Prolonged Pain Reliably Slows Peak Alpha Frequency by Reducing Fast Alpha Power

The relationship between the 8-12 Hz alpha rhythm, the predominant oscillatory activity of the brain, and pain remains unclear. In healthy individuals, acute, noxious stimuli suppress alpha power while patients with chronic pain demonstrate both enhanced alpha power and slowing of the peak alpha frequency (PAF). To investigate these apparent differences, EEG was recorded from healthy individuals while they completed two models of prolonged pain, Phasic Heat Pain and Capsaicin Heat Pain, at two testing visits occurring roughly 8 weeks apart. We report that PAF is reliably slowed and that alpha power is reliably decreased in response to prolonged pain. Furthermore, we show that alpha power changes, but not PAF changes, are fully reversed with stimulus removal suggesting that PAF slowing reflects pain associated states such as sensitization rather than the presence of ongoing pain. Finally, we provide evidence that changes to alpha power and PAF are due to power decreases in the fast (10-12 Hz) range of the alpha rhythm. This frequency dependent pain response aligns with the hypothesis that the alpha rhythm is composed of multiple, independent oscillators, and suggest that modulation of a putative fast oscillator may represent a promising therapeutic target for treating ongoing pain. In sum, we provide strong evidence that PAF is reliably slowed during prolonged pain and additionally identify a mechanism, fast alpha Power, which is responsible for these PAF changes.

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Sensorimotor Peak Alpha Frequency Is a Reliable Biomarker of Prolonged Pain Sensitivity

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhaa124 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (12) ◽

pp. 6069-6082 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrew J Furman ◽

Mariya Prokhorenko ◽

Michael L Keaser ◽

Jing Zhang ◽

Shuo Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Independent Study ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Alpha Oscillations ◽

Alpha Oscillation ◽

Prolonged Pain ◽

Resting Electroencephalography ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Previous research has observed that the speed of alpha band oscillations (8–12 Hz range) recorded during resting electroencephalography is slowed in chronic pain patients. While this slowing may reflect pathological changes that occur during the chronification of pain, an alternative explanation is that healthy individuals with slower alpha oscillations are more sensitive to prolonged pain, and by extension, more susceptible to developing chronic pain. To test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the pain-free, resting alpha oscillation speed of healthy individuals and their sensitivity to two models of prolonged pain, Phasic Heat Pain and Capsaicin Heat Pain, at two visits separated by 8 weeks on average (n = 61 Visit 1, n = 46 Visit 2). We observed that the speed of an individual’s pain-free alpha oscillations was negatively correlated with sensitivity to both models and that this relationship was reliable across short (minutes) and long (weeks) timescales. Furthermore, the speed of pain-free alpha oscillations can successfully identify the most pain sensitive individuals, which we validated on data from a separate, independent study. These results suggest that alpha oscillation speed is a reliable biomarker of prolonged pain sensitivity with potential for prospectively identifying pain sensitivity in the clinic.

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Sensorimotor peak alpha frequency is a reliable biomarker of pain sensitivity

10.1101/613299 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Andrew J. Furman ◽

Mariya Prokhorenko ◽

Michael L. Keaser ◽

Jing Zhang ◽

Shuo Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Pain Sensitivity ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Independent Study ◽

Heat Pain ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Alpha Oscillations ◽

Alpha Frequency ◽

Alpha Oscillation ◽

Prolonged Pain

AbstractPrevious research has observed that individuals with chronic pain demonstrate slower alpha band oscillations (8-12 Hz range) during resting electroencephalography (EEG) than do age-matched, healthy controls. While this slowing may reflect pathological changes within the brain that occur during the chronification of pain, an alternative explanation is that healthy individuals with slower alpha frequencies are more sensitive to prolonged pain, and by extension, more susceptible to developing chronic pain. To formally test this hypothesis, we examined the relationship between the pain-free, resting alpha frequency of healthy individuals and their subsequent sensitivity to two experimental models of prolonged pain, Phasic Heat Pain and Capsaicin Heat Pain, at two testing visits separated by 8 weeks on average (n = 61 Visit 1, n = 46 Visit 2). We observed that the speed of an individual’s pain-free alpha oscillations was negatively correlated with sensitivity to both prolonged pain tests and that this relationship was reliable across short (minutes) and long (weeks) timescales. Furthermore, we used the speed of pain-free alpha oscillations to successfully identify those individuals most sensitive to prolonged pain, which we also validated on data from a separate, independent study. These results suggest that alpha oscillation speed is a reliable biomarker of prolonged pain sensitivity with the potential to become a tool for prospectively identifying pain sensitivity in the clinic.

