Journal of neuroscience methods
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jan 2015
On the use of information theory for the analysis of synchronous nociceptive withdrawal reflexes and somatosensory evoked potentials elicited by graded electrical stimulation.
To date, few studies have combined the simultaneous acquisition of nociceptive withdrawal reflexes (NWR) and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). In fact, it is unknown whether the combination of these two signals acquired simultaneously could provide additional information on somatosensory processing at spinal and supraspinal level compared to individual NWR and SEP signals. ⋯ The current study introduces a novel approach that allows the quantification of the individual and joint information content of single-trial NWR and SEP features. This methodology could be used to decode and interpret spinal and supraspinal interaction in studies modulating the responsiveness of the nociceptive system.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jan 2015
Extra tree forests for sub-acute ischemic stroke lesion segmentation in MR sequences.
To analyse the relationship between structure and (dys-)function of the brain after stroke, accurate and repeatable segmentation of the lesion area in magnetic resonance (MR) images is required. Manual delineation, the current gold standard, is time consuming and suffers from high intra- and inter-observer differences. ⋯ The approach proves especially suitable to differentiate between new stroke and other white matter lesions based on the FLAIR sequence alone. This, and the high overlap, renders it suitable for automatic screening of large databases of MR scans, e.g. for a subsequent neuropsychological investigation. Finally, each feature's importance is assessed in detail and the approach's statistical dependency on clinical and image characteristics is investigated.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jan 2015
Volumetric imaging of brain activity with spatial-frequency decoding of neuromagnetic signals.
The brain generates signals in a wide frequency range (∼2840 Hz). Existing magnetoencephalography (MEG) methods typically detect brain activity in a median-frequency range (1-70 Hz). The objective of the present study was to develop a new method to utilize the frequency signatures for source imaging. ⋯ The new method could accurately localize both low- and high-frequency brain activities. The detection of high-frequency MEG signals can open a new avenue in the study of the human brain function as well as a variety of brain disorders.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jan 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialMethodology for studying the transient effects of transcranial direct current stimulation combined with auditory residual inhibition on tinnitus.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and auditory residual inhibition (RI) are short lasting non-invasive techniques that can suppress tinnitus in some people. A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate methods to measure a potential additive effect of these treatments. ⋯ We propose modifications in the protocol used, to find ways to increase the duration of auditory RI and investigate its underlying mechanisms. Recommendations for further research are discussed.
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J. Neurosci. Methods · Jan 2015
Novel methods of applying direct chemical and mechanical stimulation to the oral mucosa for traditional behavioral pain assays in conscious rats.
Stomatitis induces severe and painful hypersensitivity to pungency and physical contact during meals. Many studies have used anesthetized animals to examine evoked nociception in the oral mucosa, but no reports have used traditional behavioral assays to evaluate nociception in conscious animals. ⋯ The intraoral dropping and stable intraoral opening methods can be used in combination with traditional behavioral assays to evaluate nociception in the oral mucosa of conscious rats.