with the electrode, can be effective in eliminating DC-contamination irrespective of the type of stimulator, reducing the DC contamination to less than 1 μA. This study highlights the importance of carefully designing the electronic setup used in KHFAC studies and suggests specific testing that should be performed and reported in all studies that assess the neural response to KHFAC waveforms.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jul 2014
Building, testing and validating a set of home-made von Frey filaments: a precise, accurate and cost effective alternative for nociception assessment.
A von Frey filament (vFF) is a type of aesthesiometer usually made of nylon perpendicularly held in a base. It can be used in paw withdrawal pain threshold assessment, one of the most popular tests for pain evaluation using animal models. For this test, a set of filaments, each able to exert a different force, is applied to the animal paw, from the weakest to the strongest, until the paw is withdrawn. ⋯ Building a set of vFF is easy, cost effective, and depending on the kind of tests, can increase precision and accuracy of animal nociception evaluation.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jul 2014
Methods for estimating cortical motor representation size and location in navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) is used for locating and outlining cortical representation areas, e.g., of motor function and speech. At present there are no standard methods of measuring the size of the cortical representation areas mapped with nTMS. The aim was to compare four computation methods for estimating muscle representation size and location for nTMS studies. ⋯ The spline interpolation method and the Voronoi tessellation method could be used for evaluating motor cortical muscle representation size and location with nTMS, e.g., to study cortical plasticity.