scholarly journals Loss of consciousness reduces the stability of brain hubs and the heterogeneity of brain dynamics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ane López-González ◽  
Rajanikant Panda ◽  
Adrián Ponce-Alvarez ◽  
Gorka Zamora-López ◽  
Anira Escrichs ◽  
...  

AbstractLow-level states of consciousness are characterised by disruptions of brain dynamics that sustain arousal and awareness. Yet, how structural, dynamical, local and network brain properties interplay in the different levels of consciousness is unknown. Here, we studied the fMRI brain dynamics from patients that suffered brain injuries leading to a disorder of consciousness and from subjects undergoing propofol-induced anaesthesia. We showed that pathological and pharmacological low-level states of consciousness displayed less recurrent, less diverse, less connected, and more segregated synchronization patterns than conscious states. We interpreted these effects using whole-brain models built on healthy and injured connectomes. We showed that altered dynamics arise from a global reduction of network interactions, together with more homogeneous and more structurally constrained local dynamics. These effects were accentuated using injured connectomes. Notably, these changes lead the hub regions to lose their stability during low-level states of consciousness, thus attenuating the core-periphery structure of brain dynamics.

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ane López-González ◽  
Rajanikant Panda ◽  
Adrián Ponce-Alvarez ◽  
Gorka Zamora-López ◽  
Anira Escrichs ◽  
...  

AbstractLow-level states of consciousness are characterized by disruptions of brain activity that sustain arousal and awareness. Yet, how structural, dynamical, local and network brain properties interplay in the different levels of consciousness is unknown. Here, we study fMRI brain dynamics from patients that suffered brain injuries leading to a disorder of consciousness and from healthy subjects undergoing propofol-induced sedation. We show that pathological and pharmacological low-level states of consciousness display less recurrent, less connected and more segregated synchronization patterns than conscious state. We use whole-brain models built upon healthy and injured structural connectivity to interpret these dynamical effects. We found that low-level states of consciousness were associated with reduced network interactions, together with more homogeneous and more structurally constrained local dynamics. Notably, these changes lead the structural hub regions to lose their stability during low-level states of consciousness, thus attenuating the differences between hubs and non-hubs brain dynamics.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Fuentes ◽  
Alexis García ◽  
Ramón Guevara ◽  
Roberto Orofino ◽  
Diego M. Mateos

AbstractThe use of anaesthesia is a fundamental tool in the investigation of consciousness. Anesthesia procedures allow to investigate different states of consciousness from sedation to deep anesthesia within controlled scenarios. In this study we use information quantifiers to measure the complexity of electrocorticogram recordings in monkeys. We apply these metrics to compare different stages of general anesthesia for evaluating consciousness in several anesthesia protocols. We find that the complexity of brain activity can be used as a correlate of consciousness. For two of the anaesthetics used, propofol and medetomidine, we find that the anaesthetised state is accompanied by a reduction in the complexity of brain activity. On the other hand we observe that use of ketamine produces an increase in complexity measurements. We relate this observation with increase activity within certain brain regions associated with the ketamine used doses. Our measurements indicate that complexity of brain activity is a good indicator for a general evaluation of different levels of consciousness awareness, both in anesthetized and non anesthetizes states.


Methodology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 142-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pere J. Ferrando

In the IRT person-fluctuation model, the individual trait levels fluctuate within a single test administration whereas the items have fixed locations. This article studies the relations between the person and item parameters of this model and two central properties of item and test scores: temporal stability and external validity. For temporal stability, formulas are derived for predicting and interpreting item response changes in a test-retest situation on the basis of the individual fluctuations. As for validity, formulas are derived for obtaining disattenuated estimates and for predicting changes in validity in groups with different levels of fluctuation. These latter formulas are related to previous research in the person-fit domain. The results obtained and the relations discussed are illustrated with an empirical example.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Jaitin

This article covers several stages of the work of Pichon-Rivière. In the 1950s he introduced the hypothesis of "the link as a four way relationship" (of reciprocal love and hate) between the baby and the mother. Clinical work with psychosis and psychosomatic disorders prompted him to examine how mental illness arises; its areas of expression, the degree of symbolisation, and the different fields of clinical observation. From the 1960s onwards, his experience with groups and families led him to explore a second path leading to "the voices of the link"—the voice of the internal family sub-group, and the place of the social and cultural voice where the link develops. This brought him to the definition of the link as a "bi-corporal and tri-personal structure". The author brings together the different levels of the analysis of the link, using as a clinical example the process of a psychoanalytic couple therapy with second generation descendants of a genocide within the limits of the transferential and countertransferential field. Body language (the core of the transgenerational link) and the couple's absences and presence during sessions create a rhythm that gives rise to an illusion, ultimately transforming the intersubjective link between the partners in the couple and with the analyst.


