Experimental Brain Research最新文献

The study examined the impact of mind wandering (MW) on situation awareness (SA) under varying task difficulties and pinpointed the sensitive SA indicators. 43 participants completed the shearer status monitoring task under simple and complex tasks. It collected operational performance, SAGAT, SART, eye movements, and EEG data, followed by linear mixed models analysis. The results showed that: (1) During the simple task, MW with meta-awareness led to higher performance and SA compared to MW without meta-awareness. In the complex task, SA of MW without meta-awareness surpassed that of MW with meta-awareness. (2) MW without meta-awareness exhibited longer average fixation durations in the simple task. Furthermore, MW with meta-awareness showed inferior β1 and β2 absolute powers in the complex task. (3) β1 and β2 relative power, β2 absolute power, θ/β1, and θ/β2 weakly correlated with SAGAT in MW with meta-awareness, suggesting potential as sensitive SA indicators. SA moderately negatively correlates with fixation intensity. Conversely, δ and θ relative power, β1 and β2 relative power, β2 absolute power, θ/α1, θ/α2, θ/β1, and θ/β2 weakly correlated with SART in MW without meta-awareness, indicating potential as sensitive SA indicators. Moreover, fixation frequency may be linked to brain alertness levels. (4) As task difficulty increased, performance and SA decreased, whereas eye movement data increased. The research reveals the internal relationship between subconscious MW and SA under different task difficulties, and identifies a series of potentially sensitive physiological indicators. It provides a new perspective and empirical basis for further exploring the impact of MW on SA. The research findings can offer certain references for the optimization of operator training content and the design of information requirements for monitoring interfaces.

Mental fatigue (MF) has a significant impact on performance and decision-making in various contexts. It is considered a transient psychophysiological state characterized by impaired cognition and behavior across a range of dynamic contexts. This condition is related to changes in activity and connectivity across certain brain regions. Despite advances in understanding MF, the neural mechanisms remain unclear, necessitating further investigation. This systematic review synthesizes task-based fMRI evidence on MF during prolonged tasks, identifies convergent activation patterns and methodological gaps, and outlines possible future research. Following PRISMA, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO and Embase until November 6th, 2025. Eligible studies involved healthy participants, a mentally fatiguing task ≥ 30 min, and task-based BOLD fMRI acquired either on-task or in pre/post designs. Study characteristics and fMRI findings were extracted; risk of bias was appraised with NIH tools. Nine studies (n = 235) met the inclusion criteria. Across both designs an increase in MF was recurrently linked to higher activation in prefrontal and salience-related regions (DLPFC/VLPFC/DMPFC, ACC, insula) and the thalamus, while tendencies towards deactivation in posterior cortices (parieto-occipital/precuneus) were observed. Some studies also reported cerebellar effects. This review demonstrates the complexity of the neural correlates of MF and underscores the need for comprehensive research to understand its impact on brain functioning.

The thumb plays a crucial role in hand function, yet its proprioceptive abilities remain poorly understood. Here we quantified dynamic thumb localization ability, as well as how this ability adapts to a perturbation, in unimpaired participants. For this, we developed a novel task in which a robot moved the thumb in a circle and participants pressed a button when they felt their thumb aligning with a target point on a screen, receiving visual error feedback in the form of a ball jumping toward the target after they pushed the button. The task also incorporated a propriovisual rotational perturbation to elicit and measure adaptation. To characterize thumb localization ability, we varied thumb speed and rotation diameter, assessed the effect of the propriovisual rotational perturbation, and compared index finger performance. Following task familiarization, average thumb localization error was relatively consistent, with a constant error (CE) of - 5.9°, variable error (VE) of 25.2°, and absolute error (AE) of 29.2°. Errors did not change significantly with speed or circle diameter. Reversing thumb rotation temporarily increased error followed by rapid error adaptation across the next 20 trials, as would be expected if individuals adapted using a body-centered (movement-aligned) frame of reference rather than a world-centered spatial frame. Localization error was comparable for the thumb and the index finger error for the same task and was correlated with a different, robotic assessment of finger proprioception (ρ = 0.61, p = 0.001). These findings indicate that dynamic thumb localization is somewhat inaccurate, although it can leverage visual feedback within a body-centered reference frame to adapt. Further, in unimpaired adults, the dynamic localization abilities of the thumb and index finger are related.

