00560nas a2200193 4500008004100000245004000041210004000081300000900121490000700130100001300137700001900150700001600169700002200185700002500207700001900232700001900251700001700270856007900287 2024 eng d00aGraded decisions in the human brain0 aGraded decisions in the human brain a43080 v151 aXie, Tao1 aAdamek, Markus1 aCho, Hohyun1 aAdamo, Matthew, A1 aRitaccio, Anthony, L1 aWillie, Jon, T1 aBrunner, Peter1 aKubanek, Jan uhttps://neurotechcenter.org/publications/2024/graded-decisions-human-brain01911nas a2200349 4500008004100000022001400041245004100055210004000096260001600136300000900152490000700161520102100168653001001189653001001199653002001209653002001229653001101249653001101260653000901271653001801280653001601298653001601314100001301330700001901343700001601362700002201378700002501400700001901425700001901444700001701463856008101480 2024 eng d a2041-172300aGraded decisions in the human brain.0 aGraded decisions in the human brain c2024 May 21 a43080 v153 a

Decision-makers objectively commit to a definitive choice, yet at the subjective level, human decisions appear to be associated with a degree of uncertainty. Whether decisions are definitive (i.e., concluding in all-or-none choices), or whether the underlying representations are graded, remains unclear. To answer this question, we recorded intracranial neural signals directly from the brain while human subjects made perceptual decisions. The recordings revealed that broadband gamma activity reflecting each individual's decision-making process, ramped up gradually while being graded by the accumulated decision evidence. Crucially, this grading effect persisted throughout the decision process without ever reaching a definite bound at the time of choice. This effect was most prominent in the parietal cortex, a brain region traditionally implicated in decision-making. These results provide neural evidence for a graded decision process in humans and an analog framework for flexible choice behavior.

10aAdult10aBrain10aChoice Behavior10aDecision Making10aFemale10aHumans10aMale10aParietal Lobe10aUncertainty10aYoung Adult1 aXie, Tao1 aAdamek, Markus1 aCho, Hohyun1 aAdamo, Matthew, A1 aRitaccio, Anthony, L1 aWillie, Jon, T1 aBrunner, Peter1 aKubanek, Jan uhttps://neurotechcenter.org/publications/2024/graded-decisions-human-brain-002500nas a2200385 4500008004100000022001400041245010500055210006900160260001600229300000900245490000700254520128700261653003001548653001701578653002701595653001101622653002501633653001801658653004601676653001901722100002201741700001901763700001701782700001301799700001901812700001601831700002201847700001801869700002301887700002101910700001901931700002401950700002301974856011701997 2024 eng d a2045-232200aA novel theta-controlled vibrotactile brain-computer interface to treat chronic pain: a pilot study.0 anovel thetacontrolled vibrotactile braincomputer interface to tr c2024 Feb 10 a34330 v143 a

Limitations in chronic pain therapies necessitate novel interventions that are effective, accessible, and safe. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide a promising modality for targeting neuropathology underlying chronic pain by converting recorded neural activity into perceivable outputs. Recent evidence suggests that increased frontal theta power (4-7 Hz) reflects pain relief from chronic and acute pain. Further studies have suggested that vibrotactile stimulation decreases pain intensity in experimental and clinical models. This longitudinal, non-randomized, open-label pilot study's objective was to reinforce frontal theta activity in six patients with chronic upper extremity pain using a novel vibrotactile neurofeedback BCI system. Patients increased their BCI performance, reflecting thought-driven control of neurofeedback, and showed a significant decrease in pain severity (1.29 ± 0.25 MAD, p = 0.03, q = 0.05) and pain interference (1.79 ± 1.10 MAD p = 0.03, q = 0.05) scores without any adverse events. Pain relief significantly correlated with frontal theta modulation. These findings highlight the potential of BCI-mediated cortico-sensory coupling of frontal theta with vibrotactile stimulation for alleviating chronic pain.

10abrain-computer interfaces10aChronic Pain10aElectroencephalography10aHumans10aLongitudinal Studies10aNeurofeedback10aNon-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic10aPilot Projects1 aDemarest, Phillip1 aRustamov, Nabi1 aSwift, James1 aXie, Tao1 aAdamek, Markus1 aCho, Hohyun1 aWilson, Elizabeth1 aHan, Zhuangyu1 aBelsten, Alexander1 aLuczak, Nicholas1 aBrunner, Peter1 aHaroutounian, Simon1 aLeuthardt, Eric, C uhttps://neurotechcenter.org/publications/2024/novel-theta-controlled-vibrotactile-brain-computer-interface-treat00790nas a2200229 4500008004100000245010600041210007100147300000900218490000700227100002200234700001900256700001700275700001300292700001900305700001600324700002200340700001800362700002300380700002100403700001100424856012500435 2024 eng d00aA novel theta-controlled vibrotactile brain–computer interface to treat chronic pain: a pilot study0 anovel thetacontrolled vibrotactile brain–computer interface to t a34330 v141 aDemarest, Phillip1 aRustamov, Nabi1 aSwift, James1 aXie, Tao1 aAdamek, Markus1 aCho, Hohyun1 aWilson, Elizabeth1 aHan, Zhuangyu1 aBelsten, Alexander1 aLuczak, Nicholas1 aothers uhttps://neurotechcenter.org/publications/2024/novel-theta-controlled-vibrotactile-brain%E2%80%93computer-interface-treat02317nas a2200253 4500008004100000022001400041245011300055210006900168260001200237520148500249100001301734700001401747700001901761700001801780700002101798700001801819700001801837700001701855700001801872700001901890700001901909700001601928856011901944 2022 eng d a1741-255200aAutomated intraoperative central sulcus localization and somatotopic mapping using median nerve stimulation.0 aAutomated intraoperative central sulcus localization and somatot c07/20223 a

OBJECTIVE: Accurate identification of functional cortical regions is essential in neurological resection. The central sulcus (CS) is an important landmark that delineates functional cortical regions. Median nerve stimulation (MNS) is a standard procedure to identify the position of the CS intraoperatively. In this paper, we introduce an automated procedure that uses MNS to rapidly localize the CS and create functional somatotopic maps.

APPROACH: We recorded electrocorticographic signals from 13 patients who underwent MNS in the course of an awake craniotomy. We analyzed these signals to develop an automated procedure that determines the location of the CS and that also produces functional somatotopic maps.

MAIN RESULTS: The comparison between our automated method and visual inspection performed by the neurosurgeon shows that our procedure has a high sensitivity (89%) in identifying the CS. Further, we found substantial concordance between the functional somatotopic maps generated by our method and passive functional mapping (92% sensitivity).

SIGNIFICANCE: Our automated MNS-based method can rapidly localize the CS and create functional somatotopic maps without imposing additional burden on the clinical procedure. With additional development and validation, our method may lead to a diagnostic tool that guides neurosurgeon and reduces postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing resective brain surgery.

1 aXie, Tao1 aWu, Zehan1 aSchalk, Gerwin1 aTong, Yusheng1 aVato, Alessandro1 aRaviv, Nataly1 aGuo, Qinglong1 aYe, Huanpeng1 aSheng, Xinjun1 aZhu, Xiangyang1 aBrunner, Peter1 aChen, Liang uhttps://neurotechcenter.org/publications/2022/automated-intraoperative-central-sulcus-localization-and-somatotopic