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Linking alpha oscillations, attention and inhibitory control in adult ADHD with EEG neurofeedback

10.1101/689398 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marie-Pierre Deiber ◽

Roland Hasler ◽

Julien Colin ◽

Alexandre Dayer ◽

Jean-Michel Aubry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inhibitory Control ◽

Resting State ◽

Adult Adhd ◽

Alpha Rhythm ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Supporting Evidence ◽

Alpha Power ◽

Adhd Group ◽

List Type ◽

Alpha Oscillations

AbstractAbnormal patterns of electrical oscillatory activity have been repeatedly described in adult ADHD. In particular, the alpha rhythm (8-12 Hz), known to be modulated during attention, has previously been considered as candidate biomarker for ADHD. In the present study, we asked adult ADHD patients to self-regulate their own alpha rhythm using neurofeedback (NFB), in order to examine the modulation of alpha oscillations on attentional performance and brain plasticity. Twenty-five adult ADHD patients and 22 healthy controls underwent a 64-channel EEG-recording at resting-state and during a Go/NoGo task, before and after a 30 min-NFB session designed to reduce (desynchronize) the power of the alpha rhythm. Alpha power was compared across conditions and groups, and the effects of NFB were statistically assessed by comparing behavioral and EEG measures pre-to-post NFB. Firstly, we found that relative alpha power was attenuated in our ADHD cohort compared to control subjects at baseline and across experimental conditions, suggesting a signature of cortical hyper-activation. Both groups demonstrated a significant and targeted reduction of alpha power during NFB. Interestingly, we observed a post-NFB increase in resting-state alpha (i.e. rebound) in the ADHD group, which restored alpha power towards levels of the normal population. Importantly, the degree of post-NFB alpha normalisation during the Go/NoGo task correlated with individual improvements in motor inhibition (i.e. reduced commission errors and slower reaction times in NoGo trials) only in the ADHD group. Overall, our findings offer novel supporting evidence implicating alpha oscillations in inhibitory control, as well as their potential role in the homeostatic regulation of cortical excitatory/inhibitory balance.HighlightsResting alpha power is reduced in adult ADHD suggesting cortical hyper-activationAdult ADHD patients successfully reduce alpha power during neurofeedbackA post-neurofeedback rebound normalizes alpha power in adult ADHDAlpha power rebound correlates with improvement of inhibitory control in adult ADHD

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Age differences in aperiodic neural activity measured with resting EEG

10.1101/2021.08.31.458328 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ashley Merkin ◽

Sabrina Sghirripa ◽

Lynton Graetz ◽

Ashleigh E. Smith ◽

Brenton Hordacre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Age Differences ◽

Power Spectra ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Large Sample Size ◽

Alpha Power ◽

Eeg Signal ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Alpha Frequency ◽

Age Range

AbstractPrevious research using electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) has shown that neural oscillatory activity within the alpha band (8-12 Hz) becomes slower and lower in amplitude with advanced age. However, most studies have focused on quantifying age-related differences in periodic oscillatory activity with little consideration of the influence of aperiodic activity on these measures. The aim of this study was to investigate age differences in aperiodic activity inherent in the resting EEG signal. We assessed aperiodic activity in 85 healthy younger adults (mean age: 22.2 years, SD: 3.9, age range: 18–35, 37 male) and 92 healthy older adults (mean age: 66.1 years, SD: 8.2, age range 50–86, 53 male) by fitting the 1/f-like background activity evident in EEG power spectra using the fitting oscillations & one over f (FOOOF) toolbox. Across the scalp, the aperiodic exponent and offset were smaller in older compared to younger participants, reflecting a flatter 1/f-like slope and a downward broadband shift in the power spectra with age. Before correcting for aperiodic activity, older adults showed slower peak alpha frequency and reduced peak alpha power relative to younger adults. After correcting for aperiodic activity, peak alpha frequency remained slower in older adults; however, peak alpha power no longer differed statistically between age groups. The large sample size utilized in this study, as well as the depth of analysis, provides further evidence that the aperiodic component of the resting EEG signal is altered with aging and should be considered when investigating neural oscillatory activity.