2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (15n16) ◽  
pp. 3124-3130 ◽  
Author(s):  
HUI CONG LIU ◽  
XIU QING XU ◽  
WEI PING LI ◽  
YAN HONG GUO ◽  
LI-QUN ZHU

The shell material of microcapsules has an important effect on the electrolytic co-deposition behavior, the release of core material and the surface performance of composite coating. This paper discussed the tensile property and the stability of three shell materials including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gelatin and methyl cellulose (MC). It is found that these three shell materials have good mechanical strength and flexibility which are favorable to electrolytic co-deposition and stability of microcapsules in composite coating and that MC has well permeability and porosity which has a positive effect on the release of the core material in composite coating. Moreover, the study of the thermal properties and water vapor permeability of the three shell materials showed that their permeability improved with increase of temperature and humidity. In addition, the composite copper coating containing microcapsules with PVA, gelatin or MC as shell material was prepared respectively.


Biochemistry ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 2037-2046 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vassiliki Karantza ◽  
Ernesto Freire ◽  
Evangelos N. Moudrianakis

2007 ◽  
Vol 342-343 ◽  
pp. 505-508
Author(s):  
Sung Won Kim ◽  
Yun Sik Nam ◽  
Yeon Jin Min ◽  
Jong Ho Kim ◽  
Kwang Meyong Kim ◽  
...  

Stability and disintegration of natural polyelectrolyte complex microspheres for protein drugs delivery have been extensively investigated because of their great influence on the drug release patterns. In this study, we tested stability of microspheres with alginate (Alg) core layered by either chitosan (Chi) or glycol chitosan (GChi) by examining release profiles of fluorophorelabeled bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (Lys) from the microspheres. While GChi shell was disintegrated quickly, Chi-shell microspheres showed good stability in PBS. Disintegration of the coated layer induced the core material instable. The results indicated that while the charges of the shell material provided additional diffusion barrier against the protein release, the key factor to hold the proteins inside the microspheres was the integrity of the outer coating layer.


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
J.L. Ayuso-Mateos

The concept of disability has changed enormously, from a notion of handicap (ICIDM,1980) to the idea of person with disability (ICF,2001). The ICF considers three different levels of disability: body, person and environment, offering a possibility to address it in a universal, integrative and interactive perspective. The utility of the ICF in shifting the attention from a medical to a biopsychosocial perspective is therefore accepted. Having 1464 categories, it is hardly applicable to clinical practice and research. Mood disorders are characterized by a variety of psychiatric and somatic symptoms, associated with a significant loss of quality of life and functioning. Practical tools, such as Core Sets, that cover the spectrum of problems are needed. ICF Core Sets have been developed for depression and are currently being developed by our group for bipolar disorder. The ICF Comprehensive Core Sets for depression is the second larger among 12 Comprehensive ICF Core Sets for chronic disorders. This fact reflects the complex limitations in functioning and the numerous interactions with environmental factors. From the first version of the ICF Core Sets for depression as well as the preliminary studies for the bipolar disorder's core sets mental functions are mostly represented among the body functions domain. Few aspects important to mood disorders, as suicide, have been found to be relevant from both a systematic literature review and an expert survey in BD and in the consensus conference were the Core Sets for depression were establish but are not covered in the ICF.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-27
Author(s):  
Chung-Won LEE ◽  
Yong-Seong KIM ◽  
Sung-Yong PARK ◽  
Dong-Gyun KIM ◽  
Gunn HEO

Centrifugal model testing has been widely used to study the stability of levees. However, there have been a limited number of physical studies on levees where the velocity of increasing water levels was considered. To investigate the behavior characteristics of reservoir levees with different velocities of increasing water levels, centrifugal model tests and seepage-deformation coupled analyses were conducted. Through this study, it was confirmed that increasing water levels at higher velocities induces dramatic increases in the displacement, plastic volumetric strain and risk of hydraulic fracturing occurring in the core of the levee. Hence, real-time monitoring of the displacement and the pore water pres­sure of a levee is important to ensure levee stability.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (35) ◽  
pp. 5831-5841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Liu ◽  
Lei Wu ◽  
Xi Zhu ◽  
Wei Shan ◽  
Lian Li ◽  
...  

The stability of the core–shell structure plays an important role in the nanoparticles ability to overcome both the mucus and epithelium absorption barrier.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document