To explore the association between lymphocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (LHR) and pain in Parkinson's disease (PD). In this cross-sectional study, 133 inpatients with PD (84 with pain, 49 without pain) were consecutively recruited. Demographic, clinical, and peripheral immune-inflammatory markers were compared between PD patients with and without pain. Risk factors were identified through binary logistic regression. The independent association of the LHR with pain was assessed using multivariable logistic regression, with progressive adjustment for demographic, clinical, and comorbidity factors. Subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the consistency of the association across different clinical subgroups. Compared with patients without pain, those with pain had higher levodopa equivalent daily dose, more severe motor symptoms, greater levels of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, along with elevated LHR. Binary logistic regression identified LHR (odds ratio [OR] = 3.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.56-8.49, P = 0.003) as independent risk factors for pain. In the multivariable model, adjusted for key covariates including age, sex, disease duration, and major comorbidities, LHR remained a significant and independent risk factor (adjusted OR = 4.50, 95% CI 1.77-11.47, P = 0.002). Subgroup analyses confirmed the stability of this association across age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, disease duration, and age at onset, with no significant interactions observed (P > 0.05). In this observational study, a higher LHR was positively associated with pain in PD. Future studies should validate these findings and explore LHR-based interventions.

Previous research has shown that different grasping actions selectively influence the processing of simple visual features based on their relevance to the specific action. However, it remains uncertain if this interaction extends to higher-order information, such as the global configuration extracted from an array of visual elements. The present study investigated the impact of different grasping types on the processing of configural shape information in visual working memory (VWM). In Experiment 1, participants engaged in a VWM change detection task while producing either power- or precision-grasping actions. The availability of configural shape information was manipulated through the presence or absence of surrounding circles around oriented bars. The results showed that configural shape information in the memory array overall benefited participants' change detection performance. Importantly, the effect of configural shape on memory performance was modulated by grasping type, with a greater configural benefit under precision-grasping compared to power-grasping. Experiment 2 replicated those findings under different task demands that required maintaining the grasp postures, while controlling for differences in the physical appearance of stimuli across conditions. Together, the findings highlight the role of grasping type in modulating the processing of configural shape information: different grasping actions influence how configural shape information is encoded and maintained in visual working memory.

The aim of this study was to evaluate hand muscle strength, dexterity and hand sensation in individuals with type 2 diabetes with and without peripheral neuropathy. The study was completed with a total of 57 patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN+) (n = 31) and without diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN-) (n = 26). Semmes-Weinstein Monofilament Test (SWMT) was used for light touch sensation, 128 Hz tuning fork for vibration sensation, esthesiometer for two-point discrimination sensation, Baseline hydraulic hand dynamometer for rough grip strength, Baseline pinch meter for finger pinch strength, and 9-hole peg test (NHPT) for manual dexterity. When light touch sensation was examined in DPN+ and DPN- groups, a significant difference was found between the groups (p < 0.05). When two-point discrimination sense was evaluated between the DPN+ and DPN- groups, it was found to be significant in favor of the DPN+ group in the 1st finger of the right hand and 2nd and 3rd fingers of the left hand (p < 0.05). Rough grip strength values ​​were found to be significantly lower in the DPN+ group in both hands (p < 0.05). In the DPN+ group, left 1st and 2nd finger pinch strength values ​​were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). Manual dexterity values ​​were significantly higher in the DPN+ group (p < 0.05). Peripheral sensory nerve involvement in diabetic patients reduces hand grip strength and hand function. Understanding these connections between diabetes, sensation, and muscle strength is important for developing targeted interventions and rehabilitation strategies to help diabetic patients maintain their quality of life.