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Task-specific Disruptions in Theta Oscillations during Working Memory for Temporal Order in People with Schizophrenia

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01598 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (11) ◽

pp. 2117-2130 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiaonan L. Liu ◽

Charan Ranganath ◽

Liang-Tien Hsieh ◽

Mitzi Hurtado ◽

Tara A. Niendam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Temporal Order ◽

Theta Oscillations ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Neural Oscillations ◽

Alpha Power ◽

Complex Objects ◽

Impaired Performance ◽

Theta Power ◽

The Relationship

Prior studies demonstrated that neural oscillations are enhanced during working memory (WM) maintenance and that this activity can predict behavioral performance in healthy individuals. However, it is unclear whether the relationship holds for people with WM deficits. People with schizophrenia have marked WM deficits, and such deficits are most prominent when patients are required to process relationships between items, such as temporal order. Here, we used EEG to compare the relationship between oscillatory activity and WM performance in patients and controls. EEG was recorded as participants performed tasks requiring maintenance of complex objects (“Item”) or the temporal order of objects (“Order”). In addition to testing for group differences, we examined individual differences in EEG power and WM performance across groups. Behavioral results demonstrated that patients showed impaired performance on both Item and Order trials. EEG analyses revealed that patients showed an overall reduction in alpha power, but the relationship between alpha activity and performance was preserved. In contrast, patients showed a reduction in theta power specific to Order trials, and theta power could predict performance on Order trials in controls, but not in patients. These findings demonstrate that WM impairments in patients may reflect two different processes: a general deficit in alpha oscillations and a specific deficit in theta oscillations when temporal order information must be maintained. At a broader level, the results highlight the value of characterizing brain–behavior relationships, by demonstrating that the relationship between neural oscillations and WM performance can be fundamentally disrupted in those with WM deficits.

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Perceptual Grouping Reveals Distinct Roles for Sustained Slow Wave Activity and Alpha Oscillations in Working Memory

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_01719 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Gisella K. Diaz ◽

Edward K. Vogel ◽

Edward Awh

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Frequency Band ◽

Slow Wave ◽

Perceptual Grouping ◽

Visual Display ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Alpha Power ◽

Neural Signals ◽

Alpha Frequency ◽

Alpha Frequency Band

Abstract Multiple neural signals have been found to track the number of items stored in working memory (WM). These signals include oscillatory activity in the alpha band and slow-wave components in human EEG, both of which vary with storage loads and predict individual differences in WM capacity. However, recent evidence suggests that these two signals play distinct roles in spatial attention and item-based storage in WM. Here, we examine the hypothesis that sustained negative voltage deflections over parieto-occipital electrodes reflect the number of individuated items in WM, whereas oscillatory activity in the alpha frequency band (8–12 Hz) within the same electrodes tracks the attended positions in the visual display. We measured EEG activity while participants stored the orientation of visual elements that were either grouped by collinearity or not. This grouping manipulation altered the number of individuated items perceived while holding constant the number of locations occupied by visual stimuli. The negative slow wave tracked the number of items stored and was reduced in amplitude in the grouped condition. By contrast, oscillatory activity in the alpha frequency band tracked the number of positions occupied by the memoranda and was unaffected by perceptual grouping. Perceptual grouping, then, reduced the number of individuated representations stored in WM as reflected by the negative slow wave, whereas the location of each element was actively maintained as indicated by alpha power. These findings contribute to the emerging idea that distinct classes of EEG signals work in concert to successfully maintain on-line representations in WM.

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Association between Serum Concentration of Carotenoid and Visceral Fat

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13030912 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 912

Author(s):

Mai Matsumoto ◽

Hiroyuki Suganuma ◽

Naoki Ozato ◽

Sunao Shimizu ◽

Mitsuhiro Katashima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Visceral Fat ◽

Fruits And Vegetables ◽

Beta Carotene ◽

The Body ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Health Checkup ◽

Visceral Fat Area ◽

The Relationship ◽

Aomori Prefecture

Consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in carotenoids has been widely reported to prevent cardiovascular diseases. However, the relationship between serum carotenoid concentrations and visceral fat area (VFA), which is considered a better predictor of cardiovascular diseases than the body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the relationship in healthy individuals in their 20s or older, stratified by sex and age, to compare the relationship between serum carotenoid concentrations and VFA and BMI. The study was conducted on 805 people, the residents in Hirosaki city, Aomori prefecture, who underwent a health checkup. An inverse relationship between serum carotenoid concentrations and VFA and BMI was observed only in women. In addition, the results were independent of the intake of dietary fiber, which is mainly supplied from vegetables as well as carotenoids. This suggests that consumption of a diet rich in carotenoids (especially lutein and beta-carotene) is associated with lower VFA, which is a good predictor of cardiovascular disease, especially in women. This study is the first to comprehensively evaluate the association between serum carotenoid levels and VFA in healthy individuals.

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Eating and body image: Does food insecurity make us feel thinner?

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x1600131x ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Klaudia B. Ambroziak ◽

Elena Azañón ◽

Matthew R. Longo

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorders ◽

Body Image ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Eating Behavior ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Insurance Hypothesis ◽

Central Aspect ◽

Food Scarcity ◽

Clinical Conditions ◽

The Relationship

AbstractBody image distortions are common in healthy individuals and a central aspect of serious clinical conditions, such as eating disorders. This commentary explores the potential implications of body image and its distortions for the insurance hypothesis. In particular, we speculate that body image may be an intervening variable mediating the relationship between perceived food scarcity and eating behavior.

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EEG-correlates of work efficiency level among young persons with stress-induced bruxism

Medical alphabet ◽

10.33667/2078-5631-2021-36-25-29 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 25-29

Author(s):

A. E. Barulin ◽

S. V. Klauchek ◽

A. E. Klauchek

Keyword(s):

Regression Models ◽

Alpha Rhythm ◽

Negative Relationship ◽

Maximum Amplitude ◽

Dominant Frequency ◽

Regression Equations ◽

Microsoft Excel ◽

The Subject ◽

Males And Females ◽

The Relationship

Purpose of the study. To establish the relationship between neurophysiological status and the level of efficiency in young people with bruxism.Materials and methods. Two groups of 64 and 53 subjects (males and females) aged 20–35 years old with bruxism and non-bruxers were formed according to questionnaire results and physical examination. The level of efficiency was assessed by the results of sensorimotor tracking of a moving object (the ‘Smile’ model). Spectral analysis was performed for evaluation of the baseline electroencephalograms. Microsoft Excel and Statistica 10.0 programs were used for statistical data processing.Results. The level of efficiency was statistically significantly lower in the hardest test of Smile model among the individuals with bruxism (p < 0.05). The bruxers also demonstrated a significantly lower dominant frequency and maximum amplitude of alpha-rhythm (p < 0.05), and significantly higher dominant frequency of beta2 rhythm (p < 0.05). The dominant frequency and the maximum amplitude of the alpha-rhythm are parameters corresponding to significant coefficients of the regression analysis. A negative relationship was found between the degree of error during sensorimotor tracking and the frequency and amplitude of alpha-rhythm.Conclusion. Regression models present the relationship between the level of efficiency and the alpha-rhythm severity. The regression equations make it possible to determine the functional state of the subject using an electroencephalogram.

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Irritable bowel syndrome and psychological stress

Health SA Gesondheid ◽

10.4102/hsag.v4i1.6 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 19-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Barbara S Bayne ◽

Anita D Stuart ◽

H Gertie Pretorius

Keyword(s):

Occupational Stress ◽

Psychological Stress ◽

The Other ◽

Theory Building ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Daily Stress ◽

Stress Inventory ◽

Irritable Bowel ◽

The Relationship

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first aim was to clarify the relationship between psychological stress and lrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) by establishing whether individuals suffering from IBS experience minor stress differently from healthy individuals in terms of its frequency or intensity. The second aim was more general and concerns theory building in a field filled with ambiguity and confusion. Two groups, one comprising IBS sufferers and the other healthy controls, completed the Daily Stress lnventory and the Occupational Stress lnventory - questionnaires designed to measure minor daily and occupational stress respectively. The findings indicate that IBS sufferers do not experience more stress than healthy individuals, but they experience the stressors with greater intensity.OpsommingDie doel van die studie was tweeledig. Eerstens is daar gepoog om duidelikheid te kry oor die verband tussen sielkundige stres en Prikkelbare Dermsindroom (PDS), deur te bepaal of individue wat aan PDS ly geringe stres anders ervaar as gesonde individue in terme van gereeldheid of intensiteit. Die tweede doelwit was meer algemeen en spreek die kwessie van teorie ontwikkeling aan in 'n veld gevul met dubbelsinningheid en verwarring. Twee groepe, een bestaande uit PDS lyers en die ander 'n gesonde kontrolegroep, het die "Daily Stress Inventory'' en die "Occupational Stress Inventory" voltooi. Die vraelyste is ontwerp om onderskeidelik daaglikse stres en werkstres te meet. Die resultate dui daarop dat PDS lyers nie meer stres ervaar as die gesonde individue nie, maar dat hulle wel die stressors ervaar met groter intensiteit.

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